ISLAMABAD, Dec. 11: Religious scholar, Syed Nasiruddin Naseer, Pir of Golra Sharif, on Monday welcomed the initiative of President Musharraf and the government in launching a society to study the works of Sufis.

He termed the move in the right direction and one that should have been done years earlier.

In a public talk at the Pakistan Academy of Letters on the occasion of the birth anniversary observance of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, the Pir remarked: “Still it is better late than never.”

The scholar was of the opinion that the people of this country could have been spared a number of disorders and meaningless slaughter if the effort was made from the beginning to spread the benign message of great Sufi scholars such as Maulana Rumi. More than 800 years ago Maulana Rumi believed after Shams Tabriz that love was the water of life and every person should drink of this elixir with his heart and soul.

The Maulana was showered with praise as uniter of people of many faiths. He was not known as a divider of humankind. He was held in such great esteem in his time that religious leaders of a number of religions vied with another to march with his funeral procession. “The bier on which his body lay had to be changed six times because every one in the procession wanted to touch it to show reverence to this great holy person,” Pir Nasir said.

Maulana Rumi was also a connoisseur of good music, particularly Sam’aa or Qawwali variety that would continue at his court for eight days during which the Maulana would be busy at his whirling dance.

“If Maulana Rumi liked music how could we describe music as irreligious practice,” Pir Nasiruddin asked in his lecture.

Even now our public would rather flock to the mausoleums and listen to Sufis than fatwas of religious preachers.

Even today lamps are being lighted every evening in the city of Balkh where the great Maulana was born, although the city of Balkh has lost its former splendour. “The lamps of great scholars have a tradition of passing on the light and wisdom to other lesser breed of scholars,” he said.

Islamic Ideology Council chairman, Dr. Khalid Masud, preside the lecture meeting. In his presidential remark he praised Pir Nasiruddin for his touching and scholarly lecture.