THE
ELEMENTS
OF SUFISM
(Excerpts Only)
By:
Shaykh
Fadhlalla Haeri
Chapter
3
Sufi
Orders (Brotherhoods)
In the early centuries
of Islam, Sufis were not organized into particular circles or
orders. However, as time went by, the teaching and personal example
of Sufis living in the spiritually decreed code of life began to
attract many groups of people. ...
In the same way that the various schools of Islamic Law which
emerged in the early centuries after the Prophet Muhammad's death
were meant to define a clear path for the application of that law,
so the Sufi Orders which emerged during the same period also
intended to define a simple path for the practice of inner
purification. In the same way that many great schools of Islamic Law
ceased to be propagated and accordingly ended, likewise many great
Sufi Orders faced a similar situation. During the 9th century, more
than 30 schools of Islamic Law existed, but later on this number was
reduced to 5 or 6. During the 12th century, you could not count the
number of Sufi Orders, partly because there were so many, and partly
because they were not yet defined as such. Most of the great
spiritual masters and teachers of the Sufi Orders and schools of law
did not expect that their teachings would be given a defined and
often a rigid interpretation at a later stage after their deaths, or
that the Sufi Orders and schools of law would be named after them.
However, the preservation of the Sufi Orders was often partly a
result of their physical isolation as well as the direction that
mainstream Islam took.
A noticeable trend within these Sufi Orders is that many of them
intermingled, often strengthening each other and at times weakening
each other. Most of the Sufi Orders kept a record of their lineage,
that is their chain of transmission of knowledge from master to
master, which was often traced back to one of the Shi'ite spiritual
leaders and accordingly back through Imam Ali to the Prophet
Muhammad, as a proof of their authenticity and authority. The only
exception to this is the Naqshbandi Sufi Order whose lineage of
transmission of knowledge traces back through Abu Bakr, the first
leader of the Muslim community in Medina, to Muhammad.
The following are a few of the Sufi Orders which are still
established today, each with its own predominating characteristics.
Seekers of knowledge can be members of one or more of the Sufi
Orders, as indeed they often follow more than one spiritual master.
The following are only a sample of those Sufi Orders with which the
author has personal familiarity.
The Qadiri Order was founded by Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani (d.
1166) from Gilan in Persia, who eventually settled in Baghdad in
Iraq. After his death, his Sufi Order was propagated by his sons.
The Qadiri Order has spread to many places, including Syria, Turkey,
some parts of Africa such as Cameroun, the Congo, Mauritania and
Tanzania, and in the Caucasus, Chechen and Ferghana in the [former]
Soviet Union, as well as elsewhere.
Founded by Shykh Ahmad ar-Rifa'i (d. 1182) in Basra, the Rifa'i
Order has spread to Egypt, Syria, Anatolia in Turkey, Eastern Europe
and the Caucasus, and more recently to North America.
The Shadhili Order crystallized around Shaykh Abu'l-Hasan ash-Shadhili or Morocco (d. 1258) and eventually became one of the
greatest Sufi Orders, having an extraordinarily large following.
Today it is found in North Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania, the
Middle East, Sri Lanka and elsewhere, including the West and North
America.
The Mevlavi or Mawlawi Order centers around Mawlana Jalal ud-Din
Rumi of Qonya in Turkey (d. 1273). Today it is mostly found in
Anatolia in Turkey and more recently in North America. The followers
of this order are also known as whirling dervishes.
The Naqshbandi Order takes its name from Shaykh Baha ud-Din
Naqshband of Bukhara (d. 1390). It is widely spread in central Asia,
the Volga, the Caucasus, the north-west and south-west of China,
Indonesia, the Indian sub-Continent, Turkey, Europe and North
America. This is the only known Sufi Order which traces the
genealogy of its lineage of transmission of knowledge back through
the first Muslim ruler, Abu Bakr, unlike the rest of the known Sufi
Orders which trace their origins back to one of the Shi'ite
spiritual leaders, and therefore through Imam Ali, and so to the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Bektashi Order was founded by Hajji Bektash of Khurasan (d.
1338). Shi'ite ideas strongly permeate this Sufi Order. It is
limited to Anatolia in Turkey and was most powerful up until the
early 20th century. The order is regarded as a follower of Shi'a
Islamic Law.
The Ni'amatullah Order was founded by Shaykh Nur ud-Din Muhammad
Ni'amatullah (d. 1431) in Mahan near Kirman in South-west Iran. Its
followers are found mostly in Iran and India.
The Tijani Order was founded by Shaykh Abbas Ahmad ibn at-Tijani, an
Algerian Berber (d. 1815). It has spread from Algeria to the south
of the Sahara and into western and central Sudan, Egypt, Senegal,
West Africa and northern Nigeria, as well as being represented in
the West and in North America.
The Jarrahi Order was founded by Shaykh Nur ud-Din Muhammad al-Jarrah of Istanbul (d. 1720). It is limited mostly in Turkey,
with some representation in the West and in North America.
The most influential Sufi Order in the sub-Continent of India and
Pakistan has been the Chisti Order, which takes its name from Khwaja
Abu Ishaq Shami Chisti (d. 966). Its spread has been primarily
within south-east Asia.
...
