Qayyum (Arabic:قیوم) is a special spiritual position in Sufism, especially in theNaqshbandi tradition. The term was first coined byAhmed Sirhindi, who was the firstQayyum. According to him, aQayyum is a dignitary upon whom the whole order of existence depends. The word is derived fromal-Qayyum, aname of God in Islam that has the same meaning. According to the doctrine, only oneQayyum is alive at any particular time.
The firstQayyum wasAhmad Sirhindi (d. 1624). The second was Ahmed Sirhindi third son, Khwaja Muhammad Masum Faruqi (d.1668), who was followed by his son Khwaja Muhammad Hujjatullah Naqshbandi (d. 1703). The fourthQayyum was Khwaja Muhammad Zubair (d. 1740), the grandson of Khwaja Naqshbandi.[1]
Several other influential Sufis have claimed the title ofQayyum.
Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan (d. 1817) was an important saint of theNaqshbandi Sufi order in the 18th century. He was also a renowned poet of modern Urdu. Shah Waliullah, an Islamic scholar and contemporary of Mirza Mazhar, is quoted as saying, "As far as I can see, and I can see the seven continents, there is no saint today like Mirza Mazhar."[citation needed]
Muhammad Safiullah Faruqi was the son of Ghulam Masoom Faruqi Mujaddidi. He died in theHijri month ofDhu al-Qadah in 1844 on his return journey from thehajj.[2] Makhdoom Safi Ullah died in Hudaydah, a coastal city of Yemen.[3][better source needed]
Ghulam Ali Dehlavi (d. 1662) is also claimed to be theMujaddid, a person who revives Islam every century, for the 13th century of the Islamic calendar.[4]
Abu Saeed Faruqi Mujaddidi (d.1672) was predicted to be the nextQayyum by Ghulam Ali Dehlavi, his ownShaykh.[4]
