Atlas
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.
بالم سلطان
Balım Sultan
Died 1516 · Hacıbektaş (Sulucakarahöyük)
Second pir (pīr-i thānī); head of the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501; organiser of the order (TDV, Trimingham)
Sources for this person
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: Bektāshiyya. Tap a rule to read its basis, sources and checks.
Sources differ on 4 links of this route.
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiqجعفر الصادق765
two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Bektāshiyyasources differ
successor of · Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq to Mūsā al-Kāẓim · Two independent sources
Seventh Imam (d. 183/799), per the Twelver account.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L3684-3693 · agreesMūsā b. Jaʿfar, called al-Kāẓim; born 128, died 183 in Baghdad in custody.
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L81825-81835, L81925 · agreesMūsā al-Kāẓim, born c. 128; died Rajab 183.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L3677-3678 · agreesMūsā heads the list of al-Ṣādiq's five sons with offspring.
- Farhad Daftary, The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed. 2007), ch. 3, pp. 88–89 · agreesMost Imāmī followers came to Mūsā; he is counted seventh Twelver imam and died in custody at Baghdad in 183/799.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Ismāʿīlī account: the imamate passed through Ismāʿīl b. Jaʿfar and his son Muḥammad. TDV İsmâiliyye gives the reasons reported for Mūsā's designation instead of the elder Ismāʿīl: a report that Ismāʿīl died three years before his father, and a report about his conduct and his ties to Abū l-Khaṭṭāb.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsmâiliyye
- Daftary (modern historian of Ismāʿīlism), reporting the Twelver position: the Twelvers claim a designation (naṣṣ) of Mūsā by al-Ṣādiq, supported by ḥadīths. Daftary adds that it is not certain al-Ṣādiq named anyone after Ismāʿīl. (ch. 3, p. 88)Farhad Daftary, The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed. 2007)
Mūsā al-Kāẓimموسى الكاظم799one sourcein Bektāshiyyaomits: all generations between Mūsā al-Kāẓim (d. 799) and Ḥājjī Bektāsh (d. c. 1271); the Vilâyetnâme gives no generations
family descent · Mūsā al-Kāẓim to Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî) · One source
The Vilâyetnâme, as TDV reports, presents Hacı Bektaş as a seyyid descended from Imam Mūsā al-Kāẓim; TDV treats the Imāmī framing as a later reshaping.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Hacı Bektâş-ı VelîChecked against
- TDV, Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî, Silsila claims · agreesSeyyid descent from Musa al-Kazim stated in the Vilâyetnâme; TDV sees later Shiite overlay.
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L3423 · silentCalls the relationship of Hajji Bektash to the order attributed to him tenuous; states no Kāẓim descent.
Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî)حاجي بكتاش وليc. 1271two sourcesin Bektāshiyyaomits: roughly two centuries of lodge heads between c. 1271 and 1501, none named in the sources readsources differ
successor of · Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî) to Balım Sultan · Two independent sources
Balım Sultan is traditionally counted second pir; TDV says he took over the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501 (907 AH) from Dimetoka; Trimingham says appointed to the Pir Evi in 907/1501.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, BektâşîlikTrimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, BektashiyyaChecked against
- TDV, Bektâşîlik, Tarih · agreesSecond pir; took over the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501; death 1516 (as given).
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4850 · agreesCalled the first true Bektāshī leader; appointed head of the Pir Evi 907/1501; died 922/1516.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- The identity of Hacı Bektaş's successor is debated between the Çelebi and Babagan branches to this day (Gümüşoğlu 2022 abstract excerpt). Çelebis claim descent from Hacı Bektaş and an office hereditary at least from 1750 (Trimingham); Babagan (Yol evladı) dedes derive from Balım Sultan, an apostolic head chosen by council.Gümüşoğlu (2022), postnişin and Çelebi/Babagan study (search excerpt)Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, BektashiyyaTDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Bektâşîlik
Balım Sultanبالم سلطان1516
Other routes (2)
Route 2 of 3: Bektāshiyya
Sources differ on 5 links of this route.
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiqجعفر الصادق765
two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Bektāshiyyasources differ
successor of · Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq to Mūsā al-Kāẓim · Two independent sources
Seventh Imam (d. 183/799), per the Twelver account.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L3684-3693 · agreesMūsā b. Jaʿfar, called al-Kāẓim; born 128, died 183 in Baghdad in custody.
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L81825-81835, L81925 · agreesMūsā al-Kāẓim, born c. 128; died Rajab 183.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L3677-3678 · agreesMūsā heads the list of al-Ṣādiq's five sons with offspring.
- Farhad Daftary, The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed. 2007), ch. 3, pp. 88–89 · agreesMost Imāmī followers came to Mūsā; he is counted seventh Twelver imam and died in custody at Baghdad in 183/799.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Ismāʿīlī account: the imamate passed through Ismāʿīl b. Jaʿfar and his son Muḥammad. TDV İsmâiliyye gives the reasons reported for Mūsā's designation instead of the elder Ismāʿīl: a report that Ismāʿīl died three years before his father, and a report about his conduct and his ties to Abū l-Khaṭṭāb.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsmâiliyye
- Daftary (modern historian of Ismāʿīlism), reporting the Twelver position: the Twelvers claim a designation (naṣṣ) of Mūsā by al-Ṣādiq, supported by ḥadīths. Daftary adds that it is not certain al-Ṣādiq named anyone after Ismāʿīl. (ch. 3, p. 88)Farhad Daftary, The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed. 2007)
Mūsā al-Kāẓimموسى الكاظم799one sourcein Bektāshiyyaomits: all generations between Mūsā al-Kāẓim (d. 799) and Ḥājjī Bektāsh (d. c. 1271); the Vilâyetnâme gives no generations
family descent · Mūsā al-Kāẓim to Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî) · One source
The Vilâyetnâme, as TDV reports, presents Hacı Bektaş as a seyyid descended from Imam Mūsā al-Kāẓim; TDV treats the Imāmī framing as a later reshaping.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Hacı Bektâş-ı VelîChecked against
- TDV, Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî, Silsila claims · agreesSeyyid descent from Musa al-Kazim stated in the Vilâyetnâme; TDV sees later Shiite overlay.
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L3423 · silentCalls the relationship of Hajji Bektash to the order attributed to him tenuous; states no Kāẓim descent.
Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî)حاجي بكتاش وليc. 1271two sourcesin Bektāshiyyaomits: roughly two centuries of lodge heads between c. 1271 and 1501, none named in the sources readsources differ
successor of · Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî) to Balım Sultan · Two independent sources
Balım Sultan is traditionally counted second pir; TDV says he took over the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501 (907 AH) from Dimetoka; Trimingham says appointed to the Pir Evi in 907/1501.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, BektâşîlikTrimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, BektashiyyaChecked against
- TDV, Bektâşîlik, Tarih · agreesSecond pir; took over the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501; death 1516 (as given).
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4850 · agreesCalled the first true Bektāshī leader; appointed head of the Pir Evi 907/1501; died 922/1516.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- The identity of Hacı Bektaş's successor is debated between the Çelebi and Babagan branches to this day (Gümüşoğlu 2022 abstract excerpt). Çelebis claim descent from Hacı Bektaş and an office hereditary at least from 1750 (Trimingham); Babagan (Yol evladı) dedes derive from Balım Sultan, an apostolic head chosen by council.Gümüşoğlu (2022), postnişin and Çelebi/Babagan study (search excerpt)Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, BektashiyyaTDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Bektâşîlik
Balım Sultanبالم سلطان1516
Route 3 of 3: Bektāshiyya
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiqجعفر الصادق765
two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Bektāshiyyasources differ
successor of · Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq to Mūsā al-Kāẓim · Two independent sources
Seventh Imam (d. 183/799), per the Twelver account.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L3684-3693 · agreesMūsā b. Jaʿfar, called al-Kāẓim; born 128, died 183 in Baghdad in custody.
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L81825-81835, L81925 · agreesMūsā al-Kāẓim, born c. 128; died Rajab 183.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L3677-3678 · agreesMūsā heads the list of al-Ṣādiq's five sons with offspring.
- Farhad Daftary, The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed. 2007), ch. 3, pp. 88–89 · agreesMost Imāmī followers came to Mūsā; he is counted seventh Twelver imam and died in custody at Baghdad in 183/799.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Ismāʿīlī account: the imamate passed through Ismāʿīl b. Jaʿfar and his son Muḥammad. TDV İsmâiliyye gives the reasons reported for Mūsā's designation instead of the elder Ismāʿīl: a report that Ismāʿīl died three years before his father, and a report about his conduct and his ties to Abū l-Khaṭṭāb.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsmâiliyye
- Daftary (modern historian of Ismāʿīlism), reporting the Twelver position: the Twelvers claim a designation (naṣṣ) of Mūsā by al-Ṣādiq, supported by ḥadīths. Daftary adds that it is not certain al-Ṣādiq named anyone after Ismāʿīl. (ch. 3, p. 88)Farhad Daftary, The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed. 2007)
Mūsā al-Kāẓimموسى الكاظم799one sourcein Bektāshiyyaomits: all generations between Mūsā al-Kāẓim (d. 799) and Ḥājjī Bektāsh (d. c. 1271); the Vilâyetnâme gives no generations
family descent · Mūsā al-Kāẓim to Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî) · One source
The Vilâyetnâme, as TDV reports, presents Hacı Bektaş as a seyyid descended from Imam Mūsā al-Kāẓim; TDV treats the Imāmī framing as a later reshaping.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Hacı Bektâş-ı VelîChecked against
- TDV, Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî, Silsila claims · agreesSeyyid descent from Musa al-Kazim stated in the Vilâyetnâme; TDV sees later Shiite overlay.
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L3423 · silentCalls the relationship of Hajji Bektash to the order attributed to him tenuous; states no Kāẓim descent.
Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî)حاجي بكتاش وليc. 1271two sourcesin Bektāshiyyaomits: roughly two centuries of lodge heads between c. 1271 and 1501, none named in the sources readsources differ
successor of · Ḥājjī Bektāsh Walī (Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî) to Balım Sultan · Two independent sources
Balım Sultan is traditionally counted second pir; TDV says he took over the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501 (907 AH) from Dimetoka; Trimingham says appointed to the Pir Evi in 907/1501.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, BektâşîlikTrimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, BektashiyyaChecked against
- TDV, Bektâşîlik, Tarih · agreesSecond pir; took over the Hacı Bektaş lodge c. 1501; death 1516 (as given).
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L4850 · agreesCalled the first true Bektāshī leader; appointed head of the Pir Evi 907/1501; died 922/1516.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- The identity of Hacı Bektaş's successor is debated between the Çelebi and Babagan branches to this day (Gümüşoğlu 2022 abstract excerpt). Çelebis claim descent from Hacı Bektaş and an office hereditary at least from 1750 (Trimingham); Babagan (Yol evladı) dedes derive from Balım Sultan, an apostolic head chosen by council.Gümüşoğlu (2022), postnişin and Çelebi/Babagan study (search excerpt)Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, BektashiyyaTDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Bektâşîlik
Balım Sultanبالم سلطان1516
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 Balım Sultan
No one is recorded below this person in the sources read.
How to cite
Mashraba Reader, Atlas of transmission, “Balım Sultan”, https://www.mashraba.org/atlas/figure/balim-sultan (data of 31 October 2026).