Pir (Sufism)

Pir ( ) literally "old [person]") is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh , which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the Sufi path. This is often done by general lessons (called Suhbas ) and individual guidance. Other words that refer to a Pir include, Murshid ( , meaning "guide" or "teacher"), Sheikh and Sarkar (Persian/Hindi/Urdu word meaning Master, Lord). The path of Sufism starts when a student takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher called Bai'ath or Bay'ah (Arabic word meaning Transaction). After that, the student is called a Murid (Arabic word meaning committed one). A Pir usually has authorizations to be a teacher for one (or more) Tariqahs (paths). A Tariqah may have more than one Pir at a time. A Pir is accorded that status by his Shaikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah (Arabic word meaning succession). Khilafat is the process in which a Shaikh identifies one of his disciples as his successor ( khalifah ). A Pir can have more than one khalifah .

Pir Dastgir, from the Mughal era Pir or Peer ( , literally "old [person]") is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh , which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as " Elder ". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the Sufi path. This is often done by general lessons (called Suhbas ) and individual guidance. Other words that refer to a Pir include, Murshid ( , meaning "guide" or "teacher"), Sheikh and Sarkar (Persian/Hindi/Urdu word meaning Master, Lord). The title Peer Baba (पीर बाबा) is common in Hindustani used to give a salutation to Sufi masters or similarly honored persons. After their death people bow their head on their tombs ( dargah ) (मकबरा). The path of Sufism starts when a student takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher called Bai'ath or Bay'ah (Arabic word meaning "transaction") where he swears allegiance at the hands of his Pir and repents from all his previous sins. After that, the student is called a Murid (Arabic word meaning committed one). From here, his batin (inward) journey starts. A Pir usually has authorizations to be a teacher for one (or more) Tariqahs (paths). A Tariqah may have more than one Pir at a time. A Pir is accorded that status by his Shaikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah (Arabic word meaning succession). Khilafat is the process in which a Shaikh identifies one of his disciples as his successor ( khalifah ). A Pir can have more than one khalifah .

Pir Dastgir, from the Mughal era Peer or Pir ( ) is a title for a Sufi master or spiritual guide. They are also referred to as a Hazrat (from ) and Sheikh or Shaykh , which is literally the Arabic equivalent. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as " Elder ". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the Sufi path . This is often done by general lessons (called Suhbas ) and individual guidance. Other words that refer to a Pir include Murshid ( "guide, mentor") and Sarkar ( "master, lord"). In Alevism , Pir's are considered a direct descendant of Ali. The title Peer Baba (from meaning "father") is common in the Indian subcontinent used as a salutation to Sufi masters or similarly honored persons. After their death, people visit their tombs or mausolea, referred to as dargah or maqbara . The path of Sufism starts when a student takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher called Bai'at or Bay'ah (Arabic word meaning "transaction") where he swears allegiance at the hands of his Pir and repents of all his previous sins. After that, the student is called a Murid (Arabic word meaning committed one). From here, his batin (esoteric) journey starts. A Pir usually has authorizations to be a teacher for one (or more) tariqahs . A tariqah may have more than one Pir at a time. A Pir is accorded that status by his Sheikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah (Arabic word meaning "succession"), a process in which the Pir identifies one of his disciples as his successor, which may be more than one. The term "Pir" is also used by Nizari Ismailis whose missionaries in the past have used the title Pir. The current Nizari Ismaili Imam Agha Khan IV is also the Pir within the Nizari Ismaili Shia sect. A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (1st ed.).

Sufi master or spiritual guide Pir Dastgir, from the Mughal era Pir ( ) or Peer is a title for a Sufi spiritual guide. They are also referred to as a Hazrat (from ) and Sheikh or Shaykh , which is literally the Arabic equivalent. The title is often translated into English as "saint". In Sufism , a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the Sufi path. This is often done by general lessons (called Suhbas ) and individual guidance. Other words that refer to a Pir include Murshid ( ) and Sarkar ( ). The title Peer Baba (from ) is common in the Indian subcontinent used as a salutation to Sufi masters or similarly honored persons. After their death, people visit their tombs or mausolea, referred to as dargah or maqbara . This title is mostly used by Sayyids , who are descendants of Prophet Muhammad . The path of Sufism starts when a student takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher called Bai'at or Bay'ah (Arabic word meaning "transaction") where he swears allegiance at the hands of his Pir and repents of all his previous sins. After that, the student is called a Murid (Arabic word meaning committed one). From here, his batin (esoteric) journey starts. A Pir usually has authorizations to be a teacher for one (or more) tariqahs . A tariqah may have more than one Pir at a time. A Pir is accorded that status by his Sheikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah (Arabic word meaning "succession"), a process in which the Pir identifies one of his disciples as his successor, which may be more than one. The title is also written as Pirzada or Peerzada. The people having this title also write Shah. The title is most used by Pirs of Sindh . The title is common in Iran , India and Afghanistan . A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (1st ed.).