Sheikh-ul-Aalam’s Poetry in The Light of the Quran and the Hadees (Ahadith): A Short Analysis

Abstract

Sheikh Noor-ud-din (c.1377-c.1440) is one of the most revered and beloved of the Sufi-saints that have ever lived in Kashmir. He was the founder and most popular Sufi saint of the Reshi cult of Kashmir. Amongst the people of the region, he is also known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir (the standard bearer of Kashmir) and Nund Rishi. His message of simplicity, universal love and an egalitarian philosophy has inspired countless Kashmiris over the ages. Sheikh-ul-Alam was a great religious poet of Kashmiri language. Since the poet was a man of religious temperament, the theme of major portion of his oeuvre was the frailty, transitoriness and unsatisfactoriness of all earthly enjoyments, and complete surrender of one’s soul to God. To be didactic was the first intention of Sheikh’s poems. He was a poet of commitment. He used his poetry as a vehicle to spread the word of Allah to common masses in their own language and tone. The present paper is an attempt to present a brief analysis of Sheikh’s poetry in the light of the Quran and Ahadiths.