The Sufi tradition played an important role in the religious, social and cultural life of India during the Mughal period. Sufism, which emphasized love of God, spiritual discipline, devotion, tolerance and service to humanity, had already established deep roots in India before the Mughals. During the Mughal period, particularly from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century, various Sufi orders continued to expand their influence and interacted with the political, social and cultural developments of the time. The Chishti order remained one of the most influential Sufi traditions. Its major representatives included Sheikh Salim Chishti of Fatehpur Sikri and later saints associated with Ajmer and other centres. The Chishtis generally emphasized simplicity, poverty, renunciation, love and service to people. They maintained a certain distance from political authority, although Mughal rulers frequently respected and visited them. Emperor Akbar had great faith in Sheikh Salim Chishti and frequently visited his khanqah at Fatehpur Sikri. The birth of Prince Salim, later Emperor Jahangir, was associated by Akbar with the saint's blessings. The Naqshbandi order also became prominent during the Mughal period. Unlike the Chishtis, several Naqshbandi saints showed greater involvement in political and religious affairs. Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi was its most influential figure in the early seventeenth century. He criticized certain religious practices associated with Akbar's policy of broad religious accommodation and emphasized Islamic orthodoxy. He