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Silsila (Arabic:سِلْسِلَة) is anArabic word meaningchain,link,connection often used in various senses oflineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritualgenealogy" where one Sufi Master transfers hiskhilafat to hiskhalîfa, or spiritual descendant.[citation needed] InUrdu,silsila means saga.[1]
EverySufi order, ortariqa, has asilsila.Silsila originated with the initiation oftariqa which dates back to the Islamic prophetMuhammad. Mostsilsila trace their lineage back to his cousin and son-in-lawAli bin Abi Talib such as theQadiriyyah, theChishtiyya, theNoorbakhshia and theSuhrawardiyyah orders. However, theNaqshbandiyyah order is throughAbu Bakr.
Centuries ago, Arabia did not have schools forformal education. Students went to masters who taught them. Upon completion of their study, they receivedijazah (permission) which acted as the certification of their education. A graduate then acted as a master having his own students or disciples. This chain of masters was known assilsila or lineage. Somewhat analogous to the modern situation where degrees are only accepted from recognized universities, the certification of a master having a verifiable chain of masters was the only criterion which accorded legitimacy:[2]
Theoretically one can only receive instruction in these practices (talqîn) from an authorised teacher of thetariqa, and only after pledging a vow of obedience (bay'ah) to this shaikh. The shaykh gives his disciples permission (ijâza) to practice thetariqa: he may also authorise one or more of them to teach it to others, i.e. appoint them as hiskhalîfa or successor. In this way a hierarchically ordered network of teachers may emerge. Each sheikh can show a chain of authorities for thetariqa he teaches, hissilsila or spiritual genealogy. Usually thesilsila reaches back from one's own teacher up to the Prophet, with whom alltariqa claim to have originated although there have been modifications along the way. A Sufi'ssilsila is his badge of identity and source of legitimation; it provides him with a list of illustrious predecessors and shows how he is related to other Sufis.
Silsila can be of a partial knowledge or a book as well. Allḥāfiẓa (memorizers of Quran),muḥaddithūn (narrators of hadith), andqāriʾūna (reciters of Quran withtajwid, or correct accent and pronunciation), for example, are given a chain of credible narrators linking to Muhammad.
ForMuslims, the Chain of Authenticity is an important way to ascertain the validity of a saying of Muhammad (also known as aHadith). The Chain of Authenticity relates the chain of people who have heard and repeated the saying of Muhammad through the generations, until that particular Hadith was written down (Ali bin Abi Talib said that 'Aisha said that the Prophet Muhammad said...). A similar idea appears inSufism in regards to the lineage and teachings of Sufi masters and students. This string of master to student is called asilsila, literally meaning "chain". The focus of thesilsila like the Chain of Authenticity is to trace the lineage of aSufi order to Muhammad through his Companions: Ali bin Abi Talib (the primary link between most Sufi orders and Muhammad) andAbu Bakr (the Naaqshbandiyyah order). When a Sufi order can be traced back to Muhammad through one Ali or Abu Bakr, the lineage is called theSilsilat al-Dhahab (dhahab meaning gold) or the "Chain of Gold" (Golden Chain). In early Islamic history,gold was an extremely desired prize and was used forcurrency, to show wealth and power, and for scientific purposes includingmedicine. Thus, gold was the most desired commodity in the material world, just as the Golden Chain is the most desired commodity of Sufi orders.
When Sufism began in the second century of Islam, according to some experts, it was an individual choice; many Sufis aimed to be more like Muhammad by becomingascetic and focusing their lives fully on God; more so than the Five Daily Prayers and usual prescripted religious practices. This often included removing oneself from society and other people in general. As Sufism became a greater movement in Islam, individual Sufis began to group together. These groups (also known as orders) were based on a common master. This common master then began spiritual lineage, which is a connection between a Sufi order in which there is a common spiritual heritage based on the master's teachings (i.e., ‘path’ or ‘method’) called tariq ortariqah. As the number of Sufi orders grew, there arose a need for legitimacy of the orders to establish each order was following the teachings of Muhammad directly; thus the idea of the Silsilat al-Dhahab. If a Sufi order is able to trace its student to master lineage back to Ali bin Abi Talib who provides a straight link to Muhammad (because of his inheritor status with him) then the order is considered righteous and directly following the teachings of Muhammad. In possessing the Golden Chain, a Sufi order is able to establish their order prominently in the mystical world.
Shias use it idiomatically to mean a lineage of authentic Masters.
AmongChinese Muslims, the concept ofsilsilah has developed into that of amenhuan (门宦): a Chinese-styleSufi order whose leaders trace a lineage chain going back to the order's founder in China (e.g.,Ma Laichi given name Abu I Fateh orMa Mingxin given name Ibrahim), and beyond, toward his teachers in Arabia.[3]
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The term is used as the title of royal family trees and family records of the rulers in the palaces ofJava.
