SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS AND THE DIVERSITY OF ISLAM IN PAKISTAN
Rebecca Conway of Reuters wrote: “The West mostly associates Pakistan with Taliban militants who force women to cover from head to toe, blow up girls’ schools and carry out suicide bombings. But Islam in the South Asian nation.. is far more diverse. Many flock to shrines” where the faithful “seek solace in the Sufi strand of Islam abhorred by militants and considered more liberal in its philosophy than other branches followed by Shi’ites and Sunnis. [Source: Rebecca Conway, Reuters, December 20, 2011]
“Pakistanis are beset by problems — violence, crippling power cuts, poverty and dilapidated hospitals are but a few The government, seen as inept and corrupt, offers little relief. Many people think their suffering is inflicted by evil spirits intent on destroying marriage prospects, businesses and health, and that only Sufi saints can help.
“But that’s a risky belief in Pakistan. Militants, including the al Qaeda-linked Taliban, have over the years bombed Sufi shrines which they consider heretical. During an annual celebration this year at one in the central Pakistani town of Dera Ghazi Khan, the Taliban dispatched suicide bombers who killed 41 people. A double suicide bombing in 2010 at Pakistan’s most important Sufi shrine, in the city of Lahore, killed about 42 people.
“But fears of possession, and life’s many challenges, keep driving people back to the shrines. Sufism is a mystical form of Islam which adheres closely to the traditions of Islam but also reflects secularism and universalism in spiritual matters. It is especially strong in Sindh province, where Pakistan’s biggest city and commercial hub of Karachi is located.”
Magic, Talismans and Spells in Pakistan
Beliefs in spirts and mysticism have a long history and have traditionally been linked with mystical Sufism, pirs (saints) and aamils (sorcerers). Traditional practices include writing verses of the Qu'ran on paper and folding them into various patterns to be worn around the neck as a talisman and reciting the Qu'ran and then blowing onto water or rosewater, which a follower then drinks. When Muslim devotees visit a shrine, they often offer money to a a pir who hands them a special amulet containing a verse from the Qu'ran. [Source: Masroor Gilani, AFP, May 21, 2014]
According to AFP: “Inscribed "spells" of black magic script can also be dissolved into liquids and used as a curse to be given to one's enemies, while some sorcerers ask their followers to sacrifice a black hen or goat to ward off evils. Visiting the shrines of ancient Sufi saints and offering alms to the poor — and cash to the custodians — are very popular in Pakistan, where many believe they will help get their prayers answered. For 45-year-old Razia Bibi, a housewife from the city of Rawalpindi, visiting her saint Syed Izhar Bokhari at his astaana (Sufi abode) is an important ritual she believes ensures her family's health and wellbeing. "It surely is effective, I am coming here for the past 25 years and I have come out of so many troubled situations in my life," the black-veiled Bibi said.
“Not everyone approves. Mufti Tehsinullah of Islamabad's radical Red Mosque said that while the practice of black magic was officially recognized in the Hadith — Islamic texts relating to the life of the Prophet Muhammad — it was wrong to exploit it. "Practicing black magic and making it a business is against sharia and the fake practitioners have in many cases abused young girls who go to them for help in getting proposals," he claimed.
“It's not just the poor and so-called simple people who believe in the dark arts. A remarkable full-page advertisement appeared in national newspapers recently, signed by the head of Pakistan's only brewery, accusing his brother-in-law of turning his mother against him through "witchcraft and black magic".
Pakistan's Sorcerers, — or Scammers
For centuries Pakistan's sorcerers have promised great things for those willing to pay for it. Masroor Gilani of AFP wrote: From winning the heart of your beloved to getting a promotion at work, Pakistan's practitioners of black magic say there is nothing they can't help you achieve — for a humble donation. A cure-all to some and for others a scam that preys on people's superstitions, the sorcerers continue to thrive despite the disapproval of some hardline schools of Islam. "Contact us immediately to get all the jobs done while sitting at home," screams one classified advert featured in several newspapers. It offers an answer for all manner of problems: "failure in love, overcoming the boss, getting a job transfer, foreign travel, lack of marriage proposals and a chance to win a lottery". [Source: Masroor Gilani for AFP, May 21, 2014]
“Pir Ali Hussain Shah, the 55-year-old "saint" referred to in the notice says the correct incantation from the Qu'ran is key to working miracles. "Disease, financial or family problems or any other problem of the world, can be solved in one night of recitation," Shah says. “Shah said he was working for the good of humanity and providing the service on a charitable basis — though he admitted satisfied followers were generous with their gifts. "People who are happy with my work and get solace from their worries, themselves come and give offerings in cash and kind which I spend on langar [charity food handouts]," Shah said.
“The expensive Sunday newspaper ad was paid for by one such follower grateful for Shah's help in getting married to a man in Britain despite her parents' opposition, he said. "The girl's parents did not want her to marry a British-Pakistani man she liked. She contacted me and I did the recitation and told her that within seven days she will get married and it happened."
“And there have been some notorious cases of abuse. In 2011, long-haired, bushy-bearded sorcerer Mohammad Saleem was arrested for duping hundreds of women into having sex with him in the hope of conceiving a boy. He was sentenced to five years in jail and fined 10,000 rupees (US$100 dollars), but in 2013 he was freed after the only woman who came forward to testify retracted her statement.
“There is also little legal redress available for those left unsatisfied by their sorcerer's efforts. Taxi driver Irfan Ahmed, 26, sought help to win the hand of a woman he had fallen in love with — with no success. "I have tried these problem solvers and they all are fake. I lost thousands of rupees on them to make my marriage possible, but she got married to someone else and I am still a bachelor," he said. "I did not go to police as it would be too embarrassing to explain and also police are not of much help in these matters." AFP
Jinns (Spirits) and Exorcists in Pakistan
Spirits in Pakistan are known as djinns, a term that is used in the Qu'ran (Koran). Rebecca Conway of Reuters wrote: “The whole concept of jinns, which previously would have been a belief in some other kind of spirit, has been converted into Islamic parlance,” said Ali Khan, an anthropologist at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. [Source: Rebecca Conway, Reuters, December 20, 2011]
Self-proclaimed exorcists thrive on these beliefs. They claim special powers from God which enable them to help people cope with everything, from domestic disturbances to infertility and impotence. Some even say they can help people find love. In a dimly lit shack just outside a shrine, Syed Aliuddin, wearing a white robe and silk cap set with a green stone resembling an emerald, listens to people lament. One man, an electrician, complains his wife is disobedient. In a carefully rehearsed ritual, the exorcist with a white beard writes prayers on strips of paper and douses them in water. Customers then drink it, believing his promise that it only takes 10 minutes to take effect.
“Aliuddin says he can fight 18,000 types of evil spirits made from fire. Like others in his trade, he is keeping pace with the information age, running his own website and offering consultations by email and mobile phone. “Some possess bodies out of jealousy, others out of love, some have other motives,” said Aliuddin, who charges between 50 rupees (55 cents) and 250 rupees a session, which last up to 30 minutes. “Jinns swim inside us when they possess us, feed on us, have sex with each other and with us.” The more serious the issue, the more radical the cure.
Exorcisms in Pakistan
Reporting from Karachi,Rebecca Conway of Reuters wrote: “A girl in a long black shirt screams incoherently, banging her head against a wall at a Sufi shrine. Sania Haneef’s family says she is possessed by a demon. Doctors could not help, so they brought the college student, kicking and screaming, to be exorcised by the spirit of a saint. “Sania has been possessed since she was six years old,” her brother, Mohammed, said, describing how an evil spirit, known as a jinn, would speak through her in a man’s voice.
“The shrine has captured the spirit. Sania will be cured soon. None of us is leaving until that happens.” [Source: Rebecca Conway, Reuters, December 20, 2011]
“Jamila Bibi turned to the Abdullah Shah Ashabi shrine in the ancient, dusty town of Thatta in Sindh province. Her son, Muhammed, began having violent fits four months ago. The 18-year-old is chained by his ankle to a wall. He sits silently, staring at others who are chained or are praying. “We want him to be close to the spirit of the saint. We have had to chain him so he doesn’t hit other people,” she said.
“In a country where a heavy stigma is attached to mental illness, and the state spends little on health, many see spiritual healing as the only option. “This is more about a lack of education and awareness, rather than access to medical facilities. It’s a desperate attempt to seek hope,” said psychologist Rizwan Taj.
“Nearby, Rahim Yar, who suffers from memory loss and extreme physical weakness, starts screaming. He has been at the shrine, which has marble floors and surrounds a domed tomb of a Sufi saint, for four years. “The jinn inside me says he needs to take me to India, to a temple where people are sacrificed,” Rahim said. “He says he will not leave me and I must be sacrificed.”“
Lahore Fortuneteller
Ibne Amad wrote in The News: “Najam Sherazi, 65, a fortune-teller, has a great faith in luck and has been eking out a living for decades through his occupation. He hails from Burewala, has run a tea stall there for many years and used to indulge in fortune-telling as well. He regularly commutes along Saddar Bazaar, is a familiar figure to the area dwellers. Initially, he was near Gakhar Plaza, then he moved to Hathi Chowk and now at City Saddar Road. “For some people, there’s something pleasing about the idea of having a fortune-teller foretell the future. If they get acquainted with their fate, or get some crucial insight, perhaps their lives will appear more trouble-free and the future less upsetting,” says Nisar Hasan, a trader at City Saddar Road. [Source: Ibne Amad, The News, August 4, 2019]
“Nargis Zaidi, a housewife, says: “I think that everyone experiences some kind of dreams in his life and wants to know about his future days. It may be a wishful thinking or childlike naivety, but I like to open my mind up to the possibility of something beyond my comprehension that will allow me to look inside of myself, and to see the world in a completely different way.” “The thought of going to a fortune-teller first occurred to me when a few of my friends told me about their own experiences. I never knew what to make of fortune-tellers because I had never been to one before, but I have always had a fascination with them,” says Qurratulain Haider, a visitor from Canada. “I felt completely uncertain about what my future was going to bring. I knew I wanted to go to someone trustworthy, and my friends recommended going to Najam Sherazi an old man in City Saddar Road area. I didn’t expect too much. I could have never guessed what a life changing experience it would turn out to be. The fortune-teller told me that I would soon get settled in Canada, so I am there,” adds Qurratulain.
“Iman Ali, a Pakistani origin US citizen, has almost the same story to tell: “Najam told me to think about something I want and make a wish. Then he quietly recited something and told me about my bright future that awaits me. I was skeptical about everything he said but time proved he was true.” “Najam had hardly any mystic paraphernalia. When I visualized seeing a fortune-teller, I thought of hazy lighting and a cluster of candles with a man that was wearing some kind of a robe and soaked in unwanted items. But he was a fairly normal looking person not at all higgledy-piggledy, with a commonplace dress and natural conversation,” says Nusrat Hussain Shah, a college lecturer.
Funerals and Honoring the Dead in Pakistan
Muslims in Pakistan follow Muslim customs when it comes to funerals and paying respect to the dead. Traditional Pakistani condolence calls involve visiting the home of the deceased and sipping tea, chatting and say the “fatiha”, the Muslim prayer for the dead. A graveyard used by Shiite Muslims has a website that allows mourners to mourn online, Family members of people buried in the graveyards can visit the graves of their loved ones online.
According to “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices,”“Sunni Muslims in Pakistan observe Islamic burial rites under the supervision of a mullah. Relatives of the same sex wash the body and place a shroud over it. The mullah recites funeral, or jinazah, prayers. The body is then taken to the burial grounds and placed in a grave facing Mecca. Only Muslims may engage in the burial rites of Muslims, and only men attend funerals, regardless of whether the deceased is male or female. [Source:“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices,” Thomson Gale, 2006]
According to Countries and Their Cultures: “Shab-I-Barat is also celebrated as a remembrance day of deceased family and friends. Special illumination of the mosques takes place and food is distributed among the poor. It is also a time when children participate in fireworks. After distribution of the food the Qur'an is read and prayers are said; then most Muslims visit cemeteries and put flowers and lights on the graves of deceased family and friends. [Source: Countries and Their Cultures, Gale Group Inc., 2001]
Baloch, Sindhi and Brahui Funerals
The Baloch, also know the Balochi, Baluch or Baluchi, are an ethnic group that live primarily in the sandy plains, deserts and barren mountains of southeast Iran, southwest Pakistan and southern Afghanistan. D. O. Lodrick wrote in the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”: “Baloch burial rites follow usual Islamic practices. The corpse is taken to the graveyard, where it is washed and dressed in a shroud. A mullah reads the prayer for the dead over the body before it is committed to the grave. The body is laid in a north–south direction, with the head turned toward the west, i.e., facing Mecca. Sweets are passed among the congregation, and prayers are offered up before the mourners disperse. [Source:D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
For nomads on the move, the body is placed in a pit dug to serve as a grave, rather than in a cemetery. A goat or sheep is killed, and the meat is cooked and distributed instead of sweets. The initial mourning period lasts for three or five days, depending on the sex of the deceased. During this time, normal activities are restricted, and women discard their jewelry and wear black dresses. The end of this period is marked by asrokh, a ceremony involving prayers and the distribution of meat. A second period of mourning lasts several months, during which friends come from a distance to offer condolences to the family of the deceased.”
The Brahui are a Dravidian language group of tribes that live mostly in Balochistan and the Sindh. Before a Bruhui funeral a shroud is sent for from outside the house. When the mullah arrives, the body is carried to a place of washing. It is washed by the mullah and relatives of the deceased and wrapped in a shroud. If the deceased is a woman he body is washed by the mullah's wife and female relatives. The shroud-wrapped body is taken in procession to the burial place. Mourners recite the kalima, the profession of faith. At the graveside, the mullah says the prayer for the dead, and the body is buried, given its burial. The uneral often features the singing of dirges (moda), and a death feast (varagh). The traditional period of mourning was 11 days for a man and 9 for a woman, but this has been reduced in modern times. Another feast is held on the first anniversary of the death. /=\
Sindhis are the natives of the Sindh province, which includes Karachi, the lower part of the Indus River, the southeast coast of Pakistan and a lot of desert. According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”: “When a death is about to occur, relatives gather to participate in the death rituals. Passages from the Quran are read, the Muslim creed is repeated, and prayers are offered for the dying person. After death, the body is washed, the big toes are tied together, and the corpse is wrapped in a shroud in preparation for burial. The body is carried to the cemetery on a bier by close relatives. At the graveside the mourners, led by a maulvi (religious teacher), pray for the departed soul. The body is placed in the grave on its side with the face towards Mecca. Prayers for the dead, followed by a feast, are held on the third and tenth days after the death. The mourning ritual is completed with a feast for all relatives on the 40th day after the death. [Source: D. O. Lodrick “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
Reused Graves and Shortages of Graveyard Space in Pakistan
According to The Economist: “Across Pakistan burial grounds have struggled to cope with an urban population that has risen from 28 percent of the total in 1981 to 41 percent now (unsurprisingly land is scarce in cities). Burials have been banned in the overflowing public graveyards of the largest city, Karachi. There have been reports of policemen hiding in coffins to catch gravediggers who are overcharging for burial plots. [Source: The Economist, August 26, 2017]
“Historically Muslim burial grounds have managed to keep on welcoming new souls by recycling grave sites. Gravediggers in Miani Sahib, an old cemetery in the centre of Lahore which has room for around 300,000 graves, routinely bury people in plots that go unvisited. Today, as more Pakistanis invest in headstones and concrete shrines to protect remains, gravediggers in desperation sometimes seek out old-style earthen mounds, and a few place remains on top of bodies that were laid out just a few months earlier.”
The Dawn reported: “According to investigations conducted by Dawn there have been approximately 1.3 million deaths in Karachi since 1998 but the number of burial plots available are almost half of that figure, which clearly means that many graves are being reused. Iqbal Pervez, the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) graveyard additional director, points out that there are around 218 graveyards in Karachi. Each graveyard has, on an average, between 2,500-3,000 graves, which results in a maximum number of 654,000 spots in total for burial. This means that for a city of an estimated 20 million, burial spots fall far short of those needed. [Source: Mehreen Naveed Chawla, Dawn, June 5, 2016]
“Gora Qabaristan, Karachi’s oldest graveyard, is quiet under the blistering heat, its marble tombstones patiently tolerating the sun’s powerful rays. It is noticed that some graves lie on a higher plain than others. “That’s the VIP area,” says KMC graveyard deputy director, Sarwar Alam. “When it rains, the graveyard floods with water. They’ve built a small number of graves on a higher area, where they lie out of the water’s reach. Obviously, they charge accordingly, for the VIP area and the rest.” After a brief pause, he adds, “It’s ironic, isn’t it? To be unequal even in death.”
“Various graveyards in Karachi have been declared closed by the government. Yet their space continues to be utilised; all one has to do is pay the right price (see The business of burials). One example of this is the P.E.C.H.S graveyard situated on Tariq Road. One of the oldest graveyards in the city, funeral processions continue to be seen there, regardless of it being declared closed years ago. Gora Qabaristan is yet another example. “Over 300,000 bodies are registered [as] buried there,” points out Alam. “However, there is space for only 3,000 graves. Judging by the statistics, at least 10 bodies lie buried within one grave!”
“Another graveyard that has officially been declared closed is Mewa Shah. Amjad Khan, a local resident, states, “My youngest sister passed away when she was two years old, and we buried her there. I remember the grave was quite small. We visited the graveyard after a couple of months and, to my shock, her grave had disappeared. Instead, there were larger graves clumped together where hers had been.” His head bowed, he adds, “No one knows how it happened, and we still haven’t been able to find answers.”“
Lahore’s State-Owned Luxury Graveyard
In 2017, The Economist reported: “Down a dusty side road in the province of Punjab stands Shehr-e-Khamoshan, a new graveyard with freezers imported from Germany and a network of 22 video cameras that will allow relatives of the deceased to live-stream footage of funerals at the US$1.5m facility. Attend a ceremony in person and there is little risk of heatstroke: dozens of fans hang from the ceiling of an arched prayer zone that is almost entirely open to the air. [Source: The Economist, August 26, 2017]
“The state-owned “model graveyard”, with its wide footpaths and neatly trimmed lawns, will serve the 11m-strong population of Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s richest and most populous province. Three more are under construction in the region. Lahore’s new “silent city”, as it is known, aims to lighten the burden on grieving families. The project’s director has urged other provinces to replicate his good work. But even with its swanky golf-carts for the elderly and mechanical diggers it may be less effective than it claims. When the government of Punjab bought the land, it planned to build a cemetery about 20 times the size. The facility that opened last month has space for only 8,000 graves.
“Some people fret that the new cemetery will further squeeze out space for corpses by giving relatives of the dead long-term rights to their loved ones’ plots. Besides failing to address the lack of space for the dead, the new facility could spark a trend for VIP burial that makes death as unequal as life, says Zaigham Khan, a columnist for The News, a newspaper. The government claims that anyone who cannot afford the US$200 fee will be granted a free space. But standing in an ancient burial ground that abuts Shehr-e-Khamoshan, a village elder offers a different view. He reckons the plush cemetery is part of an attempt to lure government workers to a new housing project nearby, which Lahori officials hope will help to deal with the overcrowding of live bodies in the fast-expanding city.”
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (tourism.gov.pk), Official Gateway to the Government of Pakistan (pakistan.gov.pk), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022