A Historical Study of Contribution for the Sufi Sect Establishing the Social Equality in India

Abstract

The history of Sufism dates back to around 1400 years. Muhammad Pangambar, the founder of the Muslim religion, is regarded as the first Sufi saint. The following Sufi saints seem to have influenced their way of life. In the Sufi sect, honesty, piety, poverty alleviation and the will of the Lord were considered obligatory. There were about 14 branches of Sufism in India. The major faith of all these branches is that it is God's will and human service. During the early period of Islam, the Sufi saints were found to have followed the path of Nivti very strictly. Sufi offspring seem to have accepted the poor life and acceptance of poor living and hard asceticism. Sufi ideology began to adapt to the changing circumstances of society and Islam. The Sufi saint came to India after the invasion of the Sindh province of Arabia. The aim was to gain the followers of Islam by taking the advantage of the conquest of the region which was conquered in India. Sufi philosophy was based on the basic philosophy of monotheism, Islam. Nevertheless, as with the Indian mystics and devotees, they had adopted a new direction of thought and logical thinking while imagining the relation between ultimate truths or the form of the Supreme Creator as well as the relationship between creator and creator. Buddhist and Vedic philosophies have some effect on Sufi philosophy. Thus, the distant Indian cultural heritage shows that the Sufi sect attained a similar religious expression and method of expression similar to that of Buddhism and Vedanta philosophy. The Sufi sects played some useful positive roles in reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims. The Sufis, especially the Chishti saints, established ties with the inferior Hindu caste and voluntarily converted. Sufi philosophy and meditation have gained popularity among Hindu Buddhists. In Hinduism, medieval times are seen all over India, with the view that the Hindus should show respect for the Muslims and that the Hindus should show the same kind of respect.