The Chishti Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, about 930 C.E. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The order was founded by Abu Ishaq Shami (radi Allah anhu) (“the Syrian”) who belonged to Syria introduced the ideas Sufism in the town of Chisht, some 95 miles east of Herat in prese
nt-day western Afghanistan. Before returning to Syria Hazrat Shami(radi Allah anhu) initiated, trained and deputized the son of the local Aamir, Abu Ahmad Abdal (radi Allah anhu) (d. 966). Under the leadership of Abu Ahmad’s (radi Allah anhu) descendants, the Chishtiya as they are also known, flourished as a regional mystical order. The most famous of the Chishti saints is Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti (radi Allah anhu) (popularly known as Gharib Nawaz meaning 'Benefactor of the Poor') who settled in Ajmer, India. He oversaw the growth of the order in the 13th century as Islamic religious laws were canonized. Other famous saints of the Chishti Order are Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (rehmatullah alaih) , Fariduddin Ganjshakar(rehmatullah alaih), Nizamuddin Auliya(rehmatullah alaih), Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kalyari(rehmatullah alaih), Mohammed Badesha Qadri(rehmatullah alaih), and Ashraf Jahangir Semnani(rehmatullah alaih). The silsila sabiriiya, Nizamiya and Ashrafiya is the branch of Chistiya Silsila. Chishti master Hazrat Inayat Khan (rehmatullah alaih) (1882–1927) was the first to bring the Sufi path to the West, arriving in America in 1910 and later settling near Paris, France. His approach exemplified the tolerance and openness of the Chishti Order, following a custom began by Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti (rehmatullah alaih) of initiating and training disciples regardless of religious affiliation and which continued through Nizamuddin Auliya (rehmatullah alaih) and Shaykh ul-Masha”ikh Kalimullah Jehanabadi (rehmatullah alaih) (d. 1720). All his teaching was given in English, and 12 volumes of his discourses on topics related to the spiritual path are still available from American, European, and Indian sources. Initiates of his form of Sufi practice now number in the several thousands all over the world. A number of Chishti family members are now living in Pakpattan and Bahawal Nagar, North of Punjab, Pakistan.
