Sufism, culture, and politics : Afghans and Islam in medieval North India

This book provides a political history of north India under Afghan rulers in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Focusing on interconnections between religion and politics, it also raises questions of paramount concern to an understanding of Islam in medieval north India. The first of the three sections explores the Afghan attempts at empire-building under the leadership of Sher Shah Sur and their interface with the Mughals. Discussing the incorporation of the Rajputs in the Afghan imperial project, the second part deals with the prevalent ideals and institutions of governance. The last segment investigates the social and political role of the Sufis. The volume also questions the over-emphasis on the Sultanate and Mughal periods in Indian history writing, while projecting a dynamic view of the Afghan period. This book will be important for students and scholars of medieval Indian history as well as those interested in Islamic, religious, and cultural studies.
This book provides a political history of north India under Afghan rulers in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Focusing on interconnections between religion and politics, it also raises questions of paramount concern to an understanding of Islam in medieval north India. The first of the three sections explores the Afghan attempts at empire-building under the leadership of Sher Shah Sur and their interface with the Mughals. Discussing the incorporation of the Rajputs in the Afghan imperial project, the second part deals with the prevalent ideals and institutions of governance. The last segment investigates the social and political role of the Sufis. The volume also questions the over-emphasis on the Sultanate and Mughal periods in Indian history writing, while projecting a dynamic view of the Afghan period.

This book will be important for students and scholars of medieval Indian history as well as those interested in Islamic, religious, and cultural studies.

This book on the political history of north India under Afghan rulers during the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries focuses on interconnections between religion and politics. It highlights the role of Sufism in the Afghan state formation and its contributions to religious syncretism and cultural synthesis. This book makes an innovative and original intervention in the existing debates on the questions of medieval politics, patterns of governance as well as the relationship between politics Islam and Muslim religious leaders.