Srinagar, April 26 -- He did not do it by preaching from high pulpits or shouting across walls. He simply showed up, listened carefully, and spoke in a way that made even the most furious voices slow down. His strength was not in the size of his following. It was in the steadiness of his presence.

It had always been like that. Maulana Mustafa chose the slower road when quicker, louder roads were available.

After years of study in the seminaries of Najaf, he returned home to a Kashmir already cracking under political and sectarian pressure. Some scholars stayed away from the mess. Some picked sides. Maulana Mustafa did neither. He believed that the real work was not in winning arguments but in winning hearts.

He carried his knowledge li...