What is beyond pain? Hope.  Human mind is capable of overcoming the severity of grief. And once mind is able to overpower the deepest stressed feelings new vistas of life gradually open up, making way for the innumerable beauties of the universe.  The mysterious incident of shrine gutting led to a widespread out-pouring of public sentiment in the length and breadth of the valley. It only indicates the profound reverence for the exalted soul.  Even after nearly one thousand years having been passed-by, the innermost respect of the masses for Sheikh Abdul Qadir Geelani (RA) bears testimony to the fact that the spiritual master of the highest order and author of some legendary books on Islamic jurisprudence and Tasawwuf (spirituality) is the most blessed soul.  It is believed that people’s reverence for a departed soul is in a way barometer of the creator’s blessings. The spiritual stature Sheikh Abdul Qadir Geelani (RA) attained during his blessed lifetime is a much celebrated aspect of the Islamic civilization. For that matter his glorious life still continues to guide and illuminate the path of a sincere seeker.
 Despite grave provocations----the evil designs are still hell bent upon to create a sectarian strife--- masses maintained their cool and with upmost patience endured the profound emotional distress. What is more heartening is the fact that society at large is reasonably determined as remarkably articulated by a ‘Fellow Devotee’ in Greater Kashmir to ‘Recreate’ and not, barely, ‘Reconstruct’ the Aastaan. This is the real hope beyond the pain.
Obviously physical structures---the shrines---are the spiritual refuge for many of us fellow Kashmiris. The faithful, indeed overcoming all the odds, will ultimately succeed in recreating what has been lost in the intriguing fire. But is it enough only to recreate in totality the ‘decorative arts’; the Pinjaras, the Khatamband ceilings, will that only suffice the needful. No two opinions about the fact that the burned shrine was the centre of our spiritual, intellectual and cultural life. And its timely re-creation will be a huge accomplishment. Recreating a physical structure is a challenge in itself. However hopefully sooner or later; the determined nation God willing will be able to recreate what was lost in the fire.   The abode of spirituality will get created but what about the spirituality itself.  It is the overreached imagination of a creative writer that he describes the ‘repetitive patterned Khatamband ceilings, symbolized in wood the Manqabaats that we recited with fervor’, nothing unusual with such poetic expressions.   It is not unusual for a spiritually enlightened soul to relate a mundane feature with the sublime; awakened mind aware of the unity of creation is quite capable of doing so.
The purity of the Manqabaats---the glory of the one and only Allah--- we Kashmiri’s have been reciting with much fervor ever-since we attained the truth, in its real essence is all inspiring.  However with the changing morality of the time we seem to have missed the real import of the Manqabaats.  Our spiritual guides taught us how to recite the glory of one omnipresent creator. The single most emphasis on Tawhid by our spiritual guides who led our forefathers to shun the tyranny of many gods was a glorious journey; from abject darkness towards the divine light. These spiritual guides are means to an absolute truth. Wretchedly, in our misplaced devotion we have subconsciously come to construe the means an end in itself, there cannot be a greater tyranny than this. There is only one provider and that Omnipotent only can hold the hand of a seeker in distress.
Tasawwuf today has become the most maligned term. The paid defenders of present suppressive world order are busy in promoting a brand of self conceived Tasawwuf free from all the contextual frameworks an antidote against the so called extremism.  Liberal intellectuals, with or without any reference, are free to explain the Tasawwuf the manner they deem fit. Yet for a humble seeker the primary reference remains to be the way Sheikh Abdul Qadir Geelani (RA) imbibed the Tasawwuf.  The Peeran-e-Peer in his book Ghunyat-al Talibeen (sufficient for the seekers of truth, the literal meaning of the title) explains the Tasawwuf as an extremely difficult and intense inner struggle, to become a Sufi. The seeker of absolute truth—Tawhid-- when blessed is Sufi; his soul is purified from all the malice by almighty Allah, states Sheikh Abdul Qadir Geelani (RA). The greatest virtue of a Sufi is that he/she irrespective of any cast or creed is the true friend of humanity.  The message is all clear; the great soul succinctly states that there can be no salvation without complete submission before the only one benevolent almighty. Regrettably, for namesake we may trumpet our faith in one Allah, but inadvertently we have begun to imagine our spiritual guides, our benefactors, as small gods. 

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Lastupdate on : Fri, 6 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 6 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST