"Sufi Basant" Symbolises Multicultural Muslim Mysticism in India

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 13 February 2024 The Spiritually-Inclined Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs And People Of Other Faiths Celebrate The Sufi Basant Together At The Holy Shrine Of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia. They Offer Yellow Flowers Wearing Yellow Clothes And Garlands To Mark The Occasion. Celebrated For More Than Seven Centuries, Basant Is India's Age-Old Representation Of Hindu-Muslim Harmony. ------- The beautiful and historical Sufi tradition of celebrating Basant which marks the seasonal shift from gloomy winter to joyous spring is an epoch-making part of Indian Muslim mysticism. It commenced at the famous Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia during the 13th-14th century Delhi and is being celebrated at the major Chishti shrines. Growing up in Delhi, Basant has always had a special appeal for me since my childhood. While for our Hindu brethren, it is dedicated to Saraswati, a deity of wisdom, music, flowing water and abundance of knowledge, art and aesthetics, many Muslims in India have also been celebrating it as what they have beautifully named the "Sufi Basant". According to Hindu mythology, Saraswati depicts a pristine lady seated on a white lotus that blooms in a wide stretch of water and bedecked with a dazzling white attire, white flowers and pearls. Thus, Saraswati is seen holding Veena, a string Hindustani musical instrument like a sitar often used for mystical music. It is attributed to the formation of words, invention of the Sanskrit language and composition of hymns, which associates her with the sacred Hindu rituals performed on the banks of the river Saraswati. In Sikhism too, Basant Panchami has a spiritual dimension. "Basant Raga" constitutes an important composition (raag) included in the Guru Granth Sahib which is sung with great reverence. Guru Arjan Dev ji urged upon man to submit himself to the true Guru in order to achieve liberation and the ultimate union with the Divine. This essential message of the Basant Panchami has greatly been appreciated by the Indian Muslim Mystics especially Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia R.A popularly known as the "Beloved of the Divine" (Mahbub e Ilahi) and his closest disciple Hazrat Ameer Khusro called the "Parrot of India" (Tooti-e-Hind). Therefore, Sufi Basant is celebrated every year at Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya R.A which has a beautiful anecdotal background: Once Hazrat Nizamuddin was extremely sad because of the death of his nephew, Khwaja Taqiuddin Nooh, who was very dear to him. As he had no children of his own, he loved his adopted family from his sister’s side, very deeply. Overwhelmed with grief of his nephew's sad demise, he put himself into an enforced isolation and asked his disciples to stop all activities at the Dargah. This left his most beloved Mureed Ameer Khusro devastated. He could not see the growing sorrow of his Murshid (spiritual master), as he spent all of his time at his nephew's grave at “Chilla-e-Sharif”. Khusro, longing for his Murshid's joy and happiness, devised an ingenious plan. This happened when he saw some Hindu women in yellow saris carrying mustard flowers and singing hymns. When he asked the women what they were doing, they told him about the rituals being practised to make their deity, Saraswati happy. Listening to this, Khusrau immediately decided to use this festival to bring smiles back to the face of his Murshid. Thus, he got dressed in a yellow saree and carrying mustard flowers, appeared in front of Hazrat Nizamuddin. Upon seeing this, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, who loved the yellow colour, passed a smile and felt elated. And since then, the beautiful tradition of Sufi Basant is an integral part of his Khanqah's annual celebrations. On this occasion, Khusro wrote beautiful poems in Brij Bhasha. One of them goes like this: Yellow mustard blossoms have covered entire fields.The mango tree is in bloom, The flame of the forest is in bloom, The Koel bird flits singing from one branch to another, And the fair lady decks herself With marigold blossoms the gardener’s wife fetches for her. The season is full of yellow flowers That we carry to the door of Hazrat Nizamuddin, Years ago, my lover had promised he will come visiting me. Thus, Ameer Khusro succeeded in his effort as this gesture of showing love through the Basant celebration made his beloved Murshid smile and marked the end of his mourning period. Since then, the Dargah through its procession and celebration continues this tradition of “Sufi Basant" as it turned the grieved Khwaja into an elated one! And today once again the mustard flowers are everywhere at the Dargah. Many shrine visitors and lovers of Mahbub e Ilahi Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya are joyous to celebrate the Sufi Basant. Urdu and Persian Sufi compositions are routinely performed through Qawwalis at the Dargah with Khusro’s lovely composition as follows: Aaj Basant Manaaley Suhagan Aaj Basant Manaaley Suhagan Translation: Rejoice, O my Beloved, rejoice, It’s Basant (spring) here, rejoice! On the eve of Sufi Basant, the Daragh is drenched in Yellow. As devotees attend the celebration across the lines of gender, religion, and caste, the Dargah amidst the fragrance of its yellow flowers and enveloping sounds of Qawwalis is submerged into “Sama” symbolising ecstasy, amity, and syncretic Sufi culture. The spiritually-inclined Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and people of other faiths celebrate the Sufi Basant together at the holy shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia. They offer yellow flowers wearing yellow clothes and garlands to mark the occasion. Celebrated for more than seven centuries, Basant is India's age-old representation of Hindu-Muslim harmony. Festivals and traditions like Basant bind us together as a nation across various religious, cultural, linguistic and social backgrounds. Though Basant finds no mention in any religious scripture — the Quran, the Vedas or the Bhagwat Gita, it requires a large heart to embrace the wider notion and beautiful tradition of the Sufi Basant in our collective consciousness. The essence and cultural and spiritual connotation of the Sufi Basant cannot be narrowed down to a particular religion or community. As the Chishti Sufi adage goes: "Your minds have limits but not your hearts, for they are receptacles of endless capacity." This is the guiding light and mystical wisdom that flows from the Chishti tradition of Indian Sufi saint. Famous Urdu poet of Delhi, Rakim Dehlvi has rightly invoked in his couplets: Khudaya Ba'd e Mahshar Ke Agar Aalam Ho Phir Paida, Tamashagaah-e-aalam Mein Nizamuddin Shahi ho. (O God! After the day of resurrection, if the world comes back to life. Give the crown to Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in the circus of this world). ------ A Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Indo-Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer with a background in a leading Sufi Islamic seminary in India. URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-pluralism/sufi-basant-multicultural-muslim-mysticism-india/d/131709 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism