Knowledge Nugget: How are Amir Khusrau and Sufism important for the UPSC exam?

PM Narendra Modi being presented a memento by Jahan-e-Khusrau founder Muzaffar Ali and his wife Meera Ali in New Delhi on February 28. (ANI)

Key Takeaways :

1. Known as Tuti-yi-Hind, the ‘Parrot of India’, Amir Khusrau is regarded as a father figure of North India’s syncretic Ganga-Jamuni culture. He made lasting contributions to Indian classical music, Sufi qawwali, and Persian literature, and is also credited for developing Hindavi, a precursor to modern Hindi and Urdu.

2. Much of what we know about Khusrau comes from his own writings, which include autobiographical information. Many details of his life remain unknown or steeped in legend.

3. Khusrau’s father likely came to India from Central Asia in the early 13th century, as the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan ravaged Islamic Transoxiana (corresponding to parts of modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kazakhstan,Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan). He entered the service of Sultan Iltutmish (1211-36), and married the daughter of an Indian Muslim. The couple’s second child, Abu’l Hasan Yamin ud-Din Khusrau, was born in 1253.

4. He became a professional poet at the age of 20 and continued in this role until his death. He initially served princes and nobles before becoming a permanent fixture in the court of the Delhi Sultan.

5. He relied heavily on the ongoing patronage of his patron and faced significant competition. Amir Khusrau served at least five Sultans — Muiz ud din Qaiqabad, Jalaluddin Khalji, Alauddin Khalji, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, and Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq — and many other powerful patrons over five decades, which testifies to the quality of his poetry. He wrote in Persian, the language of the court, as well as Hindavi.

6. Khusrau’s poetry, both in form and content, heavily borrowed from Persian and Turkic influences, as well as local elements. This made him a significant figure in promoting a syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture known as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.

7. Khusrau is also said to be instrumental in the development of modern Indian classical music — he is credited with crafting dozens of ragas, creating ornate khayal music, and inventing the sitar and tabla, even though evidence for this is limited.

8. Khusrau was the most beloved disciple of the Chishti Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya. He passed away in 1325. Seven hundred years after his death, the lyrical beauty, sophisticated wordplay, and exploration of diverse themes in Khusrau’s poetry continue to enchant audiences.

9. Khusrau’s ghazals and qawwalis are today sung in both sacred and secular contexts, at sufi dargahs and Bollywood musicals. His most popular compositions include Chhaap Tilak, Zehal-e-Maskeen, and Sakal Ban Phool Rahi Sarson.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Sufism 

1. Sufism, the mystical aspect of Islam, emerged between the 7th and 10th centuries as a counterweight to the orthodoxy of the clergy, and the increasing worldliness of the ummah. Islamic texts refer to Sufism as tasawwuf.

2. Sufis embraced a more ascetic and devotional form of Islam, and often engaged in a variety of mystical practices. Eventually, Sufi practitioners came to be organised in various orders which congregated around the teachings of a certain teacher or wali.

3. Sufi traditions — especially those of the Chishti order of Sufism to which Moinuddin and later Sufi masters such as Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, and Nasiruddin Mahmud Chiragh Dehlavi, all of Delhi, belonged — drew heavily from pre-existing local practices, which were seen as heretical in orthodox Islam. The Chishti saints in India preached a message of tolerance and inclusivity.

Post Read Question

With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices? (UPSC CSE 2012)

1. Meditation and control of breath.

2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place.

3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Read More:

Prime Minister Modi attends Jahan-e-Khusrau: How 13th century poet is a flag-bearer of pluralistic Sufi tradition

Knowledge nugget of the day: Ajmer Dargah

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