"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")[1]orGaddi 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.[2]
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.[3]ASajjada particularly tends to the shrine which is made over the Sufi's tomborgrave, known as a DargahorMazar. 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.[4]
^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.
