The Muslim Rishis of Kashmir

(Read part II : Crusaders for Love and Justice)

The history of the spread of Islam in Kashmir is largely synonymous with the peaceful efforts of numerous Sufi and Rishi missionaries who first appeared in the area as early as the tenth century C.E.. Although we have no definite historical evidence about Sufism in Kashmir in this period, it has been suggested that numerous Sufis had, by this time, made Kashmir their home. The first Sufi in the region about whom firm evidence is available was the Suhrawardi saint Hazrat Sayyed Sharfuddin 'Abdur Rahman, more popularly known as Hazrat Bulbul Shah, who came to Kashmir from Turkestan in 1324.

Following Hazrat Bulbul Shah, numerous Sufis from Central Asia and Iran made their way to Kashmir. Of these early Sufis, three stand out as particularly important: the Kubrawi saints Hazrat Mir Hussain Simnani, Hazrat Mir Sayyed 'Ali Hamdani and Hazrat Mir Hussain Hamdani. Hazrat Mir Hussain Hamdani (d. 1384) came to Kashmir from Herat, in present-day Afghanistan, and settled down at Kulgam, which he made into a centre for the spread of Islam in the region. He was followed by his cousin, Hazrat Mir Sayyed 'Ali Hamdani, who arrived in Kashmir in the reign of the Shah Miri Sultan Qutbuddin (r. 1373-89).

Although these and other Sufis from Iran and Central Asia laid the foundations of Islam in Kashmir, it was an indigenous mystical order, the Muslim Rishis, which was actually instrumental in the spread of Islam in the region. Founded by Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani (1356-1440 C.E.), the Rishi order was particularly active from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century C.E.. Although the Rishis were Muslims and saw the spread of Islam as their primary task, their message of love and tolerance transcending barriers of caste and creed endeared them to people of all communities. Bitterly critiquing social inequalities and superstitions as well as political oppression, they championed the cause of the poor and the marginalised. This is why the Rishis are still looked upon with great regard by all Kashmiris, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, as well as others.

What is Kashmiri Muslim Rishism?

Kashmiri Muslim Rishism may be regarded as the Kashmiri expression of Islam. Conversely, it can also be said to be the Islamic expression of the Kashmiri Rishi tradition that long predates the advent of Islam in the region. It is the only indigenous Sufi order in Kashmir, and the spread of Islam in Kashmir owes principally to its efforts. Kashmiri Muslim Rishism can only be understood in the light both of Islamic Sufism and the pre-Islamic Rishi tradition of Kashmir, and to these we now turn.

The Rishi tradition in Kashmir has a long history, dating as far back as pre-Vedic times, and even today the Rishis are held in great reverence by all Kashmiris, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and others alike. Such deep roots has Rishism struck in the area that Kashmir is called by its own people as Rishi Waer or Pir Waer (the land of the Rishis or Pirs). Saqi writes that the origins of Kashmiri Rishism go far back before the Aryan invasion of India, to the ancient Zoroastrians of Iran and to the Dravidians of the Indus Valley. Legend has it that Kashmir was first settled by an ascetic named Kashp Rishi, after whom Kashmir is said to be named. He was believed to have been the son of Brahma, and is said to have emptied the vast Satisar lake and made the land fit for habitation. Kahsp Rishi's son, Nila Naga, is said to have written the Nilamata Purana, the earliest extant Kashmiri Hindu text that deals with the religious beliefs and legends of pre-Islamic Kashmir. Numerous Rishis followed after Kashp Rishi and his son. Most of them were ascetics who retired to caves in the forests and mountains to spend their lives in solitary meditation, subjecting themselves to harsh austerities.

In pre-Islamic times, and particularly in the Buddhist period, a section of the Rishis, with their stress on social equality and the search for God, came to be identified with a popular upsurge against caste oppression, meaningless ritualism and such cruel practices as human sacrifice. Muslim Rishism shares much of this pre-Islamic anti-caste tradition of Buddhism and Kashmiri Shaivism, and can be seen, as, in a sense, further developing its bitter critique of caste oppression and religious orthodoxy. Indeed, the Kashmiri Shaivite Trika tradition, with its stress on one formless God and social equality, paved the way for the later success of the Muslim Rishi movement in Kashmir.

Origins of the Word 'Rishi'

The word' Rishi' is of Sanskrit origin, and has been applied to itinerant anchorites and wandering ascetics, as well as to the authors of various Vedic hymns. According to some scholars, the word means a 'seer', and refers to one 'whose eyes tear down the walls of the exoteric (zahir) and the esoteric (batin), and, going beyond the material world, acquires the secrets of the Truth'. Attempts have been made to give the word an Arabic or Farsi root, although this must be considered as fanciful. Thus, according to one source, it has been said that the word 'Rishi' derives from the Arabic 'Risha', which means 'root', and to have been used for the Rishis as they 'remove desires by the root'. On the other hand, it has been argued that the word derives from the Farsi 'Resh', meaning 'wound', in the sense of ' a heart that has been wounded by the love of God'. The Rishis, so wounded, would continuously shed tears, in accordance with the saying of the Prophet Muhammad that 'There is no believer who, out of fear of God, does not weep and to whom Allah has forbidden the fire of hell'. According to another source, in Farsi the word 'Rishi' means 'wing', and is to be understood as referring to those who fly up in the mystical realm to reach God, while in Arabic it refers to 'clothes of beauty and poverty (libas-e-fakhra-o-jamal) or 'robes of piety' (libas-e-taqwa). It is also said to refer to a feather, which, when separated from the bird, is helpless in the face of the wind and goes wherever the wind takes it.

Similarities and Differences Between Pre-Islamic and Islamic Rishism

The Muslim Rishi movement shares much with its pre-Islamic counterpart in terms of certain beliefs, practices and techniques. Both upheld the belief that 'knowledge of God' (ma'rifat-e-haqiqi) could be had through true 'knowledge of the self' (ma'rfiat-e-nafs). Like the pre-Islamic Rishis, Muslim Rishis, too, adopted stern austerities and often retired to the mountains and caves to meditate. Most of them remained unmarried. Although the Prophet Muhammad had himself taken several wives, the Muslim Rishis justified their remaining celibate on the grounds that Jesus, also a prophet for the Muslims, was single, as well as such great Sufis as Hazrat Uwais Qarni and the female mystic Rabia of Basra. The Muslim Rishis, like their pre-Islamic predecessors, refrained from eating flesh. So strict were they in their refusal to take the life of any sentient being that they survived simply on dry wild vegetables and grasses.

While some 'ulama criticised the Muslim Rishis for abstaining from marital relations and for their strict vegetarianism, seeing this as a deviation from the path (sunnat) of the Prophet Muhammad, the Rishis defended themselves, arguing, as Baba Daud Khaki does in his Dalil-ul 'Arfin, that while they did not consider these as forbidden (haram), they were meant for ordinary people (awam). The Prophet, they argued, had adopted these practices simply to show ordinary human beings how they should live and enjoy the world within limits, but for the 'spiritually elect' (khwass) these were 'a barrier in the path of following God and His Prophet'. Marriage would cause them to become engrossed in 'the snares of the ego (nafs)', whereas 'true faith actually consisted in purifying the heart of everything but Allah'. As for meat, for the 'spiritually elect' it was not advisable to eat it because it led to the creation of passions. " He who controls the urging of his nafs", wrote Baba Daud Khaki, " earns a place for himself in heaven" .

Yet, despite these similarities with pre-Islamic Rishism, some salient differences may be noted. Firstly, the Muslim Rishis saw themselves as Muslims, and, in fact, were the principal instrument for the peaceful spread of Islam in Kashmir. Preaching in the language of the people through the use of mystical poetry (shruk), and adopting several practices associated with the pre-Islamic Rishis, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani and his followers presented Islam to the people in terms that they could understand, in a form that was easily understandable and familiar. If, in pre-Islamic Kashmir, particularly from the Upanishadic age onwards, Rishis were world-renouncing mendicants, concerned simply with their own salvation, under Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani Rishism emerged as a powerful social movement, championing the rights of the downtrodden, bitterly critiquing social hierarchies and oppression. This accounted, in large measure, for the immense popularity of the Muslim Rishis. It is striking to note in this regard that almost all the Rishi shrines are located in outlying villages, there being almost none in the towns. This clearly suggests that the Rishis clearly sought to distance themselves from the political elite, cultivating close ties with the common people, instead. The contrast between them and the 'worldly' 'ulama and the court Pundits could not have been greater.

The hagiographic accounts of Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani are replete with stories of how they challenged the power of the Sultans and their minions, and scoffed at the pretensions of the rich and the powerful. Rather than take flight from the world in an elusive search for liberation from the snares of worldly existence, as in the pre-Islamic Rishi tradition, Rishism under Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani insisted on a detached involvement in the affairs of the world. This corresponds to the Sufi concept of khilwat dar anjuman or 'solitude even while in an assembly'. It is significant to note that not only did the Muslim Rishis earn their daily bread through their own labour, but also that many of them are credited with having helped the poor by providing them free food in community kitchens (langars) run in their lodges (khanqahs), as well as planting fruit-bearing tress and constructing bridges, inns and mosques for the general public. This shift from concern with individual salvation, that could easily transform itself into a form of escapism, to a concern with the welfare of ordinary people is one of the distinctive features of the Rishi order under Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani, and sets it apart from Rishism before him. Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani himself is said to have renounced the world and retired to a cave in the forests to meditate for many years. However, later it dawned on him that true devotion to God lay in service to His creatures as well. Hence, as he later told his close disciple Baba Nasruddin, abandoning the world and roaming in the forests was actually 'a big sin' although he had earlier thought that it was 'the true form of worship'. In one of his verses he says: "To live in the forests and caves is the work of monkeys and mice. They alone ill gain a high station who live as householders, with their wives and children, regularly offer their five daily prayers and from that gain the treasure of the cleansing of their hearts".

Because of its concern with individual salvation, pre-Islamic Rishsim failed to emerge as a social movement. Individual Rishis would retire into the forests to meditate and perform stern austerities for years, severing all ties with the world around them. In contrast, under Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani, Rishism took the form of a regular spiritual order, with the initiate (murid) taking an oath of allegiance (bayt) from his spiritual master (shaykh or pir). After the death of the master, he would be succeeded by his principal disciple or khalifa (pl. khulafa), who would carry on the Rishi mission. A continuity was thus maintained over time, which enabled the Rishis to work in an organised manner and to emerge as a movement for the spread of Islam in the region. However, they were held in great respect and reverence by the local Hindus as well, for they preached a universal love and brotherhood transcending differences of caste and creed. For many Kashmiri Pundits, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani was 'Sahazanand', 'the one who has found the Truth within himself' or 'the blissful one', and till this day Sikhs and Hindus are regular visitors to the shrines of the Muslim Rishis that dot the entire Kashmiri countryside.

Rishism and Social Reform

Most Muslim Rishis, as the details in the hagiographic accounts make clear, completely lacked any formal education. While some of their detractors mocked them for this, they were believed to have possessed 'divine wisdom' (ilm-e-luddni) that was granted to them directly from the Prophet Muhammad, and hence, they were in no need for a human master (pir).

The accounts of many Muslim Rishis tell stories of the folly of those who pride themselves on their formal education, whether worldly or of the religious texts, but fail to imbibe the actual spirit of religion. One can discern in this a sharp critique of the 'worldly 'ulama' ('ulama-e-su) and the orthodox Pundits, who sought to claim an exalted status for themselves because of their knowledge of the 'external sciences' ('ilm-e-zahiri). Several verses composed by Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani bitterly criticise impostor Sufis who earned their living by begging and self-proclaimed Sayyeds who prided themselves on their foreign origins.

The Muslim Rishis led extremely simple lives, subjecting themselves to considerable hardship while at the same time serving those in need. Baba Daud Khaki writes in his Rishi Namah (988 A.H.) that the Rishis remain forever engrossed in remembrance of God (zikr), 'constantly in the presence of the Truth (haqiqat)'. They have, he says, 'drowned in the ocean of Unity (tauhid)', their 'light (nur) having immersed itself into the light of God, just as the light of the stars flows into that of the sun�. A graphic description of the Muslim Rishis of Kashmir is given by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in his personal memoirs, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri. He writes that "Though they have no religious knowledge or learning of any sort, yet they possess simplicity and are without pretence. They abuse no one. They restrain the tongue of desire and the foot of seeking. They eat no flesh, they have no wives, and always plant fruit-bearing trees in the fields so that men may benefit by them, themselves desiring no advantage. There are about two thousand of these people." Baba Daud Mishkati (d.1097 A.H.) writes in his Asrar-ul-Abrar that the Rishis led pure and simple lives, surviving on just water and dry wild grasses and vegetables, and did not keep anything for themselves for the next day, giving whatever they had to the poor. They fed travellers and the indigent, earning their livelihood through their own labour. "From their hands", he writes, "even birds and insects are safe".

One of the most important debts that Kashmir owes to the Muslim Rishis is their great contribution to the development of the Kashmiri language and literature. In contrast, on the one hand, to the 'ulama associated with the royal courts and the Sufis who had come to Kashmir from Iran and Central Asia and who spoke and write largely in Farsi and Arabic, and the Kashmiri Pundit religious elite, who spoke Sanskrit, on the other, the Muslim Rishis communicated in the language of the people, principally through the medium of poetry, using metaphors and similes drawn from the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. The poetry of Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani in the form of mystical verses (shruk) is considered to be unsurpassable in its beauty, because of which it has been said to be the 'Kashmiri commentary on the Qur'an' (kashur qur'an). These verses are still on the lips of most Kashmiris, and are treasured by both Muslims as well as Pundits. Because the Muslim Rishis communicated in the language of the people they were able to play a central role in the spread of Sufism in the Kashmir valley. The contrast with the Kashmiri Pundit literati could hardly be more striking. Mohi-ud-Din writes that the Pundit scholars considered Sanskrit to be 'the language of the gods' (devabani) and branded the Kashmiri language as 'paisachi' or 'devilish'. In his Rajataringini, Pundit Kalhana, the principal source of our knowledge of pre-Islamic Kashmir, calls the Kashmiri language as vulgar speech fit only for drunkards'.

Tradition has it that, in addition to his thousands of followers, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani had ninety-nine close disciples or khulafa whom he appointed to carry on the work of the Rishi movement after him. These were drawn from all walks of life, and included commoners as well as princes, 'low' caste peasants as well as 'high' caste Brahmin and Rajput converts, illiterate workers as well as Islamic scholars ('ulama) attached to royal courts, women as well as men. The social composition of the khulafa of Hazrat Nuruddin clearly points to the radically egalitarian thrust of the movement. As the stories of these khulafa clearly suggest, Rishism under Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani took the form of a popular social movement, bitterly critiquing social inequalities and the oppressive political elite, while at the same time being deeply imbedded in a profound spiritual quest.

Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani

Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani is considered by the Kashmiris, both Hindus as well as Muslims, as the patron saint of Kashmir. For this reason, he is lovingly referred to as the alamdar-e-kashmir ('flag bearer of Kashmir'), as well the shaikh-ul 'alam ('the teacher of the whole world'). Although he was himself a Muslim and the order that he founded played a major role in the spread of Islam in Kashmir, he is regarded with deep veneration by the Hindus of Kashmir as well, for his message was one of universal love and harmony. Till this day, scores of people from all walks of life and from different religious communities flock to his shrine at Chrar-e-Sharif.

His Birth and Childhood

Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani's father, Shaikh Salaruddin, was a recent Rajput convert to Islam, having embraced the religion at the hands of Yasman Rishi, who, in some accounts, is identified with the Sufi saint Hazrat Mir Sayyed Hussain Simnani. Shaikh Salaruddin, said to have been either a weaver (julaha) or village guard (chowkidar) by profession, is said to have been descended from the royal family of Kishtwar, which traced its lineage to the Rajput king Vikramaditya, and to Baldev Chandra, the deposed ruler of Kangra, who sought refuge in Kishtwar in the reign of Raja Jai Singh (1125-1155 C.E.). Yasman Rishi arranged for Salaruddin to marry a young widowed disciple of his, Sudri or Sadr Mauj of the village of Kaimuh, near Kulgam. After their marriage, the two settled at Kaimuh, where, in 1377 C.E., Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani was born [According to some accounts he was born in the village of Khi Jogipora]. He was given the name 'Nund', which means 'beautiful' or 'pious'. He later came to be famous as Nuruddin ('the light of the faith').

Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani is said to have had no formal education. In his childhood, his mother took him to the village school, but when the teacher told him to recite the alphabet, he stopped at the first letter, alif, and refused to go beyond that. When pressed by his teacher, he answered that alif signified Allah and that to recite the second letter, bey, would be to create duality and acknowledge anything in addition to God. The teacher was annoyed and asked his mother to remove him from the school. Then, his mother took him to the village weaver, hoping that her child might learn a craft and help support the family. When he saw the weaver cutting thread with his teeth and inadvertently swallowing small pieces of it, the child told him that he was misappropriating what rightly belonged to others. The weaver related this to Sadr Mauj, and told her that her son was an ascetic and could not take to any worldly profession. As a result, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani did not gain any formal education. Instead, he is said to have received spiritual instruction directly from the Prophet. However, he also benefited from the spiritual instruction of the roaming female mystic Lal Ded and Mir Sayyed Hussain Simnani. At a young age he is said to have had a vision of the Prophet Muhammad, who blessed him and prayed to God to guide him. When he awoke, he was completely transformed, filled, it is said, with 'the love of God' ('ishq-e-haqiqi)'. He then gave up all worldly desires and enjoyments.

His Abandoning the World

One day, while meditating in a remote forest, he saw a vision in which four eminent Sufi masters appeared before him: the Suhrawardi saints Hazrat Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya and Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari, the Chishti Hazrat Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakkar and the Qalandari Hazrat Lal Shah Baz. They are said to have 'filled his heart with the knowledge of eighteen thousand sciences', after which he found himself 'immersed in light'. Attracted to the spiritual path, at the age of thirty, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani retired to a cave in a deep forest, renouncing the world, engrossed in deep meditation and stern austerities for twelve long years. He fasted continuously, breaking his fast only with wild vegetables and water. In this he was following in the path of the world-renouncing Rishis before him, who believed that they could gain personal salvation by subjecting the body to harsh penances.

This-Worldly Asceticism

A radical transformation seems, however, to have come about in Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani's life at the age of forty-two. Having abandoned the world, retiring to the forests to meditate, he later came under the influence of Hazrat Mir Hussain Hamdani, the son of the illustrious Kubrawi Sufi Hazrat Mir Sayyed 'Ali Hamdani. So deeply influenced was he by him that he gave him the oath of allegiance (bayt), being initiated into the Kubrawi order as his disciple. From then on, he abandoned the path of a world-renouncing mystic, and devoted himself to living among the people, travelling throughout the length and breadth of Kashmir, crusading against superstitious beliefs and practices and bitterly critiquing social inequalities and political oppression, as is so apparent from the mystical verses that have been attributed to him.

In his 'letter of instruction' (khat-e-irshad), dated 15 Rajab, 814 A.H., written in Arabic and preserved at the Khanqah-e-Mualla, Srinagar, Hazrat Mir Hussain Hamdani assented to taking Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani as his disciple. He also explicitly recognised the Rishi order and its practices and the spiritual stature of Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani. In this way, Rishism received a stamp of approval from the orthodox Sufis in Kashmir. In the 'letter of instruction', Hazrat Mir Hussain Hamdani wrote, "There are innumerable paths leading to God", for the Holy Prophet Muhammad has said that "The paths leading to God equal, in number, the number of breaths of all His creatures". Then, in recognition of the Rishi path, he wrote that Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani had attained the exalted status of a 'true friend of God' (wali), and hence, was given permission to preach Sufism in his own way and guide the people to the true path. He concluded the letter with a prayer to God to preserve Kashmir and its inhabitants from trouble.

Opposition from the 'Worldly' Muslim 'Ulama and Hindu Priests

Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani's championing of the cause of the poor and his bitter critique of the 'worldly' Muslim 'ulama ('ulama-e-su), Hindu priests and the political elites, won him the wrath of the establishment. According to Kashmiri, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani had 'become a thorn in the flesh of the 'ulama-e-su, because he played the role of a social critic and bravely spoke out against the self-styled 'ulama and the royalty (umra)'. The story is told of how an envious group of priests, described in various accounts as Hindu Pundits or Muslim maulvis, conspired to defame him by sending a beautiful female dancer, Yavan Matcchi, to tempt him. Their plans, however, failed, when she repented of her ways and became his disciple. Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani is said to have been sent to jail under the orders of Sultan Sikander for having allegedly protested against the Sultan's policy of attempting to spread Islam by force. Pundit Jonaraj, a contemporary of Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani, and the court historian of Sultan Zain-ul 'Abidin, writes in his Zenataringini, that Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani [whom he calls 'Mulla Nuruddin'] was 'the most accomplished Sufi of the Muslims', because of whose popularity, Suha Bhat, the Brahmin convert Prime Minster of Sultan Sikander, had him imprisoned because 'he was scared that he might cause a revolt'.

His Last Days

Towards the end of his life, Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani settled down at the village of Chrar-e-Sharif, in the present-day Budgam district. He breathed his last at Rupavan at the age of sixty-three in 1438 C.E., and was buried at Chrar-e-Sharif. Some nine hundred thousand people, including the then ruler of Kashmir, Sultan Zain-ul 'Abidin, are said to have attended his funeral.

His Poetry

Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani may be said to have been the pioneer of Kashmiri literature. He communicated primarily through the vehicle of mystical verses, dealing with a range of subjects, from submission to God to championing the rights of the oppressed. A sample of some of his verses is given below.

On God's Omnipresence

God is one, but has a hundred thousand names.

Even a small blade of grass is drowned in His remembrance.

On Realising God

Abandoning all else I sought You.

Searching for You, the day turned to night.

I searched within and then realised You,

And from then on, I have understood myself and You.

He is near me and I am near Him.

I found solace in His nearness.

In vain did I search for Him elsewhere

Lo! I found the Beloved within my own consciousness.

The universe is the objective manifestation of the essence of Shiva.

If you realise this by annihilating your self, you will be merged into Him.

What will you do after death if you do not realise Him in this world?

Search for Him in your self and pay heed to what I say.

If you realise what God's Unity is,

Your self shall evaporate.

The light of Unity shines everywhere,

But the intellect cannot grasp it.

Who is he who can drink up this ocean?

A dog gets comfort sitting on warm ashes.

A cat snuggles up near a stove.

A Rishi roams from place to place,

In forests does he find his rest.

Where love drags him he goes,

No matter how painful this may seem.

For the lover this is not pain but joy.

One who does not lift a shield to stave off His arrows,

And hesitates not to face His sword's thrust,

Who treats as sweet all the torments that come from Him,

He alone shall attain success in both the worlds.

Believe and have unshakeable faith,

That the path of the Prophet and his four khulafa is the path of Truth.

Their deeds are the key to solve all your woes.

Following them in letter and spirit,

You shall attain happiness in this world and in the next.

On the Real Way of Reading the Holy Qur'an

They alone know how to read the Qur'an who weep day and night,

Till their bodies are reduced to broken skeletons and ground to dust.

Listen carefully to the Qur'an and the Hadith,

Because one day you will be taken to paradise (by these alone).

On Learning

Among those who claim to be Faqirs,

Are many modern-day Pharaohs, wallowing in luxury.

But those who abandon everything and die in the path of Allah,

Enter the fire and, roasted, emerge like shining gold.

Die before you die,

That is the true path to knowledge.

O Pundit! How can you hope to escape from the fire without good deeds?

The ego has rendered all your knowledge useless,

Making you forget that tomorrow you must return to the mud,

And that all your wealth and pomp shall vanish.

Pouring over books, they have become strangers to their own selves.

Verily, like donkeys whose backs are laden with a pile of books.

Remember God constantly,

And thereby come close to Him.

Act in accordance with your knowledge.

Control the self.

String together the pearls and make a necklace.

Meditate on Him,

And a fountain of wisdom shall spring up inside you.

Then you shall see Allah everywhere.

He is your Lord and you are His slave.

Engage in constant remembrance of Him,

And the sound of His Beautiful Names will begin to emanate from inside you.

On the Unity of Humankind

Ice, frozen water and snow, all these have been created by God.

They all appear different, but are of the same essence.

When the rays of the sun fall upon them,

They all turn into water.

On the Futility of Caste

The grass of a lower stock,

Ignored even by animals.

See, it reaches the crown of the king!

How can animals recognise its actual worth?

On the 'Worldly' 'Ulama and Fake Rishis and Pundits

The Mullah in the mosque,

And the Brahmin before the idol of stone,

Perhaps only one out of a thousand of them will be redeemed.

Otherwise, Satan shall grab them all.

O brother Pundit!

Till when will you remain wedded to worshipping stones and springs?

Your thoughtless search bears no fruit.

Submit yourself to thy Lord and His Messenger,

Do you not care for success in this world and the next?

The fake dervish counts his beads,

And derives joy from hearing their sound,

But closes the door of the mosque and does not say his prayers.

Remember, O cheat! You are not God's friend but his foe.

The fake 'alim (religious scholar) is like a fat turnip,

The fatter it gets, the more it loses its taste.

The true 'alim, although bestowed with wisdom and learning,

Considers himself low, as just a slave of God.

He is indeed fortunate, bearer of a high station.

By simply bowing down, you cannot become a Rishi.

By retiring to a cave, you cannot find God,

For the mongoose and the rat seldom come out of their holes.

By bathing, the mind cannot be cleansed,

For the fish and the otter never climb up to the bank.

The fake Rishi is always worried about his stomach.

Eating delicious food, he has forgotten God.

Donning the dress of a Rishi, he misleads others.

If he is a Rishi then who is a thief?

O slave of God!

You have a rosary in your hand,

But it is actually a knife.

You've opened a shop in the market-place of this ephemeral world

to rob others.

Pay heed lest you shall be used as fuel in the fire.

Oh! What a pity! You have cut off your own feet with your axe.

The Mullah is happy with gifts and feasts.

The Shaikh is driven by greed and lust.

The Sufi stops not from cheating others.

Eating three seers of mutton and a maund of rice,

The old, infirm Pundit searches for a young virgin wife.

Near to his funeral pyre, he refuses for a wife a widow.

On Love

The true lover is he who burns in the fire of love and emerges like a piece of gold.

He alone can travel in the Infinite who is afflicted by the pain of love.

Pangs of separation have melted me like the snow of the high peaks,

The thug has robbed me of all my possessions.

The lover sacrifices his all for the sake of his Beloved.

The two are inseparable like petals and their fragrance.

On Service

Oh Nasruddin! He shall win the world who serves others,

Whose beard grows white in the quest for wisdom,

And who eats only after others have eaten.

He shall be among the people of paradise,

Who shares his meal with the hungry,

Who is driven by the urge to remove all hunger,

Who bows down humbly in prayer in all sincerity,

Who scorns anger, greed, illusion, arrogance and self-conceit,

Such a person alone may be called a Muslim.

Feed those in need and be happy.

Remember the day of Reckoning,

When an account shall be made of each little grain.

O Hindus and Muslims!

What reply will you give then,

When you have not worshipped God even once with true devotion.

Remember, the Day of Reckoning will be so stern,

That all your bones will turn into powder.

O Hindus and Muslims!

How will you attain salvation,

When you shall be taken to the place

Where neither mother nor father can help you?

If you don't take good deeds with you,

Then prepare yourself for the angel who will drag you to hell.

O Hindus and Muslims! Turn to God and enter His service.

Justice is superior to meditation.

On Communal Harmony

Children of the same parents,

When will Hindus and Muslims cut down the tree of dualism?

When will God be pleased with them and grant them His grace?

We all came into this world as brethren.

One lives in a palace, another in a hut.

Still, as brothers we came here all,

But now we are strangers and foes to each other.

O God! When will this ever cease?

We belong to the same parents,

Then why this difference?

Let Hindus and Muslims worship God alone.

We came into this world like partners.

We should have shared our joys and sorrows together.

On Self-Control

Purify your self (nafs) and make it like a mirror,

And then shall eternal secrets be revealed to you.

Mere washing your body is of no use,

But if you die before your final death, that is the real gain.

One who gives the least importance to his own self,

And vies not with others in gaining worldly respect,

He ferries himself and others across the ocean,

And he alone may truly be called a Muslim.

On Gratitude

Let us adore the Holy Prophet,

Whose domain is full of mercy.

Allah has bestowed such bounties on the world,

But I have found none to be really grateful.

On the Condition of the Heart

God does not look at what you say.

He watches the inner thoughts of your heart.

The heart is like a fish, so do not leave it dry.

Water it with the remembrance of God, so that it can survive.

On the Inevitability of Death

The Holy Prophet was the Chosen One of God,

And yet, he, too left the world.

O Brother, tell me, till when will you strut around,

Imagining that you have the world resting on your shoulders?

Alexander conquered the two great continents,

But when he died, he went empty-handed,

Taking with him neither his wealth nor his worldly splendour.

O! The time is coming soon when each of us shall enter the grave,

And friends shall be parted from each other.

Despite knowing this, the worshippers of the world and wealth

Have turned their hearts to stone, forgetting God.

He who came here, finally died.

This world is but short-lived.

All shall come to an end,

But only God shall remain forever.

No shield can stave off the arrow of death.

The parrot shall fly away, leaving the cage empty.

People shall shed tears,

And the rose-like body shall shrivel up.

The poison must be tasted,

And the river of blood must be crossed.