Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Muhammad through the first caliph, Abu Bakr, via Ja'far al-Sadiq. The Naqshbani order is distinct for its strict adherence to Sharia (Islamic law) and silent dhikr practices adopted from earlier Central Asian masters.
History
The order is also known as the "convergence of the two oceans" due to the presence of
Abu Bakr and Jafar al-Sadiq in the
silsilah and the "Sufi Order of Jafar al-Sadiq".
The Naqshbandi order owes many insights to
Yusuf Hamadani and Abdul Khaliq Ghijduwani in the 12th century, the latter of whom is regarded as the organizer of the practices and is responsible for placing stress upon the purely silent
dhikr.
It was later associated with Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband in the 14th century, hence the name of the order.
Since it was founded the Naqshbandi order has split into multiple sub-orders founded by several prominent figures within the chain of succession. Khwaja Ahrar founded the Naqshbandiyya Ahrariyya; Ahmad Sirhindi founded the Naqshbandiyya Mujaddidiyya; Shamsuddin Mirza Mazhar founded the Naqshbandiyya Mazhariyya; and Mawlana Khalid founded the Khalidiyya.
South Asia
The Naqshbandiyya order became an influential factor in
Indian Muslim life, and for two centuries it was the most common Sufi order in the Indian subcontinent. Khwaja Baqi Billah, who was born in Kabul and brought up and educated in Kabul and
Samarkand, is credited for bringing the order to India during the end of the 16th century. He tried to spread his knowledge about the order but died three years later. His disciple
Ahmad Sirhindi took over after his death, and it was through him that the order gained popularity within a short period of time. Shah Waliullah Dehlawi was an 18th-century member of the order.
Uzbekistan
Iraq
• The Naqshbandi order entered Anatolia during the Ottoman Empire, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.
• It became particularly influential in the 18th and 19th centuries, often seen as a more orthodox alternative to the Mevlevi (Rumi followers) or Bektashi orders.
• After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, during Atatürk’s secular reforms, Sufi lodges (tekkes) were banned in 1925. Despite this, the Naqshbandi order continued underground and remained influential.
Syria
The Naqshbandiyya order was introduced into Syria at the end of the 17th century by Murad Ali al-Bukhari, who established himself in Damascus and traveled throughout Arabia. His branch became known as the Muradiyya and was led by his descendants. In 1820, Khalid Shahrazuri rose as a prominent Naqshbandi leader in the Ottoman world and his order became known as the
Khalidiyya which spread for at least two decades. In Syria and Lebanon, the leaders of every active Naqshbandiyya group acknowledged its
silsilah. Later, a strife between Khalid's khalifas led to disruption of the order and it divide. The Farmadiyya branch, which practices silent and vocal
dhikr, is still present in Lebanon and is named after Ali-Farmadi. The pre-Mujaddidi line of the Naqshbandiyya in Greater Syria came to an end when political leader Musa Bukhar died in 1973. The only branch to have survived till recently is the one based in the
Khanqah al-Uzbakiyya in Jerusalem.
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Egypt
The Naqshbandi order rose to prominence in Egypt during the 19th century. A major khanqah was constructed in 1851 by Abbas I as a favor to the Naqshbandi sheikh Ahmad Ashiq, who led the order until his death in 1883. Ahmad Ashiq practiced the Diya'iyya branch of the Khalidiyya. Two other versions of Naqshbandiyya spread in Egypt in the last decades of the 19th century: the Judiyya, led by sheikh Juda Ibrahim, and the Khalidiyya, led by Sudanese al-Sharif Isma'il al-Sinnari and his successors. These branches continued to grow and are still active today. None of the early orders survived far into the 20th century however, and all khanqahs in Egypt were closed in 1954 when the buildings were either assigned a different function or demolished.
Southeast Asia
The first known Naqshbandi murshid in Malay Archipelago was Yusuf al-Makassari, a 17th century Islamic scholar who also introduced Khalwatiyya to the region. However, the order quickly disappeared before being introduced again in the 19th century. There are two well known branches of Naqshbandiyya in Southeast Asia. The first one is Khalidiyya, introduced by Ismail al-Minankabawi, a disciple of Abdullah al-Arzinjani in Mecca, and spread across Sumatra, Java, and Malay Peninsula. PERTI, an Islamic organization from Minangkabau Highlands, was founded by Sulaiman ar-Rasuli and other Khalidi clerics. The other branch is Mazhariyya, named after Shamsuddin Mazhar, a Naqshbandi branch through Abu Said al-Ahmadi, one of Abdullah Dehlawi's khalifas. Mazhariyya is the main Naqshbandi branch in Madura, brought by Abdul Azim al-Maduri after studying in Mecca. Another related order is Qadiriyya wa Naqshbandiyya, a fusion of Qadiriyya and Naqshbandiyya, whose sheikhs in Banten and Lombok led rebellions against the Dutch East Indies at the end of the 19th century.
China
Ma Laichi brought the Naqshbandi (نقشبندية) 納克什班迪 order to China, creating the Khufiyya (خفيه) 虎夫耶 Hua Si Sufi 华寺; ("Multicolored Mosque") menhuan. Ma Mingxin, also brought the Naqshbandi order, creating the Jahriyya (جهرية) 哲赫林耶 menhuan. These two menhuan were rivals, and fought against each other which led to the Jahriyya Rebellion, Dungan revolt, and Dungan Revolt (1895).
Teachings and practices
Naqshbandi teachings center on the “Eleven Principles,” combining silent dhikr with daily mindfulness.
The order highlights strict observance of the Sharia and introduces silent inward dhikr, distinguishing it from vocal chanting practices prevalent in other Sufi tariqas.
Prominent figures
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Abdul Khaliq Ghijduwani (d. 1179)
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Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband (1318–1389)
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Khwaja Ahrar (1404-1490)
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Ahmad Sirhindi (1564–1624)
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Hazrat Ishaan (1563-1642)
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Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (1703–1762)
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Mawlana Khalid (1779–1827)
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Uthman Sirâj-ud-Dîn Naqshbandi (1781-1867)
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Sayyid Mir Jan (1800-1901)
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Shah Akbar Danapuri (1844-1914)
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Yunus Ali (1886-1951)
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Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan (1888-1959)
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Muhamamad Uthman Sirâj-ud-Dîn Naqshbandi (1896–1997)
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Mahmud Esad Coşan (1938-2001)
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Nazim al-Haqqani (1922-2014)
Principal teachings
The Naqshbandi order has 11 principle teachings known as the Eleven Naqshbandi principles. The first eight were formulated by Abdul Khaliq Ghijduwani, and the last three were added by Baha-ud-Din Shah Naqshband.
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Remembrance ( – ): Always orally and mentally repeating the dhikr.
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Restraint ( – ): Focus on Tawhid, and engaging in the dhikr of the shahada phrase – "La-ilaha il-allah".
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Watchfulness ( – ): Being conscientious over wandering thoughts.
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Recollection ( – ): Concentration upon the Divine presence in a condition of dhawq, foretaste, intuitive anticipation or perceptiveness, not using external aids.
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Awareness while breathing ( – ): Controlling one's breathing by not exhaling or inhaling in the forgetfulness of the Divine.
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Journeying in one's homeland ( - ): An internal journey that moves the person from having blameworthy to praiseworthy properties. This is also referred to as the vision or revelation of the hidden side of the shahada.
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Watching one's step ( - ): Do not be distracted from purpose of the ultimate journey.
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Solitude in a crowd ( - ): Although journey is outwardly in this world, it is inwardly with God.
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Temporal pause ( - ): Keeping account of how one spends his or her time. If time is spent rightfully give thanks and time is spent incorrectly ask for forgiveness.
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Numerical pause ( - ): Checking that the dhikr has been repeated in odd numbers.
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Heart pause ( - ): Forming a mental picture of one's heart with the name of God engraved to emphasize that the heart has no consciousness or goal other than God.
Further reading
External links
