Q. What is the meaning of the word "Chishtia?" A. There are two meanings which come to my mind of this word. This as far as I remember comes from the Caucasian part of the world, and in the language of the Russians it means pure, clear. Therefore the work of the inner cult that the Sufi does is purifying himself from the element that is foreign to his soul. That is why the word Sufi is adopted, which means pure. Well, the other meaning which occurs to me is, it has come from the word Christia, for it is an Order which has retained not only the teaching of Christ as a tradition or a scripture, but as a practice of life. And their principle has been that whatever religion may be in the country where they live, they live the life that Christ lived. In other words, the imitation of Christ is the moral principle of Chishtis.