IMPACT OF SUFISM

Sufism as we have seen is a very complex phenomenon. In India, it took root in both the
rural and the urban areas. In some cases, the deep impact of Sufism and its popularity
among the masses transformed rural region, such as Uch, Nagaur and Sylhet, into a
flourishing urban centers. By the time of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, khanqahs began to
exercise a deep social, political, economic and cultural influence in India. The reliance
of Sufis on God, particularly in the material sense, attracted both people from
economically deprived classes and members of the oppressed elite into
orders. Khanqahs gave to most people a feeling of hope and a vision of a bright future,
both in this world and the one to come.
Sufism, State Building and Authority of Sufi Shaikh
Among all south Asian Sufi Orders, the Chistis were the most closely identified with the
political fortunes of India-Muslim states. The two principal Persian poets in India at that
time, Amir Hassan and Amir Khusrau, and leading historian Zia al-Din Barani were all
disciples of Delhi's principal Chisti Shaikh, Nizamuddin Auliya. And since the three were
also patronized by the Tughlaq court, the public and the ruling class alike gradually
come to associate dynastic fortune with the Chisti order. Rulers gave present to saints
in oredre to invoke blessings and to claim legitimacy to the throne. At the beginning of
13th century due to Mongol invasions in Central Asia and Iran, Delhi became the heart
of Sufi movement. Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish (1210-35) moved his capital to Delhi
and the Indian empire of Delhi Sultan became the only peaceful region in the Islamic
East. This is believed that by the influence of Sufism, Sultan Alauddin Khalji and
members of his family, including the heir apparent, Khizr Khan, shared great trust with
the Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya. The Sultan highly respected the Shaikh, although he
appears not to have visited Jamaat Khana. Shaikh Nizamuddin took no interest in
political upheavals but could escape the brunt of Sultan Mubarak Shah's fury for having
made Khizr Khan his disciple. The view that Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq broke the
central Chisti organization which is incompatible with the spirit of the Silsila set up by
Khwaja Muinuddin and Baba Farid. The Suhrawardis and the other dervishes, such as
Shaikh Aiyub and Sidi Maula, played an important role in the power struggles and
political upheavals of the ruling classes and the aristocracy. For Instance, Shaikh
Bahauddin openly sided with Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish when he wished to add
Multan amd Sind to the Delhi Sultanate. They also amassed large fortunes and tried to
pressurize the government into taking a very narrow world view. Through the
Suhrawardis, petitions from the people were presented to rulers and their periodic visits
to Delhi were eagerly awaited. During drought and panic, the Chistis offered consolation
to the masses and reminded them, as well as the members of the ruling classes,
through their own advice and example of the ethical side of Islam. On entering Delhi in
1526, Babur prayed at the Shrine of India's second great Chisti Shaikh, Bakhtiyar Kaki.
In 1571, Akbar built a tomb for his father Humayun near Nizamuddin's Shrine and in the
same year he began building his new capital of Fatehpur Sikri at the hospice site of
Salim Chisti, the Shaikh who had predicted the birth of emperor's son. Although Shaikh
Yaqub (of Kubrahwiyya) did not initiate Akbar's conquest of Kashmir, his knowledge of
the local
situation eased the annexatio fo Kashmir by the Mughal empire in 1568. Discussing his
military successes with historian Abd al-Qadir Badauni, Akbar remarked, all this
(success) had been brought through the Pir (Muinuddin). Jahangir built gate and other
buildings at or near the foundational Chisti Shrine at Ajmer. Saha Jahan's daughter
Jahan Ara even wrote a biography of Shaikh Muinuddin Chisti. The last Mughal
emperor Bahadur Shah II, built his own mansion adjacent to the shrine of Baktiyyar
Kaki, the very site where Babur had prayed more than three centuries earlier. In sum
the entire Mughal dynasty, believing that the blessings of Chisti Shaikhs underpinned
their worldly success, vigorously patronized the order. The ceremonies, the terminology
and the protocol still found at Chisti shrine generally, and at Ajmer shrine particularly, all
reflect the extraordinary intrusions of the Mughal courtly culture into that of the Chisti
order. Sufi Shaikhs were the source of spiritual (wilayat) authority and people usually
preferred their authority when they collide with political authority. They exerted
pressures on Muslim and non- Muslims. For the sake of authority rulers, the Shaikh did
not even visit each other personally inside the opponents jurisdiction. Many a time, a
rebel prince sought the blessings of the Sufi saints which the emperor considered a
threat. The Sufi Shaikhs were king makers. For example, Iltutmish became Sultan
because of the prophecy and not because of historical happenings. So was Balban and
Alauddin. Even the former Tughlaq governor of Malwa, Dilawar Khan described himself
as the disciple of the head of the holy order of Nasiruddin Mahmud.

Social and Economic Impact
The social and economic position of the masses of Muslim converts who accepted
Islam under variety of pressures, all which have been analyzed by Jafar-i Makki, was in
fact no better than that of Hindus. Nevertheless, the Chisti khanqahs did offer
consolation, peace and nourishment to the thousands of Muslims who crowded the
towns. From the time fo the Khurasanian Abu Said, khanqahs were rendezvous, for
artisans and merchants. All khanqahs in India followed this Khurasanian traditions for
the mutual benefit of both Sufis and their visitors. Some khanqahs operated a type of
'spiritual insurance' scheme in which financial pledges were made by the merchants in
return for Sufi prayers for protection during a journey, installments being collected
enroute. The network of Chistiyya, Suhrawardiyya and Firdausiyya khanqahs in India
and those of Kubrahwiyya and other ordres in Kashmir, offered great needed
psychological comfort to merchants and other travelers. During this period, Ajmer also
became a trade center. Most Sufi khanqahs wedged their disciples to pursue hard
manual labor in ordre to crush the lower self. The new advance in economic technology
brought by Sufism encouraged intense wheat production in Punjab and Ajmer. This
made the people to live settled life from a nomadic life. Irrigation improved both in
Punjab and Bengal and hence cultivation improved.

Cultural and Religious Impact of Hinduism
Sufism gave birth to a very wide range of mystic symbolism and became an
indispensable part of Persia poetry. Poetry was not only an expression of mystic love of
a thirsty soul seeking an intuitive understanding of God, but an avenue for emotions and
feelings which would otherwise have never been expressed due to fury of orthodox
social inhibitions and political repression. Sufi poetry written in Hindi added a new
dimension to Indian mysticism and a new lyrical and colorful way by which to achieve an
estate state. The subtle refinement of Hindi music, combined with Persian conventions
and artistry gave fresh meaning and depth to Indian Sufi thought. Hindi Sufi poets and
the Bhaktas rebelled against all forms of religious formalism, orthodoxy, falsehood,
hypocrisy and stupidity and tried to create a new world in which spiritual blessing was
the all consuming goal. The Sufis were influenced by the Hindu Bhaktas in controlling
breath, composing songs, not eating meat etc. They even gave importance to the Hindu
gods. Lala Yogeshwari influenced the Sufi movement as well. All these gave rise to a
cultural and religious meaning to Sufism coming closer to Hindu religion.

Sufi Charlatans and impostors shocked genuine and spiritually gifted Sufis. However,
they faced challenges with an awareness of the magnitude of these problems, and
worked for the eradication of evil from society and a minimization of the hardships
experienced by the people through practical wisdom, rather than their mystical intuition.
R.C. Majumdar suggests that that 'the role of both medieval mysticism and Sufism in
history of Indian culture is often exaggerated beyond all proportions'. But Rizvi refute
that the influence of Sufism was not short lived and the Sufi saints and medieval mystics
remained unconcerned with the activities pursued by the orthodox. Infact, modern
Sufism still reflect the mysticism, economic and cultural and aspects of medieval era,
though it is not influential as medieval times anymore.