Zahed Gilani
Encyclopedia
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Zahed
Zahed
Zahed is Arabic for ascetic and used as a name in the entire muslim world.Sufi sheikhs often initiated disciples by conferring on them the name Zahed, which is popular with pious muslims, who wish to symbolically preordain their offspring to a life of virtues, similar to an ascetic's...
(or Zahid) Gilani, was Grandmaster (Murshid
Murshid
Murshid is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher". Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Sufi teacher. The term is used by other branches of Islam as well, e.g. by the Nizaris, the main school of Ismā‘īlī Shiites....
Kamil) of the famed Zahediyeh
Zahediyeh
The Zahediyeh Sufi Order was founded by Sheikh Zahed Gilani of Lahijan. As a precursor to the Safaviyya tariqa, which was yet to culminate in the Safavid Dynasty, the Zahediyeh Order and its murshid, Zahed Gilani, holds a distinct place in the history of Iran....
Sufi Order at Lahijan
Lahijan
Lahijan is a city in and the capital of Lahijan County, Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 71,871, in 21,518 families....
.
Since the mid 13th century, Sheikh Zahed is revered as a spiritual authority and his tomb near Lahijan
Lahijan
Lahijan is a city in and the capital of Lahijan County, Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 71,871, in 21,518 families....
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's Gilan Province, on the shores of the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, draws numerous pilgrims to the picturesque village of Sheikhanvar. His ancestors hailed from the ancient Iranian city of Sanjan
Sanjan (Khorasan)
Sanjan is an ancient city on the southern edge of the Kara-kum Desert, in the vicinity of the historically eminent oasis-city of Merv. Topographically, Sanjan is located in the Greater Khorasan region of Central Asia...
in Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
(located in present day Turkmenistan). Fleeing the Seljuq
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
that would eventually conquer large parts of Persia
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, his ancestors settled in Gilan in the late 11th century. Sheikh Taj Al-Din Zahed Gilani was able to attain cultural and religious influence on the Ilkhanid rulers (1256–1353), descendants of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
, who followed Seljuq rule.
The Sheikh's most notable disciple was Sheikh Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334), the Eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
of the Safavid Dynasty
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
(1501–1736). He wed Sheikh Zahed's daughter Bibi Fatemeh
Fatima
-People:* Fatima , a female given name of Arabic origin* Fatima bint Muhammad, daughter of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad* Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah...
and, overgoing the interest of Shaikh Taj Al-Din Zahed's firstborn son, Gamal Al-Din Ali, was entrusted with the Grand Master's Zahediyeh
Zahediyeh
The Zahediyeh Sufi Order was founded by Sheikh Zahed Gilani of Lahijan. As a precursor to the Safaviyya tariqa, which was yet to culminate in the Safavid Dynasty, the Zahediyeh Order and its murshid, Zahed Gilani, holds a distinct place in the history of Iran....
Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
Order, which he transformed into his own, the Safaviyya (Sufi order) Order. Some 170 years after Sheikh Safi Al-Din's death, Safaviyya had gained sufficient political and military power to claim the Throne of (Northern) Iran for the Safavid Heir, Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Ismail I
Ismail I
Ismail I , known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil , was a Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an extremist heterodox Twelver Shi'i militant religious order and unified all of Iran...
Safavi. The Sheikh's second-born son, Sadr Al-Din, wed Sheikh Safi Al-Din's daughter from a previous marriage. The two families were to be intertwined for many centuries to come, by blood as well as mutual spiritual causes.
The Sil-silat-al-nasab-e Safaviyeh or Genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
of the Safavids, was written by Sheikh Pir
Pir (Sufism)
Pir or Peer is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh, which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as "Elder". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his...
Hossein Abdul Zahedi
Zahedi
Zahedi or Zahidi may refer to:*Fazlollah Zahedi , Iranian general and prime minister*Ardeshir Zahedi, Iranian foreign minister and ambassador*Caveh Zahedi, American film director*Mahbub Jamal Zahedi, Khaleej Times and Dawn News editor...
, a 17th century descendant of Sheikh Zahed Gilani. This hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
in praise of the Safavid
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
forebears, was devoted to the genealogy of the Safavid Sufi masters.
The Turkish Bayrami and Jelveti
Jelveti
Jelveti is the name of a Sufi order that was founded by the Turkish saint Aziz Mahmud Hudayi.It shares the same spiritual chain as the Khalwati order and thus there are many similarities between them...
orders also had their origin in Sheikh Zahed Gilani's Zahediyeh
Zahediyeh
The Zahediyeh Sufi Order was founded by Sheikh Zahed Gilani of Lahijan. As a precursor to the Safaviyya tariqa, which was yet to culminate in the Safavid Dynasty, the Zahediyeh Order and its murshid, Zahed Gilani, holds a distinct place in the history of Iran....
Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
Order.
- Other transliterations: Tajeddin, Tajoddin, Tajoldin. Zahid Gilani, Sahid Gilani. Zahidi, Sahidi, Sahedi