Sufi Rituals and Practices

The book is an in-depth study of the lesser-explored history of Sufi practices in South Asia. Covering the formative period of Sufism in this region, the work studies practices like ’sama’ (listening to poetry and music) and ’zikr’ (remembrance of God) through the careers of the earliest Sufi orders in the region, ’Chishti and Suhrawardi’. The book allows the reader critical insight into ’Sufi exercises’, the meaning, structure, and performance of sama, the long debate on the legality of music, dance and poetry as religious practices, tensions between Sufis and the State around the permissibility of sama, zikr as a core Sufi exercise, the practice of sama and zikr across orders, and the importance of etiquette in Sufi communities. The work essentially understands spiritual practices as a critical element in the development of Sufism in South Asia. Moving beyond the limits of the north-south binary, the author also focuses on the Deccan, weaving a seamless narrative that reflects the contributions of generations of important Sufi masters. Shedding light on the private world of Sufi practices, the work, for the first time, introduces English language readers to a full-length translation of a treatise written in defence of listening to music and poetry as an integral spiritual exercise.

Kashshaf Ghani, Assistant Professor, School of Historical Studies, Nalanda University, India

Kashshaf Ghani currently teaches at Nalanda University, India. He specializes in pre-modern South Asia, covering the period 1000-1800, focusing on the history of Sufism, its practices, interactions, networks, and regional experiences. He is also interested in Indo-Persian histories, interreligious interactions, history and culture of the Persianate world, and Asian interconnections. Ghani studied History at Presidency College, Kolkata, and the University of Calcutta, where he completed his PhD. He has held teaching and research positions at Aliah University, Kolkata; University of Calcutta; The Asiatic Society, Kolkata; Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris; Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin; and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata.