Čištī

Saint/Biographer

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Čištī was a member of the Čištī spiritual order. In 1032/1622 he became leader of his local branch. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān completed several works, most of which deal with spiritual topics or the lives of saints. His most famous work is considered to be Mīr’at al-asrār, a compendium of biographies of famous saints from the early periods of Islam to 853/1449. It was completed in 1065/1654. Among ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s other works are a translation of a Sanskrit treatise of Hindū cosmogony and an abridged version of the Bhagavad Gita. He died in 1094/1683.