What is Sufism?

The picture shows a banner made by those practising Sufism condemning the recent terrorist bombings (AFP)

• In the present context of  gruesome devastation in our country, it is refreshing to read about Sufism
• Terrorism has become a challenge for  humanity because it is the enemy of  futuristic dreams of man

I came across a book called “Sufism -A Celebration of Love” published in India in 2012. It’s a collection of articles on the subject in English, published by the Foundation of SAAARC Writers and Literature, which is an Apex body of SAARC in New Delhi in India. It is edited by Ajeet Cour, Noor Zaheer and Refaqat Ali Khan. Running to 240 pages it is priced at Rs 400 in Indian Currency. The address of the Foundation is 4/6, Siri Fort institutional Area, New Delhi -110 049.The book contains 25 articles including notes on contributors. Among the contributors is well-known writer Khushwant Singh.

To make it easy for the readers I would  quote from the inside page of the front cover which gives the essence of Sufism. In the present context of gruesome devastation in our country, it is refreshing to read about Sufism.

“The essence of Sufism or Tasawwuf is that the only way to Love the Almighty, is to love all His creation because love goes beyond all religious beliefs, and is larger and more profound than any religion.

The spirit of Sufism is reconciliation of opposites: the outer and the inner, the material and the spiritual, the finite and the infinite, the here and hereafter, the human and the divine. It is for this reason that Sufiism propagates unity and inclusiveness. In its practice Sufism creates a voice for secularism and composite culture becoming the ideology of connectivity, tolerance, love, compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. The menace of terrorism, religious fanaticism and communal violence has only added to an already bleak desolate world.Terrorism has become a challenge for humanity because it is the enemy of futuristic dreams of man. I found the essays by ram Naresh Yadav, Ajeet Cour,   Shahid M Gul particularly of interest and easy to understand.

It is essential that we must know something about the chief editors.

Ajeet Cour, whom I had met in New Delhi at a literary conference in 2018 is a respected Punjabi writer of 19 collections of short stories, novelettes and novels, 9 creative translations of fiction and poetry, over 20 edited works. She is widely translated into several Indian and foreign languages. She had been a visiting lecturer in many Indian and foreign Universities. Though ageing she had been a pioneer of SAARC activities. It was a pleasure in getting her blessings.