Who Says Holi Is Just A Hindu Festival? Muslim Scholars, Sufi Mystics, Mughal Emperors, Not To Speak Of Common Muslims, They All Celebrated Holi
By
Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam
18 March
2022
Muslim
Scholars, Sufi Mystics, Mughal Emperors, All Celebrated Holi
Main
Points:
1. Arab
scholars and Persian saints did not attempt to 'Arabise' Islam in India.
2. A gamut of
mediaeval Muslim scholars made remarkable contributions to exploration and
promotion of the Indian civilization and its vibrant cultural heritage.
3. Sufi saint
of Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and his closest disciple Ameer Khusrau
started a beautiful tradition of the Sufi Basant at their Khanqah.
4. Colours
should have no religious distinctions, nor should they have any caste or creed.
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If anyone
tried to understand India in its entirety from the prism of a 'culture friendly
Islam', with all its diversity, festivals, cultural manifestations and artistic
expressions, it was the Sufi Mystics who mainly came from Central Asia and some
parts of Arabia. Remarkably, these Arab scholars and Persian saints did not
attempt to 'Arabise' Islam in India, something that today's self-appointed
custodians of Islam are hell-bent on doing. On the contrary, a gamut of
mediaeval Muslim scholars including Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, an Iranian historian
and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age, author of the first Arabic treatise
on Indian History (Kitab ul Hind) and popularly known as the "founder of
Indology", made remarkable contributions to exploration and promotion of
the Indian civilization and its vibrant cultural heritage.
In this
context, some Sufi Mystics and Scholars should find special mention, because of
their practical endeavours to uphold this historic movement. They not only
wrote books about the history and culture of India in Arabic, Turkish and
Persian languages but also celebrated the various festivals of India including
Diwali, Basant Panchami and Holi in order to strengthen the composite culture
and social fabric of the country.
While the
famous Sufi saint of Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and his closest disciple
Ameer Khusrau started a beautiful tradition of the Sufi Basant at their Khanqah
or shrine (known as Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia), Dewa Sharif in Uttar
Pradesh is India’s famous Dargah where Holi is celebrated as “Eid-e-Gulabi”
with no less fervour than in other Indian faith traditions.
The holy
Qur'an says:
صِبْغَةَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ
صِبْغَةً ﴿١٣٨﴾
(Allah’s
colouring! And who gives better colouring than Allah?" Surah
al-Baqarah: 138)
From the
above verse in the Qur'an, some Sufi Mystics derived a very interesting
understanding of the colours and their significance in the Indian setting. They
infer that Colours should have no religious distinctions, nor should they have
any caste or creed. But rather, they should be celebrated as the glaring signs
of God. Thus, they took the Indian festival of Holi as an occasion which
assures us that all the faces should be painted in the beautiful colours and
that all colours belong to Allah.
Thus, Sufis
were the first to conceive the Festival of Colours in Islam as
"Eid-e-Gulabi" which is known in the modern Arabic as Eid-ul-Alwan.
While in the Hindu tradition, Holi is celebrated as the festival of Divine
Love, and the Festival of Spring, which celebrates the eternal and divine love
between Radha and Krishna, the Sufi notion of Holi is more nuanced. It seeks to
instil our collective spiritual consciousness in India. For decades, Muslims
along with the Hindu devotees come together to celebrate the Sufi Holi as
Eid-e-Gulabi at the sanctum of Dewa Sharif. A custodian of this Dargah, Ghani
Shah, asserts that it was Waris Piya who exhorted his disciples to celebrate
the Holi and show respect to every Indian religion as a spiritual foundation
based on the mutual feelings of love and respect.
Born into
the 26th generation of Imam Hussain, Sarkar Waris-e-Pak, more popularly known as
'Waris Piya' was the founder of Warsi Silsila in modern period of Indian
Sufism. As a learned successor to the prominent Sufi order —
Qadriyya-Razzakiyya, and well versed in classical Islamic sciences, Waris Piya
was a widely travelled Sufi master for people from across the country, as well
as the different countries, irrespective of faith and creed.
Noted
Warisi scholar, Mr. Ghafur Shah writes in his book: “The Blessed Lord Haji Syed
Waris Ali Shah,” that Waris Piya undertook the Hajj pilgrimage several times,
and also paid extensive visits to the West, especially the European countries,
including Germany, England and Turkey. During his travels to Europe, Waris Piya
also met the Sultan of Turkey and Bismarck of Berlin, and had an audience with
Queen Victoria in England.
A close
relative in Waris Pak’s family lineage Prof. Wahajuddin Alwi, former Dean of
the Faculty of Humanities and Languages, told this writer: “Since Waris Piya
wanted people in India to transcend religious/sectarian divides, he participated
in Hindu festivals like Holi. His non-Muslim Mureeds and regular disciples
included Raja Udyat Narayan Sing, raja of Oudh, Thakur Pancham Singh Talukdar
of Eta, Pandit Deendaar Shah of Indore, Sahaj Ram Dixit, Thakur Grur Mohan
Singh, a Zamindar of Bhagalpur. They were spiritually in parallel with his
Muslim bureaucrat Mureeds such as governor general Ghulam Mohammad and Justice
Sharfuddin.”
Another
Sufi Mystic who celebrated the Holi in his own spiritual way was the
18th-century popular Punjabi poet Bulle Shah. He composed beautiful couplets
invoking the spiritual blessings from Allah and his holy Prophet (pbuh) for
playing the Holi, as can be seen below:
Hori
Kheluungii, Kah Bismillah.
Naam Nabi
Ki Ratn Charii,
Buund Pari
Allah Allah.
(I start
playing Holi with the recitation of Bismillah. Covered with the light of
Prophet’s name, and showered by blessings of Allah)
Not only
the Sufi saints of the Indian subcontinent, in fact the Mughal emperors
celebrated the Holi with great gusto. Prominent Muslim historian Zakaullah
writes how the founder of the Mughal Empire Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, used to
take great interest in the Holi celebrations. Similarly, Emperor Akbar would
collect beautiful squirts and syringes of different sizes throughout the year in
anticipation. This was one of the rare occasions when Akbar would come out from
his fort and play Holi with even the commoners, as Abul Fazal writes in Ain-e
Akbari. Furthermore, it is mentioned in Tuzk-e-Jahangiri that Jahangir
also celebrated Holi and organised musical gatherings.
Even
Aurangzeb Alamgir, who is otherwise known as an orthodox and intolerant Muslim
ruler, appreciated the colours of Holi. It is surprising to note what Lane
Poole writes in his book, "Aurangzeb and the Decay of the Mughal
Empire":
During his
(Aurangzeb’s) time, there used to be several groups of Holi singers who besides
reciting libertine lyrics also indulged in salaciousness, accompanied by
various musical instruments.”
Bahadur
Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor allowed his Hindu ministers to smear his
forehead with gulal on Holi. Historic Urdu daily “Jaam-e-Jahanuma”, reported in
1844 that during the days of the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, special
arrangements were made for those who celebrated Holi.
Bahadur
Shah Zafar, who was also an Urdu poet par excellence, wrote these fabulous
verses on the Festival of Colours which are sung as a part of the Phaag (folk
songs of Holi):
Kyo Mo Pe
Rang Ki Maari Pichkaari
Dekho
Kunwar Ji Doongi Mein Gaari
(Why drench
me with colour spray,)
Now my
prince, I will swear at you)
Bahut Dinan
Mein Haath Lage Ho Kaise Jane Doon
Aaj Phagwa
To Son Ka Tha Peeth Pakad Kar Loon.
(After long
have I’ve got my hands on you, how will I let you go?
Today is Holi,
and perfect time to catch hold of you)
Much
against the common perception among today's Muslims in India, these Muslim
scholars, saints and emperors believed that their religion would not be
affected by the celebration of this Indian festival in a peaceful and
permissible manner. Who says Holi is a Hindu festival? asks Munshi Zakaullah in
his book “Tarikh-e-Hindustani”.
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A
regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Alim and
Fazil (classical Islamic scholar). Having graduated from a leading Islamic
seminary of India, Jamia Amjadia Rizvia (Mau, U.P.), he is now pursuing his PhD
from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
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