Sufi Orders
Order (Tariqa)↕ | Founder↕ | Founded↕ | Main Region↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Qadiriyya | Abdul Qadir Gilani | 1166 | Iraq, worldwide | One of the oldest and most widespread Sufi orders, green turbans |
Naqshbandi | Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari | 1380 | Central Asia, Turkey, South Asia | Silent dhikr (remembrance), influence on Ottoman elite |
Chishti | Abu Ishaq Shami (Khwaja Moinuddin spread to India) | 930 | India, Pakistan | Qawwali music, Ajmer Sharif dargah, tolerance and love |
Mevlevi (Whirling Dervishes) | Followers of Rumi | 1273 | Turkey | Sema whirling ceremony, Rumi's poetry, Konya |
Shadhili | Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili | 1258 | North Africa, Egypt | Urban intellectual Sufism, coffee introduced through this order |
Tijaniyya | Ahmad al-Tijani | 1782 | West Africa, Maghreb | Largest Sufi order in West Africa, Fez origin |
Suhrawardiyya | Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi | 1168 | Iran, South Asia | Influence on Persian poetry and philosophy |
Bektashi | Haji Bektash Veli | 1300 | Albania, Turkey, Balkans | Heterodox syncretic beliefs, Janissary corps, Alevi connections |
Rifai | Ahmed ar-Rifai | 1182 | Iraq, Egypt, Balkans | Howling Dervishes, ecstatic practices including self-piercing |
Kubrawiya | Najmuddin Kubra | 1221 | Central Asia, Iran | Dream visions, ten rules of spiritual practice |
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