Ismail Shirvani

Mawlana Ismail Sirajuddin al-Kurdamiri ash-Shirvani (; 1782/1783 – 1848), often known as Ismail Sirajuddin Shirvani, was a prominent 19th-century Islamic scholar, philosopher, and Naqshbandi sheikh. He played a crucial role in introducing and spreading the Khalidi branch of the Naqshbandi order throughout the Caucasus and the Ottoman Empire. His followers were highly influential in the spiritual and political life of the region, significantly shaping the Caucasian resistance against the Russian Empire.

Early life and education Ismail Shirvani was born in 1782 or 1783 (Hijri 1197) in the village of Kurdamir, part of the Bölüket mahal in the Shirvan Khanate. His full name in the sources is recorded as Mawlana Ismail ibn Ahmed, indicating his father's name was Ahmed. Historical sources provide no further definitive information about his father's identity; some modern researchers have tentatively proposed that he may have been the figure known as Sheikh Anwar Shirvani. In some sources he is also referred to by the name Zebîhullâh.

During the 1820s the Russian Empire began systematically persecuting influential religious figures in the region, viewing the Naqshbandi network as a threat to Russian colonial interests. Russian authorities arrested and exiled several of Shirvani's deputies. Initially, Shirvani was protected from exile through the intervention of Fatma Begüm, the wife of Mustafa Khan of Shirvan However, under intense, continued pressure from the Russian administration, Shirvani was forced to leave his homeland in 1826, migrating to Akhaltsikhe, which was then within the borders of the Ottoman Empire.

Family Ismail Shirvani had several children who went on to hold prominent positions in the Ottoman Empire:

Abdulhamid Efendi—His firstborn son, born in Kurdamir. He died from drowning in Amasya in 1846. Şirvanizade Mehmed Rüşdi Pasha (1828–1874)—Born in Amasya, he rose to become the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Abdulaziz. In 1869 he built the mosque and tomb over his father's grave. Ahmed Hulusi Efendi (1833–1888)—Born in Sivas, he served as a judge (qadi) in Istanbul and as the chief judge (kazasker) of Anatolia. Mustafa Nuri Bey (1844–1897)—Born in Amasya, he died in Istanbul and was buried in the Fatih cemetery. Haji Sherife Fatma Khanum—Married Hacı İsa Ruhi Efendi.

Legacy Ismail Shirvani's teachings and the deputies he appointed led to the formation of three major Naqshbandi-Khalidi branches in the Caucasus, in addition to several independent deputies who spread his teachings across the region. Several of Shirvani's deputies spread his teachings without establishing distinct branches. Muhammed Salih ash-Shirvani is described by later Khalidi sheikhs as among the greatest of Shirvani's deputies, though historical sources preserve little detail about him. Haji Ahmed Qiyasi (known in Shirvan as Molla Ahmed) was among Shirvani's earliest followers, originally from the Zardab. Exiled to Russia by General Yermolov in 1825, he later escaped to join his sheikh in Akhaltsikhe and accompanied him to Amasya, where he received his formal diploma of succession; his line continued in Denizli. Yaraghi subsequently received his own ijazah directly from Shirvani as well, and became the central figure through whom the order spread in Dagestan. From Yaraghi's circle emerged Jamaladdin Gazikumukhi (d. 1869), who in turn initiated the leaders of the Caucasian resistance—Ghazi Muhammad and Imam Shamil—into the order. After an extensive search for a spiritual guide, Nigari came to Sivas and became Shirvani's disciple, entering the Naqshbandi order. Under Shirvani's guidance, Nigari spread the Khalidiyya among the Karapapak Turks of the Karabakh region. He later continued his activities from Amasya, where he attracted disciples from across the Caucasus and Anatolia, until he was exiled to Harput by Ottoman authorities in 1885, dying there in 1886. His line continued through deputies in both the Caucasus and Anatolia.

Jar Branch The Jar-Balakan branch was founded by Haji Yahya Bey Qutqashini (d. 1869) from Qutqashen, who received his khalifate from Shirvani and spread the Khalidiyya throughout the northwestern Azerbaijan region of Jar-Balakan (modern Zakatala, Balaken, and Qakh). The branch was continued by Haji Yunus Efendi al-Lalali (1803–1860) of the Qakh district. Its most influential figure was Almalili Mahmud Efendi, who received his ijazah from Yunus Efendi and spread the order so widely—across Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Chechnya, Kazan, and Astrakhan—that the branch came to be known as the Mahmudiyya in his honour. During the Soviet period, it was through the Mahmudiyya's network of sheikhs and disciples that Islamic traditions and practices were preserved in Azerbaijan. The branch's subsequent representatives in Azerbaijan were Talalı Ahmad Efendi (d. 1904), Hacı Shuayb Efendi (d. 1912), Hacıyov Efendi (d. 1948), and Muhammed Nâsih Efendi (d. 1996).