ABSTRACT
The development of the Suhraward⁄yya order in the Indian subcontinent was mainly due to the efforts of Shaikh Baha al-d⁄n Zakariyyå, Shaikh Jalål al-d⁄n Tabr⁄z⁄, and Qåd⁄ Óam⁄d al-d⁄n Nagaur⁄. Shaikh Shihåb al-d⁄n Umar al-Suhraward⁄ instructed these selected khal⁄fas to establish Suhraward⁄ orders eastward into the Indian subcontinent. The way in which these Suhraward⁄ individuals and their disciples continued the Suhraward⁄ religious beliefs and institutionalized it as a popular form of s≠f⁄ piety is integral to understanding the continuity and changes in Suhraward⁄ s≠f⁄ theology. Balancing ta‚awwuf and politics is crucial to the Suhraward⁄yya order, it is as important to understand their emphasis on prayers, embodying the sunnå of the Prophet, and specific types of dhikr that were required for Suhraward⁄ s≠f⁄s to follow. Often overlooked in Suhraward⁄ studies, Suhraward⁄ ta‚awwuf required s≠f⁄s to greatly adhere to prayer and to additional recitations of the Qurån for prayer. The five daily ritualistic prayers were perceived as fundamental religious practice to surrender to Allåh and could not be neglected. The Suhraward⁄ shaikhs believed that prayer, which is God’s way of implementing a habit of surrender in believers, need not be fixed to five times a day but several additional supplications were needed in ta‚awwuf. There are elaborate concise instructions for Suhraward⁄s to practice dhikr al-Qurån (remembrance of the Qurån) and specific prayers that were attached to ritual and place.
