Indian Sufism since the seventeenth century

"Sufism is often regarded as standing mystically aloof from its wider cultural settings. By turning this perspective on its head, Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century reveals the politics and poetry of Indian Sufism through the study of Islamic sainthood in the midst of a cosmopolitan Indian society comprising migrants, soldiers, litterateurs and princes." "Placing the mystical traditions of Indian Islam within their cultural contexts, the study focuses on the shrines of four Sufi saints in the neglected Deccan region and their changing roles under the rule of the Mughals, the Nizams of Haydarabad and, after 1947, the Indian nation. Of particular interest is the book's focus on religion in princely Haydarabad, examining the vibrant intellectual and cultural history of this independent state. However, close attention is also paid to the effects of British colonialism on Sufi individuals and institutions in India. Against these settings, the place of Sufis and their followers in the Indo-Persian and Urdu literary traditions is analysed, showing a popular religious tradition supported by a literature no less than an architecture of sainthood. In this way, an overview of the main developments of devotional Islam in South Asia over the past three centuries is presented from a regional perspective." "Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century is essential reading for scholars with interests in Sufism, Islam, India and cultural studies."--BOOK JACKET.