Emergence and Evolution of Islamic Culture and Civilization in Kashmir: An Analytical and Historical Overview

Abstract

From the Kashmiri ruler Rinchana (1320- 1323 A.D)‟s embracing
Islam by a Sufi saint Sayyid Sharaf-ud-Din Abdul Rahman (popularized to
Bulbul Shah)(1326 A.D.), one can derive that it is a dramatic scene that the
king of a time became a figure of an Islamic civilization at once but
actually with the long background of Muslims‟ commencement in the state
and its adjacent and king‟s discontent regarding other religions of the state
led him to accept the rapidly spreading Islamic civilization. King‟s debate
with the scholars of all ongoing religions of Kashmir and preferring Islam
as a religion among the other religions marks his adoption of a new
civilization more significant and remarkable.
Being a multicultural and multi religious nature of the state, Islamic
civilization and culture observe many pros and cons during the centuries in
Kashmir. It took more than half century to stand on its feet. It faced many
internal and external challenges but it was survived and resuscitated. Irani
Sufi saint Syed Ali Hamdani(1384 C.E) and his followers played a vital
role to nurture Islamic civilization and its manifestation to an extent that
once Kashmir was considered the central part of Islamic culture and
civilization and that was in the era of great Sultan Zain ul Abideen(1420-
1470) known as Bud Shah(great shah), as his period witnessed abundant
developments in art, languages, translations in Persian, Arabic from
Sanskrit and vice versa and many other sciences.
Although the Salateen‟s era(1339-1560) was the climax of Islamic
culture and civilization in Kashmir but the situation during the other eras
like of Chaks (1560-1586 C.E), Mughuls (1586-1752 C.E), Afghans(1752-
1819) Sikhs(1819-1846), Dogras (1846-1947) and modern time(1947 to till
date) is still remarkable as many developments regarding various sciences,
arts and languages were witnessed.
The study endeavors to explore the background of the
commencement of Islamic culture and civilization and its evolution and
how did Kashmiri people respond to new developments and how did they
resuscitate while facing the various challenges through the centuries.