Sufism or tasawwuf (as ‘mystic consciousness’ is known in Persian), advocating peaceful co-existence of all faiths, has been differently defined by various writers. Some define it as the purification of thought while others take it to be a way to accept truth by renouncing everything other than God. But the ambition and effort to aim at the communion of the self with the eternal reality remains common in all definitions.

In India, the very existence of Sufis was, so to say, a revolt against the unequal distribution of wealth and the unjust actions of tyrants. The Sufis of yore never accepted jagirs from the rulers, nor amassed worldly riches. The true essence of Sufism comes from this remark of a Sufi woman saint, Rabiah-al-Adawiyah, from Basra in Iraq: “O my Lord, if I worship Thee from fear of hell,/ burn me in hell/ and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise,/ exclude me thence,/ But if I worship Thee for Thine own sake,/ Then withhold not from me Thine eternal beauty!”

The first great Sufi to visit India was Sheikh Ali-bin-Usmani, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh who died in 1081 AD. It was after him that the Chishtiya chain of Sufis began with Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. It is said about him that he observed fasts at day and kept vigils at night for the whole of his life and his daily meal at the iftar (breaking of fast) did not exceed 1.5 tolas. He was liberal like the ocean, kind like the sun and humble like a river. He showed opulence in poverty, satisfaction in hunger, joy in sorrow and loved his enemies — all characteristics he believed were of paramount importance to be a Sufi. His main mission was to heal lacerated hearts and to join separated souls.

At his shrine, the flowers come from the Hindu flower dealers of Pushkar Shrine while most of the chadars are made by non-Muslim skilled artisans. The food prepared for the pilgrims is vegetarian since there are many Hindus in their numbers.

Salim Siddiqui, an Urdu poet, sings of the Sufis in this couplet: “Un mominon se mera kufr-e-ishq achha,/ Jin mominon ne apney imaan bech daley! (I am far better than those hypocritical preachers who have sold their souls for material gains!)” The emphasis for true Sufis always was on the inward nature of things. Not the outward.

It’s a big tragedy, therefore, that this shrine at Ajmer Sharif hasn’t been spared by the managers of terror.