Sufis and the state

The Chishtis valued austerity and kept their distance from worldly power. But they did not reject it completely: they accepted grants and donations from political elites, as long as they were not asked for.

Sultans set up charitable trusts (auqaf) as endowments for hospices, and granted tax-free land (inam). Sufis usually spent donations at once, on food, clothing, living quarters and ceremonies like sama', rather than accumulating them.

Why were rulers interested? Sufis were widely respected for their piety and learning, and their authority was believed to come directly from God, not from the jurists' interpretation of the shari'a. So rulers sought their support to gain legitimacy.

Kings often wanted their tombs built near sufi dargahs, believing that the auliya (friends of God) could intercede with God for them.

But there were also conflicts. Both sultans and sufis expected certain rituals, like prostration and kissing the feet, and claimed grand titles: the disciples of Nizamuddin addressed him as sultan-ul-mashaikh (sultan among shaikhs), which annoyed some rulers. Close to the state, but not too close.