قصہ ایک پیرکا

People of subcontinent in general are quite superstitious. The superstitious nature of the people is quite old. We see in our daily life that lot of people are wearing تعویذ. Some are wearing due to profound belief in the fact that the تعویذ will bring luck to them while others are forced to wear it because someone who care for them (parents, spouse etc.) has arranged it for them. Lot of us hear at some time of our life hear that someone went to some پیرصاحب who happens to be صاحب کرامت and was able to solve a non-trivial problem of some distressed individual. Nature of the problem solved by the پیرصاحب can be either medical, social or spiritual. The پیر along with the aid of his مؤکل is able to help a ساس to divert the attention of her son from his wife(بہو). Some of the پیر go to the extent of claiming remedy to diabetes and other diseases which makes it seem that all the western institutes spending money on the research are nothing but goons. All they need is to sign a MoU with پیر and they are good to have a technology transfer. Some people visit the پیر solely to get the spouse/ love of their own choice and accomplishment of this feat is used as advertising stunt known as (محبوب آپکےقدموں میں). Some پیر claim to have prior knowledge about prize bond draw that which number will win prize.

The place from where پیرصاحب operates is known as آستانہ عالیہ where the distressed people known to پیرصاحب as مرید come for the resolution of their problems. The پیر is working in coordination with a team of assistants who are there to help him to tackle the مریدین which most of the time crowd the آستانہ عالیہ. They (assistants) are known to the مریدین as خلیفہ and are skillful enough to prescribe a تعویذ for مرید. At times مرید insist on meeting the پیرصاحب to get the تعویذ in from him personally. The image of the پیر in mind of his مریدین is something like an angel.

My personal experience of a visit (I solemnly declare, rather swear that I was there just to accompany someone without any intent of meeting پیر because I am not that type of person). As the person has traveled from outstation so he was burning with the desire to meet the پیر personally instead of getting getting prescription from خلیفہ. On his turn he moved near the پیر and told him the problem. As I was seeing from the distance so I could not hear the response of the پیر . Anyway after achieving for what he has come for I asked the gentleman about response/ solution he got from پیر . He told to me that "پیرصاحب نےدعاکردی ہے" and he doesn't speaks too much because he is busy with درودوسلام despite the fact پیرصاحب frequently issue بیان regarding the problems face by the امت مسلمہ in a daily newspaper (of good repute). I was looking at the gentleman and thinking in my mind about his mental health.

Few questions which came to my mind and I hope and pray that they arise in the mind of مریدین as well. Why is the پیر behaving entirely different in front of his مریدین who offer him نذرانہ and do his biddings? If he is "The Saint" then why is there a need to get his point of view published in the newspaper? Isn't it unfair on his part to act like a person with split personality disorder? Why do the people still seek his help despite the previous mentioned fact?