Ashraf Jahangir Semnani

Sultan Sayyid Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (Urdu: سلطان سید مخدوم اشرف جہانگیر سمنانی; (1285–1386)  was an Iranian Sufi saint from Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of the Ashrafi Sufi order.

His father Sultan Ibrahim Noorbaksh was the local ruler of Semnan. Semnani was claimed to be the descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, through his grandson Husayn ibn Ali. His mother Bibi Khadija was said to be a descendant of the Turkic Sufi saint Khwaja Ahmed Yasawi.

Lineage

Semnani was said to be a descendant of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah from the lineage of her son, Husayn ibn Ali.

Spiritual Lineage

Semnani spiritual lineage of Chishti Order

  1. Muhammad
  2. Fatima bint Muhammad and Ali ibn Abi Talib
  3. Hasan al-Basri
  4. Abdul Waahid Bin Zaid
  5. Fudhail Bin Iyadh
  6. Ibrahim Bin Adham
  7. Huzaifah Al-Mar’ashi Basra
  8. Abu Hubayra al-Basri
  9. Khwaja Mumshad Uluw Al Dīnawarī Dinawar
  10. Abu Ishaq Shamī ( Chishti Name start)
  11. Abu Aḥmad Abdal Chishti
  12. Abu Muḥammad Chishti
  13. Abu Yusuf Bin Saamaan
  14. Maudood Chishti
  15. Shareef Zandani
  16. Usman Harooni
  17. Muinuddin Chishti
  18. Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
  19. Fariduddin Ganjshakar
  20. Nizamuddin Auliya
  21. Akhi Siraj
  22. Alaul Haq Pandavi
  23. Ashraf Jahangir Semnani

Early life

After the demise of his father, Semnani then aged 17, became the ruler of Semnan. He was said to be inclined towards mysticism. Always in the company of the Sufis, most notable among them being Ruknuddin Ala ul Daula Semnani.

At the age of 23, Semnani abdicated his throne in favor of his brother Sultan Sayyid Muhammad. Thereafter, Semnani migrated to Bengal in order to meet the famous Sufi master Ala ul Haq Pandvi.

Travels

After performing the obligatory pilgrimage to the Islamic Holy sites in Mecca and Medina, Semnani traveled to Gulbarga and Sarandib in South India.

Meeting with other Sufis

Semnani is said to have met with various known Sufis of his time that being Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, Hafez Shirazi, Bande Nawaz and Sultan Walad the son of the famous Sufi poet, Rumi

Shrine and Urs

Semnani’s shrine is located in Kichhauchha, Uttar Pradesh. His Urs is commemorated every year on the 28 Muharram of the Islamic calendar.