The
khirqa is the initiatory cloak of the
Sufi chain of spirituality, with which
esoteric knowledge and
barakah is passed from the
Murshid or the
Sheikh to the aspirant
murid. The khirqa initiates an aspirant into the
silsilah, the chain or lineage of sheikhs that goes back to the Islamic prophet
Muhammad. This chain serves as the channel through which barakah flows from the source of spiritual revelation to the being of the initiate.
Subdivisions
There are two kinds of this kind of transmission (tanakkul) of barakah through the khirqa: khirqa-yi irada and khirqa-yi tabarruk. Khirqa-yi irada is characterized by the passing of barakah to the aspirant from the singular sheikh to which they have pledged allegiance (bay'at). Khirqa-yi tabarruk, also known as the "frock of blessing", is characterized by the passing of barakah to the worthy aspirant from any sheikh that they have encountered.
The silsilah chain created from the passing of the khirqa that confirms authenticity of many
is a form of
isnad. It was not until the late eleventh and twelfth centuries that
Sufism accepted this form of
isnad as a means to transmit mystical knowledge and blessings.
