Abdal

Abdal (lit: substitutes) is a rank of forty saints, but more often the larger group of 356 saints in Sufi theosophy, only known to and appointed by Allah. It is through their operations that the world continues to exist. The term over time has come to include a greater hierarchy of saints, all of different rank and prestige.

"Abdal" is the plural of "Badal" or rather "Badeel", and means "those who get replaced", "those who serve as a partial replacement to the role of the prophets" or "friends of God". The Abdals are the group of true, pure believers in God. They serve God during their lifetime; when they die, they are immediately replaced by another selected by God from a larger group said to be the 500 "Akhyar", i.e., the semi-divine good ones.

The Abdals are headed by their leader, "Al-Ghawth" ("the Helper"), who is said to reside in Mecca. This leader is often referred to as the Qutb, which means "Pole" in Arabic. This leader though unknown to the public is usually sought out by all of the lower ranking members of the abdal. At various times in history, shaykhs have been known to publicly claim to be the Qutb, despite the tradition of remaining outside of the public eye.

Abdal (disambiguation)

Abdal may refer to:

See also

Abdal (caste)

The Abdal are Muslim community found in North India. They are a sub-group within the Faqir community. They are unrelated to the Abdal of Turkey, the only thing common between the two groups is an itinerant lifestyle.

Origin

The Abdal are one of a number of Muslim semi-nomadic community, traditionally associated with begging at shrines of Sufi saints. They are likely to be a division of the Domba community. The word Abdal is the plural form of the Arabic word Abdul, which means slave or follower. According to the traditions of the Abdal, they acquired this name on account of the fact that they were followers of various Sufi saints. The Abdal of Bihar speak the Maithili language, and are found mainly in the district of Purnea, while other Abdal communities speak the language of the region they reside in.

In Gujarat, the Abdal are a community of beggars, who are also known as Dafalis and Nagarchis. Their traditional occupation was beating drums at Muslim shrines. The community is found mainly in Ahmedabad city.