The ‘Alamdār

Shaikh-ul Aalam Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 2249-5096

This paper explores how the Bhakti and Sufi mysticism movements have historically cultivated secular spirituality, providing a shared spiritual framework that transcended or expanded religious boundaries to foster communal harmony and continues to do so between Hindus and Muslims in contemporary South Asia. By emphasizing personal devotion, ethical behaviour, and social inclusivity, these traditions challenged religious orthodoxy and social hierarchies. Through a detailed examination of their historical contexts and contemporary fieldwork in Bihar and Kashmir, this study demonstrates how the teachings and practices of Bhakti and Sufi mystics remain essential for promoting interfaith dialogue and communal harmony. By situating these traditions within broader academic debates on secular spirituality, the paper underscores their ongoing relevance in addressing modern challenges of religious polarization and social cohesion.

The misinterpretation and manipulation of religious texts have long been tools for justifying social hierarchies and maintaining power structures. This paper critically investigates the misrepresentation of religious doctrine by the dominant class in William Wells Brown’s Clotel: The President’s Daughter. The paper examines how such misinterpretations serve to naturalise slavery as divinely sanctioned, thereby obscuring its inherent violence and immorality in the antebellum United States. Through close textual analysis, the study reveals how slaveholders strategically distorted Christian teachings and biblical narratives to construct a moral framework that perpetuated white supremacy. By examining instances where religious texts are selectively misrepresented, this paper argues that Brown exposes the ideological machinations of a society that exploits religious doctrine to reinforce social and racial hierarchies. Furthermore, the analysis explores how these deliberate distortions affect both Black and White communities differently, highlighting divergent views on Christian doctrines within these groups.

The present article is about the Buddhist perspective of religious harmony in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Religious harmony refers to the peaceful coexistence of various religions and their followers. Because of India's unique religious landscape, peace and religious harmony have long been important issues. Racial and religious conflicts have occurred on occasion throughout the nation's history. Religions should promote togetherness rather than divide individuals. To prevent misunderstandings among religions, all followers of different beliefs should convene for a discussion. People of all faiths work together to foster interreligious cooperation and strive to promote interfaith cooperation. Buddhism can strengthen interfaith ties by bringing individuals of different religions closer together. Buddha has been an excellent role model for interreligious collaboration. Buddhism should play a role in interfaith efforts to bring people of different religions together. Therefore, an effort is being made in the present article to highlight the Buddhist Perspective of Religious Harmony and the coexistence of different religions in the newly formed Union Territory of Ladakh. It also highlights the ongoing historic translation work of the Holy Quran into Ladakhi language using Tibetan script.

Exploring the phenomenon of the emergence, growth, impact and status of the Sufis or Sufi orders in the (medieval Indian) society has been of crucial significance in understanding not only the intellectual history or spiritual legacy but the overall development of Islam in South Asia or the Indian subcontinent. Sufis and Sufi fraternities/Salāsil/Orders have been considered an integral part of Indian society during the medieval period. The Sufis indisputably played an instrumental role in promoting and sustaining the peaceful, tolerant and pluralistic character along with the unity amid diversity in the society. In particular, their remarkable piety and religiosity, egalitarian approach and advocacy of love, peace, harmony, sympathy, philanthropy and unconditional service to humanity (irrespective of caste, colour and creed), left an indelible mark on the Indian religious and social history besides engraving everlasting imprints on the minds and hearts of the people. Given the significance of the multi-dimensional role(s) played by the Sufis and the impact thereof on the socio-cultural, political, economic and religious milieu of medieval Indian society, any attempt to understand the historical development of Islam in the subcontinent would be incomplete and partial without referring to the Sufis or the Sufi orders that flourished in the Indian subcontinent. With this backdrop, the current study humbly attempts to explore the role, activities and contributions made by a prominent Sufi master, Sayyid Jalāl al-Dīn Tabrīzī, in medieval Bengal, engaging with the sources through analytical, historical and descriptive methods. Tabrizi spearheaded the process of developing the Suhrawardiyyah Sufi Silsilah/Order– the earliest Sufi Order introduced in the subcontinent–in Bengal as early as the 13th century. The study will endeavour to analyse the role and activities played by Tabrīzī in the social, political, ritual and pedagogical domains of 13th-century Bengal furnishing an essential link to understand the religious and social structure of the then Bengali society. The work aims to contribute to the field of existing literature on Sufi studies in the Indian context.

Robert Jordan, also known as James Oliver Rigley Jr., is an American writer who created an epic fantasy world in his series of novels, The Wheel of Time (1990-2013), spanning 14 volumes. The Jordanian world is a rich tapestry of concepts from Hinduism, Buddhism, Arthurian legends, and Norse and Irish mythology. The narrative of The Wheel of Time series intricately weaves together a complex tapestry of themes that echo crucial Buddhist concepts, such as Samsara, Karma, Anatta, Anicca, Dukkha, Middle Way, etc. This study delves into how these Buddhist tenets shape the series’ portrayal of fate, personal responsibility, and the quest for enlightenment through a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of pivotal events and character arcs. Focused on the first three books of The Wheel of Time, namely The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, this study uncovers the prevalence of Buddhist teachings within the series, illustrating their significant contribution to the moral and philosophical framework of the world built by Robert Jordan. By highlighting the parallels between Jordan’s epic fantasy and Buddhist philosophy, this study underscores how Eastern thought has been adapted and reinterpreted in Western literature and how modern storytelling has influenced a broader cultural and philosophical exchange.

This paper constructs the lives of two female disciples of Shaikh Nuruddin: Behat Bibi and Dehat Bibi, who are popularly known as Chhat Kori, i.e., girls trained under Nuruddin’s spiritual guidance. It does so by bringing together varied accounts from hagiographical texts, and other historical works as well as a study of their shrine to construct a comprehensive biographical narrative of the two women saints. In the context of Kashmir, exhaustive studies on women mystics remain scarce. Existing works provide only cursory details about Behat Bibi and Dehat Bibi. This paper critically examines these fragmented accounts, using primary sources including Baba Nasib’s Nurnama, Baba Kamal’s Rishinama, Baba Khalil’s Rauzat ul Riyaz, and Hassan Khoihami’s Tarikeh-i-Hassan. By analysing these texts, the study seeks to present a more nuanced understanding of the lives and legacies of these two prominent Sufi women in Kashmir.

The globalised world of the twenty-first century exhibits an unprecedented level of interconnectedness, reshaping the exchange of information, ideas, and goods across national and international borders. This interconnectedness has significantly influenced worldviews, economies, cultures, and all life forms while concurrently complicating contemporary sustainability challenges. Therefore, one of the pressing ubiquitous discussions in this context is the challenge of achieving sustainable growth—mainly a consequence of anthropogenic activities. However, the sustainable development of human societies depends on more than just environmental considerations; it relies on the harmonious and peaceful coexistence of various religions, cultures, and belief systems, among other factors. Central to nurturing this coexistence is the practice of open, honest communication. In this regard, the concept of saṁvāda (dialogue), rooted in ancient Indic religions, is one such method aimed at fostering meaningful communication. Although originating from different worldviews, this paper argues that Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism share a common value system centred on the ethics of self-control and that dialogues historically took place around this. By exploring the shared ethical teachings on self-control within these religions, the paper illustrates their potential to contribute to contemporary discussions on sustainable growth. However, it also highlights the complex reality in which the ideals of compassion, tolerance, and non-violence are often undermined by challenges such as honour killings, jāti-based discrimination, animal cruelty, and nationalism-fuelled violence within South Asian societies. This paper, therefore, not only recognises the shared moral frameworks within Indic traditions but also emphasises the disconnect between ethical teachings and social practices, underscoring the need for a more profound engagement with these values to address the challenges of sustainable growth.

Self has always persisted as one of the prominent facets of Sufism and Sufi poetry. The many tenets of Islamic Sufism, such as Wahdatul-Wajood (Unity of Being) and Wahdatul-Shahood (Unity of Witness), wilayat (spiritual authority), and maqams (spiritual positions), are centred around the concept of the self. All of these concepts also symbolise that the self or nafs have the potential to undergo transformation.The indispensable objective of Sufism is to achieve the spiritual self, also called Nafsul Mutmainah.The definition of Sufism also revolves around the self. Sufism can be defined as "a practical and devotional path that leads to the transformation of the self from its lowly instinctual nature to the ultimate state of subsistence in God —a state in which all blame-worthy traits fall away." This study aims to examine the notion and projection of self in the poetics of Wahab Khar, a Kashmiri Sufi poet. In his poetics, the self is constantly seeking for purification and yearning to meet its guide or Pir. Wahab Khar brings into play several ways to attain these two desires. This study aims to emphasise Wahab's attempts to achieve the purification of self.