TO WHAT EXTENT DID SUFI IDEOLOGY AFFECT THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT? ANALYZE

INTRODUCTION

Sufism was a movement of moderate reform within Islam, originating in Persia, which spread to  India  in the eleventh century. In the  seventh and eighth centuries, the bhakti cult developed in  Tamil Nadu, which gained great popularity in the middle ages.

 

BODY

The influence of bhakti movement by Sufi thought is mentioned in the following forms:

Tarachand, Yusuf Hussain and Prof.  Historians  such as Aziz Ahmed have confirmed the  deep influence of  Islam or Sufi ideology on the spirit of devotion  . He has mentioned the non-Advaitism of Shankaracharya and its effect on the devotional spirit of Ramanand.

The teachings of the Sufi teachers shaped the ideology of the reformers  of the bhakti sect such as  Ramanand, Kabir and Nanak. The liberal and unorthodox characteristics of Sufism  had a profound influence on the saints of the  medieval bhakti sect.

The minds of the saints are pure and the principles which seem reasonable to lead them towards their goal  are freely adopted. Therefore  , in the thoughts of great saints like Kabir and Nanak  , we see a mixture of Sufi thought.

It is inappropriate to call for  a major influence on the devotional spirit  of Islam because  of    the similarities such as the importance of the Guru, the remembrance of the name, the prayer,  the love  of God, the distracted and distracted, the simplicity  of the world, the true spiritual practice, the love of humanity.

Prior to the 12th century,  the contact between the two cultures was not so close to the spiritually influenced each other, and it is difficult to determine how much of an impact it had on the bhakti movement after the 13th century.

The Bhakti movement may  have gained wide popularity in the medieval period, but its basic ideas have been present in the Indian tradition.

The entire Upanishadic literature of India is full of mysticism and  has a beautiful description of the spirit of devotion in the Bhagavad Gita, so the development of mysticism and the spirit of  devotion is  not justified by Sufism.

 Harsh criticism of the caste system and harsh criticism of Brahmins by saints  was an important part of Buddhism in ancient India, which  was later adopted by the Nathpanthi yogis.

 

CONCLUSION

Bhakti and Sufi movements paved the way for humanity through divine love. There  are many similarities between the two, but  it is difficult to say anything about the impact the Bhakti movement has on the core ideas.