Shaykh Abul Hasan Ali Shadhili was the greatest Qutub of the time and most celebrated Ghawth. His noble lineage is Sayyid Abu Hasan Ali ibn Abdulla ibn Abdul Jabbar ibn Tamim ibn Hurmuz ibn Hatim ibn Qusay ibn Yusuf ibn Yusha ibn Ward ibn Abi Bathal Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Idris ibn Umer ibn Idris ibn Abdullah ibn al Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib”. Muhammed ibn Abi al qasim al-Himayari, known as Ibn al –Sabbagh, says that Shadhilli was good looking and was neither stout nor slim. His fingers were long and very soft. He was looked like an Arab. He had a very good art of delivering speeches through which he attracted the people.
Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali Shadhili (1187-1258) was born in a royal family of Ghumara (Moroco), a tribal area in Northern Morocco. During his early years he had memorized the Holy Qur’an and was taught the basic principles of Islam. He gained primary education and traditional religious training from Fez (Morocco) as a student of Abdulla Ibn Harazim, a follower of Sheikh Abu Madyan. Ibn Harazim was a reputed faqih of Morocco and was considered as the first Sheikh of Imam Shadhili. Under his teachings, Imam Shadhili immensely learned and explored, even during his youth he became famous for his ability to engage in legal argumentations with religious scholars of that period. After the primary education he set out his spiritual journey towards the East seeking instructions and training from great masters of his time and was in search of a genuine qutb of that period. For this he travelled widely and performed a number of Hajj and then reached Baghdad which was famour for its spiritual environment. In Iraq. Sheikh Shadhili was influenced by Sheikh Abu al Fathah al Wasiti (d 1234), the disciple and Khalifah of Sheikh Ahmad al Rifai. Al Wasiti was responsible than any other figure for the spread of Rifaiyya order in Egypt. Under Wasiti, Shadhili continued his spiritual education. Shadhili related that “When I came to Iraq, I met the Sheikh Abu al Fath al Wasiti, the like of whom I have not seen in Iraq. My quest was for the qutb. One nof the Saints said to me”, “are you searching for the qutb in Iraq while he is in your country? Return to your land and you will find him”. So he went back to his homeland in Morocco, where he met his spiritual master, the qutb and ghawth Abu Muhammad Abd al Salam Ibn Mashish.
The venerable spiritual master Shaikh Mashish recognized the spiritual quality of Sheikh Shadhili and allowed him to stay with him, thus he became the follower if Ibn Mashish. Sheikh Shadhili related that “when I drew near him, while he was living in Ghumara in a lodge on the top of the mountain, I bathed at a spring by the base of that mountain, forsook all dependence on my own knowledge and work, and went up towards him as one in need. Just then he was coming down towards me wearing a patched cloak and on his head a cap of palm leaves. “Welcome to Ali ibn Abd Allah Ibn Abd al-jabbar and repeated my lineage down to the Prophet of Allah. Then he said that ‘O, Ali you have come up to us destitute of your knowledge and works, so you will receive from us the riches of this world and the next”. After receiving spiritual inspiration from his master, Sheikh Shadhili decided to move to Tunis, where he resided for some years before his permanent retreat to Alexandria.
Shadhila is a village, half way between Tunis and Khyrawan. As per the order of his master Ibn Mashish, Sheikh Shadhili started his journey to Tunisia (Ifriqiya). Sheikh Shadhili quoted “O, Ali depart to the province of the Ifriqiya and dwell there in a place called Shadhila, for Allah Almighty will name you al Shadhili. After that you will move to the city of Tunis where charges will be brought against you before the authorities. Then you will move to the East where you will inherit the rank of qutb. On the way to Shadhila, he reached at “Musallaleidain” (Two Feasts) where he met a woodcutter whobelonged to Shadhila, was going to market for his business. This story was mentioned by Ibn Ibbad in his book that “the woodcutter forgot his business at the market and turned back directly to attend it leaving his donkey with him (al Shadhili). When he had started, he said to himself “This is a stranger who will run away with the donkey and I shall be left deprived of it”. The Sheikh Shadhili called him, and he turned back to him. He said “O my son, take your donkey while I wait for you until you return to me. Last I run away from you with your donkey and you remain deprived of it”. The wood cutter wept and said “By Allah Almightu, no one was informed of this except Allah Almighty, may he be exalted”. So then he recognized that he was a saint and began to kiss his lands and ask him to do pray for him. Then he left him to attend his business and return to him. And then they moved to Shadhili”. In Shadhili, the first companion of Imam Shadhili was Abu Muhammed Adb Allah Ibn Salama al Habibi, from Shadhili. In Tunis, he used to attend the spiritual gatherings of great Sufi master Abu Hafz al Jasus. One day Ibn Salama al Habibi said to Al Jasus “O my master I choose you to be my Sheikh”. He relied that ‘O my son, wait until a great Sufi arrives from then Mafhrub. He (al-Habibi) awaited for him, finally The Sheikh came to Shadhili and he joined him and became Sheikh Shadhili’s companion. He stayed, worshiped amd travelled with him to mount Zaghwan. A cave in Iaqbal Zaghwavn was his favourite Sufi resort. They both stayed there for a while engaged in worship and meditation. Imam Shadhili remained on Mount Zaghwan for a long time with asceticism and Sufi practices during which he could manifest several charismatic phenomena (karamal). When his personal influences and Sufi teaching speedily gained a great acceptance in the vicinity of Shadhila, he was given his title (Nisba) of as-Shadhuli. So Sheikh Shadhili said to Allah Almighty, “O my Lord, why has thou named me al Shadhili, when I am not of the village Shadhila?” I was told “O Ali, I did not call you by the name al Shadhili. You are al shadhi-li meaning that you are set apart uniquely for my service and love”. Ibn Sabbag states that after a long time in cave of mount Zaghwan, Shadhili was told “O Ali, go down to the people in order that they may receive some good from you”. He replied, “O my Lord, deliver me from other man. I have no capacity to mingle with them”, then he was told. “Descent, for we have caused security to accompany you and we have withdrawn blame from you”. He said, “O lord if thou commit me to men, I must eat by their pittances”. Then he was told, spend, I am the provider, if you wish from your pocket”. So he moved towards Tunis.
During his early years in Tunis, Sheikh Shadhili resided in Balat Masjid where he had a group of noble companions. Among them were Sheikh Abu al Hasan Ali ibn Mukhluf al Siqilli, Abu abdallah Al Sabuni, Sheikh Abu Muhammad Abdal Aziz al Zaythuni, the servant to Shadhili – Abu Al Azaim Madi, Abu Abd Allah al Bijai al Khayyat, and Abu Abd Allah al Jarihi. They were all endowed with miraculous power (karamah) and blessing (barakah). Shadhili taught in Tunis forty students who were later known as al-awliya al-arbaun, the forty friends. Thus Tunis became very popular being the birthplace of Shadhiliyya order. He established his first Zawiya in Tunis in the year 1228 and his Sufi order speedily acquired great fame in the land. But his stay in Tunis was not permanent because his presence and teachings attracted all manner of people in Tunis and large number of people joined with his new Sufi order that displeased the local fuqaha (jurist) especially Abul Qasim Ibn Bara, who was chief Qazi of the time. Finally Sheikh Shadhili decided to leave Tunis to offer Hajj and he started the journey with his disciples to the East. When Sheikh Shadhili was about to leave Tunis, Sultan Abu Zakariya came to know about it and was very troubled with the idea and therefore he sent a message asking the Sheikh to stay in his country but Sheikh Shadhili said to him, “I left with the sole intention to perform the Hajj, if Almighty Allah, fulfills my intention I shall return again, Insha Allah”. After the Hajj, Sheikh Shadhili came back to Tunis and stayed there for many years until a young scholar Abul Abbas al Mursi who eventually became his successor and inheritor of Shadhiliyya. When Imam Shadhili met Abul Abbas Mursi and looked into his face and exclaimed “No one has brought me back to Tunis except this young man”. So he stayed with Sheikh Shadhili and directed him to the Sufi path and traveled with him to the East.
According to A M Mackeen, “Egypt is the real birthplace of Shadhiliyya Sufi order, from where it grew into a self- conscious body with a definite step towards theoretical expansion. Shadhili spent most of his later years in this land and won great renown. Soon after the encounter with Abul Abbas al Mursi, Sheikh Shadhili said I saw the prophet in a dream and he said to me, “O Ali, migrate to Egypt and there raise and instruct forty disciple (siddiqun)”. It was during intense heat of summer that Shadhili instructed his companions to set out and migrate to Egypt. It was in the year 1246 CE, at the age of fifty, Sheikh Shadhili entered Egypt and stayed in Alexandria for the rest of his life. Sheikh Shadhili married there and children were born to him, among them were Sheikh Shihab al Din Ahmad, Abdul Hasan Ali and Abu Abd Allah Muhammad Sharaf al Din. His daughters were Zynab and Arifat al Khayr. In Alexandria he stayed on a top floor of a building with his family. The middle floor was separated for mosque and Zawiya, where he taught his students. In Egypt, Shadhiliyya Sufi order met with great success and a number of scholars came to Alexandria from different corners of the world to acquire knowledge and Sufi training from Shadhili. Among the renowned religious scholars who came to Imam Shadhili were Sheikh Izz al Din ibn Abd as Salam (d 1262). Sheikh Taqi u Din Ibn Daqiq al Id (1228-1302), Sheikh Abd al Azim al Munziri (1183-1258), Imam Ibn Salah (1181-1245), Imam ibn al Hajib, Sheikh Jamal al Din al Usfur and Badru din ibn Jama.
One day Sheikh was in his assembly (Majlis) discoursing on asceticism (zuhd) with regard to this world (duniya). There was a poor man wearing dirty garments, while the Shadhili was elegantly dressed. The poor man supposed, “How is it that the Sheikh is discoursing on asceticism while wearing those fine garments? I am the ascetic with regard to worldly goods”. Suddenly the Sheikh turned to poor man and said “O man, your garments are the garments of worldly desire (raghbafi l dunya) that indicate poverty, but my garments bespeak prosperity (ghina)”. Then the poor man stood up and declared “I by Allah Almighty am the one who says likewise in my heart, and I beg pardon of Allah and turn to him in repentance”. Once, Abu Muhammad Abd al Aziz al Zaythuni came near Sheikh Shadhili when he was in the city of Medina. Zythuni was the supervisor of the food of poor people (fuqaraa). He said “O my master one of our camels has died; by Allah I have at this moment neither gold nor silver”. The Sheikh told to him to sit down. After sometime he called “O Abd al Aziz, come near me”. He drew near. The Shadhili ordered, Put your hand into my pocket and take what is there”. So he inserted his hand into his pocket and withdrew it with full gold, The Sheikh said “ Look at it. By Allah Almighty, a minter has not minted it and a goldsmith has not fashioned it. I was simply told, take, O Ali what is in your pocket. Then Sheikh instructed Abd al Aziz to buy a camel and food for poor people When Shihab al din son of Abu al Abbas Ahmed achieved maturity, his mother informed Sheikh about it. Sheikh said to her “bring him to me. I may give him my injunctions and teach him those obligations upon him to the God”. She called the son and sat before him. Sheikh looked at him carefully, scrutinized him, then he turned from him and made a supplication to God for the son. When Sheikh departed from their home the mother asked Sheikh. “I didn’t hear you giving injection or even telling a word to him”. He replied “when he sat in front of me God revealed me secrets of his life and I did not find anything wrong with him”. Sheikh Abul Abbas said when we were coming from Tunisia to Alexandria we stayed in an out skirt in Amud al Sawari. We reached there by sunset and we were utmost hungry and tired. Then an innocent man brought us some food, the Sheikh told us “don’t eat anybody from it” while we are fed up with the hungry. When it came to the time of morning (subah).the Sheikh led the Morning Prayer with us and he told us to lay the cloth and bring the food, we did as we were told, and we ate. Then the Sheikh said “I saw in my dream one man telling me: do not fear, it is the most permissible (halal) of the permissible, you will not be questioned by any of the men and women”. Abul Abbas said I was sleeping at one of the nights of Alexandria, and then someone said to me “Mecca and Madina”. In the morning I decided to undertake the journey. Sheikh Abul Hasan was in Muqassam of Cairo. So I went to him, when I appeared on him he said “Mecca and Madina”. I said “Master that is why I have come” he asked me to sit down. I sat down, then one man came to him and said “Master, I have decided to go for pilgrimage of Mecca, but I don’t have anything in this world” then Sheikh asked me, “ what do you have with you?” I said “ten dinars” He says “give it to him” I did as he said. Then Sheikh said to me, “go to the sea shore tomorrow and buy twenty Arabs of wheat for me”. In the morning I went to the shore and bought twenty Arabs of wheat and carried it to the ware house and brought it to the Sheikh. He then said to me “don’t take from it, I have been told it is wormy”, I was perplexed as to how to sell, three days were left without getting any demand for its value. On the fourth day one man came to me and asked me “are you the holder of wheat” I said “yes” he asked “will you find it feasible for thousand dinars?” . I said yes then he said to count for thousand dinars and if I tell Allah grant his greetings on it I spend from it till this day”. Sheikh Abul Hasan said that on one night of my travelling I stayed on top of a land, while I was sleeping some lions came and rounded me and they stood there till morning. I never felt companionship as I had that night. In the morning I seemed I have experienced a station of intimacy with God, then I descended to the valley, there was some partridges which I did not see, while they felt my presence and flew away and my heart was beating with a kind of panic. Soon someone told me “oh, one who enjoyed the intimacy with lions yesterday, why are you suffering from fear of flattering of partridges, it is because yesterday you were with us and now you are in yourself”. Ibn Ata Allah Sikandari said he was told by one of his companions when Sheikh Abul Hasan returned from pilgrimage to Mecca. He came to see Sheikh Imam Izzddin ibn Abdul Salam before coming to his own home, he told to him “ the Prophet sends you his greeting”, and Sheikh Izzddin Ibn Abdul Salam considered it as insignificant. Sheikh then invited Izzddin to a Sufi center in Cairo, Muhyddin Ibn Suraqa greeted Sheikh Izzddin “I congradulate you on what we heard from Sheikh Abul Hasan, it is a matter of great pleasure to receive greetings from the messenger of God in this era”. Everyone with him extended their wonder and pleases for this to sheikh izz al din”. Wife of al Quraishi said, “when I left the presence of the Sheikh, I didn’t leave anyone else with him, when I left I heard someone talking to him so, I stood there till the conversation came to an end”, then I came to ask to him and asked, “Oh master, I left and no one was with you, but I heard someone conversing with you”. The Sheikh said “at Khizr brought me olive from the land of Najd”, he said “eat this olive, you have relief in this. “then I said to him” you live with your olive, no need for me with it”. The Sheikh then suffered from leprosy. I heard Abu Marvan Abdul Malik al Qassat says: when I traveled to Egypt and entered Alexandria, I decided to visit the Sheikh, and found him sitting with a group of people, he was talking on knowledge. I greeted him and sat down with them. Then he asked me, “What is your name? Where are you coming from? And what you are going on with?” I told him my name, my city and that I am working with the book of Almighty Allah. Then he said to me, “Recite some verses from the book of Almighty. I sought protection of Allah, then the Almighty set my tongue to say, “put your trust in Almighty, for thou art on manifest truth (Q 27:79) and the world will be fulfilled against them, because of their wrong doing, and they will be unable to speak” [Q 27:85]. The Sheikh’s face brightened and he turned to those who were present there and said “no explanations after the explanation from the God”. Then I knew that they belonged to Mutazliya and Sheikh was arguing with them regarding their way of belief. So Allah caused to flow from my tongue from Quran which lead them to the path of truth. They divorced their past path and sought penitence to Allah and turned to the real path.
Sheikh Shadhili said when I came to Egypt, I was told, “O Ali, the days of trial have gone and the days of felicity have come nigh, the difficult succeeded by the easy, following the example of your ancestors”. When I stepped in to the land of Egypt and set up my establishments there, I prayed “O my Lord, thou hast caused me to dwell in the land of Copts to be buried among them so that my flesh becomes mingled with their flesh and my bones with their bones”. A reply came to me “Nay, O Ali but you will be buried in a land that Allah has never compressed at all”. White he was in Egypt one year he would go on hajj and other year he would remain at home. According to Imam Ibn Ibbad Sheikh Abu Al Azaim Madi narrated that during the preparations of last travel for pilgrimage, he (al Shadhili) ordered “Carry with you a pickax and shovel, in case anyone of us die then burial would be necessary”. For the first time he ordered it. He had no such previous tradition of this kind. It was in actual fact an intimation of his death. When Sheikh Shadhili set out on the journey on which he passed away, he was accompanied by a group of his disciples. Sheijh Sharaf al Din (Son of Al Shadhili) stated, “With us was a young man who was studying the Holy Quran. He also showed great desire to accompany Al Shadhili. On the way they reached in the desert, the Sheikh Shadhili and the young man fell ill. The young man died one day before reaching Humaythira. We wanted to bury him, but the Sheikh said “carry him to Humaythira”, we halted and washed him, the Sheikh prayed over him, and we buried him there. He was the first to be buried in that place. It was on that night that Sheikh Abul Hasan Al Shadhili passed away. The great Qutb, Sufi master and the real founder of the worldwide spread of Shadhiliyya Sufi order Abul Hasan Al Shadhili died in 1258 at Humaythira, an upper Egyptian desert. One of the Sheikh Shadhili’s follower recorded that “the Sheikh passed away that night, he was fully in devotion to Allah Almighty, he was continuously recitating of the dikr until dawn, when he died. The Holy Shrine (Maqbara) of Imam Shadhili is located in Humaythira, an isolated town surrounded by hills near Red Sea. Because of this highly venerated tomb, Humaythira became very famous on the Islamic Pilgrimage map.