Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari was the founder of what would become one of the largest SufiMuslim orders, the Naqshbandi.
Biography
Baha-ud-Din was born on 18 March 1318 CE in the village of Qasr-i-Hinduvan near Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan and it was there that he died in 1389.
Lineage
Baha-ud-Din was a Sayyid, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad through Imam Hasan al-Askari. One registered lineage of him is the following: 1. Prophet Muhammad 2. Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima Al Zahra 3. Imam Hussain 4. Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin 5. Imam Muhammad al Baqir 6. Imam Ja'far al-Sâdiq 7. Imam Musa al-Kazim 8. Imam Ali al Reza 9. Imam Muhammad al Taqi 10. Imam Ali al Hadi 11. Imam Hasan al-Askari 12. Mir Sayyid Ali Akbar 13. Sayyid Mir Mahmud Fakhriddin 14. Amir Sayyid Mir Muhyuddin 15. Amir Sayyid Mir Khalwati 16. Amir Sayyid Mir Naqi Naqib 17. Sayyid Mir Ilaq 18. Sayyid Mir Mahmud 19. Sayyid Burhan Qilich 20. Sayyid Mir Shaaban 21. Sayyid Mir Qasim 22. Sayyid Mir Zayn ul Abedin 23. Sayyid Mir Abdullah 24. Sayyid Mir Burhanuddin Qilich 25. Amir Sayyid Mir Jalalludin Muhammad Bukhari 26. Amir Sayyid Burhanuddin Muhammad Bukhari 27. Hazrat Khwaja Sayyid Mir Bahauddin Naqshband
He came into early contact with the Khwajagan, and was adopted as spiritual progeny by one of them, Baba Muhammad Sammasi, while still an infant. Sammasi was his first guide on the path, and more important was his relationship with Sammasi's principal khalifa, Amir Kulal, the last link in the silsila, or chain of teachers, before Baha-ud-Din:
As a youth, Naqshbandi was recognized as an exceptional Islamic scholar before he turned 20. He traveled to Mecca for the Islamic pilgrimageHajj at least three times. He became a respected scholar in Central Asia and received many guests and pupils to Bukhara from other parts of Central Asia.
Death
Baha-ud-Din was buried in his native village, Qasr-i Arifan, in 1389. In 1544, KhanAbd al-Aziz built over his grave a tomb and surrounding buildings. The Memorial complex is located 16 kilometers from Bukhara and is today a place of pilgrimage.
Legacy and descendants
Baha-ud-Din is the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order. One notable bloodline goes on through his daughter who married Baha-ud-din´s student and spiritual heir Alauddin Attar. Notable descendants of Bahauddin through this bloodline are Hazrat Ishaan and his family.
