Abu Ishaq Shami

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1 A Sufi Sheikh
2 His Masters and Students
- 2.1 Quotations
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] A Sufi Sheikh

Abu Ishaq Shami is one of the first among the Chishti Sufi order to call himself Chisti (of Chisht). The name Shami implies he came from Syria or even from Damascus (ash-Sham). Abu Ishaq Shami is supposedly to have met a Sufi who directed him to settle in Chisht,and acccordingly he is known as Abu Ishaq Shami Chishti. He died in 940 C.E. in Damascus and lies buried on Mount Qasiyun, where later on also Ibn al-Arabi was buried. Looking at the date of his death it is considered that the Chishti Order is one of the oldest, if not the oldest now still existing sufi order. However according to most of the Sufi orders it is considered that their orginations are directly from the time period of the Prophet Mohammad and the Prophet him self.

[edit] His Masters and Students

Shaikh Ilw Mumshad Dinwari was his Master. He may had many Khalifa's but Abu Ahmad Abdal carries the Chisti Chain to South Asia.

[edit] Quotations

Some of his(Abu Ishaq Shami) sayings are:

Starvation excels all in bliss (this shows the ascetic character of classical Sufism)
The worldly people are impure while the dervishes are pure in their souls. These two different natures cannot therefore mingle

(Excerpt taken from chishti.ru [1])