Qawali

Qawali.

Such a simple word. Encompassing a world within it. The love. The thirst. The Search.

Dervish’s introduction to Qawali was at an age that now seems lost in the mist of time…this introduction was not garnered through the famous Qawals that are so revered and well known to the world and Qawali listeners alike, but through those un-named and unsung (no pun intended) maestros that are an essential part of all Dargahs.

What is Qawali? Any self respecting Qawali aficionado, worth his salt, would be quick to answer that one, it is a musical tradition, introduced by Hazrat Amir Khusro, on a variety of topics, ranging from the Hamd of Almighty to the celebration of Spring, with the commonality in most topics being spirituality, whether obvious or subtle.

It would perhaps be appropriate to tweak the above statement and say that Qawali is a musical tradition “improved” / “enhanced” / “elaborated” by Hazrat Amir Khusro, for when Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz settled at Ajmer he is said to have introduced / convened Mehfil-e-Sama to / in the Indo Pak sub-continent.

Hazrat Qutubuddin Kaki, the successor to Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz (and quite obviously the pre-predecessor to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya) is also well known for his love for Qawali / Sama. According to what has been passed down, Hazrat Qutubuddin Kaki’s wisal is said to have occurred was while he was in a stated of Wajd.

The couplet attributed to the kaifiyat-e-wajd is well known

”kushtgan-e-khanjar-e-tasleem ra …Har zaman az ghaib jaan deegar ast”

“Murder by dagger of acceptance results in a new life from the unknown”

This also suggests that Qawali predates Hazrat-e-Amir.

Sultan ul Mashaiq, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s fondness for Qawali is well known, and not merely due to the fact that it led to the further development of Qawali through the aegis of Hazrat Amir Khusro.

Tradition records that when Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was of a young age and was living in the city of Badayoun, a Qawal named Abu Bakar arrived from Multan in the presence of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s teacher and recounted his experience with Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya of Multan and of the spirituality of his khanqah. Thereafter he detailed his experience of Pak Pattan with Baba Farid Ganj-e-Shakar. And from that day onward Hazrat Nizamuddin was so deeply moved by this experience that perhaps the the initial seeds of the fondness and love of his future teacher can be said to have been sown by this incident. As future incidents unfolded Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was the successor to Baba Farid Ganj-e-Shakar.

Given the backdrop of such spiritual personalities, the question remains as to what is Qawali?

From Dervish’s perspective there is no objective answer to that question. Rather there is a just a very subjective one.

Qawali is actually a passage to that seemless boundless ocean where nothing exists except a sense of spirituality.

As Hafiz has said...it has to be a state of Ba Har Soo Jalwa-e-Dildar Deedam..

He sells sea shells by the sea shore...

He sells sea shells by the sea shore....and pictures of faqirs poets and saints a-galore!

In what seems a hazy past now...(it seems in days when Karachi used to be safe city)....Dervish remembers shops in front of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi's shrine....selling flowers, and chaddars and the myriad other knick knacks that are an essential part of any dargah in Indo Pak....there used to be rickety columns of "daighs" trying to reach for the skies tempting with food being cooked and distributed to the people by the roadside...

But these essential landmarks of a Dargah were conspicuous by their very absence when Dervish visited the Mazar during the Urs. Hazrat's Mazar although a peaceful haven lacked the the hustle bustle of a mazar bazaar and the familiar ring of a malangs bangles and cry of Haq Allah Hoo.

Dervish couldn't help but investigate what happened to the bazaar and was told that the shops are now tucked into the lane next to the Mazar and sure enough if you walk into the dimly lit lane next to the Mazar there is a gate leading to shops (within the Mazar grounds but with no access from within the Mazar...or maybe thats the way it was during the Urs).

Hoping to find shops selling the usual paraphernalia...and life...Dervish met with disappointment.

Sure there were shops...but the majority of them were selling food...or daighs for langar. There were a few shops selling regular knick knacks and plastic jewelry and other cheap jewelry available all over the city. There was nothing specific set these shops apart as Mazar shops.



Why would be Dervish interested in Mazar shops would be the natural question to ask. In the hope that there would be some individuality left in the shadow of the shrine. That the consumerism and commercialism so evident all over the world would not have reared its head here as well. Not so. There was nothing different in these shops.




And then Dervish saw something that set these shops apart. The shell picture frames being sold in some of these shops had very interesting pictures in them. Ones that Dervish had never before seen.



These were an artists interpretation of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Hazrat Suman Sarkar.



So there was some hope yet...some hope for retaining the individuality and the diversity that one normally finds in these small pockets that are so much a part of any big city. And the disappointment that Dervish had felt at the "I Miss You" wristbands being sold at the Mazar bazar was somewhat alleviated.

It also signified that for some people out there these three personalities...Lal Shahbaz he for whom the dhamal is danced on Dama Dam Mast Qalandar on a regular basis (not only at spiritual occasions but also at not so spiritual ones)...Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai with his universal message of love...still hold sway. Dervish has heard about Hazrat Suman Sarkar but does not know much about him. The fact remains, that if people continue to revere these personalities and their teachings of love for all and equality, irrespective of color, creed or religion, than the world and this region will surely be a better place and peace will reign supreme.



Apart from the few shops selling knick knacks, you can buy daighs of Biryani to give to the poor...but here again the commercialism is at work...the price you pay to the shop keeper does not include the price of the plastic bags...the people who get the food have to buy their own plastic bags from the plastic bag sellers who are roaming around selling their wares.





The shop keepers said that generally business is slow and generally the place had a sad feel of a rejected forgotten place..very different from the main Dargah.

Perhaps it is different during normal days when the security does not control the ingress to the Mazar and it is easier for the populace to have access to the Bazar, but Dervish wonders that even during the normal days what kind of business would the shopkeepers other than the ones who sell food would be doing.

Urs By the Sea

The word "Urs" as used in the Indo Pak sub-continent with reference to "buzurgs" (Sufis to the west) is the celebration of their death anniversary. Celebration of a death anniversary in itself seems a paradox but over the past 100s of years it has become a reality....a way of life....at the hundreds or thousands of shrines that dot this part of the world.

Why celebrate the death anniversary one would ask? It is actually not a celebration of death rather the celebration of being united with the beloved. The occasion of meeting the maker is a time of rejoicing for they have served their time in this world and now after having done their duty they are ready to meet Allah. Which is why there are Qawalis that term the saint as the Doolah.

The 1281st Urs of the patron saint of Karachi, Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi has recently concluded in the coastal city.

Not much is known about Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi except that he keeps Karachi safe from all calamities specially those that are ocean borne. Whatever Hazrat's history, his following into the present is undoubted.

His Mazar stands as a quiet sentinel over the city of Karachi and is beautifully decorated each year at the time of his Urs just as it was this year as well.

Thousands of people throng to the Mazar to pay homage to their saint..and this year they and no qualms to stand in the queue to be granted access within the shrine.

His shrine has a sense of peace and spirituality that Dervish did not expect. Even though it was Urs time, when thousands come to pay their respects, there was a sense of calm throughout the shrine and an all pervasive sense among the people that they are there just to pay their respects and are not interested in anything else.

The entry into the "sanctum" was orderly and monitored...people were kindly requested to keep moving..no one was directed to bow down...anyone who wanted to say the Fateha was allowed to stand and say the Fateha...all others were allowed a decent amount of time and then requested to move along so that others had the chance to come inside..(if people wanted to touch the grave that was there call and were neither stopped or directed to do so). Dervish did not see any bowing down to the grave within the Sanctum. There were chaddars being put but it wasn't too elaborate an exercise nor it made into a circus. To be honest the administration of Mazar that were present in the sanctum were strictly polite and ensured that people behaved. Which was most appreciated.

Due to the Urs and the security concerns, it appeared that the regular residents of the Mazar had been moved out. Dervish had been interested in meeting and talking to them but perhaps the Urs was the wrong time to expect to talk to them.

As one exits the Sanctum and takes the stairs down there are graves on both sides. The graves on the left side seem to have more importance and there are administration people standing there who keep guiding people to keep moving. Upon enquiring Dervish was told that these are the graves of "Baba's Malangs" and are very very old. No further information could be gleaned at that time due to the press of the people. (However Dervish aims to find out further details on the next visit whenever that may be...or whenever Baba deigns that to be :))

The love, respect and devotion of the dwellers of Karachi and the people who believe in Abdullah Shah Ghazi, was evidenced by the fact that despite a bomb blast in a nearby area just a day before the Urs and the bomb blast at the Mazar itself at the Urs last year, the people continued to flow to the Mazar as if nothing had happened. If that isn't faith than what is.

To be honest one also has to admire Karachi police. They were there in droves and contrary to what one has heard about them, they were smiling and helpful!!! When Dervish thanked them for making the Mazar safe for the people to attend the Urs, all they had to say was no one ever appreciates it...all we get is criticism and condemnation. Well, for one Dervish commends their effort for making the Urs a safe one for the thousands that attended this year.

Karachites believe that while Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi continues to keep his quite vigil over the city Karachi will be kept safe from all harm.

Faith .. in whatever form... has a role to play in the making and breaking of peoples...and perhaps the answer to Karachi's survival does lie in the faith of this troubled city's people in this quite sentinel.