Synopsis This volume brings together seminal essays on the perennial debate regarding the different roles Sufis played in medieval Indian society and culture. It focuses on crucial issues such as Sufis’ encounters or interactions in the Indian environment, episodic conversion, process of Islamicization, and expansion of Islam in India. The collection includes writings by prominent social historians—Khaliq Ahmad Nizami, Aziz Ahmad, S.A.A. Rizvi, Richard M. Eaton, Carl W. Ernst, Yohanan Friedmann, J.M.S. Baljon, Simon Digby, and Muzaffar Alam. They provide counterpoints in the debate about the political intervention of Sufis and their interaction with the rulers and state.

The editor’s introduction weaves together the varied strands of the debates on this subject and provides a framework for understanding the peculiarities of Sufism in India. Part of the prestigious Debates in Indian History and Society series, this reader will be valuable for scholars, teachers, and students of medievel Indian history, particularly those concerned with Sufi traditions and other forms of Islamic religiosity in medieval India.