A Research Study of the Tradition of Critical Aspect of Sufism in Indian Sub-Continent

برصغیر میں نقد تصوف کی روایت : تحقیقی مطالعہ

Abstract

Islam has historically emphasized ʿaql (rationality), fikr (critical reflection), and ʿilm (learning). The roots of critical inquiry in Islamic tradition, established during the compilation of the Qurʾān and ḥadīth, later shaped the discipline of naqd (criticism) and tajdīd (renewal). Within this intellectual framework, the tradition of critically evaluating taṣawwuf (Sufism) emerged to safeguard it from un-Islamic elements. In the Indian Subcontinent, this critical dimension of Sufism was carried forward by prominent scholars including ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Muḥaddith al-Dihlawī, Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī, Sayyid Naẓīr Ḥusain al-Dihlawī, Nawāb Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān al-Bhopālī, Mawlānā Sanāʾ Allāh al-ʿAmritsarī, Qāḍī Sanāʾ Allāh Pānīpatī, Mawlānā Ashraf ʿAlī al-Thanvī, Abū al-Kalām Āzād, Muḥammad Iqbāl, and Sayyid Saʿīd Aḥmad Shāh. Their critiques addressed doctrinal, ethical, and practical dimensions of Sufi thought, ensuring its harmony with Islamic principles while rejecting innovations. This study examines the critical legacy of these scholars, highlighting how their intellectual engagement preserved the authenticity of Sufism in the Subcontinent and reinforced its integration with the broader Islamic scholarly tradition.