The Uwaisī (or ''Owaisi''; ar, أُوَيْس), Silsila (chain of transmission) or Tariqa (pathway) is a form of spiritual transmission in the vocabulary of

Islamic mysticism 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, ...

, named after ''Owais al-Qarani''. It refers to the transmission of spiritual knowledge between two individuals without the need for direct interaction between them. The term Uwaisīyaan refers to those Sufis who have gained the Sufi spiritual chain from another Sufi without physically meeting them in this world. It can refer to a school of Sufism, and its singular form, Uwaisi, refers an individual who is 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.

Background

In the science of spirituality of Islam (

Tasawwuf 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, r ...

) the Uwaisi Transmission occurs when the spirits of righteous believers (''saliheen'', ''awliya'') meet in the world called ''`alam al-arwaah'' (the world of spirits) which is beyond ''`alam al-ajsam'' (the material plane). Whoever takes knowledge through spirituality from a master in ''`alam al-arwaah'' is called "Uwaisi". This means of transmission is considered as powerful and effective as the physical relation of master and disciple. The term "Uwaisi" is derived from the name of

Owais al-Qarani Awais bin Bashir ( ar, أُوَيْس ٱبْن عَامِر ٱبْن جَزْء ٱبْن مَالِك ٱلْقَرَنِيّ, ), also spelled Uways or Owais, was a Muslim from Yemen who lived during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ...

, who never met the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

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 ...

in person, ASIN: B0000CQRGQ. Original from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. yet was fully aware of his spiritual presence at all points in his life. In ''Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition'', by

Hisham Kabbani Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (born 28 January 1945) is a Lebanese-American Sunni Sufi Muslim scholar belonging to the Naqsbandi Sufi Order. Kabbani has counseled and advised Muslim leaders to build community resilience against violent extremism. ...

, it is noted that:

Contemporary Western orders

Silsila Owaisi is an active Uwaisi Sufi order from the United Kingdom led by Shaykh Banaras Owaisi. They operate a charity and offer spiritual healing services. The "Uwaysi Order, a

Shi'i Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

branch of the

Kubrawiya The Kubrawiya order ( ar, سلسلة کبرویة) or Kubrawi order, also known as ''Firdausia Silsila'', is a Sufi order that traces its spiritual lineage (''Silsilah'') to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, through Ali, Muhammad's cousin, son-in-la ...

, was brought to the West by its shaykh, Shah Maghsoud Angha." There are two recent and distinct contemporary branches of the Uwaisi Order in the West following lengthy legal disputes between Shah Maghsoud's offspring. One is Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi, headed by Nader Angha, the son of Shah Maghsoud. The other is the Uwaiysi Tarighat, led by Shah Maghsoud's daughter,

Nahid Angha Anahita is the Old Persian form of the name of an Iranian goddess and appears in complete and earlier form as ('), the Avestan name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure venerated as the divinity of "the Waters" (Aban) and hence associa ...

and her husband,

Ali Kianfar Ali Kianfar is an Iranian Sufi master, author, teacher, philosopher and international speaker. He is a co-founder and co-director of the International Association of Sufism and Editor-in-Chief of the online journal ''Sufism: An Inquiry''. He tea ...

. The couple co-founded the

International Association of Sufism International Association of Sufism (IAS) is a California nonprofit organization headquartered in Marin County. It is a United Nations' NGO/DPI and the first organization established to organize an inclusive forum that opens a line of communicat ...

Muhammadia Uwaisia Order

Muhamadia Uwaisia Order is blessed to Shaykh Muhammad Owais Naqibi Qadri Suharwardi AbuAlAlai Naqshbandi, Chishti Sabri Jahangiri. Shaykh Muhammad Owais was granted permission of Uwaisia silsila directly from Muhammad in his court in Madinah in 1st Shaban 1434 AH (2013 CE) and Muhammad blessed this silsila with the name "Mohammadia Uwaisia" (or ''"Muhammadia Uwaisia" or "Muhammadiya Uwaisia" or "Muhammdiya Owaisia"''; ar, محمدئة أُوَيْسئة). Last shaykh of silsla Uwaisa was Nūr ad-Dīn 'Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī (Persian: نورالدین عبدالرحمن جامی‎) (1414-1492 CE).

People named Uwaisi

'Uwaisi' is also a name for people who claim to have been initiated through the Uwaisi method, or for those who claim to be descendants of

. Among the most famous is the Owaisi family of

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the '' de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern In ...

, one of the most prominent political and Sufi Muslim families of the city, including: * Shaykh Banaras Owaisi * Khaja Syed Muhammed Hashmi Owaisi Qibla * Khaja Syed Anwar Hashmi Owaisi Qibla * Khaja Syed Owais Hashmi Owaisi Qibla * Khaja Syed Ather Hashmi Owaisi * Khaja Syed Akhter Hashmi Owaisi *

Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi Salahuddin Owaisi (14 February 1931 – 29 September 2008) was an Indian politician belonging to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party and active in the Telangana region. He served as the Member of Parliament from Hyderabad for six c ...

Asaduddin Owaisi Asaduddin Owaisi (born 13 May 1969) is an Indian politician, who is the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). He is a 4 time Member of Parliament (MP), representing the Hyderabad constituency in Lok Sabha, the lower ...

Akbaruddin Owaisi Akbaruddin Owaisi (born 14 June 1970) is an Indian politician and leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party in Telangana. Since 2014, he has been MLA of the Chandrayangutta constituency in the Telangana Legislative Assembl ...

References

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