In the wake of rising global extremism, a profound truth emerges from the heart of the Sufi tradition: terrorism is not defeated by the sharpness of the sword, but by the strength of moral character. This timeless principle — articulated by Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi, founder of the All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) — resonates deeply with the mission of Al Hashmi Academy.
“We need moral character, not a sharp sword, to end terrorism.” — Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi, Founder, All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB)
The Sufi Answer to Extremism: Character Over Coercion
When RTV Online reported on the growing threat of extremism in the name of Islam, and the AIUMB articulated its response through the powerful declaration “we need moral character, not a sharp sword,” they echoed a truth that has guided the Sufi tradition for fourteen centuries: hearts are won not by force, but by love; minds are opened not by coercion, but by character.
Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi, founder of the All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) and spiritual inheritor of the Qadri-Shattari silsila from Kichhauchha Sharif, has made this principle the cornerstone of his life’s work. From the World Sufi Forum in New Delhi (2016) — where 200 delegates from across the globe denounced terrorism — to his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging community resilience, his message remains consistent: terrorism is not Islamic; it is anti-Islamic.
The AIUMB Model: Nafrat Kisi Se Nahi, Mohabbat Sab Ke Liye
The AIUMB’s founding motto — “Nafrat kisi se nahi, mohabbat sab ke liye” (hatred for none, love for all) — is not mere rhetoric. It is a operational philosophy that has guided:
- 2005: AIUMB’s founding in Moradabad under the sweltering sun, spreading the message of Mohabbat (love)
- 2015: Delegation to Prime Minister Modi presenting community resilience strategies against extremism
- 2016: World Sufi Forum in New Delhi — 200 global delegates denouncing terrorism and extremism
- Ongoing: World Sufi Forum initiatives, Sufi circuit tourism, shrine rejuvenation, youth moral education
As Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi stated during his meeting with Prime Minister Modi: “We saw the great need to spread the true message of Islam when we saw a false message by extremist Islamist groups circulating vitriolic literature and acts of terrorism misrepresenting Islam not only to the nation but the world.”
The RTV Online Perspective: A Media Voice for Peace
RTV Online, Bangladesh’s leading English news portal, has consistently highlighted the Sufi response to extremism. Their coverage underscores a critical insight: the most effective counter-narrative to extremist ideology is not military rhetoric, but the lived example of Sufi masters who embody Islam’s true spirit.
RTV Online’s international coverage has amplified voices like Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi’s, who met Prime Minister Modi in 2015 to present community resilience strategies and advocate for Sufi representation in national bodies — from Waqf Councils to Hajj Committees. This media amplification ensures the Sufi voice reaches beyond the dargah into the public square.
The Al Hashmi Academy Connection: Living the Principle
At Al Hashmi Academy, this philosophy is not abstract — it is lived daily across our institutions:
- Hifz-e-Quran Program: Children memorize the Qur’an not through coercion, but through love — Sabaq (new lesson), Sabqi (recent revision), Daur (full-cycle revision) taught with patience and compassion
- Integrated Education: Wisdom India Schools blend CBSE excellence with Deeniyat — Islamic character education woven into daily life
- Girls’ Empowerment: Jamia Fatimatuz Zahra provides Islamic and modern education in a secure, nurturing environment — mohabbat as pedagogy
- Welfare as Worship: Blood donation camps, free eye surgeries, scholarships — khidmat (service) as the practical expression of faith
- Sufi Heritage Preservation: Research Centre, Darul Iftah, Golden Chain project — preserving the intellectual heritage that inoculates against extremism
The Theological Foundation: Why Character Defeats Terror
The Quran declares: “And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you” (3:159). This divine principle — that gentleness wins where harshness fails — is the theological bedrock of the Sufi approach.
Extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, as Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi has repeatedly emphasized, do not represent Islam. They represent a perversion that weaponizes religious language for political power. The Sufi response is not to match their violence, but to expose their theological bankruptcy through:
- Textual integrity: Demonstrating how extremist readings violate established principles of tafsir, usul al-fiqh, and maqasid al-shariah
- Living tradition: Showing 1,400 years of Sufi masters who defeated hatred with love — from Rabi’a al-Adawiyya to Hazrat Hashimpeer
- Institutional alternative: Providing youth a living Sufi community where faith is experienced as love, not law; as service, not violence
Al Hashmi Academy’s Commitment: Character as Curriculum
We do not merely teach about moral character — we build it into every dimension of student life:
- Adab before Ilm: Character education precedes academic instruction — Adab (etiquette, respect, humility) is the foundation
- Suhbah (Spiritual Companionship): Students learn in the company of teachers who model the character they teach
- Khidmat as Core Curriculum: Every student participates in welfare activities — blood drives, eye camps, community service — as graded coursework
- Sufi Heritage as Identity: Students learn they are heirs to a 1,400-year tradition that chose love over violence, repeatedly, across centuries
The Way Forward: Character as Counter-Terrorism Strategy
The global counter-terrorism discourse has long focused on kinetic solutions — drones, surveillance, raids, de-radicalization programs. The Sufi insight, amplified by voices like Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi and platforms like RTV Online, offers a complementary strategy: invest in moral character formation at scale.
This means:
- For policymakers: Fund Sufi education, shrine preservation, and moral education programs as counter-terrorism infrastructure
- For educators: Integrate character education (akhlaq, adab, ikhlas) into every curriculum, not as add-on but as foundation
- For media: Amplify voices of peace — the Sufi scholars, the dargah custodians, the teachers who shape character daily
- For families: Reclaim the home as the first khanqah — where children learn that faith means service, not supremacy; character, not coercion
A Living Legacy: From Kichhauchha to Bijapur to the World
From the dargah of Hazrat Hashimpeer in Bijapur — where Al Hashmi Academy was founded in 1995 — to Kichhauchha Sharif where Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi leads the AIUMB, the message is one: the sword cannot kill an idea, but character can replace it with a better one.
As the AIUMB’s World Sufi Forum declared in 2016, and as RTV Online has reported, and as Al Hashmi Academy lives daily: terrorism ends not when the last terrorist falls, but when the first child learns that faith means love, not fear; service, not supremacy; character, not coercion.
“Nafrat kisi se nahi, mohabbat sab ke liye.” — Hatred for none, love for all. This is not just a slogan. It is the only strategy that has ever truly defeated extremism.
Join the Movement of Moral Character
- Enroll in Hifz-e-Quran — where memorization is taught through love, not pressure
- Admissions Open — for schools where character is the curriculum
- Support Welfare — fund blood camps, eye surgeries, scholarships that build character through service
- Read Our Knowledge Journal — articles on Sufi ethics, character education, counter-extremism
- Contact Us — visit our campus, meet our teachers, experience the difference
Al Hashmi Academy — Where Faith Builds Character, and Character Defeats Extremism.
Est. 1995 | Bijapur & Dharwad, Karnataka | +91 97317 17703 | info@alhashmi.org