LIneage Tree tablet in Yu Baba Gongbei, Linxia

Silsila ( ar, سِلْسِلَة) is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

word meaning ''chain'', ''link'', ''connection'' often used in various senses of

lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populat ...

. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

" where one Sufi Master transfers his ''khilafat'' to his ''khalîfa'', or spiritual descendant. In

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Sufi order, or ''tariqa'', has a ''silsila''. ''Silsila'' originated with the initiation of ''tariqa'' which dates back to the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

. Most ''silsila'' trace their lineage back to his cousin and son-in-law

Ali bin Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

such as the

Qadiriyyah The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri t ...

, the Chishtiyya, the Noorbakhshia and the Suhrawardiyyah orders. However, the Naqshbandiyyah order of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

is through

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...

. Centuries ago, Arabia did not have schools for formal education. Students went to masters who taught them. Upon completion of their study, they received ''ijazah'' (permission) which acted as the certification of their education. A graduate then acted as a master having his own students or disciples. This chain of masters was known as ''silsila'' or lineage. Somewhat analogous to the modern situation where degrees are only accepted from recognized universities, the certification of a master having a verifiable chain of masters was the only criteria which accorded legitimacy: "Theoretically one can only receive instruction in these practices (''talqîn'') from an authorised teacher of the ''tariqa'', and only after pledging a vow of obedience (''bay'ah'') to this shaikh. The shaykh gives his disciples permission (''ijâza'') to practice the ''tariqa'': he may also authorise one or more of them to teach it to others, i.e. appoint them as his ''khalîfa'' or successor. In this way a hierarchically ordered network of teachers may emerge. Each sheikh can show a chain of authorities for the ''tariqa'' he teaches, his ''silsila'' or spiritual genealogy. Usually the ''silsila'' reaches back from one's own teacher up to the Prophet, with whom all ''tariqa'' claim to have originated although there have been modifications along the way. A Sufi's ''silsila'' is his badge of identity and source of legitimation; it provides him with a list of illustrious predecessors and shows how he is related to other Sufis." ''Silsila'' can be of a partial knowledge or a book as well. All ''ḥāfiẓa'' (memorizers of Quran), ''muḥaddithūn'' (narrators of hadith), and ''qāriʾūna'' (reciters of Quran with '' tajwid'', or correct accent and pronunciation), for example, are given a chain of credible narrators linking to Muhammad.

Chain of authority

For

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, the Chain of Authenticity is an important way to ascertain the validity of a saying of Muhammad (also known as a

Hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

). The Chain of Authenticity relates the chain of people who have heard and repeated the saying of Muhammad through the generations, until that particular Hadith was written down (Ali bin Abi Talib said that 'Aisha said that the Prophet Muhammad said...). A similar idea appears in

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality ...

in regards to the lineage and teachings of Sufi masters and students. This string of master to student is called a ''silsila'', literally meaning “chain”. The focus of the ''silsila'' like the Chain of Authenticity is to trace the lineage of a Sufi order to Muhammad through his Companions: Ali bin Abi Talib (the primary link between all Sufi orders and Muhammad) and

(only the Naaqshbandiyyah order). When a Sufi order can be traced back to Muhammad through one Ali or Abu Bakr, the lineage is called the ''Silsilat al-Dhahab'' (''dhahab'' meaning gold) or the “Chain of Gold” (Golden Chain). In early Islamic history,

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

was an extremely desired prize and was used for

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

, to show wealth and power, and for scientific purposes including

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

. Thus, gold was the most desired commodity in the material world, just as the Golden Chain is the most desired commodity of Sufi orders. When Sufism began in the second century of Islam, according to some experts, it was an individual choice; many Sufis aimed to be more like Muhammad by becoming

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

and focusing their lives fully on God; more so than the Five Daily Prayers and usual prescripted religious practices. This often included removing oneself from society and other people in general. As Sufism became a greater movement in Islam, individual Sufis began to group together. These groups (also known as orders) were based on a common master. This common master then began spiritual lineage, which is a connection between a Sufi order in which there is a common spiritual heritage based on the master's teachings (i.e., ‘path’ or ‘method’) called tariq or

tariqah A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, :wikt:طريقة, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "u ...

. As the number of Sufi orders grew, there arose a need for legitimacy of the orders to establish each order was following the teachings of Muhammad directly; thus the idea of the Silsilat al-Dhahab. If a Sufi order is able to trace its student to master lineage back to Ali bin Abi Talib who provides a straight link to Muhammad (because of his inheritor status with him) then the order is considered righteous and directly following the teachings of Muhammad. In possessing the Golden Chain, a Sufi order is able to establish their order prominently in the mystical world.

Shia term

Shias Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

use it idiomatically to mean a lineage of authentic Masters.

China

Among

Chinese Muslims Islam has been practiced in China since the 7th century CE.. Muslims are a minority group in China, representing 1.6-2 percent of the total population (21,667,000- 28,210,795) according to various estimates. Though Hui Muslims are the most num ...

, the concept of ''silsilah'' has developed into that of a '' menhuan'' (门宦): a Chinese-style Sufi order whose leaders trace a lineage chain going back to the order's founder in China (e.g.,

Ma Laichi Ma Laichi (1681? – 1766?; ), also known as Abu 'l-Futūh Ma Laichi, was a Chinese Sufi master, who brought the Khufiyya movement to China and created the Huasi '' menhuan'' ( Sufi order) - the earliest and most important Naqshbandi (نق� ...

given name Abu I Fateh or Ma Mingxin given name Ibrahim), and beyond, toward his teachers in Arabia.

Indonesia

The term is used as the title of royal family trees and family records of the rulers in the palaces of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

References

External links

Shattari Silsila

Tariqah-e- Maizbhandaria, Silsilah of the Maizbhandari Order, Bangladesh
{{Authority control Sufism Hadith studies Islamic terminology