Najmeddin Kubra

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Najmeddīn-e Kubrā (Persian: نجم‌الدین کبری) was a 13th century famous Persian Sufi from Khwarezmia and was the founder of the Kubrawiya Sufi order.

Among his twelve students one can mention Najmeddin Razi, Majdeddin Baghdadi, Sa'deddin Hamawi, Sayfeddin Bakhezri and Baha'uddin Walad who was the father of Jalaluddin Rumi.

Sa'deddin Hamawi's correspondence with Ibn Arabi can be taken as an example of the influence of the Kubrawi in the decades following the invasion of Kwarezmia by Gengis Khan.

Najmeddin Razi was sent westward by Najmeddin Kubra and was in relation with Jalaluddin Rumi and Sadreddin Konyawi in Konya.

The particulars of this influence, exemplary of a "golden age" of sufi metaphysics, were documented by Henry Corbin in "History of Islamic Philosophy" and "En Islam Iranien". There we find Sheikh Najmeddin's work related with the Illuminism of Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi as well as with Rumi's Shams Tabrizi.


He is the founder of the famous Ilkhanid and Timurid era Kibruyeh Sufi order.

Also, he was the 16th master of the Oveyssi order, which is still in existence today with more than 500,000 students worldwide.[1]

He wrote the books:

  • مرصاد العباد
  • منازل السائرين ومقامات الطائرين
  • فوائح الجمال و فواتح الجلال
  • رساله الخائف الهائم من لومه اللائم

It is written that when two of his students were drowned by Muhammad II of Khwarezm in the river Jaxartes, he cast a curse (nefrin) on the Khwarazmid shah. Not long after, Genghis Khan annihilated the Khwarezmid Empire in 1220CE.

He was murdered in 1221CE, and is said to be buried in Khwarazm.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ History of M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi - M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi ®