Naqshbandi
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Naqshbandi (Naqshbandiyya) is one of the major Sufi orders (tariqa) of Islam. Formed in 1380, the order is considered by some to be a "sober" order known for its silent dhikr (remembrance of God) rather than the vocalized forms of dhikr common in other orders.
The Naqshbandi order is also notable as it is the only Sufi order to trace its spiritual lineage (silsilah) to Muhammad through Abu Bakr, the first caliph. In contrast, most other turuq trace their lineage through Ali ibn Abu Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law and fourth caliph.
The word Naqshbandi نقشبندی is Persian, taken from the name of the founder of the order, Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Some have said that the translation means "related to the image-maker," some also consider it to mean "Pattern Maker" rather than "image maker," and interpret "Naqshbandi" to mean "Reformer of Patterns", and others consider it to mean "Way of the Chain" or "Golden Chain."
Contents |
- Muhammad [Peace Be Upon Him]
- Abu Bakr
- Salman the Persian
- Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr
- Ja'far al-Sadiq
- Bayazid Bastami
- Abul-Hassan Kharaqani
- Abu Ali al-Farmadi
- Yusuf Hamdani
- Abul Abbas al-Khidr
- Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Gajadwani
- Khwaja Arif al-Riwakri
- Khwaja Mahmood al-Injir al-Faghnawi
- Khwaja Ali Ar-Ramitani
- Khwaja Muhammad Baba as-Samasi
- Khwaja Sayyid Amir Kulal
- Khwaja Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari - Namesake of Naqshbandi order
From here, the order branches into several sub-orders. One of the most important and widespread is the Naqshbandi-Mujaddadi branch founded by Ahmad Sirhindi. The chain between Bahauddin Naqshbandi and Ahmad Sirhindi continues below:
- Khwaja Alauddin al-Bukhari al-Attar
- Khwaja Yaqub al-Charkhi
- Khwaja Ubaydullah al-Ahrar
- Muhammad Az-Zahid
- Darwish Muhammad
- Khawaja al-Amkanaqi
- Muhammad al-Baqi Billah
- Ahmad Sirhindi Mujaddid Alf-thani
There is no single authority for the Naqshbandi order today. Rather, there are numerous sub-orders which operate in autonomy. Among them are the Owaisiah, Haqqani, Hijazi, Mujarradiya and Tauheedia branches. Hazrat Shah Wali Ullah Rehamat Ullah Aley has stated in his book "Al Intibah Fi Salasil e Awliya Allah" that the most Effective of all is the Naqshbandia Owaisiah.
Naqshbandi Order has another famous branch called Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order. The method of spiritual instruction is quite close to Mujaddidya branch. However, there are two main differences. First Naqshbandia Owaisiah order uses the "Pas Infas" method of zikr. Secondly, the method of spiritual instruction is "Owaisee", which means that the Shaikh can impart spiritual instruction regardless of physical distance and even difference of time period. Seekers of Naqshbandia Owaisiah can obtain spiritual blessing from their Shaikh regardless of their location in the world. Owaisiah connection is also useful in obtaining spiritual blessings from Sufis of the Past. Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order is based in Pakistan and its modern founder was Shaikh Allah Yar Khan (R.A). The current shaikh is Maulana Muhammad Akram Awan. Headquarters for this sect is Dar-ul-irfan, Minara,Chakwal, Pakistan.
The Golden Chain is a lineage of Khalidiyya-Naqshbandiyya. It followers claim that it passes from Iraq under Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi to Daghestan, where it remained through seven generations of Sufi masters, to finally return to the Middle East in Damascus with the emigration of Sharafuddin ad-Daghestani and his disciple Abdullah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani, and then to Cyprus under Shaykh Nazim al-Qubrusi, leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order worldwide.
In 1955 Hazarat Kawajah Abdul Hakeem Ansari (rh) along with his only caliph Hazarat Abdul Sattar Khan (accompanied by Kawajah Sattar's wife and daughter) founded a new branch of the Naqshbandia Mujadidiah Order (chain mentioned below). He named it 'Tauheediah', with a focus on unity (Tauheed), truthfulness and love and making it more practical for modern Westernized society aiming towards unification of ummah... and development of humanity. It has a base in Lahore, and disciples throughout the world.
- Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order
- As-Sunnah Foundation of America
- Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order Multilingual
- Works by Idries Shah List of works by prominent Naqshbandi Sufi author Idries Shah-
- Works by Omar Ali Shah and Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah List of works by prominent Naqshbandi Sufi authors Omar Ali Shah and Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah-
- Eleven Principles Of The Naqshbandi Sufi Order
- Golden Sufi Center
- Istanboli
- Dargah Luari Sharif of Sultan al Awliya Khawaja Zaman in Karachi , Pakistan
- Books by Naqshbandi Shaikh Abdullah Dougan
- Gumushkhanewi Dargah of the Khalidiyya Naqshbandi Order
- Silsila-e-Aliya Naqshbandia Mujadadiya, Jamatiya, Chadriya, Lasania
- Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education- Shaykh Muhammad Masum an-Naqshbandi
- Mujaddidiyyah Aslamiyyah Order
- Website with numerous articles on the late Naqshbandi Sheikh Mehmed Zahid Kotku also features a large article by Korkut Ozal, brother of Turgut Ozal. Korkut was a follower of Sheikh Mehmed Zahid Kotku