سماجی ہم آہنگی کے صوفیانہ مسالک: برصغیر میں تصوف کا کردار

Mystical Pathways to Social Harmony: The Role of Sufism in the Indian Subcontinent

Abstract

Islamic Sufism has played a significant role in promoting social harmony across the Indian subcontinent. Through an emphasis on tolerance, love, spiritual equality, and service to humanity, Sufi teachings functioned as a unifying force within the region’s religiously and culturally diverse societies. Prominent Sufi figures such as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Baba Farid Ganj Shakar, Nizamuddin Auliya, Data Ganj Bakhsh, and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar contributed to the cultivation of social cohesion through their spiritual guidance, ethical conduct, and inclusive outreach. Sufi institutions, particularly khanqahs and shrines, emerged as vital spaces of communal interaction, providing spiritual solace while fostering intercommunal engagement beyond distinctions of caste, creed, or social status. By prioritizing divine love, humility, and selfless service, Sufism encouraged religious coexistence and nurtured a shared moral and cultural ethos. This study argues that Sufism not only facilitated peaceful interreligious relations in the subcontinent but also contributed to the formation of enduring social bonds grounded in common spiritual values, thereby reinforcing social harmony in a pluralistic context.