Sufism and creating roles in society

Khanqahs played a significant role in the history of Iran. The importance of these institutions will be manifested through the multiplicity of people who had been influenced by them and the variety of roles that they taken in relation to Khanqah systems. The present study deals with the classification and description of the duties of these people related to the institution of the monastery. Some of these people worked directly inside the Khanqahs, and some had a spiritual or material connection to the monasteries from outside. At the head of the monastery was the Sheikh, and then there were the servants, disciples, and Qawwals, that the Khanqah system was developed by them. Outside the Khanqah, there were ordinary people, women and disciples, as well as kings and the wealthy, each have a relative affiliation with the monastery. The present study aims to show the extent and power of the effects of monastic institutions in society by examining the human roles (in and out) of the Khanqahs.