Ahle Hadhis and Sufi: a tale of two brothers

Shamsul Haque Chang shows, through the example of two brothers from the Pir Jhando and the Pir Pagaro families, that the Ahle Hadhis in Sindh are influenced more by Sufi traditions, than puritan Wahabi or Salafi ones

It is a generally perceived that the Ahle Hadhis are puritan i.e. Wahabi or Salafi and [these days] perhaps also "terrorists" who seek to create a global Muslim community. Contrary to these views, the Ahle Hadhis in rural Sindh are influenced by Sufism.

Here, most people are oriented toward more populist, Sufi-based Islamic practices. Hence I would argue that Ahle Hadhis teaching and worldview in Sindh is also tempered by Sufism. Although the Ahle Hadhis are said to follow "Wahabi" traditions, they cannot be imagined to be outside the cultural practices and traditions of Sindhi society.

For example, Badi-u-Din Shah Rashdhi (1924-1996) and Ijaz Shah Rashdhi (1929-1998) were two brothers born into an Ahle Hadhis religious family of the Rashdhis of village Pir Jhando. One became famous Alim and the other, a well-known Sufi. Thus in this study, I will take the example of these two sons of an Ahle Hadhis family and look at the Ahle Hadhis identity and practices, not as fixed entities, but rather as encompassing varied tendencies and cultural influences.

These practices provide a different picture of Islam than those we see in Western representation of Islam or those that are pushed by the Islamic orthodox.

In the context of history

The ancestors of the Rashidi brothers migrated from a place known as Kozman in Iran to Laki Shah Sadar in Dadu, Sindh. Syed Muhammad Rashid Shah Rashidi from this family was a well-known Alim of his time. He is considered the progenitor of the Pir Jhando and the Pir Pagaro family. The Rashidi family divided in two parts on the question of succession after the death of Pir Rashid. The title of Pir Jhando was given to the elder brother, Syed Muhammad Yaseen Shah, who inherited the flag. The turban and succession, meanwhile, were passed on to younger brother Syed Sabghatullah Shah, who was called Pir Pagaro. Thereafter, Pir Yassen Shah migrated from Pir Jo Goth in Khairpur Mirs and settled in the Pir Jhando village.

Abu Muhammad Badi Uddin Shah Rashidi (1924-1996)

Abu Muhammad Badi Uddin Shah Bin Syed Ihsanullah Shah Rashidi was born on July 10, 1925, in village Fazulalah Shah, old Pir Jhando, near New Saeedabad, Sindh. He acquired his early education in Madrasah Dar-ul-Irshad in his village under the guidance of his family members and his brother, Pir Muhbullah Rashidi. Then he started with nazirah of Quran, which he completed within an year, after which he began to study Persian and Sindhi texts on Hadhis. He studied Arabic books and completed Hifz al-Quran when he was 23 years old.

He also developed the family's Al-Rashdia Library into a famous centre, which now contains 25,000 rare manuscripts and books. Several scholars, including Dr Annemarie Schimmel and Dr Jamal Badavi, have consulted this library in their research.

Badi Uddin Shah has written approximately 160 books in Arabic, Sindhi and Urdu. One of the monumental works that he had undertaken was Tafseer Al Quran, known as Badi-ul-Tafaseer in Sindhi language. This Tafsser comprises 10 large volumes, 5,632 pages, and was published between 1986 to 2004. After his death. However, this work was left unfinished.

Shah urged for reforms in Madressah education, and introduced a new syllabus for Madressah education in Sindh under the Jamiat Ahle Hadhis' platform. The syllabus, which was implemented in Madressahs in Sindh by the Jamiat Ahle Hadhis Educational Trust, included the study of computer science, English, physics, chemistry, geography and mathematics.

In the 1970s, during a visit to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, Shah was invited by the authorities to teach at the Islamic University Al-Madina. Although he accepted, he stayed in Saudi Arabia for only two years. He began to criticise the Saudi government for the violation of human rights and their policies against the common people, and eventually returned to Sindh.

Shah was against the Fatwa of Jihad in Afghanistan. He thought that the Afghan war was not Jihad and was unsure about its outcome. He was also a strong opponent of Pakistani religious parties who participated in the Afghan war against the USSR. He discouraged any effort to connect Ahle Hadhis with Jihad in Sindh. He argued that this "Jihad" was Fasad, i.e. evil or destruction. He was isolated by the mainstream Ahle Hadhis elite due to his opposition of Jihad. In many of his religious sermons during Friday prayers, interviews and writings Shah publicly denounced the Jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir. He thought that religious parties of Pakistan must be concerned with the education of their own people, raise knowledge and awareness to build social institutions, which, according to him, were the real "arms" to fight poverty, hunger, and illiteracy. Keeping in view these ideas he founded the Jamiat Ahle Hadhis.

He was also against the prevailing political system, and argued that electoral politics cannot change societies; but through education and awareness people can know their right and duties and that can help build the foundation of a good society. He further argued that it was not necessary to adopt the model of Khilafat for government but if the democratic system can work then it must be implemented. He was, however, in favour of the implementation of Islamic values, Islamic law and Islamic social system in the country.

Syed Muhiuddin Shah alias Ijaz Shah Rashdi (1929-1998)

Syed Muhiuddin Shah alias Ijaz Shah Rashdhi Bin Syed Ihsanullah Shah Rashidi, was born in 1929 in village Fazulalah Shah, old Pir Jhando near New Saeedabad, Sindh. He was born of the second wife of Syed Ihsanullah Shah; and hence was the half brother of Badi Uddin Shah Rashidi. Like his brother and other family members he acquired his earlier education in Madrasah Dar-ul-Irshad in his village under the guidance of his family members and his brother Pir Muhbullah Rashidi. He started with nazirah of Quran, which he completed in eight years. After the death of his father when he was eleven years old his education was interrupted. From then onward he never learned through formal schooling.

His ascetism, which was apparent even in childhood, made his father call him Bahl˚l, after the celebrated dervish. He continued to learn Arabic and Persian on his own and read books on various themes including religious books and Quran. He acquired Zikar and talqÓn from his father and became a Q‚dirÓ Sufi.

At the age of 16, he started to visit different places and during this time some of his friends inspired him towards Sufi music. He began to take an interest in poetry and composed poems at a young age. He also took interest in understanding the Hinduism. He read Hindi poetry and Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Shia ideology. He observed m‚tam during the Islamic month of Muharram, which is remembered among the Muslims as month of martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandsons. He grew in a totally way from mainstream Ahle Hadhis ideas. His religious ideas initially created problems in his family and among the Ahle Hadhis community of Saeedabad and others areas of Sindh. His inclination towards the Sufi music was highly debated.

His interest in Shia ideology was another problem, while the growing influence of his ideas among the wider public was also noticed by Ahle Hadhis. Later, his brother Badi Uddin Shah Rashidi insisted on tolerance towards his religious ideas. Thus he was never threatened nor was his faith questioned by the Ahle Hadhis community. Badi Uddin Shah Rashidi declared that his brother's religious ideas were not against Islamic teaching. Interestingly, Badi Uddin Shah Rashidi conducted in Saeedabad city a three-day conference on Islam and Ijaz Shah Rashdhi conducted a three-day Sufi music programme in the same city at the same time.

His poetic compendium Sukhan-e-Ajaz (2003) was published after his death. Ijaz Shah's poetry got immense popular recognition. He wrote his poems in Sindhi, Urdu, Seraiki, and Hindi. He used simple diction to express his ideas. His eight hundred pages poetic compendium is a collection of some of his poems that were preserved by his disciples during his life time. In his poetry he presents the Sufi philosophy of Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi's (1165-1240) concept "Wahdat-ul-Wujood", literally means the unity of creation. He was highly influenced by Ibn Arabi's concept of unity of creation. He used Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Shia terms to explain his ideas in his poetry similar other Sufi poets of Sindh i.e. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (1689-1752), and also by Sachal Sarmat (1739-1829) etc. In his poetry he sued names of Hindu god, goddess, and name of founder of Sikh religion and describes that they are assimilated within him and they all are part of his self.

I am Guru Gurnath, Nanak is my name

(My name is Nanak, every path and way is mine)

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikh religion through a syncretic unification of Hinduism, Islam and local ideas. Guru means teacher or mentor. Gurnath means teacher or mentor of high caliber. Rashidi connects himself with Nanak, as Nanak had deviated from Hinduism and created his own way, he explains that like Nanak he can also decide for himself. In doing this he is criticizing here Ahle Hadhis that there is no one way for salvation. Therefore, he says that I can choose my own way and I can be my own guide. He also praised Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and a central figure within Shia ideology. He says in one poem: "Those who don't love Maula Ali, their faith of affirmation of God cannot be trusted".

According to Ijaz Shah, the recitation of the Kalma is not enough to be Muslim but one needs to believe in Ali's ideology. He endorsed this belief which is part of the Shia ideology. Similar ideas were used by Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif and Sachal Sarmast where they use in the first line of a couplet: "merely by reciting Kalma I had not become Muslim and in second line it is usually urged that one need to do right actions after having faith in God".

Ijaz Shah started a new Sufi tradition in contemporary times. He began to influence a large number of people in Sindh. This tradition created new space in Saeedabad and subsequently in Sindh in terms of shifting Ahle Hadhis identity into Sufism. The periodical gathering of Sufi musicians as astana-e-Ijaz has provided space to wider population for listing Sufi songs. His poetry has also been recited at the urs, annual celebration of Sufi saints shrines.

Though his family buried him after death in their village to avoid the building of his shrine, but the popularity of Ijaz Shah's poetry has not declined. He turned into a saint among the new generation of Ahle Hadhis which developed spiritual affiliation with him.

Charting new paths

Though scholars present the image of Ahle Hadhis as Salafi, based on the textual interpretation of Islam but the regional dynamics of Ahle Hadhis is much more diverse and heterodox. Much attention has been paid on revival of fundamentalism, modern waves of Jihad, relationship of Madressahs with increasing orthodox tendencies, or how the globalisation of Islam is connected with nurturing of Salafi students in Saudi Arabia and developing global networks.

There is also a growing trend among scholars to link the Salafi movement with "terrorism". It is believed that a growing number of Madressah graduates have undertaken a decisive role in revitalising Islam. Heterodox trends within the Ahle Hadhis, however, are either ignored or not given proper attention.

Sindh has a diverse social cultural background, with two main villages where Islamic laws are implemented. Village Dargah Maskeenpur Sharif located in district Shahdad Kot was established by Ghulam Siddique Ghaffari, who belonged to Jamait Ahle Sunnat; he was a Naqishibindi Sufi. The second village, Dargah Alia Nurpur, is located in district Khairpur Mirs. Both villages are located in rural Sindh and Islamic laws are implemented there without any violence or conflict.

Both of these villages are independent and are not linked by any bond of "global Islam." Similarly, the Ahle Hadhis of rural Sindh are also not connected with these villages; neither there is any network to connect these groups with each other. Thus each group has its own identity, and contrary to outside groups, they neither believe in Jihad nor are they interested in implementing their agenda on others. Rather, they exist within the diverse and heterodox phenomenon of Sindhi society.

Badi Uddin Shah and Ijaz Shah's case study presented in this paper indicates that other than global Islam there is also a trend of "local" Islam. These trends accommodate local cultural and social influences. Thus it can be said that the Ahle Hadhis identity is not religiously fixed in rural Sindh.

-- The writer is a graduate student of Arabic Studies at the Institute of Languages, University of Sindh, Jamshoro. He can be reached at shams.chang@gmail.com