Which of the following pairs about Kabir and the poems attributed to him is correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Hagiographies of Kabir - composed mostly from the seventeenth century onwards
Option (1) Hagiographies of Kabir - composed mostly from the seventeenth century onwards — Correct. Debates on whether Kabir was born a Hindu or a Muslim are found in hagiographies (lives of saints). Many of these were composed from the seventeenth century onwards, about 200 years after his lifetime.
Option (2) Awadh, where Kabir's ideas took shape - part of present-day Bihar — Incorrect. Kabir's ideas probably took shape through dialogue with sufis and yogis in Awadh. Awadh is part of present-day Uttar Pradesh.
Option (3) Ishq, a sufi concept used in Kabir's poems - remembrance — Incorrect. Ishq means love. Kabir's poems used the sufi ideas of zikr and ishq to express remembrance of God's name, so remembrance is not what ishq means.
Option (4) Nam-simaran - a sufi practice of remembering God's name — Incorrect. Nam-simaran, the remembrance of God's name, is a Hindu practice. Some poems used the sufi concepts of zikr and ishq to express it.
NCERT (2026-27): “8.1 Weaving a divine fabric: Kabir … “This is most evident in later debates about whether he was a Hindu or a Muslim by birth, debates that are reflected in hagiographies. Many of these were composed from the seventeenth century onwards, about 200 years after Kabir’s lifetime.” |