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Indian Ethnicity and Religious Heritage
saintly institutions of those who have renounced the world because Islam teaches that religious life should be practiced even while discharging worldly duties. However, the Sufis in In-dia organised ashrams like Hindus at various places. They were called Khankahs (Hospise) where even non-Islamic saints were entertained.
Though the Prophet himself was often going in meditation in the caves of Mount Hira where he got Divine inspirations, his traditional followers seem to have left the practice of meditation. Sifis, however, continued to follow the prophet by practicing meditation.
Poverty, simplicity and celibacy were greatly adored by the Sufis and this endeared them even to the Hindu population. Famous Sufi saint IBRAHIM BIN ADAM used to preach that the real saint is he who, not only has no desire to obtain any worldly object, but who has also no worldly desire to get anything in the next world. It is said that once a poor man was describing to him the woes of his
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