“Niki lagat mohe apne pia ki,Aankh rasili laaj bhari re…” Farid Ayaz Saab used to recite this kalam with “aankh rasili, aur jadu bhari re.” I had corrected him once over a WhatsApp call, and at the age of 73, he was a curious learner, had accepted it in absolute humility.Incidentally, today is the 100th… continue reading
Amir Hasan Sijzi came to his master Nizamuddin Auliya looking worried. It was Friday, September, 19 1310, he writes in Fawaid Al Fuad. “I obtained the benefit of kissing his feet. In this week I was distressed because there had been an interruption in my salary’s payment. As soon as I called on the master,… continue reading
It was December 12, 1319, the ulemas were getting more and more irritable. How could Nizamuddin Auliya dance and weep to Sama, just like his master Shaikh Farid? This issue of music had been boiling. The ulema wanted it banned. Nizamuddin’s disciple Amir Hasan Sijzi spoke at his master’s assembly: “This group that denies Sama,… continue reading
I had met Farid Ayaz Saab in 2012, while gatecrashing in a private concert hosted by an MD of a large private sector bank in Lutyens, Mehrauli with a promise to the event managers that I was least bit interested in the free food & liquor, only wanted to listen to Farid saab live. He… continue reading
Faith. And love. It is all that matters in this courtyard. Bibi Zuleikha’s father, Khwaja Arab, was a man of riches in Bukhara when the Mongol Chinghiz Khan eyed the riches of the city. He sacked Bukhara, looted its wealth and murdered thousands. Bibi Zuleikha, Khwaja Arab and their family escaped the bloodbath and fled… continue reading
His expression rarely changes. His face is gaunt and wrinkled; he seems lost in another world; his eyes are sunken, but look right into you. “God did not create religions to divide Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Sufis only believe in God; nothing else matters.” This is the belief of a faqir – Sain Zuhour. At… continue reading
