Talk:Abdal

Merge proposal
According to this Abdals is a name for Dervishes, accordingly I propose redirecting this page to Dervish. PhilKnight (talk) 19:18, 6 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Merge reverted: these seem to be two separate but linked concepts. "Abdals" in this article are a small number (usually 40, sometimes 70) of saints/mysterious people in the world whose existence keeps the world existing; they are not identifiable. "Abdals" as meaning "dervishes" are a class of Sufi ascetics; they are identifiable. This abstract describes the different meanings in more detail. -kotra (talk) 01:34, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

what are seven ranks/masters in sufi order?
what are seven ranks/masters in sufi order? Like Wali, sufi, majzoub, Abdal, Qalandir, Kutab, Ghous,........ref.1

http://www.load-islam.com

The invisible hierarchy of sheikhs consists of the forty abdal ("substitutes"; for when any of them dies another is chosen by Allah from the rank and file of the sheikhs), seven awtad (stakes of faith), three nuqaba` ("leaders"; one who introduces people to his master), headed by the qutb ("axis, pole"), or ghawth ("help") - titles claimed by many Sufi leaders.

ref 2 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/

Aside from these administrative concerns, there is also a spiritual chain of command. The Sufis believe in a hierarchical structure that they believe reflects the structure of the world. They envision a universe that is divinely divided into abdals (substitutes), awtad (pillars), aqtab (poles), nogabaa (leaders) and noqabaa (chiefs). These ranks can be rigid, and followers are not allowed to move up the ladder without going through spiritual trials. The murid needs to have qualities allowing him to be promoted within the Sufi structure, for example. These include loyalty, the desire to help one's "brothers", the willingness to cooperate with fellow members, kindness towards one's parents, compassion to one's family, hospitality, kindness to neighbours, etc.

Word origin
Abdal is a Pashtun tribe and the word "Badal" means revenge in Pashto. Its not Arabic! Akmal94 (talk) 23:44, 18 January 2023 (UTC)