(1318-1389). Another great order, the Chishti order, traces its origin to
Chisht near Herat, where the spiritual founder of the order, Khwaja Abu
Ishaq Shami (d. 940) dwelled. However it was Muinuddin Chishti (d.1236)
who brought the
silsila
to India and laid its foundations by establishing a
flourishing centre in Ajmer.
Both the physical and the spiritual life of a Sufi revolves around his
shaykh
and the
shaykh
dispenses any guidance his disciple might require,
starting from the exigencies of everyday life and ending with the spiritual
guidance that aims at losing oneself in God. Such guidance is personalized
and tailored to the individual capacities and needs of the disciple, gradually
introducing him to techniques that would effectively enable him to attain
the spiritual goal. Of these techniques the most numerous are those
pertaining to
dhikr
– remembrance of God.
Dhikr
Dhikr
literally means ‘remembering’ God. The Qur’an attaches the utmost
importance to remembering God by invoking His name. ‘Remember your
Lord and dedicate yourself to Him utterly.’ (73:8).‘Truly, in the remembrance
of God, hearts find rest.’ (13:28) ‘Remember Me and I shall remember you.’
(2:152).The Qur’an further explains: ‘Remember God always, so that you
may prosper.’ (62:10), admonishes: “Believers, be ever mindful of God: praise
Him morning and evening,” (33:41) and instructs:‘Prayer fends off lewdness
and evil. But your foremost duty is to remember God.’ (29:45)
The Sufis hold that at the time of the Prophet and his companions, the
obligatory prayers were performed with full concentration and in complete
remembrance of God, and thus constituted the true
dhikr
. The practices of
succeeding generations were but a pale reflection of this earlier practice. In
Th e Or i g i n a n d E v o l u t i on o f Su f i s m 16
