Sajjada nashin
The Sajjada Nashin (lit. "[one who] sits [at a] prayer mat")[1] is a term 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 trusty at his shrine. In some cases, the Sajjada Nashin is the descendant of a Sufi or Pir or a descendant of a disciple of their's. Sajjada means 'prayer mat' (from the Arabic sajdah or 'prostration') while sajjada Nashin is the word used for the person seated thereon.[2] A Sajjada particularly tends to the shrine which is made over the Sufi's tomb or grave, known as a Dargah or Mazar. A trusty 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.
References
- Schimmel, Annemarie (1980). Islam in the Indian Subcontinent. Leiden: Brill. p. 273.
- Ali, Syed Ameer (1885). The Law Relating to Gifts, Trusts, and Testamentary Dispositions Among the Mahommedans:According to the Hanafi, Maliki, Shâfeï, and Shiah Schools. London: Thacker, Spink and Company. p. 246.