Historical Genealogy

In the Qudsiyya, the book of dicta by the spiritual master Khwaja Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband, the venerable Khwaja Muhammad Parsa traced the Tariqa's spiritual descent through three parallel lines-the first and most prominent one leading through the venerable Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radhi Allahu anhu), another through the venerable ‘Ali (karram Allahu wajhu), and a third through ‘Ali and his descendents; the biological progeny of the Prophet (salla-llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

Generally, early Ottoman Naqshbandi chains followed Khwaja Parsa in tracing the silsila through a triad of Bakri, 'Alid and Imami lines.  These Naqshbandi's did not shy away from highlighting the unique quality of the line leading through the biological progeny of the Prophet (salla-llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).  Several of them labelled this line the Chain of Gold (silsalat adh-dhahab), and this despite the fact that the rational underlying this unique designation-viz., that this was a particularly powerful line because its links were the biological progeny of the Prophet (salla-llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)- ran counter to the Naqshbandi privileging of spiritual over genealogical succession.