The South-Asian branch of the Naqshbandi order

 

The South-Asian branch of the Naqshbandi Order

 

The earlier Shaykhs of the Naqshbandi order were mostly from Khorasan and other Central Asian areas.  The very area was the origin of this order.

 

However, through Hadhrat Khaja Ahraar (May Allah shower His Mercy on him), a branch of the order was established in Anatolia, Turkey, etc.  Another branch spread in South Asia through Hadhrat Khaja Baqibillah (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).

 

This Indian branch of the Naqshbandi order is of real importance.  This branch checked the anti-Islamism of Akbar and his coterie and breathed a new spirit of Islam in the royalty and nobles.  Not only this, this branch defended the beliefs of the Ahle Sunnah from Rifz which had come into the country from Persia.  It scrubbed clean the traces of Hindu philosophy from Tasawwuf and promoted acting on the Holy Quran and Sunnah.  This order came into South Asia last of all, but within a few years this order achieved universal acceptance.

 

Apart from all this, the caliphs and authorized representatives from this South Asian branch of the Naqshbandi order established many new branches of this order in Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, etc. 

 

Hadhrat Tajuddin Sambhali (May Allah shower His Mercy on him), a caliph of Hadhrat Khaja Baqibillah relocated to Arabia and promoted the order in those lands.  He wrote many books in Arabic.  Then through the pilgrims to Macca and Madina, this order entered Indonesia.

 

Similarly Hadhrat Murad bin ‘Ali Bukhari (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) (Dec. 1720 AD), a caliph of Hadhrat Khaja Masoom (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) went to Syria and made Damascus his center and spread the order in Syria.

 

When there wa s a danger of wrong sects assailing Syria, then Shaykh Ziauddin Khalid (Dec. 1826 AD) came to India and was trained in the Naqshbandi order by Hadhrat Ghulam ‘Ali Shah Dehlvi.  After his instruction, he returned to his native area and effectively checked the spread of the wrong sects.

 

[Excerpted from Tarikh Mashaikh-e-Naqshband]