Delhi – The Spiritual and Pluralistic Abode of South Asia
By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
27 May 2021
Delhi
And Its Association with Various Religions is Its Beauty
Main
Points:
1. Delhi has an
envying history of Sufism and religious pluralism.
2. Delhi is for
its unique religious, cultural and social composition.
3. Delhi was
known as an abode of spiritual saints and their shrines.
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Spiritual places in Delhi/ Courtesy Spiritual
Tour of India
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Delhi is
not just one of the capital cities of the world rather it has an envying
history of Sufism and religious pluralism. It must be one of those cities of
the world that are known in the history for their unique religious, cultural
and social composition. If Old Delhi and New Delhi is taken as one of the twin
cities of the world it will grant it a more special feature of having an
amazing amalgam of Mughal and British cultural history in the form of their
architectural beauty and cultural ethos spread all over the cities.
One of the most striking historical feature of
Delhi, the present-day power capital of India, is that it was never known as
the city of kings and rulers. It was known as an abode of spiritual saints and
their shrines. It was later that the city’s cultural and spiritual glamour
attracted the kings and rulers to establish their empires.
Delhi
And Its Association with Various Religions
From
ancient times to this day Delhi is a pilgrimage site for every religion of the
world. Delhi finds a mention in the literature of Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism,
Jainism and Buddhism and other faiths. Delhi’s character of humility and
compassion is alive to this day since the day of its inception found in the
historical books.
Delhi finds
its historical links through its mention in the Jain literature, its connection
with Hinduism from the age of Anangpala, the Tomara King, Islam from the time
of Cheraman Perumal, the Chera king, Parsi culture since the time of its
spiritual leader Dastur Meherjirana of Navsari, from the time of emperor Akbar
and ‘Jesus Christ was introduced to India by Thomas the Apostle, who is said to
have reached the Malabar Coast of Kerala in 52 AD’, according to Christianity
in India – Wikipedia.
Above
mentioned religious association with all the old and new religions for such a
long period has established Delhi’s characteristic as the most unique spiritual
legacy of all times. Delhi’s landscape is dotted with the spiritual linage of
all the religions that taught and preached the pluralistic ethos of a society.
From the ancient historical times to the present days Delhi is fortunate enough
not to lose its unique spiritual linage and is still a universally recognised
city boasting the pluralistic ideals of all the religious leaders of all the
religion. Along with many Hindu temples, Girja Ghars and Gurudwaras
almost 165 Jain temples are signifying its importance in Jainism.
Muslim Sufi
saints visiting Delhi and making it their abode is related to an interesting
story of the city taking its name from the word ‘Dehleez’ (the doorway).
In ancient times the traders and other common men of all the religions and
faiths, coming to Delhi used to visit the Khanqahs of the Sufis. The Sufi
saints used to meet and preach to them. As those days travelling from one place
to another was troublesome and tiring, the visitors used to stay there for many
days and using the doorways (called ‘Dehleez’ in Urdu) of the Sufis’ Khanqahs
to pray, sleep and rest. It is from
there that ‘Dehleez’ became ‘Dehli’. Delhi still is written ‘Dehli’
in Urdu.
Delhi has
been loved by the Sufis to the extent that prayers to bless the city and its
citizens are found in their prayer books. Consider the prayer Amir Khusrau
wrote:
Delhi, the refuge of faith and equity/ Delhi is
the garden of paradise/ May its prosperity be long-lived/ If Mecca happens to
learn about this garden/ It may circumambulate around Hindustan.
Delhi, A
Garden of Paradise
Delhi used
to be referred to as ‘Hazrat-e-Dilli,
Dilli Sharif, Dar-ul-Auliya, Baghdad-e-Hind and Khurd-e-Mecca or the
little Mecca’ by the historians and its citizens because of its enormous
leaning towards Sufism. Delhi Sufi Khanqahs never categorised people according
to their faith. It has been Delhi’s nature that in this garden of paradise, as
Amir Khusrau called it, all faiths merged effortlessly and became one that
which should be called a religion of humanity, love and compassion.
We have
noticed Delhi as an ocean of humanity, love and compassion even during these
troubled times of Covid-19 second wave which came as a tsunami swallowing every
human being. But because of the goodwill of Sufis, Rishis and spiritual Gurus
of all the religions resting here in almost every corner of the city that it
subsided in no time. During the second wave of Covid-19 when everything seemed
to have gone haywire some unheard prayers of the holy souls of Delhi were at
work that saved the city of spiritualism from drowning. Shortly Delhi will
again bloom like flowers in the garden of paradise do. Insha’Allah.
We will
have to work as one, without any kind of discrimination, for the sake of the
soil and make it again a city of spiritualism where no one is asked about its
faith before being served of its need.
And
Allah knows the best.
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Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism