VICHAAR – Baba Sheikh Farid’s Poetry – Professor . Asma Qadri – 11:00 am Sunday May 6, 2018 at San Jose Gurdwara
VICHAAR
ਡਿਠੈ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਜਿਚਰੁ ਸਬਦਿ ਨ ਕਰੇ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Study Group Brought to you by The Chardi Kalaa Foundation, IGS Now and Sikh Gurdwara San Jose.
Date: Sunday May 6, 2018
Location: Sikh Gurdwara San Jose – Sahibzada Fateh Singh Room in the Khalsa school area.
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Duration: 2 Hours
Format: Conference Room
Medium: English
Program: Professor Asma Qadri will talk about Baba Sheikh Farid’s Poetry
Abstract:
Professor Asma Qadri will briefly describe the major aspects ofPunjabi Sufi Poetry followed by in depth multi-media presentation of Baba Sheikh Farid’s Poetry. Sufi poets were intoxicated by the love of God and His Creation. They were people’s poets with a message of equality and freedom.
As always, we look for active participation by the Sangat in an environment that encourages interactive discussion.
About Professor Asma Qadri:
Prof. Qadri is Associate Professor at Punjabi Department, Punjab University Lahore, Pakistan. She has done Post-doctoral research at University of California, Santa Barbara. She has published five books including three volumes on Punjabi Classical Poetry. She has published 47 Research Papers and has won many awards.
>>> Sufi poets were intoxicated by the love of God and His Creation. <<<
The Islamic tradition including sufis categorically states that unity with God cannot be achieved, since the gap between the two, man and God is unbridgeable. How does that reconcile with the Gurbani's message of "merger" of soul with God. Will the professor take that up in her exposition?
Since Sheikh Farid is a part of Gurbani, does the Islamic tradition repudiate him, as it does Mansour?
In the Guru Granth Sahib, Sheikh Farid never says that unity with God can’t be achieved.
Guru Arjun must have known the Islamic position on merger with God, and he still gladly accepted and honored Shikh Farid writings by including them in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. I hope we are not critiquing his judgement.
Obviously, the Islamic tradition can’t undo the inclusion of Farid’s writing in the Guru Granth,
Besides, on the merger issue, the Islamic response will be that this was what was revealed by God to Mohammad – this presumably is not contestable either.
The Islamic response is well articulated and clear.
Mansour was executed for saying “Anal Haque – I am He.”
Mansour was a Sufi.
His own teacher agreed with the execution.
So Merger, even when fact, is not acceptable in Islamic and Sufi theology.
Sufis cannot deviate from the basic Islamic Position.
Wonderful presentation.
Very simple and yet extremly enlighting. Congratulations
Kudos to the Chardi Kalaa Foundation, IGS Now and Sikh Gurdwara of San Jose for inviting Professor Asma Qadri to attend at the Sikh Gurdwara San Jose to speak on the subject of Punjabi Sufi poetry.
Dr. Qadri is highly qualified to speak on this topic having had a lifelong attachment to the Punjabi classical poetry and having spent many years researching the Punjabi poets of different genres.
After doing her master’s in Punjabi literature, Dr. Qadri began working on Punjabi Sufi poetry, attended classes on Sikh and Punjab history, and taught Shahmukhi script.
Since 2002 she has been a lecturer in the Punjabi Department of the University of the Punjab, Lahore.
For her PhD, she worked on the classical forms of poetry in Punjab. In 2013, she joined the University of California, Santa Barbara for her postdoctoral research. She completed her Post Doctoral Research with a thesis on 59 genres of Punjabi Classic poetry, ‘Punjabi Classical Shairi Da Sinf Vairva’.
She is gifted with an ability to articulate her views on this subject in a manner that is easily understood even by those who have no prior knowledge of the subject. It is a subject that is dear and close to her heart and her love for Classical Punjabi poetry is infectious.
It’s no surprise that she succeeds in creating an interest in Punjabi poetry in everyone who listens to her.
We look forward to her future visits to North America.