Sufi Cults And The Evolution Of Medieval Indian Culture

Presents various facets of the evolution and spread of the Sufi influence in India and a critical evaluation of the role played by the Sufi saints (belonging to different silsilas) both by way of disseminating the Sufi ideology among the Indian masses and also assimilating and imbibing into their own ideology some of the indigenous spiritual practices and techniques as practised by the Hindu yogis and siddhas, thus paving the way in the process for the establishment of a pluralist society in India on a firm footing. Among the galaxy of Sufi saints who came to India, the four names which stand out prominently are Shaikh Mu’in-ud-Din Chishti, Shaikh Farid-ud-Din Ganj-i-Shakar (Baba Farid), Shaikh Nizam-ud-Din Auliya and Amir Khusrau. Shaikh Mu’in-ud-Din came to India at the close of the twelfth century. On the occasion of his ‘urs, lakhs of people congregate to pay obeisance to the great Sufi master at his dargah in Ajmer. Today the dargahs of the great Sufi masters have become objects of veneration and places of pilgrimage for lakhs of devout people owing allegiance to different religious belief systems. These holy places stand as epitomes of communal harmony and universal love and brotherhood.

This book provides a political history of north India under Afghan rulers in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Focusing on interconnections between religion and politics, it also raises questions of paramount concern to an understanding of Islam in medieval north India. The book is divided into three sections. The first section explores the Afghan attempts at empire-building under the leadership of Sher Shah Sur. Discussing the incorporation of the Rajputs in the Afghan imperial project, the second part deals with the prevalent ideals and institutions of governance. The last segment investigates the social and political role of the Sufis. Questioning the overemphasis on the Sultanate and Mughal periods in Indian history writing, Aquil projects a dynamic view of the Afghan period.

This book addresses some of the fiercely contested issues about religion and politics in medieval India, especially with regard to the crucial presence of Sufis who styled themselves as friends and lovers of God. Enjoying widespread veneration even in situations of hostility with regard to Islam and Muslims in general, Sufis are central to an understanding of religious interactions and community relations historically. The chapters included in the book can be read as stand-alone pieces focussing on some of the most fascinating as well as contentious themes in medieval Indian history – subjects and issues which are otherwise either left untouched by historians because of their sensitive nature from the point of view of modern day secularism or abused by interested parties in their communal propaganda. When read as a monograph, the volume as a whole attempts to combat all kinds of intellectual absurdities, which mar our understating of the place of Islam in medieval Indian history, especially the significant presence of Sufis who were devoted to the love of God and service to humanity. Historiographically important issues which are also topical in these times of interdependence of religion and politics – the latter exploiting religion for legitimacy and justification of violence, and religion needing political support for expansion and imposition on the gullible – have been dealt in detail, neither bounded by a particular ideology nor by identity politics with its separate blinkers. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

In The Present Work, The Foundations Of The Composite Culture In India, The Focus Of The Author Is The Process Of Establishment Of Hindu-Muslim Unity As A Result Of Historical, Social And Cultural Factors Over A Period Of Ten Centuries. Traversing This Era, He Reveals How The Muslim Rulers Contributed Such Harmony, And How The Two Cultures Exchanged And Accepted Each Other'S Tenets In Order To Enrich And Formulate A Composite India Culture. With The Objective Of Exploring The Foundations On Which The Composite Culture Of India Rests, The Author Examines The Contribution Of Sufism Which Inherently Connotes Syncretism And Tolerance - As Well As The Simultaneous Rise Of The Bhakti Movement In Medieval India.

If anyone puts thorns on my way out of animosity Every flower in the garden of his life remain thornless - Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya The lives of Sufis are replete with stories of tantalizing miracles and unforgettable anecdotes of wisdom. The 101 Sufi tales in this book show pursuits of ethical and moral conduct in Sufi spirituality - a vibrant movement within Islamic traditions across time and space. Committed in their love for God, the Sufis found love in all His Creations. Large numbers of followers and devotees have continued to throng Sufi shrines seeking blessings and benediction. The stories of mystical exercises and charitable endeavour in this book illustrate their role and continuing relevance in shaping a pluralistic, diverse and tolerant Indian society. Exactly as the Sufis focused on soul searching and right conduct for themselves and all those around them, these stories are nuggets of wisdom which guide people to become better human beings.

Illustrations: 2 colour and 1 B/w illustration, 2 Maps Description: This work seeks to study Sufism as a psycho-historical phenomenon. The author finds it efficacious to combat social and political upheavals which are brought about by prolonged political revolutions, associated with autocratic oppression and economic deprivation. It is divided into two volumes. The present volume outlines the history of Sufism before it was firmly established in India and then goes on to discuss the principal trends in sufi developments therefrom the thirteenth to the beginning of the sixteenth centuries. Chronologically it is concerned with sufi history from the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate to the beginning of the Mughal Empire. Naturally it lays great emphasis on the Chishtiyya, Suhrawardiyya, Firdausiyya and Kubrawiyya orders, but the contributions made by qalandars and legendary and semi-legendary saints have also not been neglected. A detailed discussion of the interaction of medieval Hindu mystic traditions and Sufism shows a unique polarity between the intolerant rigidity of the orthodox and the flexibility of the Sufis in India. The present volume starts with a brief discussion of the mystical philosophy of Ibn 'Arabi, which played a pivotal role in the development of sufic thought and practices in India, as it did in other Islamic countries. The work then deals with the Qadiriyya, Shattariyya, Naqshbandiyya and the Chishtiyya orders. It also analyses the role of Indian Sufis in the wider Islamic world, as well as sufi perception of politics and Hinduism.

Interest in Shi'a Islam has increased greatly in recent years, although Shi'ism in the Indian subcontinent has remained largely underexplored. Focusing on the influential Shi'a minority of Lucknow and the United Provinces, a region that was largely under Shi'a rule until 1856, this book traces the history of Indian Shi'ism through the colonial period toward independence in 1947. Drawing on a range of new sources, including religious writing, polemical literature and clerical biography, it assesses seminal developments including the growth of Shi'a religious activism, madrasa education, missionary activity, ritual innovation and the politicization of the Shi'a community. As a consequence of these significant religious and social transformations, a Shi'a sectarian identity developed that existed in separation from rather than in interaction with its Sunni counterparts. In this way the painful birth of modern sectarianism was initiated, the consequences of which are very much alive in South Asia today.

This book seeks to reconstruct the past of undivided Panjab during five medieval centuries. It opens with a narrative of the efforts of Turkish warlords to achieve control in the face of tribal resistance, internal dissensions and external invasions. It examines the linkages of the ruling class with Zamindars and Sufis, paving the way for canal irrigation and agrarian expansion, thus strengthening the roots of the state in the region. While focusing on the post-Timur phase, it tries to make sense of the new ways of acquiring political power. This work uncovers the perpetual attempts of Zamindars to achieve local dominance, particularly in the context of declining presence of the state in the countryside. In this ambitious enterprise, they resorted to the support of their clans, adherence to hallowed customs and recurrent use of violence, all applied through a system of collective and participatory decision-making. The volume traces the growth of Sufi lineages built on training disciples, writing books, composing poetry and claiming miraculous powers. Besides delving into the relations of the Sufis with the state and different sections of the society, it offers an account of the rituals at a prominent shrine. Paying equal attention to the southeastern region, it deals with engagement of the Sabiris, among other exemplars, with the Islamic spirituality. Inclusive in approach and lucid in expression, the work relies on a wide range of evidence from Persian chronicles, Sufi literature and folklore, some of which have been used for the first time. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka