Tariqa (Sufi order)

الطريقة (التصوف)

The tariqa in later usage is the organized Sufi path attached to a shaykh and his way; Trimingham surveys the ramification of its main lines 1, and bibliographical works like Kashf al-Zunun attribute orders to their eponyms — Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya, Mawlawiyya 2.

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Sects and schools

Overview

The tariqa in later usage is the organized Sufi path attached to a shaykh and his way — among the most visible terms of post-sixth-century-AH Sufism 3.

In the sources

Trimingham describes the ramification of the main orders — Qadiriyya, Naqshbandiyya, Mawlawiyya and others — across the Islamic world 1; bibliographical works attribute the orders to their eponyms 2.

People and things also explored

Al-Kadhimiya Mosque (Kazimayn shrine)· Imam Husayn Shrine, Karbala· Ahl al-Ahwa (the people of deviant opinions in Islam, and the rules on their testimony, narration and prayer behind them)· The people of the qibla and not declaring takfir for sin· The division of the community (al-iftiraq al-ummah)· Suhba (companionship with the Prophet: who is a Companion, how companionship is proved, the uprightness of all Companions, and the ruling on insulting them)· Ghayba (occultation)· Hadr (blood and value wasted: no retaliation, no compensation)

Sources

  1. J. Spencer Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (Oxford 1998) , pp. 31+
  2. Kashf al-Zunun an Asami al-Kutub wa'l-Funun — Hajji Khalifa (Furqan ed.)
  3. J. Spencer Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (Oxford 1998)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Tariqa (Sufi order)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/tariqa/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Al-Kadhimiya Mosque (Kazimayn shrine)

The Kadhimiya shrine of Baghdad, raised over the graves of Musa al-Kazim and Muhammad al-Jawad; Ibn Quluwayh's Kamil al-Ziyarat locates the grave 'in al-Kadhimiya in the noble riwaq' and dedicates a chapter to their visitation.