Extremism vs. Harmony: The Battle Over India’s Sufi Shrines and National Unity, Dangers Of Growing Wahhabi Influence

By Sahil Razvi, New Age Islam 23 May 2025 Extremist ideologies (Salafi/Wahhabi/Deobandi) threaten India’s Sufi shrines, falsely branding them shirk, while radicalized youth and clerics demand their destruction. This undermines centuries-old Hindu-Muslim harmony. Amid national security crises, preserving India’s syncretic traditions against divisive orthodoxy becomes critical to counter terrorism and communal polarization. Main Points: 1. Wahhabi/Deobandi clerics (Zakir Naik, Tariq Masood, Engineer Mirza) label Sufi shrines (Dargahs) as shirk/Bid’ah, advocating their destruction, mirroring Saudi Arabia’s historic demolition of Islamic heritage. 2. Indian Muslim youth influenced by extremist preachers (e.g., Israr Ahmad) condemn dargahs, harass devotees (e.g., Cricketer Mohammed Shami), and echo calls to bulldoze revered shrines like Ajmer Sharif. 3. Dargahs (e.g., Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya) symbolize Hindu-Muslim unity, attracting interfaith devotees. Extremist rhetoric risks eroding India’s pluralistic ethos. 4. While leaders like Owaisi condemn terrorism, backlash from radicalized youth exposes internal Muslim community fractures over nationalism and religious orthodoxy. ----- After the 22 April 2025, Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi took a strong stand against the terrorists, condemning them severely. His videos and tweets went viral to the extent that even some of his staunch critics began praising him. Some even went so far as to suggest that the Modi government should include him in the Cabinet. But that’s just one side of the story. On the other hand, a section of Muslim youth disliked Owaisi’s stance and began criticising him harshly, even calling him a munafiq (hypocrite), simply because he raised slogans against Pakistan and firmly denounced the terrorists. Interestingly, his strong stand earned him a place in the Indian delegation that would travel to different countries to present India’s viewpoint post-Operation Sindoor. See some examples below: (Link: https://x.com/InternofRevival/status/1921324089605537886) (Link: https://x.com/CH_Huss/status/1922608015531815007) While browsing through social media, I came across a Twitter Space discussing Islamic topics. After listening for a while, I realised the participants were young individuals aligned with Wahhabi extremist ideology. They were openly saying that the shrines (Dargahs) in India are hubs of shirk (polytheism) and should be bulldozed. I was shocked. One participant questioned them: “This is a land of Sufi saints and rishis. They are the reason India’s unity and integrity have survived. If you want to demolish all Dargahs, then go ahead and bring a bulldozer to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s shrine, or Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s Dargah, or Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi’s shrine, demolish them too.” What stunned everyone was that the Wahhabi youth agreed, supporting even the destruction of these sacred places. This disturbing mindset traces its roots back to the extremist ideology that led to the destruction of the sacred Jannat al-Baqi cemetery in Saudi Arabia in 1925–26 by the Saudi family, where even the graves of the Prophet Muhammad’s family and companions were razed. Now this same radical thinking seems to be seeping into the minds of Indian youth. This is deeply worrying. These youths often label anyone visiting Dargahs as committing shirk. But ironically, if you ask them what shirk actually is, or how many types there are, they likely wouldn't know the answer. From what I observed, these toxic thoughts are being instilled in their minds by certain Pakistani preachers and a few Indian radical clerics as well. Clips from people like Maulana Tariq Jameel, Maulana Israr Ahmed, Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, and Zakir Naik frequently go viral. Among them, Maulana Israr Ahmed is often seen declaring that saluting the national flag is shirk, or even leaning forward to shake someone’s hand is shirk. He also absurdly claims that asking for your loan back more than twice is shirk. Such notions turn religion into a mockery. Then there’s Dr. Israr Ahmad, who I can rightly call the “Ambassador of Shirk”. Throughout his life, he labelled everything as shirk (polytheism). In one statement, he says: “If you hear the Fajr azan and go back to sleep, you’ve disobeyed Allah’s command, this too is shirk!” Think about it: millions of Muslims miss prayers. While skipping prayer is a major sin, how is it shirk? By this logic, countless Muslims would be declared mushriks (polytheists)! Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza is no less extreme; he frequently makes derogatory remarks about saints and revered spiritual figures. Therefore, it’s important that we, and especially our youth, completely boycott such radical preachers and stop giving them attention. When Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza was asked: “After watching your videos, my friend insults elders [Sufi saints].” Mirza angrily retorted: “First prove they were elders! People falsely elevated figures like Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti or Ali al-Hujwiri to sainthood. They were never saints!” Isn’t this blatant disrespect toward the Awliya Allah (friends of God)? Absolutely! When hardline Wahhabi preacher Zakir Naik is asked about Sufism, he outright calls Tasawwuf (Sufism) a bid'ah (innovation). He claims that anything beyond the Quran and Sunnah is Bid’ah, even though he seems unaware that Sufism itself derives from the Quran and Sunnah. Similarly, Pakistani Deobandi scholar Tariq Masood was asked: “Will Muslims who pray at shrines burn in Hell forever? If so, how can they be guided?” He replied: “If someone goes to a shrine and asks the saint buried there for help, they become a disbeliever (Kafir). If they die without repentance, they will burn in Hell eternally. Even if someone prays to Allah at a shrine, it’s still Bid’ah, and Bid’ah leads to Hell.” In another statement, Masood says: “Visiting shrines is haram, a major sin. If someone believes Allah has granted the saint the power to grant them children, they become Kafir. Such a person cannot be buried in a Muslim cemetery, their Hajj is invalid, and their marriage is annulled.” This Pakistani scholar contradicts himself in different speeches. It’s clear he lacks even basic knowledge of Islam. In truth, these Dargahs play a significant role in maintaining the balance and harmony between Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities. Shrines like that of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Hazrat Sabir Pak Kaliyari, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, or Hazrat Waris Ali Shah attract large numbers of Hindu devotees too. These places foster unity, spiritual connection, and shared reverence. The surprising thing isn’t that India’s right-wing extremists talk about demolishing Dargahs (Sufi shrines), but that a large section of the Muslim community also agrees with them. Even educated Muslims advocate bulldozing Dargahs, claiming they are not part of Islam. Let me explain with examples. In February 2024, Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami visited the Sabir Pak Kalyari Dargah and shared photos on social media. A large number of Muslims trolled him, accusing him of committing shirk (polytheism) by visiting the shrine. I’m attaching some screenshot examples of these comments below. (Link: https://x.com/AamirsABD/status/1760015562804212089) This isn’t just about calling dargah visits shirk. If you look at social media, hardliners openly demand the destruction of dargahs. (Link: https://x.com/CovalentBondd/status/1760115501249040869) Beyond public opinions, even Islamic scholars reinforce this. For instance, Saudi Wahhabi scholar Assim al-Hakeem often responds to questions on social media. When asked about reciting Fatiha (a Quranic chapter) at Dargahs, he declared: “It is not permissible to visit tombs or Dargahs, let alone reciting the Fatiha, which is an innovation (Bid’ah).” This shows how even basic practices are labelled “un-Islamic” by certain clerics. (Link: https://x.com/Assimalhakeem/status/1755871664460501128) Similarly, Pakistani Deobandi scholar Mufti Tariq Masood was asked about a mosque near a Dargah. He replied: “All Muslim Dargahs (Ajmer Sharif, Nizamuddin, Haji Ali, Hazratbal…) are haram. So haram that they can’t even have a mosque nearby. The Prophet commanded the demolition of Dargahs. Muslims should destroy them wherever they see them.” This so-called Hadith is, of course, untrue, a patent concoction, if at all it exists. Such hardline views, even from scholars abroad, radicalize Indian Muslim youth. Many people openly support the demolition of Dargahs. I’m sharing a few screenshots of such tweets below. (Link: https://x.com/tauseef94/status/1231107076145000448) (Link: https://x.com/pakistan_untold/status/1850903125437075820) The opposition to dargahs isn’t just a Hindu right-wing agenda. It’s fuelled by orthodox Islamic interpretations (Salafi/Wahabi/Deobandi) that reject Sufi practices as “un-Islamic.” This creates a complex clash between syncretic traditions and rigid orthodoxy, exploited by extremists on both sides. So who exactly are these people trying to destroy this harmony? India has always been a land where people of all faiths have lived together in peace and mutual respect, and we shall continue to do so. India will always stand firm against extremism and terrorism. ----- A regular contributor to New Age Islam, Sahil Razvi is a research scholar specialising in Sufism and Islamic History. He is an alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/extremism-harmony-battle-sufi-shrines-unity-wahhabi/d/135641 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism