Noorbakhshia Islam
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Noorbakhshia or Nūrbakhshia (Balti: སོཕིཡ ནུར་བཀྵིཡ; Urdu: نوربخشیہ) is a Sufi order of Islam mainly found in the Baltistan region of Pakistan, with smaller communities in Gilgit, Ladakh (India), and Kashmir. It was founded by Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani (1392–1464).
The Noorbakhshia tradition teaches spiritual purification through the Qur'an, the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, and the guidance of the Ahl al-Bayt (the family of the Prophet). It places strong emphasis on Muslim unity, Islamic ethics, and following Fiqh al-Ahwat, a school of Islamic jurisprudence developed by Muhammad Nurbakhsh.
The spiritual lineage (Silsila-e-Zahab, or "Golden Chain") of Noorbakhshia traces its chain of spiritual transmission through the Twelve Imams, beginning with Imam Ali and continuing to Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi. Followers of the tradition are known as Sufia Noorbakhshia.
Doctrine
[edit]The primary doctrinal sources of the Noorbakhshia tradition are three principal works attributed to Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani and later Noorbakhshia scholarship:
- Al-Fiqh al-Ahwat (الفقه الأحوط) – the principal work on Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), authored by Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani.
- Kitab al-I'tiqadiya (كتاب الاعتقادية), also known as Usool-e-Eteqadia – the principal text on Islamic beliefs ('aqidah), attributed to Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani.
- Dawat-e-Sufia (دعوتِ صوفیہ), also known as Dawat-e-Noorbakhshia – the principal work on the spiritual teachings, ethics, and practices of the Noorbakhshia tradition.
These three works form the core doctrinal texts of the Noorbakhshia tradition and are regarded by followers as the primary references for jurisprudence, theology, and spiritual guidance.[1]
The widely circulated Urdu editions of Al-Fiqh al-Ahwat, Usool-e-Eteqadia, and Dawat-e-Sufia were translated by **Abu'l Irfan Allama Muhammad Bashir** (1940–2015), a Noorbakhshia scholar and translator.
History
[edit]In its country of origin, Iran, the Noorbakhshia underwent a transition towards Shia Islam, particularly Twelver Shi'ism, several decades after the Safavid dynasty officially established Twelver Shi'ism as the state religion in 1501. A similar transformation occurred in Kashmir, either during the lifetime of Shams ud-Din Iraqi, who died in 1527, or in the subsequent decades, coinciding with the brief reign of the Chak dynasty. The order began declining in the mid-16th century in Kashmir and persecution by Sunni authorities led to its eventual demise.[2][3] Eventually, the order was assimilated into mainstream Twelver Shi'a Islam.[3]
In regions such as Baltistan and Purig in the Kargil district, the Nurbakhshia persisted as a distinct sect with its own doctrinal framework, blending elements of both Shi'ism and Sunni Islam although much of its teaching, law and doctrine is derived from Imami Shia doctrine.[3][4]
Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani, the Sufi master of the 15th century, has received relatively little attention from researchers despite his significant influence. Although Nurbakhsh had numerous scholar-disciples, such as Shaikh Asiri Lahiji, none of them undertook substantial efforts to document Nurbakhsh's biography or to preserve his teachings.[5]
Nurbakhshis believe that the practices are not an assemblage of his personal views but were originally conceived by him from Muhammad through the masters of the spiritual chain. They state that anyone who questions this connection is invited to travel on the long road through the history of mysticism and to compare it with that of Nurbakhsh's teachings.[6]
In Baltistan and Ladakh
[edit]The Noorbakshia order persists in Baltistan and Kargil in Ladakh as a distinct sect with its own unique doctrinal blend encompassing elements of Shi'a and Sunni Islam. While the order formerly had numerous adherents in the region, its prominence has waned in recent times, after the deaths of notable figures such as Mir Danial Shahīd, although the specific timeframe of these events requires further specification.[7] Significant pockets of adherents continue to exist, particularly with many residing in Baltistan, and in villages scattered throughout Kargil and the Nubra Valley in Ladakh.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Bashir, Shahzad (2003). Messianic Hopes and Mystical Visions: The Nūrbakhshīya Between Medieval and Modern Islam. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-57003-495-4.
- ↑ Abbas, Mohsin; Ahmad, Mujeeb (2021). "The Development of the Nūrbakhshī Sufi Order in Gilgit-Baltistan". Islamic Studies. 60 (4): 365–398. doi:10.52541/isiri.v60i4.1892. ISSN 2710-5326.
- 1 2 3 Rieck, Andreas (1995). "The Nurbakhshis of Baltistan — Crisis and Revival of a Five Centuries Old Community". Die Welt des Islams. 35 (2): 159–188. doi:10.1163/1570060952597761. ISSN 0043-2539.
- ↑ Grist, Nicola (1995). "Muslims in Western Ladakh". The Tibet Journal. 20 (3): 59–70. JSTOR 43300543.
- ↑ Dr. Naeem, G. (2000). Mir Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh and Nurbakhshia Sect. Islamabad: Shah-e-Hamadan Publications.
- ↑ Balghari, S. H. (1996). "Shah Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani". Islamabad: The Monthly Nawa-i-Sufia (28).
- ↑ Hanif, N. (2002). Central Asia and Middle East. Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis. Sarup & Sons. p. 366. ISBN 978-81-7625-266-9.
- ↑ Grist, Nicola (2005). "The History of Islam in Suru". Ladakhi Histories. Brill. pp. 175–180. doi:10.1163/9789047408093_012. ISBN 978-90-474-0809-3.