Īshān
Īshān (from
Persian 'they'; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is an honorific title given to
Sufi leaders in
Central Asia. Quoting Jianping Wang, "In the Sufi doctrine found in [[East Turkestan|E[ast] Turkestan]], the ''ishan'' has a divine nature, acting as an intermediary between
Muslims and
Allah. An ''ishan'' has absolute power in his group, and can nominate his khalifa and hafiz as well as initiating maulid and buwi into the suborder. Usually, an ''ishan'' will have inherited his position from within his family and pass it on to his descendants."
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