Naqshbandi Golden Chain
The Naqshbandi Golden Chain is a lineage of spiritual masters of the Naqshbandi Sufi order related to each other going back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It is a chain in which each scholar was given "ijazah" or permission for dhikr of God by his own teacher or pir to transmit the knowledge he had received to the next generation of students in the traditional manner of Sufi transmission. The Naqshbandi Chain, as different from all other Sufi lineages, is unique in that it stems from the first Caliph, Abu Bakr. From Abu Bakr, the secret of  this transmission was then passed to Salman the Persian, then to Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. From Qasim the transmission passed to Ja'far al-Sadiq. From as-Sadiq, the transmission passed to later sheikhs. Today, there are many Naqshbandi sheikhs, each with his own chain of spiritual transmission. A significant chain is that of Sayyid Mir Jan, for it is believed that through Sayyid Mir Jan the tradition of the Qayyum goes on, for Ali Dahlavi appointed Abu Saeed Sayyid Mir Jan´s grandsheikh as the Qayyum. Sayyid Mir Jan is by followers believed to be a prophecied genetical descendant  of his ancestor Bahauddin Naqshband, whose family lead the Emirate of the Naqshbandi faith as bearers of the "Light of Prophet Muhammad". The Chains of the Hazrat Ishaans. The Chain of the Hazrat Ishaans, known as the Ahlul-Bayt chain is the Golden chain which is passed on through the genetical descendants of Bahauddin Naqshband, the founder of the Naqshbandi order. Shah Naqshband is himself from the family of the 12th Imam Muhammad al Mahdi and in this sense is believed to be the successor of the twelve Imams with the "Uwaisi blessings" of Sheikh Sayyid Abdul Qadir Gilani, who  is as close relative to Muhammad al Mahdi. Shah Naqshband had two daughters of which Sayyida Zahra bint Bahauddin married his favorite student Sayyid Alauddin Atar. Khwaja Alauddin Atar had two sons called Hasan and Hussein. Through the line of Sayyid Hussein Atar, grandson of Shah Naqshband the blessings are transmitted to Hazrat Ishaan. Hazrat Ishaan is a descendant of Bahauddin Naqshband after seven generations. The followers of Hazrat Ishaan believe that Bahauddin Naqshband himself was resurrected again in year 1598, giving a horse, falcon and green cloak as gift to Hazrat Ishaan. The horse represents Hazrat Ishaan's diligence , the falcon represents Hazrat Ishaan's supremacy and the green cloak represents Hazrat Ishaan's succession as son and spiritual successor of Prophet Muhammad (as green is the color of Prophet Muhammad and his family). Hazrat Ishaan's line was passed down by his son Moinuddin Hadi Naqshband to Khwaja Kamaluddin Shaheed. After Khwaja Kamaluddin Shaheed Sayyid Mir Jan a descendant of Hazrat Ishaan after 8 generations is claimed to be gifted with the Wilaya of his ancestors Hazrat Ishaan (ancestor of the 8th generation) and Bahauddin Naqshband (ancestor of the 15th generation) of the Naqshbandi order. The followers of  Hazrat Ishaan believe that Hazrat Ishaan was himself resurrected again in the midst of the 19th century to bless his descendant Sayyid Mir Jan. Sayyid Mir Jan's highest representative was his younger brother Sayyid Mahmud Agha, who was himself succeeded by his younger brother Sayyid Mir Fazlullah Agha, who was a Grand Mufti and spiritual guide of Sultan Abdülhamit II. The significance of this line if vested in the idea of transmission of the Nur (meaning the light of guidance) through Muhammad and his family. It is Believed that Prophet Muhammad said based on a Hadith in Sahih Muslim : Yazid b. Hayyan reported, I went along with Husain b. Sabra and 'Umar b. Muslim to Zaid b. Arqam and, as we sat by his side, Husain said to him: [...] Zaid, narrate to us what you heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He said: [...] One day Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah, extolled Him and delivered the sermon and exhorted (us) and said: [...] I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is  right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household. I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. [...] Hence the analogical significance of this line in regards to the founder of the order Bahauddin Naqshband. Naqshbandi Chains. Naqshbandī Mujaddidī-Khalidī-Mahmudīa Golden Chain in Dagestan. Naqshbandi silsilah beginning from Muhammad is passed in chain till Ismail Kurdumeri (who is number 31 in chain). After Ismail Kurdumeri the chain  has split in two as he had two Ma'zuns, i.e. Muhammad Salih Shirwani (number 32) and Khas Muhammad Shirwani. From Khas Muhammad Shirwani the chain goes to Muhammad Yaraghi ad-Daghestani, from him to Jamaluddin Kumuki ad-Daghestani, who had three Ma'zuns, i.e. Mamadibir ar-Rochi ad-Daghestani, Imam Shamil ad-Daghestani (both had no Ma'zun), and `Abdurrahman as-Sughuri ad-Daghestani. According to Shuaib Afandi Bagini ad-Daghestani, `Abdurrahman as-Sughuri had two ma'zuns, i.e. Muhammad Haji `Obodi ad-Daghestani and Ilyas Tsudakhari ad-Daghestani (d1312 AH). Both had no ma'zuns, and thus the split chain  coming from Khas Muhammad Shirwani has ended here. The chain from Muhammad Salih Shirwani (Number 32) dates back to Mahmud Afandi, Hasan Hilmi Afandi and the rest of the Daghestani Ma'zuns uninterrupted, as can be seen below. From the Murshid Al-'Arif Billah Asy-Shaykh Ali Ridha Here are many Muslim scholars of 'Indonesia getting a Mursyid Degree from him. Naqshbandī-Mujaddidī Chains. Naqshbandī Mujaddidī-Süleymanī Golden Chain. Naqshbandī Mujaddidī Thariqat - Golden Chain