10th Universal Sufi Festival focused on enhancement of interrelation among sects and interfaith

Author: S. A. Medu, Correspondent: Shahed Hssan & Sayed Faisal
Photo: Meer Jahed, Sazzad and  Nahin
Rahe Bhander information desk:

Holding its précis ‘Enlightened Soul’s Introspective Utterance’, the 10^th Universal Sufi Festival 2013 held on March 21, at Muslim institute hall in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The festival covered by many national TV Channel and online and print media as entitled its native title: ‘Mahatta Sommelon’, became a remarkable annual Sufi gathering in recent days.

Rahe Bhander Kadhurkhil Dorbar Shafir the School of Mono-theology of Rahe Bhander Sufi order organized the festival where, a numbers of prominent Sufis of the region attend as the Distinguished Guests and some others contributed by sending their valuable multimedia message from abroad as the Distinguished Overseas Guests.

Though, concerning security, it was a big challenge to the organizing committee to organize the festival this year due to nationwide sustaining political crisis among the religious extremist and the liberal. Hence, the festival accomplished at its highest level of majesty. In fact, USF organizing body extended their thankfulness to the civil authority of the city as well as the government for their special security concern. 

Although, there occurred few transmission problems due to device and network communication error but the Rahe Bhander Multimedia webcasted the Festival through the channel ‘Universal Sufi Festival Ustream Live’. It also remains a remarkable achievement throughout the wider region as the 1^st Live webcast program specifically of the Sufi Community.

Guests are being received by royal protocol

At the very first, the surviving Sufi master of Rahe Bhander Sufi Order inaugurated the grand opening of the festival holding a black-badge as a symbol of mourn and respect towards the departed soul and family of the late honorable president of People’s Republic of Bangladesh Mr. Zillur Rahman. Who, passed away just before a day of the festival. He, including the gathering expressed their deep compassion and regret to the afflicted family and pray for them.

Every year, among some other segments like Rahe Bhander Ennoble Award Distribution, Sufi Conference, Multimedia Presentation, Semmah Mahmfil, the Blood donation ceremony in association with Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Chittagong city unit; remain as an essential part of the festival. A Dialogue on Humanity regarding Blood Donation and social welfare takes place following the ceremony since the very beginning of the festival.

This year, the Blood Donation ceremony was inaugurated by the chairman of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Chittagong unit, and former president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Chittagong chapter, Dr. Sheikh Shafiul Azam. Addressing the inaugural session of the conference as chief guest, Dr. Sheikh Shafiul Azam said, a bag of blood can save the life of a dying patient and donating blood is serving mankind. 

“When many people are busy in bloody conflicts around the world, the initiative of blood donation camps and the Sufi Festival of Rahe Bhandar Darbar Sharif is praiseworthy”, he added. Mentioning that, serving mankind is the main theme of all religions on earth, Dr. Azam urged people of all sect and religion to come forward to serving mankind.

Chaired by Moulana Sayed Zafar Sadek Shah, Sufi Master of Rahe Bhandar Sufi Order, the Blood Donation ceremony was also addressed by assistant public prosecutor of Chittagong district court Advocate Mr. Jashim Uddin Ahmed Khan, former general secretary of Chittagong Union of Journalist (CUJ) and Bureau chief of the Daily Independent Mr. Nazimuddin Shyamol, Journalist Nur Mohammad,  President of the Historical Research Center of Chittagong Sohel Mohammad Fakruddin, Additional Police commissioner of Chittagong and President of the Nagorik Unnoyon Songram Committee Jahangir Alam Chawdhury,  Chairman of the Rangunia Pouroshova Mohammad Assad, Dr. Minhaj of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Chairman of the conference organizing committee Dr. Sayed Arif Hossain, Sultanul Alam Khokan, Sayed Bashir Ahmed Moni, and Sayed Moshiur Rahman Rahat among others.

Guests were being honored by some gifts of love

The principal aim and ambition of the Universal Sufi Festival is to establish unity among Sufi Masters, and the followers of their Sufi Orders. The significant desire is to build up a universal platform for Sufi Masters of all the Sufi Orders across the globe where they may express their theological and social experiences for the next generation. Thus the way, the generation will get lessons of introspective Sufi values and morality. In fact, the most valuable segment of the entire festival is the Sufi Conference.

Likewise the previous, a number of Sufi Masters of different Sufi Orders attend the ceremony as Distinguished Guests physically from distant part of the national region. Meanwhile some other Sufi Masters and related professionals like author, organizer and professors contributed by sending their valuable multimedia messages from international region as the Distinguished Overseas Guests. They expressed their thought, teachings and the way how one may; develop a peaceful happier individual and social livelihood.

In this segment of majesty of the festival, the nephew of famous Universal Sufi Saint of Maizbhanderi Sufi Order ‘Gauslul Azam Sayed Golamur Rahman BABA BHANDERI’- Hajrath Sayed Abu Zafor Shah; the Sufi Master of Hashem Majnil, Maizbhander; attended as the chief guest.
As the special guest; Sufi Hajrath Osman Qader Pintu Miah; Head of the Gausia Amin Manjil of Maizbhander was attended among many other Sufi Masters.

Among some other Sufis, the Sufi Conference was addressed by S. A. Shafir Nizami as the Sufi Master of Gonitola Dorbar Shaif, Dr. Sayed Khairul Bashar Amiri as a Sufi Master of Amir Bhander Dorbar Shaif, Moulana Sayed Emdadul Islam as the Sufi Master of Ahla Dorbar Shaif, Sayed Mojammel Haque Farhadabadi as the Sufi Master of Forhadabad Dorbar Shaif, Sayed Dalilur Rahman Rajapuri as the Sufi Master of Cumillah Rajapur Dorbar Sharif.

Where there three grandsons of the founder of Rahe bhander Sufi Order; Dr. Sayed Abul Bashar, Sayed Khalqur Nur Shiqdar and Sayed Khaja Mohammad Nizam Uddin Salequi, Sayed Maruf Qader of Maizbhander Dorbar Sharif, Dr. Sayed Khairul Bashar the Sajjadanoshin of Amir Bhander Dorbar Sharif, Mufti Sayed Muzammel Haque the Sajjadanoshin of Forhadabad Dorbar Sharif, Moulana Dolilur Rahman the Sajjadanoshin of Cumilla Rajapur Dorbar Sharif, Sayed Shamsul Huda the Sajjadanoshin of Nozir Bhander Dorbar Sharif,  Sayed Shafiul Bashar Noyemi the Sajjadanoshin of Ruhul Bhander Dorbar Sharif, Sayed Aktar Kamal the Sajjadanoshin of Astana-e Nozir Bhander Dorbar Sharif, Sayed Besharath Ullah the Sajjadanoshin of Nozir Bhander Dorbar Sharif, Sayed Nazrul Islam the Sajjadanoshin of Khitapchar Rahmania Dorbar Sharif, Dr. Sayed Yakub Ali the Sajjadanoshin of  Sultan Bhander Dorbar Sharif, Allama Shamsuddin M. Zafor Sadek Al-Ahadi the Sajjadanoshin of Harual Chari Dorbar Sharif, S. M. Abul Hashem Maizbhanderi the Founder of Khanka-e Gausia Maizbhanderia Uziria Hashemia, Shahjada Abul Fazal M. Shaifullah Sultanpuri the Sajjadanoshin of  Shaatgachia Dorbar Sharif, Allama Borhanuddin M. Shafiul Bashar the Sajjadanoshin of Harual Chari Dorbar Sharif, Mufti Saleh Sufian the Khalifa of Forhadabad Dorbar Sharif, Moulana Sayed Maksudur Rahaman Modhupuri the Sajjadanoshin of Modhupur Dorbar Sharif, M. Nazrul Islam Chawdhury the Montajem of Mastar Baba Dorbar Sharif; Baiezid Bistami, Moulana Sayed Badruddoza the President of Anjuman-e Muttabaieen-e Gaus-e Maizbhanderi (Shah Emdadia) Olama Associaton.

The Rahe Bhander Ennoble Award was declared and distributed following the Sufi conference. This year 10 individuals has ennobled by distributing ten awards in nine categories. The chief guest, Special  guest  and  the  organizer  conjointly handed over the Rahe Bhander Ennoble Award at the Award Distribution Ceremony. It is to add that, according to the surviving Rahe Bhander Sufi Master’s will, the jury board preferred to ennoble dedicated alive individuals who, are working for the welfare of the Sufi community as well as the contemporary society rather than those of the past.

The Rahe Bhander Ennoble Award- 2013 distributed among  (From left in the 2 images) Hajrath Sayed Ataur Rahman Isapuri- category: Maizbhanderi Sufi, Allama Gazi Ali Akbar Rezvi- category: Sufi Scholar, Dr. Abdul Mannan Chawdhury- category: Maizbhanderi Author and fellow, Dr. Sayed Abul Bashar- category: Health Service, Dr. Kazi Abdul Gani- category: Spreading religious education,

Kawal Habibur Rahman- category: Maizbhanderi Lyricist, Aminur Rahman Fokir and Nur Ahmed Fakir (conjointly)- category: Sufi Singer & Musician, S. M. Ishaq- category: National Freedom Fighter, Abu Musa- category: Social welfare.  

The following event Multimedia presentation began after award distribution ceremony. In that part Multimedia presentation presented as an animated and recorded mixed video presentation which, was included 3 video messages and a number of Email recitations. 

All those video and email messages of Distinguished Overseas Guests were from different countries of the world. In those valuable messages, some mostly famous contemporary Sufi Masters and Scholars from the international region addressed the audience in view of their own introspective perception to develop individual and global peace. They also exposed their willing support to develop such a workflow like Universal Sufi Festival in the perception to affirm a peaceful global society for the next generation.

Their majesty, as we received messages from: Gulshaa Begum the Chairperson of Divine Abode and Festival Director of The International Sufi Festival, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India (Though it was for the previous year but presented at first in fact, received after the festival- 2012). James W. Morris the Author & Professor from the Department of Theology, Boston College. Pir Zia Ianyath Khan the Grandson of Sufi Inayath Khan and Sufi Master of the Sufi Order International, France. Dr. (Ibrahim) R. Jaffe, MD the Murshid Murrabai Ruhi, Shadhiliyya Sufi Order of USA also the President of University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism, Founder of the Shadhiliyya Sufi Center, USA (Though we conveyed earlier received email message but also received two videos for this year but in late, therefore, those will be displayed on the next festival). Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri the Sufi Master, Author and Professor also the founder of The Zahra Trust and Academy of Self Knowledge, East Sussex (Video Message).

Sheikh Abdul Aziz (and Darvishes) the Sufi Master of Mevlevi Order of Australia, Melbourne, Aus. Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha the Sufi Master of Maktab Tariqat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi, School of Islamic Sufism, USA. Sheikh Muhammed Ragip Al-Haj Al-Jerrahi (Ragip Baba) the Sufi Master of Jerrahi Sufi Order, Brazil (Video). Shaikh Al Mashaikh- Hazrath Khwaja Dewan Syed Alley Habib Ali Khan the Sajja-danashin of Dargah Ajmer Sharif (Though we received a video from his end but due to internet protocol error only the email message has recited, it will be shown on the next festival). 

And Pir Zia Inayath Khan’s Representative for Southeast Asia: Sheikha Amat-un-Nur Naila Tiwana from Lahore, Pakistan (Video Message on behalf of Pir Zia Inayath Khan).

The Sufi Master of Rahe Bhander Doctrine Sayed Zafor Sadek Shah; while addressing the festival; expressed his gratefulness and thanks to all the attended and overseas distinguished guests for their attendance, contribution and support to observe the Universal Sufi Festival as a successful Sufi event. He also expressed his deep sorrow to some other Distinguished Overseas Guests because, their video messages was unable to display due to late received. He declared that, if Allah wills; those multimedia messages will be displayed in view of higher priority on the next Festival. In a general purpose, 

to develop a peaceful individual and social livelihood across the world, the massive correlation among different sects and interfaith is essential, he added in his speech as the chief organizer and chairperson of the festival. He argued all the Sufi community to afford their level best to go forth with the peaceful Sufi teaching and thought in this period of global peace crises. He also focused on moral and ethical aspects of the Sufi Philosophy in his speech. He concluded, it was very hard to me to develop such a relationship unto this state. I ran after door to door for a long. I am graceful to all that, you became cooperatively apart of this global work-stream. In fact, we are now a family. What I am doing is quite contrary to my economical condition though, doing not to expose me but to shake the global society. The aim is, to aware the community. I am obliged to all of you.   

In the concluding prayer segment, whole audience took part with the Distinguished Guests in a voice while, they conveying praises to Allah; the creator and all of his apostles verily the Prophet Mohammed (May, peace of Allah be upon him and to his followers). They pray for the peace and prosperity of every individuals of the global society.

Afterwards, a Sufi Musical segment held in view of religious and philosophical value. The audience along with the guests took part as it concerning an event of prayer. Accompanied by the members of the Rahe Bhander Sufi Musician’s Association, some invited Sufi Musicians performed the segment this year.

The festival ended by distributing Tabarruk (dinner pack) among all the attendance at the very end of the Festival. The members of five organizations named: Association of Rahe Bhander Affectionate, Scholar’s Association of Rahe Bhander, Youth Association of Rahe Bhander Affectionate, Rahe Bhander Multimedia and Sufi Musician’s Association of Rahe Bhander served the whole program till the end.

Secretary General of the USF organizing committee Sayed Bashir Ahmed Moni and the President of the Youth Association of Rahe Bhander Affectionate S. A. Naidu conjointly presented the whole festival.

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Posted 25th March 2013 by SA MEDULabels: AustraliaBangladeshBrazilEast SussexFestivalFranceIndiaMaizbhanderMultimediaPakistanQawwaliRahe BhanderReligionSufi OrderSufismUniversal Sufi FestivalUSA