RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS

RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS

The exchange of ideas be­tween Hindus and Muslims resulted in the development of two popular movements.

(i) The Sufi Movement: Mystics, later called Sufis,-had risen in Islam at a very early stage. The Sufis propounded the idea of union with God through love and not prayer, ritual, and fasts. The Sufis had 12 orders or silsilahs, generally led by prominent mystics who lived in a khanqah. The link between the teacher or pir or shaikh and his disciples or murids was a vital part of the Sufi system. The Sufi orders were divided into two: Ba-shara, or those who followed the Islamic law such as the Chishti and Suhrawardi; and Be-shara, or those who were not bound by Islamic law.

The Chishti order was established in India by Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti. The Chishti order was popular in and around Delhi and the Doab. The most famous Chishti saints were Nizamuddin Auliya and Nasiruddin Chiragh-i-Dehlvi. Of the Suhrawardi saints, Shaikh Shihabuddin Suhrawardi and Hamid-ud-din Nagori are the most famous. Like the Chishtis, the Suhrawardis did not believe in leading a life of poverty. The Suhrawardis were popular in Sindh. The Firdausi order was popular in Bihar. The Sufis made themselves popular by adopting musical recitations called sama. Qawwali was another form of singing at gatherings.

(ii) The Bhakti Movement: Among the Hindus, the Bhakti movement preached religion which was non-ritual­istic and open to all without any distinction of caste or
creed. Its cardinal principle was blzakti or unflinching devotion to a personal God whose Grace was the only means of attaining salvation. The real development of Bhakti took place in South India between the seventh and the twelfth centuries. The Saiva nayanarsand Vaishnavite alvars were its first propagators. Among the Bhakti saints were the Maharashtrians Namadeva and Ramananda, who were followers of Ramanuja. Ramananda's disciples in­
cluded Ravidas, who was a cobbler; Kabir, who was a weaver; Sena, a barber; and Sadhana who was a butcher. In the period under consideration, the Sufis influenced the Bhakti movement in ideas of love and brotherhood.

Among those who were most critical of the existing social order and made a strong plea for Hindu-Muslim unity were Kabir (1440-1518) and Nanak (1469-1539). Kabir emphasised the unity of God and expressed his ideas in dalzas or couplets. His followers were called Kabirpanthis. Guru Nanak laid great emphasis on the purity of character and conduct as the first condition of approaching God and the need of a guru for guidance. He advocated a middle path in which spiritual life could be combined with the duties of the householder. In course of time, the ideas of Nanak gave birth to a new creed called Sikhism"There also developed, in North India, the worship of Rama and Krishna, incarnations of God Vishnu. The greatest apostle of Krishna was Chaitanya in the east. He popularised musical gatherings or kirtans as a special form of mystic experience in which the outside world disappeared by dwelling on God's name. He is regarded as an incarnation of Sri Krishna.