Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 22 Issue 6

“We, Maizbhandari darbar, have a lot of major events to follow. People from the whole country come here. Millions of people join the celebration. We give importance to these programs, especially, the Urs of our masters because we believe that celebrating Urs would help us to get the blessings of our beloved Sufis.” In these events people bring Cow, Buffalo, Goat, Sheep, and Camel as gifts (Nazrana). A special kind of rice is made of that meat which is called Tabarrukh. The Maizbhandari followers respect and love this food (Tabarrukh) so much. Practices of Maizbhandari Culture In Maizbhandar the day starts with the morning prayer- salat of Fajr. People go to Mosques in order to perform Salat al Fajr. After the salat they do Zikr for a while and start their day. Every Thursday they do a special practice as they do Sufi zikr, khatm e Ghousiyys Maizbhandariyya, sema. In the late night (during the time of Tahajjud), they perform Salat al Tahajjud by going to mosques. During any special events, which have been described in the Major events and Festivals part, the Sufi master with his followers go to the Rouza (Mazar) of Ghous ul Azam Maizbhandari and Ghous ul Azam Babavandari and other Maizbhandari legends chronologically. They do Ziyarat of the Sufi in the Rouza. They put new Ghilaf (the cloth which is kept over the Mazar) on the Mazar and provide the flower with due respect. One of our in-depth interview respondents described: “We go to the Rouza during special events and do Khas Ziyarat (special Ziyarat). We do it with our traditional Sufi music and dance in order to make it more fruitful.” Dars e Tasawwuf (classes for learning Sufism) is also arranged regularly by the Sufi masters. After meeting with their masters the Maizbhandari followers provide Nazrana to their master. It can be food, fruit, money or any other gift (which is an accepted sunnah of the holy prophet). There are some personal Sufi practices as well like Murakaba. It is a special kind of Sufi meditation done for the perfection of the soul. It can be done every day in a quiet place by following some guidelines provided by their Sufi masters. e) Gender Dimension The society is more generous compared to mainstream society in terms of gender equality. Both male and female participate in all practices in this culture. Women are allowed to perform all the rituals. One of our female respondents said that- “There is no discrimination against women in our Sufi culture. We go to the Mazar, attend all programs including Urs, Birthday Celebration, Sema (Sufi Musical Program).” None of the female respondents reported that they faced domestic violence because the culture itself represents love, peace and patients, so it is improbable for the members of the society to be violent. The girls also receive religious education in the madrasas . V. D iscussion The study identified several aspects of the Sufi culture of Maizbhandar. Their fundamental belief is identical to the belief of all other Muslims but they have some additional one, i.e. especially the love and belief for their masters. Their notion of salvation is a unique one. It is not to go to heaven but to get the proximity of the creator of heaven. This study has found that they believe in love, peace, patience, sacrifice and humanity which are the most excellent characteristics of the Sufi culture of Maizbhandar. While many religious extremists are doing unethical activities in the name of Islam, the Maizbhandari Sufis are still spreading the message of love and humanity. The followers are also very much influenced by this notion of belief in their practical life. Even non-believers can come to Maizbhandar which is a remarkable contribution of Maizbhandari Sufi culture. This culture can contribute to establishing a harmonious society in Bangladesh. The Maizbhandari Sufi music and dance are also very popular and rich. Even the non Maizbhandari followers listen to those songs as many of the Maizbhandari songs are remade in modern format. Their Sufi zikr is the way to get the light (nur) of Allah and it is a cultural practice as well. This study found that most of their major events are associated with the birth and departure of their Sufi masters because the birth of a Sufi is a blessing for them; that is why, they celebrate their birthdays. The departure is also a blessing because the Sufi is getting united with the beloved Allah and that is why they also celebrate that. It is also associated with their development of soul as they are more potential to get blessings in those special events. They make Tabarrukh (food) distributed to all even the non Maizbhandari or non-believers. It is a great example of humanity and openness of Maizbhandari Sufis. This study also examined some rituals and practices of Maizbhandari Sufi culture including special Thursday activities, zikr, ziyarat, providing flowers, providing nazrana, teaching the principle of Sufism, Murakaba (meditation) etc. The devotees of Maizbhandari tariqa do the practice with due respect. VI. C onclusion The Sufi culture of Maizbhandar has a great influence on the people, especially the followers. Their belief system, which makes them unique, does not allow religious fundamentalism or extremism. That is why; Maizbhandari Sufi culture can play a pivotal role in mitigating radical activities in the name of religion. The music of Maizbhandar also represents the folk culture of Bangladesh which widens the sphere of culture. This Sufi culture can establish a peaceful young generation with a developed soul which will ultimately result in a © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VI Version I 55 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 C Establishing Peace through a Mystic Journey towards Fana : An Ethnographic Study on the Sufi Culture of Maizbhandar in Chittagong, Bangladesh