Why Sheikh-ul-Alam Matters?

Shaikh Nur-ud-din (RA) was an epoch-making personality of the valley of Kashmir. He was born towards the last quarter of the 14th century, in 1377 AC , and emerged as the cultural leader of the populace at a time when Kashmir was at the crossroads of its socio- cultural and religio-political transition. His father Sheikh Salar-ud-Din and his mother Sadra were famous for their devoutness and goodness. Sheik's ancestral background voyages to the regal family of Kishtwar which slides down from the Maharaja Vikramajit. Sheikh cites his lineage in one his verses as ,

“My Father and mother belonged to the Sanz family. ---

I am the son of Salar Sanz."

He is a widely recognised and identified by the names of Nund Reshi, Alamdar-e-Kashmir and Sheikh-ul-Alam. He is known as Sahazanand among Kashmiri Pandits.

The force and impact of the Sheikh's teachings on the development of Kashmiri society and culture has been indelible and unforgettable. The indigenous order of Kashmiri Silsilah-i-Rishiyyan, founded by him, emerged as a potential spiritual and social movement that engulfed the valley of Kashmir during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. So great was its influence that in the time of Akbar and Jahangir about 2000 Rishis were found to be actively engaged in their mission. Abul Fazl, the great author during the Mughal rule, remarks, “... The most respectable class in the country of Kashmir is that of Rishis who, notwithstanding their need for freedom from the bonds of tradition and custom, are true worshipers of God.” The influence of the Sheikh on our life and literature is eye-catching and conspicuous as he enters our life and literature, though unnoticeably but surely. His impact is of two kinds, direct as well as indirect. But at the same time, we also discover that his influence on Kashmiri literature has not been unswerving. We find in the world class writers like, Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Yeats, Eliot, Goethe, Tolstoy, Rumi, Sadi, Hafiz, Mir, Ghalib, Iqbal and in our own folklore, Lal Ded, Mahmud Ghami, Rasul Mir, Mehjoor and Azad etc,- that their creative output impinges directly on their own literature, and in some cases upon other literatures as well. But Hazrat Shaikh-ul-Alam (RA) belongs to that class of historical personalities and writers whose influence penetrates into the main springs of life itself and then permeates and imbues all its manifestations together with culture and literature. The personalities of the calibre of the Sheikh grasp the whole extent of life around what it revolves.

In order to know why Hazrat Sheik (RA) matters in our life and literature, we need to revisit and concede to the most significant reality about his biography. His life falls into two distinct segments. The first of these segments of his life is that of self-exploration and self-discovery, wherein we find him so engrossed in self discovery and in his experiences as to be entirely impermeable to everyday life. He confines himself to a cave and renounces all social activity and his mother, Sadra, objects and says,

My Nunda, caves are infested with rats and scorpions,

And lions and Jackals may assail you here,

My Nunda, why you have left the shelter of my bosom,

Lice and fleas may afflict you here:

The Sheiks replies to his mother,

Mother, this cave I take as a palatial mansion ,

These rags my silken wear,

With rats I'll play as with royal birds,

And this life I shall take as a fleeting instant

In the second segment, the Sheikh leaves the cave and takes on the role of a missionary moving from place to place, transforming individual lives on spiritual and moral streak. The Sheikh as a reformer knew that unless psyche and hearts of the individuals are changed no socio-political or cultural transformation is possible. The purpose of the Sheikh's extensive tours of Kashmir was to establish close contact with people and pick up individuals whom he could identify and utilise their services for spiritual preparation and tutoring. This he achieved by embedding in the minds of chosen humans or individuals the firm faith in All- knowing Allah and the accountability on the Day of Judgement. The ultimate ideal that he puts before the seeker of truth, is of course, the Pleasure of Allah.

Who shall turn to Thee selflessly?

Who shall have that breadth of heart?

For the lure of Heaven and fear of Hell

Allah, They worship Thee.;

He knew that the only means to achieve this end is to create in the hearts of people a strong desire and sense for the salvation in the hereafter.

The Sheikh had dedicated himself to the cause of moral upliftment of the society through preaching Islam at a time when this society had lost moral belief and values and immorality was all-pervasive. The period in which he lived was also of socio-political confusion due to the slyness of political set up. The castes and classes had pushed up class conflicts and thereby, making society vulnerable and susceptible. The confusion was so much that the Sheikh reacted very sharply to it in his shruks indicating political undertones. He became strong critic of economic, political and social inequality. In a very sharp and artistic style, he foretells not only about the rulers of that time but also of future rulers.

The source of fountains shall dry up,

The street gutters shall flow brimful,

And then monkeys shall rule the country.

The Sheikh had fully understood the reality, philosophy and ultimate destiny of our life; in one of his perpetual shruks, he says,

My youth has bloomed into the full moon

And the face radiates the glow

But when old age renders me out of gear

My loved one's hasten to show me exit.

Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA) is timeless for the fact that he was gifted with the sea of knowledge. He was not only a great saint and rishi but also a great poet, preacher, reformer, intellectual, religious scholar, naturalist and environmentalist; and it is due to these merits and virtues that he matters in our lives and rules our hearts.