"Music" in Muharram – Admirers of Imam Husain Keep Drumming as Debate Goes

'Music' in Muharram?

"Music" in Muharram – Debate Goes Without Any Effect on Admirers of Imam Husain

By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi

Music is not allowed in scriptural Islam as it distracts one’s mind and senses away. Yet it happens to be an integral part of Muharram ceremonies observed in Indian sub-continent to remember the most tragic event of Islamic history-Martyrdom of Prophet’s grandson Imam Husain at Karbala in 680 AD. Shahnai Wizard Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan even used to play Nauhas in one of the most famous azadari processions of Varanasi every year till his death.    

The instruments performed during Muharram vary by location but dhol- tasha, or the cylindrical drum dhol, the shallow kettle-drum and cymbals, jhanjh nare commonly used ones at most of the places. Other important instruments include deep kettle- drums (naqqara), frame drums (dappu, especially in the south), double-reed aerophones with conical bore (shahnal), and sometimes bagpipes or Western marching band instruments. Some rhythmic patterns and melodies translate across different musical ensembles and exist in regional variants.

Being forbidden, music should not be used during Muharram rituals. This issue has been a subject of debate for centuries with a proper solution still awaited. In south Asia, "music" usually means the sound of musical instruments. Shias do not usually disqualify unaccompanied tuneful renditions of poetry on musical grounds if the textual genres are closely associated with Muharram. To perform such genres as marsiya, Soz, Salam or Nauha does not amount to singing as they are recited and not sung. But even these genres can be rendered too musically. In Hyderabad Deccan however, Soz failed to flourish, for   Hyderabadis consider it too musical.

Drumming, like reciting, lies at the juncture of music and non-music, and may be interpreted as one or the other according to circumstance. Musical or quasi-musical events take place in two distinct types of contexts during Muharram: the mourning assembly (majlis) and processions (Julus). Drumming never takes place during a majlis usually held in Imambaras. All the forms of recitation associated with Muharram may be constituents of majlis. Nauha performance is common during processions, since this metric and tuneful recitation is performed in conjunction with matam. Most drumming takes place either during moving processions or outdoors in public gatherings. This important distinction between "music" and tuneful recitation of a sacred text is rooted in Islamic understandings of Quaranic recitation( Qirat) that shares somewhat musical parameters.

Abdul Halim Sharar, the author of ‘Guzishta Lucknow’ also describes musical contests during Muharram, in which skilled Tasha players performed for hours at a time "issuing challenges to all." Wajid Ali Shah, the last ruler of Lucknow, used to perform Tasha while  leading a procession on the 7th of Muharram in Matiya Burj, Kolkata.

Admirers of Imam Husain have always ignored the controversy over the use of musical instruments in Muharram rituals. They consider Muharram drumming as an indicator of pure Gham (sorrowful)." Tazidars like Shabban Khan and Nadeem explained to author at Makanpur, where each household keeps a Tasha and Dhol fur use in Muharram procession exclusively” There are two kinds of josh (fervor)-Masti (intoxication in the manner of some Sufi sects), when emotion builds up and  cause one to become behosh (crazy/unconscious/intoxicated), is haram (forbidden); the other type of josh occurs when drummers become so engrossed in playing that they feel propagating the message of Husain with tears in their eyes, it is Halal( Lawful) . In Makanpur, they play with the help of Tasha, Dhol, Drum and Casio “Aie Zameen-E-Karbala, Teri Jasarat ko Salam”( Salute to you the land of Karbala for your courage) whole day and night on 9^th and 10^th day of Muharram.

At other places , the experet drummers play "Today, in Medina, Sughra is crying with tear-filled eyes" (aj sughra yu n madTne men hain roff bhar ke nain).Another poipular Nauha they us is "when Fatima [Husain's mother, the daughter of the Prophet] came from paradise, saying 'oppressed Husain' " [jab fatmah firdaus se yeh kehti aai mazlum husaina].The performance of matam evokes for these drummers the impassioned grief of the Prophet's daughter for her son, Husain, who sacrificed himself for protecting the true tenets of Islam.

Mrs. Meer Hassan Ali's description of a Muharram procession, presumably from Lucknow and dating back to the period she spent in Awadh( 1816 and 1828) gives an idea about the use of musical instruments. She writes “  The whole line of march is guarded in each procession by burkhandhars (matchlock men), who fire singly, at intervals, on the way. Several bands of mu- sic are dispersed in the cavalcade, performing solemn dirge-like airs, peculiar to the style of composition in Hindustan, and well suited to the occasion, - muffled drums and shrill trumpets, imitating the reiteration of 'Hasan, Husain,' with Mortem [Matam] is performed. I remember a fine female elephant, belonging to King Ghauzee ood deen Hyder, which had been so well instructed, as to keep time with the soundings from her proboscis with the occasional Mortems . “

The details of this rich account call for attention. Mrs. Ali's twelve years' experience of Muharram as a mournful context probably influenced her interpretation of the band music as "dirge-like" She notes contrasting timbres, "muffled drums and shrill trumpets." The muffled effect of the drums - probably not Tashas, but Naqqaras - may have been a result of the instruments being performed with the hands, as they sometimes are and apparently were. More generally, when Dhols or Naqqaras are played in a procession, their upper partials dissipate over the distance, losing their reverberation in the mass of bodies.

 But is shrillness appropriate for Muharram or appropriate merely for the trumpet? Can shrillness be considered as iconic of human cries of woe, as Mrs. Ali's description indicates? If so, that might explain why shrill, bright timbres, unlike their percussive analogues, are not criticized when they are issued upon aero phones.

From his regular participation in Muharram processions for the past forty years at Makanpur where herds of children are seen drumming with Tasha and Dhol since the sighting of moon, the author has understood and his opinion is supported by Sajjada Nasheens of shah Madar’s Dargah that  three styles of Dhol-Tasha performance  refer to three phases of the battle of Karbala. The first, regular tempo indicates  marching of troupes, like  "left-right-left-right", the accelerated, loud, and feverish drumming signals the attack and finally, a regular, slow, calm and quiet style of drumming marks the  last moment when Imam Husain is martyred”

 

Son of Bibi Fatima- Qazi Nurullah Shustri

Martyrdom of Qazi Nurullah Shustri- A Blot on the Justice of Jahangir

Prof.Mazhar Naqvi

The barbaric execution of Shaheed-e-Salis (Third Martyr) Qazi Nurullah Shustri will always put a question mark on the justice of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Among all the Mughal Emperors, Jahangir is famous for his exemplary justice. He had installed an unusual gold chain to link his private chamber to an outpost near the gateway to Agra Fort from the side of river Yamuna. The chain was made of gold, eighty feet long, and had sixty bells attached to it. The objective was to enable ordinary people to get Emperor’s attention simply by rattling it. Any aggrieved or needy person could pull the chain to claim a personal hearing from Emperor himself.

Yet under the influence of anti Ahle-Bait Ulemas, he extinguished the flame of Qazi Nurullah’s pious life without literally given him a chance of hearing. He fully ignored his favorite Queen Nur Jahan’s pleas for amnesty and when she caught hold of Jahangir’s hand to prevent him from signing death warrant, the infuriated Emperor pulled out a burning ember from the fire-place and burnt her wrist put. He then left the palace in a huff and ensured the quick execution of Qazi, leaving the queen yelling in pain. His hasty decision deprived the followers of Ahle-Bait in India from the services of scholar blessed with ‘Sina-Ba-Sina Ilm’ (Transfer of holy injunctions heart by heart).On the instructions of Jahangir, Qazi was arrested from his house, disrobed and the hangman’s noose was put around his neck. Immediately on hanging, the executioners started flogging him also and by15^th flog, Qazi breathed his last. But they continued to flog his dead body as the decree issued against him was for 100 floggings. They pulled his tongue out and put boiling material on his head. His skull was exposed as a result and then his body was thrown at a garbage dump of the Agra.

His body remained at the garbage without shroud and awaited burial for three days. Three versions find mentions in the historic accounts and legends about his burial. One version reveals that since he was martyred on the orders Jahangir, the entire population of Agra was scared of arranging his burial. However, two Afghans who were the followers of Ahle-Bait and were on the visit of Agra took the initiative and buried Qazi where his mausoleum stands today. One of them was Syed Raju Bukhari who had reached Agra to meet the Qazi and was fortunate enough to meet him twice before his tragic execution.

The second version tells that when Jahangir slept on the third night after ordering the brutal killing of Qazi, he saw the Prophet Muhammad in his dream who very angrily told the Emperor “You have been very cruel on my son and why are you not allowing his last rites” The dream left Jahangir greatly perturbed and the next morning he announced whoever wanted to bury the Qazi can do so. Then, the people came out and arranged for the burial of the Qazi who fell prey to the dirty politics of Ulema wanting his death for propagating Imami faith. The third and most popular version says that an Iranian chieftain lived near Agra at a place technically falling under the territorial jurisdiction of Gwalior State. He saw Bibi Fatima in his dream, telling him  ”The body of my son is lying without the shroud and grave outside Agra. If you are my follower, go and bury my son with your own hands.” The following morning he assembled  all the Iranian traders and Reached Agra along  with his own contingent of guards. He found the body lying on the garbage dump and Syed Raju was sitting near the head of the Qazi. The chieftain got immediately a grave dug out and laid with  great reverence the Qazi who was   martyred on 26 Rabi al Awwal in 1019 Hijri.

Qazi Nurullah was born at Shustar in the Khuzistan Province of Iran in the year 956 H (1549 A.D). His early education was in the tutelage of his father and uncle. At the age of 19 years,  he moved to Mashhad –E-Muqaddas to join Hauza-E-Ilmiya for higher studies. At the age of 35 years, he felt the need of his services in India. He arrived in India during the regime of Akbar and spent 26 years in different centers of the country to spread the message of Ahle-Bait secretly before joining the court of Akbar.

In 1995 Hijri, Qazi Moin ud Deen, the chief Qazi of Mughal Court, sought retirement due to his old age. Akbar appointed Shustri as Chief Qazi and he came to be known as Qazi Nurullah Shustri. He accepted the position on the condition to deliver justice not on the basis of just one Fiqh but in consultation with any of the Fiqhs, namely Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafaee or Maliki.  Akbar granted him permission, thinking what difference it would make when all the Muslims were unanimous in accepting all the four Fiqhs. Blessed with extra-ordinary brilliance and intelligence, Qazi‘s verdicts established him as the most appropriate person for the coveted post. His growing popularity caused much heart burning among the enemies of Ahle Bait under the garb of Ulema. They could not succeed in their attempt to get him replaced  even after lodging repeated complaints against him. Whenever questioned by Akbar ,he always insisted for proof against him and left his opponents speechless.

Once he used the word Hazrat Ali Alaihis Salam.The Ulema of the other schools raised their voices and asked for his execution for using the suffix Alaihis Salam which they said  was reserved  only  for the prophets. The matter was taken up in Akbar’s court and the objection raised by Ulemas was read out. But one of the Ulema was not so bigoted. He laid the controversy at rest by reciting the couplet  in the court:' Gar lahmak lahmi Hadit e nabawi hai Bay Salle ala naam e Ali bay adabi hay ' (If ‘Ali’s flesh is my flesh is  Nabi’s hadith( tradition), then taking Ali’s name without ‘Salle Ala’ is gross bad manners!.)

Qazi Shustri continued to occupy his post even after the death of Akbar also. His successor Jahangir also gave him respect. His opponents also carried on their politics against him. They always looked for an opportunity to turn the emperor against Qazi Shustri. Frustrated over the mounting complaints against the Qazi, Jahangir asked for a proof that the Qazi was an enemy of the Sahaba( Companions), the Ulema chanced on a book, Majalis al Momineen, authored by Qazi Nurullah. In this book he had penned the profiles of all the Infallibles( Masumeens)  and he also included details about all the companions of the Prophet  who were the friends of the Ahle Bait. He hadn’t discussed about other prominent companions. Thus the Ulema took the book as a proof of his enmity against those companions. The other book that the Qazi was in the process of writing was “Ahqaq al Haq” on the lines of “Nahj al Haq” of Allama Hilli. This book covered all the five Pillars of Shia Islam (from Tauheed to Qayamat). One very bigoted enemy of the Ahle bait, a Shafaee Scholar, Fazl  authored a refutation of Allama Hilli’s book with the title of Abtaal al Baatil. Qazi Shustri had penned a fitting rejoinder to the book. He was also keeping a copy of  Ahqaq al Haq very carefully. He wasn’t even showing the book to his closest disciples. One person however managed to enter his inner circle of disciples, pretending to be  a great admirer of the Ahle Bait. One day, he stole the book and   handed over the Ulema working against Qazi. They read its contents and immediately drafted a Fatwa against Qazi. It is recorded 42 Ulema put their seals over the fatwa. Another historic record puts the figure at 55 Ulema. They declared Qazi  a heretic in their Fatwa and demanded his execution on the ground that  he had ridiculed the tenets of the Faith in his book. They forwarded the Fatwa to Jahangir. When Jahangir saw the Fatwa, he asked the Ulema about the punishment for such a heretic. They opined that he must be given four punishments: He was to be flogged a hundred times, he was to be forced to drink molten lead, his tongue to be pulled out of the mouth and  his head be severed from his body in the end. So meticulously the Ulema had brainwashed Jahangir that he ordered the killing of Qazi Shustri in accordance with the ruling given and sealed the fate of a great religious scholar without listening to his version nor interpretation.

He refused to act upon a suggestion given by one of his  friends to meet the king and tell him that  that he too had respect for those Companions of the Prophet who are recorded in history as the worst enemies of Ahle-Bait.. But Qazi Shustri said that his dissimulation at that juncture was not appropriate and spoil the hard work he had done on Indian soil for the propagation of Ahle Bait through a network of 1500 disciples trained secretly by him and sent in different directions to keep the memory of Karbala alive through their deeds. He preferred to die instead of taking U-Turn, for he was confident that his martyrdom for the propagation of the Faith of the Ahle Bait  was very important in India. He thought that the sacrifice that he was going to make would strengthen the cause of the Faith. History later proved how correct he was in his assessment. His great sacrifice for spreading the message of Ahle-Bait against all odds made him an obvious choice for the title of Third Martyr (Shaheed-E-Salis). His shrine on Dayalbagh road near Bhagwan Cinema crossing is visited by people with great reverence. Devotees from all faiths regularly offer prayers at his grave. As Bibi Fatima had called him as his son in the dream of Iranian chieftain, devotees make wish there and Allah fulfils them because of Khatoon-e-Jannat (Lady of Paradise).Moreover, his martyrdom endowed his disciples with new strength and they worked with greater zeal to propagate Imami faith. His veneration by people even today indicate his innocence and puts a question mark on Jahangiri Insaf (Justice).

( Reference available on Request)

Mystical Interpretation of Imam Husain's Sacrifice by Allama Iqbal

Mystical Interpretation of Imam Husain's Sacrifice by Allama Iqbal

By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi

 Narrow thinking leads to grave injustice. Dr.Muhammad Iqbal, spiritual father of Pakistan, is a victim of such injustice. Had people given due attention to his poetic analysis about the tragedy of Karbala, Indian sub-continent would have never witnessed Muharram related violence. While his immortal famous song “Sare Jehan se Accha Hindustan Hamara” (Our India is the best in the entire world) has been arousing a sense of patriotism in India, his brain-child Pakistan and her people have forgotten his liberal approach by resorting to violence during every year in Muharram.    

It is unfortunate that despite witnessing the most horrifying killings during Muharram for the past two decades in Pakistan, sincere efforts are still awaited to create awareness about Dr. Iqbal’s novel interpretation that the emotional appeal of Karbala can be used self- development and societal reforms. Prior to him, Karbala has been somewhat restricted to lamentation poetry such as Marsiya, Nauha or Sozkhwani or mystical interpretation of Sufis to perceive Imam Husain as a perfect model for reaching the stage of union with God.

It was Iqbal who gave another dimension to the philosophy behind the martyrdom of Imam Husain. He devoted a long chapter to Imam Husain in his pioneering work Ramz-E-Bekhudi. Dr. Iqbal used Karbala to highlight his favorite topic the constant clash between the positive and negative forces in the world. He explained as how ‘Khilafat’ deviated from the true Islamic tenets, injunctions of holy Quran-E-Kareem to become a worldly kingdom after the emergence of Umayyad dynasty. Dr. Iqbal described Prophet, his progeny and saints as positive forces and oppressors like Yazid and unbelievers as the negative elements not believing at all in the creation of a society based on justice, equity, human and democratic values.      

The great poet who is also endearingly called as Allama Iqbal has praised Imam Husain as in the mystical vocabulary. To him, Husain is the Imam of lovers, son of the virgin and the most attractive constituent of Prophet’s garden. Allama has also not forgotten to eulogize Imam Husain’s father Maula Ali-the chief patron of almost all Sufi orders. The poet, in his mystical interpretation, has described Maula as ‘Be’ of ‘Bismillah’. Then, he goes on to connect the ‘Zibah-E-Azeem’ (Greatest Sacrifice) of Hazrat Imam Husain on the arid plains of Karbala as a beautiful and judicious mixture of Quaranic Inunctions and principles of mysticism. Allama did not hesitate in equating the position of Imam Husain in Islam with Sura-E-Ikhlas in the holy book.  

Using all his skills in poetry, Dr. Iqbal touches upon the topic of erosion in Islamic values and emergence of falsehood, barbarism and corruption and then brings Imam Husain as a raincloud as a blessing. His philosophy here is in contrast with the commonly associated terms with Karbala such as hunger, thirst and dryness. Allama has talked about rains as a blessing for the humanity, saying “It was Husain’s blood that rained upon the desert of Karbala' and left the red tulips there.” One can only marvel at the use of red tulips. In his thought, tulip is the flower of the manifestation of the divine fire- the symbol of the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai, a flower that symbolizes the independent growth of man's khudi (=self) under the most difficult circumstances. Taking into consideration the characteristics of tulip(lala) together, the poet has shown Imam Husain as planting tulips on the arid plains of Karbala". Another reason for the use of tulip with sacrifice of Husain could be the similarity of the sound of la ilah  and lala (=tulip).Further, Lala  has the same numerical value as the word Allah, i.e. 66. The poet being a great thinker propelled him to apply beautifully his imagination for Imam Husain whose pious blood, according to him, 'created the meadow', and reestablished forever the essence of Kalma - 'there is no deity but God.'

Allama also presented a different view from the Sufis who mainly revolved around the thought that Imam Husain through self-sacrifice won ‘Marzi-E-Elahi’( Willingness of God).He however emphasized upon the climax of Karbala- Jehad of Imam Husain after raising the call “Is there anyone to help me”. Dr. Iqbal stresses “ To lift the sword is the work of those who fight for the glory of religion, and to preserve the God-given order.' 'Husain’s blood awakened a community facing oppression as mute spectators. The sword of Husain was not an ordinary one. It was sword of Allah. Husain used it to shed the blood of those interested in materialistic things other than God. Graphically, the word la, the beginning of ‘Kalma-E-Shahadat’ resembles the form of a two-edged sword, like Zulfiqar. This blessed sword always does away with everything that is an object of worship besides God. It is the prophetic 'No' to anything that might be seen beside the Lord. By using the sword of 'Inkar’(No)', Husain offered his sacrifice to write ‘Illa Allah’ ( 'but God')  at Karbala to pave way for ‘Ahle Imaan’ ( Blessed with faith) to find salvation.

Husain, says Iqbal, reveals the mysteries of the Qur'an, and when the glory of Syria, Baghdad and the marvels of Granada may be forgotten,  the strings of the instrument of the Muslims will  resound with Husain’s melody, and keep refreshing the faithful followers of Islam. Syedush-Shohda( Husain) thus in the word’s of Iqbal  incorporates all the ideals that a true Muslim should possess like  bravery and manliness, the dedication to the acknowledgement of God's absolute Unity; not in the sense of becoming united with Him in ‘fana’ ( Annihilation) as the Sufi poets had sung, but, rather, as the herald who by his  martyrdom, is not only a martyr but also bears as a witness, to the unity of God to emerge as a role model for all generations to come.

After Ramz-E-Bekhudi, Allama also perceived ‘Kaba’ the focal point of Islamic history with two sacrifices i.e. Ismail at the beginning and Husain in the end in his later literary pursuits. His perception is once again first of its kind. But his exemplary love and reverence for Imam Husain is exhibited in the last verse ‘Ramz-E-Bekhudi ‘ when he calls in an emotional manner :

 “O Zephir, O Messenger of those who are far away

    Bring our tears to his pure dust.

 (References available on request)

Taj Mahal in Chota Imambara- Lucknow?

Taj Mahal in Chota Imambara- Lucknow?

By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi

Chota or Husainabad Imambara in Lucknow has the unique distinction of containing replicas of Taj Mahal in its compound. The story behind its construction is somewhat similar to the erection of Bara Imambara by Nawab Asaf-Ud- Daula. The construction of Bara imambara was started by Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daula as a famine relief measure at the end of 18^th century. His endeavor had earned him the proverb “Jisko na de Maula –Usko De Asaf-Ud-Daula”( The one who does not get from Maula, gets from Asaf-Ud-Daula) .  

Unfortunately, a great famine struck in Awadh kingdom during the regime of  King Muhammad Ali Shah in early 19th century. The famine crippled the lower strata of society and agricultural laborers financially. Recalling what his ancestor had done to provide food and shelter to famine stricken people, King Muhammad Ali Shah also commissioned the construction of Chota Imambara under a  ‘Food for Work’ program to bring respite to the city populace. The monument that also aimed at serving as the mausoleum for the king and burial of his immediate family members finished in 1837.

As the finances of the kingdom were in dire stress, King Muhammad ali Shah could only match his endeavor with Bara Imambara in spirit only. Chota Imambara in all sense looks to be miniature of Bara Imambara. It lacks in grandeur but becomes a palace of light during Muharram due to profuse illumination. A number of British historians have described it as “Palace of Lights” in their chronicles because of its illumination by Husainabad Trust with the sighting of Muharram moon and illumination reaches its zenith on Shab-E-Ashur(9^th Night of Muharram).  

Chota Imambara has been designed on the Charbagh pattern of Mughal Kings with a stream running through the middle of the garden. The design pattern used for imambara is Indo-Islamic in nature but also has a gentle Persian influence. The interiors have some very good Arabic calligraphy and glassworks. The chandeliers used to decorate the interior of this building were brought from Belgium. The gilded white dome and several turrets and minarets give this sparkling white structure a magnificent look. The tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah and other members of his family are inside the Imambara compound itself.

This includes two replicas of the Taj Mahal, built as the tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah's daughter and her husband. The walls are decorated with Arabic calligraphy. The historians have so far not given any valid reason for the existence of Taj Mahal’s replicas in Imambara compound. The guides attribute the existence of Taj’s to the great affection the king had for his daughter and son-in.law. It may be true but only legends support the story not the historical evidence. The quality of material used for the construction of replicas does not convey the affection that the guides usually boast off.  

It appears that King Muhammad ali Shah who had ascended the throne at the age of 65 was  fond of following the actions of Mughal Emperor and his own predecessors. As he followed the method used by Asaf Ud Daula to provide relief to famine –hit people, the king imitated Emperor Aurangzeb in erecting a tomb for his beloved daughter. Aurangzeb was the first to  imitate Taj Mahal in 1678 and named the new building as  Bibi Ka Maqbara- the burial place of his first wife, Rabia-ud-Durrani. Emperor so carelessly imitated Taj that it is termed as   the poor man’s Taj Mahal in Aurangabad (Maharashtra). It is made mostly of sandstone and has plastered walls with a marble dome. Below the tomb, lattice works are in marble. However, the lattice work and inlay decorations of flowers and creepers are beautiful.

In Chota Imambara too replicas of Taj Mahal has been erected the same way. They are devoid of inlay work and very small in size. They look toy like and leave a visitor wondering what propelled the king to construct the replicas of world’s most magnificent architectural wonder at a shrine dedicated primarily to the martyrs of Karbala. May be he was in a hurry due to his old age and deteriorating health. While he could at least complete replicas of Taj but time did not allow him to finish his dream project Satkhanda (seven floor building) just outside the Imambara. The king wanted to raise it on the pattern of Kutub Minar but laid to rest by his successors who did complete it, considering it as unlucky.

The King however showed exemplary generosity for the observance of Muharram by creating Husainabad trust. He doled out enough money that even today the maintenance of Imambara is probably the best in India. The Imambara also hosts the largest religious congregations and remain a hub of with religious activities throughout the year.  

(Reference available on request)

 

‘Dhammal’- A Tribute to Maula Ali, Bibi Zainab and Imam Zainul Abdeen

‘Dhammal’- Wandering Fakirs’ Tribute to Maula Ali, Bibi Zainab and Imam Zainul Abdeen   

By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi

“I am burning with the Beloved’s love, every moment.

At one moment I am writhing on dust and in the other I am dancing on thorns.

Come, O Beloved! Give me passion for music,

I dance in the open market, in the ecstasy of union.

In His love, I became infamous, but O pious one,

I do not mind this infamy for thy sake and I dance openly.

Although the world calls me a beggar because I dance,

I have a secret in my heart that impels me to dance”

Prominent Sufi Lal Shahbaz Qalandar has composed this beautiful poetry to justify the tradition of ‘Dhammal’ (trance dance) at Sufi shrines. As orthodox Muslims have always tried to portray wandering mendicants as Be-Shara(Not in tune),Shahbaz Qalandar used his poetic skills to give them a befitting reply, pleading apparent worship is inferior to those in constant love with divine.         In undivided India, Dhammal by wandering Qalandars and Malangs was a common sight during the ‘Urs’ of Sufis. But now in India the tradition of Dhammal is somewhat restricted to the shrine of Hazrat Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar in Makanpur village of Kanpur district. Although Malangs are seen at the prominent shrines of Sufis like Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaz Moin Uddin Chishti of Ajmer or Baba Tajuddin at Nagpur but nowhere else they perform Dhammal in India. Both qalandars and Malangs however absorbed themselves in Dhammal not only at the Dargah of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan in Pakistan during his Urs but also Sufi shrines in Islamabad and Lahore.    

They attach more significance to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (Red falcon), for it was he is believed to have started the tradition of Dhammal. His real name was Syed Usman Marwandi. Born in 1178 AD in the town of Marand near Tabriz in Azerbaijan into a family that traced its descent to the 6th Imam Jafar Sadiq, Syed Marwandi was a young man with a strong religious inclination. He visited Mecca and then initiated into Qalandari order in Karbala. From Iraq, he wandered eastwards via the Makran coast to arrive in Sindh where he stayed in Laki village for a short period. Then, he traveled to Multan and other parts of India where he met a number of famous Sufis. He returned to Sehwan on 8 December, 1251 with a large following of wandering mendicants. He finally settled at Sehwan and people venerate him to this day as a great devotee of Imam Ali and as a charismatic protector, healer and miracle-worker as well.

The striking similarity between the background of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and Shah Madar gives an Idea as to why Qalandars and Malangs prefer to perform Dhammal at their shrines. Like Lal Shahbaz, founder of Madariya Sufi order, Shah Madar, was also born in Aleppo (Syria) a place far from India. He too traced his decent to Imam Jafar Sadiq. Shah Madar also exhibited deep religious inclination from a young age and set off for Mecca and Medina at the age of 14.Shah Madar also visited Karbala and Najaf where he received spiritual training from Imam Mehndi (AZ).He also arrived in India through the coastal region of Malabar like Shahbaz Qalandar and wandered throughout India and neighboring countries. He too happened to meet great Sufis during his travels and performed several Hajs on foot. Shah Madar was also a great admirer of Hazrat Ali and most of his poetry is also devoted to the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet. Finally, he chose a small village Makanpur as his last resting place and his shrines draws large crowd all over the world during his Urs. He is also considered to be a great healer and miracle worker like red falcon. ’Dhammal’ like the shrine of Lal Shahbaz is the biggest crowd puller even at Makanpur with three major differences. In Makanpur, Malangs not qalandars do trance dancing, they do Shaghal-E-Dhammal without the beats of drums and women are not supposed to participate in Dhammal ceremony.      

For common pilgrims, Dhammal is a customary, stereotyped and ritualized, but also intensely elaborative form of expressing their veneration of the Sufi at his death anniversary (Urs).They treat as a means to create a space to express emotions through the idiom of rapture and devotion to the divine power and his beloved ones. They find use of repetitive rhythmic patterns by Dhammal dancers and gradually increase in its rapidity to create a trance-inducing state. In this way, drum beats are transformed into ‘Bol’ ( Wordings).

However, in his conversation with so many Malangs over the years at Makanpur, the author found Dhammal to symbolize the sufferings of Imam Zainul-Abidin and Hazrat  Zainab after the tragedy of Karbala. The Malangs attribute the movements of the Dhammal to sufferings of Imam Zainul Abdeen who was forced to walk by the Military commanders of Caliph Yazid had to walk with heavy iron chains in small steps tripping with his bare feet on the glowing hot sand of the desert, his head bowed down by the weight of a heavy heart-shaped stone put around his neck.

The barbaric commanders had also tied the hands of Bibi Zainab and snatched her veil. When she was made to pass through the crowded markets of Kufa and Damascus (Shaam) she had let her hair down in order to avoid the gaze of her male tormentors and onlookers. In her remembrance, a distinct devotional dance called ‘Zainabi Dhammal’ is performed by women at Dargah of lal Shahbaz Qalandar to mourn the sufferings of imam and his aunt. Both Zainul-Abidin and Bibi Zainab are important figures of Karbala narratives and also as messengers of Imam Husain and his mission. Their personalities serve as role models for younger generations to emulate their lives on their pattern to please the God. Their movements are mimetically enacted by tripping from right to left like the Imam (or through carrying chains in the case of pro-Ahle-Bait dervishes) and whirling with open hair like Bibi Zainab.

Those who are aware of these specific traditions, dhammal constantly evokes a ‘bodily social memory’ whereby the body is transformed into a site of memory. Body memory can be described as a sort ‘habit-memory’. This analysis helps to explain the importance of learning and successfully performing a spiritual discipline and technique such as Dhammal. Malangs use their dance for invoking Imam Zainul-Abidin and Bibi Zainab with their attachment to Ali and his Sufi followers intact. Both, Ali and Sufis holding him in great reverence are considered as essential mediators whose presence is felt through whirling the body in a state of rapture. Within the Madariya order, devotees emphasize that the heart should have a relation to God; only then Dhammal could be treated as a form of Ibadat (worship of Allah) and only then could they be emotionally absorbed in Shah Madar.

In vernacular languages such as Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Hindi and Gujarati Dhammal means   ‘wild’, ‘boisterous’ and ‘over-excited’. According to common folk etymology, this term is derived from the Persian word dam (‘breath’); hence one of the most common devotional formulas is dama dam mast qalandar—through your breath, O Qalandar intoxicated (by the divine)’.Another version claims that Dhammal comes from dham, meaning the sound of tamping or jumping on the ground, and explains this term as ‘jumping into, or running through fire’. While Dhammal at Sehwan meets the parameter of folk etymology, the trace dance in Makanpur fulfills the conditions laid down in the second version.

This sacred ritual is a characteristic feature of the devotional and ecstatic religiosity embedded in the local societies. As numbers of Malangs and qalandars have been dwindling in India sub- Continent, there is urgent need to revive the tradition with renewed vigor by the caretakers or Sajjada Nasheens of Sufi shrines or else who would cry at Urs ceremonies or perform Dhammal with on his lips:

“Ali, Ali, Ali, ḥaqq

dam mast Qalandar, dam mast Qalandar

la Ilaha, illa llah

Ya Pak, Ya Pak,”

(Ali, Ali, Ali, truth

Through your breath, O Qalandar intoxicated

There is no god but God

O pure one, O pure one)

(References available on request)