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The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a
tariqa A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...
, an order or school within the mystic
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
tradition of
Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with
Abu Ishaq Shami Abu Ishaq Shami () (died 940) was a Muslim scholar who is often regarded as the founder of the Sufi Chishti Order. He was the first in the Chishti lineage (''silsila'') to live in Chisht and so to adopt the name "Chishti", so that, if the Chisht ...
in
Chisht Chishti Sharif (also known as Chisht-e Sharif or Chisht) is a town situated on the northern bank of the Hari River, Afghanistan, Hari River in Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is the administrative center of Chishti Sharif District. History The ...
, a small town near
Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
about 930 AD. The Chishti Order is primarily followed in Afghanistan and the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. It was the first of the four main Sufi orders (Chishti,
Qadiri The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...
, Suhrawardi and
Naqshbandi The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نه‌قشه‌به‌ندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...
) to be established in this region. Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti introduced the Chishti Order in
Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...
(
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, India) sometime in the middle of the 12th century. He was eighth in the line of succession from the founder of the Chishti Order,
Abu Ishaq Shami Abu Ishaq Shami () (died 940) was a Muslim scholar who is often regarded as the founder of the Sufi Chishti Order. He was the first in the Chishti lineage (''silsila'') to live in Chisht and so to adopt the name "Chishti", so that, if the Chisht ...
. There are now several branches of the order, which has been the most prominent South Asian Sufi brotherhood since the 12th century. In the last century, the order has spread outside Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent. Chishti teachers have established centers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Eastern and Southern Africa.


Guiding principles

The Chishti
shaykh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
s have stressed the importance of keeping a distance from worldly power. A ruler could be a patron or a disciple, but he or she was always to be treated as just another devotee. A Chishti teacher should not attend the court or be involved in matters of state, as this will corrupt the soul with worldly matters. In his last discourse to his disciples, Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti said: Chishti practice is also notable for '' Sama'': evoking the divine presence by listening to and losing oneself in a form of music and poetry, usually
Qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
.Sufi martyrs of love By Carl W. Ernst, Bruce B. Lawrence, p. 5. The Chishti, and some other Sufi orders, believe that Sama can help devotees forget self in the love of
Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
. However, the order also insists that followers observe the full range of Muslim obligations; it does not dismiss them as mere legalism, as some strands of Sufism have done. However some Qadiris point out that the Chishti Order and
Moinuddin Chishti Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 Common Era, CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia o ...
never permitted musical instruments, and cite a Chishti, Muhammad Ibn Mubarak Kirmani, the Mureed of Khwaja Fareed al-Deen Ganj-e-Shakar, who wrote in his Siyar al-Awliya that
Nizamuddin Auliya Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (sometimes spelled Awliya; 1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi () was an Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the India ...
said the following: Furthermore,
Nizamuddin Auliya Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (sometimes spelled Awliya; 1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi () was an Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the India ...
said:


Practices

The Chishtis follow five basic devotional practices (
dhikr ''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to reme ...
). # Reciting the names of Allāh loudly, sitting in the prescribed posture at prescribed times (''dhikr-i jali'') # Reciting the names of Allāh silently (''dhikr-i khafī'') # Regulating the breath (''pās-i anfās'') # Absorption in mystic contemplation (''murā-ḳāba'') # Forty days or more days of spiritual confinement in a lonely corner or cell for prayer and contemplation (''čilla'')


Literature

Early Chishti shaykhs adopted concepts and doctrines outlined in two influential Sufi texts: the ''ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif'' of Shaykh Shihāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī and the '' Kashf al-Maḥjūb'' of Ali Hujwīrī. These texts are still read and respected today. Chishtis also read collections of the sayings, speeches, poems, and letters of the shaykhs. These collections, called ''malfūẓāt'', were prepared by the shaykh's disciples.


Spiritual lineage

Sufi orders trace their origins ultimately to the Islamic prophet
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, who is believed to have instructed his successor in mystical teachings and practices in addition to the
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
or hidden within the Qur'an. Opinions differ as to this successor. Almost all Sufi orders trace their origins to 'Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad's cousin. The traditional
silsila Silsila ( ar, سِلْسِلَة) is an Arabic word meaning ''chain'', ''link'', ''connection'' often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual genealogy" where one Sufi Master transfers his ''khil ...
(spiritual lineage) of the Chishti order is as follows: #
Muḥammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...
#
Ali ibn Abu Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
# Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (d. 728, an early Persian Muslim theologian) # 'Abdul Wāḥid ibn Zaid Abul Faḍl (d. 793, an early Sufi saint) # Fuḍayl ibn 'Iyāḍ ibn Mas'ūd ibn Bishr al-Tamīmī # Ibrāhīm ibn Adham (a legendary early Sufi ascetic) #
Khwaja Sadid ad-Din Huzaifa al-Marashi Khwaja Sadid ad-Din Huzaifa al-Marashi ( ur, خواجہ حذیفہ المرعشی) was a famous Sufi of the Chishti Order born in Marash in present-day Turkey during the 8th century. He was a disciple of Ibrāhīm bin Adham. He died on 14th Shaw ...
Basra Iraq #
Abu Hubayra al-Basri Abu Hubayra Amin ad deen al-Basri (Urdu ابو ہبیرہ امین الدین البصری ) was great Sufi of Chishti Order from Basra Iraq. He was disciple of Khwaja Sadid ad-Din Huzaifa al-Marashi and teacher of Khwaja Mumshad Uluw Al Dīnawa ...
Basra Iraq #
Khwaja Mumshad Uluw Al Dīnawarī Khwāja Mumshād ʿUlū Ad-Dīnawarī ( fa, ), also known as Karīm ad-Dīn Munʿim ( ar, كريم الدين منعم), was a prominent Sufi of the 9th century. He was born in Dinavar, Iranian Kurdistan present day Iran province. He was discip ...
#
Abu Ishaq Shamī Abu Ishaq Shami () (died 940) was a Muslim scholar who is often regarded as the founder of the Sufi Chishti Order. He was the first in the Chishti lineage ('' silsila'') to live in Chisht and so to adopt the name "Chishti", so that, if the Chis ...
(d. 940, founder of the Chishti order proper) #
Abu Aḥmad Abdal Chishti Abu Aḥmad Abdal Chishti ( ar, ) was a Sufi of the Chishti Order in the 10th century CE and a disciple of Abu Ishaq Shami and the master of Abu Muḥammad Chishti. He died in 966 CE. He was Syed and his father was ruler of Fargana. He died in ...
#
Abu Muḥammad Chishti Abu Muḥammad Chishti () was famous Sufi of Chishti Order. Career Chishti was disciple of Abu Aḥmad Abdal Chishti and master of Abu Yusuf ibn Saman He died in 1020. Abu Muḥammad Chishti was part of golden chain of Chishti Order of Sufis ...
# Abu Yusuf Nasar-ud-Din Chishtī # Qutab-ud-Din Maudood Chishtī # Haji Sharif Zindani (d. 1215) #
Usman Harooni Usman Harooni ( ur, ) was an early modern wali or Sufi saint of Islam in India, a successor to Shareef Zandani, sixteenth link in the Silsila of the Chishti order, and master of Moinuddin Chishti. Usman Harooni was born in Haroon, Iran. Hi ...
(d. 1220) # Mu'īnuddīn Chishtī (Moinuddin Chishti) (1141-1230 or 1142–1236) # Qutab-ud-Din Bakhtyar Kaki (1173-1228) # Farīduddīn Mas'ūd ("Baba Farid", 1173 or 1175 - 1266) After Farīduddīn Mas'ūd, the Chishti order divided into two branches: *Chishtī Sabri, who follow
Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari Makhdoom Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir, also known as صابر کلیری Sabir Kaliyari ("Sabir of Kaliyar"), was an Indian people, Indian Sunni Muslim preacher and Sufi saint in the 13th century. He was nephew successor to Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Ba ...
(Sabiri/Sabriya branch) *Chishtī Nizami who follow Nizāmuddīn Auliyā. (Nizami/Nizamiya branch)


History

The ''Encyclopedia of Islam'' divides Chishti history into four periods: * Era of the great shaykhs (circa 597/1200 to 757/1356) * Era of the provincial khānaḳāhs (8th/14th & 9th/15th centuries) * Rise of the Ṣābiriyya branch (9th/15th century onwards) * Revival of the Niẓāmiyya branch (12th/18th century onwards) The order was founded by
Abu Ishaq Shami Abu Ishaq Shami () (died 940) was a Muslim scholar who is often regarded as the founder of the Sufi Chishti Order. He was the first in the Chishti lineage (''silsila'') to live in Chisht and so to adopt the name "Chishti", so that, if the Chisht ...
("the Syrian") who taught Sufism in the town of Chisht, some 95 miles east of Herat in present-day western
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Before returning to Syria, where he is now buried next to
Ibn Arabi Ibn ʿArabī ( ar, ابن عربي, ; full name: , ; 1165–1240), nicknamed al-Qushayrī (, ) and Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn (, , 'Sultan of the Knowers'), was an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, extremely influenti ...
at
Jabal Qasioun Mount Qasioun ( ar, جَبَل قَاسِيُون, transliterated as Jabal Qāsiyūn) is a mountain overlooking the city of Damascus, Syria. It has a range of restaurants, from which the whole city can be viewed. As the city has expanded over the ...
,The Sufis of Britain: an exploration of Muslim identity By Ron Geaves. Cardiff Academic Press, 2000, p. 87. Shami initiated, trained and deputized the son of the local emir, Abu Ahmad Abdal. Under the leadership of Abu Ahmad's descendants, the ''Chishtiya'', as they are also known, flourished as a regional mystical order. The founder of the Chishti Order in South Asia was
Moinuddin Chishti Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 Common Era, CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia o ...
. He was born in the province of Silistan in eastern Persia around 536 AH (1141 CE) into a
sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...
family claiming descent from Muhammad. When he was just nine, he memorized the Qur'an, thus becoming a hafiz. His father died when he was a teenager; Moinuddin inherited the family grinding mill and orchard. He sold everything and gave the proceeds to the poor. He traveled to
Balkh ), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001 , pushpin_map=Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_relief=yes , pushpin_label_position=bottom , pushpin_mapsize=300 , pushpin_map_caption=Location in Afghanistan ...
and
Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
, where he studied the Qur'an,
hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
, and
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
. He looked for something beyond scholarship and law and studied under the Chishti shaykh
Usman Harooni Usman Harooni ( ur, ) was an early modern wali or Sufi saint of Islam in India, a successor to Shareef Zandani, sixteenth link in the Silsila of the Chishti order, and master of Moinuddin Chishti. Usman Harooni was born in Haroon, Iran. Hi ...
(Harvani). He moved to Lahore and then to Ajmer, where he died. His tomb, in Ajmer, is the
Dargah Sharif A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...
, a popular shrine and pilgrimage site. Moinuddin was followed by Qutab-ud-Din Bakhtyar Kaki and Farīduddīn Mas'ūd '
Baba Farid Farīd al-Dīn Masʿūd Ganj-i-Shakar ( ; – 7 May 1266) was a 13th-century Punjabi Sunni Muslim preacher and mystic, who was one of the most revered and distinguished Muslim mystics of the medieval period. He is known reverentially as B ...
'. After Fariduddin, the Chishti Order of South Asia split into two branches. Each branch was named after one of Fariduddin's successors. #
Nizamuddin Auliya Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (sometimes spelled Awliya; 1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi () was an Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the India ...
– the ''Chishti Nizami'' branch #
Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari Makhdoom Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir, also known as صابر کلیری Sabir Kaliyari ("Sabir of Kaliyar"), was an Indian people, Indian Sunni Muslim preacher and Sufi saint in the 13th century. He was nephew successor to Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Ba ...
– the ''Chishti-Sabiri'' branch It was after Nizamuddin Auliya that the Chishti Sufism chain spread throughout the Indian Peninsula. Two prominent lines of transmission arose from Nizamuddin Auliya, one from his disciple
Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi Nasiruddin Mahmud Chirag-Dehlavi (Urdu نصیرالدین چراغ دہلوی ) (–1337) was a 14th-century mystic-poet and a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order. He was a disciple of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya,Akhi Siraj Aainae Hind ʿUthmān Sirāj ad-Dīn al-Bangālī ( ar, عثمان سراج الدين البنغالي; 1258-1357), known affectionately by followers as Akhi Siraj ( bn, আখি সিরাজ), was a 14th-century Bengali Muslim scholar. He was a Sufi be ...
, who migrated to West Bengal from Delhi on Nizamuddin Auliya's order. Siraj Aanae Hind was followed by his notable disciple
Alaul Haq Pandavi ʿAlā ul-Ḥaq wa ad-Dīn ʿUmar ibn As`ad al-Khālidī al-Bangālī ( ar, علاء الحق والدين عمر بن أسعد الخالدي البنغالي), commonly known as Alaul Haq ( bn, আলাউল হক) or reverentially by the sob ...
settled in Pandava, West Bengal itself. From this chain of transmission another prominent sub-branch of Chishti way emerged known as Ashrafia Silsila after the illustrious saint
Ashraf Jahangir Semnani Sultan Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani ( ur, ; (1285–1386) was an Iranian Sufi saint from Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of the Ashrafi Sufi order. He is India's third most influential Sufi Saint after Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer ...
, who was the disciple of
Alaul Haq Pandavi ʿAlā ul-Ḥaq wa ad-Dīn ʿUmar ibn As`ad al-Khālidī al-Bangālī ( ar, علاء الحق والدين عمر بن أسعد الخالدي البنغالي), commonly known as Alaul Haq ( bn, আলাউল হক) or reverentially by the sob ...
in the thirteen century A.D. Later, yet other traditions branched from the Chishti lineage; in many cases they merged with other popular Sufi orders in South Asia. As a result of this merging of the Chishti order with other branches, most Sufi masters now initiate their disciples in all the four major orders of South Asia: Chishti, Suhrawadi, Qadri, and Naqshbandi. They do however teach devotional practices typical of the order with which they are primarily associated. The Chishti order has also absorbed influences and merged at times with various antinomian
faqiri Faqiri ( fa, فقیری; adjective form of ''Fakir'' or ''Faqir'' ( ar, فقیر), a Sufi Muslim ascetic) is a Dari language, Dari surname. Faghiri is the Romanization of Persian, romanization of its Persian equivalent. Notable people with the surn ...
Sufi groups, especially the
Qalandar Qalandar may refer to: * Qalandariyya, a Sufi mystic order * Qalandar (title), a title for Sufi saints * Qalandar (clan), a Muslim community found in North India and Pakistan * Qalandar (tribe), a Hazara tribe found in Afghanistan Places in Ir ...
. Some Chishtis both past and present have lived as renunciants or as wandering
dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
. The first Chishti master in the West was Ḥazrat Pīr-o-Murshid ‘Ināyat Khān, who came to the West in 1910 and established centers in Europe and the U.S. His lineage-successors were Pīr Vilāyat ‘Ināyat Khān (d. 2004) and Pīr Zīa ‘Ināyat-Khān, the current head of the ‘Ināyatīyya. This tariqat is unusual in that it accepts seekers of all faiths without asking conversion to formal Islam, a controversial practice but which is customary in the Nizāmi branch going back to Nizāmuddīn Auliya and later made written policy by Shah Kalīmullāh Jahanabadi in the early 1700s CE. In 1937 the
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
Al-Hajj Wali Akram founded the First
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
Mosque, made his Sufi affiliation public and during the 1950s started to introduce new members to the Chishti, making the mosque the first public Sufi center of the United States. In more recent times, a more contemporary expression of traditional Chishti Sufi practices can be found in the establishment of the
Ishq-Nuri Tariqa The Ishq-Nuri Tariqa or Ishq-Nuri Sufi Order, is a branch or offshoot of the famous, and much older Chistiyya Sufi mystical teaching order, or system Origins The Order was founded by the Chishti Sufi sage and shaykh (master/teacher) Khwaja Khali ...
in the 1960s, as a branch of the Chishti-Nizami ''silsila''. In addition, a number of mixed-Sufi type groups or movements in Islam, have also been influenced by the Chishti Order proper. The best known and most widespread example is of the
Jamaat Ahle Sunnat The Jamaat Ahle Sunnat ( ur, ) is a Muslim religious organization in Pakistan that represents the Barelvi movement. It was supported by Muhammad Shafee Okarvi. As a Sunni organisation it has adopted many Sufi customs and traditions. History ...
, a
Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Muslim sect with a huge international following, which is in essence not a proper Sufi organization, though adopting many Sufi customs and traditions.


Indo-Islamic rulers

From the 14th century onwards (during the rule of the Tughluqs), the Chishti Order came to be associated with political prosperity for the Indian subcontinent's Muslim kingdoms. The
Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).
,
Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,
,
Bengal Sultanate The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominan ...
, and various provincial dynasties associated themselves with Shaikhs of the Chishti Order for good fortune. Shrines of prominent Shaikhs were patronised by ruling dynasties, who made pilgrimages to these sites. Often the founding member of a kingdom paid respects to a Chishti Shaikh as a way of legitimising their new state, and this Shaikh became closely associated with the whole dynasty. For example, fourteen successive Bengal Sultans considered Shaikh 'Ala Al-Haq to be their spiritual master. Several rulers of the Mughal dynasty of South Asia were Chishti devotees, and they associated with the Order in a similar fashion to the Mughals' predecessors. The emperor
Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
was perhaps the most fervent of them. It is said to be by the blessing of Shaikh Salim Chishti that Akbar's first surviving child, the future
Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...
, was born. The child was named Salim after the sheikh and was affectionately addressed by Akbar as ''Sheikhu Baba''. Akbar also credited the Chishti Shaikhs with his victory at the Siege of Chittorgarh. Akbar had vowed to visit the Chishti
dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...
, the tomb of
Moinuddin Chishti Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 Common Era, CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia o ...
, at
Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...
if he were victorious. He fulfilled his vow by visiting the dargah with his musicians, who played in honor of the sheikh.
Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
's daughter,
Jahanara Begum Sahib Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Emperor Sha ...
, was also a devout follower of the Chishti Order. Shah Jahan's son
Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
patronised various Chishti shrines. File:Abanindranath Tagore - The Passing of Shah Jahan, 1902.jpg, The passing of
Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
; attending him, his daughter Princess Jahanara. File:Farrukh Beg. Akbar's Triumphal Entry into Surat. Akbarnama, 1590-95, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.jpg, The
Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
Akbar was a great patron of the Chishti Order.


Other notable Chishti shaykhs

* Qutb ud deen Modood Chishti 527 A.H * Haji Shareef zandani 612 A.H *
Usman Harooni Usman Harooni ( ur, ) was an early modern wali or Sufi saint of Islam in India, a successor to Shareef Zandani, sixteenth link in the Silsila of the Chishti order, and master of Moinuddin Chishti. Usman Harooni was born in Haroon, Iran. Hi ...
617 A.H *
Moinuddin Chishti Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 Common Era, CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia o ...
* Qut ul aqtab Qutb ud deen Bakhtiyar kaki 635 A.H (Delhi, India) * Fareed ud deen Mas’ood Ganj E Shakar 668 A.H (Pak Patan Sharif, Pakistan) * Naseer ud deen Mahmood Charagh Dehlavi 757 A.H (Delhi, India) *
Tajuddin Chishti Tajuddin Chishti ( ur, ) also called Taj Sarwar Chishti was a Sufi saint of Chishti Order in Chishtian, Punjab. Taj-ud-din Chishti was a grandson Farid-ud-din Ganjshakar of Pakpattan and his descendants founded the village of Chishtian around ...
(Chishtian Sharif, Pakistan) *
Amir Khusro Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian s ...
(Delhi, India) *
Akhi Siraj Aainae Hind ʿUthmān Sirāj ad-Dīn al-Bangālī ( ar, عثمان سراج الدين البنغالي; 1258-1357), known affectionately by followers as Akhi Siraj ( bn, আখি সিরাজ), was a 14th-century Bengali Muslim scholar. He was a Sufi be ...
(Dist. Malda, West Bengal, India) *
Alaul Haq Pandavi ʿAlā ul-Ḥaq wa ad-Dīn ʿUmar ibn As`ad al-Khālidī al-Bangālī ( ar, علاء الحق والدين عمر بن أسعد الخالدي البنغالي), commonly known as Alaul Haq ( bn, আলাউল হক) or reverentially by the sob ...
(Dist. Malda, West Bengal, India) *
Nur Qutb Alam Nūr Quṭb ʿĀlam ( ar, , bn, নূর কুতুব আলম) was a 14th-century Bengali Islamic scholar, author and poet. Based in the erstwhile Bengali capital Hazrat Pandua, he was the son and successor of Alaul Haq, a senior scholar ...
(Dist. Malda, West Bengal, India) *
Ashraf Jahangir Semnani Sultan Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani ( ur, ; (1285–1386) was an Iranian Sufi saint from Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of the Ashrafi Sufi order. He is India's third most influential Sufi Saint after Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer ...
(Kichaucha, Uttar Pradesh, India) *
Burhanuddin Gharib Burhanuddin Gharib (d. 1344) was an Indian Sufi of the Chishti Order. Life Burhanuddin Gharib studied under Nizamuddin Auliya, the Sultan ul Mashaikh of Delhi. According to Saiad Mahomed of Karmania in the "Seyar ul Aulia," Burhanuddin w ...
(Maharashtra, India) *
Bande Nawaz Muhammad bin Yusuf Al-Hussaini (7 August 1321 − 10 November 1422), commonly known as Banda Nawaz Gaisu Daraz, was a Hanafi Maturidi scholar and Sufi saint from India of the Chishti Order. Gaisu Daraz was a disciple and then successor of Sufi ...
(Gulbarga, India) *
Salim Chishti Salim Chishti (1478–1572) () was a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order during the Mughal Empire in India. Biography The Mughal Emperor Akbar came to Chishti's home in Sikri to ask him to pray for a male heir to the throne. Chishti blessed ...
(Fatehpur Sikri, India) *
Noor Muhammad Maharvi Noor Muhammad Maharvi ( pa, ; born 2 April 1746, died 3 August 1793) was a Sufi saint of Chishti Order in Chishtian, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. Early life Maharvi was born in 1746 at Chhotala near Bahawalnagar of the Sikh Empire. He ...
1205 A.H (Mahar Sharif, Pakistan) *
Muhammad Suleman Taunsvi Muhammad Suleman Shah Taunsvi or Khawaja Allah Buksh Taunsvi (1184 A.H / 1770 CE - 1267 A.H / 1850 CE), commonly known as Pir Pathan, was a Sufi scholar and leader within the Chishti order of Sufism. He was born to the Jafar Pakhtun tribe of Da ...
1267 A.H (Taunsa Sharif, Pakistan) * Ata Hussain Fani Chishti (Bihar, India) *
Khwaja Ghulam Farid Khwaja Ghulam Farid (Urdu: ) or Khwaja Fareed (1845–1901) was a 19th-century Sufi poet from Punjab. He was a member of the Chishti Nizami Sufi order. He wrote poetry in several languages, and his literary heritage has been claimed by both the ...
(Mithankot, Pakistan) * Muhammad Shamsuddin Sialvi 1300 A.H (
Sial Sharif Sial Sharif is a village in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. Care of the shrine After the death of Muhammad Shams Din, care of the shrine passed to Muhammad Din and, after his demise in 1909, to his son Muhammad Zia-ud-Din. It su ...
, Pakistan) * Ahamed Mohiyudheen Noorishah Jeelani (Noori Maskan, Hyderabad) *
Meher Ali Shah Meher Ali Shah ( ur, پیر مہر على شاه‬; 14 April 1859 – May 1937), was a Sufi scholar and a mystic Punjabi poet from Punjab, British India (present-day Pakistan) belonging to the Chishti order. He is known as a Hanafi scholar le ...
(Golra Sharif, Pakistan) *
Inayat Khan Inayat Khan Rehmat Khan ( ur, ) (5 July 1882 – 5 February 1927) was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. At the urging of his ...
(Vadodara, Gujarat) * Haji
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (1817 – 1899) was an Indian Muslim Sufi scholar of the Chishti Sufi order. His disciples include Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and Ashraf Ali Thanwi. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he led the Musli ...
(Muzaffarnagar, India/Makkah, Saudi Arabia)


See also

*
Waris Shah Waris Shah ( pa, ; ; 1722–1798) was a Punjabi Sufi poet of the Chishti order, known for his contribution to Punjabi literature. He is primarily known as the author of ''Heer Ranjha'' . Background Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Kh ...
*
Sabri Brothers The Sabri Brothers ( Punjabi, ) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri ...
*
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi music, Sufi devotional music. ...
*
Hakim Ahmad Shuja Hakim Ahmad Shuja MBE (; sometimes written as 'Hakeem Ahmed Shujah' and 'Hakim Ahmad Shuja Pasha') (4 November 1893 – 4 January 1969), was a famous Urdu and Persian poet, playwright, writer, film writer and lyricist, scholar and mystic, ...
*
Sufi Ruhaniat International The Sufi Ruhaniat International (SRI) is a stream of Universal Sufism and draws inspiration from traditions of Sufism within and beyond historic Islam. SRI is an initiatic order within the lineage of Inayat Khan (''Inayati-Chishtiyya''). Sufi Ahm ...
*
Syed Waheed ashraf Syed Waheed Ashraf is an Indian Sufi scholar and poet in Persian and Urdu. Ashraf received his B.A., M.A. and PhD (1965) degrees from Aligarh Muslim University. The title of his doctoral dissertation was ''A Critical Edition of Lataife Ashraf ...
*
Ajmer rape case The Ajmer rape case involved the serial rapes and blackmailing of girls by local gang in Ajmer, Rajasthan in 1992. It is one of sexual exploitation scandals. The scandal involved young girls. The news of the scandal broke after a local pape ...


Notes


References

* Haeri, Muneera (2000) ''The Chishtis: a living light'' Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, * Ernst, Carl W. and Lawrence, Bruce B. (2002) ''Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond'' Palgrave Macmillan, New York,
Excerpts
* Farīdī, Iḥtishāmuddīn (1992) ''Tārīk̲h̲-i iblāg̲h̲-i Cisht'' Āl Inḍiyā Baz-i Ḥanafī, Delhi
OCLC 29752219
in
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''