Subcontinent

Of the groups of sufis who migrated to India in the late twelfth century, the Chishtis were the most influential. This was because they adapted successfully to the local environment and adopted several features of Indian devotional traditions. . Life in the Chishti khanqah The khanqah was the centre of social life.

We know about Shaikh Nizamuddin’s hospice ( c. fourteenth century) on the banks of the river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur, on the outskirts of what was then the city of Delhi. It comprised several small rooms and a big hall ( jama’at khana ) where the inmates and visitors lived and prayed. The inmates included family members of the Shaikh, his attendants and disciples.

The Shaikh lived in a small room on the roof of the hall where he met visitors in the morning and evening. A veranda surrounded the courtyard, and a boundary wall ran around the complex. On one occasion, fearing a Mongol invasion, people from the neighbouring areas flocked into the khanqah to seek refuge. Wali (plural auliya ) or friend of God was a sufi who claimed proximity to Allah, acquiring His Grace ( barakat ) to perform miracles ( karamat ).