Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 21 of 37 · Bhakti & Sufi Movements
Questionhard
This question was previously asked in

Defence

Which Mughal emperor was a follower of the Naqshbandi Sufi order and devoted to its leader Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar?

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option D — Babur

Detailed Solution

Babur was a follower of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, and was devoted to its famous leader, Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar (1404-1490) of Samarkand.

About Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar:

  • He was a powerful Naqshbandi Sufi saint of Central Asia, based at Samarkand.
  • He had great influence over the Timurid rulers of Central Asia, including Babur's father and uncles.
  • He was also a wealthy landowner and a patron of trade.

Babur's devotion:

  • Babur regarded Khwaja Ahrar as his spiritual guide, even though the saint died when Babur was a child.
  • Babur translated a work of Khwaja Ahrar (the "Risala-i-Walidiyya", on the duties of a disciple) into Turki verse.
  • According to his memoirs, when he was seriously ill, he composed this translation as a vow for his recovery.
  • He believed that Khwaja Ahrar's blessings helped him.

About the Naqshbandi order:

  • It was founded by Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband (1318-1389) of Bukhara, in Central Asia.
  • It emphasised the strict observance of Islamic law (Sharia), silent remembrance of God (zikr-i-khafi), and close links with the rulers.
  • It came to India with the Mughals.

NCERT on the Naqshbandis:

  • NCERT notes that the Naqshbandi order was associated with the Mughals in India.
  • Later in India, Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, a Naqshbandi saint known as "Mujaddid Alf-i-Sani" (renewer of the second millennium), opposed Akbar's liberal religious policies.

Other Sufi orders in India:

  • "Chishti": the most popular order in India; it emphasised love, simplicity, and distance from the court.
  • "Suhrawardi": active in Punjab and Sindh; it was close to the rulers.
  • "Qadiri": Dara Shikoh was associated with this order.
  • "Firdausi": active in Bihar.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Akbar was associated with the Chishti order.
  • ✗Jahangir and Shah Jahan were not linked with Khwaja Ahrar.

Quick tip

Remember: Babur = follower of the Naqshbandi order (Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar of Samarkand); Naqshbandi founder = Bahauddin Naqshband; Mujaddid Alf-i-Sani = Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Bhakti & Sufi Movements Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.Who was the founder of the Vishishtadvaita philosophy?
  2. Q2.The Shuddhadvaita philosophy is associated with:
  3. Q3.Amir Khusrau, the famous poet, was a disciple of which Sufi saint?
  4. Q4.Which Sufi saint is believed to have laid the foundation stone of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar?
  5. Q5.In which language did Tulsidas compose the Ramcharitmanas?

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Bhakti & Sufi Movements — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Bhakti & Sufi Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

The Bhakti and Sufi movements emphasised personal devotion to God over ritual and caste. This topic covers Bhakti saints such as Ramanuja, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Surdas, Chaitanya, Namdev and Tukaram, and the Sufi orders (silsilas) such as the Chishti and Suhrawardi orders and their saints. Questions usually link a saint to their region, language, teacher or ideas, or ask which Sufi order a saint belonged to. For example, Moinuddin Chishti brought the Chishti order to Ajmer, and Kabir was a disciple of Ramananda. A table of saint, region and key teaching makes these questions easy. Practise the Bhakti and Sufi movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Bhakti & Sufi Movements questionsBrowse all topics ›