|
Masters
(Qutbs) of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order
A sub branch of the Qadiri order, the Nimatullahi order was established
by Shah Nimatullah Wali Kirmani by the end of the fourteenth
century. It was mainly an order based in Persia with the majority
of followers being Persian until it attained a global following,
particularly through the efforts of master Javad Nurbakhsh.
It is now one of the largest Sufi Shi'i orders, with numerous
khaniqas present in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia.
The order transferred to India in the fifteenth century and
remained there for the next 350 years until it was reintroduced
in Persia by Ma'sum
'Ali Shah in
the eighteenth century. After the death of the
master Majdhub ‘Ali Shah,
the
Kawthariyya and Shamsiyya branches split off from the main order.
Another split occurred after the
death of master Rahmat
‘Ali Shah in 1861 where the order divided into three chains:
the Gonabadi-Ni'matullahi
(the main and largest), the Safi 'Ali Shahi-Ni'matullahi, and
the Munawar 'Ali Shahi.
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# |
Name |
Tenure |
Family
Chart |
|
1 |
Shah
Nimatullah Wali Kirmani |
–1430† |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
|
2 |
Shah
Khalilullah I |
1430–55† |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
|
3 |
Shah
Habib al-Din Muhibbullah I |
1455–1508† |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
|
4 |
Shah
Kamal al-Din Atiyyatullah |
1502–? |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
|
5 |
Mir
Shah Burhan al-Din Khalilullah II |
?–1518† |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
|
6 |
Mir Shah Shams al-Din Muhammad I |
1518-?
|
Nimatullah
(4992) |
| 7
|
Shah
Habib al-Din Muhibbullah II |
? |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
| 8
|
Mir
Shah Shams al-Din Muhammad II |
? |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
| 9
|
Mir
Kamal al-Din Atiyyatullah II |
? |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
| 10
|
Mir
Shah Shams al-Din Muhammad III |
? |
Nimatullah
(4992) |
| 11
|
Mir
Mahmud Dakani (Deccani) |
?–1689† |
Dakani
(4978) |
| 12
|
Shams
al-Din Dakani |
1689–1748†
|
Dakani
(4978) |
| 13
|
Shah
'Ali Rida Dakani |
1748–1801† |
Dakani
(4978) |
| 14 |
Sayyid
Ma'sum 'Ali Shah Dakani |
–1797† |
•••• |
| 15 |
Nur
'Ali Shah |
–1797†
|
•••• |
| 16
|
Husayn
‘Ali Shah¹ |
1799–1817/18† |
•••• |
| 17 |
Majdhub
‘Ali Shah |
1817/18–1823† |
•••• |
| 18
|
Mast
‘Ali Shah (Zayn al-'Abidin Shirvani)¹ |
1823–1853† |
•••• |
| 19 |
Rahmat
‘Ali Shah |
1853–1861† |
•••• |
| 20
|
Munawwar
‘Ali Shah (Hajj Muhammad) (Hajji Aqa Muhammad) |
1861–1884†
|
•••• |
| 21
|
Wafa
‘Ali Shah (Hajji 'Ali Aqa Dhu 'l-Riyasatayn) |
1884–1918†
|
•••• |
| 22
|
Sadiq
‘Ali Shah (Sayyid Isma'il Ujaq) |
1918–1922†
|
•••• |
| 23
|
Munis
‘Ali Shah (Hajji Mirza 'Abd al-Husayn Dhu 'l-Riyasatayn) |
1922–1953†
|
•••• |
| 24
|
Nur
‘Ali Shah II (Javad Nurbakhsh) |
1953–2008 |
•••• |
| 25
|
Reza
‘Ali Shah (Alireza Nurbakhsh) |
2008– |
•••• |
|
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Notes
1. His right
to succession was disputed.
Sources
1. L. Lewisohn. An Introduction to the History of Modern Persian
Sufism, Part I: The Ni'matullahi Order: Persecution, Revival
and Schism. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies. Vol. 61, No. 3, 1998, pp. 437-464.
2. J. Nurbakhsh (12/10/1926 – 10/10/2008). The
Nimatullahi Sufi Order: Vancouver Sufi Center, 2016.
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