Sheikh Noor Ul Mashaikh Sayyid Ahmed Muhiuddin Jeelani NooriShahArabic: (حضرة سيد أحمد محي الدين نوري شاه الجيلاني), known more commonly as NooriShah Jeelani, was a renowned 20th-century muslim, sufi, wali, mystic, orator, faqeeh, theologian, mujaddid and highly acclaimed Islamic scholar of the Qadri, Chisti order from the Indian sub continent. He was the 21st grand son of the famous Sufi saintGhous-e-Azam Sheikh Mohiyudheen Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad. He was also widely known by his title Noor-ul-Mashaikh. He was the Eponymous founder of the Silsila-e-Nooriya[7]tariqa (Sufi order) which is a sub-branch of Qadiriyya and Chistiyya in India.
SheikhNooriShah Jeelani received the title of Caliph (or religious successors) from his spiritual teacher Sheikh Kanzul Irfan Moulana Ghousi Shah of Hyderabad, India after years of spiritual training under his guidance. His ʿUrs (anniversary of death) is celebrated on 14th day of month Rabiʽ al-Thani (Islamic calendar). His mausoleum (or tomb) Dargah is located in very well known place called Noori Maskan of Noori Nagar in the Bandlaguda area of Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
While SheikhNooriShah Jeelani had millions of disciples (students or murids), few of them were given Caliph and made Khalifa (or religious successors) of his religious spiritual chain and continued to spread the knowledge of Sufism and Spirituality. Among his senior Khalifa (or religious successors) who later became very well acclaimed and most renowned Sufi Saints in the Indian Sub-continent include Sheikh Syed Arifudheen Jeelani Noorullah Shah Noori, Sheikh Syed Muneeruddin Jeelani Kamalullah Shah Noori, Sheikh Syed Nasiruddin Jeelani Asrarullah Shah Noori,
Sheikh Yousuf Zuhoori Shah Noori,
Khwaja Dil Nawaz Faizee Shah Noori,
Khwaja Faqeer Nawaz Aamir Kaleemi Shah Noori,
Sheikh Jamali Shah Noori, Sheikh Noorul Ulama Ibraheem Musliyar Khaleelullah Shah Noori,
Sheikh Muhibbi Shah Noori,
Sheikh Yaqoob Ali Shah Noori, Sheikh Syed Aziz Ali Shah Noori (mamujaan) among others.
These Sufi saints later spread their knowledge across more than 20 different countries mainly in the Indian Sub-continent, Middle East and South East Asian countries.
Silsila-e-Nooria
The present Janasheen Silsila-e-Nooriya and Sajjada Nasheen Rouza-e-Nooria Sheikh ShamsUl Mashaikh Syed Ahmad Muhiuddin Jeelani Noori Shah Saani (Damat Barakatuhum), (Sajjada Nasheen E Silsila E Nooria & Sajjada Nasheen Rouza-e-Nooria wa Rouza-e-Arifia ) He is 23rd generation of Ghaus-E-Azam Sheikh Muhiyuddin Abdul Qadir Jeelani (RA), a famous Sufi saint of Baghdad, He is the grandson of Shaikh Noorul Mashaikh Syed Ahmad Muhiyuddin Jeelani (RA) and the eldest son of Sheikh Quthubul Mashaikh Syed Arifuddin Jeelani (RA). Hazrat Shamsul Mashaikh Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin Jeelani Noori Shah Saani (db)(Janasheen Silsila E Nooria & Sajjada Nasheen Rouza e Nooria) is currently leading all the Urs programs of Sheikh NooriShah, Noorullah Shah and His Khulafas.
Selected works
Annual gathering Urs Mubarak of NooriShah Jeelani at Noori Maskan, Hyderabad. Noori Maskan is now a vibrant centre which gives spiritual training to all seekers throughout the year
SheikhNooriShah Jeelani was known to have authored multiple books of Islamic spirituality. Some of the works published in Indian sub-continent were as follows:-
Tafsīr-e-Noori
Asrar-e-Lailahaillallah
Ahmiyat-u-Tareeqat
Taaruf-e-Muhammad
Dada ki kahani pote ki zabani (Sharah or explanation of famous book on sufism Futuh-al-Ghaib)
Spiritual chain
Dargah Shareef of Noorul Mashaik Syed NooriShah Jeelani
The chain of spiritual masters (silsila) of Nooriya reaches both Qadriya and Chistiya masters, hence it came to be known as Chisti-ul-Qadiri . SheikhNooriShah Jeelani's spiritual preachings continued to influence millions of common people across more than 40 countries with the following major sub-branches:
Silsila-e-Arifiya Nooriya was led by his own first son and Khalifa called SheikhQutb-ul-Mashaikh Noorullah Shah Noori Syed Arifudheen Jeelani. He was the Sajjada Janasheen of Silsila-e-Nooriya. He was thus 22'nd Grand Son of SheikhAbdul Qadir Gilani.[7] Sheikh Syed Muhammed Arifudheen Jeelani died on 13 March 2022 (10th Sha'aban 1443) in Al Arif Unani Medical College, Hyderabad which was built by himself. His Urs (anniversary of death) is celebrated on 10th day of month of Sha'ban (Islamic calendar). The Present Janasheen of Silsila-e-Arifiya Nooriya and Silsila-e-Nooriya is Sheikh Syed Arifudheen Jeelani's own eldest son Kanzul Mashaeq Sheikh Syed Ahmed Muhyudheen NooriShah Saani Jeelani (Damath Barakathuhum). He is the Present Janasheen of Silsila-e-Nooriya and Sajjada Nasheen Rouza-e-Nooriyya. Sheikh Kanzul Mashaeq NooriShah Saani currently leads all Urs celebrations of SheikhNooriShah Jeelani at Noori Maskan in Hyderabad.
Silsila-e-Kamaliya Nooriya led by his own son and Khalifa called Sheikh Syed Kamalullah Shah Noori (also known as Syed Mohammed Muneeruddin Jeelani) whose Mausoleum (or Tomb) is inside the same complex (Tomb) of Sheikh NooriShah Jeelani at Hyderabad, India
Silsila-e-Asrariya Nooriya is led by his own son and Khalifa called Sheikh Mumtaz-ul-Mashaikh Rooh-ul-Irfan Kanz-ul-Asrar Syed Asrarullah Shah Noori (also known as Syed Mohammed Nasiruddin Jeelani) (Damath Barakathuhum). He has been contributing continuously to the academics of Islamic sciences being in teaching positions of Sufi philosophy, Hadees and Quran Tafseer in the famous Jamia Nizamia University of Hyderabad in India.
Silsila-e-Khaleeliya Nooriya was led by his Khalifa called Sheikh Noorul Ulama Ibraheem Khaleelulla Shah Noori Chisti-ul-Qadiri whose Mausoleum (or Tomb) is at Parappuram area in Kerala, India
Silsila-e-Ameeriya Nooriya was led by his Khalifa called Sheikh Ganj-ul-Marifat Shams-ul-Aarifeen Siraj-us-Saalikeen Khwaja Bekas Nawaz Ameerullah Shah Noori Chisti-ul-Qadiri whose Mausoleum (or Tomb) is at Sangareddy Dargah in Sangareddy District of Telangana, India. His Urs (anniversary of death) is celebrated on 28th day of month of Shawwal (Islamic calendar).
Silsila-e-Jamaliya Nooriya was led by his Khalifa called Sheikh Jamal-ul-Aarifeen Hujjath-ul-Irfan Jamali Shah Noori Chisti-ul-Qadiri whose Mausoleum (or Tomb) is at Ayangudi Dargah in Kattumannarkoil of Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu, India
Silsila-e-Yaqoobia Nooriya is led by his Khalifa called Sheikh Nagam-ul-Aarifeen Mohammad Yaqoob Ali Shah Noori Chisti-ul-Qadiri (Damath barakatuhum) which is actively spreading knowledge of Sufism and spiritual training in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala in India
Silsila-e-Nizamiya Nooriya is led by his Khalifa called Sheikh Syed Nizami Shah Noori Chisti-ul-Qadiri (Damath barakatuhum) which is actively spreading knowledge of Sufism and spiritual training in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu in India
^Francesca Orsini and Katherine Butler Schofield, Telling and Texts: Music, Literature, and Performance in North India (Open Book Publishers, 2015), p. 463
^Arya, Gholam-Ali and Negahban, Farzin, "Chishtiyya", in: Encyclopaedia Islamica, Editors-in-Chief: Wilferd Madelung and, Farhad Daftary: "The followers of the Chishtiyya Order, which has the largest following among Sufi orders in the Indian subcontinent, are Ḥanafī Sunni Muslims."
^Ḥamīd al-Dīn Nāgawrī,/ref>", Surūr al-ṣudūr; cited in Auer, Blain, "Chishtī Noori Shah jeelani", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson.
