ISLAMABAD: The Asian Study Group (ASG) held an evening of renditions of Sufi Poetry and Prose by ‘Theatre Wallay’, a company of amateur artists, at Kuch Khaas.

Organised by the Literature Group of the ASG, Michele Galopin, the coordinator, and Parveen Malik, the president, were gratified to see a large turnout for the event.

Sufism has a thousand years of poignant history in, and around, the Subcontinent where the humanitarian traditions of the mystic Islamic sect have resonated in the literature and culture of the region.

Sufi writers and poets of the area through their esoteric and spiritual renderings produced a treatise which is a remarkable chapter in the history of global literature.

Sufi poetry has been written in many languages, both for private devotional reading and as lyrics for music played during worship, or dhikr. Themes and styles established in Punjabi poetry, Sindhi poetry, Arabic poetry and mostly Persian poetry have had an enormous influence on Sufi poetry throughout the Islamic world, and it is said that “these were individuals who sang of love of mankind and people resonated to their tune”.

The readings were done by Fizza Hasan, Hamid Shahid Khan, Safeerullah Khan, Tajdar Zaidi, Hishaam Muzaffar and Rabia Pasha. With selections as diverse as excerpts from Maulana Rumi and Bulleh Shah, the entire evening was a treat.

The readings began with Rabia Pasha narrating one of the earliest known Sufi tales, The Gates of Paradise, and moved swiftly from Arabia to Persia with the Rubayat of Hafiz.

This was followed by an excerpt from Maulana Rumi, a thirteenth century Persian jurist, theologian and Sufi mystic. Rumi whose importance transcends ethnic and national borders has been widely translated into most modern languages. His works were originally written in Persian and his Masnavi remains the crowning glory of Persian literature. Fizza read the famous story entitled, ‘The Merchant and the Parrot’.

Moving from Persia to the Subcontinent the group read from Amir Khusro, a twelfth century Sufi musician, poet and scholar. Khusro is an iconic figure in the cultural history of the region who invented the sitar and tabla and is regarded as the father of the qawali.

A selection from Shah Hussain, a Punjabi Sufi saint followed. He was the son of a weaver, and belonged to the Dhudhi clan of Rajputs.

He was born in Lahore and is considered a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. Rabia read an English translation of the famous poem, ‘Mera piya ghar aya’ which is about the return of the beloved.

Tale of the Sands narrated by Hamid and excerpts from Bulleh Shah, both the original and an English translation, followed.

Reading the famous, ‘Bulleya to me, I am not known: Not a believer inside the mosque, am I; Nor a pagan disciple of false rites; Not the pure amongst the impure; Neither Moses, nor the Pharaoh’, narrators were inundated with applause.

Also narrated were three short stories by Rabia Basri, a female Muslim saint and Sufi mystic.

She prayed: “O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.

But if I worship You for Your Own sake, grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”

Basude Ki Maryam by Asad Muhammad Khan brought tears to the eyes and had the distinction of being the only pure Urdu selection of the evening. Sultan Bahu, Sachal Sarmast, Baba Fareed and Kabeer Das rounded off the evening and delighted the audience.

The ‘Theatre Wallay’ company consists of actors, directors, writers, graphic artists, set designers and technicians.

As a group of people with a passion for theatre and literature, they organise plays, readings, workshops and other activities consistent with their goal for providing good theatre to Islamabad. The Company strives to create theatre that can appeal to audience across the social, ethnic and religious divides and managed to do just that before an eclectic audience.

Published in Dawn, October 21st , 2014