Bio: Sh. Muhammad Wafa | الشيخ محمد وفا
Sh. Muhammad Wafa
الشيخ محمد وفا بن محمد النجم بن محمد السكندري الشاذليb. 702 H. in Alexandria – d.765 H. in Cairo (1302 – 1363 CE)
- ﷽
- Lineage
- English
- Türkçe
- عربي
- Burial place
﷽
He passed it on to his son, Sh.´Ali Wafa.
He met Sayyid Sh. Yaqout al-‘Arshi.
Read more about the Wafa’i Masters
– May Allah be pleased with them all.
Lineage
English
الشيخ بحر الصفا محمد وفا (d. 765/1363)
The majestic household of the Wafa’i Masters traces back to Sayyidund Muhammad Wafa.150 Qutb al-Sha’rani writes in al-Tabaqat [al-Kubra]:
Our master Muhammad Wafa was among the foremost knowers of Allah. He informed his son Sayyidi ‘Ali that he was the seal of saints and had been endowed with a lofty rank.
He was unlettered, and his expressions on mysticism are peculiar [gharib]. He has many writings, some of which he composed at the age of seven (or ten). His use of allusions in poetry and prose appear cryptic even in our age. To our knowledge, in fact, no one has unlocked their meanings. He was named Wafa after the waters of the Nile had failed to rise during its annual inundation (wafa). The inhabitants of Cairo resolved to make a migration but the shaykh went to the river and said, ‘Release (your waters), by the permission of Allah Most High.’ On that very day, it rose by seventeen cubits and inundated the lands, so people called him Wafa.
His numerous works include Kitab al-Arush and al-Sha’air[al-Irfan fi Alwah al-Kitman], as well as a great anthology of poetry.
He was born in Alexandria, in AH 702. He grew up there and treaded the spiritual path of Shaykh Abu’l-Hasan al-Shadhili under the guide, Sidi Dawud b. Makhila.151 He then relocated to Akhmim,152 where he married and established a large zawiya. Throngs of people paid him visits. He later moved to Rawda153 in Cairo where he devoted himself to worship and the remembrance of Allah Most High. His fame spread and reached distrant corners in both the East and West.
He died on Tuesday, 11 Rabi’I, AH 765. He was buried in the Qarafa neocropolis between the mausoleums of Sidi Abu al-Su’ud b. Abu al-‘Asha’ir and Sidi Taj al-Din Ibn ‘Ata’illah, may Allah be pleased with both of them. This was hinted at by him in the verse, ‘Bury me between Sa`d and ‘Ata’.’
Footnotes:
151 Also known as al-Bakhili.
152 It is an old town on the Nile, in Upper Egypt, surrounded in the west by a small mountain.
153 Rhoda Island located on the Nile in central Cairo.
Extracted from occidentalexile
It is said that he is named Wafa’ because one day the Nile stopped its yearly rise, falling short of its completion (al-wafa’). The people of Cairo were resolved to flee the land (in anticipation of famine), when Shaykh Mohammed Wafa’ appeared at the river’s edge and said, ‘By the grace of God, Rise!’ The river then rose and the water reached its proper level.
Extracted from mazaratmisr.org
He followed the path of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili under the guidance of Imam Dawud Ibn Bakhila and met with Yaqout al-‘Arshiy. Mohammed Wafa was the first from among the blessed order to be called ‘Wafa’—he was its leader in Egypt.
All historical records confirm that he was called ‘Wafa’. The story goes that when the Nile ceased to flood, Mohammed Wafa supplicated his Lord for its inundation. Consequently, when Allah answered his prayers, he was nicknamed Wafa.
Sidi Mohammed Wafa went to Akhmim [(near Suhaj)] in Upper Egypt where he married and established a big zawya which people visited in droves. He then went to Cairo where he settled in Manyal al-Rawda and where he devoted himself to worship and making remembrance of Allah. He rose to prominence and many people benefitted from him.
He was from among the greatest gnostics and authored many books which are still preserved in manuscript form in al-Azhar library and the Egyptian National Library. His most important books include Nafa`is al-‘Irfan min Anfas al-Rahman, Manahil al-Safa`, al-Azal, and al-Maqamat al-Sunniya al-Makhsus biha al-Sada al-Sufiyya. He also has a great collection of poems.
Sidi Mohammed Wafa died in Cairo in 765 AH and was buried in his mosque “al-Sada al-Wafa`iyya” between whose blessed walls more than twenty walis (friends of Allah) are buried.
Türkçe
Muhammed Vefa Efendimiz (702-765)
Referans: Tabakat el-Şaziliyye el-Kubra, Muhammed bin Kasım el-Kuhin
Vefai büyüklerinin soyu Muhammed Vefa efendimize dayanır. Kutup İmam Şa’rani hazretleri ‘Tabakat’ında demiştir ki:
Muhammed Vefa Efendimiz ariflerin büyüklerindendi. Oğlu Ali Efendimize ise onun evliyaların mühürü ve ali rütbelerin sahibi olduğunu söylemiştir.
Şeyh hazretleri ümmiydi, ehli tasavvufun ilminde farklı bir dili ve bir çok eseri vardı. Bu eserleri çocukluk yıllarında 7 ya da 10 yaşındayken kaleme aldı. Bununla birlikte yetişkin yaşlarında da yazdı. Manzumelerinde ve nesirlerinde kullandığı kinayeler günümüzde dahi gizemli görünmektedir. Bildiğimiz kadarıyla manalarını kimse çözememiştir.
Vefa olarak anılmıştır, çünkü Nil nehri bir yıl durmuş ve o yıl yükselmemişti. (Nilin yükselmesi -Vefa-u Nil- her Ağustos ayında Nilin suyunun yükselmesidir ve bundan bir çok verim elde edilir). Mısır halkı çözüm olarak göç etmeye karar vermişti. Şeyh ise nehre doğru geldi ve dedi ki: ‘Allah tealanın izniyle yüksel.’ Nehir o gün 17 zira’ ölçüsünde yükseldi. Bu yüzden ona Vefa dediler.
Eserlerinden bazıları: Kitabul Aruş, Kitabul Şe’air ve büyük şiir koleksiyonu olarak sayılabilir.
Şeyh Efendi hicri 702 yılında İskenderiye’de doğdu ve orada büyüdü. Ebul Hasan eş-Şazili hazretlerinin tarikatını İmam, büyük müsellik Davud ibn Mahil eliyle almıştır. Şeyh sonraları İhmim’e (Nil sahili üzerinde eski bir belde) doğru yönelmiş, orada evlenmiştir. Büyük bir zaviye inşa etmiştir. İnsanlar onu akın akın ziyaret etmiştir. Sonra Mısır’da Ravda’ya gitmiş, orada Allah’a ibadet ile niyaz etmek ve Allah Teala’nın zikriyle meşgul olmak için kalmıştır. Namı uzaklarda yayılmış, ismi şark ve garp topraklarına aşmıştır.
Bir salı günü 11 Rebiulevvel 765 hicri yılında vefat etti. Karafe’ye Ebul Su’ud ibn Ebil Aşa’ir hazretleri ile Tacuddin İbn Ataullah hazretlerinin kabirleri arasında defnedilmiştir. Defin yeri Şeyhin şu işareti üzerine yapılmış:
‘Beni Sa’d ve ‘Ata arasına defnedin.’
عربي
2. From Al-Sha’rani: Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra – View entry on Sh. Muhammad Wafa
3. From Kuhin: Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyya – Entry on Sh. ‘Ali Wafa (Ref alsufi.net)
محمد وفا بن محمد النجم بن محمد السكندري، أبو الفضل أو أبو الفتح، المعروف بالسيد محمد وفا الشاذلي. رأس (الوفائية) ووالدهم، بمصر، مغربي الأصل، مالكي المذهب، ولد ونشأ بالإسكندرية، وسلك طريق الشيخ أبي الحسن الشاذلي، ونبغ في النظم، فأنشأ قصائد على طريقة ابن الفارض وغيره من (الاتحادية). ورحل إلى إخميم فتزوج واشتهر بها وصار له مريدون وأتباع، وانتقل إلى القاهرة، فسكن (الروضة) على شاطئ النيل، وكثر أصحابه، وأقبل عليه أعيان الدولة، وتوفي بها، ودفن بالقرافة. كان واعظاً، لكلامة تأثير في القلوب، ويقال: كان أمياً. وللشيخ عبد الوهاب الشعراني (كتاب) في مناقبه. له: (ديوان شعر -خ) و(نفائس العرفان من أنفاس الرحمن -خ) و(الأزل -خ) و(شعائر العرفان في ألواح الكتمان -خ) و(العروش -خ) و(الصور -خ) و(المقامات السنية المخصوص بها السادة الصوفية -خ).
وإليه يُنسب هذا البيت العظيم.
قال القطب الشعراني رضى الله عنه في «الطبقات»: كان سيدنا محمد وفا من أكابر العارفين، وأخبر ولده سيدي علي رضى الله عنه أنه هو خاتم الأولياء، صاحبُ الرتبة العلية، وكان أُمِّيًّا، وله لسان غريب في علوم القوم، ومؤلفاتٌ كثيرة، ألَّفها في صباه، وهو ابن سبع سنين أو عشرٍ، فضلًا عن كونه كهلًا، وله رموزٌ في منظوماته ومنثوراته مُطَلْسمة إلى وقتنا هذا، لم يفكَّ أحدٌ فيما نعلم معناها.
وسُمِّي وفا لأنَّ بحر النيل توقَّف فلم يزد إلى أوان الوفاء([2])، فعزمَ أهلُ مصرَ على الرحيل، فجاءَ إلى البحر، وقال: اطلع بإذن الله تعالى. فطلعَ ذلك اليوم سبعة عشر ذراعًا، وأوفى، فسمُّوه وفا.
وله مؤلفات منها: «كتاب العروش» وكتاب «الشعائر» وديوان عظيم، ومؤلفات أخرى.
ولد رضى الله عنه بالإسكندرية سنة سبع مئة واثنتين، ونشأ بها، وسلك طريقَ الأستاذ أبي الحسن الشاذلي رضى الله عنه على يدِ الإمام المُسِّلك الكبير سيدي داود ابن ماخلا، ثم توجَّه إلى إخميم([3])، فتزوَّجَ بها، وأنشأ بها زاويةً كبيرة، ووفدت عليه الناس أفواجًا، فُرداى وأزواجًا، ثم سارَ إلى مصر، وأقام بالرَّوضة مُبتهلًا بالعبادة، مُشتغلًا بذكر الله تعالى، وطار صيتُه في الآفاق، واخترقَ ذكرُه مشارقَ الأرض ومغاربها أيَّ اختراق، ثم سكن القاهرةَ، وتوفي يوم الثلاثاء حادي عشر ربيع الأول سنة 765، ودُفن بالقَرَافة بين ضريح الأستاذ سيدي أبي السعود بن أبي العشائر، وسيدي تاج الدين ابن عطاء الله رضي الله عنهما، بإشارة منه رحمه الله إذ قال:
ادفنوني بين سعد وعطا محمد النجم
([2]) وفاء النيل: يرتفع منسوب مياه النيل في شهر آب، وبه تكثر الخيرات.
([3]) إِخْميم: بلدة قديمة على شاطئ النيل بالصعيد. [«معجم البلدان» (1/123)].
Burial place
His grave is located in the main chamber. (Ref: Kuhin)
