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Silsila () is an Arabic language 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 Caliphate to his Khalifa, or spiritual descendant. In Urdu, silsila means saga.
Centuries ago, Arabia did not have schools for formal education. Students went to masters who taught them. Upon completion of their study, they received ijazah (permission) which acted as the certification of their education. A graduate then acted as a master having his own students or disciples. This chain of masters was known as silsila or lineage. Somewhat analogous to the modern situation where degrees are only accepted from recognized universities, the certification of a master having a verifiable chain of masters was the only criterion which accorded legitimacy:
Theoretically one can only receive instruction in these practices ( talqîn) from an authorised teacher of the tariqa, and only after pledging a vow of obedience ( bay'ah) to this shaikh. The shaykh gives his disciples permission ( ijâza) to practice the tariqa: he may also authorise one or more of them to teach it to others, i.e. appoint them as his khalîfa or successor. In this way a hierarchically ordered network of teachers may emerge. Each sheikh can show a chain of authorities for the tariqa he teaches, his silsila or spiritual genealogy. Usually the silsila reaches back from one's own teacher up to the Prophet, with whom all tariqa claim to have originated although there have been modifications along the way. A Sufi's silsila is his badge of identity and source of legitimation; it provides him with a list of illustrious predecessors and shows how he is related to other Sufis.Silsila can be of a partial knowledge or a book as well. All ḥāfiẓa (memorizers of Quran), Muhaddith (narrators of hadith), and qāriʾūna (reciters of Quran with tajwid, or correct accent and pronunciation), for example, are given a chain of credible narrators linking to Muhammad.
When Sufism began in the second century of Islam, according to some experts, it was an individual choice; many Sufis aimed to be more like Muhammad by becoming Asceticism and focusing their lives fully on God; more so than the Five Daily Prayers and usual prescripted religious practices. This often included removing oneself from society and other people in general. As Sufism became a greater movement in Islam, individual Sufis began to group together. These groups (also known as orders) were based on a common master. This common master then began spiritual lineage, which is a connection between a Sufi order in which there is a common spiritual heritage based on the master's teachings (i.e., ‘path’ or ‘method’) called tariq or tariqah. As the number of Sufi orders grew, there arose a need for legitimacy of the orders to establish each order was following the teachings of Muhammad directly; thus the idea of the Silsilat al-Dhahab. If a Sufi order is able to trace its student to master lineage back to Ali bin Abi Talib who provides a straight link to Muhammad (because of his inheritor status with him) then the order is considered righteous and directly following the teachings of Muhammad. In possessing the Golden Chain, a Sufi order is able to establish their order prominently in the mystical world.
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