By Sadia Dehlvi

It was a saying of Baba Farid that changed my life forever. Some years ago, while reading a book on the great Sufi’s life, I discovered that he blessed people saying, “May God endow you with pain”. The passage forced me into self-reflection and helped me understand that pain is a purifying process. I discovered that spiritual endeavours leading to states of ecstasy were usually rooted in grief. God, by His own admission to Moses, revealed that He lived in broken hearts. All Sufis believe that both affliction and bounties are the blessings of God.

Mongol invasions forced Baba Farid’s father Qazi Shuaib of Kabul to leave for Lahore with his three sons. He moved to the district of Qasur where the family was received with respect by the ruling Ghaznavid Sultan. Although the Qazi was reluctant to accept any official positions, the Sultan made him the Qazi of Kathwal. Fariduddin Masud, the second of three sons, was born to Qazi Shuaib and Qarsum Bibi sometime around 1175.

Baba Farid, the first Sufi poet of Punjab, inherited the spiritual mantle from Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. He settled on the banks of the Sutlej, and his village Ajodhan came to be called Pakpattan, ‘the ferry of the pure.’ Details of Baba Farid’s life are found in Siyar ul Auliya and Fawaid ul Faa’d, the books containing the discourses of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya that were written during his lifetime.

Baba Farid lived a life of contemplation and poverty advising all: ‘If you desire greatness, associate with the downtrodden.’ He had a large family that suffered as a consequence of the severe restrictions he imposed on himself, remaining absorbed in the worship of God. Even at times of affliction, Baba Farid remained devoted to God reciting:

I love thee: I love thee

Is all that I can say,

It is my vision in the night,

My dreaming in the day:

The blessings when I pray,

I love thee: I love thee:

Is all that I can say.

Baba Farid composed meditation prayers in Punjabi for his disciples, many of which are still recited by devotees from the Chishti discipline. His verses had a deep impact on Guru Nanak. It is believed that Guru Nanak composed the famed Asa ki var, a morning hymn sung by Sikhs, at the khanqah of the Baba upon a request by one of his successors Shaykh Ibrahim who was known as Farid the Second.

The ascetic discipline and brotherhood of Baba Farid’s khanqah remains an outstanding example of the life of the early Chishti Sufis. The dervishes lived and worked in one large room. Visitors were welcome and the door remained open till midnight, with the table always spread for unexpected guests.

The khanqah residents served the Master and the community, occupying themselves with prayer and studies. Baba Farid encouraged a sound education and showed a keen interest in poetry and music. He disseminated Sufi teachings through popular songs, influencing the population, particularly women who took to singing mystic verses while doing their daily work.

Baba Farid’s assemblies attracted scholars, merchants, government servants, artisans and mystics from all sections of society. Some stayed forever, some for a short while, and others simply came to seek his blessings. A broad range of discussions were held and visitors included countless yogis who shared their philosophies and breathing techniques with the khanqah inmates.

Despite his fame, Baba Farid spent his last years in extreme poverty. Since there was no money in the house to purchase his shroud, Sufi Amir Khurd’s grandmother provided the white sheet to wrap his mortal remains. Baba died on 5 Muharram 644 Hijri/1265 AD and lies buried in Pakpattan, a few hours drive from L
ahore. 

The interaction between Hindu and Muslim mystics became frequent and meaningful, reflected in every area of social life. The topics discussed in the jamaatkhana, assembly hall, of Baba Farid at Ajodhan, fuelled the interests of yogis whose beliefs were founded on Hatha Yoga. The Sufis freely borrowed principles of breath control, meditation and concentration from Hindu spiritualists.

Baba Farid wrote poetry in Persian, Arabic and the local Hindawi dialect. The Granth Sahib, the holy scriptures of the Sikh faith, contains 135 hymns written by him. One such popular hymn is:

Bole Shaykh Farid …

If I knew that I would die

Never to return again

I would not follow the false ways of the world

Nor let my life be spent in vain.

In your speech be true, in your actions be right,

And spread no falsehood.

O Farid, tread the path the Guru shows.

What takes six months to quicken with life

Dies an instant death.

It is swift as the flight of swans in the spring

And the stampede of beasts in a forest of fire.

It is a flash of lightning amid the rains

And transitory as the winter hours

When maidens are in love’s embrace

All that is must cease: on this ponder.

Farid, the earth questioned the sky:

‘Where are the mighty captains gone?’

‘In their graves they rot,’ was the reply

‘And are rebuked for tasks not done.’

                    (Asa)    

Translation: KHUSHWANT SINGH