Seeker After Truth

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 Prophet Muhammad through Abu Bakr, the first caliph. In contrast, most other turuq trace their lineage Ali ibn Abu Talib, the prophet’s son-in-law and fourth caliph.

The word Naqshbandi  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.”

Common Naqshbandi chain of transmission

1. Prophet Muhammad
2. Abu Bakr Siddiq
3. Salman the Persian
4. Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr
5. Ja’far al-Sadiq
6. Bayazid Bastami
7. Abul-Hassan Kharaqani
8. Bu Ali al-Farmadi
9. Yusuf Hamdani
10. Abul Abbas al-Khadr
11. Abdul Khaliq Gajadwani
12. Arif al-Reogri
13. Mahmood al-Injir al-Faghnawi
14. Ali- Ar-Ramitani
15. Muhammad Baba as-Samasi
16. Sayyid Amir Kulal
17. 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:

1. Alauddin al-Bukhari al-Attar
2. Yaqub al-Charkhi
3. Ubaydullah al-Ahrar
4. Muhammad Az-Zahid Wali
5. Mohammad Darwish
6. Khawaja al-Akmangi
7. Muhammad al-Baqi Billah
8. Ahmad Sirhindi Mujaddid Alf-thani

Sub-orders

There is no single authority for the Naqshbandi order today. Rather, there are numerous sub-orders which operate in autonomy. Among them are the Haqqani, Hijazi, Mujarradiya, Tauheedia, and Owaisiyah branches

Tauheedia Naqshbandia branch

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.

Owaisiya branch

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). Current shaikhs are Hazrat Hazrat Maj.(r) Muhammad Ahsan Baig, Hazrat Syed Bunyad Hussain Naqvi and Maulana Muhammad Akram Awan.

Some famous Naqshbandis

• Khwaja Mir Dard
• Imam Shamil
• Jami
• Shaykh Nazim al-Qubrusi
• Professor Sibghatullah Mojaddedi
• Haji Soofi Masood Ahmad Siddiqui Lasani Sarkar
• Ahmet Kayhan Dede
• Akram Awan
• Abdullah Isa Neil Dougan
• Irina Tweedie
• Idries Shah
• Omar Ali Shah
• Hadhrat Mawln Khlid-i Baghdd
• Abdullah Fa’izi ad-Daghestani
• Hazrat Mujadid Abdul Wahab Siddiqi
• Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi
• Syed Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi
• Mohammed Amin Kuftaro
• Khalid al-Baghdadi

Further reading

• Abu-Manneh, Butrus (1982). “The Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya in the Ottoman Lands in the Early 19th Century”. Die Welt des Islams 22 (1/4): 1-36.

• Algar, Hamid (1971). “Some Notes on the Naqshbandi Tariqat in Bosnia”. Die Welt des Islams 13 (3/4): 168-203.

• Algar, Hamid (1976). “The Naqshbandi Order: A Preliminary Survey of Its History and Significance”. Studia Islamica 44: 123-152.

• Ali-Shah, Omar (1998). The Rules or Secrets of the Naqshbandi Order. Tractus Books. ISBN 2-909347-09-5.

• Buehler, Arthur F. (1998). Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1-57003-201-7.

• Dale, Stephen F.; Payind, Alam (Apr. – Jun., 1999). “The Ahrari Waqf in Kabul in the Year 1546 and the Mughul Naqshbandiyyah”. Journal of the American Oriental Society 119 (2): 218-233.

• Gammer, Moshe (Nov., 1994). “The Beginnings of the Naqshbandiyya in Daghestan and the Russian Conquest of the Caucasus”. Die Welt des Islams 34 (2): 204-217.

• Legall, Dina (2005). A Culture of Sufism: Naqshbandis in the Ottoman World, 1450-1700. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-6245-5.

• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2003). Classical Islam And The Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition. Islamic Supreme Council of America. ISBN 1-930409-10-9.

• Werbner, Pnina (Aug., 1996). “Stamping the Earth with the Name of Allah: Zikr and the Sacralizing of Space among British Muslims”. Cultural Anthropology 11 (3): 309-338.

• Zelkina, Anna (2000). In Quest for God and Freedom: The Sufi Response to the Russian Advance in the North Caucasus. New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-9695-8.