The War That Wasn’t: The Sufi and the Sultan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on Thursday launched Indian historian and scholar Dr Fatima Hussain’s book titled ‘‘The War That Wasn’t: The Sufi and the Sultan’.
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Education Assef Ahmed Ali was the chief guest during the book launching ceremony. Assef praised Dr Fatima for doing a wonderful job by writing a book on Sufism with a new approach.
He said the book would be of great significance during present times when fanaticism and extremism had become a challenge for Muslim society in the subcontinent. He said the book should be easily available across the country.
PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman, who presided over the sitting, said Dr Fatima through her book had given people a new approach to look at the movement of Sufism in the subcontinent. He said the book would help promote spread the Sufis’ message of peace and brotherhood across borders.
Fakhar said the academy had planned to hold an international conference in the country on Sufism and peace in coming March. He said publication of Pakistani Sufi poets’ work and its translation in international languages was also on the cards.
Historian Dr Tariq Rehman said Dr Fatima’s main argument was that Sufis gave people the idea of moral government. He said sultan was one centre of power, while Sufi was another.
Prominent among those present on the occasion were noted scholar Khawaja Masud and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor Mahmudul Hassan, who also appreciated Dr Fatima’s work.

Source: Daily Times

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