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era that Sufi doctrines and practices have been chiefly introduced into India. Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah says in his work 'Islamic Sufism':
INTRODUCTION
"Sufism with its warm mystical yearning after union and fellowship with God, nowhere found a more suitable soil in which to thrive than India, where the very atmosphere was charged with a deep religious longing to find God, with the result that to-day it is estimated that fully two-thirds of India's Moslem population are under the influende of some one or other of the darvish Orders."
During the time of the Sultans of Gujarat many saintly persons came to Gujarat to propagate Islamic faith and settled there. Ten families of Sayyids, who so settled, are mentioned in Mirat-e-Ahmadi. Amongst them the Bukhari Sayyids Hazarat-e-Qutb-e-'Alam and his second son Hazarat-e-Shah 'Alam and their descendants became very famous and wielded great influence over the Sultans of Gujarat. The descendants of Shah 'Alam became known as Shahiya Sayyids and those of his brother as Qutbia Sayyids. Shah 'Alam's title came to be publicly known through Shah Barek Ullah Chisti (the successor or Nizamuddin Awlia of Delhi) thus:-Shah 'Alam was given by the latter a pot of baked beans to be carried home. On the way a deaf, dumb and blind drummer, who miraculously regained all his senses by Shah 'Alam's touch, announced him out of joy as Shah 'Alam by beating of his drum. The proverb thence became current that "the Chistis baked and the Bukharis ate." Sultan Muzaffar, who had several years before he became Sultan became a disciple of Qutb-ul-Aqtab Makhdum-e-Jahanian,grand-father of Qutb-e-'Alam, personally received the latter when he came to Patan, in Gujarat, in 1399 A. D. at the age of 12 years. Both Qutb-e-'Alam and Shah 'Alam were great mystics. Many miracles are attributed to both of them. Shah 'Alam became particularly famous as visitors to him had their pockets mysteriously filled with money on their return. He was at the age of seventeen appointed the head of Maghrabia Order by Shaikh Ahmad Khattu called Ganj Baksh or Treasure bestower (who died in 1446 A. D.). Qutb-e-'Alam died in 1454 A.D., and Shah 'Alam in 1477 A. D. at the age of 63. Shah 'Alam's beautiful mausoleum can yet be seen at Ahmedabad.
