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173 Appendix D Taz ˉ kira Entries on Jalāl al-dīn Bukhārī Introduction Taz ˉ kira (memorial) texts are biographical dictionaries, many devoted to Sufi saints, with one text usually focusing on a number of figures from a single order or region. An enormous number of such taz ˉ kiras were produced in India, especially during the Mughal period.1 Many of them include entries on Bukhārī and his life. In this section I will examine some of these brief biographies.2 Though each taz ˉ kira text could be examined as a whole to determine the viewpoint of the author and his understanding of sainthood, I will only be looking at the entries on Bukhārī. These entries, examined chronologically, show the development of Bukhārī’s reputation and legend over time. They are mostly dependent on the anecdotes preserved in the malfūz ˙ āt for basic biographical information, and have a tendency to embroider fantastical and wondrous tales around that core biography. As Hermansen and Lawrence have pointed out, the South Asian taz ˉ kira genre is closely tied to location. A taz ˉ kira sanctifies and makes Islamic a particular city or region by commemorating and remembering its saints and heroes.3 Because of their focus on regions and Sufi orders, taz ˉ kiras map the spread of influence of an order or of a saint, through his disciples and his political entanglements . Thus, while malfūz ˙ āt texts display a single individual during a limited period of his life, taz ˉ kiras reveal a network of connections between holy figures, stretching back through time and ranging over space, but always leading towards the particular place and order of interest to the author. Only one of the taz ˉ kiras I am examining, Siyar al-‘ārifīn, represents either the Suhrawardīya order or the region of Uch. The rest are concerned largely with the Chishtīya, Qādirīya, and Shat ˙ t ˙ ārīya orders and are focused on other regions of India. Therefore, Bukhārī appears in them as a somewhat marginal, though highly respected, figure and their entries on him are largely devoted to showing his links with different shaykhs and disciples. The taz ˉ kiras agree on the familiar outlines of Bukhārī’s life and career. His piety, his attachment to the sunna, his travels, his multiple affiliations to many Sufi masters, and his descent from the Prophet Muh ˙ ammad are all common points. The most valuable information provided by the hagiographies and unavailable in the malfūz ˙ āt are death dates for Bukhārī and other saints. The hagiographies are also indispensable in tracing the careers of Bukhārī’s descendants and disciples. Entries on later saints whose spiritual genealogy included Bukhārī provide information on the spread of his order and influence. As for the details of Bukhārī’s life, these taz ˉ kiras tend to contain exaggerated versions of what we already know. Thus, the number of Bukhārī’s shaykhs, of his disciples , and of his journeys is increased. Though only two or three generations separate the earliest taz ˉ kiras from Bukhārī’s life, significant distortion has already crept in. Many of the taz ˉ kiras are partisan in their attitude towards the different Sufi orders and try to demonstrate the primacy of one order or saint over others. Thus, some texts highlight Bukhārī’s Suhrawardī affiliation, particularly to Rukn al-dīn Abū al-Fath ˙ Multānī; others emphasize the role of Nas ˙ īr al-dīn Mah ˙ mūd Chirāgh-i Dihlī (and thus of the Chishtī order) in his life; and still others focus on Bukhārī’s devotion to ‘Abd al-Qādir Gīlānī, from whom the Qādirī order takes its name. 174 Appendix D The differences in these accounts are not ones of fact but of emphasis. Furthermore, the vocabulary used to show these affiliations is different in the taz ˉ kiras. In the malfūz ˙ āt, Bukhārī and his disciples spoke of the khirqa and the ijāzat as the sign of becoming a murīd, or of paywand dāshtan (having a bond), to describe the relationship between a shaykh and his disciples. In the taz ˉ kiras, the language of khilāfat (succession) is used. Becoming a khalīfa meant that one was not just a disciple, but a designated spiritual heir. There are two assertions made by nearly all the taz ˉ kiras whose authenticity I have disputed. The first such assertion...

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