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.
سلطان علیشاه گنابادی
Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād
Bidokht (Gunābād)
Pupil of Ḥājjī Mullā Hādī Sabzawārī (1798-1878), per Trimingham; founder of the Gunābādī line
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
- Muḥammad al-Bāqirمحمد الباقر733
one 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 ولی1431one 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.
Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāhرحمت علیشاه1861one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh (Iranica summary) and Ṭāʾūs al-ʿUrafāʾ (Trimingham)sources differ
successor of · Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh to Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād · One source
Iranica summary: after Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh three claimants competed (Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh, Ṣafī ʿAlī Shāh, Munawwar ʿAlī Shāh); the Gunābādī line goes through Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh to Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh.
Encyclopaedia Iranica, Ne'matollāhiya, as summarised in search results (full text not read; 403)Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Iranica in summary, Ne'matollāhiya · agreesDispute over whether Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh named Saʿādat; three claimants.
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5906 · agreesFootnote lists the sequence Raḥmat, Ṭāʾūs al-ʿUrafāʾ Iṣfahānī, Mullā Sulṭān of Gunābād; Ṣafī-ʿAlī-Shāh a separate shoot.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Iranica (summary): the Munawwar ʿAlī-Shāhī line has the strongest claim to the main Niʿmatullāhī descent and its members call themselves exclusively Niʿmatullāhī. The Gunābādī line records Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh as Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh's successor. Reported as the branches' own claims; no winner named here.Encyclopaedia Iranica, Ne'matollāhiya, as summarised in search results (full text not read; 403)
Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābādسلطان علیشاه گنابادی
Other routes (2)
Route 2 of 3: Niʿmatullāhiyya
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Muḥammad al-Bāqirمحمد الباقر733
one 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 ولی1431one 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.
Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāhرحمت علیشاه1861one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh (Iranica summary) and Ṭāʾūs al-ʿUrafāʾ (Trimingham)sources differ
successor of · Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh to Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād · One source
Iranica summary: after Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh three claimants competed (Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh, Ṣafī ʿAlī Shāh, Munawwar ʿAlī Shāh); the Gunābādī line goes through Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh to Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh.
Encyclopaedia Iranica, Ne'matollāhiya, as summarised in search results (full text not read; 403)Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Iranica in summary, Ne'matollāhiya · agreesDispute over whether Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh named Saʿādat; three claimants.
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5906 · agreesFootnote lists the sequence Raḥmat, Ṭāʾūs al-ʿUrafāʾ Iṣfahānī, Mullā Sulṭān of Gunābād; Ṣafī-ʿAlī-Shāh a separate shoot.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Iranica (summary): the Munawwar ʿAlī-Shāhī line has the strongest claim to the main Niʿmatullāhī descent and its members call themselves exclusively Niʿmatullāhī. The Gunābādī line records Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh as Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh's successor. Reported as the branches' own claims; no winner named here.Encyclopaedia Iranica, Ne'matollāhiya, as summarised in search results (full text not read; 403)
Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābādسلطان علیشاه گنابادی
Route 3 of 3: Niʿmatullāhiyya
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Muḥammad al-Bāqirمحمد الباقر733
one 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 ولی1431one 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.
Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāhرحمت علیشاه1861one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh (Iranica summary) and Ṭāʾūs al-ʿUrafāʾ (Trimingham)sources differ
successor of · Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh to Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād · One source
Iranica summary: after Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh three claimants competed (Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh, Ṣafī ʿAlī Shāh, Munawwar ʿAlī Shāh); the Gunābādī line goes through Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh to Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh.
Encyclopaedia Iranica, Ne'matollāhiya, as summarised in search results (full text not read; 403)Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, Ni'matullahiyya, pp. 101-102Checked against
- Iranica in summary, Ne'matollāhiya · agreesDispute over whether Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh named Saʿādat; three claimants.
- Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), local .txt, trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L5906 · agreesFootnote lists the sequence Raḥmat, Ṭāʾūs al-ʿUrafāʾ Iṣfahānī, Mullā Sulṭān of Gunābād; Ṣafī-ʿAlī-Shāh a separate shoot.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Iranica (summary): the Munawwar ʿAlī-Shāhī line has the strongest claim to the main Niʿmatullāhī descent and its members call themselves exclusively Niʿmatullāhī. The Gunābādī line records Saʿādat ʿAlī Shāh as Raḥmat ʿAlī Shāh's successor. Reported as the branches' own claims; no winner named here.Encyclopaedia Iranica, Ne'matollāhiya, as summarised in search results (full text not read; 403)
Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābādسلطان علیشاه گنابادی
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 Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād
1 recorded, each with the chain set it belongs to.
- ʿAlī Tabandeh (Maḥbūb ʿAlī Shāh)محبوب علیشاه تابنده1997
one sourcein Niʿmatullāhiyyaomits: Gunābādī poles between Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh and ʿAlī Tabandeh (the same article names Ṣāliḥ ʿAlī Shāh, Tabandeh's father, only as guide)
successor of · Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād to ʿAlī Tabandeh (Maḥbūb ʿAlī Shāh) · One source
Gunābādī poles after Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh lead to ʿAlī Tabandeh (Maḥbūb ʿAlī Shāh, d. 16 Jan 1997); the intervening poles were not read.
Wikipedia, Noor-Ali Tabandeh (tertiary; cites Mehr, BBC Persian, HRW, Amnesty, UK Parliament 2020)Checked against
- Wikipedia, Noor-Ali Tabandeh, infobox · agreesLists Ali Tabandeh as predecessor of Nur Ali Tabandeh.
How to cite
Mashraba Reader, Atlas of transmission, “Ḥājjī Mullā Sulṭān (Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh) of Gunābād”, https://www.mashraba.org/atlas/figure/sultan-ali-shah-gonabadi (data of 31 October 2026).