In a sufi hospice, disciples address their shaikh as Sultan amongst shaikhs, and visitors bow low and kiss his feet. What does this practice show about the relation between sufis and Sultans?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Both the shaikh and the Sultan expected rituals asserting their authority.
Option (1) The shaikh had accepted a courtly office, as some sufis did. — Incorrect. Some sufis, such as the Suhrawardis under the Delhi Sultans, did take courtly offices. A title given by one's own disciples is not an office from the court.
Option (2) Both the shaikh and the Sultan expected rituals asserting their authority. — Correct. Sultans and sufis both expected rituals like prostration and kissing of the feet to assert authority. Such royal-style titles for a shaikh made these a source of conflict with the Sultans.
Option (3) The shaikh lent the Sultan legitimation by sharing royal titles with him. — Incorrect. Legitimation came from the sufis' authority, which was believed to come directly from God. A royal title for the shaikh competes with the Sultan; it does not support him.
Option (4) The shaikh kept his distance from worldly power by refusing royal grants. — Incorrect. Chishtis valued distance from worldly power, yet they accepted unasked-for grants. Titles and foot-kissing show the shaikh claiming authority of his own.
NCERT (2026-27): “7.4 Sufis and the state … |