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.
شاه نعمت الله ولی
Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī
Died 834/1431 · born 730/1330 · Aleppo Mevlevihane, Mecca, Mahan (Kirmān)
Founder; born Aleppo, pupil then khalīfa of al-Yāfiʿī in Mecca, settled at Mahan (Trimingham); order's own page: 1330-1431, seven years' service to al-Yāfiʿī
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: Niʿmatullāhiyya. Tap a rule to read its basis, sources and checks.
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
two sourcesthis step is recorded in Qirāʾāt: the ten canonical readings, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
read the Qurʾān to · The Prophet Muhammad to ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib · Two independent sources
Ibn al-Jazarī: the Companion read the Qurʾān to the Messenger of God (the isnād ends here in each chain).
Ibn al-Jazarī, al-Nashr fī l-qirāʾāt al-ʿashr, OpenITI 0833IbnJazari.Nashr.Shamela0022642-ara1, lines 3917-3922Checked against
- al-Dhahabī, Maʿrifat al-qurrāʾ al-kibār, 0748Dhahabi.MacrifaQurraKibar.Shamela0008349-ara2#L148 · agreesListed among the first ṭabaqa, those who read to the Messenger of God.
- al-Dānī, al-Taysīr fī l-qirāʾāt al-sabʿ, 0444AbuCamrDani.TaysirFiQiraatSabc.Shamela0005527-ara1#L156-L159 · agreesRijāl of ʿĀṣim: al-Sulamī took from ʿAlī, among others, from the Prophet.
ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālibعلي بن أبي طالب661two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
child of · ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib to al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī · Two independent sources
Son of ʿAlī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L49607-49609 · agreesal-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L2533-2534 · agreesal-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī; descendants through Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn.
al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlīالحسين بن علي680two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
successor of · al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī to ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn · Two independent sources
Fourth Imam in the Twelver list (d. 94/713).
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān (OpenITI), wafayat#L23376-23380 · agreesNames Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn as one of the Twelve Imams according to the Imāmiyya; al-Ḥusayn's line continues through him.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L2533-2534 · agreesal-Ḥusayn's descendants come through ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn alone.
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L61711-61720, L61983-61990 · agreesʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn; died 94 per al-Wāqidī and others (92, 93, 95 also reported).
ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīnعلي زين العابدين713two sourcesthis step is recorded in Schools of law and ḥadīth, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
child of · ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn to Muḥammad al-Bāqir · Two independent sources
Al-Bāqir is Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's son (Siyar, entry Zayd b. ʿAlī, which calls Zayd 'brother of al-Bāqir').
al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ, entry Zayd b. ʿAlī (OpenITI Shamela0010906, lines 74327-74329)TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Câfer es-Sâdık'Checked against
- al-Mizzī, Tahdhīb al-kamāl, Shamela0003722 #L176089, 134408 · agreesal-Bāqir’s entry lists his father ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn) among his sources; the father’s entry lists “his son Abū Jaʿfar”.
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Shamela0001000 #L30679 · agreesIbn Khallikān: Muḥammad al-Bāqir, son of Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn.
Muḥammad al-Bāqirمحمد الباقر733one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: the generations between al-Bāqir (d. c. 733) and Niʿmat Allāh (b. 1330), not namedsources differ
family descent · Muḥammad al-Bāqir to Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī · One source
Trimingham: Shāh Niʿmat Allāh claimed descent from the fifth Shīʿī Imam, Muḥammad al-Bāqir. Recorded as his claim.
Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5844 · agreesClaimed descent from the fifth Shi'i Imam, Muhammad Baqir.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Trimingham classes the order as keeping Shīʿī orthodoxy in Iran (via the Gunābādī) and as the most active order in Iran; the date and manner of the order's Shīʿī turn were not found in sources read.Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102
Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walīشاه نعمت الله ولی1431
Other routes (2)
Route 2 of 3: Niʿmatullāhiyya
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Niʿmatullāhiyyasources differ
child of · The Prophet Muhammad to Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ · Two independent sources
Fāṭima is the Prophet's daughter; the Ehl-i Beyt article treats the Prophet, ʿAlī, Fāṭima, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn as the five of the 'people of the cloak' in the Shiʿi usage.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Ehl-i BeytChecked against
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L36511-36513, L36569 · agreesFāṭima is the Prophet's daughter; the Prophet's line continues only through her.
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān (OpenITI), wafayat#L9942-9943 · agreesNames Fāṭima, daughter of the Messenger, as al-Ḥasan's mother.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- TDV reports a Sunni position that limits the Ahl al-Bayt to the Prophet's wives, and another that includes his descendants and the Banū Hāshim.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Ehl-i Beyt
- TDV reports the Shiʿi usage naming the five (Prophet, ʿAlī, Fāṭima, Ḥasan, Ḥusayn).TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Ehl-i Beyt
Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾفاطمة الزهراء632two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
child of · Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ to al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī · Two independent sources
Al-Ḥusayn is the son of ʿAlī and Fāṭima; his descendants are called sayyid in TDV's usage.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Ehl-i BeytChecked against
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L49607-49609 · agreesal-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, the Prophet's sibṭ; born Shaʿbān 4 AH (al-Zubayr).
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L2533-2534 · agreesal-Ḥusayn's line continues through ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn alone.
al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlīالحسين بن علي680two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
successor of · al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī to ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn · Two independent sources
Fourth Imam in the Twelver list (d. 94/713).
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān (OpenITI), wafayat#L23376-23380 · agreesNames Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn as one of the Twelve Imams according to the Imāmiyya; al-Ḥusayn's line continues through him.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L2533-2534 · agreesal-Ḥusayn's descendants come through ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn alone.
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L61711-61720, L61983-61990 · agreesʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn; died 94 per al-Wāqidī and others (92, 93, 95 also reported).
ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīnعلي زين العابدين713two sourcesthis step is recorded in Schools of law and ḥadīth, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
child of · ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn to Muḥammad al-Bāqir · Two independent sources
Al-Bāqir is Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's son (Siyar, entry Zayd b. ʿAlī, which calls Zayd 'brother of al-Bāqir').
al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ, entry Zayd b. ʿAlī (OpenITI Shamela0010906, lines 74327-74329)TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Câfer es-Sâdık'Checked against
- al-Mizzī, Tahdhīb al-kamāl, Shamela0003722 #L176089, 134408 · agreesal-Bāqir’s entry lists his father ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn) among his sources; the father’s entry lists “his son Abū Jaʿfar”.
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Shamela0001000 #L30679 · agreesIbn Khallikān: Muḥammad al-Bāqir, son of Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn.
Muḥammad al-Bāqirمحمد الباقر733one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: the generations between al-Bāqir (d. c. 733) and Niʿmat Allāh (b. 1330), not namedsources differ
family descent · Muḥammad al-Bāqir to Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī · One source
Trimingham: Shāh Niʿmat Allāh claimed descent from the fifth Shīʿī Imam, Muḥammad al-Bāqir. Recorded as his claim.
Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5844 · agreesClaimed descent from the fifth Shi'i Imam, Muhammad Baqir.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Trimingham classes the order as keeping Shīʿī orthodoxy in Iran (via the Gunābādī) and as the most active order in Iran; the date and manner of the order's Shīʿī turn were not found in sources read.Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102
Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walīشاه نعمت الله ولی1431
Route 3 of 3: Niʿmatullāhiyya
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlīالحسين بن علي680
two sourcesthis step is recorded in The Prophet's family: descent and imamate lines, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
successor of · al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī to ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn · Two independent sources
Fourth Imam in the Twelver list (d. 94/713).
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İsnâaşeriyyeChecked against
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān (OpenITI), wafayat#L23376-23380 · agreesNames Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn as one of the Twelve Imams according to the Imāmiyya; al-Ḥusayn's line continues through him.
- Ibn ʿInaba, ʿUmdat al-ṭālib (OpenITI), umda#L2533-2534 · agreesal-Ḥusayn's descendants come through ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn alone.
- al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ (OpenITI), siyar#L61711-61720, L61983-61990 · agreesʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn; died 94 per al-Wāqidī and others (92, 93, 95 also reported).
ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīnعلي زين العابدين713two sourcesthis step is recorded in Schools of law and ḥadīth, not in Niʿmatullāhiyya
child of · ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn to Muḥammad al-Bāqir · Two independent sources
Al-Bāqir is Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's son (Siyar, entry Zayd b. ʿAlī, which calls Zayd 'brother of al-Bāqir').
al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ, entry Zayd b. ʿAlī (OpenITI Shamela0010906, lines 74327-74329)TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Câfer es-Sâdık'Checked against
- al-Mizzī, Tahdhīb al-kamāl, Shamela0003722 #L176089, 134408 · agreesal-Bāqir’s entry lists his father ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn) among his sources; the father’s entry lists “his son Abū Jaʿfar”.
- Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Shamela0001000 #L30679 · agreesIbn Khallikān: Muḥammad al-Bāqir, son of Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn.
Muḥammad al-Bāqirمحمد الباقر733one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: the generations between al-Bāqir (d. c. 733) and Niʿmat Allāh (b. 1330), not namedsources differ
family descent · Muḥammad al-Bāqir to Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī · One source
Trimingham: Shāh Niʿmat Allāh claimed descent from the fifth Shīʿī Imam, Muḥammad al-Bāqir. Recorded as his claim.
Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5844 · agreesClaimed descent from the fifth Shi'i Imam, Muhammad Baqir.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Trimingham classes the order as keeping Shīʿī orthodoxy in Iran (via the Gunābādī) and as the most active order in Iran; the date and manner of the order's Shīʿī turn were not found in sources read.Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102
Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walīشاه نعمت الله ولی1431
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 Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī
1 recorded, each with the chain set it belongs to.
- Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāhرحمت علیشاه1861
one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: some four centuries of poles, including the Indian Deccan strand (Bahmanid patronage) and the 18th-c. revival; not enumerated in sources read
initiation · Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī to Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh · One source
Trimingham: the order's poles continued from the founder at Mahan; the split came after Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh.
Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5906 · agreesFootnote names the split as coming after Rahmat 'Ali Shah.
How to cite
Mashraba Reader, Atlas of transmission, “Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī”, https://www.mashraba.org/atlas/figure/shah-nimatullah-wali (data of 31 October 2026).