Can someone explain to me how silsalahs work?

[AbuFatimah]

http://www.tasawwuf.org/shaykh/silsilah.htm


Below is the (shortened) silsilah of the tariqah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi for Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db)

1. The mercy for the worlds Rasulullah [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

2. Sayyedina Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (radiallahu anhu) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

3. Hadrat Salman Farsi (radiallahu anhu) [Madain].

4. Hadrat Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

5. Hadrat Imam Jafar Sadiq (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

6. Hadrat Khuwaja Bayazeed Bustami (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Bastam].



I understand that all sahaba's were at a level that would render them masters of spirituality, so why has salman al farisi and abu bakr radiyallahu anhuma been chosen to feature in this silsalah? I dont fully understand this chain. If all of the salaf were at a heightened level of spirituality, why has this chain specifically been chosen with regards to the early muslims? Also, if I was going to test out tassawuf, would these shaikh zulfiqar be the way to go?

[NNoor]

http://www.tasawwuf.org/shaykh/silsilah.htm


Below is the (shortened) silsilah of the tariqah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi for Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db)

1. The mercy for the worlds Rasulullah [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

2. Sayyedina Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (radiallahu anhu) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

3. Hadrat Salman Farsi (radiallahu anhu) [Madain].

4. Hadrat Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

5. Hadrat Imam Jafar Sadiq (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

6. Hadrat Khuwaja Bayazeed Bustami (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Bastam].



I understand that all sahaba's were at a level that would render them masters of spirituality, so why has salman al farisi and abu bakr radiyallahu anhuma been chosen to feature in this silsalah? I dont fully understand this chain. If all of the salaf were at a heightened level of spirituality, why has this chain specifically been chosen with regards to the early muslims? Also, if I was going to test out tassawuf, would these shaikh zulfiqar be the way to go?

It's basically the same idea as sanad in hadith. This particular silsilah happens to go through Salman and Abu Bakr. Most of the others go through Ali .

The sahaba were all at a heightened level of spirituality, but that was by virtue of them having been with the Prophet in a state of iman, living under his leadership, and living in his blessed era. Basically due to their close proximity to the Prophet . It does not necessarily mean that they were all great zahideen and abideen. Some struggled with sins, even things like alcoholism. They had different levels among them, with some, like Abu Bakr and Ali, clearly at higher levels than others.

Back to the chains, just because the chain goes through a certain sahabi to the Prophet , does not necessarily mean that all the litanies and practices of the tariqah were taught in their current form by the Prophet or sahaba themselves. What it means that each successive person was mentored spiritually by the previous one in the chain. However, over time, different methods were developed, but all of them (it is hoped) ultimately based on Quran and Sunnah.

[Colonel_Hardstone]

http://www.tasawwuf.org/shaykh/silsilah.htm


Below is the (shortened) silsilah of the tariqah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi for Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db)

1. The mercy for the worlds Rasulullah [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

2. Sayyedina Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (radiallahu anhu) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

3. Hadrat Salman Farsi (radiallahu anhu) [Madain].

4. Hadrat Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

5. Hadrat Imam Jafar Sadiq (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

6. Hadrat Khuwaja Bayazeed Bustami (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Bastam].



I understand that all sahaba's were at a level that would render them masters of spirituality, so why has salman al farisi and abu bakr radiyallahu anhuma been chosen to feature in this silsalah? I dont fully understand this chain. If all of the salaf were at a heightened level of spirituality, why has this chain specifically been chosen with regards to the early muslims? Also, if I was going to test out tassawuf, would these shaikh zulfiqar be the way to go?

The following is known as the SilSilatul-Dhuhb (Golden chain) of Hadeeth:

1. Malik Ibn Anas (RA) narrates from;
2. Sayyidina Nafi' ibn Sarjis Abu 'Abdullah ad-Daylami (RA) narrates from;
3. Sayyidina Abdullah Ibn Umar (RA) narrates from
4. Sayyidina Rasul-ullah

A person can ask why this specific chain? Didn't the rest of the Sahaba (RA) narrate Hadeeth? Anyways...

In my limited research this Silsilah is the closest to Sunnah *.



* My words can be taken in negative as well as a positive context and an understanding of Tassawuff (and how it works) is required to put it in context and I neither have in-depth knowledge of Tassawuff nor into a Silsila.

[junfrared]

http://www.tasawwuf.org/shaykh/silsilah.htm


Below is the (shortened) silsilah of the tariqah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi for Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db)

1. The mercy for the worlds Rasulullah [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

2. Sayyedina Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (radiallahu anhu) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

3. Hadrat Salman Farsi (radiallahu anhu) [Madain].

4. Hadrat Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

5. Hadrat Imam Jafar Sadiq (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Holy City of Madinah Munawwarah].

6. Hadrat Khuwaja Bayazeed Bustami (rahmatullahi alaihi) [Bastam].



I understand that all sahaba's were at a level that would render them masters of spirituality, so why has salman al farisi and abu bakr radiyallahu anhuma been chosen to feature in this silsalah? I dont fully understand this chain. If all of the salaf were at a heightened level of spirituality, why has this chain specifically been chosen with regards to the early muslims? Also, if I was going to test out tassawuf, would these shaikh zulfiqar be the way to go?

Tazkihah Batin or Taswuf-e-Share’ is Farz, obligatroy, it has been done and demonstrated my Prophet saw, Sahabas, Taba'eens and Taba' Taba'eens. But conventionalTasawwufi Rituals are Bidat like Peeri Mureedi, Bait Taswuf, Khilafate (Sufi) etc.


The "bait of Taswwuf" is bidat according most scholar, because it was not exist in the period of Prophet saw, and then in the period of Pious Caliphs, and then in the period of Taba'een (the students of Sahabah), and then in the period of Taba' Taba'een (The students of students of Sahabah). There was only "Bait of Khilafat" exist in that period.


The "Bait Islam" or "Bait Towbah" was unique to Prophet saw, because after him it was not done by any Sahabi or after the period of Sahabah, i.e. the periods of Taba'een or Taba' Taba'een. Therefore it is completely bidat to do Bait-e-Tawsuf.


There are Sufiyyah's chains of Bait exist, which leads to Prophet saw, but it completely HARAM to use them, because they are fake. According to GREAT SUFI SHEIKH "ABNE ARABI" -who is MOST reputed Sufi among the Sufiyyah however he is declared Zindeeq/Kafir by Great Imams- this chain is made by Sufiyyah in much later period (after the dissemination of Primary and secondary books of Ahadeeth), in inspiration of the chain of Ahadeeth (or in jealousy of Muhadeethen).

"Attributing falsehood to me is not just like attributing falsehood to anyone else. Whoever deliberately attributes any falsehood to me he should, in fact, find his abode in the Hell-Fire." Sahih Al-Bukhari.


And most simple evidence of this is that it were (means those chains) not exist in Primary or Secondary books of Ahadeeth (which are the exhaustive collection of deeds of Prophet, and Sahabah).

It is most simple and most valid proof of fakeness of these chains. Otherwise I can also pick most suitable narrators from books of " Asma ur Rijal", and can make a chain which leads to Prophet saw, so I can say it is done by Prophet, that is done by Pious Caliph........but I can't put up these lies in the Primary or Secondary books of Ahadeeth because they (books of Ahadeeth) have been disseminated long before me and my Mawozu' chains. Same is the case of those chains that were created long after the dissemination of Primary or Secondary books of Ahadeeth, therefore these lies don't exist in any authentic resources i.e. Quran wa Hadith.


But the peoples who aren't strong in Shariyyah knowledge, says it is done by Prophet, which is wrong argument, as I have mentioned above. They also say, it done by Pious Caliphs and Sahabah, and they say they have their “secret chain", (like secret chains of Shia which are not exist in books of Ahadeeth, but their Imams know them), but I already mentioned it HARAM, to acknowledge, or to use these type of "BATINI" things. After all of this they say we don't say it is obligatory. So we say you have already DECLEAED it sunnat, and to consider any thing Sunnat which is not a Sunnat automatically makes it a BIDAAT or HARAM. And if is associated with these types of blunts lies, then it becomes more severe bidat.

[Abu_Dahdah]

Don't think we should compare the silsilah of tasawwuf to silsilah of hadith. I mean it's like comparing the stars with the Sun. I am not disputing the validity of the former but the latter is far more superior and important to our deen.

Isnad is a unique feature of our Ummah. No other community can claim or boast to have such rigorous analysis of the various aspects of their faith.

Sorry, effects of Mustalah ul Hadith!

[AbuFatimah]

brother nomadic inshAllah I will definitely try to attend what you have mentioned inshAllah, but I thought shaikh zulfiqar was strict in shariah? Good point about not being based here though.

For everyone else, Im really confused. So did the prophet SAW teach tassawuf to abu bakr, who then taught it to salman al farisi, who then taught it to etc etc RAA? Did Abu Bakr actually teach the practices of the naqshbandi order to salman al farisi?

In hadeeth, a specific chain or narration means a particular hadeeth went through a specific chain, you wouldnt ask why, because its obvious. If this is analgous to silsilah wouldnt that mean that this particular tareeqa was taught through the chain that is mentioned. So in effect, the tareeqa was known and taught specifically to abu bakr and then salman al farisi RAA?

Is there any evidence for salman al farisi RAA studying under Abu Bakr RAA?

[NNoor]

brother nomadic inshAllah I will definitely try to attend what you have mentioned inshAllah, but I thought shaikh zulfiqar was strict in shariah? Good point about not being based here though.

For everyone else, Im really confused. So did the prophet SAW teach tassawuf to abu bakr, who then taught it to salman al farisi, who then taught it to etc etc RAA? Did Abu Bakr actually teach the practices of the naqshbandi order to salman al farisi?

In hadeeth, a specific chain or narration means a particular hadeeth went through a specific chain, you wouldnt ask why, because its obvious. If this is analgous to silsilah wouldnt that mean that this particular tareeqa was taught through the chain that is mentioned. So in effect, the tareeqa was known and taught specifically to abu bakr and then salman al farisi RAA?

Is there any evidence for salman al farisi RAA studying under Abu Bakr RAA?

Please see the last paragraph of my previous post.

Shaykh Zulfiqar is strict in shariah; I think Nomadic's wording was a little ambiguous there.

As for evidence that a particular person "studied" under another (I don't think studied is necessarily the correct word)...I'm not sure. What's the evidence when it comes to backing up a hadith chain? It would be interesting if someone could apply ilm alrijaal to these chains and see what they get.

I'm no expert but I hope this post helped. I know there are others on the forum who can give you more details so I hope they see the thread and contribute.

[AbuFatimah]

Please see the last paragraph of my previous post.

Shaykh Zulfiqar is strict in shariah; I think Nomadic's wording was a little ambiguous there.

As for evidence that a particular person "studied" under another (I don't think studied is necessarily the correct word)...I'm not sure. What's the evidence when it comes to backing up a hadith chain? It would be interesting if someone could apply ilm alrijaal to these chains and see what they get.

I'm no expert but I hope this post helped. I know there are others on the forum who can give you more details so I hope they see the thread and contribute.

I use the term study loosely but what term would you say is appropriate?

When I say evidence, I dont mean scrutinising the chain of the tareeqa to check each person was of good charecter. I have no doubts these people were all probabily good people who brought about benefit to the people of their times and worked to help people reform themselves inshAllah. I just want to understand what this chain eaxactly is and what was passed from abu bakr to salman al farisi and what is the evidence for that?

in hadeeth, a narration was spoken from one person to the next, until it reached the taba taba'een who recorded it in books along with the chain of narration and scrutinised the narrators to see if they were reliable.

I dont see any reason why the salaf would not have equally recorded information concerning tareeqas of tassawuf in the books they wrote, so surely there is something regarding this teaching between salman al farisi and abu bakr radiyallahu anhuma?

Ill contact the website and see if they can expllain more throughly inshAllah.

I dont have a problem with the idea of tassawuf btw, but i dont get this chain going back to the prophet SAW, is shaikh zulfiqar claiming that his particular teachings concerning tassawuf were taught from the prophet SAW to abu bakr and then salman al farisi RAA?

[AbuFatimah]

Abu Fatimah
I would recommend to attend session by Shaikhul Hadith Saleem Dhorat (the senior lecturer of Hadith) http://www.idauk.org/index.html. I know few gharimuqalids attend his lecutres and not all of them are mureed. One of my friend used to attend shaikhs spiritual discourse for 6 months on monthly basis and when he felt at ease, he took upon himself to be a mureed.
To be honest for one to benefit spiritually, one need to be in their company and Shaikh Zulfiqar is not based in UK and perhaps not the most appropriate choice. For laymen, it is advised one attends session of Tassawuf by Scholars who is strict in Shariah.

bro ive looked through the site and couldnt find any details about where the acedmy is or what tassawuf related activities are on. Could you help me with that?

[Aram]

i might be wrong...but im guessing it just means being in the company of that person and being guided by them..corrected on their errors etc and encouraged in their deen...there isn't like a certificate you pass down or a specific study...its like receiving spiritual benefit after having been in somebodies company...wallahu laam