Of Pirs and
Sufis
By Col. Riaz Jafri
(Retd)
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
An
interesting discussion is going on the net about
the government’s plans of promoting Sufism
to combat the menace of sectarianism. Quite a
few are in favour of it. However, one gentleman
wrote, “On a serious note such government
interference in religion can be dangerous and
in the end, we may end up with some state-recognized
Pir whose Mureed is a PM or COAS.
I entirely agree with him that it can happen as
it nearly did happen around 1958 when Pir Sahib
Davel Shareef attained such prominence. Somehow,
he gained the favour of Ayub Khan (probably through
his wife who was greatly influenced by the Pir
Sahib) and most who mattered in the government
made a bee line to the Pir Sahib for paying their
homage.
Pir Sahib seemed to know well the art of exploiting
such sycophants. He would, while coming to Pindi
from Murree, ask his driver to stop the car at
some scenic spot, alight from it, take a few steps
with his both hands raised to his head in salutation
and return calmly to the car. When asked as to
what had happened, he would with closed eyes and
a great aura of deference say that he had had
the ziarat of the swari of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
who was passing by. Who could dare to doubt the
eminence of such a Pir? So much so that during
a dinner in our officers' mess where the-then
Army Chief Musa Khan was present, a Lieutenant
Colonel asked him to invoke the spiritual powers
of such Pirs to get the better of our adversaries
during a war.
Of all the persons Musa Khan - known to be a docile
and quite religious person - rebuked sharply the
Lt Col telling him that the day you depended upon
such invocations will mark the end of the Army
and Pakistan .
Well, you never know. Aren't the stories of green
angels and white bearded 'makhlooq' fighting on
our side in 1965 war still going rounds? I wonder
why did they not show up in 1971. But who knows
one day we might also find our Rasputin?!
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