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Sufism in India and Central Asia is an attempt to put into perspective the relevance of Sufism - the concept and teaching, and to provide a realistic assessment of its role in India and Central Asia. The people of these regions with different ethnic backgrounds, cultures and languages have been intermingling for many centuries, as seen in the cross-current exchanges of religious ideas and belief.

The word Sufism, popularly known as mysticism is most likely derived from the Arabic word suf (meaning “wool”), more specifically it means “the person wearing ascetic woollen garments.”

Sufism is deeply rooted in Islam and its development began in the late 7th and 8th centuries. Sufism remains an important strand as a calming influence even in the context of violence and terrorism in the name of Islam. Their impact on many parts of the world is so deeply rooted that it forms a significant part of popular religious beliefs and practices.

The present volume is a compilation of chapters, which attempted to look for answers to questions in relation to Sufism in India and Central Asia and to evaluate its relevance in the contemporary period. A group of distinguished scholars from India and Central Asia have contributed papers to this volume.

The volume has been divided into four main sections viz, India-Central Asia and Turkey Cultural Exchange through the Agencies of Sufis; Regional Sufi Centres and their Interconnections; Sufi Traditions in Contemporary Central Asia, and Teachings of Sufis and Communal Harmony. In each section, authors have emphasised the different elements of Sufism in India and Central Asia.

This volume will be useful to students and researchers working on social and cultural aspects of India and Central Asia.

Contents: I. India-Central Asia: Cultural Exchange: 1. Introduction/Nasir Raza Khan. 2. Sufis in India and Central Asia during the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century/Iqtidar Husan Sidiqui. 3. Sufism: Cementing Bonds between Central Asia and Kashmir/Mushtaq Kaw. 4. The Role of Sufis in Diplomatic Relations between the Khoqand Khanate and India/Sherzodhon Mahmudov. 5. Khwaja Badruddin Samarqandi: Founder of Firdausi Silsiah in India/Nishat Manzar. II. Regional Sufi Centres and their Inter-Connections: 6. Sufis in Jammu and their Cultural Impact/Jigar Mohammed. 7. Kalimat al-Sadiqin: a Sufi Biographical Account/Gulfishan Khan. 8. Central Asia to India: Immigration of Sufis and Urbanization in Medieval Rajasthan/Jibraeil. 9. Sufism in Bengal: Interactions and Impacts through the Ages/Mohd Shaheer Siddiqui. III. Sufi Traditions in Central Asia and Caucasus: 10. Sufism and Religious Syncretism in the History of Central Asia/Laura Yerekesheva. 11. The Style of Persian Sufi prose XI-XIII centuries/Mehdi Kazimov. 12. Significance of Abd-ur-Rahman Jami’s Sufi-Poetic Discourse in the Literary Legacy of Medieval Persia/G. N. Khaki. 13. The understanding of self and others in teachings of Sufism by Najmuddin Razi (1177-1252)/Usmonali Kamolov. IV. Teaching of Sufis and Communal Harmony: 14. Shaikh Sharfuddin Bu Ali Qalander Panipati’s Contribution for the Development of Composite Culture in Panipat during 14th Century/S.M. Azizuddin Husain. 15. The Theme of Perfect Human in Sufism/Mukhayyo Abdurakhmonova. 16. Sufism in Karnataka: An Analysis of Shishunala Sharif/Varada M. Nikalje.