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When
the Shaikh addressed the Muslim soldiers of Afghanistan he exhorted
them that "they had been raised by Allah for the purposes of
Jihad in order to root out polytheism at its core." In the
Afghan invasion of North India tens of thousands of Hindus were
killed, largely because of their religious beliefs. Among the Shah's
victories included the desecration of Mathura, the birthplace of
Krishna, and of the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Shaikh Waliullah also called for a "return to the Arabic
language, Arabic dress and Arab styles of living." The Shaikh's
followers accepted the puritanical Wahabi movement from Saudi
Arabia, which dominates the country today. Such
Sufi thinkers paved the way for Pakistan and are looked upon by
Pakistanis with honor for there insistence that the true religion of
Islam is incompatible with Hinduism and that therefore Muslims
cannot accept a Hindu led government.
Not surprisingly Mohammed Iqbal, the
poet who provided the inspiration for Pakistan, was a great admirer
of Sirhindi and Waliullah, and like them he criticized more liberal
Sufis like the poet Hafiz for being too accepting of non-Muslims.
Iqbal also supported the policies of Aurangzeb and was opposed to
those of Akbar. Shaikh
Walliullah's teachings spread throughout the Islamic world and aimed
at the promotion of the Caliphate of Turkey.
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