Abdal

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Abdal (Arab., ‘substitutes’). A numerical set of seventy Sūfī holy people, constant in number until the end of the world, when their number diminishes and the world ends. The central figure (known only to God) is the qutb, or axis, of the world; around him are four pegs (awstād), so that together the abdal form a tent of protection for the world.