Religious philosopher and native of Bukhara, Bahauddin Naqshband helped to reconcile a schism between traditional Islam and Sufism. The order he founded, the Naqshbandi, respect a chain of spiritual knowledge handed down from mentor to student reaching back to the Prophet himself. The contemplative and meditative aspects of Naqshbandi Sufism, as well as its encouragement to seek the divine through artistic and intellectual pursuits gave it widespread appeal, and today the order claims over 60 million members.