At
the dawn of seventeenth century, at the age of invasion from the West by Persians
and the East by Mughals, at the time when Afghans were in the mist of war in every
corner of the nation, at the time when education was the last thing on people’s mind,
a child was born named Abdur Rahman in a village near Peshawar called Bahader Kalay.
He belonged to a prominent Mohamand tribe of the Pathans.The
exact date of his birth and death are not known, yet it can be said that Rahman Baba
was an almost exact contemporary of the Mughal King Aurangzeb (AD. 1659-1707). In
spite of that several efforts have been made to determine the exact date of his birth
& death. For instance, Pata Khazana (the Hidden Treasury) a well-known book
in Pashto,
shows the birth date of Rahman Baba as AD 1632 and his death as AD 1708.
According
to Al-Hajj Habibullah Rafi, the birth and death of Rahman Baba are (AD 1632– AD
1718).
According to Prof. Qalandar Mohmand the birth and death dates of Rahman Baba
are AD 1671 – 1753).
Most
of the analysts agree with the date of birth mentioned in Pata Khazana i.e. AD 1632.
But his date of death is still controversial. Some people linked it with the
brutal killings
of Gul Khan and Jamal Khan, who were burnt alive with an entire wedding Party.
According
to major Raverty this event took place around AD 1711 and Rahman Baba was
still alive at that time. He could well have lived for several more years. So
we conclude
Rahman Baba lived from AD 1632 to 1715.
Family Background
Muhammad
Hotak Baba the writer of Pata Khazana writes that Rahman Baba’soriginal
name was Abdur Rahman. He belonged to Mohmond tribe. He was born in Bahadur
Kallay, a village near Peshawar.
Rahman Baba tells us about his own Pushtunpedigree.
He claims to be of the Sarban tribe, originally in Kandahar and was later to migrate
into Peshawar
valley from thirteenth to sixteenth century. Rahman Baba lived peaceful
life and never involved in the fierce inter tribal conflicts of his days. There
is also
no evidence that he took part in the ongoing revolt against Mughal rule. Yet it
can be said
that he wrote against the Mughals in his poems.
“By
the grace of cruel rulers; grave, fire and Peshawar are one and the same”.
Opinion
is divided about Rahman Baba’s family background. According to some people
he was the son of the chief (Malik) of the village. His father’s name was Abdul Sattar.
Rahman Baba had only one brother whose name was Aziz Khan. According to others
Rahman Baba was a poor Mullah of the village. Whether Malik or not, Rahman Baba
describes himself as a poor faqir:
May
no one be without life and livelihood;
As
I am lifeless and penniless
.
After
the death of his father his brother Aziz Khan became the Chieftain (Malik) of the
village and he captured Rahman Baba in Jail. But when he was set free he said, The
Khans cannot live together with the malangs ;How
can Aziz Khan be compared with the malang
Abdur Rahman? He
left his village and went to Hazar Khawani a village in the South of Peshawar City in
search of truth and peace
.
I
couldn’t find peace in my search for Him;
Peace
became unlawful in my religion
Education
of Rahman Baba
Rahman
Baba got his early education from his own village, that is, Bahadur Kallay, Peshawar. He got the
education of “Fiqah and Tassawwuf” in his village from Mullah Muhammad
Yousaf Yousafzai. After completion of his early education it is said that he went
to Kohat to get more education from Haji Bahadur, a well known Mystic and religious
scholar of the Sub-Continent.
Rahman
Baba’s Diwan displays a subtle use of several languages including
Pushto, Arabic
and Persian as well as a wide knowledge of history, philosophy and theology. Rahman
Baba was probably taught both Fiqah (Jurisprudence) and Tassauf (Sufism) a twin
training that might have been the norm during his era. According to Pervaish Shaheen
(an educationist, and researcher, the resident of Manglawer, Swat), Peshawar was a
great seat of learning and especially very advanced in religious education and
was considered
to be the rival of Bokhara. So it was not
difficult for a person like Rahman Baba
to develop his inner self. There is no certainty that what flavour of religious education
Rahman Baba obtained, but Pata Khazana claims that Rahman Baba’s teacher was
known to have been a great religious man. After
studying the poetry of Rahman Baba, one can easily find that all the senses of Rahman
Baba were working properly. Here are some verses, taken from various ghazels of
his Diwan.
Rahman
is not such stupid merchant;
As
to exchange religious wealth for money.
Don’t
say it is only me in the world;
God
has created a chief over every chieftain.
Don’t
dig a well in another’s path;
In
case you come to the well’s edge yourself
According
to Rahman Baba, there are two categories of man, the Aaleman (the learned)
and the Jaahelan (the ignorant) and they are not equal:
Ignorant
are like dead bodies;
But
scholars are like the Massiha.
In
company of scholars he will turn to gold;
The
one who is stone or nuggets in the desert.
If
someone want to know the way to God and Prophet;
Scholars
are the guides to that path.
Life
and Poetry of Rahman Baba
Doost
Muhammad Kamil comments, “The history of Rehman Baba’s life lies very much
in dark yet it can be said that Rahman Baba belonged to Mohmond, the sub - section
of Sarban tribe. We have only two sources of knowing about Rahman Baba’s life i.e.
Oral Traditions and Diwan of Abdur Rahman Baba. Some of the oral
traditions have become
enshrined as accepted fact among Pukhtuns, and many are repeated in books
without
consideration of their authenticity. More reliable evidence about the life of Rahman
Baba can be gleaned from the Diwan of Abdur Rahman Baba itself”. Abdur
Rahman Baba, the greatest poet of Pashto literature, was a man of character and
great charisma. As a child, he loved to study and always occupied himself in
getting good
education, no matter what it took. He spent considerable time and effort trying
to
teach
himself. At a young age, he started studying and reading poetry, especially the Persian
poetry. He has taken effect from the poetry of Hafiz Shirazi. He was poet by nature
but he did not realize it. As he grew older, he started having doubts upon what
he 20 was
doing. Because of this, he entirely abandoned material needs of this world and
gave himself
to the mercy of God
.
There
is no damage if someone were to abolish interest;
There
is no tax or liability from a Malang.
The
legend portrays Rahman Baba as a reclusive poet, scratching his poems in the dust
on the bank of River Bara while strumming a Rabab (a musical instrument likeguitar).
At times he is overcome by a single note, and falls unconscious as tears wound his
cheeks. Rahman Baba is found in the company of a young boy named Majnoon. It is said
that Majnoon was the only person who was aware of the greatness of Rahman Baba. This
is why he used to give him company. As Majnoon was poor and Aziz Khan ( the brother
of Rahman Baba and chief of the village ) disliked Rahman Baba’s company with Majnoon.
Yet another persistent myth recounts Rahman Baba’s meeting with the prophet of
Islam. These are oral traditions and are accepted as facts in Pukhtuns’
society.
Due
to your grief, tears flow like stream on my cheek;
Ask
me why it is so?
If
I were to hide from his grief;
I
have no place to hide.
The
spiritual aspect of God presents itself upon him, made him understand that thetrue
way of life was through his religion, Islam. He had a unique and creative way
of praying
to God i.e. poetry. He had a deep passion for God, which resulted in saying numerous
poems in his honour, which made him famous in a short period of time. People admired
his work, from Afghanistan
to Central Asia to the Indian Subcontinent.
Religious
scholars found the real meaning of life in his poems. National and political leaders
used his poetry for independent movement. Musicians used his poetry in their songs.
Due to his popularity, Afghans gave him an honourable name “Baba” (Father of the
Nation). His work became a model for new poets, and as a result many people
started learning
this way and this direction. A
school of poetry was built in his honour and many people came to study in this school.
The founding father of Afghanistan,
Ahmed Shah Baba was also one of the students
of his school of poetry. According
to Shakespeare, “Philosophers, poets and insane people are of one nature.
A person can not become one of these just by trying, but they are born that way 21 and
they have no choice other than to live by the nature of their life”. It is said, “Readers
will not understand the poetry of Rahman Baba unless they feel that what they are
reading is indeed their own thoughts. When one opens Rahman Baba’s book, he immediately
realizes that his heart is speaking to him”. Rahman
Baba fought throughout his life against human greediness, which is clear from
most of his poems
“Better
to meet a demon or devil; than to come across an evil man”
“The
company of dragon would be better; than companionship with a fool”.
“Regard
others as you do your self; For every one is like you”
“Judges
should deal justly; and not to be Swayed by greed and lust”.
Rahman
Baba says about the uncertainty of life
;
“Look
to see how long a bubble lasts; If any one wants to count life, this is its
measure”
The
poetry of Rahman Baba is full of messages. He wanted to teach Pushtuns and
through
Pushtuns, the whole world the real meaning of life through the love and
magnificence
of God
.
Rahman Baba according to some renowned personalities
According
to Missionary T.P.Hughes, “The poetry of Rahman Baba is famous and liked
by all sects of Pukhtuns. People working in the fields or inside homes, say the verses
of Rahman Baba and they kept the Diwan of Rahman Baba as a sacred
religious book,
because every thing i.e. Pain, Love and Humanity are there in his book. There
arevery
few poets who are liked as Rahman Baba”. According
to C.E.Badef, “Rahman Baba is the loving poet of Pathans and his verses are
taken by heart by every child, old aged, female and male. No one of Pushtun
nation is such
who is not aware of the verses of Rahman Baba”
Louis
Dupree in his book, Afghanistan
pointed out to Rahman Baba’s teachings. “Rahman
Baba was a mystic than warrior. But his mysticism, born of Sufism, also touches
the Pushtuns cultural essence. Not so proud and fiercely militant as Khushal Khan
Khattak, Rahman Baba continually warned the ambitions and proud of their base early
origin”
Rahman
Baba himself explains here:
Like
not with thy head showing in clouds;
Thou
art by birth the offspring of this earth
The
stream that passed the slice can not gain flow back;
Nor
can again return the misspent time that sped
According
to Prof.Afzal Raza, “There is no difference between the tongue and heart
of Rahman Baba. He is like a mirror. His exact date of birth and death is not
known to
any one but we do not feel need of it because he is not dead. He was, he is and
he will be
alive”. Maazullah
Mohmand says, “If there is only one poet in Pakhutunkhawa, he will be
Abdur Rahman Baba”.Pir
Muhammad Kakar, “Rahman Baba is natural poet and his verses cannot be human
creations”.Qazi
Mir Ahmad Shah Rizwani says, “It seems like Hafiz Shirazi has been born in
Pukhtun Khawa in the Shape of Rahman Baba. By hearing his verses, Sufi, judges
and Qazi,
all began to dance”. According
to Prof.Faham Dil Rahi, “Rahman Baba is Mujtahid. His poetry is cure
for
all evils”.
According
to Aslam Mohmand Advocate, “The poetry of Rahman Baba is an interpretation
of Holy Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). He is social
worker”. Prof.
Taqveem ul Haq Kaka Khel says, “The poetry of Rahman Baba is full of ethical
education. It seems that the verses of Rahman Baba is not written by anyone but revealed
in perfect form”. One
of the great religious scholar “Saidu Baba’ of Swat said, “If any other book than
the book of God (Quran), was permissible for prayer, I would have definitely
chosen Rahman
Baba’s book”.
Diwan
of Rahman Baba
It is
said that Rahman Baba like Socrates never put pen to paper, but used to write with
his finger in the silt washed up by the River Bara. His friends, it is said,
later collected
his poems from what they remembered of his scribbling. Though no original Diwan
has ever come to light, it seems likely that a Diwan existed in Rahman Baba’s life time,
as he himself hints
The
whole of Rahman Baba’s Diwan can be sacrificed for this Ghazal;
That
tells the conduct of the dervishes.
I
(Rahman) am thankful to my verses;
To
have discovered such a Diwan
The
copies of Diwan were in circulation as early as in 1728. Over 25
original manuscripts
are scattered in various libraries and private collections worldwide. Though the
majority of these manuscripts are undated, they include several that may have
been written
within 50 years of Rahman Baba’s death24.
The first printed Diwan was produced in Lahore in 1877, by Maulvi
Ahmad under the supervision of Missionary T.P. Hughes. Several
other attempts have been made to piece together the definitive Diwan from different manuscripts. The Diwan, compiled by Said Rasool Rasa though not hundred percent
accurate, is still the best known and most influential25 Majority
of the poems of Rahman Baba are in the form of Ghazals. There is considerable
variation in style between the different poems, with the most common style following
the conventions perfected by Hafiz Shirazi and other Persian poets. The Diwan
of Abdur Rahman Baba is beautiful combination of flowers in which one
can find the colour of his own choice. There is consistency of style, coupled
with a lively
variation of theme. Included are Ghazals centered on mystical rapture, praise
of
God,
proverbial wisdom and social commentary. Throughout the Diwan the
interior rhymes
is that of ‘Rumi’ and the last line of each Ghazal contains the poet’s name,
following
the style first used by ‘Sanai’
What
he is saying is totally according to the nature, social and cultural conditions
of the
Pukhtuns. There is not even a single word in his Diwan, which is against
the Pukhtun, Islam
or human nature. His sayings seem not to be his own words but the words of God through
the language of Rahman Baba i.e., Lisanul Ghaib. He is truly one of the
greatest mystics
of his time and is respected by all who are aware of him. Now question arises
as to
what is Mysticism (Sufism)?
Mysticism
This
is the belief in or the pursuit in the unification with the one or some other principle;
the immediate consciousness of God; or the direct experience of religious
truth. Mysticism
is nearly universal and unites most religions in the quest for divinity. The
term “mysticism”
comes from the classical Greco-Roman mystery cults. Perhaps it came from Myein
meaning, “to close the lips and eyes, and prefer to the sacred oath of the
initiates, the
mystics, to keep secret about the inner workings of the religion”. Mysticism
is immediate, direct intuitive knowledge of God or ultimate reality attained
through personal religious experience. The mystical life is characterized by enhanced
vitality; productivity, serenity, and joy as the inner and out world aspects
harmonize
in union with God. Islamic
Mysticism (Sufism) began to develop in the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), the
greatest of all the mystics, “God is nearer to man than his jugular vein”. He
is the light
of heavens and the earth, wherever we turn, He is present there. Muhammad (S.A.W)
laid the greatest stress on the need of personal surrender and submission to God and
the practice of prayer. It is necessary according to his teachings, not only to
offer prescribed
act of prayers at stated time; but to remember God continually. This idea was followed
by the Muslims that formed the basis for the development of mystical piety. The
department of the Shariah relating to a’male batini (esoteric acts or states of
the heart)
is called Tasawwuf (Mysticism). In
pre-Islamic days, Sufi was used for man of excellence and virtue. The term Sufi was
coined in early 9th century as a name for a mystic. According
to Abu Hashmi of Kufh, a person engaged in asceticism (Zuhd) piety, science
of practical religion, trust in God and love is called as Sufi. It was the Abu Hashmi
who first of all came to be called by the name of Sufi. According
to Ibrahim B. Adham, “A True saint is one who covets nothing of thisworld,
nothing of the next and devotes himself exclusively to God”
.
According
to Rabia of Basrah, “The desire of union with God is Sufism”.
According
to Junaid Bughdadi, “Putting your heart in tune with God’s promise is
called
Sufism” Junaid
of Nehawand (d. 910 A.D.), a theologian and philosopher was one among the
early Sufis, who began lecturing and discussing Sufism. He says, “Sinking
ecstasy in wisdom
is better than sinking wisdom in ecstasy.” The highest bliss is to meditate on
His unity.
A Sufi must be like the trodden ground or like a raining cloud. Sufism means detachment
from non – God. A Sufi’s internal side is God and external humanity.Abu
Bakr Shibli, a class-mate of the celebrated Mansur Hallaj, says that true freedom
is the freedom of the heart from everything but God. Sufis are children of the truth.
Sufism is to guard against seeing corporeal world as real. A Sufi must live in
this world
as not born. Sufism means control of the faculties and the observance of the
breath. A
Sufi looks on all creatures as his own family.
Sahl
bin Abdullah says, “You may not appreciate Sufism in the beginning but onceyou
know it, you will appreciate it to the end of your life.” The
Sufi movement is a mystical strain in Islam, which reflects the need of individuals
to transcend formal religious practices in order to attain higher levels of spiritual
fulfillment. The Sufis are represented in all schools of thought in Islam and found
in all Muslim communities. Because of its mystical, spiritual character, Sufism appeals
more to individuals and small groups. It does not constitute either a sect or a school
of thought, but is rather a spiritual or transcendental practice, which
persists despite
criticism from orthodox theologians. Sufis believe they follow the Prophet's mysticism,
particularly during the Meccan period of the revelations. Thus, in their practices
there is much meditation and solitary or group recitation of prayers and incantations
of their own religious formulas. They seek a life of ascetic pietism, shunning worldly
pleasures and seeking the inward purity of a relationship with God through
love, patience,
forgiveness, and other higher spiritual qualities. Their influence on the development
of Islam is more significant than is usually recognized. Their ascetic piety and
rigidly ethical conception of Islamic society have influenced generations of
Muslims. They
have also had from time to time strong political influence. What characterizes
Sufis the
most is their "inwardism" or belief that the Sharia only regulates
external conduct, whereas
inward feelings are matters strictly between each person and his Creator. Because
of their emphasis on the love of God, they have developed the doctrine of Tawakul
(reliance on God), which is central to the relationship between Man and God. Sufism
also has had a significant impact on the practical aspects of administering astate.
Islamic Mysticism and Tauhid
Sufism,
Islam’s inner dimension, is the best way to achieve tawhid. The Islamic creedal
statement shows that all Muslims believe in absolute Divine Unity: La illaha
illa Allah
(there is no deity but God). Sufism
seeks to free people from the prison of multiplicity, to remove any mental processes
or physical actions that divert their ego-centers toward temporal and sensual desires,
and to eradicate hypocrisy. In short, it seeks to make people whole, for only
such people
can become holy. People profess faith in God but live and act as if there were many
deities, and so are guilty of polytheism and hypocrisy. As Sufism seeks to
bring such
a condition into the open and cure the afflicted person, its goal is to integrate
each person
at every level of his or her existence. Such
an integration is brought about by harmonizing all bodily, mental, and spiritual
faculties, not by negating the intelligence, which so often occurs with modern religious
movements. Sufism bases its methods upon observing the Shari‘a
and, in particular,
the daily prayers, which are a most powerful means of integrating people’s psychic
faculties and harmonizing them with their corporeal being. Sufism’s
main method is continuous prayer. This is done in both quantitative and qualitative
terms through invocation (dhikr), in which all otherness and separation from the
Divine is removed and tawhid is achieved. Invocation, when combined with
the appropriate
forms of meditation (fikr), causes the emergence of an integrated pure and
whole
gold-like soul. After this, people use invocation to offer their souls to God
so that they
may return to Him in ecstasy. Those
who achieve this integration possess certain characteristics that anyone can see,
for it leaves its imprint even upon their outer appearance, which necessarily
reflects their
inner state. Such people are cured of all spiritual illnesses by having their
tensions and
complexes removed, as their need for the transcendent has been met and
satisfied, and
not through modern psychoanalysis. Moreover, they do not compartmentalize their lives,
for their thoughts and actions issue from a single center and are based on a
series of immutable
principles. They
realize the Islamic ideal of unifying contemplation with the practical and so do
not act or think “normally,” for their contemplation and meditation are
combined in the
purest and most intense activity. As a result, they reflect Divine Unity and
become the total
theophany of the Divine Names and Qualities. They act and live in such a manner that
all of their actions and words exude a spiritual fragrance and beauty. They are somehow
in touch with that Divine Grace running through the universe’s arteries. Such
people have reached the goal of their lives and have no fear, which is so destructive
to modern people. They see death not as total annihilation, but as a shift from a
state of lesser sensitivity to a higher one. All of us belong to God, and the
Qur’an states that
each person and society moves toward God. Therefore death is only a shift and a change
from one stage of existence to a higher one, and ultimately terminates with
God. Death
does not destroy our internal or external sensory faculties, but rather refines and
sharpens them. It only severs the conscious ego’s direct relationship with the
outer material
world, to which it is connected through the external senses. As material life
veils human
senses and consciousness, death sharpens all human faculties by removing this veil.
A Prophetic tradition confirms this: “People are now in a state of sleep. They
will awake
when they die.” So
death is actually ascension, a gate opening upon higher realities and pleasures
of existence,
not something to be feared by sincere Muslims. Why should I be afraid of death?
I know it is the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W). I am anxiously waiting for following
this Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W) – Saying of a Sufi. It is a transference
from the
dungeons of worldly life to the gardens of Paradise,
from the world of labor andtrouble
to the abode of rewards. In another Prophetic tradition, God says:
My
servants draw near to me through supererogatory works, so that I love them.
When
I love them, I am their ears with which they hear, their eyes with which they
see,
their
tongues with which they speak, and their hands with which they take.
Allah
Almighty has said:
“There
are servants of God who walks humbly on the earth and when an ignorant
one
converses with them, they pray for his welfare.”(25:63) This shows that it is
not
desirable
for a true believer to unnecessarily quarrel with the ignorant folk who walk
arrogantly
on God’s earth.
The
Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: “Those who hear the prayers of a Sufi and do not say ‘Ameen’
come in the list of negligent one in the eyes of Allah.” This Hadis of the Prophet
proves that Sufism was practiced in the blessed time of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) Some
says that Sufis are called Sufis because they belong to the first saff (row) meaning
the highest category. Some say they are called Sufis because there condition correspond
to those of the Ashab-e-Safa (people of the verandah). Some are of the opinion
that this word is derived from safa (purity). In fact each person has
interpreted its meaning
according to his own understanding, but according to the dictionary, all this
is debatable.
The most correct meaning of this word is probably safa (purity), which means purity
of the qalb (heart). The opposite of which is impurity. Some
says that Sufism is a meaningless custom, and denies its existence by mocking
it, denying the belief of the people of Verandah and the respected companion of the
Holy Prophet (S.A.W). The
truth is, “Verily purity of heart is an attribute the Siddiq-I-Akbar, Hadhrat
Abu Bakr
Siddiq. If you want to be a Sufi look at him.” Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq had
reached the
state of erasing all thoughts of the treacherous world from his heart. He
distributed all his
wealth and possessions in the way of Allah, and presented himself before the
Holy Prophet
(S.A.W) in the garb of a dervish. The Holy Prophet asked him what he had left for
his family. He replied that he had left countless wealth for them – firstly the
name of Allah
and secondly, following the footsteps of the Messenger (S.A.W). Allama Iqbal described
this incident in poetic form thus:
The
lamp suffices for the moth, and the flower for the nightingale,
For
Siddiq- e - Akbar, Allah and His Prophet are enough.
Mysticism
and its Educational Elements
The
predominant idea of Mysticism is unworldliness, virtuous habits, fear of and submission
to and love of God, attachment to the Prophet and yearning for peace and a quiet
life. Mystics are friends and well-wishers of the humanity and try to educate
all the individuals
in such a manner that spiritual and moral excellence come inside them. Education
is concerned primarily with the individual’s inner excellence. In the language
of Sufis education is called ‘Tarbiyah’. Mysticism (Sufism) educates the students
to transcend formal religious practices in order to attain higher levels of
spiritual fulfillment.
It gives the lesson of unity and educates the students to live together in
order to
consult each other for spiritual and moral excellence. The Mystics (Sufis) are
not running
after the worldly pleasures & are seeking the inward purity of a
relationship with God
through love, patience, forgiveness, and other higher spiritual qualities. What characterizes
Sufis the most is their "inwardism" or belief that the Shariah only
regulates external
conduct, whereas inward feelings are matters strictly between each person and the
Creator. Because of their emphasis on the love of God, they have developed the doctrine
of tawakul (reliance on God), which is central to the relationship
between Man
and
God. God says, “Do not justify and hold yourselves sinless” (53:32). Sufism
gives the
idea of self-cognition and self-purification to the students and tells them
that they should
perform their duties for what they have been created by God. Mysticism (Sufism) tries
to guide them and tell them about their real position in the world. Mysticism
trains the students not to lose sight of the law of causality and its intricate
connections; it refers it, after studying it thoroughly, to its originator, to
Allah (Praise
be to Him). The more we learn about the creativity of Allah, the closer our
hearts will
be brought to Him. Thus the word of God: those truly fear God, among His
Servants, who
have knowledge’. (Sura Fatir, verse 28) When a student becomes accustomed to looking
into the nature of the individual physical phenomenon with a purely Islamic
insight,
his thinking power will be harnessed to Islamic controls, and his ideology will cast
in the Islamic mould. This will make human heart live in he presence of God. “
They hope
for His Mercy and fear His Wrath”. (Sura Al-Isra’a, verse 57).39 The teachings of Sufis
can guide and bring the students closer to God and they started to think about
the pleasure
of God. Muslim educators are of the belief that the education system should
play role
in the character building of the young generations based on the ideal of
Islamic
ethics.
Muslim society naturally must aim at instilling the principles of Islam in the
hearts and
minds of its youth to achieve through them the ideal of the faith, the
continuity of the Ummah,
which the Holy Qur’an describes as ‘the best nation ever brought forth tomen’. There is close relationship between the teacher and the student, which ensurestheir
moral and spiritual guidance; they are not isolated from the rest of community
as well.
The level of achievement of the student is measured by the totality of the
student as a
person. His piety and moral conduct is regarded as of equal, or indeed superior, importance
to his attainment in other spheres. The teacher acts not simply as the guide to better
knowledge but also as the example to better conduct. Teaching is not simply a profession
to be sold but a role to be fully and completely performed.
Mysticism
of Rahman Baba
Pukhtun
commentators consider Rahman Baba to be-highly orthodox. Daud claims that “The
foundation and basis of Rahman Baba’s poetry is religious shariah, and his every
word and talk is according to the Holy Quran and Hadith. Analysis of the Diwan reveals
that a thin coating of the imperatives of Shariah overlies a solid core of tassawwuf.
Following the practices of formal religion leaves Rahman Baba spiritually thirsty.
This is why it is said, “if we remove from Rahman Baba Diwan the parts
that are related
to tassawwuf then we would even have a fortieth part of it left”. Now
question arises as to what type of tassawwuf Rahman Baba presents? Is his mysticism
more in harmony with the Quran like that of Al-Ghazzali, or does it have the
pantheistic
leaning of extreme tassawwuf? Al-Ghazzali
de-emphasized the pantheistic aspects of Sufism, maintaining on the one
hand, that the individual should strive to attain the Devine presence, but on
the other
hand,
the good Sufi must live in peace with the rest of the community. His
interpretation of
Islam, which stressed the personal, emotional relationship of the individual to
God, was
accepted by the Islamic community with in a century after his death. After
studying Rahman Baba’s Diwan one can find some verses in favour of ‘extreme
Tassawwuf’. Baba says:
What
ever there is beside God;
Consider
it naught
.
Both
Dost Muhammad Kamil & Rajawali Shah Khattak pointed out another verse:
This
is the appearance of my beloved;
Which
is seen like the radiance in church and temple.
A
beautiful exposition of God’s unity and infinite majesty is found in two hamds (The
poems said in praise of God) of Rahman Baba. God’s mighty power is evident as the “King
of all kings” and “Emperor of emperors”. He is the one who is, “such a great doer
of things that He commands full authority”.
These
two hamds are among the best known of Rahman Baba’s poems in the western
world, and Schimmel counts them “among the most impressive expressions of deep
piety in world literature”44. The idea of
God’s uniqueness is beautifully expressed as:
He
does not have any associate in His kingdom;
My
Lord is a King with out a partner”
He
is not dependent upon others for His needs
My
Lord owes nothing to any one
He
is not transformed or changed O Rahman;
My
Lord is always constant.45
Rahman
Baba affirms that God’s omniscience is complete:
The
overt, the covert and the part known;
My
Lord knows them all
All
the above verses of Rahman Baba show that God is separate from the universe.
God
says, “Nothing is like Him”.
Said
Rasool Rasa says, that Rahman Baba was neither pir nor murid (follower) of any
one order; he was deeply involved in the practices of Sufism, but not with the patched
cloth. If he had been a member of one of the established Sufi order, modern followers
of that group would have claimed him as one of their own. It is more likely
that Rahman
Baba was independent, with an individual practice of Sufism similar to that of
Shah
Abdul Latif in Sind.
In
order to discuss the educational implications of the Mysticism of Rahman Baba;
we
will focus on the following chapters:
Rahman
Baba and Al-Ghazzali on Mysticism
Rahman
Baba’s Concept of Khudi
Rahman
Baba’s Approach to God
Rahman
Baba’s Concept of Love and Beauty
Rahman
Baba’s Theory of Morals
Rahman
Baba’s Philosophy of Religion
Rahman
Baba’s Message to Humanity
Rahman
Baba and His Two Worlds
Rahman
Baba as a Proponent of Unity and a Preacher of Peace All
the above chapters will be studied carefully according to the needs of the
study and
the researcher will try to collect relevant information from all possible
sources but he will
mostly depend on the Diwan (collection of the poetry of Rahman Baba) of
RahmanBaba in order to get the correct information.
