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Sufis and
the spread of Islam
By Dr Masood Bhutto
IN the Subcontinent, the Sufis made untiring, selfless
and incessant struggle for the spread of Islam. They
devoted their lives and gave up their homes to champion
the cause of Islam in a miraculous way. Neither did they
resort to arms nor to swords for this. It was their
affection, sympathy, fraternity and unlimited
philanthropist actions that won the hearts of people.
The spread of Islam stems from the invasion of Muhammad
Bin Qasim in the Subcontinent, but roots of Sufism can
be traced to the time when the first Sufi, Muhammad Alfi,
came to the Subcontinent.
However,
with the passage of time, many Sufis made their way here
following the invasions of Muslim conquerors. They came
from Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula in order to
establish an Islamic society. Sufism took shape and
became an institution in the 12th and 13th century.
Thetwo great pioneers in this filed were Shaikh Abdul
Qadir Jilani and Hazrat Shahabuddin Suharawardy. Four
branches of Sufism, namely Qadriya, Chishtiya,
Suharawardya and Naqshahbandya were introduced in the
Subcontinent by Syed Bandqi Mohammad Ghosh, Khwaja
Moinuddin Chishti, Shaikh Bahawaldin Lakariya and Khwaja
Mohammad Baqi Billah respectively.
There is an established myth that the Sufis followed the
Muslim warriors. But now it is clear that Shah Abdul
Rehman had settled in Ajmer before Khwaja Moinuddin.
Shaikh Ismail Bukhari came to the Subcontinent before
Mahmud Ghaznavi. The Ismail missionary Adbullah landed
near Cambay in AD1067 and worked in Gujarat when the
country was governed by Sindhraj Jai Singh. He and his
Jain teacher, Huma Charya, are said to have converted to
Islam when there was no Muslim invasion recorded at the
time.
During Ghazanavid rule, there was massive influx of
important spiritual leaders like Hazrat Shaikh Ismail
and Hazrat Ali Bin Osman Hujweri, popularly known as
Data Ganj Bux. The latter was among the leading Sufi
philosophers of the day. He did immense missionary work
in his individual capacity and set an outstanding
example for future generations.
Many scholars are of the view that the general
conversion to Islam in the Subcontinent started on a
sizable scale from the 13th century, after the Ghurid
rule. This period coincides with the arrival of Hazrat
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and the Suharawardy Sufis. This
period also witnessed the expansion of Muslim power
across the Sutlaj into northern India. In addition to
Punjab, Sindh also claims the distinction of being the
centre of Indian Sufism. According to Hassan Nizami,
Suharawardy Sufis were the first to arrive in India and
made their headquarters in Sindh. This order achieved
much success under the leadership of Hazrat Bahwaldin
Zakriya in Multan. The famous Qadriya order entered
India through Sindh in AD1482. Syed Bandagi Mohammad
Ghouse, one of the descendants of the founder (Shaikh
Abdul Qadir Jilani, 1078-1116) took up residence in
Sindh at Uch (now in Bahawalpur) and died in AD1517.
Sakhi Sultan (Mangopir), Hazart Abdullah Shah of
Karachi, Hazrat Shah Inayat of Jhok Sharif, Hazrat Shah
Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast and Qalandar Lal
Shahbaz were saints of high stature in Sindh who
converted many Hindus.
In Bengal, saints and servants accompanied the
administrators and warriors, and established their own
darghas and khanqahs. Shah Jalal of Sylhet,
Makhdumul-mulk Sharfuddin and Shaikh Nur Qutb may be
particularly mentioned. Shah Jalal did much for the
spread of Islam in Bengal, while Shaikh Akhi Sirajuddin
propagated Islam in Gaur and Pandua.
Other notable figures of the 13th century Sufi movement
in Indo-Pak were the four friends known as ‘Chaharyar’ —
Hazrat Fariduddin Masud Ganj Shakar of Pakpattan
(1174-1266); Hazrat Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari, ulma of Uch
Bahawalpur (1196- 1296); Hazrat Bahawaldin Zakariya of
Multan (1170-1267); and Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalendar of
Sehwan (1177-1274). It is said that 17 leading tribes of
the Punjab accepted Islam at the hands of the Sufis.
Fortunately, the list of Sufis does not end here. Their
exact number is beyond the capacity of this article, so
only a few noteworthy Sufis can be mentioned. Mohammad
Ghose, Hazrat Mian Mir of Lahore, Hazrat Syed Yakub
Zanjani of Lahore, Ruknuddin Rukne Alam of Multan, who
was grandson of Hazarat Bahauddin Lakariya whose family
migrated from Sindh. Syed Ahmed Saqi Sarwar of D.G.
Khan, Pir Jalaluddin Qutb-al-Aqtab, who died at Uch in
AD1923 converted Mazaris and several other Baloch tribes
to Islam, Hazarat Khardari Baba Mulla Taher of Ziarat
(the visit to his tomb led to the place becoming known
as Ziarat) Pir Hinqlaj of coastal Makran, Pir Baba of
Swat, and Kake Sahib of Nowshero played important roles
in the spread of Islam.
The Sufis were well-read, widely travelled and spiritual
leaders of the masses. They succeeded in their mission
because they had both the strength of character and the
courage of conviction, and were selfless and devoted to
their cause. Their movement made inroads in the
Subcontinent and it grew powerful and successful for a
number of reasons.
Firstly, before they started preaching, they set noble
and brilliant example through their behaviour and
conduct. Secondly, Islam was preached by them in a
simple, pragmatic and flexible way, contrary to the
ulemas who laid much emphasis on the rigidity of rules.
Thirdly, they highlighted Allah’s positive and merciful
attributes to ignite a love of God in people’s hearts.
The Sufis disliked formalities and ceremonial acts,
preferring to lead simple lives, and their lofty and
admirable principles became guidelines for the people.
They were against suppressions and social evils,
condemning the use of force to gain power. Then their
khanqahs were always open for everyone, and those with
money had to donate generously to the needy. People
flocked from time to time to the Sufis for solace and
comfort.
The Sufis were triumphant because of their noble deeds
and the marvellous examples they set. They never imposed
their beliefs on non-Muslims. The khanqas provided
protection to wanderers, institutions for those who
wanted to quench their thirst for knowledge, food to the
needy and love to all. People rallied round the ideology
of Sufism which was simple to digest, practicable to
exercise.
The Sufis converted a civilisation into a better one,
which is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. The
small pockets of Muslim society in towns and villages
after the invasion of Muhammad Bin Qasim changed into
large cities and provinces. Above all, it was the sheer
straggle of the Sufis which paved the way for the future
Islamic state in the Subcontinent. Had the Sufis shunned
their practice of Islamic teachings in the 13th and 14th
century, it would have been difficult to implant a
Muslim civilisation in the country where a
well-organized Hindu community had lived for centuries. |