Sufism in India –

Sufism is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that focuses on the spiritual search for God and shuns

materialism. It is a form of Islamic mysticism which stresses asceticism. There is a lot of emphasis on love and

devotion towards God. There are many schools of Sufism all over the world and in India too. Most of them trace their

lineage to early Islamic history, from the time of Prophet Muhammad himself.

The term ‘Sufi’ is probably derived from the Arabic word ‘suf’ which means ‘one who wears wool’. This is because

woollen clothes were generally associated with ascetics. Another possible origin of the word is ‘safa’ which means

purity in Arabic. The other terms for the Sufi are Wali, Faqir and Darwesh.

Sufism in India

Islam entered India in the 7th century CE in the form of merchants from Saudi Arabia who traded with the western

coastal regions of India. After that in the north, the religion entered Multan and Sind when the regions were captured

by Muhammad Bin Qasim in the 8th century CE. Sufism, however, gained prominence in the 10th and 11th centuries

during the reign of the Delhi Sultanate.

In India, Sufism adopted many native Indian concepts such as yogic postures, music and dance. Sufism found

adherents among both Muslims and Hindus.

There were two broad Sufi orders:

1. Bashara – Those who obeyed Islamic laws.

2. Beshara – Those who were more liberal.

The Beshara was also called ‘mast kalandar’. They comprised wandering monks who were also called Baba. They

did not leave any written accounts.

Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. It had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the

11th century. Most of the Sufis (mystics) were persons of deep devotion who disliked the display of wealth

and degeneration of morals following the establishment of the Islamic empire. They laid great emphasis

on love as the bond between God and the individual soul. Love of God meant love of humanity and

therefore, Sufis believed service to humanity was tantamount to service to God. In Sufism, self-discipline

was considered an essential condition to gain knowledge of God by a sense of perception. While the

orthodox Muslims emphasise external conduct, the Sufis lay stress on inner purity. The orthodox Muslims

believe in the blind observance of rituals, the Sufis consider love and devotion as the only means of attaining

salvation. Sufism also laid stress on meditation, good actions, repentance for sins, prayers, pilgrimage,

fasting, charity and controlling of passion by ascetic practices.

By the 12th century, the Sufis were organised in 12 orders or Silsilas. A Silsila was generally led by a

prominent mystic who lived in a Khanqah or hospice along with his disciples. The link between the teacher

or pir or murshid and his disciples or murids was a vital part of the Sufi system. Every pir nominated a

successor or wali to carry on his work. Gradually, the Khanqahs emerged as important centres of learning

and preaching. Many Sufis enjoyed the sama or musical congregation in their Khanqahs. In fact,

qawwali developed during this period.

The four most popular Silsilas were the Chistis, Suhrawardis, Qadririyas and Naqshbandis.

The Chisti Silsila

The Chisti order was established in India by Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisti (also known as Gharib

Nawaz) around c.1192 CE. After staying in Lahore and Delhi, he finally shifted to Ajmer which was an

important political centre and already had a sizeable Muslim population.

His fame grew more after his death in c. 1235 CE, when his grave was visited by the then Sultan

Muhammad Tughlaq, after which the mosque and dome were erected by Mahmud Khalji of Malwa in the

15th century. After the support of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, the patronage of the dargah reached

unprecedented heights. Qutub ud din Bhakhtiyar Kaki established the Chisti presence in Delhi under the

patronage of Sultanate ruler Iltutmish.

Apart from Muin-ud din Chisti, the other important Chistis were:

Sufism in India

History of India

SRM Institute of Science and Technology

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Sufism in India

Course: History of India

University: SRM Institute of Science and Technology

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