The word fityan orginated from fata meaning youth. It is used to mean an "exemplary expression of the qualities of nobility, honesty, loyalty, and courage." Rkia E. Cornell writes, "Futuwwa is a type of Sufi chivalry that stresses altruism and brotherhood." In her "Early Sufi Women" (pub. Fons Vitae, 1999), there is a saying of Fatima al-Khanaqahiya, "Futuwwa is to maintain service to others without discrimination."
Ibn Battuta praised particularly the fityan organizations of Anatolia. Ibn Battuta barely mentions the fityan organizations in other Muslim countries. Perhaps in the dynamism and social conciousness of the-then Turkey we see an prior indication of the coming of the Ottoman caliphate. In Ibn Battuta's description the quality of generous hospitality to visitng strangers appears as a main characteristic of these organizations.
In Anatolia the great banquets they brought for the visitor, the entertainment they put on, songs and dances, the way their network helped Ibn Battuta traveling from town to town and their differential constume clearly impressed the Arab traveler. As a result we learn more about their works and hospices in the writing of Ibn Battuta. They were mostly ordinary people. In one town, the leader was a cobbler. He led a group of about two hundred people of different trades. They called their leader akhi meaning brother. All that they earned by day they spent at night.
In Bangladesh disciples used to address the Pagolpanhi Faqir Karram Shah as Bhaisaheb (Mr. Brother). We read about the langarkhanas founded by Jalal al-Din Tabrizi. They were used for feeding thousands of poor people and travelers. In the past people of North Bengal also called Jalal al-Din Tabrizi as Shah Jalal. Ibn Battuta stayed in the lodge of the Sheikh of Sylhet for three days. Hazrat asked his disciples to treat the Arab traveller with secial favor during this time.
The socio-economic philosophy of the Bengali Sufism was different. Bengali Sufis used to live inclusively with everybody and they used to keep busy everybody. Later due to the effort of the Chistiya Sufi Ala ul-Haq Bangali Indian Sufi ideas spread in Bangladesh. The Sheikh of Ala ul-Haq was Akhi Siraj (d.1357 CE?).
As the name Akhi shows similarly a story reveals the mind and the teaching method of Akhi Shiraj. After becoming a disciple of Akhi Shiraj, Ala ul-Haq used to walk with a pot on his head behind his Sufi master riding a horse. Although Akhi Shiraj was a follower of the Indian Chistiya sufi tariqa, his mother was from Lakhnouti. Ala ul-Haq was a member of a courtier family from Lahore. It is said Sultan Sikandar Shah banished Ala al-Haq to Sonargao for spending excessively in the capital. In Bangladesh usually there was no hostilities between a pious Sultan and a true Sufi.
According to Ross E. Dunn, author of the book "The Adventures of Ibn Battuta," "fityan were filling a crucial civic function of helping to maintain urban cohesiveness and defense" in an "era of political upheaval". In this sense Akhis can be compared with the Ayars of the Saffarid movement of Sistan. They were people belonging to religious brotherhoods but their functions were civic and secular. Although the word ayaran is used in the meaning of futua, it also meant a gang of robbers. Perhaps it was because of the ancient quarrel of the Iranians and Sakas. In Persian futua is called jowanmardi.
The history of the external shell of Sufism shows two stages.
- 1. The Suffa Companions of the Messenger
of God.
2. The ancient stugglers (Zaheds) of Basra and associated with them a group of mujahids who were employed in East Iran (Sistan, Khurasan, Afghanistan and parts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), some of which were Companions of the Prophet, however most of them were companions of the Companians (tabeyun) or their companions (tabe-tabeyun).
We do not have a detail history of the activities of the Suffa Companions (Ashabe Suffa, Ahle Suffa). However for various reasons we notice the name of Abu Darda a Companion of the Prophet. His wife was the first woman Zahed of Basra. Sad wrote she qouted a saying of Hazrat Abu ad-Darda
: An hour's thought is better than the whole nighlong worship in standing. In this we see an association of the Sufis of the earliest time with an Ashabe Suffa Companion. One finds more connection of Abu Darda.
Asma was a woman Sufi of Syria. She was a follower of niswan. Niswan is the created feminine form fityan. She was noted among the Sufis for her vows to travel for the sake of religion. She was a grandchild or granddaughter-in-law of Abu ad-Darda.
The story is like this that Abu ad-Darda gave up idolatry and embraces Islam quite late. In fact it is said that he was the last person his locality in Medina to become Muslim. When his Muslim friend Abdullah ibn Raowahah returned from the Battle of Badr when went to ask him how was his friend. Ibn Raowahah was not at home at that time. In the returning visit Ibn Raowahah also did not find Abu Darda home. This time suddenly Ibn Raowahah entered his room for worship and broke all the idols and left.
Coming back home when Abu Darda heard what happened he first became extremely angry with his friend. After few days the desire of taking revenge was gone and his heart became soft. Then he went to Ibn Raowahah and express his intention to become Muslim. Ibn Raowahah took him to the Prophet.
Abu Darda was a trader. Later he gave up trading and joined the Ashave Suffa group of the Prophet. Abu Darda used to say trading and worshipping can no done at the same time. The Messenger of God encouraged trading profession. There is a story how Hazrat Salman the Persian advised Abu Darda to soften the harsh path. Hazrat Muhammad fomed a relation of brotherhood between foreigner Salman and Abu Darda. Salman did not like many thing about Abu Darda's ways such as not buying good cloths to his wife, spending too much time in worshipping at night with little sleep and so forth. Later when Abu Darda talked to the Prophet about Salman, the Messenger of God said Salman's words are right.
The name of Salman Farsi can be found in a Sufi chain. Before his arrival in Medina and embracing of Islam he was with Nazarene monks in Madyan for some time. This Madyan was not Cistophon of Iraq where he was appointed Ameer later. There is a story that a merchant mistook him as a laborer and asked him to carry some load. Although he was the governor of the locality he carried the load without any objection.
Abu Darda used to teach the Koran. He was one of the Companions who had the complete written Koran in their possession. Later he was appointed a judge in Syria. It could be that during this time he founded a group in the mosque of Damascus like the Ashabe Suffa group.
Suffa Companions had no work but worshipping and praying. The food people used to send to the mosque of the Prophet was enough for them. Some were in the group temporarily. Many were poor. They were example of Faqirs. One hadith says that knowledge is with the Fuqara. This fikr (concern) was not that of the beggers. However it appears that earlier by the name Faqir a begger or miskin was not meant. Because a non-Muslim begger was not called a Faqir. Again some understand a miskin to be a non-Muslim begger. It is wrong to called a Muslim who habitually performed ritual prayers or even an ordinary Muslim a miskin.
Abu Darda died in 652 CE in Damascus or in Alexandria. After this because of the rule of Muwabia (reign 661-680 CE) the spread of Sufism was not seen in the West as much as it was observed in the East. Muwabia's capital was in Damascus. Muwabia became the Ameer of Syria in 539 CE. Earlier the Ameer of Syria was the hero who conquered Palestine. He was a biological son of Abu Sufiyan father of Muwabia. Muwabia and Abu Sufiyan were therefore in Syria with him. During this time there was continuous warfare between the Muslims of Syria with the Byzantine and the Christians. In one of these war Abu Sufiyan lost an eye. As a deputy to his brother clever and active Muwabia got the confidence of Caliph Umar. So after his half-brother died Hazrat Umar made Muwabia the governor of Syria.
...................................(To be completed).
REFERENCES
1. Rkia E. Cornell: "Early Sufi Women," Fons Vitae, 1999.
2. Ross E. Dunn: "The Adventures of Ibn Battuta," Univ. of California Press, 1989.