Question:
What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?
Answer:
- Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and gave emphasis on love and devotion to God. They inspired people to be compassionate towards all fellow human beings.
- They rejected idol worship and considerably simplified rituals of worship into collective prayers.
- They believed that the heart can be trained to look at the world in a different way.
- They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr, meaning chanting of a name or sacred formula, contemplation, sama Le. singing, raqs, Le. dancing, discussion of parables, breath control etc. under the guidance of a master called pir.
Devotional Paths to the Divine
Q 1.
Name the two sets of compilations of Nayanar's songs.
Q 2.
How many Alvars were there?
Q 3.
Who was Ramanuja? What are the main points of his preachings?
Q 5.
Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?
Q 6.
What was known as dharmsal?
Q 7.
Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?
Q 8.
The songs are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them.' Explain.
Q 9.
Match the following:
The Buddha – namghar
Shankaradeva – worship of Vishnu
Nizamuddin Auliya – questioned social differences
Nayanars – Sufi saint
Alvars – worship of Shiva
Q 10.
There are severed saint-poets whose names have been mentioned but their works have not been included in the chapter. Find out more about the language in which they composed, whether their compositions were sung and what their compositions were about.
Q 11.
Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia .
Q 12.
What did the terms nam', dan' and isnan' mean? [V. Imp.]
Q 13.
Who was Kabir? How do we know about him?
Q 14.
What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?
Q 15.
For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.
Q 16.
Who compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 17.
For any of the saint-poets whose compositions have been included in this chapter, find out more about their works, noting down other poems. Find out whether these are sung, how they are sung, and what the poets wrote about
Q 19.
What is Guru Granth Sahib?
Q 20.
Name any two saints of Maharashtra.
Q 21.
Who were the Pulaiyar and the Panars?
Q 22.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) Shankara was an advocate of…………..
(b) Ramanuja was influenced by the ………….
(c) , ……….. and ………. were advocates of Virashaivism.
(d) ….. was an important centre of the Bhakti tradition in Maharashtra.
Q 23.
What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 24.
Who were the followers of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 25.
What did Ramanuja propound?
Q 26.
Why did the Mughal emperor Jahangir order the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606?
Q 27.
Name the set of compilation of Alvars' songs.
Q 28.
To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?
Q 29.
Write a brief note on new religious developments in north India. [V. Imp.]
Q 30.
Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.
Q 32.
What did the Puranic stories consist of? [V. Imp.]
Q 33.
Find out whether in your neighbourhood there are any dargahs, gurudwaras or temples associated with saints of the Bhakti tradition in your neighbourhood. Visit any one of these and describe what you see and hear.
Q 34.
What do you mean by Khanqahs? What purpose did it serve?
Q 35.
Write in brief about the ideas of Shankara and Ramanuja.
Q 36.
Who were the Nayanars and Alvars? Write about them in brief. [V. Imp.]
Q 37.
What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?
Q 38.
Why was the Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community? How did the Sikh movement gain momentum? [V. Imp.]
