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Abstract

Warsiyya is the contemporary Sufi order founded by Haji Hafiz Waris Ali Shah (d. 1905), who lived in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, India, during the nineteenth century. Followers of Warsi silsila are guided by the Warsi fakirs (rahnumā) or ahrāmposh, distinguished by their yellow robes (ahrām). In this article, it is examined how different rituals and traditions (rusumāt) in Warsiyya shaped the living Sufi order. In addition, it is suggested that the libās-e-fakhr (attire of glory) displaces the typical succession (khilāfat) system in Warsiyya traditions.

Ahramposh

Fakir, ahrāmposh or rahnumā are the three interchangeably used terms for the torchbearers or leaders of the Warsi Sufi order. The term ahrāmposh is derived from Urdu-Hindi, which means those who wear robes (ahrām). Whereas, those who follow the fakirs by taking the bayāh (oath) in the Warsi Sufi order are known as Murids or Warsi. In Warsi Silsila, there is no tradition of typical pīrī - muṛīdī like other Sufi orders; instead, there are guides (rehnumā) who guide the members of the Sufi order. The reason behind it was that Waris Pak did not give the typical khilāfat to anybody; instead he gave guidance (rehnumāī). Rehnumā are also referred to as, Nayāb e Waris (spiritual heirs of Haji Waris Ali Shah). The rehnumā must impart the teachings of Waris Ali Shah. The word Fakir comprises four Arabic alphabets: Fā which means fākā (fasting). Qāf stands for Qana'at, which means containment. Yā stand for Yād e Ilāhī (remembrance of god). Rā stands for Riyāzat (practice). Fakir or rehnumā in Warsi Silsila are not allowed to wear any stitched clothes, like kurta, payjama, turban, cap, scarf, etc. They are allowed to wear ahrām only. Even the shroud will be the same ahrām only.They are not allowed to sit on chairs, chowkis, rest on beds, cots, etc; their bedding should lie on the floor. After wearing ahrām, fakirs are not allowed to construct houses, gather money, attend marriages, funerals or do various spiritual healings. They are not allowed to beg under any circumstances.Fakirs are expected to lead their lives by having Tawakkul (reliance) on Allah.Pandit Nayab Shah Warsi (d. 2004) considered ahrām as the shroud for a live fakirs. They are not even allowed to beg anything from Allah, because they believe Allah is all knower.The concept behind wearing a robe (ahrām) is to restrict the fakir to the acts to which the Hajj pilgrims in ahrām are restricted. The ahrām for Hajj pilgrims is temporary attire, but for the Warsi fakir the ahrām is lifelong attire.

Ahramposhi is the tradition (rasm) that transforms an ordinary man into an ahrāmposh. Bayāh  and ahrāmposhi are two  different traditions in Warsiyya. Bayāh   is simply one's  entry in the Warsi Sufi order. The major difference between these two traditions is that ahrāmposhi is for one who wants to lead the ascetic life after getting robe (ahrām), whereas bayah is for ordinary people who just want to enter the Sufi order. Waris Ali Shah bestowed special status on his fakir, or ahramposh, which can be understood through his saying, which translates as, Those who want to see me, see my fakir; my fakir's hand is my hand. This saying of Waris Pak sets up the core principle for the traditions of bayah in Warsiyya, where the devotee gives his hand to ahramposh to take bayah at the hand of Waris Pak.

Bayah in the Warsiyya traditions starts with the repetition of this phrase, Hath pakadta hoon pir ka, panjatan pak ka, Khuda ka, Khuda ke rasool ka, which means one is taking an oath of allegiance (bayah) at the hand of Pir (Waris Pak), Panjatan Pak, Allah, and his Prophet, Muhammad. So there is no method of long chain transmission (Shajra), unlike other principal Sufi orders such as Qadiriyya, Chishtiyya, and Shadhliyya. If we look at the chain of the Qadiriyya order, there are 17 Mashaykh between the founder, Abdul Qadir Jilani, and the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad. Whereas in Warsiyya, the chain directly goes to Muhammad through Panjatan Pak, which makes it different from other Sufi orders.

Warsi Fukhara strongly condemns Nasbi Khilafat (hereditary succession of divine knowledge). This rejection of hereditary succession is comparable  to the first Islamic caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq, who was not an immediate family member of Muhammad. It is interesting to note that Waris Ali Shah himself, in his early life, received ijaza (permissions) from both Qadirriya and Chishtiyya orders through the chain of transmission (silsila), but neither Waris Ali Shah nor his ahramposh advocated the traditional way of Silsila but invented their own way of imparting bayah.

In ahrāmposhi, the interested devotee first takes the oath of allegiance at the fakir's hand. and repeat an oath of allegiance. The devotee repeats Shahādah (profession of faith) and does the istiġfār (repentance) for all his past bad deeds during the oath. Then the devotee is asked to drink the sherbet from the Faqir's glass. He then asked to do dastbosi (kind of respect by kissing the hands of the saints) of all the ahrām posh. Then, finally, an ahram consisting of addha and tahband is tied to the seeker by another Warsi fakir. Tying an ahrām is known as ahrāmposhi, and one who receives an ahrām is called an ahrāmposh.

Holi

The Holi festival on Dargah premises was started during the time of Haji Waris Ali Shah. At that time, on the day of Holi, the Hindu devotees of Haji Waris Ali Shah used to bring gulāl and rose flowers and play Holi by placing them at his feet. Since then, on the day of Holi, people have taken part in a procession. The annual Holi julūs (procession) begins in the morning at the Qaumi Ekta Dwar in Dewa with flowers. It circles the town before reaching the mausoleum around mid-day. By this time, devotees gather on the Dargah premises, and Holi is played with rose petals, gulāl, and abīr. Devotees exchange Gujiya (a traditional sweet dish) among themselves. Due to the involvement of Muslim ahrām posh in this Hindu festival, it is often called Eid e Ghulābi. This festival is an example of the fact that colors have no religion; rather, the beauty of colors attracts everyone. This method of tabligh, by adopting the indigenous Saffron color of Hindus, was earlier seen in Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and his disciples's way to ease their tabligh to the then Orthodox Hindu community. Aao Re Warsiyon Khele Holi is a popular Qawwali by Anis Sabri devoted to this Sufi festival of colors.

Ahram

According to Islamic scholar, Mufti Salman Azhari, Warsi Ali Shah followed and advocated the principle of موتوا قبل أن تموتوا (Mutu qabla an tamutu), which means die before death. Comparing the ahrām, with shroud, Azhari says, the ahrām in Warsi Silsila is tied so that the ahrāmposh successor totally dissociates himself from worldly desires and possessions.

While discussing an incident related to ahrām in Maharashtra, Qadri says that, although a plain piece of cloth to ordinary people, the devotees of Silsila-e-Warsiyya consider ahram to be miraculous attire. While telling his self-observed incident, Qadri says, it was in the late 90s when Chaubay's son named Shyam was suffering from Jinn problems. When he was brought in front of Ghulab Shah Warsi, Ghulab Shah Warsi threw his ahram on Shyam. What happened was that Shyam screamed, and that jinn on him got burned, and he got rid of his spiritual ailments. Warsi considers Ahram as a miraculous attire which transforms ordinary men into Ahramposh Faqir, just like an alchemist stone.

Zikr of Ya Waris

There is a tradition of remembrance and chants of Ya Waris which means, Oh Waris. Devotees believe that chanting the name of the founder helps in their spiritual advancement and cure them from various physical and spirituaL ailments. Waris Pak advocated the continuous wird of Durud sharif to his followers. He taught the special Durud sharif for the spiritual advancement which is as follows, ʾAllāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā ʾāli Muḥammadin wa bārik wa sallim.

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