The silsila is the chain of transmission, master to disciple, linking each Sufi order to the Prophet, usually through ʿAlī or Abū Bakr. Initiation confers membership in the chain and its blessing, and orders preserve their silsila as a written genealogy of teachers.
Silsila
Chain: the lineage of masters through which a Sufi order traces its teaching back to the Prophet.
Also: Silsila, lineage