Abu Ishaq Shami
Encyclopedia
Abu Ishaq Shami was a Muslim scholar who is often regarded as the founder of the Sufi Chishti Order
because he was the person in the Chishti silsila
(chain, or religious lineage) who was the first to live in Chisht
. The name Shami implies he came from Syria
or even from Damascus
(ash-Sham). He died in Damascus and lies buried on Mount Qasiyun, where later on also Ibn Arabi
was buried.
Looking at the date of his death it is considered that the Chishti Order is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, existing Sufi order. However, like the Chishtiyya, most of the Sufi orders (for instance, the Qadiriyyah, the Suhrawardiyyah and the Naqshbandiyyah) claim a silsila starting with the Prophet
Muhammad
himself.
Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
because he was the person in the Chishti silsila
Silsila
Silsila is a 1981 Bollywood film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha, with Shashi Kapoor in a special appearance.-Plot:...
(chain, or religious lineage) who was the first to live in Chisht
Chisht
Chisht, also written Chisht-e Sharif, Chesht-i Sharif or Chesht is a town near Herat in Afghanistan. It is important in Sufism because the Chishti Sufi Order originated there....
. The name Shami implies he came from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
or even from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
(ash-Sham). He died in Damascus and lies buried on Mount Qasiyun, where later on also Ibn Arabi
Ibn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī was an Andalusian Moorish Sufi mystic and philosopher. His full name was Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn `Arabī .-Biography:...
was buried.
Looking at the date of his death it is considered that the Chishti Order is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, existing Sufi order. However, like the Chishtiyya, most of the Sufi orders (for instance, the Qadiriyyah, the Suhrawardiyyah and the Naqshbandiyyah) claim a silsila starting with the Prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
himself.
Masters and students
Abu Ishaq Shami's teacher was Shaikh Ilw Mumshad Dinwari, whose own teacher was Abu Hubairah Basri, a disciple of Huzaifah Al-Mar'ashi who was in turn a disciple of Ibrahim ibn Adham. Abu Ishaq Shami may had many disciples, but Abu Ahmad Abdal was the one through whom the silsila to the Chishtiyyah of South Asia continued.Quotes
Some of Abu Ishaq Shami's sayings are:- Starvation excels all in bliss.
- The worldly people are impure while the dervishes are pure in their souls. These two different natures cannot therefore mingle.