KARACHI: Spirituality is about humanity. It is not confined to one religion. We are cutting trees, killing animals, polluting the environment and indulging in acts of terrorism. We need to change all of that, and in order for that to be achieved the message of Sufi saints must be understood.

This was eloquently put by Syed Waqar Husain Shah Latifi, the gaddi nasheen of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, while answering a question asked by Ghazala Rahman at Szabist on Tuesday.

The first question that Ms Rahman put to Mr Shah was about the philosophy of Sindh. He said we all are connected to Sindh, the land of Sufi saints. It is the land of love, connectivity and ownership. We need to own everything –– the sand dunes, the trees, the birds, the people etc. Whatever is created by God should be owned by us and we should respect it. That’s the real philosophy of Sindh. This connectivity is the base which lies in our soul. The Sufi saints (Data Sahib, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Shah Latif) have purified this land, which is why the country is called Pakistan. The real introduction of Sindh is: we are the people of love. Shah Latif 350 years ago dropped the idea of a global village, which means no matter what religion you belong to, the world is a village for all. Those who love one another are citizens of the village.

The second question that Mr Shah responded to was about the symbolic use of water, specifically the Indus River, in Shah Latif’s poetry. He said being the custodian of the shrine is a big responsibility. Unfortunately, the government is not supporting the philosophy of Sufism and spirituality. They are still confused that why we have extremism, karo kari and targeted killings in Sindh, the land of peace. It is because we have forgotten the message of Sufi saints.

‘If you have tears in your eyes for somebody else, it means you are alive’

Mr Shah, then replying to the query about water, said Shah Latif in one of his prayers connects the prosperity of Sindh to the whole world. Today when we see CPEC around us, it is all happening through Sindh and Pakistan, which implies prosperity is coming through Sindh and the seas. The second thing that the world needs to learn from us is the message of peace. After 9/11, the whole world was confused about how to control extremist elements. Pakistan and Sindh are the core areas of peace. The light of inner peace in Sindh should be transferred to the whole world. This is what Shah Latif said in his prayers 350 years back: Dost mitha dildaar, aalam sub abaad karein. Now people are getting it because after the attacks in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, everyone is talking about Islamophobia. “Islamophobia is a reaction to the action that was 9/11.” Both extremism and Islamophobia have one solution: spirituality. “Spirituality cannot be confined to one religion, it is confined to humanity. As humans we must respect one another. The culture we have developed –– of felling trees, killing animals, polluting the environment –– should be changed. And how we can change that should be learned from the spiritual saints.”

Mr Shah said we should respect people from every religion, caste and creed because they are the creatures of God. So the message of spirituality takes you to one Creator.

“Spirituality encourages you to return to your innocence. When you are a child you have no biases, but as you grow older, you develop biased concepts. If you return to innocence and become a child from the inside, then you will realise there’s nothing to hate.”

On the subject of inclusivity, Mr Shah shared a very interesting personal thing. He said when he became the wali ahd of the sajjada nasheen, they had a function on Shah Latif’s birthday. The day was tiring and after the event he was trying to get a good sleep. At 2am he received a call from someone. He didn’t pick it up but when the phone kept ringing he answered it. The man at the other end said his five-year-old daughter had drowned in a lake, to which he (Shah) replied what he could do about it. The man said he just wanted Shah to pray that the body of his daughter was recovered. This brought tears to his eyes and changed his life. “If you have tears in your eyes for somebody else, it means you are alive.”

Mr Shah said when Pakistan came into being the shrines were controlled, and are still controlled, by the Auqaf department. They’re spending money against the philosophy of the shrines.

Mr Shah then shed light on various steps that he took at the shrine to make it more inclusive for all, including people of other faiths.

The programme was organised by the Sindh Abhyas Academy as part of the academy’s lecture series.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2019