South Asia has long been the cradle of a deeply spiritual, inclusive, and pluralistic form of Islam rooted in Sufism. From the shrines of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer to Shah Jalal in Sylhet and Baba Farid in Lahore, Sufi saints built bridges of harmony between faiths, languages, and communities. They emphasised love over fear, service over supremacy, and spirituality over sectarianism. Yet, in recent decades, this inclusive ethos has come under a sustained assault from imported ideologies most notably Wahhabism and its political offshoot, Salafism reshaping the religious and social landscape of the region.

For centuries, Islam in the Indian subcontinent evolved in close conversation with local cultures. The Sufi orders the Chishtiya, Qadiriya, and Warsiya were not merely religious movements but moral communities that preached tolerance and unity. They played a crucial role in resisting colonial exploitation and communal hatred, offering a message of divine love and equality that resonated with Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims alike.

This Sufi framework of coexistence helped create a composite cultural identity often referred to as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. It allowed Indian Muslims to remain rooted in their........

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