Role of Sufi in the spread of Islam in subcontinent

The spread of Islam in the Sub-continent is the story of untiring efforts of

numerous saints and Sufis who dedicated their lives to the cause of service to
humanity.

Sufism is a Muslim philosophy, which teaches personal and mystical worship and
union with God. It is indefinable; it is a way of life. If it was ritual, one could learn
it by practicing the rituals. If it was mere learning, one could acquire it by
studying. To be a true human being, free from all bondage and honest with the
Almighty, is being a Sufi. Sufism is known in the Muslim world as Islamic
mysticism.

The Sufi saints mere involved in the spread of Islam in subcontinent in many ways.
Through their religious and missionary zeal, exemplary character and humanitarian
activities, they greatly influenced the mind of the masses and attracted them to the
faith of Islam. 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
civilization in the country where a well-organized Hindu community had lived for
centuries.

By the time the Muslim Empire was established at Delhi, Sufi fraternities had
come into being and the Sufi influence was far more powerful than it was in
earlier days under the Arabs in Sindh. Several reasons may be cited for this
change.

First, the establishment of the Delhi sultanate enabled Muslim scholars and traders
to travel freely throughout India under the protection of the political authorities.
Second, India was a beneficiary of the Mongol invasions (1219-1261) that
devastated Central Asia and Persia. Many noted scholars fled the Mongols into the
security of Hindustan. Third and perhaps the most important element, was the
establishment of Sufi orders throughout the vast subcontinent. Indeed, Islam spread
in India and Pakistan not by the force of conquest or the elaborate arguments
of mullahs and kadis but through the work of the great Sufi shaykhs.
Before the arrival of these Sufi scholars in the Indian subcontinent, most of the
local population was either Hindu or Buddhist. As Sufi scholars traveled across the
region, their belief in living a simple life and their devotion to inner and social
peace granted them wide success across the subcontinent. 

The process by which a faith enters the hearts of the believers has a profound
impact on the way religion is felt and followed by them. India, whose social
structure was fossilized by the caste system, was ready to accept a universal
religion like Islam. In a predominantly Hindu society, the position of a person was
determined at birth. The Brahmans reserved for themselves the exclusive privilege
to recite the mantras and propitiate the gods. The warrior Rajput class whose
princely privileges were also guaranteed by birth backed the status quo.
The vyasyas tilled the toil and paid the taxes. At the bottom of the social ladder
were the shudras or the untouchables.

To quote a well-known Indian writer V.T. Rajshekar: “These untouchables were

denied the use of public wells and were condemned to drink any filthy water
they could find. Their children were not admitted to schools attended by the
caste Hindu children. Though they worshiped the gods of Hindus and
observed the same festivals, the Hindu temples were closed to them. Barbers
and washer men refused to render them service. Caste Hindus, who fondly
threw sugar to ants and reared dogs and other pets and welcomed persons of
other religions to their houses, refused to give a drop of water to the
untouchables or to show them one iota of sympathy. These untouchable
Hindus were treated by the caste Hindus as sub-human, less than men, worse
than beasts . . .” In this social matrix, the message of Islam with its emphasis on
the brotherhood of man and the transcendence of God found a ready reception.

But the most important reason for the success of the Sufis lay in the spiritual bent
of the Indian mind. Thus, it was the great Sufis who not only succeeded in
introducing millions of Indians to Islam but also contributed to the evolution of a
unique Hindustani language, culture, poetry and music which amalgamated the
ancient inheritance of India with the vibrancy of Islam.

Sufis set noble and brilliant example through their behaviour and conduct. 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. Also 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 two great fraternities that established themselves very early in Muslim India
were the Suhrawardiyah and the Chishtiyah. The Suhrawardiyah order was
founded by Sheikh Ab-al-Najib Suhrawardi (1097 – 1162) and was introduced
into Muslim India by Sheikh Baha-ud-din Zakariya (1182 – 1268) of Multan.
With Multan as its center the Silsilah became dominant in the areas that now
constitute Pakistan.

Hadrat Khawaja Muin-ud-din introduced the Chishtiyah Silsilah in the Sub-

continent. He settled in Ajmer. Because he established the first Sufi Silsilah in
the Indian sub-continent, he is often referred to as Hind-al-Wali. When Khwaja
Muinuddin Chishti arrived on his divine mission in Ajmer around 1190, the news
of his arrival spread like wild fire. People mostly non- Muslims began to flock to
him in increasing numbers. Whoever came to him received the kindest treatment
and blessings. Most of the people were so much inspired by his divine teachings
and simplicity that they embraced Islam. Even Ajai pal, the famous magician of
Prithvi Raj submitted himself to the divine powers of Khwaja Sahib, abandoned
all his magic and became his disciple. Shahabuddin Ghori who had defeated
Prithvi Raj in the famous battle of Tarain humbly came to him to be blessed with
his grace. Akbar would get down on foot some distance before reaching Ajmer.
Thousands embraced Islam through his efforts. Millions did so through the efforts
of his disciples. Three of his disciples themselves became towering personages of
renown and occupy an important place in the hierarchy of the great Sufis. These
were Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Khaki (after whom the Qutub Minar of Delhi is
named), Shaykh Hameeduddin Naguri and Baba Fareed Ganj of Lahore.

Khawaja Muin-ud-din Ajmeri’s chief disciple, Khawaja Qutb-ud-din

Bakhtiyar Kaki, who lived at Delhi, was held in high esteem by Iltutmush.

Baba Farid who was the disciple of Khawaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki,
decided to settle in Punjab. The Chishtiyah order remained the most popular
order during the Sultanate period.Baba Farid appointed Sheikh Nizam-ud-din
Auliya (1238 – 1325) as his Khalifah. It was Nizam-ud-din Auliya who trained
a group of Sufis for the propagation of Islam in Gujarat, the Deccan and Bengal.
Earlier, Sheikh Ali Hajweri, popularly known as Data Ganj Baksh, came from
Ghazni to Lahore a few days after the death of Sultan Mahmud. He is mainly
responsible for the propagation of Islam in Punjab. The disciple of Sheikh Baha-
ud-din Zakariya, Syed Jalal-ud-din Bukhari, popularly known as Mukhdum
Jahanian Jahangasht, was one of the most important saints of the Suhrawardiyah
order.

He played an important part in the propagation of Islam in Sindh. Shah Jalal

came from Turkey and was a great Suhrawardi saint of Bengal. He came to the
Sub-continent in the reign of Iltutmush. Due to his missionary activities, Islam
gained good ground in Sylhet. Sheikh Ala-ul-Haq and his son Nur Qutb Alam
established new orders after their names in Bengal, and are responsible for large-
scale conversions in Sylhet, Bengal.

From Ajmer the Chishtiya order spread to Delhi, Punjab, Bengal and the Deccan.
Khwaja Moeenuddin Chisti trained and dispatched to the far-flung corners of the
subcontinent men who stand out as spiritual giants in the region. These include
Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Khaki (Delhi, d. 1236), Baba Farid of Punjab (Pak
Patan, d. 1265), Nizamuddin Awliya (Delhi, d. 1325) who was a disciple of Baba
Farid, Hazrat Maqdum, another disciple of Baba Farid (Rourki, Bihar, d. 1291),
Nasiruddin Muhammed, commonly referred to as Chirag-e-Dehli (a disciple of
Nizamuddin Awliya, Delhi, d. 1356) and Hazrat Gaysu Daraz (a disciple
of Chirage-e-Dehli, Gulbarga, d.1422). Together, these men transformed a
continent, molded it in an Islamic crucible, lit the candle of faith in the hearts of
millions and laid the spiritual foundation for one of the richest and most powerful
dynasties the world has ever known, namely the great Moghuls of India.

A central philosophy of Sufism is to have a strong connection between the teacher

and the murids as every teacher nominates their successor to continue their work.  

Most of the Sufis of subcontinent attracted the people through their humanitarian
activities it is said that many Sufis established “Langar Khanah” which became a
centre for humanitarian activities and provided food for the unfed poor, beggars
and travelers. Both Muslims and non-Muslims respected them as their ‗khanqah‟
became the center of inspiration for worldly and spiritually, and had a significant
role in promoting religious harmony in the country. The activities of the Sufis were
not only confined to the four walls of their khanqah but they also played an
important role in the spread of Islam and applied great influence in the people‘s
mind as well as in the society

Although many Sufi mystics did not have political aspirations and disdained
worldly power, the sultans in much of the Arabo-Muslim world paraded Sufis
mystics as inheritors of charisma derived through chains of succession from the
Prophet himself. Their blessings were regarded as essential to a ruler’s power. Sufi
leaders’ association with the ruling class of sultans allowed them to become
mainstream across South Asia. 

Yet in contrast to the ruling class, Sufis appreciated the multi-racial and multi
religious patterns of Indian society. Chisti Sufis for example cultivated an
antipathy for royal associations and instead were keen on interactions with
ordinary Indian Hindus. In fact, the influence of the Sufis became attached to
popular South Asian culture “by confluence of the murshidi, marfati, and baul
songs'' according to Professor Emadul Haq. 

Sufi efforts across the subcontinent were directed toward the creation of healthy
social order free from conflicts. And, most importantly perhaps, their insistence on
the quest for personal meaning and individual closeness to the divine offered the
masses a venue for raising their social status by questioning the caste systems

The Sufis educated the new Muslims in religious principles, helped the poor and
needy, attracted the local people, converted them into Islam and occupied a
respectful position in the socio-religious life of sub-continent. The Sufis penetrated
a new spirit of tolerance, brotherhood, equality, and universal love in this country
so that the masses accepted Islam while Hinduism was deeply affected as visible in
reforming the brahmin society. All people irrespective of caste, creed, race, sex
and religion loved the Sufis. The spiritual power and noble character of the Sufis
won the hearts of the local people. The khanqahs‟ of the Sufis were the centers of
reconciliation of Hindus and Muslims.