Silsila

thumb|A silsilah tablet in Yu Baba Gongbei (Islamic architecture)|Gongbei in [[Linxia City]]

Silsila () is an Arabic word meaning chain, link, connection often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual genealogy" where one Sufi Master transfers his khilafat to his khalîfa, or spiritual descendant. In Urdu, silsila means saga.