The town of Chisht, from which the Sufi Chishti Silsila derives its name, is located in

The town of Chisht, from which the Sufi Chishti Silsila derives its name, is located in Correct Answer Central Afghanistan

The correct answer is Central Afghanistan.

Key Points

• Chishti order:
  • It was founded by Khwaja Abu Ishaq Shami Chishti.
  • The Chishti order derives its name from the village of Chisht in Afghanistan, which is located thirty miles away from the modern city of Herat. Hence, Option 2 is correct.
  • Chishti was home to a remarkable family that produced an unbroken line of five great Sufi masters.
  • It is from this family and their systematization of ‘tasawuuf’ that the basic principles and methodology of the Chishti order were laid down.
  • The Chishti order is one of the oldest and most famous of the forty major orders. Indeed, classical formulations speak of four main orders; The Qadiriyyah, the Chishtiyyah, the Naqashbandiyyah, and Suhrawardiyyah.
  • Though, arising in Afghanistan and spreading into Khurasan (modern-day Iran), their major sphere of influence was India, where they wielded an immeasurable effect on the native population.
  • Their emphasis on charity, social uplifting, and generosity, combined with Islam’s egalitarian nature, was one of the most important factors contributing to Muslim rule in India, which lasted over eight hundred years and oversaw some of the most brilliant and sophisticated civilizations the world has known.