The Development of Nūrbakhshī Sufi Order in Gilgit-Baltistan

Abstract

Islam came to Gilgit-Baltistan with various invaders and missionaries from adjacent neighbouring regions but there is a lack of historical and archaeological evidence for the presence of Islam in the region before the late fourteenth century CE. The Kubravī-Hamadānī Sufi order laid the foundation of Islam in Gilgit-Baltistan. This legacy was further carried on by the Nūrbakhshī Sufi order, which is the focus of the present study. This Sufi order, independent of Shī‘īs and Sunnis, was founded in the fifteenth century by Mīr Nūrbakhsh, who tried to overcome the schism of the Muslim community by reconciling the teachings of Sunnis and Shī‘īs. The paper examines the origin and development of the Nūrbakhshī order through centuries in Gilgit-Baltistan, after briefly discussing its history in Persia and Kashmir. The Nūrbakhshī order retains its centuries-old sectarian identity despite hundred-year massive missionary efforts of both Shī‘īs and Sunnis.