Khwaja Ghulam Farid: Concept of Buruz

The concept of Burûz in Sufism is meant to describe the phenomenon of a soul attaining Faid from another soul. The soul which is manifesting is called Mabrûz Fîh, and that which is manifested is called Bâriz. Khwaja Ghulam Farid of Chachran, while explaining the concept of Buruz and its difference from Tanasukh (reincarnation), mentioned the saying of Ibn Arabi that Prophet Elias was in fact a Buruz of the earlier Prophet Idris. Both Prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an, though some exegetes have identified them as one and the same person. For example, it is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari the view of both Ibn Mas’ud and Ibn Abbas (Radi Allahu anhuma):

يُذْكَرُ عَنْ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ إِلْيَاسَ هُوَ إِدْرِيسُ

Other exegetes such as Qatada, Muhammad b. Ishaq, and Dahhak believed likewise (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

Regarding Buruz, Khwaja Ghulam Farid says:

اور بروز یہ ہے کہ ایک روح دوسرے اکمل روح سے فیضان حاصل کرتی ہے جب اس پر تجلّیات کا فیضان ہوتا ہے تو وہ اس کا مظہر بن جاتی ہے اور کہتی ہے کہ میں وہ ہوں یعنی دونوں میں فرق نہیں رہتا

“Burooz is that a soul gains benefit from another one which is perfect. When it receives the benefit of Divine illumination, it becomes its manifestation, and says: I am that one, that is, no difference remains between the two.”

Reference: Isharat-i-Faridi (Maqabis-ul-Majalis), p. 418