The History of Ne‘matullahi Safialishahi Sufi Order
It goes without saying that, within the scope of this article, it is impossible to describe Sufism, and in particular the Ne‘matollahi Safialishahi Sufi Order, without doing the subject injustice. The extremely rich and fascinating tradition of this Sufi Order goes back for many centuries and is very comprehensive. So, the text below is only meant as a brief introduction.
As a full-fledged study for learning how to know, recognize and subdue the nafs (the untrue ego), Sufism originated in the area formerly known as Persia. In later centuries, Persia was split up in different countries, i.e. present-day Iran - the heart of Persia - Afghanistan and a part of Syria, then known as Shám.
The founder of the Ne‘matollahi Sufi Order, Hazrat Shah Ne‘matollah Wali Kermani, was born in Aleppo (Syria) on the 8th of May 1331 and died in Kerman, in present-day Iran, on the 14th of April 1431. He was a disciple (murid) of Hazrat Sheikh Abdollah Yáfe‘í in the Silsila - the chain of succession of spiritual Masters - of the Ma‘rúfíyeh-Karkhi Sufi Order .
At the age of 31, he was authorized to carry out the task of Ershád on behalf of the Order and spread the teachings of Sufism. Later on, he was also authorized to do this workfor almost all the other Taríqas (Sufi Orders, Sufi schools for inner development) of his time. Ershád is the work carried out by a Sufi Master, with all its inherent qualifications, including travelling around to spread and teach the teachings of Sufism.
At the age of 76, Shah Ne‘matollah Wali Kermani was appointed Pír Ershád of the Ma‘rúfíyeh-Karkhí Sufi Order. Pír Ershád means “Master who leads you to God”. Afterwards, his muríds changed the name in “Ne‘matollahi Sufi Order”. During the last 25 years of his life, he led the Order as Pír Ershád. He himself introduced the title Sháh, which means “king”. In keeping with this tradition, the title Sháh has ever since been maintained in the Ne‘matollahi Safialishahi Sufi Order.
Within this Silsila, Hazrat Shah Ne‘matollah Wali Kermani is the 25th in the line of succession since Hazrat Ali - son-in-law and successor of the Prophet Muhammad. Hazrat Ali is regarded as the first Sufi and is therefore considered to be the first Pír Ershád. Most Sufi Silsilas can be traced back to Hazrat Ali.
Although Silsilas are hardly ever based on hereditary succession, it was Hazrat Shah Ne‘matollah Wali Kermani’s son, Hazrat Shah Borhanoddin Khalilollah I, who inherited his father’s mystical knowledge and was given written authorization to continue the Silsila.
As a result of the country’s political situation, the Sufi Order moved - albeit temporarily - to Bidar in the state of Karnataka, South India.
In the Silsila of the Ne‘matollahi Sufi Order, Hazrat Rahmat Ali Shah was the 43rd Pír Ershád in the line of succession since Hazrat Ali. Hazrat Rahmat Ali Shah passed on his mystical knowledge to three of his muríds, and granted them written authorization to act as Pír Ershád.
As a result, there were now three Pír Ersháds.Hajj Mirza Hasan Isfahani Safi Ali Shah I was one of them, and as such he was the 44th Pír Ershád in this line of succession. Later on, his Taríqa was named “Ne‘matollahi Safialishahi Sufi Order”, thus referring to its Ne‘matollahi origin. In Farsi, the Persian language, the letter -i is suffixed to a word (e.g. the name of a city) to indicate an origin or a source. This is how the name of the Ne‘matollahi Safialishahi Sufi Order was formed.
The subsequent successors in this Sufi Order were: Hazrat Safa Ali Shah, Hazrat Ma‘ruf Ali Shah, Hazrat Nur Ali Shah and Hazrat Munes Ali Shah Isfahani.
Hazrat Pír Safi Ali Shah II, our present Pír Ershád, stems from this Silsila and holds the 50th place in the line of succession since Hazrat Ali. Since 1993, Hazrat Pír Safi Ali Shah II is the head of the Ne‘matollahi Safialishahi Sufi Order, and is also authorized to represent the Qadiri and Naqshbandi Taríqas as a Sufi teacher or Sheikh.
As a rule, a Pír Ershád is addressed as “Hazrat Pír”. The title “Hazrat” means “Holy” When a disciple has developed a closer relationship with a Pír Ershád, he/she addresses him as “Aghajun”. Agha means “Master”, and jun means “dear”.
This Sufi Order was named after Hazrat Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi, who lived and worked in Baghdad as a Sufi Master until his death in 815 CE.D. In his day, the formally organized Sufi Orders known as Taríqas did not yet exist. In fact, these classical Taríqas did not appear before the 12th century. The period prior to the 12th century is known as “the formative period of Sufism”. By the time of Shah Ne‘matollah however, Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi’s Silsila had developed into a classical Taríqa. The word Taríqa literally means “Way”.
Hazrat, a word borrowed from the Arabic, literally means “presence”. In the context of Sufism, a possible interpretation of this title might be: “Someone whose untrue self has been effaced in God (Fana Fillah), and who has thus realized his True Self in the Presence of God. In such a person, nothing else but God’s Own Presence remains, just as he himself continuously abides in God’s Presence (Baqa Billah). This enables him to be a Perfect Master and Guide, capable of leading his disciples to the realization of the Presence of God.”
This Sufi Order was named after Hazrat Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi, who lived and worked in Baghdad as a Sufi Master until his death in 815 CE.D. In his day, the formally organized Sufi Orders known as Taríqas did not yet exist. In fact, these classical Taríqas did not appear before the 12th century. The period prior to the 12th century is known as “the formative period of Sufism”. By the time of Shah Ne‘matollah however, Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi’s Silsila had developed into a classical Taríqa. The word Taríqa literally means “Way”.
Hazrat, a word borrowed from the Arabic, literally means “presence”. In the context of Sufism, a possible interpretation of this title might be: “Someone whose untrue self has been effaced in God (Fana Fillah), and who has thus realized his True Self in the Presence of God. In such a person, nothing else but God’s Own Presence remains, just as he himself continuously abides in God’s Presence (Baqa Billah). This enables him to be a Perfect Master and Guide, capable of leading his disciples to the realization of the Presence of God.”
