Centuries ago, Hazrat Sheikh ul-Aalam (RA), lovingly known as Nund Reshi, Kashmir’s patron saint, spoke words that now sound like prophecy. There are barely any parallels of such profound sayings of philosophers from the early 15th century era.
In his Shruks and verses, he foresaw a time when the forests would vanish, rivers would choke and hearts would grow cold.
That time, perhaps, is now.
His “Ann poshi teli yeli wan poshi.” (Food will thrive only when the forests thrive) bound human life to the health of trees in an era where science was barely known.
Today, as Kashmir is facing ecological degradation at an unimaginable scale, his warning strikes painfully close.
Long before the idea of “climate change” was born, Sheikh ul-Aalam preached environmental ethics.
He lived in caves, ate little and walked through forests with reverence. His spirituality was ecological before the term existed.
“Extensively I roamed in jungles through kail trees… sooner the flame of tulips shall extinguish.”
He said in his poetry, which, in retrospect, was foresight. He saw human greed consuming nature and beauty turning to ash.
For him, worship was not confined to a mosque or shrine. It included caring for every creature, every leaf, every drop of water.
He saw God in creation itself – “He who was here, is also there; He is in possession of house everywhere.”
In today’s Kashmir, development often comes at the cost of destruction. The saint’s message reminds us: progress without preservation is regression.
Sheikh ul-Aalam’s teaching went far beyond ecology — it embraced humanity itself.
In an age when faiths often divide, his words unite. “Bouz chu khyon, zan chu khyon… ta Musalmanas chu khyon.” (Humans are all the same—Hindu, Muslim, or Christian.)
“We came into this world like brothers. Let Hindus and Muslims worship God alone.”
These lines echo Kashmir’s composite soul, its long held values of coexistence, compassion and equality.
He saw all faiths as paths to one divine truth.
His vision of society was simple: equality, humility and truth. To him, arrogance and greed were the real enemies of faith.
In an age of wealth without wisdom, consumption without conscience, he reminds us that the earth will outlive our pride.
What would Sheikh ul-Aalam say if he walked through today’s Kashmir?
He would see the forests shrinking, water bodies choking, waste piling up, even in and around his Charar Sharief abode.
He would see people torn by sect, status and silence.
And he would ask, softly but firmly: “There is no shortage of streets; which one will you walk?”
Kashmir must choose its path. It can walk the road of greed and decay or the path of compassion and balance that the saint taught.
Today, as we observe his Urs, Kashmir does not need to rediscover Sheikh ul-Aalam. It needs to remember him.
He was not only a saint of the past; he is a guide for the present and a protector for the future.
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