Subtle truths

It was deeply interesting to find myself tete-a-tete with Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Chairman of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, at his...

It was deeply interesting to find myself tete-a-tete with Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Chairman of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, at his house in Waziri Bagh, Srinagar. However, I8217;d gone to him not as a journo, but as a student doing homework on Sufis. The professor was a distinguished alumnus of Aligarh and it was his expertise as a scholar of Persian, not his views as a leader, which I sought. The professor must have been an excellent teacher before politics swallowed him up, for he explained things concisely and clearly, with logical progression. What enchanted me most was that, with the open delight of the true enthusiast, he vivified each step with exquisite verses from the Quran Sharief and the Sufi tradition.

The politics of Kashmir and the Hindu-Muslim divide retreated suddenly like demons of the night with the first rays of dawn, when Professor Bhat quoted from Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi: Dui az khod badar qardam/Yeqi deedam du alam ra/Yeqi joyam yeqi dawnam/yeqi beenam yeqi khanum. When I banished duality from my being, my soul, my mind and from my human fibre, I could see the One out of two worlds. Back home, from which I could see Shankaracharya8217;s hill, Maulana Rumi8217;s words resonated thrillingly with pure advaita. To relieve my feelings, I had to grab a pen and write out Adi Shankara8217;s hymn Chidananda roopaha Shivoham Shivoham Blissful Truth am I, I am Shiva, I am Shiva. Later, some dear Kashmiri Muslim friends ragged me about how, when we Hindus believed in One-ness as the underlying principle, we could countenance 8216;but-parasti8217; idol worship and the concept of avatars. Abandoning the Upanishadic route, I parried with an Urdu song from Begum Akhtar8217;s repertoire, a verse fragrant with the composite culture of Hindustan, in which jasmine and rose seem to mingle their separate sweetness in one perfume to celebrate their one Giver. Tu ne butey, harjaayi/Kuch aisi ada paayi/Takhta-e-teri surat/Har ek tamash aayi. When You assumed form, Beloved, such enchantment overcame us, that everyone flocked to the Throne of Your face.

Later still, a Hindu friend researching a new book on the Ninety-nine Names of Allah called me to peep at his work. Each Name has a numerical value 8216;Bismillah-ur-Rahman-ur-Rahim8217; or 8216;In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful8217;, is 786, plus an associated colour. We were stunned when we saw 8216;Al-Haqq8217;, the Truth. A truth, terribly important to India, seemed revealed anew: the number for Al-Haqq, would you believe it, is 108 holy to Hindus? And its colour? Saffron! The medieval Sufi, Mansur al-Hallaj, was crucified for saying 8216;Ann-al-Haqq8217;/I am the Truth Shivoham, Shivoham. But can we gainsay God, the One Truth, who is Rabul8217; Alamin, the God of all?