Noorbakshia Islam

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Noorbakhshia or Nurbakhshia (Persian: نوربخشیه) is a distinct sect that places significant emphasis on the concept of Muslim unity and on "Fiqh ul Ahwat" (which delves into Islamic jurisprudence), a concept by Muhammad Nurbakhshi.

The Nurbakhshia tradition is distinguished by its spiritual lineage known as the Silsila-e-Zahab, or Golden Chain. This spiritual lineage claims to trace its origins back to the Imam Haqiqi (Divinely Appointed 12 Imams), spanning from Imam Ali to Imam Mahdi. Notably, Noorbakhshia stands out among Sufi orders within Islam for its foundational principles deeply rooted in the teachings of the Aima Tahirreen, or Fourteen Infallibles. The followers of this lineage are known as Noorbakhshia.

The primary doctrinal sources of Noorbakhshi teachings are encapsulated within three key things: "Al-Fiqh al-Ahwat" and "Kitab al-Aitiqadia," created by Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani, and "Dawat-e-Noorbakhshia," by Ameer Kabir Syed Ali Hamdani, a preacher.^[1]

In its country of origin, Iran, the Noorbakhshiyya 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. In regions such as Baltistan and Purig in the Kargil district, the Sufia Nurbakhshiya persisted as a distinct sect with its own doctrinal framework, blending elements of both Shi'ism and Sunni Islam.^[2][3]

Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani, a 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.^{[4][better source needed]}

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.^[5]

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 these regions, its prominence has waned in recent times, after the deaths of notable figures such as Mir Danial Shaheed, although the specific timeframe of these events requires further specification.^[6] Nevertheless, 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.^[7]

• Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
• Mir Sham ud-Din Iraqi

• The Tarikh-i-Rashidi of Mirza Muhammad Haidar, Dughlát : a history of the Moghuls of Central Asia — Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat mentions the Nurbakhshis in his History.