Holi's Muslim history

Arts & Culture Culture, Arts, Literature & Linguistics
1

Holi, being celebrated across India March 21, may be
the most colourful Hindu festival but it has a Muslim
history as well.

Sufi saints like Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir
Khusrau in their chaste Persian and Hindi loved the
festival. Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, whose Holi
‘phags’ (songs) are relished even today,
allowed his Hindu ministers to tinge his forehead with
gulal during Holi festival each year.

During the Shahjahani tenure of Delhi, Holi was known
as Eid-e-Gulabi (Pink Eid) or Aab-e-Pashi (Shower of
Colourful Flowers), and truly so owing to its carnival
spirit and hysterical rejoicing for both Hindus and
Muslims.

The nobles, kings and nawabs exchanged rose water
bottles and sprinkled them on each other along with
the frenzied drumming of the nagaras (drums).

This enlightened spirit percolated in the Mughals
right from the time of the greatest Mughal emperor
Akbar. Jahangir is shown holding Holi festivities in
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.

Many artists, especially Govardhan and Rasik, have
shown Jahangir playing Holi with Noorjahan, his wife.

Mohammed Shah Rangila, in a remarkable painting, is
shown running around the palace with his wife
following him with a or water cannon.

Such examples are umpteen in India’s cultural
heritage; and this has been enriched by the harmonious
amalgamation and assimilation of various faiths and
ethnicities.

Mirza Sangi Baig in Sair-ul-Manazil narrates that the
rollicking and frolicking Holi groups were alternately
powdered and drenched till the floor had been covered
with a swamp of crimson, yellow and orange colour,
with the faces being multi- coloured, a spectacle very
enthralling and exclusive.

Who says Holi is a Hindu festival asks
Munshi Zakaullah in his book Tarikh-e-Hindustani.

Zakaullah writes that the carnival of Holi lasted for
days during the Mughal rule during which people,
irrespective of religious or social distinctions,
forgot their restraints. The poorest of the poor threw
colour on the emperor.

Children Urdu monthly Khilona (March 1960)
mentioned that during the days of Bahadur Shah Zafar,
special arrangements were made for Holi festivities.

And Jam-e-Jahanuma, an Urdu newspaper (March 10,
1844), reported that on such occasions, both Hindus
and Muslims joined hands.

2

Re: Holi's Muslim history

why is this in the religion section anyways ...its a cultural topic ...muslim kings do not represent islam and they were bending backwards to please their hindu subjects did little to spread the faith ...they married hindus , employed hindus for administration and as generals and used hindus to kill other muslims in civil wars ....so plz dont think if the kings and their nobles did it becomes a part of religion

3

Re: Holi's Muslim history

Most of the Muslim kings had only one motto:
Farsi: Baber ba aish kosh k alam dobara neest.
Urdu:Babar aish kar dunia dubara nahi milay gee.
English: Babar have fun , you only live once.
All their actions were consistent with their motto.

4

Re: Holi's Muslim history

^^^^^ That sounds like my way of life !

5

Re: Holi's Muslim history

i have just seen same post at other site with different name:)

6

Re: Holi's Muslim history

You are right Babar Loved Poetry........

He also believed in Allah and loved his Son Humayyun....when Humayun was sick and close to death............Zaheerud Din Babar Prayed to Allah to save his Son........and promised to give up drinking alcohol.

Hamayun lived and Babar did give up drinking!

Tarroo desi married women
7

Re: Holi's Muslim history

I read a different version of this story. In the story I read Baber was going around the bed of his sick son praying to Allah that Allah rid his son of sickness and give him sickness instead. According to that story this is exactly what happened Humanyun started to get better and Baber started to get sick and later died.
Allah knows the best.

8

Re: Holi's Muslim history

***Yes I read the same story in high school..............so any Man especially a ruler of a nation willing to give his life for his Son..............can't be all bad?

Babar did have faults but left quite a Legacy!

9

Re: Holi's Muslim history

Nice one, Thanks for sharing, do you really know why you celebrate Holi

10

Re: Holi's Muslim history

"...reported that on such occasions, both Hindus
and Muslims joined hands." -nice

Holi and Easter came at the same time this year.....interesting:)

Why laws against polygamy??
11

Re: Holi’s Muslim history

It’s a HoliDay for all :halo:

12

Re: Holi's Muslim history

babar killed muslims to gain power and so did auranzaib the supposedly "pious" ruler amongst the mughals ...why shud we imitate their customs
bahadur shah zafar was a puppet and indecisive leader he sabotaged the war of independence

13

Re: Holi's Muslim history

all muslim invaders as well as their descendants committed innumerable atrocities to spread islam. Millions of people were converted to islam by force and by unleashing tyrannical rules. Millions of men women children were killed because they refused to convert. Thousands of temples were destroyed. The goal of all these marauding terrorists was to establish islam and rid India of all other religions.

They failed. In spite of hundreds of years of such repression the truth and good nature of Sanatha Dharma prevailed and proved to be stronger than anything these tyrants could unleash. In fact the islamic religion itself got changed and ended up absorbing some Indian customs!

That's why we say ultimately....

Sathyameva Jayathey!

Jai Bharath

Sri Rama Jayam!

14

Re: Holi's Muslim history

Ok buddy before you go all hindu fundamentalist on us here, lets not distort history here. The Muslim invaders may have committed many temple sackings and killed many people, but it was not the name of religion. They were tyrants that wanted power, wealth etc..they hardly on a mission to convert India into Muslim nation. The Mughals and other invaders were, at times, allied with Hindus (Rajputs being a prime example) and fought other Muslim rulers simulatenously.

Your revisionist history does not hold up in terms of the facts and realities of conversions that was done by sufis. To this day, the predominant strain of Islam in South Asia is the Sunni Hanafi branch which considered to be the most liberal. Furthermore forcible conversions are never successful beyond the first generation, with cryto-beliefs being passed down to the next generations. The Spanish Inquisition's failure to convert Muslims, Jews is evidence of the fact.

Conversions in modern day Pakistan can be divided into a few categories:

  • Sufi saints in the Punjab and Sindh. The mazars are evidence of their widespread devotion and following to this day.

  • Iranian link in the case of Baluchistan and NWFP. As Eastern Iranian peoples, these two locales became Muslims well before the eastern Indic provinces.

  • Personal gain: Many converted to under the good graces of the Muslim adminitrations and to enjoy tehir patronage.

15

Re: Holi's Muslim history

really? if all they wanted was power and wealth, they had acquired both on conquest. Why then go around destroying temples and building mosques in the very spots, if not to super impose islam?

sure they allied with Hindu kingdoms - marriage of convenience is as old as tyranny

And the last part about 'good graces' of muslim administrations to enjoy patronage - isn't that just another form of coercion? if you conver you get this job, otherwise someone else gets it..

There's nothing Hindu or fundamentalist in what I am saying. Simply, the facts and I know they are ugly for muslims to accept but facts are facts

16

Re: Holi's Muslim history

You can not classify a few hundred years of Muslim rule to be monolithic. Temple destruction was hardly a Muslim invader policy. Did it happen? Sure. Just like many Hindu rulers flattened newly constructed Mosques during the same period. Islamic history does have a period of time where conquests were done based on religion. However India (or Spain) should not be included in that category.

The patronage argument does not qualify as outright coercion, but what did you expect during those times: A Western European liberal democracy, at a time when the West itself was struggling with government? What can I say, if an hindu (or a person of any faith) converts for a job? Weak faith to begin with?

I am not here to deny that Muslim invasion of India was bloodless nor the fact that the Hindus were persecuted at times - however that argument of Islam being spread by the sword is false. I said Hindu fundamentalist because that precisely what they believe. You can try to force a person to change his faith, he may do visibly, but he will always be a crypto-Hindu. I can give you countless examples of Muslims in USSR, present day China, or in the Carribean, where they have held on to their faith despite the odds so there is no reason for the 'coerced' new Muslims to do the same - pass down the hindu faith to their children. However as history will show you, this did not happen. People largely accepted Islam for the reasons I mentioned previously.

To convert India to Islam by force is numerically impossible. In fact, even occupying India would have impossible had the Brits not had collaborators. India is in some ways like China - large and diverse in population.

Real CHANGE vs Fake CHANGE
17

Re: Holi's Muslim history

[QUOTE]
In fact, even occupying India would have impossible had the Brits not had collaborators. India is in some ways like China - large and diverse in population.
[/QUOTE]

ONE Million Mongols crushed China.

18

Re: Holi's Muslim history

since you don't have the policy handbook issued by gori, gazni and similar fools, we can only go by what was actually done by them as documented in history. And that says these nuts destroyed Hindu temples and as a mission! there are further details available about how these sob's used stones from temples as foot-rests in mosques so that people will place their feet on them!

so don't even try to defend these bas*ards on this one.

Obviously Hinduism and Bhuddhism etc survived 800+ years of such rule and flourished. In spite of the tyrant muslim kings holding the sword at their necks, Hinduism has survived. That should tell you how strong it is.

Therefore instead you should be concerned about your religion which seems to need killing and destruction and bribes such as the job you're talking about, to get people to follow it!

so where did the Hindu majority in India come from? even if you combine the entire Pak population and the muslims of India, Hindus still outnumber them. How are going to explain that if people 'largely' accepted islam?

even today, why do muslim countries restrict building of temples and other forms of worship? why are they so insecure with their religion?

19

Re: Holi's Muslim history

There is no single muslim in my mothers village but there is a mosque/Dargha