Found primarily in Turkey and Eastern Europe, the Bektashis are renowned for their good humor and nonorthodox perspective. They are particularly noted for their acceptance of men and women meeting together and the high position they accord to Jesus and Ali. Bektashi leaders are called Baba (father in Turkish). There is a primarily Albanian Bektashi tekke (lodge) outside of Detroit.
The Chishtis are most prominent in India and Pakistan and are known for inclusive, universalist teachings as well as their musicians and religious songs (in notable contrast to some Muslims who narrowly say that music is incompatible with Islam.) Chishti representatives were the first to introduce Sufism to Europe and North America. Hazrat Inayat Khan and his son Pir Vilayat Khan are the best known Chisti teachers in the West.
primarily Turkish branch of the widespread Khalwatiyyah (Turkish: Helvetiyye), this
syncretic order includes teachings from several major orders. The now-departed Grand
Sheikh of the order, Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak, brought the order to New York. It's present
leaders in the U.S. include Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi - Lex Hixon (rahimahullah), Sheikh Tosun Bayrak, and
Sheikh Ragip Frager.
Perhaps best known as the "whirling dervishes," the Mevlevis are an inclusive Turkish order that places particular emphasis on the "religion of love." Mevlevis call their leaders Dede (honored elder). Teachers in the way of Mevlana in the U.S. include Kabir Helminski of the Threshold Society and Jelaluddin Loras, son of Suleyman Dede, the now departed sheikh of Konya.
Particularly strong in the Caucasus and Central Asia, the Naqshibandi order is
considered a "sober" Sufi order, its founder being a great reformer of Sufism.
One of its hallmarks is the "silent dhikr," wherein the names of Allah and other
dhikr phrases are repeated inwardly rather than verbally. Naqshbandi Sheikhs in the West
include Sheikh Nazim al Haqqani and his khalifa
Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, Idries Shah and Omar Ali Shah, and Irina Tweedie.
The Nimatullahis are the most widespread Shi'ite Sufi order and are most concentrated in Iran. Their leader Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh now lives in London and they are found throughout the U.S.
Founded in Baghdad, the Qadiris were reputedly the first Sufi tariqah to be formally organized. They are particularly widespread, with some branches characterized by ecstatic dance and feats of wonderworking. Jilani is today the most revered Sufi saint. The best known Qadiri Sheikh in North America has been Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.
Founded at roughly the same time as the Qadiri Order, the order has a tendency to ecstatic dhikr as a result of Central Asian influences. Like the Qadiris, some branches of the Rifa'i order have declined into public displays of wonderworking. However its adherents range from the most sober to the most ecstatic.
This primarily Turkish order represents the merging of the Qadiri and Rifa'i orders and teaches the practices of both lineages. It migrated from Baghdad to Istanbul around the turn of the century. It is presently represented in the U.S. by Sheikh Taner Vargonen.
Founded in Egypt by a Tunisian, the Shadhiliyyah are strong throughout North Africa.
Like the Naqshbandis, they are considered a "sober" order, and their Western
representatives generally emphasize Islamic tradition.
This branch of the Darqawis (see below) was founded by an Algerian mujadid (renewer of Islam) who was the subject of Martin Lings's celebrated biography, A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century. Frithjof Schuon traces his lineage to this order.
A branch of the Shadhiliyyah, the Darqawi Order was founded by a Moroccan mujadid who ignited great fervor in North Africa. Sheikh Fadhlalla Haeri is a representative of this order in the West.
A tendency mainly found in Iran, the Uwaysi follow inner links to Uways al-Qarani, a contemporary of the Prophet, rather than a formal tariqa. An Uwaysi tendency founded by Mir Qutb al-Din Muhammad Angha in the early 20th century and formalized by his son, Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha, has spread to the West.
The Tijaniyya Tariqa is a means of approach to Allah which demands complete submission to Allah and adherence to the Shari'a. Sheikh Ahmad at-Tijaani 'R.A.( 1735-1815) stated : "If you hear someone quoting me, place this on the scale of the Shari'a; if it balances, take it. If it doesn't, leave it...Within Qur'an and hadith, you will find the Tariqa Tijaniyya. Outside of the circle of Qur'an and hadith there is no such thing !"
The Tariqa Tijaniyya is a Sufi path which is compatible with the peculiarities and demands of our century. It is based solely on three required principles found in Qur'an and hadith :
Literacy is a priority among the members of the Tariqa Tijaniyya both for men and women and the Tariqa is known for its scholars, so much so that it is called the Tariqa of the Scholars.
Found primarily in Africa (Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, the Gambia Mali and Nigeria, where it has the greatest number of adepts), the Tariqa is growing fast on the American and European continents.
Sources:
Cyril Glasse, The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (New York: Harper & Row,
1989);
J. Gordon Melton, The Encyclopedia of American Religions, second edition (Detroit:
Gale Research, 1987);
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Spirituality:
Manifestations (New York: Crossroad, 1991).
This guide originally appeared in GNOSIS Magazine #30 (Winter 1994), a special issue on Sufism. Copies of this 88-page issue are available for $6 (+ $1.50 shipping) from:
Gnosis, P.O. Box 14217, San Francisco, CA 94114 USA