Jhulelal (Sufism)


Jhulelal, refers to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a prominent Sufi Muslim saint who lived in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Sindh and India in the thirteenth century.
The term Jhulelal is actually the name of a Hindu deity Jhulelal, who is worshipped by the Sindhi Hindus.However the Sufi muslims started using the term Jhulelal only after the song Dama Dam Mast Qalandar became famous, in which Lal Shabaz Qalandar has been referred to as "Jhulelal Qalandar". His sufi name is Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and actual name is Usman Mrwandi.The reason for him to be called Lal is because Lal means red, as he usually wears a red attire and Shahbaz due to his divine and noble spirit and Qalandar for his affiliation to Sufi.The term Jhulelal means "red bridegroom".
According to the Garland Encyclopedia, Lal Shabaz Qalandar was referred to as Jhulelal because he was promised marriage to a daughter of his friend, but the friend died and later his friend's son refused to allow the agreed upon marriage, which caused Lal Shabaz Qalandar grief. Lal Shabaz Qalandar, although from Maiwand, whose family came from Baghdad, had traveled to Sindh and helped many people and attracted a lot of people to Islam and was revered by the local Sindhi population. Lal Shabaz Qalandar had also been reputed for performing many miracles and was seen as a very holy figure in Sindh..
Jhulelal continues to be the unifying force and the centre of all cultural activities of the Sindhi community. When Sindhi men venture out to sea, their women pray to Jhulelal for their safe return. They offer the Lord a prasad of akha, a sweet made from rice, ghee, sugar and flour. Sindhis all over the world greet each other with the words, "Jaiko chavando Jhulelal thenja thinda Beda-Paar".