CDS 2021 (II)

Sufi Literature in Mughal India

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

The biography of Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti, authored by Jahanara, is known as :

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept Mughal royalty were deeply involved in Sufism. Princess Jahanara, daughter of Shah Jahan, was a scholarly devotee who contributed significantly to the 'Tazkira' (biographical) tradition of Sufi saints.

Explanation Jahanara Begum authored 'Munis al Arwah' (Confidant of Spirits) in 1640. It is a biography of the founder of the Chisti order in India, Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti, alongside accounts of other saints.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Option A is correct. The work reflects Jahanara's spiritual orientation and her own induction into the Qadiriyya order later on.
Logic 2: Fawaid ul Fuwad (Option B) records the conversations of Nizamuddin Auliya; Sirat ul Auliya (Option C) is by Amir Khwurd; Muraqqa-e-Delhi (Option D) is a later 18th-century work.

Active Recall

Question

What other spiritual work did Jahanara write?

Answer

She also wrote 'Sahibiya', a biography of her spiritual mentor, Mullah Shah Badakhshi.

Core Insight

Jahanara's authorship proves that Mughal royal women were not just passive observers but active intellectual participants in India's spiritual discourse.