Ghanche District

Infobox Pakistan district
district = Ghanche District
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caption = Map of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, showing the six districts and tehsil boundaries.
region = Northern Areas
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Ghanche District is the easternmost district of the Northern Areas, Pakistan. To its northeast is Xinjiang (China), to the north and northwest is Skardu District, to its west is Astore District and to its south is Ladakh District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The line of control along the eastern most region of Ghanche District cuts through the Siachen Glacier and is not permanent because of the conflict (It has been proposed by moderates in Pakistan and India to make the Siachen Glacier region a Peace Park).

The capital of Ghanche District is Khaplu. This is the coldest place within Pakistan also called the "Third Pole" with temperatures reaching below -20°C in the winter. Khaplu and Hushe Valleys form the gateway for the great Baltoro Muztagh, the subrange of Karakoram that includes the mighty peaks of K2 (8,611 m), Broad Peak (8,047 m), Gasherbrums (8,000+ m) and Masherbrum (7,821 m) (all of which are included in the Skardu District).

Nurbakshia

History of Islam in Baltistan starts with arrival of Ameer Kabeer Syed Ali Hamadani (A legendary Sufi Saint of the Muslim History) from Iran during 15th Century. He was followed by other Sufi legends afterwards, such as Shah Syed Muhammad Noorbaksh. Soon the whole region converted to Noorbakshi order of Islamic Sufism. The core message of Sufia Nurbakhshism are: complete elimination of all evil desires and immoralities of human nature from one’s self; total submission of one’s wills before God (by following the Qur'an Sunnah and Ahlibeit) and finally love and peace for the whole mankind. During the start of 19th century, however, the predominant population converted to other Islamic schools of thought such as Shias and Sunnis. Today, the Baltis are; Shia' denomination (13%), Sufia Nurbakhshi (80%), and Sunni-Ahlehadith sect (7%). Today, Nurbakhshis are found in Baltistan and Ladakh regions of J&K, as well as a large number of Noorbakshis are native to Iran, Kurdistan and Central Asia.

Holy Prophet Muhammada Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Tal;iba Hazrat Imam Hassana Hazrat Imam Hussaina Hazrat Imam Ali Zain-Ul-Abideena Hazrat Imam Muhammad Baqira Hazrat Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq a Hazrat Imam Musa Kazima Hazrat Imam Ali Razaa Hazart Shayk Maruf al Kurkhia Hazart Shaykh Sari as-Saqtia Hazart Shaykh Junayd Baghdadia Hazart Shaykh Abu ali al Rudbaraia Hazart Shaykh Abu Usman Maghribia Hazart Shaykh Abu al-Jurjania Hazart Shaykh Abu Bakr Annasajia Hazart Shaykh Ahmed Ghazalia Hazrat Shaykh abu Najeeb al-suharwardia Hazrat Shaykh ammaar yasir al-Badeesia Hazrat Shaykh al-Najm-ud-din al–kubraa Hazrat Shaykh Ali al-Lalaa Hazrat Shaykh Ahmed zakir al Jurjania Hazrat Shaykh Abud al- Rahman Asfariyenia Hazrat Shaykh Alla al-Dula as-Samnania Hazrat Shaykh Mehmood al Muzdiqania Hazrat Shaykh Amir al-kabir sayyid Ali Hamadania Hazrat Khawaja Ishaq al –Khutalnia Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh al-Qahistani

The fact that these practices are not an assemblage of his personal view but the practices were originally conceived to him from Muhammad through the masters of the spiritual chain. It the readers any doubt in this connection, we would invite them to travel on the long road through the history of mysticism and to compare it with that of Nurbakhsh’s teachings. The research it self will tell you the fact.

Nurbakhsh had stated the theological and philosophical aspects of Quran and Sun’nah in order to abolish the innovations and to revive the practices of Mohammad's time. This was in fact a sincere effort for the cause of pan-Islamism and there is a great scope of Islamic moderation in his teachings. It is not only my claim but rather is the study-result of all those who have discerned the true spirit of Nurbakhsh movement. Researches show that all the masters of the path have made their struggle to reach their goal through love or through gnosis, by means of asceticism or through practices leading to ecstatic capture. But Nurbakhsh seems to make a struggle through spiritual, philosophical, theological and literary movements in order to reach this goal, which was appropriate to his time. In future, with the passage of time, with the accelerated advancement in science and technology, these teachings should be given an appropriate shape. I mean the methodology of propagation of these teachings should be linked not only with the modern scientific developments but also in scientific terms, maintaining out identity of peacefulness and sincerity and the other distinctive features.

The verdict of mystical history it that all the sufiya were against sectarianism. The mysticism of love & suffering, teaches man to live and to die for a goal outside himself. They wanted to establish a God-fearing and peaceful society. Their main objective was to become a true lover of God and Muhammad. To reach this goal, they followed a certain Sufi master (Shaykh or Pir). At first, they loved Shayh which, in which, in mystical term, is called Fana Fi Shaykh. “Absorb in Shaykh” and then they become alover of Muhammad (Fana Fial- Rasool). After this stage, they mystics became a full lover of God (Fana Fi Allah). For them the only thing that matters is the hope of God and the word of his praise, which, to them are sweeter than any other word. The nightly prayers and the silent recollection (Zikr-al-Khafi) becomes a sweet and loving conversation between the lover and the beloved. The great names which are ninety nine are recited together with award at Fathiyya after Fajr prayer every day.

Though the above mentioned practices and through the other practices, they fell in love with God. According to the western scholars, Immam Maruf al-Karkhi was among the first to speak about divine love. In this connection, Annemarie Schimmel (a Harved University Professor) writes:-

Among the many Sufis who lived and worked in the Capital, Baghdad, as well as in other Iraqian Cities, mention must be made of Rabia’s younger contemporary Ma’ruf al Karkhi Legends speaks of his storng mystical power. His prayers were heard, and after his death, people from Baghdad would cross the tiger to the section of karkh and pray for rain at his tomb. Ma’ruf disciple Sari as Saqti gratefully acknowledged that his teacher’s blessing had enabled him to achieve high spiritual rank”.

“Abul al-Qasim al-Janayed, a successor of Shaykh Sari as Saqti, is considered the pivot, in the history of early Sufism. He taught divine love to his disciples. Hussain Mansoor al-Hallaj went a step ahead in divine love and became the martyr of mystical love. In the scene in Jupiter Heaven in the Jawid Nama that depicts his spiritual journey through the spheres, Allama Iqbal has treated Hallaj as a sort of medieval fore runner of himself and has emphasized his dynamic concept of love and faith as an ideal for every free Muslim”.

The Mystical history shows that the sufiyas were the men of divine love. They did hate rationalism and never gave any importance to it. They were the perfect men par-excellence in Islam. It is a well-known factFact|date=August 2008 that all the masters of the path (Silsilah a- Dhahab) have been feeling a sentimental allegiance to the family of the prophet without believing in Shia doctrine and they believe in God, the angels, prophets, scriptures and the day of judgement without believing absolutely in Sunni doctrine. The doctrines of the Sufis are not entirely the same as to that of the Shias or Sunnis but are partially similarly to both.

In this connection different books on the doctrine of the Sufis may be consulted. Among those books’ mention may be made of the “Kitab al Ta’aruf li Madhhab al Tasawwuf” of Kalabadi (Translation; the doctrine of the Sufis by A.J Arberry) and the Kitab al-Aitqadia of Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani (Translation; the principles of Islamic doctrine by the writers of the present article which is to be published in near future.

The veneration of Ali was widespread among the Muslim, and he was often regarded as an important link in the spiritual chain leading the sufi masters back to Muhammad. In Nurabakhsh’s spiritual chain, seven Shii Imamas are shown as Sufi masters; he has extracted the sayings of these Imamas at some places of his books. According to which these Imams were the great teachers of early Sufism. According to Nwyia’s research, Imam Jaffar as-Sadiq ( d. 765) was certainly one of the greatest teachers of Sufism. Commentary on the Quran, part of which is preserved in Sulami’s tafsis shows an exceptional insight into mystical phenomenon. Fa’far discerned the four different aspects of the Quran. Expression, for the common people; allusion; for the privileged or elite; touches of grace (late if) for the saints; and finally the realities for the prophets.

This pluralistic structure of the Holy Book led Ja’far to sketch a hierarchial structure of the faithful according to the degree of their interior knowledge i.e. “stages” or ‘Stations”. This hierarchial principle is also found in the theories of saintship. Imam Jaffar for Alluded to a structure of mystical experience that leads in twelve stages from source to source, which looks like a preparation for the stations ( Maqamat) through which the Sufi initiate has to pass on the path.

Ja’far as Sadiq teachings, according to Nywia’s research, is itself a proof that Ja’far was one of the earlier masters of Sufism. Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh has stated the teachings and practices of Sufiyas. He had made every efforts in order to remove the prevailing differences among the Muslim Ummah of the world. Surely he was bestowed with a great mission to remove the innovations and differences inside Islam. Credit, therefore, must go to S.M.Nurbakhsh, who strived for the unity of the Muslim theologically and philosophically and a glorious movement was started under his guidance. He continued his mission openly and publicly in spite of bloodless means by Tamurid Shahrukh and taught men to live and die for a goal outside themselves.These are the extracts of series of articles written by Sajjad Hussain Balghari and published in Monthly Nava-i-Sufia Islamabad in Issues 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19.

References

Notes

[Balghari, Sajjad H:"Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani", Monthly Nawa-i-Sufia, Islamabad, Issoue No.12, 1995] .

See also

*www.sufianurbakhshia.net
*Districts of Northern Areas
*Northern Areas

[{Sufia Nurbakhshia}]