Sufism is something beyond and above the differences based on caste, colour, creed, ethnicity, language, culture and political affiliation. It is an amalgamation of love, sacrifice, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Sufism also possesses the enormous potential to serve as a powerful antidote against all forms extremism and terrorism.
The above remarks were offered by VC SU Professor Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat while making presidential speech at a special talk given by US-based Sindhi scholar and former Chair SU Department of Philosophy Javed Bhutto on "Understanding Sufism", organized by Bureau of STAGS of the varsity in collaboration with Department of Philosophy at Shaikh Ayad auditorium of Faculty of Arts on Friday.
Dr Burfat further said that he was extremely glad to meet Javed Bhutto who had remained his batch-mate at Karachi University during 1976-1982.
"I am indeed delighted to be here, to meet Mr Bhutto and to hear his erudite views on mysticism," added Dr Burfat.
Citing German Philosopher Emmanuel Kant, Dr Burfat elucidated that there were strong parallels as regarded conceptual framework of Sufism in the east and the west.
"I understand today's talk leaves us with a strong message to extend the borders of our love, acceptance, patience and tolerance for one another; and to extend one another honour, respect, help and cooperation.
Today's take-away is "friendship". Sufism teaches us to ascend out of our shallow cocoons, to overpower our inflated ego, to transcend taboos that limit our love for one another and blur our vision to see one another's' pluses," Dr Burfat stressed.
Dr Burfat said social media spaces had replaced traditional battle zones, and in modern times words not bullets wound man.
"If you want to smear anyone's reputation or credibility today, all you need to do is to make one smart move of placing a picture, posting a status or uploading an update that ill-suits that particular person and you can have his or her image turned into tatters", he explained.
Dr Burfat also thanked Javed Bhutto for sparing time for the talk at the varsity, complimented Director STAGS Dr Sumera Umrani for efficient coordination and arrangements; and Amar Sindhu and Dr Ayaz Mugheri, of Department of Philosophy for their collaboration gesture.
The day's speaker Javed Bhutto said that Sufism cherished and promoted two core values "love" and "friendship" upon which he said entire world peace was based.
Bhutto said the best of Sufi thought had spread in the world through art and literature, especially through verse, as both were the most powerful media of expression of human passions.
"Sufism is a passionate, relentless and unyielding striving of human soul to recapture its essential, original identity; to retrieve its lost innocence, glory and divine stature. This is exactly what heroines in Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's verse symbolize - all six out of seven heroines tend to lapse on one account or the other like us all modern men and then go about reclaiming lost attributes; we as men also have defaulted on the vow we had made to our Creator on the day we were created - we had made solemn commitment to chart. We must also endeavour to retract our essential nobility and Sufism is the path, the method and the navigation route that will take us there," Bhutto iterated.
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