After the departure of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, from this world his Sunnah (Way of Life) was cultivated and emulated by his descendants, close friends and companions (Sahabah). Among the Prophet’s closest friends and disciples were Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah accept and bless them in abundance.
Abu Bakr and Ali were teachers and transmitters of the spiritual teachings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Before they left this world, they nominated their most successful students to pass on the Sunnah to the next generation. Thus, the tradition passed down from one generation to the next through an authentic chain of Awliya Allah (Friends of God, or ‘saints’). The chain of transmission is known as a Silsilah. As Tassawuf (Sufism) spread, and spiritual guides chose more than one successor, the tree branched out, thus today the silsilahs diverge and vary according to the Sufi tariqah (order).
Traditionally, Muslims interested in developing spiritually would make bayah (pledge of allegiance) to a Sufi murshid (spiritual teacher). The silsilah records these pledges of allegiance, and the transmission of spiritual guidance through time, from Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to the Sufi guides of today. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty refers to this bayah as follows:
“Behold, all who pledge their allegiance to thee pledge their allegiance to God: the hand of God is over their hands. Hence, he who breaks his oath, breaks it only to his own hurt; whereas he who remains true to what he has pledged unto God, on him will He bestow a reward supreme.”
~ Holy Qur’an 48:10 (M. Asad)
Naqshbandi-Ghamkolvi Silsilah:
- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
- Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
- Salman al-Farsi
- Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr
- Jafar al-Sadiq
- Tayfur Abu Yazid al-Bistami
- Abul Hassan Ali al-Kharqani
- Abul-Qasim ibn Ali ibn Abdullah Gurgani
- Abu Ali al-Farmadi al Tusi
- Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Hamadani,
- Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani
- Muhammad Arif al-Riwakri
- Mahmoud al-Anjir al-Faghnawi
- Azizan Ali al-Ramitani
- Muhammad Baba as-Samasi
- As-Sayyid (Shams al Deen) Amir Kulal
- (Imam al Tariqah) Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari
- Alauddin al Bukhari al Attar
- Yaqub al Charkhi
- Ubaydullah al Ahrar
- Muhammad Zahid
- Darwish Muhammad
- Muhammad Khwaja al-Amkanaki
- Muhammad al-Baqi Billah
- Mujaddid Alf-i Thani Ahmad Sirhindi
- Muhammad Shah Hussain
- Syed Abdul Basit
- Abdul Qadir
- Syed Mahmood
- Khwaja Abdullah
- Shah Inayatullah
- Hafiz Ahmed
- Abdul Saboor
- Gul Mohammed
- Abdul Majeed
- Abdul Aziz
- Mohammed Shah Malook
- Shah Nizamuddin
- Mohammed Qasim of Mohra Sharif
- Zinda Pir Sahib of Ghamkol Sharif
- Baadshah Sahib of Ghamkol Sharif
- Sufi Muhammad Abdullah Khan
Naqshbandi-Haqqani Silsilah:
- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
- Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
- Salman al-Farsi
- Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr
- Jafar as-Sadiq
- Tayfur Abu Yazid al-Bistami
- Abul Hassan Ali al-Kharqani
- Abu Ali al-Farmadi
- Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Hamadani
- Abul Abbas, al-Khidr (peace be upon him)
- Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani
- Arif ar-Riwakri
- Khwaja Mahmoud al-Anjir al-Faghnawi
- Ali ar-Ramitani
- Muhammad Baba as-Samasi
- as-Sayyid Amir Kulal
- Muhammad Baha’uddin Shah Naqshband
- Ala’uddin al-Bukhari al-`Attar
- Yaqub al-Charkhi
- Ubaydullah al-Ahrar
- Muhammad az-Zahid
- Darwish Muhammad
- Muhammad Khwaja al-Amkanaki
- Muhammad al-Baqi bi-l-Lah
- Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi
- Muhammad al-Masum
- Muhammad Sayfuddin al-Faruqi al-Mujaddidi
- as-Sayyid Nur Muhammad al-Bayadouni
- Shamsuddin Habib Allah
- Abdullah ad-Dahlawi
- Khalid al-Baghdadi
- Ismail Muhammad ash-Shirwani
- Khas Muhammad Shirwani
- Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi
- Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni
- Abu Ahmad as-Sughuri
- Abu Muhammad al-Madani
- Sharafuddin ad-Daghestani
- Abdullah al-Fa’iz ad-Daghestani
- Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani