The essentials
In the early centuries of Islam, a group of religious-minded people called Sufis turned to asceticism and mysticism in protest against the growing materialism of the Caliphate. They were critical of dogmatic definitions and scholastic methods of interpreting the Qur'an and sunna (traditions of the Prophet). Instead they emphasised interpretation based on personal experience and devotion to God.
By the eleventh century Sufism evolved into a well-developed movement with literature on Qur'anic studies and Sufi practices. Sufis began to organise communities around the khanqah (hospice), controlled by a teaching master known as a shaikh (Arabic), pir or murshid (Persian). He enrolled disciples (murids) and appointed a successor (khalifa). The chain of spiritual succession was called a silsila, a chain linking master and disciple, stretching back to the Prophet Muhammad.
Key points
- When a shaikh died, his tomb-shrine (dargah, Persian for court) became the centre of devotion; pilgrimage to it is called ziyarat, and the death anniversary is celebrated as urs (marriage, signifying the union of his soul with God).
- The Chishti silsila was among the most influential in India. Its khanqahs welcomed all, including those of humble backgrounds.
- Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya's khanqah in Delhi had a community kitchen (langar) run on futuh (unasked-for charity).
- The most revered shrine is that of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti at Ajmer; Akbar visited it many times.
- Chishtis used music and dance, including sama (audition, or musical gatherings), and mystical chants to evoke divine ecstasy. Qawwali developed in this context.
- Some mystics, called be-shari'a, ignored ritual and lived ascetically; those who complied were ba-shari'a.
- Sufis kept a distance from worldly power but accepted grants; relations with Sultans varied.
Common mistakes
- Confusing khanqah (hospice) with dargah (tomb shrine).