Nund Reshi/Sheikh-ul-Aalam, or Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani (1377-1438) continues to be the most popular saint and poet of Kashmir. There is hardly a Kashmiri who does not remember some verse or some incident associated with him. In any social, political or religious gathering, something is necessarily recited from his poetry and guidance is sought from his words of wisdom.There is hardly a town or village in Kashmir with which some saying or incident of Nund Reshi is not attributed.
When we look at the emergence of Islam in Kashmir, we find that the first person who introduced Islam here was Sheikh Sharfudin of Turkistan commonly known as Bulbul Shah.By his efforts the king of Kashmir, Rinchan Shah along with some courtiers accepted Islam. After this development, there was the need of institutionalizing Islam at different levels, this task was undertaken and accomplished by Shah i Hamadan Mir Syed Ali Hamadani who along with his 700 companions ,played a pivotal role in popularizing Islam in the masses. Under his guidance mosques, khanqahs, madrasahs, centres of trade and commerce were established and the people got empowered as they were endowed with both, knowledge and skill.
Both the two personalities i.e., Bulbul Shah and Shah i Hamadan were non-locals, the former was from Turkestan and the later from Iran. However, a local potent voice was yet to emerge from this land who would carry forward the message of Islam in the local language to the lengths and breadths of Kashmir,
This role was perfectly played by Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani (RA). This was an extraordinary voice that became a vital part of the socio-cultural ethos of Kashmir. It emerged as the single spiritual voice that would bring all the social and religious communities of Kashmir together.

With the arrival of many people from Central Asia to Kashmir, on the one hand, a lot of progress was seen in the fields of knowledge, industry, craft and politics, but at the same time, the local identity of Kashmiri's was under tremendous threat.
In such a tricky situation, Sheikh ul Alam promoted the local ethos and worked for safeguarding Kashmiri tradition, culture and language. He propagated Islamic fundamentals without having a clash with local culture, faith, beliefs and practices. He helped the Kashmiri people in coming out from the feelings of inferiority complex and infused them with a new spirit to play an exemplary role in shaping out their destiny. Thus, Kashmiri culture and language flourished with his patronage and attained unprecedented heights. In the words of Professor Shafi Shauq, "The People's Poet Nund, popularly known as Hazrat Sheikh ul Alam or Sheikh Noor-ud Din Wali is one of the most original and profund poets of Kashmir. He wrote in the common speech of the time that is deeply rooted in the social, economic, cultural and spiritual life of the 14th-15th century Kashmir. "
Sheikh-ul-Aalam is the biggest symbol of true 'Kashmiriyat' which advocates for peace, spirituality and humanity. However, his Kashmiriyat is devoid of regionalism and like all Sufis, he would never present a regional concept in his teachings. The main secret behind his popularity is his inclusive approach that springs from his aphoristic and enlightening verses. Since ages, his poetry has been providing the intellectual and spiritual sustainance to the people of Kashmir and it has been motivating them at the most challenging times.
His poetry is an exponent of "art for art's sake" as he takes poetry as a powerful tool for social reform. Some
other prevalent themes of his poetry are: the Sufi perception of life, purification of self, propagation of Islamic teachings, philanthropy, the concept of life after death etc.
Sheikh-ul-Aalam had a magnetic personality that attracted all sorts of people from different parts of Kashmir and provided them spiritual guidance. He was an institution in himself and irrespective of gender, religion and provenance inspired innumerable people with his charisma. However, it was his poetry which played a vital role in making him immortal. His poetry has a universal appeal and he often raises his voice for the promotion of humanistic values. His poetry is loaded with a powerful message which transcends all barriers of caste, creed and color. He looks upon his poetry as a communication tool to convey his views on different issues of life. Apparently his poetry seems didactic but it is not devoid of lyrical elegance. His aphoristic verses are from strongly grounded on a spiritual edifice. It is, however, quite unfortunate that by and large Sheikh ul Aalam has been presented as a conversational preacher by most of the translators and his poetic, humanistic and spiritual legacy is less emphasized. Certain writers have tried to fit him into the frame of their own ideologies and tried to use him for the propagation of their viewpoints.
Its believed that he thrice traveled the entire valley of Kashmir and presented the message of the Qur'an in people's own tongue. He did it in such a way that it never left their hearts and minds and it became an integral part of their collective unconscious.
By giving the oath of the spiritual allegiance (bayah) to Mir Mohammad Hamadani (the son of Shah Hamdan), Sheikh ul Aalam became his natural spiritual successor in Kashmir and carried forward his mission. Sheikh ul Aalam had already established himself as the most powerful spiritual leader of the local Kashmiri Rishi Movement. He introduced many reforms in the Rishi way of life at the behest of Mir Muhammad Hamdani and unified all the local Rishi's under one banner.
In an era of the dominance of Persian language in religious and political circles, Sheikh ul Aalam through his poetry took the Kashmiri language to unprecedented heights. In popularizing the Islamic teachings in masses, Sheikh ul Aalam's poetry played a great role. Following the footsteps of Lal Ded, Sheikh ul Aalam emerged as the greatest poet of Kashmiri language.
On the one hand, Sheikh ul Aalam emerged as the spiritual successor of Mir Muhammad Hamdani and on the other, he inherited the skill of versification from Lal Ded, the founder of Kashmiri poetry. Sheikh ul Aalam worked for the promotion of unity and fraternity in the Kashmiri society. Adhering to the hadith of the Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him) , 'Al-Din al-Nasiha', which means that religion is pure benevolence, he adopted a positive approach for inviting the people towards Islam. He believed in peace and universal brotherhood and in his worldview there is no place for hatred. He says,
" All are born of the same father and mother,
Why then they bear malice for others?
Let all the Muslims, as well as the Hindus, be blessed by God Almighty. "
Sheikh ul Aalam was the proponent of the principles and practices of Islamic Sufism and was preoccupied with the love God Almighty, he says,
" I felt Him, thought about Him, searched and longed for Him,
Subdued the nature of my body to the needs of my mind;
I annihilated myself in the pit of fire,
I cherished poison as food, to know God."

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