KARACHI, Jan 6: Paying tribute to Sufi Shah Inayat, scholars from various fields on Friday discussed his contribution to Sindh both in terms of interfaith harmony and politics and said his revolutionary thoughts were well ahead of his time.

They expressed these views while speaking at a seminar, Sufi Shah Inayat — a symbol of interfaith harmony and civil liberties, held at the Arts Council.

Sindh Democratic Forum Secretary General Zulfiqar Halepoto highlighted Shah Inayat’s role as a political leader and noted that few books detailed this facet of the mystic. He appreciated the work of Syed Sibt-i-Hasan who discussed the Sufi in one his books, Naveed-i-Fikr.He said that there should be an objective research on Shah Inayat since most of the literature on him was of emotional nature.

Referring to Sindh’s turbulent political situation during the time of Shah Inayat, Mr Halepoto called for an impartial political analysis of the region.

He said the Sufi’s struggle against the fascist factors, his support for the farmers and his stance for peace, harmony and strong interfaith bonding was a lesson for the political powers of today.

Advocate Muslim Shamim noted that among other Sufis of Sindh, Shah Inayat was prominent because of his revolutionary thoughts.

He compared the Sufi’s beliefs to the Paris Commune of the late 19th century and said that Shah Inayat had presented a similar commune much earlier. He said that while the saint’s revolutionary ideas could not be implemented in his time, he laid down the blueprint of the socialist system of collective farming which was introduced a century later.

Mr Shamim added that when the Europeans were in dark ages, the Muslims world thrived both intellectually and scientifically but this did not remain so in the following years.

Among the inventions of the 19th and 20th centuries, there had been no contribution from the Muslim world, he said, adding that they were simply beneficiaries.

“We need thinkers like Shah Inayat to revive.”

Chairman of the Pakistan Studies Centre Dr Jaffar Ahmed, who presided over the seminar, highlighted the manner in which the Sufis conducted themselves.

He noted that they were never critical of the people and their behaviour instead they shared their lives with the ordinary folk.

This was the reason why their followers belonged to different faiths, he said.

Dr Ahmed also touched upon the discussion of kasb (earning a living) and tawakkul (contentment with what one has). He said that Sufi Shah Inayat was different in that he not only propagated kasb but also encouraged people to fight for their rights.

Shaikh Moonis Ayaz, professor of international relations at the Shah Abdul Latif Univesity, defined Shah Inayat as a secular mystic and highlighted the importance of secularism in a region characterised with diverse religions and cultures. After the seminar, which was organised by the Sindh Sufi Institute, Shafi Fakir treated the audience with kalaam by various Sufis of Sindh.