«Investigating The influence of Sufism and Islamic mysticism on the mystical way of Indian Bāuls»

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student of Religion and Mysticism, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Religion and Mysticism, Faculty of Motahari's Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Religion and Mysticism, Faculty of Motahari's Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Investigating The influence of Sufism and Islamic mysticism on the mystical way of Indian Bāuls
Abstract
Bāul literally means mad and infatuation with the truth. Bāuls, like dervishes and Qalandars, are Hindus who originated from the Nādia region in the state of Bengal. In general, the Bāuls tradition is a fusion and eclectic tradition. The Bāuls were influenced by all the three major religions of the Indian subcontinent—Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam—that flourished in Bengal at the time. Although they are unknown, they have a special importance and place in Hindu mysticism. Tagore, an Indian poet and writer, played a prominent role in popularizing Bāul. Freedom from any constraints is a characteristic of their mystical life. Sufism is one of the important elements that has had the greatest impact on Bāul after the arrival of Islam in India. In fact, the Bāuls of Bengal are the final product of the synthesis and fusion of Sāhājiya and Sufism. Some of the similarities between the Sufi beliefs and the Bāul beliefs, such as: Samā, dancing and singing, guru and spiritual Murshid, freedom, heresy and iconoclostic, considering the body as microcosm, etc., indicate this fusion. In this article, with the library method and with the tools of analysis and description, while introducing Bāul and the course of Sufism in India and Bengal, we discuss the extent of the influence of Sufism on Bāuls.

Keywords

References

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