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Religious Order

Silsila Azeemiyya

Sufi Orders

The Azeemi Sufi order, known in Urdu as Silsila Azeemia, is a Sufi spiritual order in Pakistan founded by Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya, also known as Qalandar Baba Auliya, who lived from 1898 to 1979. The order was officially established in July 1960 in Karachi, and after Barkhiya's death in January 1979 leadership passed to his disciple Shamsuddin Azeemi, who led until his own death in February 2025, when Waqar Yousuf Azeemi, a trained disciple of both predecessors, became the order's third head. Members commemorate Qalandar Baba Auliya's death anniversary each 27 January with a pilgrimage to his tomb in Karachi's Surjani Town, and followers are present not only in Pakistan but also in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Europe, the United States, Canada, Russia and Turkey, with more than 100 Azeemi centers operating internationally.

Facts
Practice
Liturgical Language
Classical Arabic 2
Classification
Kind of order
Sufi Orders 1
Apostolate
Spiritual Direction and Dhikr 2
Who may join
Open to All Genders 2
Origins
Founder
Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya 1
Organisation
Ordination
Authority conferred by initiation rather than by ordination 2
Belief
Defining Doctrinal Position
An interior path (tasawwuf) pursued within the schools of law 2
Status
Status Today
Living tradition, practised today 1
Connections

Belongs to Tradition

Sufism, Denominations

Governed By Polity

Source New World Encyclopedia: Sufism

Rooted In

Sufism, Denominations

Uses Liturgical Language

Sources
1. Silsila Azeemiyya - Wikipedia
  • Infobox, founder
    Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya
  • Introduction, kind of order
    The Azeemi Sufi Order, known in Urdu as Silsila Azeemia (سلسلہ عظيمیہ), is a well-known Sufi spiritual order in Pakistan, The founder of this spiritual order is Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya (1898-1979), also known as Qalandar Baba Auliya.
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2. Islamic Mysticism: A Short History
Alexander Knysh, Brill
New World Encyclopedia: Sufism
New World EncyclopediaGoverned By Polity: Silsila (The Chain of Spiritual Descent), Sufism article, Sufi orders and their chains of transmission
Quote, Governed By Polity: Silsila (The Chain of Spiritual Descent), Sufism article, Sufi orders and their chains of transmission
Almost all traditional Sufi orders trace their "chains of transmission" back to the Prophet via his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (except the Naqshbandi order which traces its origin to caliph Abu Bakr ).
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