Kashmir during ancient times consisted of two major religions, Buddhism & Hinduism. Islam arrived here during the 2nd millennium through Central Asia. Kashmir, as a strategic location and a bridge between Central Asia and Tibet, was under the sight of Muslim rulers. Umayyad Caliphs, who initially tried to conquer the valley but didn’t meet the required success. Another attempt was by yet another Muslim king called Mahmud Gaznavi, but he too failed. Eventually Kashmir became politically Islamic through the conversion of a Ladakhi Buddhist king called Rinchen under the guidance of a Sufic mystic known as Bulbul Shah, who himself came to Kashmir from Central Asia. Well, scholars have usually focused on how Kashmir converted to Islam politically but not explored it socially.

There are traces of foreign Muslims in Kashmir’s royal court that go even back to Mahmud Gaznavi. It is believed that companions of Mahmud Gaznavi had visited the valley and stayed there in the service of Hindu rulers. This paved the way for common Kashmiri people to have some exchange with Muslims of Central Asia. As Kashmir is situated at the crossroads between the Indian Peninsula & Central Asia, various travellers considered Kashmir their transit while travelling to the subcontinent. And some even choose this Himalayan region as their home & Some purposely travelled for their religious mission.

Among those foreigners were the Sufi saints of Central Asia, who came to Kashmir for the purpose of teaching Islam to the common Kashmiri population. Among them the most well-known Sufi saint is Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, also called Shah Hamadan, who came to the valley with 700 followers/artisans who fled the imminent Timur invasion in 1383 CE. Kashmir at that time was ruled by the Shah Mir dynasty, which gained power after First Muslim King Rinchen Shah. The arrival of Shah Hamadan to Kashmir was very brief, and his mission was carried forward by his son Mir Mohammad Hamdani, who stayed in Kashmir for 12 years and is responsible for building khanqahs at important towns of the valley.

Mir Mohammad Hamdani met local Muslim Reshi saint known as Sheikh Noor ud Din at present-day Chadura Town, Mir Mohammad Hamdani was profoundly impressed with the spiritual knowledge of Sheikh Noor ud Din and entrusted the mission of spreading it to him.

Sheikh Noor ud Din came from the royal family of Kishtwar, which at present comes under the Jammu division. His father, Salar Sanz, converted to Islam through Mir Sayyid Muhammad Hussain Simnani, who was a follower of Shah Hamadan & came to Kashmir prior to his master. In comparison to other spiritual saints of Islam who came to Kashmir, the position of Sheikh Noor ud Din is different. As he is considered Kashmiri’s own Muslim saint who had followers among both Hindus & Muslims of the region. By being an indigenous saint, he was well aware of the psyche of the local population and was able to carry out the mission of spreading the teachings of Islam.

Sheikh Noor-ud-Din, also known as Sheikh-ul-Alam, which literally means spiritual guide of the world. He was born in the present Kulgam district, at Khee Jogipora village. His birth year is mostly disputed among scholars, but there is some consensus on the date of 1356 AD. His family for some time shifted to Qaimoh, which is also located in Kulgam District. Sheikh was educated under the guidance of Mir Sayyid Muhammad Hussain Simnani. He was married at a young age and had two children. Before treading the mystic path, he was occupied with agriculture.

It is believed that at the age of 30, Sheikh Noor ud Din retired to a cave at Qaimoh for worship of God and meditation. After attaining spiritual knowledge, he established the Rishi order, which consists of his followers, who, like Sheikh, strove for attaining spiritual knowledge. Sheikh ul Alam travelled extensively to the whole valley for spreading the teachings of Islam. His conclusion of the journey came at Charar E Sharief, where he eventually died in 1438 AD.

In comparison to Bulbul Shah & Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, Sheikh Noor ud Din was well versed with the common language of the masses called Kashmiri. He was able to spread teachings of Islam through the Kashmiri language, due to which he was able to deeply resonate with non-Muslims of Kashmir. His teachings, which are called Shruks, are in clear and simple Kashmiri language, which illiterate people were able to understand. Sheikh Noor ud Din used local metaphors so that people would find resonance with him.

In addition to being a local Muslim saint, Sheikh ul Alam was an environmentalist who stressed to people to plant vegetation and protect nature. He himself was occupied with agriculture, and his followers were too. During his travels he planted majestic Chinars on the roadside, which even today give cooling shade to travellers during summers. In his writings he has criticized people who destroy the forest for the sake of extracting timber from it.

Nund Rishi, as he is also popularly known, is also credited with saving the Kashmiri language; otherwise, due to outside influence, Persian would have been commonly spoken among ruling elites. By communicating in the Kashmiri language, he not only saved the language but Kashmiri culture as well. Bulbul Shah & Shah Hamadan both spoke in the Persian language, which was alien to the Kashmiri populace. So it's Sheikh Noor ud Din who is credited with spreading Islam to every corner of the valley. He is the National saint who is revered in all distinct regions (Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Ladakh) of the historical Kashmiri Nation. Therefore, he is also called Alamdar E Kashmir, which means flag bearer of Kashmir.

References

Gauhar, G. N. 2009. Kashmir Mystic Thought. Gulshan Books.