SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AT THE SHRINES OF CHISHTIYA ORDER IN THE PUNJAB : A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DARGAH BABA FARID GANJ SHAKER AND KHAWAJA SHAMS-UD-DIN SIALVI NAME: TAHMINA IQBAL ROLL NO: 0065-GCU-PHD-HIS-2009 SESSION: 2009 – 2012 DEPARTMENT: HISTORY GOVT. COLLEGE UNIVERSITY LAHORE A THESIS / RESEARCH DISSERTATION SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AT THE SHRINES OF CHISHTIYA ORDER IN THE PUNJAB : A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DARGAH BABA FARID GANJ SHAKER AND KHAWAJA SHAMS-UD-DIN SIALVI SUBMITTED TO GC UNIVERSITY LAHORE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF PHD IN HISTORY BY NAME: TAHMINA IQBAL ROLL NO: 0065-GCU-PHD-HIS-2009 SESSION: 2009 – 2012 DEPARTMENT: HISTORY GOVT. COLLEGE UNIVERSITY LAHORE iii iv v vi DEDICATED TO My Beloved MOTHER UMM-E-KALSOOM The Source of My Confidence, Reinforcement & Peace vii viii CONTENTS Acknowledgment x-xi Abstract xii-xiii Introduction 1-29 CHAPTER 1 The Significance and Impact of Chishti Khanqahs on Medieval Indian Society 30-48 CHAPTER 2 The Punjab’s Sufi Tradition with Reference to the Chishtiya Order 49-73 CHAPTER 3 Historical Narration of the Dargah of Baba Farid Ganj Shaker; From Khanqahi Structure to the Dargahi Structure 74-124 CHAPTER 4 Historical Narration of the Dargah of Khawaja Shams-ud-Din Sialvi and Its Role in 19th Century Punjab 125-157 CHAPTER 5 Visiting Dargah: The Performance of Sufi Rituals at Chishti Dargahs of Baba Farid Ganj Shaker and Khawja Shams-ud-Dian Sialvi 158-195 CHAPTER 6 Comparative Study of Dargah Baba Farid Ganj Shaker and Khawja Shams-ud-Din Sialvi and Sufi Practices There 196-220 ix Conclusion 221-230 Appendices 231-263 Bibliography 264-283 x Acknowledgment First of all I would like to thank Allah Almighty for providing me with the opportunity to undertake this PhD research and for making its completion possible. He equipped me with a strong sense of dedication, hard work and patience and by creating circumstances that aided me during the research process. Special thanks to my beloved Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H as his life and teachings are the real source of inspiration for all of his Ummah and I hope to draw on his blessings through my work. Many people have contributed to the completion of this thesis and I wish to express my sincere appreciation to them. Foremost, I am greatly indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim, for his guidance and motivation at every step of my research. His encouragement helped me face several difficulties and his positive and reassuring attitude has kept me calm yet alert throughout my research process. I owe much to Professor Dr. Tahir Kamran, the chairperson of the History Department, who encouraged me to further explore my interest in Sufism, particularly in Chishtiya School of thought at the PhD level. His invaluable insights have always been a source of impetus throughout my research career. Much appreciation and thanks to the faculty and staff of History Department at Government College University (GCU) Lahore particularly Prof. Masud Raza (late), Prof. Shair Gariwal (Late) and Sir Bilal Ahmed (Late) for nurturing my intellect as a historian. Also I wish to extend my gratitude to Sir Tahir Jamil, Sir Hussain Ahmed Khan, Sir Waheed Usmani and Sir Tahir Mehmood. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank my mentor Prof. Dr. Farhat Mahmud who has been a source of great support and strength and has given me that extra push whenever I faltered. Moreover, this task would not have been possible without the assistance and guidance of my colleagues and fellow researchers especially Mr. Khalid Naseem and Mr. Awais Akhter Mir. A note of thanks to the administrative staff at Post Graduate Library of GCU Lahore for helping me get access to relevant and useful material related to my topic. xi Special thanks to the grandson of the existed Sajjada Nashin of the Dargah of Sial Sharif, Sahibzada Muhammad Noor-ud-Din Sialvi who provided me some vital facts about the Dargah and Sufi Practices. It is important to mention Mr. Raja Shehzad, a devoted Sialvi Murid (student) from Sial Sharif who provided me with precious information about the Dargah of Sial Sharif. The first hand material which I received from him was extremely useful for the completion of the fourth chapter of my thesis. Similarly, I would like to mention the families in Pakpattan and Sial Sharif who offered comfortable accommodation and transport as I conducted my field work in these areas. Due to their warm hospitality and cooperation I was able to conduct the required anthropological investigations at the time of the Annual Urs at both Chishti Dargahs. It is pertinent to acknowledge the valuable comments, suggestions and assistance of former Federal Secretary Dr. Shahzad Qaiser. He provided me some of his authored books and articles on Sufism and took out precious time to hold some fruitful and thought provoking discussions with me. This task would not have been possible without the support, patience and prayers of individual members of my family. My humblest gratitude to my mother, Umm-e-Kalsoom whose determination, sincere prayers have worked as a motivational force behind the completion of this task and her personal dream. Despite her constant illness she kept me on my toes through her constant questioning and pushed me when I showed slackness. I am indebted to my father who has been a pillar of strength as he helped me financially and also accompanied me for my field work to Sial Sharif. Profound thanks to my elder brother Mazher Farid who shares my passion for history and Sufism. He has constantly guided me with his invaluable and intellectual suggestions throughout my research. Without his direction I would have not been able to achieve my goal. I am hugely thankful to him for providing me with many relevant books and resource material. Moreover, the anthropological investigation conducted at Pakpattan would not have been possible without him. xii Abstract Sufism is recognized as an important mystical facet of Islamic history. The expansion of Islam is also indebted to Sufis who migrated to different regions with the universal message of Islam and they further established and developed various Sufi orders and schools of thought. Among the many orders that took root in the subcontinent, the Chishtiya order gained prominence and became conspicuous. Chishti Khanqahs or the dwellings of the Chishti Sufis were grounds of spirituality where a unique culture thrived. These abodes fundamentally altered the socio-religious history of the region. Hundreds of Chishti Dargahs all over India and Pakistan continue to work as independent living institutions even today. Much scholarly work has been produced on the Chishtiya Sufi order in the subcontinent and studies have been conducted to compare its teachings to those of different schools of Sufi thoughts in various times and ages. Researchers have also made in depth studies of the Khanqahi structure of Chishtiya order but little study has been made on the spiritual/Sufi practices at the Chishti Dargahs and the social, political, religious and economic role of these Dargahs in contemporary times. This research attempts to look at the Sufi practices at the two Chishti Dargahs in West Punjab, Pakistan. For this study the Dargah of Baba Farid Masud-ud-Din Ganj-e-Shaker in Pakpattan, Sahiwal and Khawaja Shams-ud-Din Sialvi in Sial Sharif, Sargodha have been chosen for their multifunctional role in the region. Both, Chishti Khanqahi and Dargahi structure are analyzed side by side as both are intertwined with each other. The study also comprehends the multifunctional character of Dargahs and studies the character of Khanqahs and their function and perpetual impact on the region of Indo-Pak subcontinent. The first chapter explores the historical role of the Chishtiya school of thought, its teachings and practices. It also discusses Chishti Khanqahs‘ function and their impact on the medieval Indian society. It attempts to trace Chishti Khanqahs‘ syncretistic tendencies that synthesize Indian art and culture with Muslim traditions. The chapter also tries to locate the reasons that make Chishti Dargahs a living institution in contemporary times. xiii The second chapter locates Medieval Punjab as the first South Asian region to encounter the impact of early Sufi mystics. The research analyzes the socio- cultural set up of the times and the role of Sufi Khanqahs/Dargahs such as that of Ali bin Usman Hajviri‘s, commonly known as Data Sahib and Chishti Dargah of Baba Farid Ganj Shaker in Pakpattan. The study attempts to investigate both Dargahs‘ intellectual, social and religious impact on the socio-cultural and religious set up of the Medieval Punjab. Third chapter studies the historical narration of the Dargah of Baba Farid Ganj Shaker. Investigation is done from its Khanqahi structure and its working in 11th century‘s Punjab to its Dargahi structure and its functioning in contemporary Punjab. The major purpose of the chapter is to analyze the Dargahi structure which is multifold in its character, such as its socio- religious, spiritual, political and economic function and impacts on its environs. The fourth chapter discusses manifold role of the Dargah of Khawaja Shams- ud-Din Sialvi in the region. The chapter aims to analyze the significance of Chishti Sufi Dargah in late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It also explores the political, social, sacred and economic role of the Dargah in the region. Another distinctive feature of the Dargah which study highlights is its literary and scholastic contribution throughout the region and overall the country. In the fifth chapter the main focus is given on ritual, religious/Sufi rituals and their performance by giving emphasis on the Sufi practices at both Chishti Dargahs.