Sambhal, Ajmer Sharif & the spreading communal virus | Humra Quraishi

5 December 2024

Human Rights Day, 10 December, is almost here but is there any relevance left to this day! Humans and their basic rights have been reduced to a nothingness of sorts. There is a genocide on, in and around Gaza, where the hapless Palestinians are so very brutally and blatantly killed by the Israeli forces. There’s no stopping to the human killings and the disasters spreading out, yet we, the alive, sit like deadened mute spectators.

Focusing on the havoc taking place in our country, there are hate speeches of the political rulers of the day and with that, there seems no stopping to the communal build-ups! Much hue and cry about the environmental pollution but what about the ongoing political pollution? Dangerous and destructive and severe. Killing forms and souls. Affecting the very survival of hundreds.

Horrific distractions are getting used so that the masses don’t cry out for rotis and rozgaars! No bread and bread-earners, only diggers equipped with hammers and all possible digging material. Tell me, where we heading in an atmosphere over-burdened with human cries?

Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh stands out as last week five of its citizens were killed and many more injured and arrested. There rages a huge controversy about whether those arrested are the actual culprits or victims of the communally charged atmosphere, dripping with obnoxious comments…lows reaching such lows that a particular police officer even termed a certain section of the aggrieved minority citizens of Sambhal as “ jaahils”/ uneducated and uncouth! He should be well aware of the basic fact that he is a civil servant and cannot treat the minority community with such gaudy arrogance and use of third-class terms!

Why is it that nobody can visit Sambhal till December 10? If the administration and the political rulers have nothing to conceal then let us visit the town and see for ourselves the ground realities. Needless to add that by then the victims and their entire clans and families could be threatened and made to keep shut and not to speak out. They would have little choice but to agree to all the sarkari commands otherwise the aftermath could ruin their lives for times to come.

It is getting much too dangerous to see how the Agenda seems unfolding. Mosques and dargahs and age-old historical structures are being brought into focus, to be targeted by the Hindutva brigade under the various alibis. And then utter chaos and communal atmosphere is bound to spread out, overtaking all possible strains of governance.

Communal virus and the connected onslaughts unleashed right from 6 December 1992, when the Babri Masjid was targeted, are spreading out as never before. The Right-Wing brigades and their men have connectivity with the political rulers, so one can well imagine the havoc that could unfold.

And with news of the Hindutva men also questioning the basis of the dargah of Ajmer Sharif, I have been thinking of the numerous occasions when I visited this dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti—also known as Gharib Nawaz. I had met hundreds of non-Muslims, who had travelled to this dargah from the various States of the country, praying for the fulfilment of their mannats (wishes)…Complete bonding between the Muslims and the non-Muslim devotees…such a touching sight.

It is relevant to know the details to this Sufi mystic, Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti—also known as Gharib Nawaz. He had travelled from the Middle East and settled in Ajmer. He reached there when he was in his middle age but stayed on till his last years. It’s said that he was born in East Persia around 533 Hijri ( 1138-39 A.D ) and lost his parents at an early stage. Though he had inherited an orchard and a windmill no sooner had he come in contact with a dervish Sufi, Ebrahim Qandoosi, he gave up all worldly belongings and travelled towards Samarkand and Bukhara which were centres of great learning. From there he travelled further, towards Mecca and Medina and it is whilst he was there that he decided to travel down towards India.

At that time Ajmer was ruled by the Rajput ruler Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Khwaja Saheb settled down at a hillock, close to the Ana Sagar lake. Soon the local people started visiting him, who were totally taken up by his simplicity and piety. As the power of his blessings made way, even the mighty rulers and rajas made their way towards the humble dwelling of this Sufi. It’s amazing how this practice continues to this day. Though Khwaja Saheb passed away in 1236 AH, at the age of 97 but to date thousands visit his dargah on a daily basis.

To date a large number of visitors and devotees to the dargah are non-Muslims. This could be because Sufis believed that there should be no compulsion in religion and that there should never be any demarcations and biases along religious lines.

Tradition states that this mystic sufi would state: "The closest to Allah is one who possesses the following three qualities: magnanimity of the river, kindness of the sun and humility of the earth. He had also said "noblest of character is possessed by one who is bountiful in poverty, content in hunger, cheerful in grief and friendly in hostility" and the "surest way to keep off punishment in hell is to feed the hungry, to redress the aggrieved and to help the distressed." Khwaja never brought up any issues related to religion. He is known as Gharib-nawaz because he reached out to anybody in need and distress, irrespective of caste or creed.

Legend states that the Mughal Emperor Akbar was blessed by a son after he offered prayers at this dargah. And thereafter his son, Jehangir, was a regular visitor to this dargah. Mughal emperors have left very obvious traces of their visits in the form of buildings, compound walls, mosques, darwazas and gates.

Together with this the concept of free distribution of food to those assembled in the dargah. An ongoing tradition is that of food cooked on a daily basis in two huge degs (huge cooking vessels ) for free distribution.

It’s said that that Mughal emperor Akbar had presented a huge ‘deg’ in which enough rice could be cooked to feed 5000 people. Emperor Jehangir also presented another deg. And till date food cooked in them is distributed to those assembled. And Mughal Emperor Shahjahan’s daughter, Princess Jahan Ara, was not just a regular visitor but is said to have written a book on the Khwaja.

And Queen Mary, Empress of England, at the time of her coronation in India in 1911 A.D. had visited this dargah at Ajmer and left a trace of her visit by having a roof constructed over a tank.