ABSTRACT
The Naqshbandiyya spread into the Indian subcontinent in the footsteps of the conquering Timurid army. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in 1526, belonged to a family which had been closely allied to ‘Ubaydullah Ahrar, and was himself tutored by one of the foremost disciples of the master in Ferghana. His successors’ commitment to the brotherhood was less pronounced as they became enmeshed in the Indian environment, but it nonetheless remained substantial owing to their Central Asia connections. Among the Naqshbandis who settled in Mughal India were several descendents of Ahrar; these were normally integrated into the religiousadministrative elite. They were followed by practicing masters, who in the next two centuries disseminated the Naqshbandi path in different parts of the country. Most consequential among them was Baqi Billah in Delhi who, unlike his colleagues, did not confine his activities to the foreign Mughal elite but propagated the tariqa also among the local population. Among his disciples was Ahmad Sirhindi, the founder of the Mujaddidiyya, which in due course superseded almost all other Naqshbandi lines in India.
