HistoryMedieval India: Bhakti Sufi Traditions

Which of the following was NOT part of the special rituals of initiat…

Which of the following was NOT part of the special rituals of initiation in sufi silsilas?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Initiates observed a three-day fast.

Option (1) Initiates observed a three-day fast. — Not a ritual of initiation. The initiation rituals of the sufi silsilas were an oath, a patched garment and a shaved head. A three-day fast was not one of them.

Option (2) Initiates wore a patched garment. — A ritual of initiation. Wearing a patched garment was one of the special rituals developed for initiates, along with the oath and the shaved head.

Option (3) Initiates took an oath of allegiance. — A ritual of initiation. The oath of allegiance bound the initiate to the master, the link in the silsila that ran back to the Prophet.

Option (4) Initiates shaved their hair. — A ritual of initiation. Shaving the hair was the third part of the initiation ritual, along with the oath and the patched garment.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 Khanqahs and silsilas …
Sufi silsilas began to crystallise in different parts of the Islamic world around the twelfth century. The word silsila literally means a chain, signifying a continuous link between master and disciple, stretching as an unbroken spiritual genealogy to the Prophet Muhammad. It was through this channel that spiritual power and blessings were transmitted to devotees. Special rituals of initiation were developed in which initiates took an oath of allegiance, wore a patched garment, and shaved their hair.”