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Sufism is an old religious sect from the middle East. Sufi means wool in Arabic the Sufis wore simple woolen garments which reflected the kind of simple life they led. Just like the Bhakti saints the Sufi pirs (saints) believed in meditation love and devotion to god rather than in rituals and rigid customs. They expressed their devotion through dance and music.
They were respected greatly by the common people. Even before the establishment of the Delhi sultanate in India. Sufis had been in India. Many of them were fleeing from the advancing armies of the Mongols. In India there were two important sects of the Sufis the Suharwardy sect and the chisti sect.
Moinuddin Chisti (AD 1141-1238) was one of the most revered of the Suri pirs. He came from Lahore and made Ajmer his home. All his life he worked for the poor. He felt that service of god meant service of humanity. Even today his dargah at Ajmer is a popular holy place. Nizamuddin Auliya was famous Sufi pir of the 14th century AD.
He set up his Khanqah (Order or monastery) in Delhi. He asked his followers to lead simple austere lives and spend their time seeking god. Amir Khusrau was one of the best known Sufi poets. He was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya. Here you can buy a large collection of books on Sufism.
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