The article sets the task to reveal and consider Sufi genealogy of spiritual continuity (silsila) in which the name of Naqshbandi and Qadiri Sheikh Tashav-Hadji Al-Indiri appears. Tashav-Hadji was one of the leaders of the early period of the Caucasian War of the 19th century, and later a Naib of Imam Shamil. Tashav-Hadji was not only the follower of Jihad, but also the great theologian scholar, who took active part in liberating fight and left works of various genres. The problem of spiritual succession in Sufism in the East Caucasus still remains poorly studied, and demands further researches. According to Sufi tradition, inclusion in a sequence of spiritual succession is an important criterion of the validity of the Sheikh. The author of the article has found and examined five Sufi silsila, three of which are Naqshbandi, and two are Qadiri. The author proves the existence of the name “Al-Indiri” in a sequence of Sufi mentors. In the article a critical analysis of spiritual genealogies is carried out; the paper also provides their comparison to genealogies from other authoritative sources. In case of discrepancy of names with other genealogies, the author offers the explanation of its possible reasons. By means of consideration of these genealogies, the author comes to a conclusion that Tashav-Hadji was a teacher in Naqshbandi and Qadiri brotherhoods. Besides, it has been found out that Tashav-Hadji was a teacher of well-known Chechen Sufi Kunta-Hadji Kishiyev in Qadiri brotherhood. The article generalizes the new material on the studied subject; the above-mentioned Sufi genealogies are introduced for scientific use. This article may be interesting to experts in Sufism and researchers of the Caucasian War of the 19th century, as well as be used by the researchers who are engaged in Sufism history in the Caucasus.

Key words: Sufism, Naqshbandiya, Qadiriya, silsila, Tashav-Hadji, Kunta-Hadji.

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About the author

  

Ismail I. Khanmurzaev – Junior Research Associate at the Department of Oriental Studies of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of Daghestan Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences; 75 Yaragskogo str., Makhachkala, Russia, 367030; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.