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Rana Safvi is a historian, translator and author. A firm believer in India's Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, she has translated several seminal historical works such as 'Dastan-e-Ghadar' and "Begumat Ke Aansoo".

In this podcast, Vinamre and Rana talk about her latest book, In Search of the Divine: Living Histories of Sufism in India. They also discuss the true meaning of Sufism, whether Sufism is in conflict with Islam, the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and how one becomes a true believer.

You can follow Rana on Instagram, where she regularly posts about History and Architecture: https://instagram.com/ranasafvi?igshid=NDc0ODY0MjQ=

Check out her latest book, In Search of the Divine: Living Histories of Sufism in India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9393701113/ref=cm_sw_r_api_i_1AQHAVGJJ68BAESZCXSG_1

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:20 How do you express yourself to the divine?

5:27 Is there a right way to reach God?

8:23 Sufism - what does it mean?

13:00 Have people documented direct experiences with God?

15:00 Is Sufism in conflict with Islam?

16:30 Why is music included in Sufism?

24:03 The influence of Buddhism on Sufism

27:06 Are you ready to become a Murid?

31:02 You have to be selfless to become a Sufi disciple

36:06 Sufism grew because of growing materialism in Islam

40:03 The world of Qalandars

43:50 Rana's experience in Dargahs

50:12 Is Bollywood exploiting Sufi music?

53:23 Stories of jinns

57:45 Does exorcism cure mental illness?

1:02:41 Were Sufi mystics given more importance over Islam?

1:10:17 Do writers read the entire bibliography which they list in their books?

1:14:17 The Mongol invasion brought Sufism to India

1:20:12 You should seek history from credible sources

1:27:37 Conclusion