Baha-Ud-Din Naqshband: Muslim Saint and founder of Naqshbandi order (1318–1389)

Bahá-ud-dín was born on 18 March 1318 CE (14 Muharram, 718 AH) in the village of Qasr-i-Hinduvan (later renamed Qasr-i Arifan) near Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan and it was there that he died in 1389.

Lineage

Bahá-ud-dín was a Sayyid, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Imam Hasan al-Askari.

Harvard professor Annemarie Schimmel held the opinion of Bahauddin Naqshband being a descendant of Imam Hasan al Askari.

One registered lineage of him is the following:

1. Muhammad
2. Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima Al Zahra
3. Imam Hussain
4. Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin
5. Imam Muhammad al Baqir
6. Imam Ja'far al-Sâdiq
7. Imam Musa al-Kazim
8. Imam Ali al Reza
9. Imam Muhammad al Taqi
10. Imam Ali al Hadi
11. Imam Hasan al-Askari
12. Mir Sayyid Ali Akbar
13. Sayyid Mir Muhammad Mahmud Fakhriddin
14. Amir Sayyid Mir Muhyuddin
15. Amir Sayyid Mir Khalwati
16. Amir Sayyid Mir Naqi Naqib
17. Sayyid Mir Ilaq
18. Sayyid Mir Mahmud
19. Sayyid Burhan Qilich
20. Sayyid Mir Shaaban
21. Sayyid Mir Qasim
22. Sayyid Mir Zayn ul Abedin
23. Sayyid Mir Abdullah
24. Sayyid Mir Burhanuddin Qilich
25. Amir Sayyid Mir Jalalludin Muhammad Bukhari
26. Amir Sayyid Mir Muhammad Bukhari
27. Bahauddin Naqshband

He came into early contact with the Khwajagan (lit: the Masters), and was adopted as spiritual progeny by one of them, Baba Muhammad Sammasi, while still an infant. Sammasi was his first guide on the path, and more important was his relationship with Sammasi's principal khalifa (successor), Amir Kulal, the last link in the silsila, or chain of teachers, before Baha-ud-Din:

1. Muhammad
2. Sayyidna Abu Bakkar Siddique
3. Salman the Persian
4. Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakkar
5. Ja'far al-Sadiq
6. Bayazid Bistami
7. Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani
8. Abu Ali Farmadi
9. Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Hamadani
10. Abdul Khaliq al-Gajadwani
11. Arif ar-Riwagri
12. Mahmood Anjir-Faghnawi
13. Azizan Ali Ramitani
14. Mohammad Baba As-Samasi
15. Sayyid Amir Kulal
16. Imam at-Tariqah Muhammad Baha'uddin Shah Naqshband

As a youth, Naqshbandi was recognized as an exceptional Islamic scholar before he turned 20. He traveled to Mecca for the Islamic pilgrimage Hajj at least three times. He became a respected scholar in Central Asia and received many guests and pupils to Bukhara from other parts of Central Asia.

Bahá-ud-dín was buried in his native village, Qasr-i Arifan, in 1389. In 1544, Khan Abd al-Aziz built over his grave a tomb and surrounding buildings. The Memorial complex is located 16 kilometers from Bukhara and is today a place of pilgrimage.