Halveti

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Halveti (as it is known in Turkey but is more commonly known as Khalwati) is one of the most widespread orders (Tarikas) in Sufi Islam and after the Naqshbandi, Qadiri and Shadhili is perhaps the most popular. It was founded by Pir Umar Khalwati.

The order spread mosly by wandering dervishes in eastern Turkey northern Iran, Iraq and Syria. It originally first attracted the attention of the Mamaluk Sultans of Egypt and Syria who by and large supported the Sufi orders and gave a great deal of reverence to wandering Dervishes. From their Tekkes in these areas the order began to spread to the urban centres of the Islamic world such as Baku, Tebriz, Mosul and Diyarbakır.

The order grew in popularity during Ottoman times and spread from its origins in the Middle East (northern Syria and Iraq, southeast Turkey and western Iran) to the Balkans (especially in southern Greece and Macedonia, Egypt (where it was a popular Sufi order amongst many of the Sheikhs of al-Azhar University including the Maliki Sheikh Ahmed Dardir the author of a commentary upon the Maliki book of law the 'Mukhtasar Khalil') Sudan and almost all corners of the Ottoman Empire.

The Khalwati order had many Tekkes in Istanbul the most famous being the Jerrahi, Sunbuli, Ramazaniyye and Nasuhi. Although the Sufi orders are now abolished in the Turkish Republic the above are almost all now Mosques and/or places of visitation by pious Muslims for prayer.

The Khalwati order however, still remains strong in Egypt where the Sufi orders do receive a degree of support from the government. The Khalwati order also remains strong in the Sudan.

The Nigerian Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio, although a Qadiri, was initiated into the Khalwati order along with the Naqshbandi order, and Shaykh Ahmed at-Tijani was also originally a Khalwati.

The name of the order is derived from the term "khalwa", which refers to a spiritual retreat.