“I
serched for God and found only myself, I searched for myself and found only
God”
Such is the idea of
preachers and believers of Sufism. Do you know that Sufism has a history in India evolving for over 1,000 years
now? The Sufi teachings of divine spirituality,
cosmic harmony, love; humanity has left a prevailing impact on religious,
cultural and social life in South Asia. Infact the introduction of the mystical form of Islam was done by Sufi
saints. Besides preaching in major cities and centres of intellectual
thought, Sufis reached out to poor and marginalized rural communities and
preached in local dialects as well. One such Sufi Saint who is not much talked
about in present but has touched the heart and soul of many is Shaikh Pir
Muhammad. My very keen self took me to him recently.
The
shrine of Pir Muhammad Sheikh is bathed in fragile tranquillity situated in the
backdrop of Teele Wala Masjid, adjoining Pukka Pul(Stone Bridge). Lying on Bara
Imambara Side, the Dargah is circled by a typical hustle-bustle of the city
with the presence of constant traffic of auto rickshaws, buses, cars, flowing
unevenly. Inside, however the very air is suffused with peace and privacy. Entering
the Dargah, I saw the two holy structures. The square mausoleum of Shah Pir Mohammed is dominated by a large dome
resting on a tall cylindrical drum. The dome and drum are nearly twice the
height of the three arched square compartment at the base. Besides the grave of
Shah Pir Mohammed inside the small hall, there are two graves, at the entrance
towards south and on the platform outside. One of them, towards west, has
extremely intricate and beautiful inlay work on its marble surface, even though
the coloured stones studded therein have disappeared. The other Hall
next to this contains three graves inside. It may be the final resting place
for some of the holy man’s followers. 
According to N. Hanif,
Author of ‘Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis of South Asia’ - Shaikh Pir
Muhammad was “A native of Jaunpur, he obtained formal education in his native
town and in Delhi and Kannauj. In Lucknow he completed his religious and
theological studies, later going on a Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, Shah
‘Abdu’llah Sayyah Chishti who came from the mountainous regions of Herat
appeared in Lucknow and initiated Sheikh Pir Muhammad into Chishtiyya order.
Later, he ordered him to settle permanently in Lucknow as a teacher of theology
and mysticism. Choosing a place of high ground on the banks of Gomti, Sheikh
Pir Muhammad built a hermitage not far from the Tomb of Shah Mina of Lucknow. A
lover of Sama and Quwwals, were always on hand to perform. In 1669/70 he died’.
However he left a rich heritage in form of books on both Fiqh (philosophy of
Islamic Law) and Sufism. He did not marry and spent his whole
life in the study of religious doctrines and scriptures and guided students who
came to his abode, for the interpretation of theological matters.
Sources also tell us that he considered diseases as both physical and
spiritual, ‘the former were cured by a physician, but spiritual illness being
caused by the dominance of one instinct over the other, could be set right only
by a perfect Sufi guide. His work on Wahdat-al Wajud (unity of Existence/ Unity
of being) is also very interesting as he talks about Mysticism in such a way
that one could overlook both the laws of Sharia and Zariqa.
I
chose a Thursday to visit this place. It was 1 o clock in the noon and the
weather was perfect. I specifically remember the very surprising
welcome of cool breeze on entering the shrine. As in my habit I take in the
feeling of the place before admiring the tangible beauty of it and so I did
here. There was an absolute positivity in the atmosphere. Even though there was
a huge commotion in the outside world in the middle of the day, this place
managed to shelter its enclosed world in a state of seclusion. While the
courtyard was semi crowded with worshippers, I noticed a few also sitting
inside the main shrine around the tomb. Men, women, children all praying,
bending down on the stairs, lighting the incense sticks and taking a round of
the shrine. As I moved inside I was noticing it all, the beauty of our diverse
nation and the beauty of faith which makes us unique.
It
was pleasing to notice that people from all walks of life and faith were
present under the same shade of neem tree and there was similar hope in the
eyes of all. Women are allowed inside the Chambers where the Saint once lived,
lived and now buried. These graves were covered with coloured clothes and
flower petals. In Dargahs, the devotees sit quietly in front of the shrine - eyes
closed. Sometimes a Khadim- the Dargah’s traditional caretaker is requested to
liberate a man possessed by Djinns. The Khadim gently sways peacocks feather over
the afflicted man’s head and order the unseen spirit to go away.
A
Hindu family I happened to talk to is among the crowd present at this hour,
sitting down infront of me, they offered me home cooked Sooji Halwa. They told
me how strong their belief was for Pir Baba. A brief and astonishing answer to
my curiosity was shut when they insisted me to take their phone number and call
them exactly a year after and check if their prayers were answered. They were
so sure of it!
I researched and found historians like Abdul Halim Sharar, the famous
author of ‘Guzishta Lakhnau’ and the translators of his book to English,
E.S.Harcourt and Fakhir Hussain in their notes have erroneously mentioned Shah
Pir Mohammed. Nabi Hadi,Author of ‘Dictionary of Indo-Persian Literature also
mentions Pir Muhammad Lakhnawi belonged to the period of Shah Jahan and
Aurangzeb and as a Sufi he lived the life of exemplary poverty, and sparing one
time’s food for himself, gave away to others whatever he received daily as Futuh (offerings), from the devotees.
Directly
opposite to this mausoleum is a small mound, which is said to have been formed when the eastern gateway of the
Bara Imambara of Asaf-ud-Daulah (which was parallel to and corresponded with
the Rumi Darwaza on the west) was bombarded and demolished by the British in
July 1857. The mound was also used in 1857-58 for setting up scaffolds to hang
the rebels (freedom fighters) who had revolted against the unlawfully imposed
British rule. Name of at least five freedom fighters and heroes hanged are
available in historical accounts as Maulvi Rasool Bakhsh, Hafiz Abdul Samad,
Mir Abbas, Mir Qasim Ali Kamadan and Mammu Khan.
Coming out I am taking a very different feeling
with me. There is a huge importance of this place in history and now in my
heart as well. While writing this and remembering the shrine
I can still smell the air with a beautiful composition of essence of Rose,
Incense sticks and huge amount of Faith.
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