Chishti Order - Spiritual Lineage

Spiritual Lineage

Sufi orders trace their origins ultimately to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who is believed to have instructed his successor in mystical teachings and practices in addition to the Qur'an or hidden within the Qur'an. Opinions differ as to this successor. Some Sufi orders trace their lineage to Abu Bakr, the first Sunni caliph, others to 'Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad's nephew, whom the Shi'a regard as the first imam. The Chishti, though Sunni, trace their lineage through Ali. This is not unusual for Sufi orders, which tend to stress devotion rather than legalism and sectarianism.

The traditional silsila (spiritual lineage) of the Chishti order is as follows:

1. 'Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Ali, the cousin of Muhammad)
2. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (d. 728, an early Persian Muslim theologian)
3. 'Abdul Wāḥid Bin Zaid Abul Faḍl (d. 793, an early Sufi saint)
4. Fuḍayll ibn 'Iyāḍ Bin Mas'ūd Bin Bishr al-Tamīmī
5. Ibrāhīm bin Adham (a legendarly early Sufi ascetic)
6. Ḥudhayfah al-Mar'ashī
7. Amīnuddīn Abū Ḥubayrah al-Baṣrī
8. Mumshād Dīnwarī
9. Abu Ishaq Shamī (d. 940, founder of the Chishti order proper)
10. Abu Ahmad Chishtī
11. Abu Muhammad Chishtī
12. Abu Yusaf Nasar-ud-Din Chishtī
13. Qutab-ud-Din Modood Chishtī
14. Haji Sharif Zindani
15. Usman Harooni
16. Mu'īnuddīn Chishtī
17. Qutab-ud-Din Bakhtyar Kaki
18. Farīduddīn Mas'ūd

After Farīduddīn Mas'ūd, the Chishti order divided into two branches:

• Chishtī Sabri, who follow Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari.
• Chishtī Nizami who follow Nizāmuddīn Auliyā.