Sufi Way To Peace
In the name of Allah, the most beneficent and merciful
In the holy Quran Allah says about the people in heaven that
Da`wahum Fiha Subhanaka Al-Lahumma Wa Tahiyatuhum Fiha Salamun Wa ‘Akhiru Da`wahum ‘Ani Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbi Al-`Alamina
(This will be) their cry therein: “Glory to Thee, O Allah!” And “Peace” will be their greeting therein! and the close of their cry will be: “Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!” Sura Yoonus 10:10
I feel proud and privileged to ventilate my ideas and thoughts and experience about peace which has been repeatedly underlined in our religion to you as a Salik of Sufi path.
As you know I have come from a nation where Sufi masters played the pertinent role in preaching Islam in a peaceful way. It was Sufis like Hazrat Shahjalal (R) Hazrat Shah Paran (R) Hazrat Amanat Shah (R), ShahSufi Syed Ahmedullah Maizbhandari (R) and Shahsufi Syed Golamur Rahman Maizbhandari (R) who attracted the mass people of Bangladesh to come under the shade of Islam.
Mainly the loving characters of the Sufi saints attracted the inhabitants of my part of the world to embrace Islam.
The people converted to Islam in my country because of loving, empathetic, liberal and understanding approach of saints who converged on my land centuries together from different countries of the world. In fact the people converted to our religion voluntarily without any pressure and force whenever they came into contact with the saints.
Like other places of the world Sufis in our country primarily targeted to establish peace and harmony in the society showing and practicing respect regarding the issues of inter-faith.
In fact the land where I live witnessed the rise of Islam during 11th century to 17th century got the momentum after the Sufis started reaching my region. Sufis come to Bengal from Yemen, Iraq, Iran and other middle-eastern countries with holy messages of Islam that is peace and universal brotherhood.
Although Sufi saints faced unfavourable climate compared to the environment they use to live in they showed their firm determination to spread Islam in my part of the world.
The people of my region who were oppressed by the wrong belief of social and economic stratification started to come under the shade of these Sufis because of their liberal but effective life and works, philosophy and opinion. Because of the Sufi way to peace millions of people converted to Islam.
The propagation of Islam by the Sufis was so silent and peaceful that British rulers were surprised to see the large number of Muslim community traced out in a census in 1881. The colonial rulers had to go for census second time to bring an end to their confusion that how could such a big community of Muslims grew without their knowledge, But the second census showed a bigger number of Muslims
In fact the colonial rulers at that time were unaware of the growth of Muslims as the conversion of non-believers to believers took place amid peaceful preaching of the religions by the Sufi Saints.
Sufi in our region proved that peace practice always wins against odds. The saints in our country always remained the torch bearers of peace and tranquillity in Bangladesh.
Following the footsteps of early Sufi saints the devotees of Maizbhandari order directs its followers to transcend towards one self to perfection and realise the truth of life through peaceful ways.
So on behalf of my people it would like to tell the enlightened audience here that our nation has thousand years historical experience about how peace can establish the real truth. So I believe all of us here can confidently say in unison that peaceful preaching of Sufism only can bring about the desired changes that all of us are searching so desperately right now.