Category: Other Shadhili Personalities

Imam al-Jazuli
(d. 870/1465)

He is the godly imam, lordly qutb, and the solitary [fard]. He is the perfect man enamoured in the Divine Essence, and the realized gnostic who gathered the perfections of Muhammadan sanctity. He is the supporting foundation of instruction and guidance, and the mentor of disciples leading them to the path of the folk of lofty realities. He is the crème de la crème of the knowers of Allah, the model of those realized, the succour of saints, and the treasury of select mystics, by whose renown riding parties were set into motion, and whose fame spread across nations. He is our master and virtuous imam, the perfected gnostic who arrived at his destination, and the axis and unmatched pearl of his age. He is our liege, the noble scion from the Prophetic lineage, Abu’l ‘Abdullah Muhammad al-Jazuli al-Hasani al-Shadhili, son of our master ‘Abd al-Rahman, son of our master Abu Bakr al-Murtada, son of our master Sulayman, son of our master Sa’İd, son of our master Ya’la, son of our master Yakhluf, son of our master Musa, son of our master Yusuf, son of our master ‘Abdullah, son of our master Jundun, son of our master ‘Abd al-Rahman, son of our master Hassan, son of our master Isma’İl, son of our master Ja’far, son of our master ‘Abdullah, son of our master Abu Muhammad al-Hasan, the Prophet’s grandson and sweet basil. [1]

He passed away, having been poisoned, in Afughal, in the second prostration of the Dawn prayer’s first cycle, on 16 Rabi` I, AH 870 [2]. He was buried after the Midday prayer on the same day, in the middle of the mosque he had set up in that locality. I have read in someone’s handwriting that he left no son behind.

Seventy-seven years after his death, his remains were moved from Sus to Marrakech. They buried him in the ‘Arus Gardens and a mausoleum and shrine were built over his tomb. When they exhumed him from his noble grave in Sus, they found him in the same state in which he had died, so they decided not to throw any fresh earth over his corpse. Throughout the intervening time, his conditions were unaltered, and the trace of the shave on his head was exactly as it had been on the day of his death, as if it had only recently been shaved. One of those present placed his finger on his noble forehead, holding the skin back from what lay underneath, and when he lifted his finger the blood returned to the spot, as it would happen to a person who is still alive.

His tomb in Marrakech is enveloped by a tremendous majesty, a shining light, and a manifest force. People congregate around his noble grave and read the Dala’il al-Khayrat over it, while the fragrance of musk exuded from his tomb pervades the mosque entirely.

He spoke at length about Sufism, penned fine ghazals and was bestowed truthful spiritual states. He would say: ‘My Lord said to me, “My slave, I have preferred you over My entire creation by the abundance of your prayers over My Prophet.”‘ The author of Mumti’a al-Asma’ said, by way of clarification: ‘What is meant is His preference for him over His other creatures of his age’ Unequivocal signs, in fact, appeared in him.

He had the best of students whose number exceeded twenty thousand, and who transmitted Prophetic hadith and sayings about the spiritual path and Sufism from him.

He had taken the lofty Shadhili Path from his mentor, the knower of Allah Most High, our master Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad Amghar. He taught him facets of Sufism that would dazzle intellects and unlocked recondite and ambiguous aspects associated with it, as a result of which he became one of its luminaries.

Among the prominent disciples who took the path from him was the complete ghawth, the radiant proof, our liege and master Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. ‘Abd al-Haqq known as al-Tabba`. He was a supreme succour who encompassed the secrets of the folk of ultimate reality. He was a notable scholar endowed with virtue and beneficence, and who made peculiar statements on the sciences and allusions of the Sufis.

A mausoleum that draws visiters was built over his remains, becoming hub for people of virtue and the spiritually elite. He is one of the seven axial saints buried in the city of Marrakech and from its spiritual fotresses. O Allah, benefit us through Your righteous Friends, and pour their spiritual sustentations over us at all the times, amin.

Footnotes:
[1] See his biography in al-A’lam (6/151), Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu`mi (p. 193), al-Khazanat al-Taymuriyya (3/59), Shawariq al-Anwar, which names him as Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Sulayman, al-Qadi’s al-I’lam bi man Halla Marrakush wa Aghmat min al-A`lam (4/57-122), which reads: ‘Al-Jazuli or al-Juzuli with either the fath or the damm’, while al-Dhayl wa al-Takmila by lbn `Abd al-Malik al-Marrakushi refers to him al-Quzuli with a Qaf. It is said that in the Berber language it is pronounced Kuzuli. As for his other noun of ascription al-Simlali, it is an ascription to Simlala, one of Jazula’s tribal groupings.
[2] Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Abi’l-Mahasin Yusuf al-Fasi reports various reports on the date and year of his passing in Mumti’a al-Asma’ fi Dhikr al-Jazuli wa al-Tabba’ wa Ma Lahuma min al-Atba’. According to one opinion, he passed away on 4 Dhu al-Qa`da AH 869.

Source: Muhammad b. Qasim al-Kuhin, Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyyah Al-Kubra, translated by Ahmad Ali al-Adani as “Biographies of Prominent Shadhilis”

Sidi Mohammed b. Sulayman al-Jazouli al-Hassani
(d. 869/1454)
Indepth article from dar-sirr Link to original | View

Biographical note
From damas-original.nur.nu
Author: Anonymous

His full name is Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Suleiman Ibn Abi Bakr Al-Jazuli Al-Simlali and was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad, praise and veneration be upon him, via his grandson Hasan, son of Ali, may Allah be pleased with them. Al Jazuli belonged to the Berber tribe of Jazula that settled in the Sus area of Morocco which lies between the Atlantic ocean and the Atlas mountains.

The date of his death is uncertain, however it occurred between the years 869-873 AH as he offered an obligatory prayer. In the Encyclopedia of Islam, 1957 Leiden, it is reported that seventy-seven years after his death his body was exhumed for reburial in Marrakesh and that his body had not decomposed.

He a descendant of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him He belonged to the Berber tribe of Jazula which was settled in the Sus area of Morocco between the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlas Mountains. He studied locally and then went to the Madrasat AS-Saffareen in Fez where his room is still pointed out to visitors. After setting a tribal feud he left the area and spent the next forty years in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. After this, he returned to Fez where he completed Dala’il al-Khayrat.

He was initiated into the Shadhili Tariqa by Sharif Abu Adullah Muhammad Ibn Amghar. He spent forteen years in Kbalwa (seclusion) and then went to Safi where he gathered around him many followers. The governor of Safi felt obliged to expel him and as a result, Imam Jazuli called down Allah’s wrath on the town and it subsequently fell into the hands of the Portugese for forty years According to a tradition, it was the governor of Safi who poisoned Jazuli and caused his death, whilst engaged in prayer, in 869 H (or 870 or 873) Seventy seven years after his death his body was exhumed for removal to Marrakesh and found to be uncorrupted (adapted from The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1957 Leiden).

It is said that the writer of Dala’il al-Khayrat once went on a journey , when in great need of water for making ablutions. he came upon a well but could not reach the water without a bucket and rope which he did not have. He became very worried . A young girl saw this and came to his assistance. She spat into the well whereupon the water rose to the top of its own accord. Seeing this miracle, he asked the girl ” And how is that possible?” The replied “I was able to do this through my asking for blessings upon the Prophet, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon the him.” Having thus seen the benefit of asking for blessings upon the Prophet, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him , he decided to write Dala’il al-Khayrat.

Su camino espiritual atrajo a miles de discípulos que, ayudados por la popularidad de su manual de Bendiciones por el Profeta (Dios le bendiga y le dé paz), tuvieron un efecto enorme sobre la sociedad de Marruecos. En un sueño, el Profeta صلى الله عليه وسلم le dijo: “Yo soy el esplendor de los enviados proféticos, y tú eres el esplendor de los auliyāʾ.”

He is the imam who applied his knowledge, the perfect liege of exalted ambition, the pupil of the eye [insan ‘ayn] of the pious, and the source of men [ `ayn insan] who arrive at their spiritual destination. He is the devout worshipper, the ascetic, the jurist, the muhaddith, the mystic, and the educator steering travellers along the spiritual path. He is the axis of the circle of the firmament peopled by the god-fearing, and the exemplar of saints and gnostics. He is the matchless pearl of the religiously conscientious and from those who reached the Divine. He is the heir of the sciences of the Prophets and Messengers, the one arranged in the chain of the ‘scholars of my Umma are like the Prophets of the Children of Israel’. 198 He is the guide for mankind upon the straight path, and the one singled out for noble affections from the Ever-Relenting King. It is upon him that perfect mysteries and gnoses have been poured into directly from the All-Knowing and Ever-Giving. He is the pivot of the nobles, substitutes and axial mystics. He is the teacher of the folk of guidance and noble orientation along the path, in sense and meaning, and in virtue and lineage — without need of verification. He is the one endowed with two pure lineages, and gratified by direct witnessing of the Beauty of the two Presences. He is the crown of the din, the succour of Muslims, the teacher of those who dispose of matters in creation, and the shelter of the folk of stability. He is the one regaled with supreme sustentation and divine favour which cannot be encompassed. He is Abu’l-Mawahib199 Sharaf al-Din, our liege and master ‘Abd al-Wahhab, son of our master Ahmad, son of our master Shihab al-Din ‘Ali al-Sha’rani al-Ansari al-Shafi’i, al-Muhammadi (in essence and meaning), al-Shadhili (in terms of spiritual path and ultimate reality).200 He is the raiding warrior, the qutb of the Sha’rani [branch] of the Shadhili Order, and the springhead of the notables of exalted circles.

He was from the people of the supreme circles firmly realized in sanctity since the day of {Am I not your Lord?} [Sara al-A`raf: 172]. His inward and outward was Muhammadi; or you could say that he was Khidri and Nurani.

He grew up as an orphan under the care of Allah’s Prophet, our master al-Khidr and under the watchful eye of his grandfather, Sayyidi Shihab al-Din. He was thus born and grew up as a Friend of Allah Most High. When he reached the full bloom of his youth, the signs of surpassing noble-mindedness and sanctity manifested in him. He accordingly pursued knowledge, memorizing the Qur’an and some scholarly texts, and mastering sciences and branches of knowledge. He was veiled by jurisprudence until, when his mature guidance was completed and his fame spread widely, he busied himself with the spiritual path, whereupon the glad tidings of the accurate actualizers of truth shone upon him, and he turned into one of the relied upon pillars of the path. Allah established him as a mercy unto the world when he gathered with the master of Allah’s slaves [ﷺ]. He strove the way distinguished ones do until he became counted among the paragons of manly virtue.

He spent many years without ever lying down on the earth, whether in the daytime or at night. Nay, he would tie a rope from the ceiling of his solitary retreat to his neck at night so that he would not fall. He would go hungry for days, fast incessantly, and break the fast on a tiny piece of bread. He would gather tatters from garbage piles, and take them as threadbare clothes to cover himself. His turban was made with shreds taken from garbage piles and from torn strips.

This remained his habit until his spirituality was heightened, whereupon he could fly from the courtyard of the Ghamri Mosque to its roof. During his gathering, he would behold the Garden and the Fire, the Bridge [al-Sirat] , the Gathering [al-Hashr] and the Pool [al-Hawd]. As the veil was lifted from him, he witnessed astonishing matters, seeing what lay beyond Mount Oaf. He spoke in all the other languages. Wild beasts befriended him and he would utter words that dazzled intellects. Prominent imams attested to his surpassing virtue, while the necks of mankind lowered themselves to him and he was served by humans, jinn and wild animals from every hill. He became acquainted with the wonders of Allah’s creatures, and scrupulousness in the din and doing without superfluities reached their pinnacle in him. As a result, if he — may Allah have mercy on him — walked through the marketplaces, people enthusiastically darted forth in his direction, and all creatures had firm confidence in him, including Jews and Christians. Many of them, indeed, embraced Islam at his hand, while countless sinners turned back to Allah through him, and became part of his circle of dervishes, once he had nourished them through his spiritual aid. In his zawiya, one could hear, whether at night or during the day, a buzz like the buzz of bees from beyond the gates of Cairo.

He served shaykhs and saints, and in turn the inhabitants of both the earth and heaven served him, crawling towards him. Leaders yielded to him in spite of their pride. Requests for intercession would be directed by him to them, and they would accept them in self-abasement, putting right the affairs of such intercessors and granting them safety. He was granted acceptance of his supplications, and enjoyed vast renown. He was soft-mannered, smiled frequently, was humble and lived frugally. In his earlier days, he would wear expensive clothes, and sit with scholars whom he would treat kindly. He persistently adhered to the Muhammadan sunna, paying heed to the four schools of jurisprudence without discriminating between them. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, acquainted him with their stations, so he would say: ‘May Allah reward them on our behalf.’

He would divide his time between the different efforts of worship: writing and compiling, remembering Allah and reminding others of Him, sending prayers on the Bringer of glad tidings and the Warner [ﷺ], and educating people through precept and the inculcation of perfection.

He was made the spokeperson of the saints. Mystics sprouted forth from his courtyard as naturally and copiously as the earth brought out produce through rain from the sky.

He, was imbued with the character of Allah’s folk: preferring others to himself, being generous, lavishly gifts like kings, and spending on the poor and needy. Around one hundred paupers would gather with him in his zawiya, and he would see to their basic maintenance and clothing.

He was extremely awe-inspiring and highly venerable. Eminent leaders would come to his door, sometimes able to meet him and sometimes unable to do so.

He posssessed lofty spiritual ambition. A large book would reach him, and he would read it and then write annotating glosses on it, all in a single night. Nasir al-Din al-Laqqani201 once sent him the Mudawwana [on the legal school of] Imam Malik, through his representative [naqib], in order to ponder therein a single juristic issue [mas ‘ala] which had outwardly proved difficult for him. When the naqib brought him it, he handed it to him in the evening at his zawiya. As he was about to depart, Imam al-Sha’rani said to him, ‘You can stay the night with us, and take it back in the morning.’ The naqib thus slept over at his house, while Sayyidi ‘Abd al-Wahhab [al-Sha’rani] took the Mudawwana into his place of retreat. After a short while, he came out of his retreat and handed it back to the naqib. In the morning, [the latter] rose and headed for Sayyidi Nasir al-Din [al-Laqqani] with the copy of the Mudawwana he had come with. Sayyidi Nasir al-Din al-Laqqani opened it and found annotations and corrections penned it. He was astonished. He asked the naqib about this, and the latter replied, ‘All I know is that, when Sayyidi `Abd al-Wahhab took the book from me, he entered his place of retreat and then returned it to me after about twenty minutes. I did not open it myself, and brought it to you in the same state as he had handed it to me. I noticed, my master, that he neglected none of his regular litanies or optional night prayers.’

Rulers and the influential people would love him intensely and have deep trust in him on account of his excellence and scrupulousness in the din. Sultan al-Ghawri —may Allah have mercy on him — was deeply fond of him, and had resolute belief in him. Once he gifted him a prayer mat and a muslin, which was seven cubits wide and thirty cubits long. It had been a present for him from the Sultan of India who had given it to him inside the shell of a nut. Sayyidi ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha’rani gifted the muslin to his own brother, our master Sayyidi `Abd al-Qadir, and kept the prayer mat, though he never used it in his lifetime, without however returning it to the Sultan out of courtesy. This was his inveterate practice, and the wellspring of propriety from which he engaged with leaders and those under them. He paid heed to the sacrosanct honour of the rich and the poor, and the elders and the young. This is but a drop in the ocean of his virtues.

How can we possibly list all of his virtues? He is in fact the imam of all actualizers of the ultimate reality, the educator of committed disciples who brought them up through principles of stability. He is the unlocker of recondite meanings in the spiritual allusions of those truly realized, and the interpreter of symbols found in the ambiguous expressions of the gnostics. He is the intermediary of the spiritual wayfarers’ necklace, and the sweet basil of spiritual accomplishers’ existence: established by Divine Power, arrayed by Godly Solicitude and the breezes of the Most Merciful. He accordingly treaded the path of the Divine, following the Majestic Book and Muhammadan Sunna, and learning jurisprudence until he reached the ultimate goal in the school of Shafi’i masters — after this, Allah granted him lorldly and mystical openings.

He enjoyed veneration in the hearts of leaders [sudur al-sudur] and reverence in the eyes of notables [ ‘uyun al-a’yan], until Allah Most High moved him unto the abode of His Noble Generosity in the year AH 973. He was buried in his zawiya between the two banks (of the Nile ). A huge number of scholars, jurists, leaders and dervishes attended his funeral. It was a well-attended day in Cairo. The funeral prayer for him was performed in the Noble Azhar Mosque, and his whole lineage was read out on the terraced bench. He was carried on shoulders to his burial place. The Friends of Allah, both living and dead, attended his funeral, together with members of the circles from both mankind and jinn, who inhabited the deserts, valleys and lands beyond the seas. Ultimately, no funeral like his was ever witnessed in Cairo. Birds uninterruptedly hovered above his bier, while inanimate objects wept over his departure and hearts were torn out of grief for him.

He — may Allah have mercy on him — left behind an enduring renown, and a pure and perfumed acclaim. After his death, beneficence cascaded onto his zawiya from everywhere. People established real estates and foundations as trusts, and built for him a mosque befitting his shrine, together with a mausoleum exclusively for him, surmounted by an arched dome and a closet, and arranged salaries for those looking after it. His mosque is regarded as one of Cairo’s most tremendous mosques, and his mausoleum as one of the most majestic mausoleums wherein supplications are answered. His spiritual succour flows upon Allah’s slaves there. It is a destination sought after by those in need or afflicted by hardships, who then stand before him and turn to Allah through his intercession so that their worries might be dispelled. No one has visited him save that he went back with his brooding mind set at ease.

He is the supporter of the weak in life and after death. People crowd around him, and make vows in his presence, carrying candles. No one has alighted at his courtyard except that an abundance of his spiritual succour is poured upon him, may Allah show mercy to him. Cairo’s inhabitants, of every religious orientation, set out for him, hoping to find abundant good therein. O Allah, nourish us through his overflowing aid, gather us in the Hereafter under his banner, and perpetuate his blessings for us, amin.

__________
Footnotes:
198 It has been reported by al-Fattani in Tadhkirat al-Mawdu’at (20), ‘Ali al-Qari in al-Asrar al-Marra fi al-Akhbar al-Mawdu’a (247), al-‘Ajluni in Kashf al-Khafa-(2/83), al-Sakhawi in al-Fawaid al-Majmu’a Li al-Ahadith al-Mawdu’a (786) and al-Suyuti in al-Durar al-Muntahira fi al-Ahaditbal-Mushtahira (113).
199 In al-A’lam (4/180), his patronymic (kunya) is said to be Abu Muhammad.
200 For his biography, see al-A’lam (4/180-1), Kutat Mubarak (14/109), Jurji Zaydan’s Adab al-Lughat al-Arabiyya (3/335), al-Fihris al-Tamhidi (393, 421), Majallat al-Kitab (2/344), al-Khazanat al-Taymuriyya (3/164), al-Kutubkhana (2/61, 65, 88, 103 and 104) and Tabaqat al-Shadhillyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu`mi (p. 166).
201 Al-Nasir al-Laqqani is the polymath Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad b. al-Hasan. He died on Wednesday, 14 Sha`ban AH 958, at the age of 84. His biography can be found in Ahmad Baba al-Tinbukti’s Kifayat al-Muhtaj and in Badr al-Din al-Qarafi’s Tawshib al-Dibaj wa Hilyat al-Ibtihaj.

The path of the Sufis is built on the Koran and sunna

The path of the Sufis is built on the Koran and sunna, and is based upon living according to the morals of the prophets and purified ones. It may not be blamed unless it violates an explicit statement from the Koran, sunna, or scholarly consensus, exclusively. If it does not contravene one of these, the very most that one may say of it is that it is an understanding a Muslim man has been given, so let whoever wishes act upon it, and whoever does not refrain, this being as true of works as of understanding. So no pretext remains for condemning it except one’s own low opinion of others, or interpreting what they do as ostentation, which is unlawful.

Whoever carefully examines the branches of knowledge of the Folk of Allah Most High will find that none of them are beyond the pale of the Sacred Law. How should they lie beyond the pale of the Sacred Law when it is the law that connects the Sufis to Allah at every moment? Rather, the reason for the doubts of someone unfamiliar with the way of the Sufis that it is of the very essence of theSacred Law is the fact that such a person has not thoroughly mastered the knowledge of the law. This is why Junayd (Allah Most High have mercy on him) said, ‘This knowledge of ours is built of the Koran and sunna,’ in reply to those of his time or any other who imagine that it is beyond the pale of the Koran and sunna.

The Folk unanimously concur that none is fit to teach in the path of Allah Mighty and Majestic save someone with comprehensive mastery of the Sacred Law, who knows its explicit and implicit rulings, which of them are of general applicability and which are particular, which supersede others and which are superseded. He must also have a thorough grounding in Arabic, be familiar with its figurative modes and similes, and so forth. So every true Sufi is a scholar is Sacred Law, though the reverse is not necessarily true.

To summarize, no one denies the states of the Sufis except someone ignorant of the way they are. Qushayri says, ‘No era of the Islamic period has had a true sheikh of this group, save that the Imams of the scholars of that time deferred to him, showed humility towards him, and visited him for the benefit of his spiritual grace (baraka). If the Folk had no superiority or election, the matter would have been the other way around.

_______________________________
From al-Tabaqat al-kubra al-musamma bi Lawaqih al-anwar fi tabaqat al-akhyar (1374/1954) (Reprint, Beirut: dar al-fikr, n.d.) 1:4. In Reliance of the Traveller p. 863-864.

After that Allah proclaimed for him the spiritual opening and united him (Ash-Sha’rani) with al-Khawwas. Al-Khawwas was his mi’raj and his ladder by which he ascend to the doors of spiritual openings and heavens of bestowals and realms of light and inspirations. Their relationship is the manifest sign of the status of the Shaykh in the Path. It is the greatest sign of the status of divinely bestowed knowledge (العِلْم اللَّدنِّي) for al-Khawwas was unlettered while ash-Sha’rani was a scholar. But that was the external judgement, while the internal judgment says that al-Khawwas was the scholar while ash-Sha’rani was the unlettered one.

Ash-Sha’rani said: From the favours of Allah upon himself (ash-Sha’rani) was that his arrival and opening (in gnosis) was at the hands of an unlettered man who neither knew writing nor reading. He added in describing this unlettered man:

“A man who is totally hidden such that almost no one knew of his sainthood and knowledge except for the practicing scholars, for he is indeed a perfect man to us without any doubt! The perfect one is he whom when he reaches the station of the perfect men in knowledge of Allah (العرفان), he becomes a stranger in all the worlds.”

Ash-Sha’rani narrates to us his delightful spiritual experience of his arrival unto the ascending paths of divine illuminations at the hands of his Shaykh and the oceans of knowledge of his master :

My spiritual struggles at the hands of my master ‘Ali al-Khawwas were many and of various types. Amongst them, he would order me in the beginning to sell away all my books and to give away the money in charity, which I did. Those were precious books which could be sold for a high price. So I sold them and gave away the sales in charity but I became anguished at having to part with them as I had put much effort and had added notes and comments in them. It reached a point as if I was completely robbed of my knowledge. (At that time) he (al-Khawwas) said to me, “Strive to cut off your (heart’s) turning back (out of attachment) to them (the books) by much remembrance of Allah Exalted is He. Indeed they say, “One who turns back, does not arrive”. Thus, I strove in cutting off my attachment to them till I managed to free myself and praise be to Allah for that.

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مكتبة عبد الوهاب الشعراني
1- إرشاد الطالبين إلى مراتب العلماء العاملين ومعه عقيدة اكابر أهل السنة والجماعة
2- الأنوار القدسية فى معرفة قواعد الصوفية
3- الانوار القدسية في بيان آداب العبودية
4- الأنوار في آداب الصحبة عند الأخيار
5- الجوهر المصون والسر المرقوم فيما تنتجه الخلوة من الأسرار والعلوم
6- الدرر واللمع في بيان الصدق في الزهد والورع
7- القواعد الكشفية الموضحة لمعاني الصفات الإلهية
8- الكبريت الأحمر في بيان علوم الشيخ الأكبر
9- الكوكب الشاهق فى الفرق بين المريد الصادق وغير الصادق
10- اليواقيت و الجواهر في بيان عقائد الأكابر
11- تنبيه المغترين اوائل القرن العاشر علي ما خالفوا فيه سلفهم الطاهر
12- درر الغواص على فتاوى سيدي علي الخواص
13- لطائف المنن والأخلاق بوجوب التحدث بنعمة الله على الإطلاق
14- لواقح الأنوار القدسية في بيان العهود المحمدية
15- مختصر الإعتقاد للبيهقى
16- مختصر تذكرة السويدي في الطب
17- مختصر تذكرة القرطبي
18- منح المنة في التلبس بالسنة
19- الميزان الذرية المبينة لعقائد الفرق العلية
20- الطبقات الصغرى
21- موازين القاصدين من شيوخ ومريدين – المنح السنية على الوصية المتبولية
22- كشف الحجاب والران عن وجه أسئلة الجان
23- ردع الفقراء ودعوى الولاية الكبرى
24- البحر المورود في المواثیق و العهود
25- منهاج الوصول الى مقاصد علم الاصول
26- تطهير أهل الزوايا من خبائث الطوايا
27- كشف الغمة عن جميع الأمة:
http://archive.org/details/Kashfghoma
28- الطبقات الكبرى المسمى لواقح الأنوار القدسية في مناقب العلماء والصوفية :
https://archive.org/details/tabaqatekoubra
29- الميزان الكبرى:
http://archive.org/details/almizane
30- الأخلاق المتبولية المفاضة من الحضرة المحمدية:
http://archive.org/details/akhlaqmatboulia

“We know from our masters person having diverged the fact that Ibn Daqiq al-Eid renovator is the scientist sent to the seventh century, referred to in the prophetic hadith, and he was the master of his time by his knowledge and righteousness in religion.” – Sheikh Taqi al-Din al-Subki

t.b.d.

Ibn Daqiq al-Eid (1228-1302), is accounted as one of Islam’s great scholars in the fundamentals of Islamic law and belief, and was an authority in the Shafi’i legal school. Although Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id studied Shafi’i jurisprudence under Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, he was also proficient in Maliki fiqh. He served as chief qadi of the Shafi’i school in Egypt. Ibn Daqiq al-Eid taught hadith to al-Dhahabi and to many other leading scholars of the next generation. In his lifetime, Ibn-Daqiq wrote many books but his commentary on the Nawawi Forty Hadiths has become his most popular. In it he comments on the forty hadiths compiled by Yahya Al-Nawawi and known as the Nawawi Forty Hadiths. His commentary has become so popular that it is virtually impossible for any scholar to write a serious book about the forty hadiths without quoting Ibn Daqiq.

History

His namesake ‘ibn Daqiq al-Eid’ however was gained from his grandfather who was described as being fond of sporting a bright white turban, one as white as the flour used to make pastries during Eid celebrations. From that point on, the name was passed on to his son and later to Imam Taqiyy ad- Din Muhammad ibn` Ali Ibn Wahb who would often be addressed as Ibn Daqiq al-Eid.

After memorising the Quran as a child, he attended various halaqahs in the city of Qus and was initiated into the Maliki school of jurisprudence from his father. His quest for learning however later brought him to Sheikh Al-Baha ‘Al-Qifti, a disciple of his father. He also learnt the disciplines of Arabic with Sheikh Mohammad Abu Al-Fadl Al-Mursi. Further deepening his quest for knowledge, he later travelled to Cairo to study under the tutelage and guidance of Imam Al-`Izz Ibn `Abd As-Salam of whom was regarded as the ‘Sultanul Ulama”. He studied the laws and foundations of Shafi’i jurisprudence from the later and was under the guidance of Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam to the day he died in AH 660 (1262 AD). He later went on to Damascus to learn Hadith from Damascene scholars before finally returning to Egypt and settling down in the city of his childhood, Qus.

Upon his return to Qus at 37 years old, he was appointed as a judge according to the Maliki mazhab. His appointment however was shortlived as he found himself unfamiliar with the fame linked to the newly gained appointment. He soon found himself returning to Cairo to teach Prophetic Hadith in Darul Hadith Al- Kamiliyyah , a school built by Sultan Al-Kamil in A. H. 621 (1224 AD).

His proficiency in Hadith was soon recognised, earning him the title of ‘Sheikh of Darul Hadith’, the highest position in this specialized institution. He was known for his rigour and thoroughness, constantly researching on the chains between hadiths. The methodology he employed in the study of hadith can be read in Al- Iqtirah fi Ma’rifat Al- Istilah.

He later taught law at the Nasiriyyah School of Salahuddin Al-Ayubi, a school primarily catering to the Shafie Madhab and built in close proximity to the tomb of Imam Ash-Shafie. Given his mastery of two law schools, Shafi’i and Maliki, he was asked to teach at Madrasah Fadiliyyah, a prestigious institution which was also hosting Andalucian born Sheikh Abu Abdillah Muhammad bin Umar Al-Qurthubi.

Chief Justice of Egypt

Observing such a stance, he remained steadfast and did not bend under pressures for undue favour. In one instance, he rejected the testimony of Monkutmar, the Secretary of the Sultanate, in an inheritance case holding that he was not a reliable man. Montkumar fought back and sent a stream of messengers to convince Ibn Daqiq on his testimony. Unfazed by the move, Ibn Daqiq finally resigned at the insistence of Monkutmar.

He also pioneered a center responsible for the management and administration of property of orphans to preserve until they reached majority. The move was unprecedented in Egypt. Under such a move, a heir would only be granted of any inheritance should he be an adult. Otherwise, his fortune would be initially entrusted to the centre. He put a system in place in order to look at the welfare and well being of orphans.

Sheikh of Islam Taqiyy Ad- Din Abu Al -Fath Muhammad Ibn `Ali Ibn Wahb Ibn Mutî` ibn Abi Al- At- Tâ`ah Qushayri Al- Manfaluti was born in the month of Shaban 625 AH (1228) on the sea whilst his family were on the way to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage. He is widely regarded as one of the most important scholar of Hadith. His path towards Islamic scholarship began with his father, Sheikh Majd Ad-Din Abu Al-Hasan `Ali Ibn Wahb who was himself a prominent scholar in Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence.

Following the death of Judge Ibn Bint Al-A`azz, Imam Ibn Daqiq was approached to assume the post of Chief Justice in 695 A. H. (1296 AD). Though he was initially hestitant, he finally relented to the request, exposing himself to influential individuals within Egypt. Under his leadership, he maintained the need for Islamic law to be applied scrupulously and fairly.

Ibn Daqiq al-`Id.RA:The Mujaddid of 7thCentury Hijra [702AH]: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Daqiq al-`Id, known in his his youth as Abu al-Fath al-Qushayri, later as Ibn Wahb: He is Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Wahab ibn Muti’ al-Qushayri, Abu al-Fatah, Taqiyudin, Popularly known, just like his father and grand father, as Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id. Born in Cairo in 625 where he initialy studied under his father who was a Maliki and then after finishing studeis there went on to Sultan al-‘Ullama ‘Izzu Din ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, who was a Shafi’ and therefore consequently Ibn Daqiq became a Shafi’i. He was known for his impeccable skills in memorizing and his desire to learn more.IT IS RELATED THAT WHEN a copy of Imam Abdul Karim ar- Rafi[ra]’s al-Sharh al-Kabir reached Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id and he left everything but the obligatory prayers in order to study it.He had met IBN TAYMIYYAH,AT THE TIME ,WHEN LATER’S DEVIANT THOUGHTS HAD NOT BECOME OBVIOUS &IS SAID TO HAVE SPOKEN FAVORABLY.

He became known as the Renewer[The MUJADDID] of the seventh Islamic century. He also studied under the great SHADHILI SUFI,Shaykh Ibn `Ata’ Allah al-Isakandari [qs] next to whom he was buried. That day the entire Egyptian army prayed over him.
One of his disciples in HADITH, HAFIZ AD DHAHABI,had quoted Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Daqiq al-`Id.RA’s WARNING to CRITIC OF SUFIS,as,:”Our Shaykh Ibn Wahb [= Ibn Daqiq al-`Id] said – may Allah have mercy on him: `Among the predicaments that mar the discipline of narrator-discreditation are the divergences that take place between the followers of tasawwuf (al-mutasawwifa) and the people of external knowledge (ahl al-`ilm al-zahir); animosity therefore arose between these two groups and necessitated mutual criticism.’

Now this [animosity against Sufis] is a plunge from which none escapes unscathed except one thoroughly knowledgeable with all the evidentiary proofs of the Law. Note that I do not limit such knowledge to the branches [of the Law]. For, concerning many of the states described by the people of truth (al-muhiqqin) among the Sufis, right cannot be told from wrong on the mere basis of knowledge of the branches. One must also possess firm knowledge of the principles of the Law and be able to tell apart the obligatory from the possible, as well as the rationally impossible from the customarily impossible.

It is, indeed, a position fraught with danger! For the critic of a true Sufi (muhiqq al-sufiyya) enters into the hadith: “Whosoever shows enmity to one of My Friends, I shall declare war upon him.”While one that abandons all condemnation for what is clearly wrong in what he hears from some of them, abandons the commanding of good and the forbidding of evil.[Al-Dhahabi, al-Muqiza (p. 88-90).]

Imam Ibn Daqiq al Eid said:

“The statement of the Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him, “avoid new fallacies.” Be aware that novelties are divided into two. First: novelties that have no basis in sharia. Such novelties are null and void. Second: novelties that are based on other similar laws. Such novelties are not rejected. Novelties that contradict sunna and lead to misguidance are condemned. But not every novelty is a heresy. God, the Sublime, says, “Whenever novelties of the Qur’an from their Lord are revealed to them, they listen to them while playing.(Al-Anbiya :2)” ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, said, “What a nice novelty this is! (Referring to the tarawih.)”

The Imam also said:

On the other hand, deriving branches from principles that do not go outside the boundary of sunna is not heresy. Examples of this include writing the Holy Qur’an in books, doctrines by good jurisprudents who base their interpretations on the sayings of God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him, and books about grammar, arithmetic, commandments, and other scholarly fields that are based on the teachings and commands of God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him. All those are outside the scope of this hadith.

Biografisk not över Imam Sharaf al-Din al-Busiri
Hans fullständiga namn är sheikh Imam Sharaf al-Dîn Abu `Abdallah Muhammad b. Sa`id al-Sanhaji al-Dalasi al-Busiri, må Allah den Upphöjde visa honom barmhärtighet. Han föddes i Egypten år 608 H. och gick bort någon gång mellan år 694-696 H. Hans grav är belägen i ett mausoleum i Alexandrias gamla stadsdel, nära den moské under vilken Imam Abul `Abbas al-Mursi (d. 686 H.) vilar.

Imam al-Busiri var elev till Imam Abul `Abbas al-Mursi, som i sin tur var elev till och företrädare (khalifa) för sufimästaren Imam Abul Hasan al-Shadhili, må Allah vara nöjd med dem alla. Han var känd som kalligraf och Koranrecitatör, och han innehade olika ämbeten inom det mamlukiska väldet. Han vistades längre perioder i Jerusalem, Mekka och Medina, där Mantelhymnen – Qasidat al-Burda – kom till. Han skrev den efter att ha att han drabbats av en förlamning, i avsikt att genom lovord till Allah’s Sändebud söka förlåtelse och bot:

Jag tjänar honom med lovord, varigenom jag söker tillgift

för en livstids synder i lovdikt och tjänst (åt andra)

säger han i det nionde avsnittet av Qasidat al-Burdah. Men med Mantelhymnen sökte han varken ära, berömmelse eller furstars gunst:

Jag söker inte de världens blomster som skördats

av Zuhayr’s händer för hans eloge till Harim.

Han läste upp den i ensamhet – den var inte avsedd för andra människors öron, utan uteslutande ägnad Allah’s Sändebud, fred och välsignelser vare med honom. Så en natt visade sig Profeten Muhammad för honom och lade sin mantel (burdah) över honom, varefter han reste sig helbrägdagjord. Enligt en berättelse möttes han morgonen därpå av en man som bad honom läsa upp sin qasidah.
“Vilken qasidah?”, frågade imamen. “Jag har skrivit många välkända qasdidor.”
“Jag menar den som slutar på bokstaven mim”, svarade mannen.
Imamen blev förvånad.
“Jag har inte berättat för någon om den. Hur har du fått höra om den?”
Mannen berättade att han i en dröm fått reda på allt som hänt imam al-Busiri, och på så sätt kom Qasidat al-Burdah till eftervärldens kännedom.

Qasidat al-Burdah
Qasidat al-Burdah är den mest kända av Imam al-Busiri’s qasidor – ja man kan nog utan överdrift påstå att den är den mest kända arabiska dikt som skrivits någonsin. Den är spridd i hela den muslimska världen och har översatts till en mängd olika språk. Dess verser smyckar väggarna i moskéer och andra offentliga byggnader. Barn lär sig att sjunga den som små och vuxna reciterar den vid dhikr-möten eller i samband med religiösa festligheter. Om den läses med uppriktighet och adab tjänar den till bot mot sjukdomar och till andligt framsteg. Och vare sig den framförs som litterärt verk eller som andlig sång rör den sina åhörare till förundran och tårar och frammanar mötet med “den bästa av Allah’s skapade varelser” – khairu khalqi Allahi kullihimi – fred och välsignelser vare med honom.

Dess fullständiga titel är “Strålande stjärnor till hyllning av mänsklighetens främste”8. Den består av 160 tudelade versrader som alla slutar på bokstaven mim (därför kallas den ibland även för “Al-Mimiyya”). Dess språk är, trots sin sparsamhet i ord, överflödande i retoriska finesser, som kom att bli stilbildande för många senare generationer. Den är fylld med anspelningar på Koranen och Profeten Muhammads sunna (fred och välsignelser vare med honom), och för den som förmår tränga in dess finare nyanser är den en andlig vägvisare.

Ref: B. Muhammad-Klingman: “Qasida Burda – en presentation av imam al-Busiri’s Mantelhymn”, Minaret 2006

From Kuhin: Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyya View book | Download | Read chapter [16] online

Links to Qasida al-Burda:

1. text, translation & audio (load audio-archive)
2. manuscripts & calligraphies (load picture archive)

Introdction
The Burda, or the Prophet’s Mantle is a qasida (hymn) composed by the great Sufi Shaykh Imam Sharafuddin Muhammad Al-Busiri Rahmatullahi ‘Alaih who was born in Misr (Egypt) in 608 A.H. (1212 C.E) and died in 695 A.H. (1296 C.E). He was a disciple of Imam Abu’l ‘Abbas al-Mursi Rahmatullahi ‘Alaih who was a Khalifa of Imam Abu’l Hasan ash-Shazili Rahmatullahi ‘Alaih.

He composed the Burda while suffering from a stroke which had paralysed half of his body. After praying to Allah Sub’hanahu wa Ta’ala to heal him, he fell asleep and in his dream recited this qasida to the Holy Prophet Sayyidina wa Mawlana Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam who touched the paralysed part of his body and threw his mantle (Burda) over him. On arising, he was miraculously cured, the news of which spread far and wide. Hence the qasida came to be called Qasida tu’l Burda and received veneration among all Muslims as a qasida especially approved by the beloved Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam. Its verses are often learned by heart and inscribed on the walls of public buildings. It is congregationally recited in the majalis (spiritual gatherings) of the Zaakireen (those who remember Allah Ta’ala) all over the world. It cures diseases as well as purifies hearts if recited with love and devotion.

More than 90 commentaries have been written on this qasida and it has been translated in Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Berber, Punjabi, English, French and German, among other languages.

The Burda is in 10 parts and has 160 verses all of which end in the Arabic letter Meem, hence it is a “Meemiyya”. The 10 parts of the Burda are about:

1. Love for Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam
2. A warning against the desires of the nafs
3. Praise of the beloved Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam
4. Events occuring on his birth
5. His miracles
6. Praise of the Glorious Qur’an
7. The “Isra” and “Mi’raj” of the noble Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam
8. His battles
9. Repentence, asking forgiveness of Allah Sub’hanahu wa Ta’ala and seeking intercession of the beloved Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam
10. Supplication to Allah Sub’hanahu wa Ta’ala

Ref: Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad, Iqra Islamic Publications

Mawlana `Abd al-`Aziz al-Dabbagh (d. 1131 H. / 1718 CE)
From Kuhin: Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyya

He is the perfect Friend of Allah, the succour of superabounding concern, the dazzling Sufi, and the radiant star of gnosis. He is the one endowed with lofty inspirations, resplendent expressions, pure realities, Muhammadan effulgences, lordly secrets and Throne-inspired aspirations. He is the tracer of the signposts of the path after their footprints had become hidden, and the discloser of the signposts of ultimate realities after their lights had become extinguished. He is the noble descendant from the Prophetic lineage boasting laudable ancestral feats, the highborn notable, regaled with two pure lineages, a physical and a spiritual one, two agreeable progenies, in both the visible and the invisible worlds, and two noble friendships with Allah, in the realm of bodies and in the realm of souls and spirits. He is Muhammadi, ‘Alawi, and Hasani. He is the qutb of wayfarers, the carrier of the banner of gnostics, our guide, liege and master Sayyidi `Abd al-‘Aziz, son of our liege and master Mas’ud al-Dabbagh, son of our liege and master Ahmad, son of our liege and master Muhammad, son of our liege and master Muhammad, son of Mawlay Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman, son of Qasim b. Ahmad b. Muhammad, son of our liege and master Qasim b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-Rahim b. `Abd al-‘Aziz b. Harun b. Funun b. `Alush b. Mandil b. `Abd al-Rahman b. Isa b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. ‘Isa b. Mawlay Idris al-Azhar b. Mawlay Idris I b. ‘Abdullah al-Kamil b. al-Hasan II, son of our master al-Hasan the Grandson, son of our liege and master ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with all of them. [1]

He — may Allah sanctify his secret — was born in Fez. Prior to his birth, Sayyidi Mawlay al-‘Arabi al-Fishtali had bequeathed a trust to his parents, saying to them, ”Abd al-‘Aziz will grow under your care, so give him this trust’, which consisted in a woollen skullcap and a pair of shoes. They thus guarded these items until his noble mother fell pregnant with him. After his mother conceived him and he was born, he grew up under their custody until he attained the age of discretion [sinn al-rushd]. He began fasting from that year, after which Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, inspired his mother to hand him the trust which Mawlay al-Arabi had bequeathed unto him.

He — may Allah sanctify his secret — narrated the episode thus: ‘I took possession of the trust, so I wore the skullcap and the shoes. As a result, an intense heat seized me, until I shed tears, and I realized what Sayyidi al-Arabi was hinting at, coming to understand his allusion, praise to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Since I wore them, a spiritual illumination was granted to me, and Allah cast into my heart expectant longing for sincere slavehood. I then began an irrepressible quest for that slavehood. I heard about none whom people took as a guide but that I went to him and followed his guidance. Eventually, an illumination was perfected for me at the hands of our master al-Khidr who instructed me in the recitation of a regular litany [ wird] by the consecrated lotus tree in the mausoleum of the pious Friend of Allah, ‘Ali b. Hirzihim. I completed what he instructed me to do in three days, whereupon I gathered with the Master of Mankind, on him be the choicest prayers of blessings and peace. After that, I began to see him both awake and during sleep. Prior to this, I kept the company of Sidi ‘Abdullah al-Barnawi, may Allah sanctify his secret. He said to me after my spiritual opening: ‘O ‘Abd al-Aziz, before this day I would fear for you, but today, seeing that Allah has gathered you with His Mercy, may He be Exalted, and with the Master of Existence It, my heart feels safe and my mind is set at rest. I thus entrust you to Allah’s care, Mighty and Majestic is He. Go then to your country and leave me.’

He — may Allah sanctify his secret — said: ‘Among the guides I met was Sidi Muhammad al-Lahwaj, by his locality near Tetouan, Sidi ‘Abdullah al-Bannawi, Sidi Mansur, and Sidi ‘Umar, the caretaker of the orchard. I have inherited the secrets of all of them, praise be to Allah.
Sidi al-Dabbagh — may Allah sanctify his secret — gathered a second time with a group of Allah’s Friends. Among them was Sidi Ahmad b. ‘Abdullah, who was a member of the circle of saints and the assembly [diwan]. By virtue of keeping his company, Allah Most High made Sidi al-Dabbagh become acquainted with the secrets of the Qur’an, so much so that he unlocked its intricacies and fathomed the mysteries of its verses. He also spoke about matters of the unseen, witnessed secrets of the realm of souls and spirits [al-malakut], while its spirit roamed about the arena of the realm of His Names and Attributes [al-jabarut].

One of his saintly miracles — may Allah sanctify his secret — was the impact that his words would have on the hearts of people. One day, a jurist came to him and said, ‘Sayyidi, supplicate Allah on my behalf to remove misgivings [wasawis] from my heart.’ Sidi al-Dabbagh — may Allah sanctify his secret — replied, ‘A misgiving only occurs when one is ignorant of the path. If one, in fact, were to set out for a given city while being unaware of the road leading to it, conflicting thoughts would vie for his attention. One thought would tell him “here is the road”, so he would proceed along it, while another one would push him towards another direction. Because of this, he would be confused and unable to decide where to go. As for the one who knows the road, he is at ease, and his heart is safe from that evil. The path of this world and the Next is Allah, may He be Exalted. Whoever knows that will earn the good of both this world and the Next, and Allah will gift him a pleasant life. As for the one who does not know thus, his state will be the opposite of the former.’ The jurist then said, ‘When I heard this speech, Allah had mercy on me. When, in fact, a person’s thought is directed at having his wish fulfilled from other than Him, Exalted is He, a puller from other than Him will pull him and revert him to Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He.’

His saintly miracles — may Allah sanctify his secret — are innumerable. He is in fact the overflowing sea, the scintillating secret, the talismanic treasure, the unique succour, and the luminary. Indeed, his disciple has made exhaustive mention of his saintly miracles in the Ibriz. The reader who wishes to know more can take a look at it, whereupon he will earn the Mighty King’s solicitude.
He — may Allah sanctify his secret — would say to his disciple Sayyidi Ibn al-Mubarak, ‘O son of al-Mubarak, if Ibrahim al-Dusuqi had lived from his age until our day and age, he would not catch up with your master ‘Abdu’l-Aziz from the morning till now.’

Even though Allah’s Friends have a lofty rank, they are still above what we might comprehend, especially since this knowledge of theirs is not encompassed by thinking and it does not befit the intellect to conceptualize it. Rather, this knowledge of theirs lies beyond the intellect. It has, in fact, been established by the scholars of this discipline that there are stages beyond the intellect, stages beneath which sciences and secrets — being the sciences of the elite — are folded. That being so, it is incumbent on us to surrender their knowledge to them. They have said: ‘Surrender is sanctity (wilaya)’ , meaning by this the lesser sanctity. In the same vein is the poet’s statement:

If you can’t see the crescent, submit
To people who with their eyes have sighted it.

The like of this statement subtracts no worth from the knower of Allah, Sayyidi Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi. The sciences of the like of these people are obscure to us, and which we are unable to fathom. Also, they sometimes speak with the tongue of their spiritual state. Every Friend of Allah has his own peculiar ecstatic utterances and contemplations. You only need to look at the books of the Sufis, our masters, and you will find them replete with these kind of utterances. May Allah benefit us by them and gift us surrender to their deeds and sayings, amin.

The death of our master (Abd al-‘Aziz al-Dabbagh — may Allah sanctify his secret — took place in AH 1131, when he was thirty six years old.

He — may Allah sanctify his secret — was unlettered: unable to read or write. Whoever wishes to know about his noble spiritual state, the peculiarities of his secret and his immense station, should read the Ibriz: His aforesaid student gathered his virtues and superior merits in it, though in truth it is merely a drop from the vast sea of his meritorious qualities.

The mausoleum of our master (Abd al-‘Aziz in the city of Fez, is among the most tremendous and esteemed mausoleums. His shrine in Morocco is like the shrine of the greatest mausoleum in Egypt: people travel thereto from the farthest regions, and Allah’s slaves crowd around it, hoping to reap abundant good there. Lights shine upon his mausoleum. He pays heed to his visitors and supports them with spiritual breezes.
O Allah, gather us among his party, and cause us to die with love for him and love for his followers, amin.

Footnotes:
[1] For his biography, see al-A’lam (4/28), Nashr al-Mathani li Ahl al-Qarn al-Hadi ‘Ashar wa al-Thani by Muhammad b. al-Tayyib Qadiri (2/118), Maktutat Rabat (2/217) and Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu`mi (p. 157).

From: Kuhin, Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyyah Al-Kubra, translated by Ahmad Ali al-Adani as “Biographies of Prominent Shadhilis”

Abū l-Mawāhib al-Shādhilī, Muḥammad b. Zaghdān (820–82/1417–77), was an Egyptian author and Ṣūfī. Born in Tunis, he studied the Malikī school of Islamic law and Islamic sciences at Jāmiʿ al-Zaytūna, the celebrated mosque-university in Tunis. At the age of twenty-two, he settled in Cairo in the vicinity of al-Azhar, where he studied ḥadīth with Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (773–852/1372–1449) and adopted Ṣūfism as a shaykh of the Wafāʾī lineage, which is the Cairene branch of the Shādhiliyya order (ṭarīqa). This ṭarīqa has as eponymous master the Moroccan Abū l-Ḥasan al-Shādhilī …

Mawlana Abu’l-Mawahib al-Shadhili (d. 881/1476)

He is the shaykh of two groups, the springhead of two secrets, and the qutb attached to the Divine Essence. He is the possessor of spiritual allusions and glad tidings, our master Abu Hamid, our liege Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad Abu’l-Mawahib al-Tunusi al-Wafa’i, may his lofty secret be sanctified [1].

He was — may Allah Most High have mercy on him — from the graceful, illustrious members of the spiritually elite, and of the active doers of good among scholars deeply rooted in knowledge. He was — may Allah show mercy to him — gifted the expressiveness of our master ‘Ali Abu’l-Wafa’, who penned divinely inspired lyrical verses [muwashshahat] and books, which were of striking quality. Among his exquisite writings is al-Qanun on the sciences of the spiritual path, the full title of which is Qawanin Hikam al-Ishraq fi Qawa’id ‘ala al-Itlaq [2]. It is a unique work of its kind, and attests to the author’s perfected spiritual experience [dhawq]. He also penned a commentary on Al-Hikam al-´Ata’iyya, wherein he unlocked recondite aspects of its hidden treasures, and an anthology of poetry based on the figurative language of the Sufis.

He — may Allah have mercy on him — lived near the Azhar Mosque. He would hold a solitary retreat by the minaret of its roof, which had been built for him by Sultan al-Ghuri. A state of intoxication would be prevalent in him, whereupon he would come down from his retreat, sauntering and leaning on a side of the Azhar Mosque.

His poems and sayings were sung during mawlids, gatherings and in mosques in the presence of scholars and pious people, who would sway from the sheer delight of their sweetness.

He — may Allah show mercy to him — often dreamt of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . He said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ donned me in the mantle of Sufism.’ He also said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream, and he said to me: “Say when retiring to sleep,

‘I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan’
أعذو بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
five times;

‘In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful’
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
five times;

‘O Allah, by the right of Muhammad, show me the face of Muhammad now and in the Hereafter.’
اللَّهُمَّ بِحَقِّ مُحَمَّدٍ أرَنِي وَجْهَ مُحَمَّدٍ خَالاً وَمآلاً

If you say that when you go to sleep, I will come to you, without staying away from you in the least.” What a fine method this is, bearing a splendid meaning for the one who confirms its truthfulness.’

This formula is one of the most potent supplications for seeing the Prophet A in a dream, yet among the lightest on the tongue, as it does not take long [to make]. Many people, including myself, have put it to the test. I have passed it on to some of my brothers in God — may Allah multiply their number and increase them in their spiritual sustentation — who have tried it according to the said manner and beheld the Prophet ﷺ.

Personally, I added the requirement of being in a state of minor ritual purity [wudu’], and reciting it on the night of Jumu`a (i.e. on Thursday night.) This is because of the virtues transmitted about [this night]. I beheld him ﷺ in the last third of Ramadan, and by God, I saw him put the full moon to shame in beauty. He was wearing a silk dress and lying down on his back. His hair was loose and his middle incisors shone brightly, enveloped by such a powerful light that it almost blinded one. When I saw him, I was engaged in reciting my daily litany [wird], whereupon he summoned me, saying: `Draw close to me.’ When I did, he gave me glad tidings. {That is Allah’s favour which He confers on whoever He wills. Allah is endowed with the immense favour’} [Sura al-Hadid: 21]. O Allah, delight us and our brothers by gazing at Your Face and at his noble face ﷺ, and perpetuate for us our contemplation thereof, 0 Most Merciful, 0 Compassionate.

Sayyidi Abu’l-Mawahib said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah who said: `You will intercede on behalf of one hundred thousand people.’ I asked, ‘What makes me deserve it, 0 Messenger of Allah’, so he replied: ‘Because you have gifted me the reward of your prayers on me.’

He would say: ‘One day I rushed through my sending of blessings on him ﷺ which numbered one thousand, in order to complete my regular daily litany [wird], so he ﷺ said to me: ‘Do you not know that haste is from the Shaytan?’ He followed that up by saying: ‘Say, “O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad” in a slow and measured rhythm.’

He would also say: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he said to me: “Your guide Abu Sa’id al-Safuri sends the complete salutation of blessings upon me, and makes abundant recitation of it. Tell him then that when he seals his sending of blessings, he should [also] praise Allah, Mighty and Majestic.’ The “complete salutation of blessings” referred to here is the prayer on the Prophet during the last tashahhud of the prayer. It has virtues, prerogatives and secrets, and has had numerous ahadith come done concerning it through continuous multiple transmissions. We have mentioned the specifities of this prayer and what pertains to its merits in our book Tuhfat al-Salawat, whose complete title is Mi’raj al-Wusul ila Nafahat al-Rasul ﷺ. If you so wish, you could take a look at it and find what is going to delight you, Allah willing.

Sayyidi Abu’l-Mawahib passed away sometime after AH 850, and was buried by the graveyards of the Shadhili masters in the great Qarafa Cemetery [in Cairo], inside a shrine made especially for him and surmounted by a large dome. Every year, a celebration is held in his honour, attended by members of the Shadhili Order, who bring its nights alive by remembrance of Allah and the recitation of the Qur’an. O Allah, nourish us through his spiritual sustentation, amin.

Footnotes:
[1] He is known as Ibn Zaghdan. See his translation in Isma’il Basha al-Baghdadi’s Hadiyyat sl-‘Arifin (6/209) and Idah al-Maknun (4/244), where it is mentioned that he died in All 881.
[2] In Idah al-Maknun Isma`il Basha al-Baghdadi gives its title as Qawanin Hikam al-‘Ishraq ila Kaffat al-Sufiyya fi Jami’ al-‘Afaq.

أبو المواهب الشاذلي : كتاب قوانين حكم الإشق
Same style as al-Hikam. Benefits the murshids and the Awliya

A Poem

Biographical note from dar-sirr.com
The second most widespread Sufi order in Egypt after the Shadhiliya order, founded by the Moroccan sharifian Shaykh Sidi Abul Hassan Shadhili (d. 656/1241), is that of the Badawiya Brotherhood, founded by another Moroccan, the most popular luminary in Egyptian Sufism, the Rifaite master Sidi Ahmed Badawi al-Fasi. His disciples in Egypt number in hundreds of thousands, and the main religious festival (mawlid) held in his honour each year in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, where he lived and died, attracts more than two million Egyptians. Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Badawi al-Fasi, whose family had emigrated from Fez to the East, spent his youth in Mecca among the bedouin and won a reputation as a daring horseman and courageous knight. While still a young man, he experienced a spiritual transformation, devoting himself to the transformation and to meditation. Sidi Ahmed al-Fasi travelled to southern Iraq, where he received training in the way of the Rifaiya, named after the Hassanid sharif Sidi Ahmed Rifai (d. 678/1236), at the hand of great master Sidi Ahmed ibn Ali Rifai. Sent to Egypt by his master upon the death of the Rifaiya representative in Egypt, Sidi Ahmed al-Fasi settled in Tanta and quickly acquired a large following that ranged from vast numbers of ordinary Egyptians to Mamluk amirs. The Mamluks were the newly empowered slave rulers of Egypt, who were to reign in Cairo and serve as patrons and protectors of one of the most glorious phases of Islamic civilisation for more than four hundred years. The Mamluks almost invariably allied themselves as a ruling establishment to the Sufi orders as institutions out of personal conviction and a quest for legitimacy. Sufism was not simply a popular religious attitude to be supported, but I many cases a spiritual discipline to be persuaded personally. Sidi Ahmed al-Fasi lived in Tanta for forty-one years, during which time he received divine permission (idhn) to establish his own order independent of the Rifaiya. Many miracles have been attributed to him, before and after his death, as a vehicle for God’s grace (fadl), and he is viewed as one who may intercede in heaven for the ordinary believer.

He is the noble scion and inheritor of tremendous feats. He is the axis of the circle of greatest sainthood, the springhead of secrets of the folk of ultimate reality, the shaykh of the two paths, and the supporting pillar of the two groups. He is the supreme saint and the illustrious succour, our liege and master Ahmad b. ‘Ajiba al-Hasani al-Idrisi al-Shadhili al-Fasi. [1]

He was one of the masters of stability, who in the beginning of his affair, received instruction in the sciences of sacred law. He would wear fine clothes and inclined towards the Sufi Path. He scooped the lights of the path and received the secrets of ultimate spiritual reality from his teacher, the unparalleled gem of the Sufis, Sayyidi Muhammad al-Buzaydi. He taught him the covenants, litanies and formulas of remembrance, and said to him, ‘O Ahmad, 0 my, son, the conditions of the spiritual path with us are truthfulness and love.’ Ibn `Ajiba relates that he said to him, ‘O my master, we would love you to write this down on a piece of paper.’ His teacher did this. `So when I was alone’, Ibn ‘Ajiba continues, ‘I looked at the piece of paper and read what was on it, whereupon a spiritual illumination descended upon me at once, and I became one of the folk of ultimate realities and stability.’

He — may Allah be pleased with him and may He please him — reached the station of gnostics by his truthfulness and love. When the doors of illumination were opened for him, he removed his fine clothes that he was previously accustomed to wear. The summoner of lovers called him out, saying, ‘What is this state, Ibn ‘Ajiba?’ Lights were thus poured over him, and he donned a tattered garment and a waistcloth, hanging a rosary [subha] and a scabbard around his neck, as was the custom of the spiritually elite. He began to roam about the markets with his scabbard hung on his neck, wearing his tatters and subha, while loudly crying, ‘Allah, Allah, what strangeness is this?’ If knowledge would have made him dispense with the spiritual state, Ibn ‘Ajiba would not have hung the scabbard.

His state remained unchanged until he attained what was decreed for him. He spoke about the secrets of the beneficiaries of spiritual perfection and bared unusual sciences and wonderful secrets. The people of the Maghrib concurred on the fact that he was one of Allah’s Friends, and sought his blessing by kissing his hand. Delegations paid him visits. His glance — may Allah sanctify his secret — was an elixir. If someone he knew came to him or met with him, he would raise him on to the arena of ‘the good actions of the active doers of good are the evildoings of those brought near to Allah’ [2],until he gained plentiful followers and disciples.

Whoever peruses his commentary on the Hikam (Iqaz al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam) will realize his worth and status with his Lord. He authored this commentary on al-Hikam al-Ata’iyya pursuant to an instruction by someone who could not be opposed in his request, namely, the unique exemplar of the Shadhili Order, his teacher who successfully convoyed him to the chain of lights, Sayyidi Muhammad al-Buzaydi. Sayyidi Ibn ‘Ajiba — may his secret be sanctified — said: ‘The bulk of this commentary which I have written down consists in nothing but divine gifts. I would, in fact, write down a given aphorism without knowing how to comment on it. I would then pause in need of Allah’s knowledge to inspire my pen.’

He penned several original works and commentaries. Among them is Qawa`id al-Tashawwuf fi Haqa’iq al-Tasawwuf. He also wrote an exegesis of the apparent and hidden meanings of the Qur’an (al-Bahr al-Madid fi Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Majid). He — may Allah sanctify his secret — said in its regard: ‘When I wanted to say something about its exegesis or something else, I would exposit some words and then become absent from my self. I would feel as if the words came forth from me involuntarily, as if they were a cloud. As a result, sciences and wisdoms issued forth from me. One day, an elderly man was in our company and heard that, so he remarked, “By Allah, I have attended the gatherings of both scholars and virtuous people, but by Allah, I have never witnessed the like of these jewels and pearls I see coming from Sayyidi Ahmad b. ‘Ajiba.” This was all due to the blessing of keeping the company of our spiritual guides. May Allah reward them splendidly on our behalf!’

In his commentary on the words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, {Indeed, Allah and His angels bless the Prophet…} [Sura al-Ahzab: 56], he writes:

As for the prayer on him ﷺ taking the place of a spiritual guide and leading the disciple to the stations of annihilation [fana’] and subsistence [baqa’], until his reality and practice of the sacred law are congruent, this is not the case. This is because the frivolities of the ego, in fact, are not severed except by an exernal issuer of commands and prohibitions and by someone who has knowledge of the machinations and treachery of the ego. The extent of what be attained through prayers on Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, if one cannot get of a guide, is to become annihilated in the Attributes, and attain the station of supreme virtue. Extraordinary events and saintly miracles manifest at the hands of such a person, and he becomes a possessor of spiritual states. If, however, he does reach the station of annihilation, his devotion to the sacred law will be greater than his spiritual reality.

That is what we have experientially tasted and heard from our guides, and this is the path we have seen them resorting to and which we have taken from them. According to this way, they instruct the committed disciple whom they deem eligible for spiritual training to invoke the Supreme Name and become annihilated in it, until all his worlds vanish away. If his annihilation is actualized, and he becomes absent from his self and outward form, they return him to the station of subsistence, at which stage they instruct him to send prayers on the Prophet ﷺ so that his prayers on him ﷺ might be complete: praying upon his ﷺ spirit and secret without any veil, and beholding him at every moment, just as he beholds His Lord.

This is why the beginning of the Shadhili Path is the end of other spiritual paths, and its end is actualization of the truth; so understand.
His books — may Allah sanctify his secret and benefit us by him — outwardly exhibit the effusions of the perfected people of gnosis. He was in fact gifted the capacity to express the secrets of Allah’s people and reached the stations of the knowers of their Lord, until he was deemed to be the qutb of his age and the matchless star thereof.

His words — may Allah sanctify his secret — are of a sublime nature. He unravelled the obscure matters of the Sufis, exposited those aspects of their secrets which were hard to fathom, and uttered things which dazzled intellects.

He — may Allah sanctify his secret — died in the middle of the thirteenth century H. [3] His mausoleum in Morocco is well-known. People turn to Allah through him, seeking the fulfilment of their needs and relief from their griefs. May Allah nourish us by his spiritual sustentation, benefit us through him and make us follow in his footsteps, amin.

Footnotes:
[1] For his biography, see al-Yawaqith al-Thamina, according to which he died around AH 1266, whereas the correct date is Shawwal AH 1224. In Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu`mi, he is named as Ahmad b. Muhammad b. al-Mahdi Ibn ‘Ajiba.
[2] Reported by ‘Ali al-Qari in al-Asrar al-Marfu’a, al-Shawkani in al-Fawa’id al-Majmu’a and al-Ajluni in Kashf al-Khafa’.
[3] In Tabaqat al-Shidhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu`mi (p. 41), it is said that he passed away among the Moroccan tribe of Banu Salman, in the house of his guide al-Buzidi, during the latter’s lifetime, in AH 1224, and was buried in Zammij among the Anjariyya tribe.

Source: Muhammad b. Qasim al-Kuhin, Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyyah Al-Kubra, translated by Ahmad Ali al-Adani as “Biographies of Prominent Shadhilis”

Location Imam Ibn ‘Ajiba is buried in one of his two zawiyyas, located between Tangier and Tetouan, located not far from the road between Tangier and Tetouan, on the way to a modern day town called Melousa, in a village called Az-Zameej.

View of the village, with
the minaret of the zawiya

Zawiya courtyard

Tomb

مكتبة ابن عجيبة الحسني
1- الفتوحات الإلهية في شرح المباحث الأصلية
2- الفهرسة
3- إيقاظ الهمم فى شرح الحكم
4- خلاصة شرح ابن عجيبة على متن الأجرومية في التصوف – عبد القادر الكوهيني
5- شرح صلاة القطب ابن مشيش و رسائل أخرى
6- معراج التشوف إلى حقائق التصوف و يليه كتاب كشف النقاب عن سر لب الألباب
7- الجواهير العجيبة من تآليف سيدي أحمد بن عجيبة – عبد السلام العمراني
8- تقييدان في وحدة الوجود
9- البحر المديد في تفسير القرآن المجيد: https://archive.org/details/ba7r-madid

1. From Kuhin: Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyya Read chapter [15] online

t.b.d.
 

From sama3ro7i.wordpress.com

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yallis al-Tlimsani
by bmk – from Damas Cultural Society © 2007

He is Muhammad Ibn Yallis b. Shawish al-Tlimsani al-Maliki al-Shadhili, the Sheikh of Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi.

Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Yallis was born in Tlimsan around year 1264 H. and studied according to the Maghribi curriculum. Then he met Sheikh Muhammad al-Hibri, one of the students of Sheikh [Ahmad b. Habib] al-Buzidi. He took from him the Shadhili tariqa and accompanied him in a perfect manner. He used to go back and forth betwen Wahran adn Tlimsan.

Because of the French oppression, he emigrated to Damascus in 1329 H., accompanied by his son Sheikh Ahmad, and his student Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi. When they arrived, they first stayed in Hayy al-Suwayqa in the Mosque of `Izz al-Din, then they moved to the home of Sheikh Mahmud Abu Shamat, and finally settled in Hayy al-Shaghour in Samdiyya, where they set up a zawiya and held classes and circles of sacred knowledge.

When the french occpupied Syria in 1920 (1338 H.), he was eighty years old, yet he faught agaisnt them, and was taken prisoner and brought to the citadel of Damasucs. Sheikh Muhammad al-Makki al-Kettani and Sheikh Badr al-Din al-Hasani interceded for him with the french, and he was soon released. (The event i sdescribed in detail in [1])

He appointed as his khalifa in the Path his brother Sheikh Ahmad, and after him his student Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi.

He passed away in Damascus in 1346 H. and was buried in the graveyard of Bab Saghir . Later a mosque and a zawya were built in Wahran in his name.

References
[1] Tarikh`Ulema Dimashq 14th century, Vol 1 p. 427 ff. The biography is written by Ustadh Riad al-Malih.

From alalawi.1934.free.fr (waybach)

He is the son of Sayyiduna Shaykh Muhammad bin Hamza Zhafir who was the khalifa of Sayyiduna Shaykh al-Arabi al-Dirqawi. He has taken the tariqa from his father, and become his khalifa in the Dirqawi-Madani branch.

His brother Shaykh Hamza Zhafir was invited to Istanbul by one of the pasha of Sultan Abdulhamid, and Sultan Abdulhamid’s mother Partawniyal Walida Sultan wanted to take wird from him. Upon this, he said: “My brother Shaykh Muhammad Zhafir a perfected murshid, if you allow i would bring him” then Shaykh Muhammad Zhafir was invited to Istanbul.

His father Sayyiduna Shaykh Muhammad bin Zhafir said to the people of Trablus about his son: “Benefit from him, before the sultans take him!”

The Shadhili Tekke in Istanbul established under Sultan Abdul Hamid II
Shaykh Muhammad Zhafir (d. 1321 H. / 1903 CE ), son of Shaykh Muhammad Hamza Zhafir al-Madani (who was khalifa of the great Shadhili reviver Imam ’Arabi Al-Dirqawi) was invited to Istanbul by Sultan ’Abdul Hamid II. The Sultan became the murid of Shaykh Muhammad Zhafir, and accompanied him for thirty years, until the passing of the latter. – He established Shadhili gatherings of dhikr in the newly commissioned Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque which is included in the estate of the Yıldız Palace where Sultan Abdul Hamid II is resident. On Thursday evenings, the Sultan would accompany his Shaykh and recite the dhikr. In 1888, Sultan ’Abdul Hamid Han established a separate zawiya for the Shadhili tariqa in Istanbul, which he commissioned as part of the Ertuğrul Tekke Mosque. The relationship between the Sultan and his Shaykh lasted for thirty years. – Shaykh Muhammad Zhafir passed away in 1903 / 1321 H. in İstanbul, and is buried in the Shadhili Tekke.

From ghrib.net wayback

Bio note From fb

Good biography from cb.rayaheen.net

The Shadhili Tekke in Istanbul

The three sons of Sayyiduna Shaykh Muhammad ibn Hamza Zhafir are buried here:
Shaykh Muhammad Zhafir (d. 1903) – his khalifa in the Shadhili Path
Shaykh Hamza Zhafir (d. 1904)
Shaykh Bashir Zhafir (d. 1909)

Show on map

He is the qutb and matchless pearl of his time, the shaykh of gnostics, and the sultan of saints. He is the treasury of the elect, the well of secrets, the manifestation of the suns of spiritual lights, the fifth caliph,[1] and the heir to the secrets of mystics. He is the one whom Allah established as a mercy to His servants, both in his own life and after. He is our liege and master, crown of the broad Islamic path and din, who leads wayfarers to their spiritual destination. He is the sign of God on earth crowned with secrets. He is adorned with the garment of the folk of truthfulness, unearthing wonders from the spiritual path, and the meanings of whose words dazzled perspicacious intellects. He is the master of young and old, the shelter of the folk of stability and firmness, the unparallelled qutb, the single and collective succour, our master Shams al-Din, Sultan Abu’l ‘Abdullah Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. ‘Ali al-Hanafi,[2] may Allah be pleased with him and may He make him pleased. May Allah support us by his spiritual sustentation and encompass us by His pleasure.

He was from the most illustrious shaykhs of Egypt and from the masters of gnostics. He was regaled with manifest miracles, splendid states, radiant stations and lofty spiritual ambitions. He was endowed with a pleasing spiritual illumination, a disclosure tearing apart the veils of normality, a promacy in the inward aspects of sanctified purity, ascension through the stairways of gnosis, and elevation across the ladders of ultimate realities.

He was among those who ruled over his secrets, curbed his states and seized control of his affair. He possessed far-reaching authority in effectively disposing of matters, a beneficent hand in judgments pertaining to sanctity, a firm foot in the steps at the end of the spiritual path, and the towering peak in steadfastness and solidity. He is among the pillars of this path, the vanguard of its pivots [awtad], its foremost imams and the cream of its scholars — in knowledge, action, state, word, abstinence, revival of the pristine way of tawhid, awe, and majesty. He is from those whom Allah Most High manifested unto existence, shifting around in the cosmos, entrenching in spiritual states, causing to verbalize aspects of the invisible world, bestowing benefits on their tongues and establishing as a model for seekers, so that a group of path’s folk graduated in his school and numerous men of virtue and saints affiliated to him, acknowledging his merit and endorsing his status. As a result, people sought him out from other regions, while he unlocked ambiguous issues concerning the states of the Sufis.

He possessed beauty in his physical appearance and in his attire, dressing in the clothes normally worn by kings and leaders. Beholding the Divine Beauty was predominant in him. People have devoted works of biography on him, authoring large tomes about his outstanding virtues. How could the likes of me summarize his virtues, or hover around this sanctuary? He is the master of all kings, the succour of Allah’s Friends from the East to the West — across valleys, land and sea. Let us, however, mention a few of his noble virtues. I thus say:

He — may Allah be pleased with Him and benefit [us] through him — was born in Egypt in AH 775. He grew up under the tutelage of his maternal aunt. When he reached his prime, he went to school and memorized the Qur’an, learnt from Ibn Hisham and heard hadith from our master al-‘Iraqi. After this, he decided to take a break from pursuing knowledge, whereupon he worked in a shop he had set up for himself. He sold books there until a caller of the All-Merciful came to him and said, ‘O Muhammad, you have not been created for this. Give up this shop, since the like of you is not suited to this business. You have a huge affair with Us.’ He accordingly gave up the shop and the stock he would sell in it, becoming preoccupied with love for his Creator and Originator.

He then withdrew into a solitary retreat for seven years, and came out manifesting sealed aspects of the ultimate reality, speaking about the secrets of sciences and disciplines, and understanding the recondite meanings of the Qur’an. As a result, the kings of mankind and jinn yielded to his authority and crawled to him, seeking to flatter him, while luminaries attested the fact that he had a vast affair among humans. They were saying this out of the bounty of the Lord of mankind. After his retreat, he took the spiritual path and its devotee at the hand of his guide and mentor, who took him to his destination and brought him near Allah, our master Nasir al-Din b. al-Maylaq. He in turn had taken the path from his grandfather, our master Abu’l-Abbas Shihab al-Din b. al-Maylaq,[3] the admonisher and guide who was regaled with saintly miracles and spiritual allusions, and who is buried in the Greater Shadhili Cemetery. He had in turn taken the path from our master Yaqut al-Arshi, who had in turn taken the path from our master Abu’l-Abbas al-Mursi and though him from our master Abu’l-Hasan al-Shadhili.

He had disciples who were like stars in the sky. They included:

■ Our master Abu’l-Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Sirsi. His spiritual station was comparable to our master al-Hanafi, and he was gifted spiritual unveilings. He passed away in the year AH 861 and was buried in the Shadhili Cemetery.
■ Our master Shams al-Din b. Katila al-Mahalli.
■ The latter’s in-law, our master ‘Umar, buried in his mosque.
■ Chief Justice Sharaf al-Din Yahya b. Muhammad al-Munawi al-Shadhili. He was — may Allah have mercy on him — a notable. Appointed as the shaykh of the Azhar Mosque, he was given the epithet “Shaykh al-Islam”. He would attend the gatherings of our master al-Hanafi, from whom he learnt and to whom he was closely associated. He would frequent him regularly, time after time. He died in 12 Jumada II AH 871.
■ Our master Siraj al-Din Abu Hafs ‘Umar b. al-Mulaqqin, the author of Tabaqat al-Awliya; who passed away in Rabi’ I in AH 804.
■ [Shaykh ]Al-Siraj al-Bulqini[4], the mujtahid of his age and the foremost scholar of the eighth century AH. He met his death — may Allah show mercy to him — in 10 Dhu al-Qa’da AH 805, and was buried in the middle of his mosque situated in Bab al-Sha`riyya, by the side of Bayn al-Sayarij. His shrine therein is visited by people.
■ Shaykh al-Islam al-Badr al-‘Ayni, who was the Chief Justice in charge of a notable judiciary, and who died on 4 Dhu al-Hijja AH 855. He was buried in his mosque known in the past in the area of Katama, and presently known in the public square of the Azhar quarter.
■ Sidi Shams al-Din’s own son, both biologically and spiritually, our master Mahmud al-Hanafi, buried behind his mosque.
■ Our master Abu Madyan al-Ashmuni, a descendant of Abu Madyan al-Tilimsani. He came to our master al-Hanafi, sat with him for forty days and attained perfection. Thereafter, he developed some virtuous associates and disciples of his. His shrine is named after him in Bab al-Sha’riyya, by a narrow alley in the Muqassam district. Of his children who are buried in his vicinity are Ahmad al-Shuwaymi and Ahmad al-Halfawi, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

He had many other disciples, whose number cannot possibly be ascertained. We have limited ourselves to the abovementioned ones.

The death of our master Shams al-Din al-Hanafi took place in Cairo in Rabi’ II AH 847. He was buried in his well-known mosque, which is regarded as one of Cairo’s largest. It is built with white stone and hoists a large minbar surmounted by lovely engravings close to it. The minbar is made of wood with an oyster veneer. In the courtyard of the mosque, there is an arched dome with coloured glass windows, while the roof of the mosque is made using lapis lazuli and coloured glass. To the right entrance of the large door there is a noble stall where his honourable mausoleum is found, topped by a splendidly constructed dome.

Sayyidi Shams al-Din al-Hanafi is one of the axial saints buried in Egypt. People set out for his tomb from far away localities and remote nations, hoping to find abundant good there. A Shadhili public session of remembrance [hadra] is performed there morning and evening.

This mosque is regaled with divine manifestations and breezes of goodness. It is redolent with the scents of musk and camphor due to the blessing of its residents, may Allah have mercy on them. No aggrieved person intentionally sets out for this mosque save that Allah helps him and eases his pursuit. Among the things that have been tried and tested is that if somone has a need, he should intentionally visit this mosque three days consecutively after the Dawn prayer.

His need will be fulfilled instantly. This matter is established by multiple transmissions among both the elite and commonality of Egypt, and proven by experience. There is no doubt about this.
O Allah, nourish us through his spiritual sustentation, settle us in his proximity and delight us by Your pleasure with us, O Allah, O Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

Footnotes:
[1] In a spiritual sense.
[2] You can read his biography in al-A’lam (6/88), Tabaqat al-Sha’rani (2/81-92), al-Kutubkhana (7/396), Dar al-Kutub (1/314), al-Sirr al-Safi (2/93) and Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu’mi (p. 187).
[3] His biography can be found in Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu’mi (p. 150).
[4] One of his major students being the great hadith scholar Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani who continuously refers to him as Shaykh al-Islam in his writings.

Source: Muhammad b. Qasim al-Kuhin, Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyyah Al-Kubra, translated by Ahmad Ali al-Adani as “Biographies of Prominent Shadhilis”

He was appointed by Shaykh Muhammad al-Mubarak to take his place in the Shadhili Zawiya in Damascus.

Show overview | Close
Lineage | Teachers | Scholarship and teaching | Head of the Shadhili order in Damascus | Students | Jihad | Da’wa in Libanon | Personality | Miracles | Abdal | Passing | Legacy

Lineage
He is Sayyid Muhammad al-Sharif, son of Muhammad as-Siddiq, son of Muhammad al-Hasan, who migrated from Algeria, and whose lineage goes back to Sayyiduna Idris, the founder of the city of Fas, and from there to Sayyiduna al-Hasan ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

He was the brother of Sayiid Shaykh Ismail al-Yaqobi, and the paternal uncle of Sayyid Shaykh Ibrahim al-Yaqoubi, who was the father of Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Abul Huda al-Yaqoubi – see Yaqoubi family tree. ↑

Learning and teaching
He was born in Damascus in 1282 A.H and grew up under his father’s care and guidance. He was also looked after by his uncle Shaykh Mizyan Al-Yaqoubi. He memorised the Quran in Jami’ Baridi, in Hayy Suwaiqa, where his father was the Imam and the teacher. He also memorised many of the didactic poems in various sciences. He memorized Al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik and ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad. He studies Arabic, fiqh, hadith usul and other subjects under the top Ulema of his time in Damascus.

His teachers
He read Quran to Shaykh Abu as-Safa al-Maliki and studied Malikte fiqh under the great Shaykh Abd Al-Qadir Al-Dukkali d. 1354 (student of Shaykh ‘Ulaysh, Mufti of the malikites in Al-Azhar d. 1300). He corresponded with Shaykh Muhammad Ma’ al-‘aynayn al-Shinqiti d. 1328. He established friendship Shaykh Muhammad ibn Jafar al-Kattani during the latter’s stay in Damascus. He was also a close friend with 3966the great Muhaddith of Sham, Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Hasani, and with the erudite scholar Shaykh Amin Suwayd. He received many Ijazas from his teachers and contemporaries.

Imam of the Malikites
Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Sharif al-Yaqoubi was the Imam of the Malikites in the Grand Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the highest authority in fiqh, tafsir, Sirah, and tasawwuf. He maintained teaching tafsir al-Jalayn, Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad, and many other books.

Teaching
He was someone who loved to learn and teach the sacred knowledge and established advanced makatib (or katatib) – centres of advanced learning for youth to study the sacred sciences.

He taught in Jami’ Baridi after his father passed away and was the Imam of the masjid.
With Shaykh Salih ibn Shaykh al-Tayyib, he opened a maktab in Bab Musalla (Maydan). With Shaykh Abd Al-Qadir ibn Shaykh Al-Tayyib he opened one in Zuqaq al-Naqib (’Amara). He opened a school called Madrasa Rayhaniyya in Zuqaq al-Mahkama with Shaykh Muhammad Al-Mubarak and Shaykh Abd Al-Jalil Darra. ↑

Head of the Shadhili order in Damascus
He took the Khalwati order, which was the order of the Yaqoubiy family when arriving from Algeria in the Migration of the Shuyukh in year 1263 A.H., from his father, uncle and grandfather. He also took the Naqshabandi order from his uncle (Shaykh Mizyan).

He was a close student of Shaykh Muhammad Al-Tayyib Ad-Dillisi and took from him the Fasi branch of the Shadhili order. He accompanied his Shaykh until he died in 1313. He then accompanied his brother and Khalifah Shaykh Muhammad al-Mubarak Al-Dillisi until he passed away in 1330. Shaykh Muhammad al-Mubarak appointed him as hsi successor in his zaawiya, so he became head of the Shadhili Fasi order, which was the only branch of the Shadhili Tariqa in Damascus at that time. ↑

Students
Many of the scholars who accompanied Shaykh Sarif and studied under him became the most learned in sacred knowledge, and had the greatest impact in Syria and the Muslim world in the second half of the 14th century.

Sh. Sharif al-Yaqoubi and his students
View list of students in Arabic
Picture compiled by Sh. Doctor Muhamad Sharif al-Sawwaf, a grandson of Sh, Sharif al-Yaqoubi

Amongst his students were:
Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Yaqoubi, d. 1406
Sayyid Shaykh Makki al-Kattani, d. 1393
Sayyid Shaykh Al-Zamzami al-Kattani, d. 1371
Shaykh Salih Farfur, d. 1407
Shaykh Hasan Habannaka. d. 1398
Shaykh Ahmad Al-Habbal, d. 1430
Shaykh Sa’id Al-Ahmar,
Shaykh Isma’il Al-Tarabulsi
Shaykh Ibrahim Qaddour al-Sabbagh
Shaykh Salih Al-Nu’man
Shaykh Ahmad Al-Harun.

Amongst his most noteworthy students were:

Sayyid Sh. Ibrahim Al-Yaqoubi was his nephew and student, and became the most erudite scholar of his time;

Sh. Hasan Habannaka established a madrasa where the top scholars of Syria studied under him and graduated from his school;

Sh. Salih Farfur established the Shari’a institute Ma’had Al-Fath, and had huge impact on in the Muslim world.

Sh. Salih Farfur came to Shaykh Sharif as a student, accompanied him, learning from him, and taking guidance from him. At one point, Sh. Sharif ordered him to open a circle in the Umayyad Mosque, and sent his son Abd al-Karim al-Yaqoubi to be a student. This circle grew to become several classes, and later on became Al-Fath institute.

Sh. Ahmad Habbal: his student, companion and servant
Sh. Ahmad Habbal served Shaykh Sharif and his family for 15 years, travelled to Hajj in service of Shaykh Sharif, and witnessed many of his miracles. ↑

His Jihad
At the end of the world war, the Ottoman power over Syria collapsed, and King Faysal, son of Sayyid Husayn (the Sharif if Makka) seized power over Syria. In March 1920 he declared himself King of Syria. His kingdom lasted only for a few months, after which the French invaded Syria. People – led by the `Ulema – rose in arms to defend the country against the French. They trained themselves using the arms of the former Ottoman government.

The Syrian army, though small, rose up to defend the country under the command of the defense minister, Yousef al-Azmeh. The government also, offered arms to the volunteers who wanted to join the army.

Shaykh Sharif al-Yaqoubi was the commander of a divison of about 500 people, which he gathered from his students and relatives, and the young people in the Moroccan quarter, and they joined the Syrian Army. In July 1920, a battle was fought in the village of Maysalun outside Damascus. The Syrian mujahids were easily defeated because their weapons were old and inefficient. Some of the leaders were sentenced to death and had to leave the country. ↑

Da’wa in Libanon
Shaykh Sharif went to the mountains of Lebanon calling people to Allah. Over a few years, he visited over 100 villages and towns. He established several mosques, taught the people and appointed Imams. His base at that time was Beirut, where he had classes which were attended by the most brilliant young scholars. Some of his students in Lebanon include, amongst many others, Sh. Ahmad Mukhtar al-‘Alayli (who later became Secretary of Fatwa), and Sh. Hassan ad-Dimashqi, who becamse later Shaykh al-Qurat. His best friend in Beirut was none other than the Great Shaykh Yusuf an-Nabhani. Later on, Sh. Yusuf an-Nabhani would visit Damascus and stay with him.

Shaykh Sharif left a huge impact in Lebanon, which continues till today.

After the French occupation had dwindled, he returned to Damascus. However, he continued his Da’wa efforts in Lebanon. he now took some of the young scholars with him. Amongst those who travelled with him were Sh. Salah al-Za’em, Sh. Saleh Farfur, Sh. Ibrahim Qaddur al-Sabbagh.

Once Shaykh Sharif was on his way to Beirut, to call people to Allah and spread Islam in the mountains of Lebanon, Upon departing came across one of his students, Shaykh Ibrahim Qaddur as-Sabbagh, who had just stepped out to buy meat for his family. Sh. Sharif asked him to accompany him to Lebanon. Sh. As-Sabbagh did not hesitate. He dropped everything and followed Shaykh Sharif for forty days, then returned to his family. ↑

Personality
He had the demeanor and characteristic of the Ulema. In his attire he wore the most elegant clothing.

He was someone who relied upon Allah, and who taught and nurtured through his actions as well as his words. He was extremely generous and gave freely to others. He loved the poor and destitute. He would host people and feed them with the best of food. No one visited him at meal time, but he would eat.

From the stories which have reached us:

He would honour and give to the workers at the Umayyad Mosque. One day one of the workers asked him for some money, but he didn’t have anything at the time. He went to a shop nearby and borrowed some money and gave it to the worker. The next day when he came to the shop to pay off the debt he was told by the creditor, Shaykh Sa’id Al-Ahmar (one of his close students), that the person he had given to was not poor. Shaykh Sharif replied: You have ruined my intention, please don’t say such things to me. I gave him for the sake of Allah (i.e. not because he was a poor person). ↑

Miracles
◈ He was once coming out of the Umayyad Mosque, and heading towards Suq Hamidiyya. At the end of the Suq, he saw a battalion of Senegalese soldiers in a military parade. They were part of the French army. Shaykh Sharif thought in his mind of the saying that, if 40 believers get together, there is a wali amongst them. He prayed: O Allah, if there is a wali amongst them, show me who he is. As he was thinking this, a soldier stepped out of line and came towards Shaykh Sharif and said: Yes, there is a wali amongst us!

◈ Shaykh Sharif was once asked by Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Makki al-Kattani to teach him alchemy, Shaykh Sharif replied, “Give me what is in your pocket”, Sayyid Shaykh Makki handed him a big, heavy, old style key. Shaykh Sharif read something on it and it immediately became gold. He handed it over to him saying, “This is our alchemy.”

◈ Shaykh Sharif used to offer his guests the best type of dates (ambari, ambar-like), and fresh ghee (saman baladi). Once when Sh. Sharif was ill, Sayyid Shaykh Makki al-Kattani visited him. Sh. Sharif apoligized that the type of ghee offered is not “what we usually get”. Sh. Muhammad Makki al-Kattani then purchased an ewe and fed it and took its milk and produced fresh ghee from it. He did this for 6 months, until he had filled a big jar. Sh. Makki then visited Sh. Sharif and offered him the jar of ghee. Upon receiving it, Sh. Sharif said immediately: ‘This has the scent of the Ahl Al-Bayt!’

◈ Sh. Ahmad Habbal, who was a student, companion and servant of Sh. Sharif, related to Sh. Muhammad al-Yaqoubi the occurrence of Shaykh Sharif’s dua for rain on Mount Qasyoun. [t.b.c.]

◈ On one occasion Shaykh Salih Farfour went with his students to visit Shaykh Sharif Al-Yaqoubi. Sh. Salih asked Shaykh Shafiq al-‘Umariy (who was a Qari’) to recite. Sh. Sharif said for everyone to wait. He asked everyone to gather their hearts (i.e. have a present heart), and asked Shaykh Shafiq to make his heart present. He then recited and it was a recitation that left an impact on all attendees. It was described as a recitation of the Akhira. They said, they never felt anything like it.

◈ Everything around sh Sharif was connected to blessings and success. His duas were sought from the people of Damascus. Business men would seek his duas. It was noticed that the business people who accompanied the Shaykh, served him, or took tariqa with him, became the wealthiest and most successful in Damascus and Syria. The scholars who accompanied him and studied under him became the learned most of their time, and had the greatest impact in Syria and in the Muslim world.

Sh. Sharif’s student Shaykh Sa’id Al-Ahmar told Shaykh Ibrahim al-Yaqoubi (the nephew of Shaykh Sharif and best friend of Shaykh Sa’id) that he got much wealth from the duas of Shaykh Sharif. He said he gave Shaykh Sharif much money and always got much more back in return. He said, “It was through the barakah of Shaykh Sharif that I got everything.”

Shaykh Sa’id would open his safe for Sh. Sharif to take whatever he wanted. Sh. Sharif would not take for himself, but for the needy people who used to come him. ↑

(Anecdote of Sayyid in Madina on Umrah and how Shaykh Sa’id’s son prayed next to them.) [t.b.c]

One of the Abdal
Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Sharif al-Yaqoubi was one of the 40 Abdal (Substitute Saints) of Sham.

One of the signs of Abdal is they bear calamities from the Ummah. One visible effect of this is that they lose children. Sh. Sharif lost all his male children in his life.

One of his sons, Siddiq, was killed by a Turkish officer. Shaykh Sharif decided in his heart to forgive him. The day of the trial, he went to the court wearing a silham (moroccan overcoat with a big cap), so he entered the court covering his face. When the time came for him to speak, he spoke the needed words of forgiveness, and left, still covering his face. When he was asked abot it, he said, “I do not want to recognize his face anywhere I see him.”

Sayyid Shaykh Tajuddin al-Kattani said about him, (in a public gathering when I (Shaykh Abul-Huda) once visited him, “anyone who saw Shaykh Sharif will enter al-Jannah”.

Many said about him, “Anyone who saw him, it is as though he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. ↑

Passing Away
The day Sh. Sharif passed away, Damascus’ shops closed mourning his death and the city followed after his funeral. It was the greatest funeral Damascus ever witnessed (after the funeral of Sh. Badruddin in 1354 whose son was prime minister). ↑

Legacy
His legacy continues today in many great scholars and Awliya of today who have been favoured with Shaykh Sharif’s blessings, knowledge, duas, hard work and sincerity. The is most evident sign of this is the grandson of his brother Sh. Ismail: Shaykh Muhammad Abul Huda Al-Yaqoubi.

The inheritor of his turban
Before the birth of Shaykh Ibrahim al Yaqoubi, Shaykh Sharif suggested to his brother, Shaykh Ismail Al-Yaqoubi to wear the turban [imama] of the Ulema. Shaykh Ismail declined, opting for low profile and seclusion. Shaykh Sharif then said to Shaykh Ismail, “We will keep this turban for one of your sons.” Shaykh Ibrahim was born later and inherited the rank of his uncle [Shaykh Sharif], then the rank of his father [Shaykh Ismail]. ↑

May Allah (the Exalted) have mercy on Sh. Sharif al-Yaqubi, all the scholars mentioned in this article, Sh. Ibrahims students and all of the Muslims.

Shaykh Muhammad AbulHuda al-Yaqooubi composed the following lines about his Grand uncle, Shaykh Sharif, as part of his poem Ma’aathir Al-Shaam (مآثر الشام) which is around 480 couplets about the blessed land of Shaam. He says:

Sayyiduna Sh. Muhammad al-Yaqoubi praying at the tomb of Sayyiduna Sh. Sharif al-Yaqoubi in Bab Saghir cemetery in Damascus

View pictures of the tomb stone of Sh. Sharif al-Yaqoubi

Copyright 2017 Damas Cultural Society – Latest update: 2017-08-27

1. From Al-Sha`rani: Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra (see below)
2. From Kuhin: Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyya (see below)

Sheikh Yaqut al-`Arshi– may Allah ta’ala be pleased with him – was the imam of the spiritual sciences, a worshipper and ascetic, and one of the greatest of those who took from Sheikh Abul`Abbas al-Mursi (radia Allah `anhu). The day he was born, in the lands of Habasha, Sheikh Abul`Abbas was informed of it, and he made a `asida for him. It was then summer time in Alexandria, and people said to him: “But `asida is only for winter time.” He answered: “This `asida is for your brother Yaqut al- `Arshi, who is born in the land of Habasha, and will come to you.” And so it happended.

Yaqut al-`Arshi was the one who interceded for Sheikh Shams al-Din ibn al-Lubban (who disavowed Sheikh Ahmad al-Badawi, so that all his good deeds and rank were nullfied). Sheikh Shams al-Din had sought intersession from all the awlia, but Sheikh Ahmad al-Badawi did not accept it from anyone. Yaqut al-`Arshi then travelled from Alexandria to Tanta, and asked Sheikh Ahmad al-Badawi to change his opinion about Sheikh Shams al-Din, so that his rank may be returned to him, and Sheikh Ahmad al-Badawi complied to his request. – Later, Sheikh Yaqut al-`Arshi gave his daughter in marriage to Shams al-Din ibn al-Lubban, who made it his will , when he died, to be buried under her feet, out of respect for her father Sheikh Yaqut al-Arshi.

He was called al-`Arshi, because his heart was constantly under the Throne of Allah – only his body was on the earth. It has also been said that it is because he heard the adhan from the Angels carrying the Throne of Allah.

He interceded even for the animals. Once, when he was sitting in the circle of the fuqara, a dove came and sat on his shoulder, and said some secret words in his ear. Then he said: “Bismi Allah, we will send one of the fuqara with you.” The dove said: “Noone except you will satsify my need.” So he rode his mule from Alexandira to Misr al-`Atiqa (Cairo) and entered the Mosque of `Amr, saying: “Let me meet the Muadhdhin”. The Muadhdhin was sent for, and Sheikh Yaqut said to him: “This dove came to Alexandria and told me that you kill its young ones every time she gives birth to them in the Minaret.” The Muadhdhin said: “Yes, that is true. I have killed them several times.” Sheikh Yaqut said: “Don’t do it again.” The Muadhdhin said: “I repent to Allah ta`ala.” After that Sheikh returned to Alexandria – may Allah ta’ala be pleased with him.

His virtues and glorious deeds are many and well known among the Shadhilis i Egypt and elsewhere. He passed away in Alexandria year 707 H. – may Allah ta’ala be well pleased with him.

He is Abu al-Durr b. ‘Abdullah al-Habashi [1]. He was a virtuous shaykh who commanded awe and reverence. An imam of gnosis, he was a devout worshipper and ascetic. He is counted among the most illustrious disciples of Shaykh Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Mursi. On the day of his birth in Abyssinia, Shaykh Abu’l-‘Abbas was informed of it. It was a summer day in Alexandria and he prepared ‘asida [a pasty thick gruel made from wheat flour and clarified butter for the newborn]. When told that ‘asida was only prepared in winter, he retorted, ‘This is the ‘asida of your brother Yaqut, who is born in Abyssinia, and will come to you.’ And so it happened.

He was from those who interceded on behalf of Shaykh Shams al-Din b. al-Lubban, when the latter disavowed Sidi Ahmad al-Badawi, resulting in his own knowledge and spiritual state being taken away. Shaykh-Shams al-Din b. al-Lubban had sought the intercession of all other saints.149

He was called al-‘Arshi because his heart was constantly under the Throne [Arsh], only his body being on the earth. It is also said that he would hear the adhan from the angels carrying the Throne.

He even interceded on behalf of animals. One day, when he was sitting in a circle of dervishes, a dove came and sat on his shoulder, and then whispered some secret into his ear. He said: `Bismi Allah, we will send one of the devotees with you.’ The dove told him: ‘Only you will satsify my need.’ So he mounted his mule and journeyed from Alexandira to old Cairo and entered the Mosque of ‘Amr, saying: ‘Let me meet the caller to prayer [muadhdhin].’ The muadhdhin was sent for, and the shaykh said to him: ‘This dove told me in Alexandria that you kill its chicks whenever she gives birth to them in the minaret.’ The muadhdhin said: ‘Yes, this is true. I have killed them on several occasions.’ The shaykh said: ‘Don’t do it again.’ The muadhdhin said: ‘I repent to Allah Most High.’ After this, the shaykh returned to Alexandria, may Allah Most High be pleased with him.

He has a legion of virtues that are well-known among members of the Shadhili Path in Egypt and elsewhere. He died in Alexandria on 18 Jumada II AH 707. He was eighty years old. His shrine in Alexandria — may Allah have mercy on him — is a site of pilgrimage for adults and children seeking spiritual graces. May Allah benefit us through him.

Footnotes:
[1] See his biography in Tabaqat al-Shadhiliyyat al-Kubra by Muhyi al-Din al-Tu`mi (p. 222).

In 1236, he travelled to Oran (وهران to persue his studies util he gained mastery in various subjects such as Arabic litterature, hte sciences of Tawhid and Fiqh and logic. He memorized most part of Sahih al-Bukhari. He also learnt French, and was trained in horse-riding and the use of weapons, hence he became conversant with both the sword and the pen.

—–

Source: Dar al-Fikr booklet

Etc. The poem consists of more than hundred verses. It is preserved in the Zhahiri library in Damascus, and reproduced in [4].

Pictures

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He was buried in the Maqam of al-Sheikh al-Akbar in Salihiyya, however his remains removed and brought to Algeria in 196x, upon the request of the Algerian government.

Reference:
Dar al-Fikr

Pictures

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Summary notes from Imam Sha´rani’s Tabaqat

From almasryalyoum.com 2017

Pictures from msobieh.com 2012 (click to enlarge)

t.b.d.
 

Sheikh Sharif
Al-Yaqoubi
d. 1362 H./1943 CE

Sheikh Ibrahim
Al-Yaqoubi
d.1406 H./1985 CE

Sheikh Muhammad
Al-Yaqoubi
b.1382 H./1961 CE

Sheikh Isma`il
Al-Yaqoubi
d.1380 H./1960 CE

Sheikh Muhammad
al-´Arabi Al-Yaqoubi
d. H. / 1965 CE

Click on the photo to go the article
Yaqoubi family diagram | Burial places in Damascus

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