Servant of Allah
Member
Can you please give me a brief history of how Southern Asia countries like India & others fell into so much Sufi beliefs & the Ashari & Maturidi Aqeedah
Aqeedah of those in the Southern Asia subcontinent
- Thread starter Servant of Allah
- Start date
1. Early Spread of Islam in South Asia
Islam reached Sindh and parts of India early (1st century AH / 8th century CE) through:
• Trade routes
• Small military expeditions
• Muslim merchants settling in coastal areas
However, the early Muslim communities were small and did not spread large scale religious teaching. Because of this, the dominant religious tone of the region was not shaped by the early Salaf.
2. Rise of Persian and Central Asian Influence
From the 4th to 9th centuries AH, Islam entered India in large waves through:
• Turkic dynasties
• Persian-speaking administrators
• Central Asian scholars
These regions (Khorasan, Persia, Transoxiana) were already dominated by:
Ashari theology in the west (Persian lands) Maturidi theology in the east (Transoxiana, Uzbekistan, Samarqand, Bukhara) Sufi orders (Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Chishti, Suhrawardi)Thus, when Muslim rulers, scholars, and Sufi shaykhs migrated into India, they transplanted the theological frameworks of their homelands. India did not develop these creeds internally; they were imported.
3. State Sponsorship
Almost every Muslim dynasty in India patronized Sufi orders and Ashari-Maturidi scholars, including:
• Delhi Sultanate
• Mughal Empire
• Bengal Sultanates
• Deccan Sultanates
State institutions funded:
• Ashari-Maturidi madrasas
• Sufi khanqahs and dargahs
• Literature in Persian supporting these ideas
Because the rulers institutionalized these systems, they became the mainstream religious culture.
4. Sufi Approach Appealed to the Masses
Sufi preachers used methods that appealed to Hindu-majority population:
• Emotional poetry
• Music and gatherings (sama)
• Shrine culture
• Emphasis on dreams and miracles
• Blending Islamic vocabulary with local customs
This made Islam culturally approachable, but also introduced bidah innovations, grave veneration, and practices contrary to Tawhid.
The authentic Salafi daawah was not present in strength to counter these deviations.
5. Decline of Hadith-Based Scholarship
Before the revival movements of the 12th to 13th centuries AH, many Muslim regions, including India, saw:
• A shift from hadith to kalam theology
• Heavy reliance upon Greek-influenced philosophical argumentation
• Domination of Hanafi fiqh combined with Maturidi creed
Only a small number of scholars held to the Athari creed, and they lacked political or institutional support.
6. British Colonial Impact
During British rule:
• Sufi shrines were legally recognized and protected
• Traditional madrasas (Ashari-Maturidi) remained dominant
• Ahl al Hadith movements had limited resources
The colonial system indirectly preserved the existing theological landscape.
7. The Later Revival of Tawhid in India
From the 12th to 14th centuries AH appeared reformist, hadith-focused movements:
• Shah Waliullah Dehlawi
• Siddiq Hasan Khan of Bhopal
• Nawab of Tonk
• Ahl al Hadith movement (inspired by scholars of Najd)
These efforts revived:
Importance of authentic hadith Critique of kalam theology Refutation of grave worship Pure Tawhid al UluhiyyahBut they were always a minority compared to centuries-old Sufi-Ashari-Maturidi establishments.
In Short
- Beliefs were imported from Persia, Central Asia, and the Turkic world.
- Muslim rulers institutionalized these systems.
- Sufi strategies appealed to the majority Hindu population.
- Lack of early Salafi Ahl al Hadith presence.
- State-supported madrasas taught kalam-based theology.
- Shrine culture became part of social and political life.
- Colonial powers preserved the existing religious structure.
This made South Asia the largest Ashari-Maturidi-Sufi region in the world.
