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.
يوسف الهمداني
Yūsuf al-Hamadānī
Died 535/1140 · Merv
Merv hānqāh, first khwāja
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: Naqshbandiyya. Tap a rule to read its basis, sources and checks.
Sources differ on 7 links of this route.
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmīأبو يزيد البسطامي848
one sourcein Naqshbandiyyaspiritual link, without meetingsources differ
spiritual link, without a meeting (uwaysī) · Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī to Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānī · One source
Pārsā said Kharaqānī never met Bisṭāmī in life and was trained by the Uwaysī method.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 86 n. 13, 88 · agreesLink is Uwaysī; Buehler notes Kharaqānī (d. 425) could not have met Bisṭāmī (d. 261), a gap of 164 lunar years; Walī Allāh calls them spiritually connected.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Uwaysī transmission (Pārsā, as reported by TDV).TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'
- Order's own chain lists Kharaqānī directly after Bisṭāmī.the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)
Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānīأبو الحسن الخرقاني1033one sourcein Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānī to Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī · One source
Chain passes from Kharaqānī to Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 86 n. 13 · agreesShāh Walī Allāh, as cited by Buehler: Fārmadhī has nisbat of jadhba and quṭbiyya from Kharaqānī.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Yaʿqūb-i Charkhī (Risāla-yi Unsiyya) inserted Abū l-Qāsim Gurgānī/Kurragānī (d. 450/1058) between Kharaqānī and Fārmadhī.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'
Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhīأبو علي الفارمذي1084the community's own accountin Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī to Yūsuf al-Hamadānī · The community's own account
Yūsuf al-Hamadānī says the line reached him from Fārmadhī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 86 fig. 4 · silentFigure 4 lists Fārmadhī, al-Ghazālī and Hamadānī close together; OCR of the chart does not show which lines join them.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Buehler's Figure 4 (OCR) lists Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) in the tier between Fārmadhī and Hamadānī; whether a link is drawn is not confirmed.Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 88, 90 n. 28
Yūsuf al-Hamadānīيوسف الهمداني1140
Other routes (2)
Route 2 of 3: Naqshbandiyya
Sources differ on 6 links of this route.
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmīأبو يزيد البسطامي848
one sourcein Naqshbandiyyaspiritual link, without meetingsources differ
spiritual link, without a meeting (uwaysī) · Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī to Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānī · One source
Pārsā said Kharaqānī never met Bisṭāmī in life and was trained by the Uwaysī method.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 86 n. 13, 88 · agreesLink is Uwaysī; Buehler notes Kharaqānī (d. 425) could not have met Bisṭāmī (d. 261), a gap of 164 lunar years; Walī Allāh calls them spiritually connected.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Uwaysī transmission (Pārsā, as reported by TDV).TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'
- Order's own chain lists Kharaqānī directly after Bisṭāmī.the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)
Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānīأبو الحسن الخرقاني1033one sourcein Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānī to Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī · One source
Chain passes from Kharaqānī to Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 86 n. 13 · agreesShāh Walī Allāh, as cited by Buehler: Fārmadhī has nisbat of jadhba and quṭbiyya from Kharaqānī.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Yaʿqūb-i Charkhī (Risāla-yi Unsiyya) inserted Abū l-Qāsim Gurgānī/Kurragānī (d. 450/1058) between Kharaqānī and Fārmadhī.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'
Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhīأبو علي الفارمذي1084the community's own accountin Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī to Yūsuf al-Hamadānī · The community's own account
Yūsuf al-Hamadānī says the line reached him from Fārmadhī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 86 fig. 4 · silentFigure 4 lists Fārmadhī, al-Ghazālī and Hamadānī close together; OCR of the chart does not show which lines join them.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Buehler's Figure 4 (OCR) lists Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) in the tier between Fārmadhī and Hamadānī; whether a link is drawn is not confirmed.Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 88, 90 n. 28
Yūsuf al-Hamadānīيوسف الهمداني1140
Route 3 of 3: Naqshbandiyya
Sources differ on 5 links of this route.
- The Prophet Muhammadمحمد632
- Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmīأبو يزيد البسطامي848
one sourcein Naqshbandiyyaspiritual link, without meetingsources differ
spiritual link, without a meeting (uwaysī) · Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī to Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānī · One source
Pārsā said Kharaqānī never met Bisṭāmī in life and was trained by the Uwaysī method.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 86 n. 13, 88 · agreesLink is Uwaysī; Buehler notes Kharaqānī (d. 425) could not have met Bisṭāmī (d. 261), a gap of 164 lunar years; Walī Allāh calls them spiritually connected.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Uwaysī transmission (Pārsā, as reported by TDV).TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'
- Order's own chain lists Kharaqānī directly after Bisṭāmī.the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)
Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānīأبو الحسن الخرقاني1033one sourcein Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kharaqānī to Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī · One source
Chain passes from Kharaqānī to Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 86 n. 13 · agreesShāh Walī Allāh, as cited by Buehler: Fārmadhī has nisbat of jadhba and quṭbiyya from Kharaqānī.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Yaʿqūb-i Charkhī (Risāla-yi Unsiyya) inserted Abū l-Qāsim Gurgānī/Kurragānī (d. 450/1058) between Kharaqānī and Fārmadhī.TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'
Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhīأبو علي الفارمذي1084the community's own accountin Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Abū ʿAlī al-Fārmadhī to Yūsuf al-Hamadānī · The community's own account
Yūsuf al-Hamadānī says the line reached him from Fārmadhī.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Sıddîkıyye'the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)Checked against
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 86 fig. 4 · silentFigure 4 lists Fārmadhī, al-Ghazālī and Hamadānī close together; OCR of the chart does not show which lines join them.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- Buehler's Figure 4 (OCR) lists Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) in the tier between Fārmadhī and Hamadānī; whether a link is drawn is not confirmed.Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 88, 90 n. 28
Yūsuf al-Hamadānīيوسف الهمداني1140
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 Yūsuf al-Hamadānī
1 recorded, each with the chain set it belongs to.
- ʿAbd al-Khāliq al-Ghujduwānīعبد الخالق الغجدواني1179
two sourcesin Naqshbandiyyasources differ
initiation · Yūsuf al-Hamadānī to ʿAbd al-Khāliq al-Ghujduwānī · Two independent sources
Ghujduwānī is one of Hamadānī's four khalifas and is often regarded as the founder of the Khwājagān.
TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'Hâcegân'Checked against
- Trimingham, Sufi Orders in Islam (1971), trimingham_sufi-orders-in-islam_1971.txt#L3896-3902 · agreesal-Ghujdawānī called al-Hamadānī's khalifa by spiritual appointment; Trimingham dates him d. 1220, the atlas 575/1179.
- Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, p. 94 · silentLater sources say Khiḍr taught Ghujduwānī silent dhikr and nafy wa-ithbāt; Hamadānī not mentioned in that passage.
Where the sources differ, side by side. We do not rule between them.
- The order's own chain interposes al-Khiḍr (Abū l-ʿAbbās) between Hamadānī and Ghujduwānī.the community's own account: naqshbandi.org, 'Origins' (Naqshbandi Haqqani Order's own golden chain)
- Buehler: later sources say Khiḍr taught Ghujduwānī dhikr khafī and nafy wa-ithbāt, making Khiḍr Bahāʾ al-Dīn's 'grandfather pir'; Khiḍr is first of four sources of the Khwājagān nisba and is later dropped from formal genealogies.Arthur F. Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1998), ch. 4, pp. 88, 90 n. 28
How to cite
Mashraba Reader, Atlas of transmission, “Yūsuf al-Hamadānī”, https://www.mashraba.org/atlas/figure/yusuf-hamadani (data of 31 October 2026).