Sajjada Nashin

"Throne" of the Sajjada Nashin of Sufi poet Sachal Sarmast, in Sindh, Pakistan

The Sajjāda Nashīn (Persian: سجاده نشین; lit. "[one who] sits [at a] prayer mat") or Gaddi Nashin is a term of Persian origin, used chiefly within the Sufi traditions of South Asia referring to the successor or hereditary administrator of a Sufi master who typically functions as a custodian or trustee at his shrine.

In some cases, the Sajjada Nashin is the descendant of a Sufi or Pir or a descendant of one of their disciples. Sajjada means 'prayer mat' (from the Arabic sajdah or 'prostration') while nashin is the word used for the person seated thereon. A Sajjada particularly tends to the shrine which is made over the Sufi's tomb or grave, known as a Dargah or Mazar. A trustee is a key person who holds and leads the traditional Sufi rituals in the Dargah's daily activities and particularly during death anniversaries called Urs. As a hereditary position the role of Sajjada nashin passes onto a child following the death of the holder.

Pakistani politician Shah Mehmood Qureshi is the Sajjada Nashin of the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya Multani.

Syed Ghulam Nizamudin Jami is the current Sajjada Nashin of Golra Sharif.

Syed Sarwar Chishti is the Sajjada Nashin of Dargah Ajmer Sharif.

Syed Mohammad Faiz Nizami is the current sajjada nashin of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, New Delhi

See also

• Khanqah
• Silsila
• Tariqa
• Ziyarat