Chishti Order
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The Chishti Order (Persian: چشتیہ ) (tarika) was founded by (Khawaja) Abu Ishaq Shami ("the Syrian") (d. 941) who brought Sufism to the town of Chisht, some 95 miles east of Herat in present-day Afghanistan. Before returning to the Levant, Shami initiated, trained and deputized the son of the local Amir, (Khwaja) Abu Ahmad Abdal (d. 966). Under the leadership of Abu Ahmad’s descendants, the Chishtiyya as they are also known, flourished as a regional mystical order.
The most famous of the Chishti saints is Moinuddin Chishti (also known as Khawaja Baba) who settled in Ajmer, India. He oversaw the growth of the order in the 13th century as religious laws were canonized. He saw the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a dream and then set off on a journey of discovery.
Other famous saints of the Chishti Order are Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, Fariduddin Ganjshakar of Pak Pattan, Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki and Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani of Kichocha Shareef
The Chishti Order is famous for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The Order traces its origins through various saints all the way to Ali and Muhammad himself.
Sema or Qawwali is a type of devotional music to enhance the remembrance of Allah and is not a part of worship or prayer.
Followers of Inayat Khan claim he was the first to bring the Chishti Order to North America.
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[edit] The Nine Principles
The Chishti Order is also known for the following principles:
- Obedience to shaykh/pir
- Renunciation of the material world
- Distance from worldly powers
- Sama (or musical assemblies)
- Prayers and fasting
- Service to humanity
- Respect for other devotional traditions
- Dependence on voluntary offerings
- Disapproval of miraculous feats
[edit] Common Chistiya Chain in South Asia
Main Source:
Start of the Sufi Order:
- Hasan al-Basri
- Abdul Waahid Bin Zaid Abul Fadhl
- Fudhail Bin Iyadh Bin Mas'ud Bin Bishr Tameeemi
- Ibrahim Bin Adham Bin Mansur
- Huzaifah Al-Mar’ashi
- Abu Hubairah Basri
- Ilw Mumshad Dinwari
Start of the Chishti Order:
- Abu Ishaq Shami
- Abu Ahmad Abdal
- Abu Muhammad Bin Abi Ahmad
- Sayyid Abu Yusuf Bin Sam’aan Al-Husaini
- Maudood Chishti
- Shareef Zandani
- Usman Harooni
- Moinuddin Chishti Ajmer
- Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
- Fareeduddin Masood
From here, the Chishti Order of South Asia splits into branches: (Fareeduddin Masood had three prominent successors, a branch being named after each of them)
- Nizamuddin Auliya - Nizamiya Branch - Master of Amir Khusro
- Alaaud Deen Ali Ahmad Saabir Kalyari - Sabiri Branch
- Nasiruddin Chirag-e-Delhi
- Khwaja Bande Nawaz
Other branches of Chishti Order are:
- Ashraf Jahangir Semnani - Ashrafi Branch
