HistoryMedieval India: Bhakti Sufi Traditions

Which of the following pairs of a form of sufi composition and its me…

Which of the following pairs of a form of sufi composition and its meaning is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Prem-akhyan - love story

Option (1) Lurinama - wedding song — Incorrect. A lurinama is a lullaby. The wedding song of the Deccan sufis is the shadinama.

Option (2) Shadinama - lullaby — Incorrect. A shadinama is a wedding song, and the lullaby is the lurinama. The two names are swapped here.

Option (3) Prem-akhyan - love story — Correct. A prem-akhyan is a love story, such as Jayasi's Padmavat about Padmini and Ratansen.

Option (4) Qawwal - hymn at the opening of qawwali — Incorrect. A qawwal is a singer of qawwali. The hymn at the opening or closing of qawwali is the qaul, brought in by Amir Khusrau.

NCERT (2026-27): “7.3 Languages and communication
It was not just in sama‘ that the Chishtis adopted local languages. In Delhi, those associated with the Chishti silsila conversed in Hindavi, the language of the people. Other sufis such as Baba Farid composed verses in the local language, which were incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. Yet others composed long poems or masnavis to express ideas of divine love using human love as an allegory. For example, the prem-akhyan (love story) Padmavat composed by Malik Muhammad Jayasi revolved around the romance of Padmini and Ratansen, the king of Chittor. …”

“… These poems were probably sung by women while performing household chores like grinding grain and spinning. Other compositions were in the form of lurinama or lullabies and shadinama or wedding songs. …”