The Dargha's Embrace


 

On my first trip to India in 2018, I took this picture at the Nizamuddin Dargha in Old Delhi. Despite the mystical Sufi music playing in the background and the throngs of people surrounding me, I noticed a woman sitting at the baori (or step well), washing herself with the water. I asked her why she was there, and she told me that the water was holy and that she believed it could help her with her cancer.

 

A dargah is a mausoleum for a famous holy man. Dargahs are found all over India, and people of all walks of life and religious denominations—Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and others—come to them with hope, believing that the sites are special and that touching the grave or purifying oneself with the water might lead to healing.

 

The namesake of this dargah was a very special human being who is still loved in India today. He was known for performing numerous miracles, especially curing the sick. He also insisted on making sure that no one who came to visit him went hungry. He once claimed, "A dervish was asked what verse of the Qur'an he liked best? He replied: Eat always! (13:35)." Of his many principles—and those of the Chisti order of Sufi practice to which he belonged, which included the unity of mankind and the shunning of distinctions based on social and economic status, as well as a strong disapproval of mixing with the sultans and the nobles—the most important was helping the needy by feeding the hungry and making close contact with the poor and the downtrodden. And so, even today, when you visit the dargah, you will find that the needy are still fed. But more importantly, you will find that everyone at the dargah is searching for the same thing: hope. Whether it's for a cure, a better life, or their child's marriage, everyone has something they're hoping for.

 

Places like the Nizamuddin Dargha remind us what life is and what being human is all about. They also remind us that we are all dying, that hope is the most precious gift of all, and that the most important thing in life is life itself.

 

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