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 first volume of the History of Sufism in India outlined the history of Sufism before it was firmly established in India and then went on to discuss the principal trends in sufi development in that country from the thirteenth to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Naturally it laid great emphasis on the Chishtiyya, Suhrawardiyya, Firdausiyya and Kubrawiyya orders, but the contributions made by Qalandars and legendary and semi-legendary saints were also discussed. The interaction of medieval Hindu mystic traditions and Sufism formed a significant chapter in that book. "The second 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." |
