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Sufis in the Life of Medieval India brings together ten of Simon Digby’s incisive and revelatory essays on one of his greatest intellectual passions. Originally published between 1975 and 1994 in a diverse array of books and journals, their collection here offers a unique perspective on the roles and attitudes of Sufis in the medieval period, and also fulfils one of Digby’s own unrealized ambitions of making these pieces available to new audiences.

Drawing on a wide range of primary sources—some well-known to scholars, others treated for the first time by Digby—the chapters here range from medieval statecraft and the attitudes of famous Chishtī shaykhs towards rulers and noblemen in the capital Delhi, to the activities of more obscure Sufis in less glamorous, provincial settings. From strictly orthodox pīrs to rule-breaking qalandars, from the perils of travel to the treatment of ethics, and from legends of wonder-working to debates over spiritual succession, this volume offers invaluable insights into the world of Sufism in particular and the social, political, and spiritual life of medieval India more broadly.