Sufis Of Chishtia Order And Narration Of Qawwali During Sultanate Period

Abstract

This paper examines the narration of various sayings of the early Chishti Sufis about Qawwali music during the period of Sultanate of Delhi.  In this research a qualitative analytical method is applied to highlight the contribution of Chishti Sufis in the form of their sayings about Qawwali, as they rendered enormous services to transform the then existing Indian music into Qawwali, which greatly influenced the face of Indian music and touched the hearts of Indians and became a reason to propagate sufi Islam during the medieval era.  Among all Chishti Sufis, the role of Hazrat Amir Khusrau, as an icon of Indian arts including poetry, music and transformation of Indian music into Qawwali brought a revolution in the field of Qawwali music as a specific genre of music in subcontinent. The question that will be dealt in this research work is that how the Qawwali Music evolved in the narrations and sayings of Chishti Sufis and their disciples during Sultanate Period, especially the period of Hazrat Amir Khusrau which marked the peak time of the Qawwali music in subcontinent?