Tales of Piety: Culture and Beliefs of the ‘Islamicate Societies’ of South Asia

Tales of Piety:

Culture and Beliefs of the ‘Islamicate Societies’ of South Asia

We all have grown up listening to stories from our elders, mostly from an elderly woman like a grandmother, aunt or in some cases, maids. The themes of these stories contained a wide variety; fairy tales, incidents from religious scriptures, folk narratives and stories of morals. The child, in his journey to youth, comes across different kind of stories. The storyteller changes, from a family elder to school teacher to a priest or religious preacher to a barber (in villages) and the themes of the stories also change with the storyteller, which, in fact, shape our identities in the society.

In villages of central Bihar, the birth of a child, marriages and harvest of a good crop are celebrated with much enthusiasm and some kind of public performances. Pamadiyas(a caste of performers) use to sing stories of ‘Chand gwala and Manjmunjrin gwalin’, ‘Laurik Chanda’s story and tales of several other local ‘heroes’, such as the stories of ‘Reshma-Chuhadmal’ and ‘SultanPir’, which they have learnt from their forefathers. The stories, generally, contain themes of love’ and ‘transgression’, in some of the cases inspired by the Jatakas. These stories also highlight the voices from below and can be put up simply as‘voices of dissent’.

I am, here, talking of a third kind of story i.e., the tales which are narrated in a gathering of people, who assemble for a pious purpose of listening to the story. After the storyteller finishes his narrative, prsad or srini (consecrated edibles) is distributed. None can afford to refuse the prsad. The story, itself, warns, ‘someone who refused the prsad, srini is punished severally by one of the main characters of the story’. Such stories are a part of both ‘greater’ as well as ‘little’ traditions. Satyanarayan Katha vrat is performed for good omen, to get a son or to become rich and to get the ‘fruit’, which ultimately eases one’s life and provides moksha. The tradition of the katha has been appropriated as Satya Pir stories in Bengal among the lower strata cutting across the religious line. Hindus, as well as Muslims, listen to the stories of Satya Pir to become rich and for getting their wishes fulfilled. The figure of Satya Pir has acquired ‘folk deity’ status adding to the pantheon of an already large number of deities consisting, Sultan Pir, Sheikh Saddo, Bibi Kamalan, Mata (sometimes called devi of smallpox) and Mirans who are worshipped, in one way or the other by both the communities of Muslims and Hindus. David Gilmartin has examined some of the stories of the ‘little traditions’ among the Bengalis. Simon Digbyhas tried to collect these kinds of stories in his Wonder Tales of SouthAsia. The story of ‘Madhukar and Madhumalti’ is a love story. Madhukar had to wait and fight several odds for her beloved Madhumalti, an apsara and ultimately achieved the union when she born in human form. The story, in the end, tells the audience, ‘anyone who tells or listens to this story or keeps the book of it in his house find happiness and riches in this world and dwell in Vaikunth in the next!’ The story of Bakawali, a fairy, in whose love princeTajul Mulk falls and faces different odds due to a ‘problem’ in his horoscope, takes the help of Hammala, a deo lady (demon) and fights several odds and ultimately reunite with his lady love, who had to perform in the court of Indra who was also in love with the fairy, creates many problems for the couple with his curse, ultimately he gives up and allows his courtesan, Bakawali to go to her lover prince, Tajul Muluk. Both the writers have emphasized the oneness of cultural background’ of the two large communities, Hindus and Muslims with slightly different ideas. Former has refuted the idea of ‘syncretism’ and placed the story of Satya Pir in peasant settings and pragmatic concerns of life, whereas the other scholar has tried to find, in the stories, different ‘characters’ of the two different world views, that of the Hindus and the Muslims. 

I am introduced to a different kind of story, last year, when I got admitted to hospital for my dengue fever. Mother of my best friend took a vow to listen to the stories of ‘Bibi Saiyida’ if I got well. Women from nearby homes gathered, they sat on the carpet with covered head and incensed sticks were lit, a plate with misri (sugar cubes) was kept in middle, my aunt started reading the story:

In a town, a sunar(goldsmith) used to dwell. One day his wife went to fetch water from a village well. All of a sudden she heard a hue and cry; her son had fallen into the kiln of a kumhar (earthen port maker). She cried in shock and got unconscious, in her cataleptic state she saw a veiled lady in her dream, the lady said, ‘o woman! Take a vow that you will listen to the story of Janab Saiyida if your son comes out of the kiln unharmed’. At the same time someone shouted with joy that the sunar’s boy has come out of the kiln unharmed. Sunarni (wife of the goldsmith) opened her eyes and found her son standing near her. She went to her home and bought some shirni for two paisa and asked her neighbouring women to accompany her and listen to the story of Bibi Saiyida. They refused, she became sad and started crying and left for a nearby jungle. Deep in the forest, she found a veiled lady, she said, ‘I will read the story for you’, she started, ‘there lived a Jew in the city of Medina and his daughter was getting married. He came to the presence of the prophet of the God and said, ‘if your presence allows, I wish to take Janab-e Saiyida’ (Prophet Mohammad’s daughter) to my home for the marriage of my daughter’. The prophet asked him to talk to Amir [Ali, son-in-law of the prophet], if he permits then you can take Fatima with you.’ The Jew went to Hazrat Ali and told his intentions. Ali asked him to see Fatima, the Jew went to her and invited her to his daughter’s marriage. Bibi Fatima asked him to prepare for the transport. When he left, Bibi Fatima spread the prayer carpet, performed two rikat of namaz and stretched her hand in prayer to God. She prayed, ‘O my Sustainer! I am daughter of your Prophet and Your slave-girl, I, neither have any cloth nor anything fitting for the occasion, in this way, how can I go for the marriage!’ The prayer was yet to finish, soon the hoories (female angels) came with all kind of clothes and jewels from heaven in a boat. The hoories prepared Bibi Saiyida with all the heavenly ornaments and bid her farewell. When the Bibi reached the house of the Jew, it got illumined with her presence. All the women in the house got unconscious due to the light emanating from her. After some time, all the women got up, except the bride, she had died. The whole house was filled with screams. Janab-e Saiyida was very upset over all this. She spread her prayer carpet and performed two rikat of namaz and petitioned God, ‘O my Sustainer! I am your chosen slave-girl and daughter of your Prophet, please save my honour otherwise, people will say that the bride died because of me’. As soon as she finished her prayer, the bride awoke from her sleep of death reciting the kalima (oath). It is said that almost five hundred women came to the fold of Islam after seeing this wonder.’

The veiled lady again addressed the sunarni, this wonder story is also said in a different way:

There lived a king in a city; he and his wazir (prime minister) went on a hunting expedition with their daughters. In the deep forest, a great storm came up, all the tents and the hunting party flew with the storm. When it settled, the king found his hunting party and his all belongings, except the two girls. They flew and reached on top of a hill, they both cried together until they fell unconscious. In their dream, a veiled lady came and asked them to take a vow that they will listen to the story of Janab-e Saiyida if they met their parents. Meanwhile, a hunting party ofanother king had come in the same jungle. His men were looking for water. Oneof them saw the two girls; the soldier took them with him to the king. The wellbehaved king listened to their sad story and kept them with his karwan. Hethen informed the parents of the girls, they were very happy to know the wellbeings of their daughters. The parents visited the king to bring their daughtersback. But the king had developed liking for the girls and wished to marry themwith his sons. Knowing this, the parent happily agreed. But the girls, by now,had forgotten to fulfill their vow of listening to the story of Janab-eSaiyida. Preparations for the marriages were being done with much enthusiasm. The king and his sons visited the brides’ place with a great wedding procession. When the braat was returning with the brides, a lota (pot) filled with water left on the door of the palace. The king sent a sipahi (sepoy/soldier) to fetch the water-filled pot. What he sees, on his return, that there was no palace, no king and nothing which could even indicate the pomp of royalty, only the lota filled with water was kept in the middle of the open field, as he stretched his hand to pick the pot up it turned into a black snake and attacked the soldier. He got frightened and ran to his master and narrated the whole state of affairs. The king enquired about all this to the brides, they were speechless. The king alleges them of being jadugarnin (bewitches) and threw them into the prison and ordered their killings on the next day. They wept and understood that this is nothing but God’s punishment on them. The girls fell unconscious and saw the same veiled lady in her dream who reminded them of their vow to listen to the story of Janab-e Saiyida. The girls then listened to the story and later on, everything got right. The king sent his men to see the girls place and found everything all right. The girls were then set free.

After telling this story to the sunarni, the veiled lady disappeared. When the sunarni returned to her home she found that the houses of all the ladies who had refused to listen to the story of Janab-e Saiyida were burning. Pray! All the wishes of all the Muslim men and women may realize the way the girls and the sunarni got their wishes fulfilled. Amen !”

After the story got finished, all the ladies stretched their hands in prayer and perhaps, they thanked the Bibi for restoring my health.

The pious story among the Muslims does not come to an end with this one. In fact, this story is one of many. Dus Bibi ki Kahani (Story of ten pious women) and Story of the Woodcutter and His wife which is read in the festival of Kunda on22nd Rajab (Arabic month) are few examples which are listened to and considered very pious in width and breadth of South Asia. Certainly, these stories have their settings of a ‘greater tradition’ but belong to the masses, whose beliefs are very different from what one may call ‘religion’ with thickly drawn lines. The stories of this kind, though do not bear the seal of approval from the religious elites of any sect of Islamicate society but are still in practice among the majority of the, what we today call Muslim community.