Machine summary:
1 The monasteries had commodious compounds and enough rooms to accommodate the large number of the disciples, who thronged at the threshold of the spiritual Master to learn the latent mysteries of the other world.
" To the mystic the love of God was a gigantic beacon of spiritual light, hailing him towards the region of eternal peaceful radiance, and far away from the sorrow and squalor of this iniquitous and material world.
Generally the ceremony of initiation consisted of instruction as to the method of repetition of the Great Name of God (Ism-i-A' ,?am) ; and the gift of a long shirt called the Khirqa-i-lradat and a cap to the disciple by the Preceptor.
" In the hospices situated far a way from the worldly turmoil of the town, initiation at the hands of a perfect spiritual master \VaS essential for the realization of God. To sit at his feet was regarded as the greatest boon of life.
" In the congregations of the Suhc Shaikhs and their disciples, the Qavvals or the spiritual singers sang in the hospice.
The congregational prayers were to be performed in the hall of the mosque and were meant to make the mind stable, peaceful and conscious of the presence of God. 1 The re• maining time was to be employed in practising the repetition of the Great Name.
Once a disciple questioned his spiritual Preceptor as to what he should write in a charm.