| Awaken Bharata |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| SUFIS AND MILITANCE | |
| Hence
when Hindus under Islamic rule stated that Hinduism was as good as
Islam, they didn't necessarily mean that they felt that Islam was a
good religion. They were merely trying to give some worth to their
own religion in the face of great oppression. Hindus
had to face religious and land taxes, which Akbar revoked only to
have Aurangzeb reinstate them. They were often prevented from public
worship in their own country, and called kafirs, or heathens,
pagans, and idolaters. Most Sufis supported or quietly accepted such
policies.
Many Sufis benefited from these anti-Hindu taxes because they received donations from Islamic rulers based upon such state revenues. Of the Sufis who recognized the power of Hindu mysticism some saw it as their enemy and sought ways to overthrow it. Even conservative Sufis borrowed from Yoga traditions to make their own methods appear more sophisticated and to better compete with the yogis. Some Sufis took on more Hindu ways but this was usually to aid in conversion efforts, much like how Catholic priests in South India today have taken to dressing like Hindu Swamis in order to gain a more favorable reception from Hindus. There are a number of Sufis stories about their clashes with yogis and their victories over them in displays of magical powers (Christian priests in India, like Saint Ignatius of Loyala have similar stories about them). Even Moinuddin Chishti, the founder the more liberal and tolerant Chishti order, is credited in stories with defeating the yogis and proving the greater mystical power of Islam. |
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