The Eternal Garden: Mysticism, History, and Politics at a South Asian Sufi Center ((SUNY Series in Muslim Spirituality in South Asia))

Reveals the mystical teachings and practices of the Chishti Sufi order as taught by the ecstatic Shaykh Burhan al-Din Gharib (d. 1337) and his disciples.Ernst's research, based on rare Persian manuscripts preserved in Sufi shrines in the medieval town of Khuldabad, a major center of pilgrimage in the Indian Deccan, reveals the mystical teachings and practices of the Chishti Sufi order as taught by the ecstatic Shaykh Burhan al-Din Gharib (d. 1337) and his disciples. The book clarifies the diverse historiographical approaches found in an array of narratives. It redefines major topics in the often emotionally charged study of religion and history in South Asia, and it raises provocative theses on much-argued topics such as the basis of Islamic political power in South Asia and the alleged roles of Sufis as warriors and missionaries.Carl W. Ernst is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Religion at Pomona College in Claremont, California. A specialist in classical Sufism and Indo-Muslim culture, he is the author of Words of Ecstasy in Sufism, also published by SUNY Press. Eternal Garden 2 CONTENTS 8 ILLUSTRATIONS 11 Tables 11 Maps 11 Figures 11 FOREWORD 16 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 20 PART I HISTORIOGRAPHICAL ORIENTATION: SUFISM AND ISLAM IN SOUTH ASIA 29 1 Sufism 31 The Sufi Tradition 31 Sufism in Islamic Society 37 2 Historiographies of Islam in India 44 The Problem of Nationalist Historiography 44 Medieval Islamic Views of India 48 Medieval Indian Views of Islam 55 3 Religion and Empire in the Delhi Sultanate 64 Persian Kingship and the Indo-Muslim State 64 Non-Muslims and the Sultanate 73 Sultanate and Caliphate 81 Sultanate Imperialism and Sufism 85 4 The Textual Formation of Oral Teachings in the Early Chishti* Order 88 From Oral Teaching to Written Text In Sufism 89 The Foundation of the Chishti* Malfuzat* Literature: Nizam* al-Din* 91 The Elaboration of the Malfuzat* Tradition: Chiragh-i* Dihli* 94 The Elaboration of the Malfuzat* Tradition: Burhan* al-Din* Gharib* 97 The Problem of "Inauthentic" Malfuzat* 103 5 The Interpretation of the Sufi Biographical Tradition in India 111 PART II CHISHTI* SUFISM AT KHULDABAD 120 6 From Delhi to the Deccan 121 The Historiography of Sufism in the Deccan 121 Sufism and the Turkish Conquest of the Deccan 131 7 Burhan* al-Din* Gharib's* Establishment and Teaching 142 The Khalifa* of Nizam* al-Din* 142 The Sufi Master 147 Teachings and Practices 151 The Disciples 157 Sama`*: Listening to Music 171 8 The Indian Environment and the Question of Conversion 179 PART III THE KHULDABAD SUFIS IN HISTORY 194 9 Political Relations of the Khuldabad Chishtis* 196 10 Political History of the Khuldabad Shrines 206 The Bahmani* Sultans 206 The Faruqis* of Khandesh 212 The Mughuls and Nizams 220 11 Khuldabad as a Sacred Center in the Local Context 232 The Khuldabad-Burhanpur Axis 232 The Local Saints of Khuldabad 238 PART IV CONCLUSIONS 244 PART V APPENDIXES 252 Appendix A. A Sufi Bookshelf: The Bibliography of Rukn al-Din* Dabir* Kashani* 253 I. Qur'anic* Commentaries 254 II. Divine Sayings (Kalimat-i* Qudsi*), from the following sources and others 255 III. Prophetic Sayings 255 IV. Significant Books 256 V. Sayings of the Companions and Successors of the Prophet 256 VI. Traditions from Books of the Science of Dialectical Theology, which is Called the Divine Science... 256 VII. Traditions from Significant Books of Jurisprudence, Decisions, and Tales of the Prophets 257 VIII. Great Books of the Science of the Path and Reality from the Writings and Works of the Masters ... 258 IX. Brief and Abbreviated Treatises of the Ancients and Moderns Specifying the Name of the Book 261 X. Sayings of the Masters in God, the Elite Saints, and other Realizers of Truth 263 Appendix B. A Fifteenth-Century Revenue Memorandum 266 Text 266 Appendix C. Mughul and Deccan Farmans* from Khuldabad 275 A. Dargahs* of Shaykh Burhan* al-Din* Gharib*, Shaykh Muntajib al-Din*, and Shaykh Zayn al-Din* 275 B. Dargah* of Sayyid Yusuf* Raju* Qattal* 280 C. Other Grants 281 NOTES 283 Preface 283 Part One 283 Part Two 310 Part Three 332 BIBLIOGRAPHY 343 1. Primary Sources on Sufism and Islam 344 A. Discourses (malfuzat*) 344 B. Biographies (tazkirat*) 344 C. Speculative and Mystical Treatises 346 D. Other Islamic Religious Sciences 347 2. Dynastic Chronicles and Court Poetry 347 3. Revenue Documents 349 4. Epigraphy and Numismatics 350 5. Travel Literature and Gazetteers 351 6. Modern Secondary Studies 351 7. Reference Works 361 INDEX OF NAMES 363 A 363 B 364 C 366 D 366 E 366 F 366 G 367 H 367 I 368 J 369 K 369 L 369 M 370 N 371 O 372 P 372 Q 372 R 372 S 373 T 374 U 374 V 374 W 374 Y 374 Z 374 INDEX OF TERMS AND SUBJECTS 375 A 375 B 375 C 375 D 376 E 376 F 376 G 376 H 376 I 377 J 377 K 377 L 378 M 378 N 378 O 379 P 379 Q 379 R 379 S 379 T 380 U 381 V 381 W 381 Y 381 Z 381

Ernst's research, based on rare Persian manuscripts preserved in Sufi shrines in the medieval town of Khuldabad, a major centre of pilgrimage in the Indian Deccan, reveals the mystical teachings and practices of the Chishti Sufi order as taught by the ecstatic Shaykh Burhan al-Din Gharib (d. 1337) and his disciples. This second edition has a preface in which Ernst details the advances in the study of Sufism since the appearnance of this path-breaking book.

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Drawing on rare Persian manuscripts in Sufi shrines in a center of medieval pilgrimage in southern India, Ernst (religion, Pomona College, Claremont, California) reveals the beliefs and practices of the Chishti Sufi order as taught by the ecstatic Shaykh Burhan al-Din Gharib (d. 1337). On the way, he touches on some major issues in the study of the regions history and religion. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This volume reveals the mystical teachings and practices of the Chishti Sufi order as taught by the ecstatic Shaykh Burhan al-Din Gharib (d. 1337) and his disciples. It illuminates many of the major issues in the study of the region's history and religion. This work is based on the author's research which centers on rare Persian manuscripts preserved in Sufi shrines in the medieval town of Khuldabad, a major center of pilgrimage in the Indian Deccan