The Sultaniyya movement is named after Khwaja Qadi Muhammad Sultan Alam Siddiqi (1870-1934), known as ‘Qibla Alam’, a twentieth century Sufi saint of Kashmir who traces his genealogy to the first caliph of Islam, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. He was a master in the Naqshbandiyya Mujaddidiyya order, which skilfully combines both the Shari’ah (Islamic law) and Tariqah (Islamic spirituality) to spread its message of ‘outwardly being with the world but inwardly always in the presence of God.’ He laid the foundation for a silent mystical movement in Kashmir and Pakistan which spread far and wide during the lifetime of his beloved son and successor Hadrat Khwaja Muhammad Sadiq (1921-2008) known as ‘Hadrat Sahib’.
Under the leadership of Hadrat Sahib the movement has produced thousands of huffaz (people who have memorised the Qur’an in its entirety); build hundreds of mosques throughout Pakistan, Kashmir and Britain. All of this has been done without seeking funds from anyone, because Hadrat Sahib wants all of these mosques and institutions to remain independent of the state. The movement has two major centres: Khanqah - e Sultaniyya in Jhelum (Pakistan) which is managed by Hadrat Sahib’s eldest son Janab Hafiz Muhammad Abd al-Wahid known as ‘Hajji Pir Sahib’ (b.1957) and Khanqah - e Fathiyya in Gulhar, Kotli (Azad Kashmir) that is under the supervision of Janab Hafiz Muhammad Zahid Sultani (b.1974) known as ‘Sahibzada Sahib.’ Both brothers are worthy successors of this noble tradition and skilfully guide new and old Sangis ( companions) to the straight path.
