Sultan Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani ((1285–1386) was an Iranian Sufi saint from Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of the Ashrafi Sufi order. He is India's third most influential Sufi saint after Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer and Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. His father Sultan Ibrahim Noorbaksh was the local ruler of Semnan. Semnani was claimed to be the descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, through his grandson Husayn ibn Ali. His mother Bibi Khadija was said to be a descendant of the Turkic Sufi saint Ahmad Yasawi.

Lineage

Semnani was said to be a descendant of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah from the lineage of her son, Husayn ibn Ali.

Spiritual Lineage

Semnani spiritual lineage of the Chishti Order :

Early life

After his father's death, Semnani then aged 17, became the ruler of Semnan. He was said to be inclined towards mysticism. He enjoyed the company of Ruknuddin Ala ul Daula Semnani. At the age of 23, Semnani abdicated his throne in favor of his brother Sultan Sayyid Muhammad. Thereafter, Semnani migrated to Bengal in order to meet Alaul Haq Pandavi.

Travels

After performing the obligatory pilgrimage to the Islamic Holy sites in Mecca and Medina, Semnani traveled to Gulbarga and Sarandib in South India.

Meeting with other Sufis

Semnani is said to have met with various known Sufis of his time, that being Syed BadiUddin Zinda Shah Madar, Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, Hafez Shirazi, Bande Nawaz and Sultan Walad (the son of the Sufi poet, Rumi).