Muslim Saints of South Asia: The eleventh to ... - blog blog blog

NOTES
life). Here his opponent lost patience and declared, that perhaps wealth
was really dangerous for spiritually imperfect Chishtis, but the strength
of the Suhrawardis made them not accessible to temptation and
bewitchment with the evil eye. Hamiduddin finished the discussion,
telling that Suhrawardis in their spiritual development “were not
higher than Prophet Muhammad, who had often remarked that his
poverty was his pride”. Shaikh Baha’u’d-Din Zakariyya Suhrawardi
was unable to reply’ (Rizvi 1986: 128–9).
3 It is true that Nizamuddin Awliya did not encourage his disciples to
perform sajda, but nor did he forbid it. ‘As to the sajda, in ancient
communities the practice was recommended in the same manner as
subjects prostrating themselves before rulers, or pupils before their
teachers. Religious communities performed sajda before their Prophets.
In the days of the Prophet Muhammad, sajda was halted. Its obligatory
character disappeared but its recommendatory character remained ...
Although sajda is not obligatory it is not illegal. There can be no
question of prohibiting what is legally remitted’ (Amir Hasan 1992:
328). Nevertheless, Amir Hasan begins each chapter of Fawā’id alfu’ād
mentioning performance of sajda before the Shaikh.
4 The difference between khānqāh and jamā‘at khāna is notional enough,
and often these terms are used as synonyms. K. A. Nizami has written
in this connection: ‘Though broadly used in the sense of hospices these
terms differ in their connotation. The khānqāh was a spacious building,
which provided separate accommodation for each visitor and inmate.
The jamā‘at khānah was a large room where all the disciples slept,
prayed and studied on the floor. The Chishti saints built jamā‘at
khānahs. The Suhrawardis constructed khānqāhs. Common people,
unable to appreciate the distinction, used the word khānqāh even for
the Chishti jamā‘at khānahs, and now the term is used for all places of
spiritual activity without distinction’ (Nizami 1961: 175).
5 Juwāliq – Arabicized plural form from Persian jūlakh – ‘coarse
wool’, ‘sackcloth’. Juwāliqs were considered to be a branch of the
Qalandariyya fraternity, and it was founded by Hasan al-Juwaliqi in
thirteenth century.
6 Nizamuddin Awliya, who had condemned the snobbery of the
Suhrawardis with restraint, cites a story in witness of the Chishti thesis:
in each group of ordinary people (‘āmī) there are chosen ones (khas.s.ī ).
In the course of a journey Baha’uddin Zakariya came across a group
of juwāliqs disliked by him, in which a particular man stood out as
radiance was emanating from him. To Baha’uddin’s question, what he
was doing among these vagrants, the man replied: ‘Zakariya! [I am
here] that you know that in the midst of every group of people there is
one of God’s elect’ (Amir Hasan 1992: 84).
7 Nizamuddin Awliya was of the opinion that Shihabuddin Abu Hafs
simply did not hear music. He narrates that once Auhad Kirmani was
on a visit to Abu Hafs and sought his permission to organize samā‘.
The host gave the necessary instructions and withdrew into a corner,
where he got absorbed in dhikr. The musicians played and sang the
whole night. In the morning the Shaikh could not recollect that he had
been a witness to musical audition. In other words he heard music
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