Alauddin Attar

His full name is Ala-ad-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Bukhari al-Attar. On the early childhood of Alauddin Attar information is almost not preserved. It is known that he was from Khorezm . The nickname “Attar” (apothecary, perfumer) says that he came from the family of an incense dealer ^[1] . Apparently, as a child, Alauddin and his parents moved to Bukhara . His father Muhammad Attari owned several shops in the Bukhara bazaar, and the teenager often helped him in trade.

Alauddin studied at a madrasa when his father died. Having abandoned his share of the inheritance in favor of the brothers, he focused on his studies. While still a student, the young man decided to take the path of the Dervish Order of Hajagan. Therefore, he paid great attention to the study of theological sciences and especially excelled in tasavuf ^[2] . Alauddin dreamed of becoming a student of Bakhauddin Naqshband and found the shortest way to the sheikh’s heart by wooing his daughter. For the groom's soul there was nothing but a tattered mat on which he slept, two stones, which he used instead of a pillow, and an old jug for washing ^[3] . But Bahauddin was bribed by his brilliant mind, deep knowledge and ascetic way of life. Alauddin became a member of the family of the great sheikh, but youthful maximalism, excessive ardor and excessive pride prevented him from becoming a disciple of Shah Naqshband. To pacify the unbridled temper of his son-in-law, Sheikh Bahauddin forced him to leave the madrasa and move to his home in Kasri-Hinduvan. He introduced him to the tariqa, but he kept with him all the time, periodically conducting tawajuh (purification of the heart). “I keep him close to me in order to protect him from the wolf. And the wolf is his nafs " ^{[1] [3]} ," Shah Naqshband explained to those around him. Finally, he gave his son-in-law a test: Alauddin had to walk, like a woman, through the bazaars and squares with a tray on her head and sell apples, and periodically do it in front of his brothers ^{[1] [3]} . Overcoming shame and suffering reproaches from his relatives, the novice Sheikh Bahauddin passed the test and became his murid.

By the time Alauddin Attar entered the Order of Hajagan, Bahauddin Naqshband was already a worthy student, who was considered his probable successor - Muhammad Parsa . However, Attar enjoyed the great favor of the great sheikh and soon became his first Caliph (deputy). Between the two best students of Shah Nakshbanad, there was an unspoken rivalry that lasted for many years. Allauddin Attar not only received from their common murshid Irshad ^[4] , but during the life of Sheikh Bahauddin became the mentor of many of his former students ^[2] . From Shah Nakshband, Attar inherited and silus - successive holiness. The great Sheikh himself said on this occasion: “Alauddin eased my burden, it showed a radiance, his righteous path was realized and improved” ^[3] . At the same time, by the will of Bahauddin Naqshband, the murids of Alauddin Attar steel and Muhammad Pars ^[2] , and another eminent pupil of the sheikh and future successor of Attar Yakub Charkhi ^[2] . It happened, apparently, shortly before the death of Shah Naqshband, as Yakub Charkhi left for Badakhshan shortly after the funeral of his teacher, and then to Khorasan , without swearing to Alauddin Attar. The new sheikh even had to send a messenger to Charkh to remind Yakub Charkhi of Bahauddin’s will.

After the death of Bahauddin Naqshband, which occurred in 1389, the struggle for leadership between Alauddin Attar and Muhammad Parsa began within the order of Khazhagan. There was a real threat of a split in the community, but two outstanding people were still able to overcome their differences. Parsa recognized for Alauddin Attar the right to continue the work of Sheikh Bahauddin, receiving in return the position of Sheikh-ul-Islam in Balkh . Attar also settled in Chaganian near Bukhara, where he founded his Sufi school ^[5] .

Sheikh Alauddin Attar demanded strict obedience from his murids. He believed that the murshid for those who seek Allah is like a prophet , and murids can achieve spiritual perfection only through communication with Awlia (sheikhs).

Goals can be achieved only through the love and contentment of the murshid, ”Attar taught,“ Therefore, the first duty of the murid is to deserve the satisfaction and favor of the murshid. Since all the doors, except the door of his murshid, are closed for the murid. Therefore, for him there is no other way but to obey him. After all, the murid, in essence, is the one who has committed himself and his will to the murshid and the Most High.

- Hassan Camille Yilmaz. Golden Silsil. Chain of Continuity of the Sheikhs of the Nakshibandi-Khalidiyah Tarikat.

The logical continuation of this position of Alauddin Attar was the introduction into the practice of the tariqa of rabita - the spiritual connection of man with God through a perfect teacher, which could only be the sheikh. At the same time, he set slavery even higher than zikr ^{[2] [5]} in conjunction with murakaba (cleansing from bad thoughts and passions). However, despite the strictness of the established rules, the refusal of the murid from its own will was more likely voluntary. He was left with not only the right to choose his own murshid, but also to change teachers in the learning process ^[5] .

Alauddin Attar paid much attention to Adab Naqshbandi. In this regard, he was extremely strict, as he believed that without adab, it was impossible to conduct prefixes ^[6] . The great sheikh instructed his disciples:

Beware of doing things that might hurt the hearts of the followers of tasavuf. Do not forget to follow all the rules of adab, being next to them, and communicating with them. Learn how to adab before you start attending dictionaries. Since who has no adab, there is no tariqa.

- Hassan Camille Yilmaz. Golden Silsil. Chain of Continuity of the Sheikhs of the Nakshibandi-Khalidiyah Tarikat.

Peculiar interpretation by Sheikh Alauddin of the postulate of Bahauddin Naqshband about the need to educate murids through physical labor. He applied this testament of his teacher to the concept of halal , stating that "in our time, earned by agriculture will be closer to what is permitted after trade" ^[3] . In the sermons of Sheikh Alauddin, one can also observe some relief in regard to the loud zikr, previously rejected by the followers of the Nakshbandi Tariqa. Recognizing quiet dhikr more perfect, Attar at the same time allows loud dhikr as a way of protecting the heart, while calling three necessary conditions: you should not be silent if you appeared before the evil whispering of your heart; you should not be silent when you direct your heart to the remembrance of Allah; and you should not be silent when the vision inside your heart tells you to speak ^[2] .

Noteworthy is the throwing of Alauddin Attar between the tradition of continuity, established in the Order of Hajagan, and the possibility of spiritual inheritance on the principle of genetic relatedness peculiar to some other Sufi tariqahs. There was no such dilemma before Sheikh Bahauddin: he had no descendants in the male line. Attar had four sons, the eldest of whom Hassan Attar was also the son-in-law of Shah Naqshband and could well claim the right to be his heir. The result of the heikh Alauddin's hesitation was the emergence of a sideline of the tariqah, called Ta'if 'Ala'iya, which, however, did not develop and was interrupted by the death of his grandson Yusuf ^[5] . Nevertheless, Alauddin Attar, the golden force and secret knowledge of the order of chasers, passed on to his best pupil Yakub Charkhi, who was next to his teacher until the end of his days. Another famous sheikh Alauddin Murid, who glorified his name, was the famous Persian scientist Zainuddin Abul-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Said al-Sharif al-Dzhurdzhani ^[1] . It is known that in his declining years, Alauddin Attar was greatly disappointed with the mores that prevailed in the empire of Amir Timur . He complained about his murids, who were not too happy about their studies and used their knowledge to do nothing ^[3] .

The literary heritage of Alauddin Attar has not reached our days, although in the writings of later Islamic theologians there are references to his work Makalat-i Arvakh. Sheikh Alauddin also acted as the canonical editor of the first makamat (life) of Bahauddin Naqshband, compiled, apparently, by Muhammad Parsa. There are also numerous sayings by Alauddin Attar, which are cited in some chapters of Rashahat and Nafahat, as well as in collections edited by Abul-Qasim Muhammad ibn Masud and Sarvar Mavlai.

Sheikh Alauddin Attar himself predicted his demise, announcing this to his murids at the beginning of the month Rajab of the 802 Hijr ^[2] . Soon he became seriously ill and on the 20th of the same month (March 19, 1400, according to the Gregorian calendar ) died ^{[2] [3] [7]} . Forty days after the death of the great sheikh, one of his murids was informed that the prophet Muhammad granted Alauddin Attar the right of intercession (shafaat) for those people buried 40 farces from his grave ^[3] . Mazar of Sheikh Alauddin is located in the village of Nuvmin ^[3] .

• Hassan Camille Yilmaz. Golden Silsil. Chain of Continuity of the Sheikhs of the Nakshibandi-Khalidiyah Tarikat. 1st ed .. - M: LLC “Publishing group“ Sad ”", 2009. - 248 p. - ISBN 978-5-902855-80-4 .
• Shrines of Uzbekistan / comp. A.M. Magomedov, S.N. Sultanmagomedov, M.O. Karimov. - Makhachkala: Department of Islamic Education, SAMD, 2007. - 158 p.
• Sufism in Central Asia / comp. A. A. Khismatulin. - SPb: Faculty of Philology of St. Petersburg State University, 2001. - 394 p. - ISBN 5-8465-0040-4 .
• Muhammad Hisham Kabbani. Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition. 2-d edition. - Islamic Supreme Council of America, 2004. - 726 p. - ISBN 1-930409-23-0 .