The population of the valley of Kashmir in 1931 was over thirteen lakhs, of which over twelve and a half lakhs were Muslims. In the census of 1941 the Muslim numbered 13,69,620 out of 14,64,034. One must deplore, with the Late Sir Thomas Arnold, that definite historical facts which might help us in clearly accounting for the existence of such an extraordinarily overwhelming majority of Musalmans among the population of Kashmir are somewhat scanty. Whatever evidence is available leads us, however, to attribute the spread of Islam in the valley, on the whole, to a long continued missionary movement inaugurated and carried out mainly by Faqirs or Friars or Darvishes and the ‘Ulama’. In addition to this the compactness of the area of the valley and the unusually imitative habits of its people were also reasons for this mass conversion.
Islam is essentially a missionary religion like Buddhism and christianity, and the Muslim missionary, be he a Pir, i.e., a spiritual guide, or a preacher, carries with him the message of Islam to the people of the land into which he penetrates. “The spirit of truth in the heart of the missionary cannot rest till it manifests itself in thought, word and deed “. It is in this spirit that the Muslim missionary entered the Valley Of Kashmir to influence its people by his example, his personal methods of preaching and persuasion at a time when, in the words of Lawrence, Kashmir in the reign of Suhadeva(1300 to 1319-20 A.C.) that is, previous to the advent of Islam- “was a country of drunkards and gamblers,”and where “Women were no better than they should be.”
Reference:
Sufi,G.M.D (1996). Kashmir Under The Mughals. Kashir: Being A History Of Kashmir(pp.80-81) Delhi:Capital Publishing House.
