Bulleh Shah & Rumi rally a growing global audience

Posted on August 31, 2007
Filed Under >Raza Rumi, People, Poetry
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August 26, 2007 was the 250th urs of Bulleh Shah. ATP had this post on the same occasion last year. This year we are bringing Raza’s wonderful writing on Bulleh Shah below.

Raza Rumi
The need to be understood has always remained integral to human existence. It is through the expression of “humanness” and the commonality of existential experience that we truly relate to each other. The visible revival of the Sufi idiom in Pakistan, expressed through an unlikely medium – pop music – is not an unexpected event. It is a reaction to mainstream orthodoxy and the realisation of an enhanced cultural space in contemporary Pakistan.

Above all, it reinforces the continued relevance of the Sufi message, which is centred on humanistic values and the attainment of divine love through self-knowledge and the love of fellow human beings.

When I returned to Pakistan in 2002 after a sojourn abroad, the first image to hit me at the Karachi airport was a supreme ishq number: Bulleh Shah’s “teray ishq nachaya kar thaya thaya” (Your love makes me dance with abandon), the music and video of which were produced by Shoaib Mansoor. It was a soulful composition, visually delightful and definitely catchy, as I noticed that many a passerby were mesmerised by the images. I almost thanked God that Shoaib Mansoorhad changed tracks. His previous discovery, Junaid Jamshed, has joined the tableeghi merchant brigade and virtually disowned his music in public interviews. However, this ‘conversion’ is not an isolated incident.

The capture of Pakistan’s cultural space by the orthodoxy has increased over time. In 1947, within a split second of history, the Islamists shed their opposition to Pakistan’s creation and became the greatest defenders of its ideological frontiers. While the tableeghi movement is a different entity altogether, its avowedly ‘non-political’ stance effectively strengthens the supremacy of the orthodox cultural discourse. This discourse is uncomfortable, and in some cases outrightly hostile, to the local ethos comprising mystical Islam, music and alternative healing gained through adherence to the Sufi way – or whatever remains of it. It may be worth wondering why the tableeghi network is converting the already-converted Muslims, while it has little to say against militancy and unpalatable sectarianism.

Ironically, General Musharraf’s current regime has created an unprecedented space for alternative voices to flourish and sing. Since the deregulation of the media, we have witnessed a glasnost that surprises even the hard-boiled cynics in the country. True to Pakistan’s contradictions, while the Hasba law is tabled in the provincial legislature, Sufi pop plays on privately owned electronic media channels that also churn out much that could not be transmitted just five years ago. Junoon and other exponents of the Sufi-pop genre have created an incredible fusion between the old and the new and instantly popularised Sufi poetry amongst the MTV/Indus generation that otherwise might not have discovered this aspect of our heritage and its perennial cross-currents.

In this milieu, the iconoclasm of Bulleh Shah is a fascinating polarity – bringing out the ‘other’ discourse in full public view. Ajoka theatre‘s landmark production “Bullah” is another cultural milestone that continues to reinvent and reintroduce Bulleh Shah within and beyond Pakistan. In particular, the revival of Bulleh Shah in India is a direct result of Ajoka‘s various performances in the different Punjabi-speaking states and other parts of India. Ajoka‘s work was a seminal attempt to trace the life and progression of Bulleh Shah in a truly subaltern format. Almost in quick succession we heard Rabbi, the new pop sensation in India, launching his video Bullah ki jana mein kaun“. Rabbi‘s voice has a timeless quality and its rendition in the rock mode made the song an instant hit. The video director wove into the images a modern translation of the lyrics, thereby making the poetry comprehensible to millions of people worldwide. The translations appeared quite terrific in context of the caste-ridden, geography-obsessed and conflict-laden South Asia. Clubs across India play “Bullah” with a fervour that may have surprised Bulleh Shah himself!

Bulleh‘s revival, admittedly on a limited scale, is comparable to the fascinating ascendancy of the 13th century poet-mystic Jalaludin Rumi in the West, particularly the United States. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Rumi ranked as America’s bestselling poet in 1997. It is true that the likes of Deepak Chopra have transformed Rumi into a love-therapy icon, but his popularity has led to a full scale launch of Rumi in the fields of academia and journalism. In fact, one of the antidotes to Islamophobia in the US has been Rumi‘s songs of love – a glimmer of discernment in the often ignorant and McCarthian world of mainstream Western media. The internet hosts thousands of sites that translate, sell, offer and package Rumi for all kinds of audiences.

It is no mere coincidence that this Bulleh-Rumi resurgence is taking place in two very different contexts. At a fundamental level, albeit for different reasons, the resistance to formalism and packaged consent is finding a voice:

Bulleh! To me, I am not known
Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoah
Bulleh! To me, I am not known

And the desire to be free of all trappings of identity, convention and routine:

In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
Bulleh! To me, I am not known
Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun
Bulleh! To me, I am not known

The striking similarity is that four centuries prior to Bulleh‘s outpouring of emotion, Rumi sang the story of abandon. The poem below has proved very popular in the US:

What is to be done, O Moslems? For I do not recognise myself.
I am neither Christian, nor Jew, nor Gabr, nor Moslem.
I am not of the East, nor of the West, nor of the land, nor of the sea;
I am not of Nature’s mint, nor of the circling heaven.
I am not of earth, nor of water, nor of air, nor of fire;
I am not of the empyrean, nor of the dust, nor of existence, nor of entity.
I am not of India, nor of China, nor of Bulgaria, nor of Saqsin
I am not of the kingdom of Iraqian, nor of the country of Khorasan
I am not of this world, nor of the next, nor of Paradise, nor of Hell
I am not of Adam, nor of Eve, nor of Eden and Rizwan.

The identity of the messages in these poems speaks a common language of existential anguish. Confronted by racial profiling, wars and the bonfire of vanities, ordinary humans relate to the subtext of a transcendent spiritual yearning regardless of their backgrounds and nationalities. Three strands of mystical poetry are clear: conflicts of identity wear people down; at the end of the day, the illusions of adherence to creed do not solve anything; and the overplay of the ritual and formal is at the expense of inner peace.

Is it not the case that an ordinary Muslim in Pakistan feels unsafe in a mosque and the simple act of worship has become a political minefield? In the West, a similar adherence to corporate hegemony, the dominant discourse of ideology, war and greed has left thousands and millions wondering who they really are. Why would Rumi‘s poetic collections sell more than 500,000 copies in recent years?

Since 9/11, Rumi‘s message is even more relevant in an America confronting post-industrial emptiness and a media-fed neurosis of fear and ignorance regarding the “other” 700-year old poetic texts are doing what the current crop of Muslim scholars and thinkers is unable to do – deflect stereotypes. Coleman Barks, academic/poet and chief translator of Rumi in the US, states that the religiously ecstatic nature of Rumi‘s poetry resonates with Americans seeking this very quality. Rumi‘s poetic question:

“Where do I come from and what am I supposed to be doing?”

speaks to countless Americans with strong spiritual yearnings – including Madonna, Goldie Hawn, Donna Karan, Martin Sheen, Debra Winger, Rosa Parks and the composer Philip Glass. The German poet, Hans Meinke, remarked some years ago that Rumi’s poetry was

“the only hope for the dark times in which we live.”

Meanwhile, Bulleh‘s timeless verse thrives in Pakistan.

The voice against the orthodoxies of our times echoes in Sufi poetry, even though the essential conflict – between illusions of greed and the quest for inner peace – remains unresolved. Therefore, Sufi-pop and poetry will continue to reverberate in a tumultuous and splintered world driven by the damaging ideologies of power.

Note: An earlier version of this post was published by the Friday Times

Credits:
(i) The translation of Rumi’s ghazal is by Reynold A. Nicholson
(ii) Translation of Bulleh Shah’s poems is by Umair Raja which is also available at www.chowk.com

27 responses to “Bulleh Shah & Rumi rally a growing global audience”

  1. Pervaiz Munir Alvi says:

    Raza: As always, this piece too is well thought out, well written and thought provoking. But isn’t that Sufism is also a genre of Orthodoxy, a pliable one as it may be. Both Orthodoxy and Sufism by definition revolve around God and Religion. Sufi Islam is credited for the Conversion in most of the Islamdom and not just in the Continental India because of its soft edges. But its core is built by the Orthodoxy of religion. Sufism my have helped maintain an easier and agreeable discourse among people of diversity, and that may be a desirable trait by itself, but what else. Sufism as practised today has kept our people backward and devoid of the modern thought and knowledge. After moving beyond the brotherhood of the mankind what else does Sufism offer. Where is ‘our’ Renaissance. The Shrine Culture, an end product of the Sufism in which most of our masses are stuck, has failed us misrabley. It is time that we look for new thoughts, new directions. As Faiz said:

    Ab Sadion Ke Iqrar-e-Ataait Ko Badalne
    Lazam Hae Keh Inqar Ka Farman Koi Utre.

  2. dawa-i-dil says:

    respected Ibrahim..i am just an iota of existence to speak about such a ultra high concepts of wadhutul wajood and philosophicl speeches…God bless those great scholars and sufias..and imams…i am not even compareable to the dust of thier feet….so cannot say anything with perfection….

    Regarding the differences ..the difference of ioponions is the crux and core of any civilized society…and in golden era of muslim culture in baghdad…Damasqus..Qairo…Spain..and Naishapur etc etc…in Abbasssaids periods….this differnce of opinions prevailed in every field…even in the great faqeehs of all times…4 imams of fiqah..ahle hadees..and other shia scholars….

    Point is you can disagree with a person on one pont..not means that ..you can negate his all other achievements ..and good deeds….

    I am not an expert of any of the above scholar…but Imam Zahabi …himself have written that when somebody asked him about the claim of Ibne Arabi that prophet(pbuh) himself ordered Ibne Arabi to write his master piece “Fasoosul hakam” …Imam Zahabi replied..i cannot belive about the person of such a calibre like Inbne rabai that he will tell a lie in the name of prophet(pbuh)…..

    His famoust rather master pieces like Fasoosul Hakam..and “Fathoohatai Makkia” are the most difficult books on philosophical and logical amd mystical subjects of 1400 yeras…only few …in these hundreds of yers fully knew about concepts of his books…so when peple of ordinary minds..dont understand his works..they start “fatwas factories” on differnt personalities….

    I am not blaming any scholars liek Ibne Tamiyya..or iBNE jAUZI..ETC ETC…BUT UNFORTUNATELY..STILL…THE SCHOLARS OF SAUDIA..DO THE SAME…AND STRT IMMEDIATE FATWAS OF KUFR AND BIDDAH ON ANY ACT..WHICH ACCORDING TO THEM IS NOT IN qURAN OR bUKHARI sHAREEF…AS THEY ALSO DO “Taqleed” OF iBNE tAMIYYAH..iBNE jAUZI..OR iMAM ZAHABI ….

    so point is…diffrences of opinion is the beauty of a society..but fatwas typo things are not right…..The same saudi mind..is willing to low..innocent women and children in Iraq…not only to one sect..but also to Kurds children ..in Karkuk…..although they belong to sunni school of thought…

    which islam allow3s to kill innocents…..

    Sufias are great..and thier efforts for islam is far far greater than those scholars who ..unfortunatley..put a fatwa of “DEVIANT” on them…They have made billions of people as muslims..but Ftwa givers have only created hatred ..nothing else…

  3. Ibrahim says:

    Salamalikum,

    dawa-i-dil: I don’t get the point of your post. Are you saying sufis/sufism has done a lot all over the world but has some problems with their beliefs? I know you must be not in the mood, but can you write full sentences so one can understand more clearly. Sirhindi negated Wahdatul Wujood and Shah Waliullah is ambigious or reinterprets ibn Arabi’s point (Wahdatul Wujood). In any case, scholar like Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyyah and Imam Zahabhi and Imam Jawzi you quoted consider “the one and only” ibn Arabi kafir for his views. I’m narrating what many scholars, past and present, have said.

    It’s heartening to know there are always people of knowledge who can detect mistakes: No scholar of Bulleh Shah’s own town wanted to pray his janazah because they knew his affairs better than what today’s sufi-lovers like to promote!

  4. JQ says:

    Raza, very nice post. Agree with most of it. The only part that I differ with, personally, is the Tablleghi movement’s alleged double standard.

    “It may be worth wondering why the tableeghi network is converting the already-converted Muslims, while it has little to say against militancy and unpalatable sectarianism.”

    While what you write is somewhat true in the broader sense, I believe the Jamaat has just one basic principle : to make one’s own self better first and then moving on to other issues. Ironically, Baba Bhulleh Shah wrote on similar lines :

    “Bulleh Shah Aasmani Urdi Pharda,
    Te Jaira Ghar Baitha Unhu Pharya He Naheen”

    Bulleh Shah, You venture into the skies,
    while that which needs attention is neglected at home!

    There are numerous people I’ve met from within the Jamaat who adhere to the principles of the movement strictly, showing no sign of hypocrisy or double standards. Of course there are also people in the same Jamaat who end up in the shackles of extremism, knowingly or otherwise.

    To some extent, I suppose even the Tableeghi movement/orthodoxy has been ‘hijacked’ to achieve somewhat political gains. It is terribly unfair to accuse the entire movement of hypocrisy. I believe it is only another viewpoint of religion which has every right to practice its motives.

  5. dawa-i-dil says:

    In our sub continents…few sufis ..spread the whole message of islam fa better than hundreds of kings..og mughal..syed…ghulama …ghaznavis…abdalis…nadir shah…and other kings….the basic purpose of them was equlaity..and love with all people regardless of religion..cast and colour..thats why ..in this region…the budhism…jainism.etc cannot be seen today to that extent as islam…about15 crore in pakistan..20 crore in india..and 16 crore in Bangla Desh..and most of them are muslims ..as thier forefathers were made muslims by these sufias…We cannot pay back this debt …of these great aulias and sufias…

    But ..along with this..througout a span of 1400 years…a continuous debate of some the tangents of some sufia from the main stream shariah and fiqah scholars..starting from the famous quote of great faqeeh Imam Shafi..to Imam Ibne Tamiyya..Imam Ibne Jauzi…Imam Zahabi..etc etc…

    The translation of the Greek literature in Mamoon ur Rasheed period …into arabic ..gave many philosophical mind teasing concepts and debates…clearly be seen in great scholars like Imam Ghazali..master piece Aiyai Uloom …and one and only…Ibne Arabi…plus on the philosophical touch of iran ancient Sassanaid empire amalgfumate to give some superficial properties to Hazrat Ali(ra)….and developing a sect in 15 century in Iran under Safvaid period…though before…Shia Sunni conflict was just the poltical rivaliries of Ummayyads and Hasmies…

    Nor was that all…in indo pak..this concept reached in Wadhutul Wajood…in Akbar Peroid…by faizi…Abul fazal…and negation of Sh.Amed Sarhindi…and after beuitiful writings of Shah Wali ullah Dehalvi etc…

    But still then..the sufias did that job …islam will proud of them till the doomsday…

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