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Mashrabaمشربة

Atlas

Chains of transmission from the Prophet, read as the sources give them.
About this atlas

The atlas holds the chains of transmission from the Prophet as the standard references and the classical sources record them: the Sufi orders, the chains of Qurʾān recitation, the teachers of the schools of law and ḥadīth, and the lines of the Prophet's family, with the places they spread and the living houses and teachers who carry them today. Every link shows its sources; where they differ, both readings are shown, and we do not rule on any community's claims. Ibn ʿArabī's own life, teachers and readers are on their own page.

أحمد الرفاعي

Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī

Died 578/1182 · born 512/1118 · Umm ʿAbīda (Baṭāʾiḥ), Wāsiṭ

Founder; shaykh of the Baṭāʾiḥ lodges; buried near Wāsiṭ

Sources for this person

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The chain up to the Prophet

Dates are given where the sources give them. Years are CE; the Hijri year is in each name's detail.

Route 1 of 3, the best-sourced: Rifāʿiyya. Tap a rule to read its basis, sources and checks.

  1. The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
  3. Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārīأبو علي الروذباري934
  4. the community's own accountin Rifāʿiyya

    initiation · Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī to Ghulām b. Turkān · The community's own account

    Chain via Aḥmad's first shaykh, as TDV gives it: al-Rūdhbārī → Ghulām b. Turkān.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13843-13848 · silentNo intermediate names are given in Trimingham's summary of the Tiryāq.
    Ghulām b. Turkānغلام بن تركان
  5. the community's own accountin Rifāʿiyya

    initiation · Ghulām b. Turkān to Abū l-Faḍl ʿAlī al-Wāsiṭī · The community's own account

    Chain via Aḥmad's first shaykh, as TDV gives it: Ghulām b. Turkān → Abū l-Faḍl al-Wāsiṭī.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13843-13848 · silentNo intermediate names are given in Trimingham's summary of the Tiryāq.
    Abū l-Faḍl ʿAlī al-Wāsiṭīأبو الفضل علي الواسطي
  6. two sourcesin Rifāʿiyya

    gave the khirqa · Abū l-Faḍl ʿAlī al-Wāsiṭī to Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī · Two independent sources

    TDV: al-Wāsiṭī taught Aḥmad, gave him ijāza and his cloak (hırka).

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Ahmed er-Rifâî'TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L2285-2288 · agreesAḥmad's shaykh al-suhba, who invested him with his first khirqa, was ʿAlī Abū l-Faḍl al-Qārī al-Wāsiṭī.
    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13843-13846 · agreesTaqī al-Dīn al-Wāsiṭī: his first initiator ʿAlī Abū l-Faḍl al-Qārī al-Wāsiṭī is linked to al-Junayd.
    Aḥmad al-Rifāʿīأحمد الرفاعي1182
Other routes (2)

Route 2 of 3: Rifāʿiyya

  1. The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
  3. Abū Saʿīd al-Najjārأبو سعيد النجار
  4. the community's own accountin Rifāʿiyya

    initiation · Abū Saʿīd al-Najjār to Abū Manṣūr al-Ṭayyib · The community's own account

    Chain via Aḥmad's uncle, as TDV gives it: Abū Saʿīd al-Najjār → Abū Manṣūr al-Ṭayyib.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13846-13850 · silentTrimingham's Manṣūr chains do not name Abū Saʿīd al-Najjār or Abū Manṣūr al-Ṭayyib.
    Abū Manṣūr al-Ṭayyibأبو منصور الطيب
  5. the community's own accountin Rifāʿiyyasources differ

    initiation · Abū Manṣūr al-Ṭayyib to Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī · The community's own account

    Chain via Aḥmad's uncle, as TDV gives it: Abū Manṣūr al-Ṭayyib → Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • al-Shaʿrānī, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā (= Lawāqiḥ al-anwār, OpenITI), 0973CabdWahhabShacrani.LawaqihAnwar.JK009301-ara1#L5788-5790 · differsShaʿrānī: Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī trained under Shaykh Muḥammad al-Shunbukī.
    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13846-13850 · differsTrimingham (via al-Wāsiṭī): Manṣūr's three silsilas were hereditary to al-Junayd, via Maʿrūf and the ʿAlid line, and via Abū Bakr al-Hawāzanī al-Baṭāʾiḥī; the Ruwaym route is not among them.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Shaʿrānī (Ṭabaqāt, Lawāqiḥ al-anwār, l.5788–5790) makes Muḥammad al-Shunbukī the shaykh of Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī; Trimingham (1971, p. 263, summarising al-Wāsiṭī's Tiryāq) lists Manṣūr's silsilas as: hereditary to al-Junayd; via Maʿrūf al-Karkhī and the ʿAlid line; and via Abū Bakr al-Hawāzanī al-Baṭāʾiḥī to Sahl al-Tustarī, Dhū l-Nūn, Isrāfīl and ʿAlī. The Ruwaym → Sundūsī → Karmazī → Najjār → Ṭayyib route of the first pass is not in either.Shaʿrānī; Trimingham 1971
    Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥīمنصور البطائحي
  6. two sourcesin Rifāʿiyya

    gave the khirqa · Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī to Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī · Two independent sources

    TDV: Manṣūr, Aḥmad's maternal uncle, gave him the caliphate and the title shaykh al-shuyūkh; the Umm ʿAbīda lodge was placed under him in 540/1145-46.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Ahmed er-Rifâî'TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L2286-2290 · agreesMaternal uncle Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī (d. 540/1145) gave him the khirqa in his 27th year, then the mashyakha before his death.
    • al-Shaʿrānī, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā (= Lawāqiḥ al-anwār, OpenITI), 0973CabdWahhabShacrani.LawaqihAnwar.JK009301-ara1#L5788 · agreesShaʿrānī: Manṣūr al-Baṭāʾiḥī is Aḥmad b. al-Rifāʿī's maternal uncle and Aḥmad trained in his company.
    Aḥmad al-Rifāʿīأحمد الرفاعي1182

Route 3 of 3: Rifāʿiyya

  1. The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
  3. Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārīأبو علي الروذباري934
  4. the community's own accountin Rifāʿiyya

    initiation · Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī to Ghulām b. Turkān · The community's own account

    Chain via Aḥmad's first shaykh, as TDV gives it: al-Rūdhbārī → Ghulām b. Turkān.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13843-13848 · silentNo intermediate names are given in Trimingham's summary of the Tiryāq.
    Ghulām b. Turkānغلام بن تركان
  5. the community's own accountin Rifāʿiyya

    initiation · Ghulām b. Turkān to Abū l-Faḍl ʿAlī al-Wāsiṭī · The community's own account

    Chain via Aḥmad's first shaykh, as TDV gives it: Ghulām b. Turkān → Abū l-Faḍl al-Wāsiṭī.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13843-13848 · silentNo intermediate names are given in Trimingham's summary of the Tiryāq.
    Abū l-Faḍl ʿAlī al-Wāsiṭīأبو الفضل علي الواسطي
  6. two sourcesin Rifāʿiyya

    gave the khirqa · Abū l-Faḍl ʿAlī al-Wāsiṭī to Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī · Two independent sources

    TDV: al-Wāsiṭī taught Aḥmad, gave him ijāza and his cloak (hırka).

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Ahmed er-Rifâî'TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L2285-2288 · agreesAḥmad's shaykh al-suhba, who invested him with his first khirqa, was ʿAlī Abū l-Faḍl al-Qārī al-Wāsiṭī.
    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L13843-13846 · agreesTaqī al-Dīn al-Wāsiṭī: his first initiator ʿAlī Abū l-Faḍl al-Qārī al-Wāsiṭī is linked to al-Junayd.
    Aḥmad al-Rifāʿīأحمد الرفاعي1182
How to read the marks
  • Two sources: a solid rule. Two independent references give the same link.
  • One source: a lighter rule, so labelled.
  • The community's own account: a dotted rule. The order tells it; we have not yet read it against a reference source.
  • A gap in the rule: the sources omit names between the two. The label says which.
  • The sources differ: tap the ≠ to read each reading with its source.
  • A ring: a spiritual link, without a meeting (uwaysī).

Who received from Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī

3 recorded, each with the chain set it belongs to.

  • Abū l-Fatḥ al-Wāsiṭīأبو الفتح الواسطي1234
    two sourcesin Rifāʿiyya

    gave the khirqa · Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī to Abū l-Fatḥ al-Wāsiṭī · Two independent sources

    TDV: sent to Alexandria; credited with organising the order in Egypt.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L2386-2387 · agreesThe Rifāʿiyya spread into Egypt through Abū l-Fatḥ al-Wāsiṭī (d. 632/1234).
    • al-Shaʿrānī, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā (= Lawāqiḥ al-anwār, OpenITI), 0973CabdWahhabShacrani.LawaqihAnwar.JK009301-ara1#L8841-8843 · agreesShaʿrānī: Abū l-Fatḥ al-Wāsiṭī was among the companions of Ibn al-Rifāʿī, who sent him to Alexandria; shaykh of the shaykhs of Lower Egypt.
  • Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Ḥarīrīأبو الحسن علي الحريري1223
    one sourcein Rifāʿiyyasources differ

    family descent · Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī to Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Ḥarīrī · One source

    TDV: al-Ḥarīrī (d. 620/1223) was a grandson through a daughter and the first Rifāʿī shaykh in Syria.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'

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    • TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/rifaiyye, branch 1 "Harîriyye" · agreesTDV: Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Ḥarīrī (d. 620/1223) was Aḥmad's grandson through a daughter and founded the Ḥarīriyya.
    • Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-aʿyan (OpenITI), 0681IbnKhallikan.WafayatAcyan.Shamela0001000-ara1#L2862-2866 · differsIbn Khallikan: Aḥmad had no issue; descendants are through his brother.
    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L2386-2389 · silentTrimingham names only Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Ḥarīrī, d. Busra 645/1248, who spread the order into Syria; no kinship is stated.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Two men of the same name are in the record. TDV (Rifâiyye, branch 1) separates Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Ḥarīrī (d. 620/1223, a grandson of Aḥmad through a daughter, founder of the Ḥarīriyya) from his disciple Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Ḥarīrī b. Abī l-Ḥasan (d. 645/1247), and says some authors mixed them up. Trimingham (1971, p. 39 and App. H) knows only the second, d. Busra 645/1248, and states no kinship. The first pass gave the second man's role under the first man's dates.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Rifâiyye'
  • ʿIzz al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Ṣayyādعز الدين أحمد الصياد1271
    one sourcein Rifāʿiyyasources differ

    family descent · Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī to ʿIzz al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Ṣayyād · One source

    TDV: ʿIzz al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Ṣayyād (d. 670/1271) was a grandson of Aḥmad and founder of the Sayyādiyya branch.

    TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Ahmed er-Rifâî'TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sayyâdiyye'

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    Checked against

    • Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), owner text, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L14526 · agreesAppendix H: ʿIzz al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Ṣayyād, hafīd (grandson) of A. b. al-Rifāʿī, d. 670/1273.
    • Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-aʿyan (OpenITI), 0681IbnKhallikan.WafayatAcyan.Shamela0001000-ara1#L2862-2866 · differsIbn Khallikan: Aḥmad left no issue; the line of descendants belongs to his brother, whose sons inherited the shaykhdom.

    Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.

    • Ibn Khallikan (Wafayāt al-aʿyān, entry Ibn al-Rifāʿī) says Aḥmad had no offspring (ʿaqib) and that the descendants who inherit the shaykhdom are his brother's; Trimingham (1971, p. 38) repeats this and adds that Aḥmad's sister's son ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān succeeded him. TDV and Trimingham's Appendix H both call al-Ṣayyād a grandson (ḥafīd) of Aḥmad.Ibn Khallikan; Trimingham 1971

How to cite

Mashraba Reader, Atlas of transmission, “Aḥmad al-Rifāʿī”, https://www.mashraba.org/atlas/figure/ahmad-rifai (data of 31 October 2026).