Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c5.s4.t3.23

c5.s4.t3.23

*Other Religious Groups.*—We have mentioned in passing how Bughra Khan advised his son to seek the company of those who had renounced the world. We have similarly referred to the fact above that a class of Muslims adhered to the original ideals of Islam and took to asceticism and ‘other-wordly’ occupations in general. While these Muslims persisted in living according to their ideals, they created a peculiar awe and solemn reverence for themselves among the followers of Islam for whom amidst their materialistic surroundings, this lure for the primitive had a special fascination. Hindustan was already familiar with the Hindu ideal of a *Guru*. This found its appropriate expression in the corresponding belief in a *Pir* or a *Shaikh* in Muslim society. If an ascetic had managed to scorn the world during his lifetime, his son and successors reaped a fruitful crop of worldly gains after his death. The *Pirzadas* and *Makhdumzadas*, or the descendants of *Pirs* and *Shaikhs* respectively, began to occupy the position of spiritual preceptors, especially because of the growing moral decay among the ‘Ulama. They began to supersede the theologians and in time came to occupy the position of ‘the Brahmans of Islam’.¹ Again the Hindu *yogis* and ascetics were not forgotten. If the Muslims believed in occult phenomena or mystic elements, the *yogis* had an older tradition and a better professional equipment. Muslim Sufis mixed with the Hindu *Sadhus* and *Sannyasis* and *Yogis* for inspiration and guidance, without, however, always acknowledging the source in public.² The Muslim monarch too did not fail to approach the Hindu ascetics along with Muslim saints, for aid in the fulfilment of his inmost desires.³ The detailed treatment of this aspect of Hindu-Muslim interaction however, lies outside our scope.