A Return to Kashmiriat

A Return to Kashmiriat What is Kashmiriat (Kashmirness)? Kashmiriat is, in fact, another name for Sufism. Kashmiri culture means Sufi culture. Kashmir is perhaps the only place in the world where Islam was spread only through the Sufis. As such, a revival of Kashmiriat in Kashmir would in fact mean revival of Sufism. Sufism and spirituality are synonymous. Sufism is based wholly on peace and love. Indeed, Sufism is only another name for a culture of peace and love. What is Sufi culture? In the words of the Sufis, it is peace with all. This Sufi culture is desirable as creating a bond not only between Muslims, but also between Muslims and Hindus. The people of Kashmir have followed this Sufi culture for several centuries, thus ensuring that the whole environment of the state is based on the principle of peace, love and social harmony. The people of Kashmir were totally innocent of hatred and violence. But some external elements misled them into deviating from this Kashmiri culture. This breeding of hatred and violence, far from giving them anything positive, took away their most precious asset, and that was the Sufi culture which had always been a symbol of Kashmir — that is, the culture of peace and love. It was the good fortune of the people of Kashmir that the Muslim Sufis who came from outside in the last few hundred years, and those Sufis who were born in Kashmir, all communicated the message of peace and love. This brought about a tremendous revolution in Kashmir, where Islam spread far and wide. For instance, Shayhkh Nooruddin Noorani (d. 1439) one of the great Sufis of Kashmir, symbolized the true Kashmiriat. He was known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir, and was greatly respected also by the Hindus, who called him Nand Rishi. He was equally popular among Hindus and Muslims. Shaykh Nooruddin Noorani once observed: “If you are wise, do not differentiate between Hindus and Muslims. This is the way to find God.” He was also a poet. His poems, titled Rishi Nama and his writings show that, to him, there was only one sure way of acknowledging man, and that was for man to love man. To him loving man was the way to realize God. One of the precious sayings of Shaykh Nooruddin Noorani is as