Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education : Introduction, Dr.Ahmed Mirza , Sufi Illuminations Journal

 Naqshbandiya Foundation for islamic education (NFIE) : Introduction 

 Ahmed H. Mirza M.D, Founder and President

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the most Merciful

You have indeed in the Apostle of God a beautiful pattern ( of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in God and Final Day and who engages much in the praise of God ( Q. 33:21)

God and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet. O those that believe ! Send blessings on him and salute him with all respect (Q. 33:56)

 O! Intercessor for Humankind, We greet you  

 O! Prophet of guidance, We greet you

Mustafa, the Soul of Compassion, We profusely greet you

Whose patient face of splendor, We profusely greet you

With an illuminating heart, We profusely greet you

sallallahu alayhi wa sallam

The Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) is a non- profit , tex exempt, religious and educational organization dedicated to serve Islam with a special focus on Tasawwuf, the most beautiful path to love, peace and happiness.

Tasawwuf is a holistic and deeper understanding of Islam with consistent focus on sincere practice of Shari'a. Even during the Prophet's ﷺ time, some of his followers desired to enter into a more intimate relationship with God, in addition to performing the required ritual practices. Over the next three centuries . a discipline of pious self- examination and refined religious psychology came into existence. The specialized technical vocabulary of this discipline now known as Tasawwuf, came directly from Quran. Muslims who engaged in these pious activities, in addition to the required religious practices of the wider community, became known as Sufis, presumably because they wore simple woolen ( Sufi) robes as token of their interiorized piety. In short, Tasawwuf can be both Islamic religious science and the collective religious practices of a person who desires to have a moe encompassing experience of submitting to God  ( the literal meaning of islam). The English version "Sufism" is a problematic translation of Tasawwf since the "- ism" of Sufism has allowed misconceptions, all prevalent today in Western countries, to consider Tasawwuf and Islam as separate religious paths. The other inappropriate terms used in English are  "Islamic Mysticism" and " Islamic Esotericism". Unfortunately each of these attempts to define such a comprehensive dimension of religiosity only illuminates one narrow aspect of Tasawwuf at a time, a partial distortion at best. Reports from the earliest Muslim sources communicate what the Sufi enterprise entails in a moe holistic manner. Tasawwuf represents works ( islam), faith (imam) and perfection (ihsan) as described in an early hadith of the Prophet ﷺ known as " Gabriel's Hadith"

It is related that one day a man came walking from desert into the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions ( radiya Allahu anhum) . He proceeded to ask the Prophetﷺ a few questions. He asked first about submitting to God ( islam) and the Prophetﷺ replied that Islam consists of the five pillars: attestation of one God and Muhammadﷺ as the messenger of God, prayer, fasting, alms and pilgrimage. He then inquired about faith (iman) and the Prophetﷺ responded by listing the articles of faith mentioned in the Quran: God, His messengers, angels, scriptures, and the Day of Judgment. His next question was about virtues or perfection (ihsan) and the Prophetﷺ answered that ihsan was worshipping God as if you see Him, though if you do not see Him, He sees you.

Such a three-fold conception of religion assumes that persons have varying potential, inclination, and ability for spiritual activities. The vast majority of Muslims seek salvation through their daily practice of Islam, informed by a faith commitment (iman). Anyone who desires to proceed further into either of these dimensions of Islamic tradition can spend lifetime studying each respective field of knowledge guided by teaching-shaykh. Tasawwuf encompasses the activities working toward the field of consciousness and experience represented by perfection ( ihsan). Such an enterprise,explicit in the Naqshbandi context, assumes a firm foundation in the practice of submitting to God (islam) and in faith (iman) before achieving an extraordinary degree of proximity to God (ihsan).

Another oft-mentioned triad associated with explicating Tasawwuf is shari'a ( Ar.original meaning: path to the water hole, but now commomnly meanining Islamic Law) , tariqa ( Ar. path or method) and haqiqa (ar. truth or reality) . For Muslims the shari'a represents the wide path outlining the timeless God-given rules that govern every day life for all humans. It is the path leading to Salvation. The tariqa is a narrower path, often associated with the Sufi path, leading to haqiqa, the experience of the Ultimate. These three interrelated aspects of Islam have been depicted as the one circle of sharia with a multiplicity of radii or paths (the tariqa) leading to the center ( haqiqa).

By the tenth century, Sufis were expected to have recognized spiritual genealogies in the form of continuous chains of Sufis going back to the Prophetﷺ himself and in the thirteenth century international pan-Islamic Sufi groups named after founder-figures had developed, e.g., Qadiriyya, the Suhrawardiyya, the Chishtiyya and the Naqshbandiyya. The Naqshbandiyya tariqa is a pan-IslamicSufi lineage of Central Asian origin named after  Baha'uddin Naqshband (d. 1389) (rahmat Allah alayhi), who is buried near Bukhara in present day Uzbekistan. Historically , the Naqshbandiyya can be divided into three stages, each of which is distinguished by a pivotal charismatic figure who developed new spiritual practices and even redefined the identity of the Sufi group.

The first stage called " the way of the masters" since the time of Khwaja Abdulkhaliq Ghujduwani ( d. 1179) (rahmat Allah alayhi) , originated with Prophetﷺ and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه . Baha'uddin Naqshband (rahmat Allah alayhi) , the founder-figure, initiates the second historical stage when the spiritual path was called the Naqshbandiyya.

The third historical stage of the Naqshbandiyya begins with Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624)  (rahmat Allah alayhi) . Also called the renewer of the second millennium ( mujaddid - i  alif-i thani) he represents the most famous of Shaykh Baqibillah's  (rahmat Allah alayhi)  disciples who redefined Taswwuf's role in the society with the goals of following in the footsteps of the Prophetﷺ . Perfect performance of the Islamic religious legal requirements and emulation of Prophetic behavior became the Naqshbandi touchstone of legitimacy for a person who had returned from the spiritual heights/depths.

The conscious modeling of one's inward and outward behavior on that of the Prophetﷺ , inner and outer sunna, became the norm for Naqshbandis. According to Sirhindi (rahmat Allah alayhi) , no Muslim can be a protege of God ( Waliullah ) unless he follows the Prophetic example because of the preference of the Prophetﷺ himself who has reached a spiritual level that no other prophet reached.

Tariqa is not something separate from shari'a but it is one dimension and its "servant". Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi Imam Rabbani(rahmat Allah alayhi) said one of his celebrated letters ( Maktubat) " The shari'a consists of three parts, knowledge ( ilm), deeds (amal) and sincerity (ikhlas)." Until all three are present and realized , shari'a cannot be said to be fulfilled. When shari'a is fulfilled the pleasure of God Almighty and Exalted results. This is superior to all forms of happiness to be found in the world and the hereafter. There is no human concern for which he has need anything beyond shari'a. So shari'a is all inclusive and all-sufficient. The tariqa by means of which the Sufis are distinguished from the rest of the community is the servant of shari'a, has the function of perfecting its third component, sincerity ( ikhlas).

From India the Naqshbandiyya - Mujaddidiyya often spread to numerous parts of Islamic world by way of Mecca and Madina. Maulana Khalid Baghdadi (rahmat Allah alayhi) , after obtaining his initiation in the Naqshbandiyya in India, traveled to the Middle East and established a whole network of successors throughout the region, including Kurdistan, Daghistan and Anatolia. Shaykh Shamil (rahmat Allah alayhi) who led the resistance to the Russians in the North Caucaus for an extremely long period was in the Khalidi sublinineage of the Naqshbandiyya.

Naqshbandiyya revivalist contributions in the twentieth century are centered around Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah (d.1951)  (rahmat Allah alayhi)  . He was born in the village of Alipur Sayyidan in the Sialkot district of Punjab (Pakistan), where he received an extensive religious education, achieving distinction as a memorizer of Quran ( Hafiz ) and a Hadith specialist ( muhaddith ). He was initiated into Naqshbandiyya - Mujaddadiyya in 1891 by Baba Faqir Muhammad Churahi  (d.1897) ( rahmat Allah alayhi ). He established his religious leadership in the Islamic Revival Movement by actively propagating Islam ( tablig ) as he traveled to many villages and towns throughout the Indian Subcontinent. Not only encouraging regular performance of required religious duties  according to Islamic Law and supervising the construction of mosques, he propagated idea of Naqshbandiyya and attracted learned religious scholars to join the Islamic revival movement. In 1904, Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah ( rahmat Allah alayhi )  founded and headed the Anjuman -i  Khuddam as-Sufiyya  ( The Voluntary Association of Sufi Servants ) and began publishing the Anjumam's monthly journal, Risala -yi anwar as-sufiyya ( hereafter Risala ) . The explicit goals of the Anjuman were: 1. To unify all the sufi groups, e.g. Naqshbandiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya and Suhrawardiyya 2. To spread knowledge of Islam and Tasawwuf  3. To make books on Islam and Tasawwuf available 4. To circulate the journal in which Sufis hagiographies, exemplary character, and conduct are featured.

In 1923 the Risala began featuring monthly articles describing the Anjuman's efforts in building schools, mosques and hospitals with the dictum " the tariqa should help people". By 1925 Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah ( rahmat Allah alayhi)  had led thirty-one delegation all over India to counter the Arya Samaj movement whose goal was to "reconvert" the Muslims whose ancestors had been Hindus. He presided over the first All-India Sunni conference in 1925, giving the keynote speech. Then in September 1935, having been declared the " leader of Muslim Community'  ( amir- i millat  )  at a special conference of the " United Muslim Community"  " ( ( ittihad- i millat ), he gave the keynote speech at the 1935 session of All-India Sunni Conference. He began by stressing the need for love of the Prophet ﷺ followed by the need for active propagation of Islam, for the unity of Sufis and Ulama, for keeping up the agitation for the Shahidganj Mosque, and for preserving shari'a.

Throughout the Pakistan movement, Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah ( rahmat Allah alayhi ) supported Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League. At the 1946 ,All-India Sunni Conference , he publicly exclaimed ( to counter those who accused Jinnah of being non-Muslim), " Jinnah is an intimate of God ".  The conference was attended by 500 shaykhs, 7000 ulama and over 100,000 other people, which encouraged the Muslim League to form Pakistan. A committee with many scholars and sufis was set up to make sure that the new Pakistani government would be Islamic. After Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah ( rahmat Allah alayhi ) passed away in 1951, his son Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Shah (d.1972) ( rahmat Allah alayhi ) became his principal successor   ( sajjadanishin ) . Today many successors and their disciples are scattered throughout Pakistan and India, some of whom have established Sufi lodges in England and the United States.

In the United States , Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) was established on August 8, 1992 in Peoria, Illinois in loving memory of Sayyid Jama'at Alai Shah( rahmat Allah alayhi ). Sayyid Afdal Husayn Shah serves as the chief spiritual guide and religious advisor, as the living successor in Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah's lineage. NFIE is a non-profit, educational, charitable, and religious organization with tax-exempt status. The goals and objectives of the foundation are: 1. To establish an Islamic Research and Education Center 2. To understand the Tasawwuf according to the illuminated path of the Ahl al-sunna w'al-jama'a and to serve all legitimate Sufi tariqa 3. To organize and participate in conferences, seminars, exhibits and workshops related to Islam and Tasawwuf. 4. To publish Risala -yi anwar as-Sufiyya ( Journal of Sufi Illuminations ) 5. To publish books and educational pamphlets and to introduce Islam as a religion of human rights, peace, love, and tolerance. 6. To build bridges of understanding among Muslims and non-Muslims and Muslims of different background and schools of thought, for the sake of ultimate unity and global peace.

Naqshbandi Lineage of Sayyid Afdal Husayn Shah ( From Buehler, "Charisma and Exemplar," 1993 )

1. Sayyid Afdal Husayn Shah 2. Sayyid Akhtar Husayn Shah 3. Sayyid Nur Husayn Shah 4. Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Shah (d. 1972 ) 5. Sayyid Jama'at Ali Shah (d. 1951) 6. Faqir Muhammad Churahi (d.1869) 7. Nur Muhammad Churahi (d. 1869) 8. Faydullah Tirahi (d.1829) 9. Khwaja Isa (d. 1806) 10. Shah Jamalullah (d. 1794) 11. Shah Qutbuddin (d. 1766) 12. Muhammad Zubayr (d. 1740) 13. Hujjatullah Naqshband (d. 1702) 14. Muhammad Ma'sum (d.1668) 15. Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624)

Shaykh Muhammad Ma'sum Naqshbandi, Eminent Shaykh of Naqshbandiya tariqa and Islamic Scholar from Kurdistan is the spiritual guide and religious advisor for Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) in the USA and Canada. He currently resides in Duncanville, Texas. For information on his spiritual lineage ( silsila ) see the article in this volume by Dr.Godlas entitles " The Naqshbandi Lineage of Shaykh Ma'sum". 

Sources for article: Unpublished writing of Hamid Algar and Arthur Buehler

Source: Risala-yi Anwar as-Sufiyya, Sufi Illuminations: A journal devoted to Islam and Tasawwuf

Volume 1: August, 1996 Part 1 , Published by Naqshbandiya Formation for Islamic Education (NFIE)