Shadhili
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The Tariqa ash Shadhiliya is a Sufi order founded by Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili. Followers (murids Arabic: seekers) of the Shadhiliya are often known as Shadhilis.
It is the most popular Sufi order in North Africa and some of its followers have made great contributions to Arab and Islamic literature, including Sheikh Ibn 'Ata Allah, author of the Hikam, and Shaykh Ahmed Zarruq, who was the author of a commentary on the Risala of al-Qayrawani (a standard work in Maliki Islamic jurisprudence) and a commentary on the Hikam. He also wrote extensively on Sufism and law. Another is Sheikh ibn Ajibah who wrote a commentary on the Qur'an. Many of the sheikhs of al-Azhar University in Egypt have also been followers of the Shadhili tariqa.
The Hamadiyya Shadhili branch is the most popular. The Darqawi Shadhili branch is found mostly in Morocco and the Alawiyya (no connection to the Turkish or Syrian Alawi or Alevi groups) is found mostly in Algeria but now also in Syria, Jordan, and France amongst French North-Africans. The British Muslim convert Martin Lings wrote an extensive biography of the founding Sheikh of this branch, Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi, entitled 'A Sufi Saint of the 20th century' (ISBN 0-946621-50-0)
The Swedish impressionist painter and Sufi scholar Shaykh Abd Al-Hadi Aqhili (1869-1917) was the first official Moqaddam (representative) of the Shadhili Order in Western Europe. Abd Al-Hadi initiated Shaykh Abd Wahid Yahya or René Guénon (1886-1951) into the Shadhiliya Order. [1] Guénon went on to write a number of influential books on tradition and modernity. [2]
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[edit] Early Origins
(By permission of Dr. Alan Godlas to post to Wikipedia) ([3])
"The Shadhiliya Order, named after Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (d. 656 AH/1258 CE), whose tomb is at Humaythara on Egypt's Red Sea coast, has branches throughout North Africa and the Arab world. It has also become established in Europe and the United States. One shaykh who has brought the Shadhiliya to the U.S. is Sidi Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i as-Shadhili. [4] The Shadhiliya derives from the tariqat of Abu Madyan Shu'ayb (d. 594 AH/1198 CE), whose tomb is in Tlemcen, Algeria. A recent book, The Way of Abu Madyan, by the scholar Vincent Cornell, provides his biography, a discussion of his teachings, and a number of texts written by Abu Madyan and translated into English along with the original Arabic." [5]
[edit] Important Figures
1. Abu Madyan
2. Abdeslam Ben Mchich (d. 625 AH/1228 CE), another disciple of Abu Madyan, who transmitted his teachings to Abu-l Hassan ash Shadhili.
4. Abu-l-'Abbas al-Mursi (d. 686 AH/1287 CE), whose shrine is in Alexandria, Egypt. From another angle, visit the Mosque and Tomb of al-Mursi.
5. Ibn 'Ata Allah Iskandari (d. 709/1309 in Cairo), who wrote the text The Key to Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation (Miftah al-Falah) (chapter available here). Another of Ibn 'Ata Allah's works is the Hikam (maxims or aphorisms), partially translated here by Ayesha Bewley.
6. ibn Abbad of Ronda Author of a commentary on the Hikam and a small treatise on Sufism.
7. An important Shadhili shaykh in Morocco was Muhammad al-Jazuli (d. between 869/1465 and 875/1461), whose fame was spread throughout the Muslim world by his collection of prayers titled Dala'il al-Khairat. The Jazuliya order, which he founded, is discussed by Prof. Vincent Cornell in his book Realm of the Saint: Power and Authority in Moroccan Sufism, as are other Moroccan Sufi orders and saints. [6]
8. Sheikh Ahmed Zarruq Founder of the Zarruqiyya order. Commentator on the Hikam and author of numerous works on jurisprudence and Sufism
9. Ahmad ibn Ajiba Sufi saint and author of a commentary on the Qur'an and a commentary on the Hikam.
10. Sidi ad-Darqawi Founder of the Darqawi Sufi order.
11. Sheikh Muhammad ibn al-Habib (A Sheikh of the Darqawi order which is derived from the Shadhili order.
12. Sidi Mohammed Bennaser Edderai (1603-1674) from Tamegroute, Morocco, leader of the order of the Nasiriyyin.
13. Muhammad bin 'Ali Ba'Alawi, from whom the 'Alawiya Order, also known as the Ba'Alawiya Order, derives. [7] See a brief summary of The Way of the Bani Alawiyah - At-Tariqah al-'Alawiyah.[8]
14. Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi al-Mostaghanimi, Algeria, a Sufi master of the 20th Century. Martin Lings has written an account of his teachings.
[edit] Branches
The Darqawiyya, a Moroccan branch of the Shadhili order, was founded in the late 18th century CE by Muhammad al-Arabi al-Darqawi. Selections from the Letters of Shaykh al-Darqawi have been translated by the scholar Ayesha Bewley. [9] One of the first tariqas to be established in the West was the 'Alawiya branch of the Darqawiyya, [10] which was named after Shaykh Ahmad ibn Mustafa al-'Alawi al-Mustaghanimi, popularly known as Shaykh al-Alawi. A significant book about him, written by Martin Lings, is A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century.
The Maryamiyya Order was founded by Shaykh 'Isa Nur al-Din Ahmad or Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998), a European disciple of Shaykh Ahmad al-'Alawi, who established the Order in Europe and North America. [11] [12] Some of Schuon's most eminent students include, Titus Burckhardt (1908-1984) and Martin Lings (1909-2005), author of the aforementioned text, A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century and the universally acclaimed biography of the Prophet, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. [13] Schuon also wrote several outstanding books on Islam including, Understanding Islam, Dimensions of Islam, and Sufism: Veil and Quintessence, [14] as well as a number of books on the Perennial Philosophy. [15]
The 'Attasiyah Order is a branch of the 'Alawi Order. It is centered in Yemen but also has zawiyas (hospices) in Pakistan, India, and Myanmar. The 'Alawiya order in Yemen has recently been studied by the anthropologist David Buchman. In his article "The Underground Friends of God and Their Adversaries: A Case Study and Survey of Sufism in Contemporary Yemen", Professor Buchman summarizes the results of his six month period of fieldwork in Yemen. The article was originally published in the journal Yemen Update, vol. 39 (1997), pp. 21-24.
A Shadhili shaykh who has established centers in the West is Shaykh Abdalqadir al-Murabit, a Scottish convert to Islam, whose lineage is Shadhili-Darqawi. Currently his order is known as the Murabitun. At other times his order has been known as the Darqawiyya and Habibiya. One of the first books that Shaykh Abdalqadir wrote was The Book of Strangers, which he authored under the name Ian Dallas. For a brief anecdote of Shaykh Abdalqadir in the early 1970s, go here.
Another contemporary order deriving, in part, from Shaykh Abdalqadir al-Murabit is the al-Haydariyah al-Shadhiliyah, headed by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri. Of Shi'ite descent, Shaykh Fadhlalla teaches within neither a Shi'i nor a Sunni framework.
There is another branch of the Shadhili-Darqawi Order known as the Shadhili-Darqawi-Hashimi branch, which is firmly established in both Damascus and Jordan. This branch of the Shadhili tariqa was established through Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi al-Tilmisani who, as a young man, migrated from North Africa to Damascus with his spiritual guide (murshid), who was a disciple of Sheikh Ahmad al-'Alawi (see above Martin Lings). Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi received his authorization (ijaza) to be a murshid of the Shadhili tariqa from Sheikh Ahmad al-'Alawi when the latter was visiting Damascus in the early 1920s.
Perhaps the most well known spiritual guides (murshideen) in the West of this branch of the Shadhili tariqa are Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller and Sheikh Muhammad al Yaqoubi. The former is an American convert to Islam who resides in Amman, Jordan. Some of his writings are available here. His official website is here. The latter, Sheikh al Yaqoubi, traces his lineage in the tariqa through his father and grandfather. He often lectures in the West, most notably at the Shaykh Ibrahim Institute, named for his father, and Zaytuna Institute in California.
Between October 17-26, 1999 the First International Shadhilian Festival occurred in Egypt. It concluded with a pilgrimage to the tomb of Abu 'l-Hasan al-Shadhili and involved Sufi gatherings of dhikr and the singing of qasidas, or classical poetry.
The Burhaniya (or Burhamiya), named after Shaykh Burhan al-Din Ibrahim al-Dasuqi (d. 687/1288), sometimes regarded as derived from the Shadhili order and sometimes from the Rifa'i order, is active today in Egypt. A branch in Australia is led by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi whose organization is called the Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Study Centre.
[edit] The Spiritual Chain
The (silsila) of the Shadhili order is as follows:
- Muhammad
- Ali ibn Abi Talib
- Sheikh Fassy ash shadhili
- Imam Hasan ibn Ali
- Sheikh Muhammad Jarbadi
- Sheikh Sa'id Qirwani
- Sheikh Fatih Mas'udi
- Sheikh Abu al-Qasim Mirwani
- Sheikh Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Basri
- Sheikh Qutubuddin Mahmud Qazwini
- Sheikh Shamsuddin
- Sheikh Tajuddin
- Sheikh Abu al-Hasan Ali
- Sheikh Taqiuddin Sufi
- Sheikh Abu Madyan
- Sheikh Abdeslam Ben Mshish
- Sheikh Nuruddin Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili
[edit] External links
- Shadhiliya (Shazuliya) Tariqa An introduction to the tariqa, with Powerful .pdf free downloadable Hizbs Collections and full history of Imam Shadhili with Rare Picture Galleries.
- Shadhili Tariqa A comprehensive introduction to the tariqa, with most viewed articles
- Shaykh Ibrahim Institute
- Attasia Tariqa (Arabic)
- Damascus Breeze Memories of Sheikh Abdur Rahman Shaghouri, the murshid of Sheikh Nuh Keller.
- Sidi Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal, his teachings and books
- The Shadhiliya Sufi Center in California follows Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal
- The Shadhili Darqawi 'Alawi branch
- A biography of Sheikh Muhammad ibn al Habib of the Darqawi branch
- Tariqa Burhaniya as Shadhiliya
- The Fons Vitae Ibn 'Ata'Allah Translation Book Series
- The Founders of the Shadhili Order
- [16] A sufi anasheed group based in avignon, France.
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