Krishna In Indo-Muslim Mystical Tradition: For Muslim Mystics, He Was 'Hazrat Krishna', An Ancient Prophet Sent To The Indian Subcontinent
By
Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam
7 September
2023
Indian
Muslims Must Remember Shri Krishna In An Effort To Revive Their Links With The
Glorious Indo-Muslim Mystical Tradition
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Shri Krishna Janmashtami 2023: The festival is celebrated with much
fervour across the country (Source: Getty Images)
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Do you know
that some of the Indian Muslim Mystics especially in the Bengal region
introduced Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as Shri Krishna's Avtar in Arabia? Even much
before them, Mahmud Ghaznavi used the Sanskrit nomenclature ‘avatar’ for the
holy Prophet (pbuh) on the coins minted by him. Founder of Indology and the
father of 'Comparative Religion' or interfaith studies in India, Abu Raihan
Al-Biruni notes that. But how many of us actually know it today?
Noted
Indian Muslim scholar and Sufi poet, Maulana Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan Hasrat Mohani,
who coined the Urdu slogan "Inquilab Zindabad" during the freedom
movement used to visit Vrindavan in Mathura before he went to perform his Hajj
in Makka. Have you ever heard of it?
Well, this
has been the deeply-seated and historically rooted Muslim Mystical tradition in
India--call it Sufism or whatever you like. Some would rather call it the
'Krishnite Sufism'. The thrust of this tradition is that like every other
nation and people, India too has been blessed with the presence of the holy
Prophets and Apostles of Allah (Paighambars). Therefore, in all
likelihood, the king of Ayodhya Maryada Purshottam Shri Ram, and the Prince of
Dwarka Shri Krishna and their Avatars may actually have been the holy prophets
sent to the Indian subcontinent and thus their teachings and traditions must be
held in high regard by the Indian Muslims. This has been propounded by the
authoritative Sufi mystics in India such as the Naqshbandi saint and scholar
Mirza Mazhar Jaan-e-Jaan (1689-1781) and the Chishti Sufi poet of the 18th
century, Shah Turab Chishti.
In fact,
some Indian Ulema believe Shri Krishna may be one of the Divine Messengers who
visited India, based on a hadith narration mentioned in a book called "Tarikh
Hamdan". According to the history of Hamdan Daylami (Chapter Al-Kaaf),
there was a prophet in India whose colour was black and his name was Kahin (the
saint).
Long ago,
an Indian Muslim mystic popularly known as “Raskhan” immersed himself in
Krishna consciousness. His deep devotion to Shri Krishna or Krishna-Bhakti
culminated in marvellous poetry that he composed in his ecstasy and that is
still sung by the common people of Mathura. Today, on the occasion of
Janmashtami, many Hindus and Muslims celebrate the birth of Shri Krishna, by
reciting his poems and offering prayers for the salvation and protection of all
human beings. Indian Muslims remember Shri Krishna on Janmashtami in an effort
to revive and rejuvenate their links with the glorious history of the
Indo-Muslim mystical tradition.
Khwaja
Hasan Nizami, a prominent Sufi scholar of the Chishti Order, popularly known in
Urdu as Musawwir-e-Fitrat (a natural artist and essayist) who wrote many
essays on Indian Sufism, published his book on Shri Krishna titled "Krishn
Beiti" in 1917 which was later renamed as "Krishna Katha"
or "Krishna Jeewan". In this book, Khwaja Hasan Nizami sought to clear various
misconceptions about the persona of Shri Krishna, particularly prevailing among
Muslims.
At the very
outset, he described Shri Krishna as a great man who taught Indians the secrets
of the spiritual and material worlds. The chapter in the book on the blessed
birth of Shri Krishna is titled "Dawn of the Truth" in which he
writes that that after the long dark night, Shri Krishna's birth came as the
beacon of hope and light. Much like his contemporary Urdu poet Hafeez Jalandhari,
Khwaja Hasan Nizami called Shri Krishna the “light of India”. Not just that, he
also went on in his book to do an intellectual refutation of the arguments of
Arya Samaji scholars like Lala Lajpat Rai who maintain that Sri Krishna was not
the incarnation and even the author of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. Khwaja Hasan
Nizami retorts: “O Indians, do not disrespect your nation in a bid to please
foreigners, and give your predecessors their rightful place”. Notably, Khwaja Hasan Nizami thus attaches
paramount importance to the study of Hinduism, its culture and civilization as
an exercise in nation-building.
One of the
substantial points that Khwaja Hasan Nizami makes in his book is that the life
and teachings of Shri Krishna should not be learned from secondary sources or
books written by Western scholars or European authors. Many of the
misconceptions about Shri Krishna are either sheer Western propaganda or an
outcome of misreading his life. For instance—accusing Shri Krishna of ‘nudity’
or slandering his polygamy was actually a Western ploy and a distorted
narrative that the British colonialists wanted to spread to further their ends.
Therefore, Khwaja Hasan Nizami, categorically states that such accusations made
by the colonialists and their sympathizers were meant to buttress the claim
that the native Indians had no civilization, which is actually frivolous and
untenable. Thus, this Indian Muslim scholar of the Nizami Sufi Order tried to
de-colonize the narratives around the persona of Shri Krishna. He penned this
book passionately as a devout Indo-Muslim scholar.
Much before
Khwaja Hasan Nizami, Shah Burhanuddin Janam, in his 16th-century work 'Irshad
Nama', which had a mystical theme, and 'Sukh Sahela', which consisted of
his couplets, described the fascinating perceptions of Sri Krishna. To shed
light on his greatness and popularity, he proudly stated that Krishna is the
one who has sixteen thousand Gopis: Bal Baram Tu Achari Hai, Sola Sahas Nari
Hai. Hazrat Mahmood Daryai was also a Krishna-Bhakt Sufi mystic and poet.
He described himself as the bride and the Divine as the bridegroom in full
synergy with the Hindi-style poetry.
Among the
mystical Urdu poets, Shri Krishna has always been a beloved (Mahboob). Nazeer
Akbarabadi—the 18th-century Urdu poet known as "Father of Nazm"—wrote
poems not only on Shri Krishna but also a beautiful poem about Baladevji,
Krishna’s brother and his Mela. Even Mohsin Kakorvi, the noted Urdu poet famous
for his Na’at who composed his Qasida "Madeeh Khairul Mursaleen"
(in praise of the holiest Prophet) invoked Shri Krishna. Celebrating Prophet
Muhammad’s birthday (Meelad-un-Nabi), he composed the following couplet:
سمت کاشی سے چلا جانبِ
متھرا بادل
برق کے کاندھے پہ لاتی
ہے صبا گنگا جل
(Translation:
The clouds are moving ecstatically from Kashi to Mathura and the sky will
remain covered with dense clouds as long as there is Shri Krishna).
Maulana
Hasrat Mohani was also one of the Indian Muslim mystics who fervently
celebrated divine love and devotion towards Shri Krishna. As described by
himself, he was a 'Sufi Mo’min' (a believing Sufi), and an Ishtiraaki
Muslim (secular Muslim), Aashiq-e-Rasool (lover of the holy Prophet),
and at the same time a Krishn-Bhakt (devotee of Krishna).
While
Hasrat Mohani composed several Urdu poems (Na’at) in praise of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) and other spiritual invocations (Munajat), he also paid
beautiful tributes of love and devotion, through his mystic poetry, to Shri
Krishna. One on hand, Mohani invoked the holy Prophet as follows:
Khyaal e
Yaar Ko Dil Se Mita Do Yaa Rasool Allah
Khird Ko
Apna Deewana Bana Do Yaa Rasool Allah
(O Apostle
of Allah, purge my heart of the metaphorical love and all worldly thoughts
Draw my
attention towards yourself as your devotee, O Apostle of Allah)
On the
other, he did not forget the earlier prophets who had been sent down to various
territories, especially India. An embodiment of compassion, tenderness and
divine love, in Maulana Hasrat Mohani’s poetry Krishna is greatly revered as
“Hazrat Krishna.”
Some of his
moving mystical poems about Shri Krishna in Urdu are as follows:
To Se Lagaai Kanhaai Preet
Kahu Or Kisurati Ab Aai Kaahe
Hasrat Tan Man Dhan Sab Waar-Ke
Mathura Nagar Ramaai Chali Dhooni
(My heart
has fallen in love with Kanhaiya. Why would anyone else think of it now? O
Hasrat, give up all that is yours for him. Then go to Mathura and become a
mystic)
عرفانِ عشق نام ہے
میرے مقام کا
حامل ہوں کس کے نغمۂ
نئے کے پیام کا
گوکُل کی سرزمیں بھی
عزیزِ جہاں بنی
کلمہ پڑھا جو اُن کی
محبّت کے نام کا
برندا کا بن بھی روُ
کشِ جنّت بنا کہ تھا
پامالِ ناز اُنھیں
کے بہارِ خرام کا
لبریزِ نور ہے دِلِ
حسرت زہے نصیب
اِک حسنِ مشک فام کے
شوقِ تمام کا
I stand
where the deep knowledge and realisation of love is found,
Who is the
one whose flute’s melody fills me?
Gokul's
land also became the beloved of the world,
When I
recited the Kalima in the name of his love.
Vrindavan
too turned out to be a picture of heaven,
Because of
his feet, there is a spring that becomes a harbinger of paradise.
What a good
fortune, Hasrat,
Your heart
brims with a glowing love for the beauty of Musk!
Bearing in
mind the religious fanatics who may scoff at his devotion to Krishna, the
devotional Maulana issues an inclusive “fatwa” in justifying his love:
Puna Hoe Na Kipreet Ka Paap Shyam
Kou Kaahe Pashchatap Karat Hai
Neha Ki Aag Maatan-Pupa
Jalat Rahi Chup-Chaap Kab Lag
(Loving
Shyam is not a sin, nor a virtue. So why do people repent? How long do I have
to burn silently in the fire of love, oppressing my heart and my body?)
These
Indian Muslim mystics and spiritual luminaries also need to be remembered on
this Janmashtami to help mitigate the communal disharmony in the country. Their
pluralistic messages in India should be rejuvenated, creating an atmosphere in
which selfless service and unconditional love are one’s only religion.
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A Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an
Indo-Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He has graduated from a
leading Sufi Islamic seminary in India and acquired a Diploma in Qur'anic
sciences and a Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from Al-Azhar Institute of
Islamic Studies. He has also participated in the 3-year “Madrasa Discourses”
program initiated by the University of Notre Dame, USA.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism