Pir (Sufism)

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Pir Dastgir, from the Mughal era

Peer or Pir (Persian: پیر‎, lit. 'elder')^[1] is a title for a Sufi spiritual guide. They are also referred to as a Hazrat (from Arabic: حضرة‎, romanized: Haḍra) and Sheikh or Shaykh, which is literally the Arabic equivalent. The title is often translated into English as "saint." In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the Sufi path. This is often done by general lessons (called Suhbas) and individual guidance. Other words that refer to a Pir include Murshid (Arabic: مرشد‎, lit. 'guide, mentor') and Sarkar (Persian: سرکار‎, lit. 'master, lord').

The title Peer Baba (from Persian: بابا‎, lit. 'father') is common in the Indian subcontinent used as a salutation to Sufi masters or similarly honored persons. After their death, people visit their tombs or mausolea, referred to as dargah or maqbara.

The path of Sufism starts when a student takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher called Bai'at or Bay'ah^{[citation needed]} (Arabic word meaning "transaction") where he swears allegiance at the hands of his Pir and repents of all his previous sins. After that, the student is called a Murid (Arabic word meaning committed one). From here, his batin (esoteric) journey starts.

A Pir usually has authorizations to be a teacher for one (or more) tariqahs. A tariqah may have more than one Pir at a time. A Pir is accorded that status by his Sheikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah (Arabic word meaning "succession"), a process in which the Pir identifies one of his disciples as his successor, which may be more than one. However, recently the term has gained a negative connotation due to the excessive innovations (bidʻah) by such modern day Pirs (especially within the subcontinent).

See also[]

• Spiritual direction
• Satya Pir, a folk hero
• Syed Pir Badshah, Persian author of Bengal
• Panchpiria, an ethnic group defined by their reverence for five pirs
• Sufism in Bangladesh, which may also be referred to as "Pirism" because of the central role played by Pirs

References[]

Further reading[]

• Renard, John (2009). The A to Z of Sufism. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6343-9.

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