The so-called Naqshbandi Golden Chain has been known by various names. From the time of Abu Bakr (573 A.D.–634 A.D), a companion and father-in-law of Muhammad and the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death, to the time of Bayazid al-Bistami (804-c.874) it was known as as-Siddiquyya. From the time of Bayazid al-Bistami down to the time of Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Hamadani (c.1048-1141) it was known as at-Tayfuriyya. The next seven shayks (i.e, elders, or leaders) of the Golden Chain, starting with Abd al-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani down to Shah Naqshbandi were known as the Khwajaganiyya, often rendered simply the Khwajagan, or in English “The Masters of Wisdom”. From the time of Shah Naqshbandi down to the present day it has been known as the Naqshbandiyya, or simply the Naqshbandi.
It is the Seven Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom, all of whom were born in the Bukhara conurbation, who concern us here. These are:
- Al-Ghujdawani (d.1179)
- Arif ar-Riwakri (d.1219)
- Mahmud al-Injir al-Faghnawi (d. 1315)
- Ali ar-Ramitani (d.1315/1321)
- Muhammad Baba as-Samasi (d.1354)
- Sayyid Amir Kulal (d.1370)
- Muhammad Bahauddin Shah Naqshbandi (1318–1389)
The Bukhara Khwajagan were buried in the Bukhara Oasis and today their tombs are pilgrimage sites. Ghujdawani was born and buried in the city of Ghujdawan, twenty-seven miles northeast of Bukhara.
Tomb of Ghujdawani with the Ulugh Beg Madrassa behind . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.
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