PM Modi lauds Sufi tradition, says its music India’s shared heritage-OxBig News Network

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the Sufi tradition as India’s shared heritage and praised its saints for their pluralistic message, saying they recited the verses of the Quran and also listened to the Vedas.

Speaking at the 25th edition of Jahan-e-Khusrau, which commemorates famous Sufi poet and scholar Amir Khusrau, Modi said the Sufi tradition had carved a unique identity for itself in India.

Following a performance by Sufi artistes, Modi said their music is a shared heritage of Indians. People have lived this tradition together, he added.

The prime minister named a number of Sufi saints and poets like Nizamuddin Auliya, Rumi and Raskhan, who was born a Muslim and wrote famous devotional poems dedicated to Lord Krishna, besides Khusrau, to praise their message of love and harmony.

He said the Sufi saints did not confine themselves to mosques and shrines. If they recited verses from the sacred Quran, then they also listened to the words from the Vedas, Modi noted.

Khusrau, who was born in the 13th century, praised India as greater than any other nation, its scholars better than others and Sanskrit as the world’s best language, he said, noting that the country’s philosophy and mathematical discoveries had reached across the world.

Modi said Khusrau did not only mention this in his book but was also proud of it. When the period of slavery wreaked so much damage, he played a big role in introducing people to their heritage, the prime minister added.