The Spread of Islam and Sufism in Central Asian Turkic World

Abstract

Turkic people were historically instrumental in developing Islam after accepting the religion, as much as the Arabs who first established Islam. However, not many people pay attention to this fact. This paper intends to explore the movement of Sufism, proliferation of the Turkic-Islamic world, and changes from modernization. Historically, the Turkic people acted as passionate missionaries in accepting Islam, and spreading it to other parts of the world. Amidst these actions was Sufism. It is important to note that the Turkic people carried out pioneering efforts in creating a new Islam through integration of indigenous beliefs and culture, accepting and spreading Sufism, and developing Islamic knowledge. Based on Neoplatonism, and integrated with indigenous Central Asian belief, Sufism was prevalent in Central Asia. It eventually formed orders and spread itself out to the world in various forms of order (tariqa). At the same time, Sufi scholars like al-Ghazzali and Ibn al-Arabi systemized and enhanced the theory. Although fateful tasks such as ‘modernization’ in countries in Islamic-Turkic world have changed people’s perception and reduced the number of people accepting Islamic knowledge, Sufism still plays an essential role in majority of Central Asian Turkic countries, and Sufis are extensively respected. Islam is misunderstood as the main cause of global terrorism to an extent that there are numerous interpretations and stereotypes about Islam being violent. However, approaching Islam from perspective of Sufism will enable one to understand the immense depth and peace in the cosmology and world view of Islam. This is the reason behind the importance of Sufism’s role in spreading Islam to the globe. It is also true that within the Islamic world, subtle tension and conflict exist between traditional Islam and Sufism. However, Sufism is an imperative cultural heritage in highlighting the ideological, philosophical, and religious aspects of Islam. The Turkic-Islamic world being the major driving force behind this phenomenon should also be reiterated.