Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c20.s1.13

c20.s1.13

From the hagiological literature also it is evident that Sufi Mashaikh were not organized for propaganda work in any modern way.¹² Sufi Shaikhs and scholars are not known to have preceded but always followed the armies of invasion.¹³ They mostly lived in metropolitan cities, in their respective *Khanqahs* or monasteries, and do not appear to have moved about in the countryside for propaganda work. The whole atmosphere in the *khanqah* was Muslim, not many, if any, Hindus ever visited them, not to speak of their coming in large numbers for being converted.¹⁴ The two greatest Chishti Mashaikh of the medieval period were Muin-ud-din Chishti and Nizam-ud-din Auliya. Rizvi rightly says that Shaikh Muin-ud-din Chishti "was neither a missionary nor a miracle monger. He did not work among the masses...."¹⁵ In the *Fawaid-ul-Faud*, a biographical memoir on Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya, there is mention of conversion of only two individuals. Similarly during the reign of Iltutmish, Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and Qazi Hamid-ud-din Nagori were two prominent saints in Delhi, but no proselytizing activity is attributed to them.¹⁶ Indeed the Mashaikh sometimes resented government's appeals to do proselytizing work; and Muhammad bin Tughlaq, who wanted to employ this class on missionary work, met with lot of opposition from them.¹⁷