<P> One reason why Islam became more favorable in India was due to the establishment of khanqah . A khanqah is commonly defined as a hospice, lodge, community center, or dormitory ran by Sufis . Khanqahs were also known as Jama'at Khana, large gathering halls . Structurally, a khanqah could be one large room or have additional dwelling space . Although some khanqah establishments were independent of royal funding or patronage, many received fiscal grants (waqf) and donations from benefactors for continuing services . Over time, the function of traditional Sufi khanqahs evolved as Sufism solidified in India . </P> <P> Initially, the Sufi khanqah life emphasized a close and fruitful relationship between the master - teacher (sheikh) and their students . For example, students in khanqahs would pray, worship, study, and read works together . Sufi literature had more academic concerns besides just the jurisprudential and theological works seen in madrasa . There were three major categories of mystical works studied in South Asia: hagiographical writing, discourses of the teacher, and letters of the master . Sufis also studied various other manuals describing code of conduct, adab (Islam). In fact, the text (trans .) "Path of God's Bondsmen from Origin to Return" written by a Persian Sufi saint, Najm al - Din Razi, spread throughout India during the authors' lifetime . Sharing that Sufi thought was becoming increasingly favorable to study in India . Even today, preserved mystical literature has proved invaluable as a source of religious and social history of Sufi Muslims in India . </P> <P> The other major function of a khanqah was of a community shelter . Many of these facilities were built in low caste, rural, Hindu vicinities . The Chishti Order Sufis in India, especially, crystallized khanqahs with the highest form of modest hospitality and generosity . Keeping a "visitors welcome" policy, khanqahs in India offered spiritual guidance, psychological support, and counseling that was free and open to all people . The spiritually hungry and depressed caste members were both fed with a free kitchen service and provided basic education . By creating egalitarian communities within stratified caste systems, Sufis successfully spread their teachings of love, spirituality, and harmony . It was this example of Sufi brotherhood and equity that drew people to the religion of Islam . Soon these khanqahs became social, cultural, and theological epicenters for people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds and both genders . Through a khanqah's humble services, Sufis presented the true form of Islam and forged a way for voluntary large scale conversions of lower class Hindustanis . </P> <P> The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order (tariqa) popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh . Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious practice and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by the Sufi saint' Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (d . 1434 CE), called "Qutb - ul - Madar", and is centered on his shrine (dargah) at Makanpur, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh . </P>

Examine the influence of sufism on the social religious and cultural life of india