Publisher's Synopsis
This book recasts the history of Sufism in the Deccan and in India in general. Establishing the presence and active involvement of the Junayd? Sufis in the Deccan during the Bahmani period (1347-1538), contrary to established assumption that it was the Chisht's who spread Sufi teachings there. Two sacred scrolls of the seventeenth century from the private collection of a prominent Junayd? Sufi family of Bijapur, tracing its spiritual and family descent to Abul Qasim al-Junayd of Baghdad have also been produced. The scrolls contain extracts from an extinct fourteenth century text, Atwar al-abrar, by Ayn al-Din Ganj al-Ilm, revealing rich details on prominent Junayd?s, including women Sufis. This groundbreaking study does what scholars, including the late Annemarie Schimmel, of Harvard University, have long advocated-the need to unearth and study the hidden treasure trove of documents on the Deccan.
