Piri-Muridi
Relationship: A Study of the
Nizamuddin Dargah
By-
Desiderio Pinto
The
relationship between a spiritual master and his disciple (piri-muridi)
becomes important when one witnesses day after day the large numbers of Muslims
and non-Muslims flocking to spiritual masters (pirs) stationed at the
various dargahs of India.
This
work discovers that piri-muridi aims at making the disciple see God in
all things
while very often allowing him to enjoy worldly success. This is achieved through a lengthy socialization process that spans a period of time ranging from twelve years to a lifetime. This socialization process is very painful, and some disciples (murids) run away. Most, however, remain bound to their pir, by their vow of allegiance to him, the pir’s friendliness, sympathy, material, magical and psychological assistance, and when that is not enough, fear of his
magical power.
while very often allowing him to enjoy worldly success. This is achieved through a lengthy socialization process that spans a period of time ranging from twelve years to a lifetime. This socialization process is very painful, and some disciples (murids) run away. Most, however, remain bound to their pir, by their vow of allegiance to him, the pir’s friendliness, sympathy, material, magical and psychological assistance, and when that is not enough, fear of his
magical power.
During
this period the murid learns to fall in love with the pir whom he
strives to see as the representative of God, by observing, serving, and seeing
the pir’s hand in everything that befalls him, and frequently recalling
and concentrating on a mental image of the pir while believing that his
actions are prompted by the pir. Having thus attained union with the pir,
he one day suddenly realizes that the pir is just a curtain or veil that
hides something else—that which he has truly loved all the time in the image of
the pir is God himself.
The
book is a mine of empirical information collected in the Nizamuddin dargah,
showing how a set of beliefs contained in constantly narrated stories and
experiences are used to forge, structure, maintain and further the relationship
between the pir and his murid. It will be
of interest to scholars of Islam, Indian history and sociology, Sufi thought and the place of religion in the modern world.
of interest to scholars of Islam, Indian history and sociology, Sufi thought and the place of religion in the modern world.
Desiderio
Pinto, S.J.
taught at Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth. Presently he is teaching at Vidyajyoti
College of Theology and other institutions of theology in Ranchi, Varanasi and
Calcutta, and is also librarian at Vidyajyoti.
ISBN 81-7304-111-3 2006 356p. Rs.700/ Pounds 55
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