ABSTRACT
Many of the anecdotes in Sufi literature are recurring, repetitive and common to diverse traditions. This chapter examines their truthfulness or historicity. It discusses the context in which stories and legends emerged and the way they created conditions for establishing the authority of the Sufi shaikh in the society. The chapter also describes whether the tales have any relevance in the evaluation of the social and political history of the period. An important source of the shaikh’s authority was his perceived ability to perform incredible feats. On the contrary, the leading Sufis themselves believed that the auliya, who had followed the mystic path could acquire supernatural faculties.
