Shihad al din Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Umar bin Muhammad bin Al Ansari was born in Murcia, Spain in the year 1220, of which geographical location produced many Sufi masters and scholars like the famous Ibn Arabi. Al Mursi was belonged to wealthy business family and grown up helping his father in his business. He was known for his honesty in business transactions and generous attitude to needy people. At the age of around twenty-four, al Mursi left Spain with his family for the pilgrimage to Mecca and he was accompanied by his father, brother and his mother, They travelled by sea in a ship. When they were nearing North Africa, the calamity started. A violent storm hit their ship and foundered off and all passengers drowned except Abul Abbas al Mursi and his brother. He lost his parents in that calamity and settled in Tunisia for a short period. After wandering for a while in Tunisia, Al Mursi and his brother met Sheikh Shadhili and finally joined his order. Soon after in the year 1244, when the Sheikh Shadhili migrated to Alexandira they accompanied him to Egypt. His brother Abu Abd Allah Muhammad became a teacher of boys there and Abul Abbas gave himself to a life of worship and devotion until he attained the rank of successor and Qutub. After the death of Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali al Shadhili, Al Mursi moved into a building which Sheikh Shadhili had used as residence, zawiyah and mosque and remained there until his death. Ibn Ata Allah mentioned in his book, Sheikh Abul Hasan said “ Abul Abbas, you have what the saints have, but the saints do not have what you have. Abul Abbas al Mursi has done a significant role for the progress of the Shadhiliyya. As Makeen says that, “it was during his leadership that the doctrine of the order received considerable extension, winning over number of new affiliates, and like Sheikh Shadhili he maintained contact with the branch in Tunis. Abul Abbas al Mursi circulated the knowledge of Sheikh Abul Hasan, spreading the light of his knowledge and revealing its secrets. People came to him from far and wide. Abl Abbas al Mursi is a real heir to Sheikh al Shadhillis knowledge tradition. One of his companion told to Ibn Ata Allah that “the Sheikh was invited home by a certain man, who served him food in order to test him. The Sheikh, however, turned away from the food and refused to eat it. Then he turned to his host and said, ‘al Harith ibn Asad al Muhasibi had a vein in his hand which, if he reached out to take food which he should be suspicious of, would twitch to warn him. As for me, I have in my hand sixty veins which twitch to warn me in such a situation. Thereupon his host sought Allah’s forgiveness and offered his apologies to the Sheikh. The most widely known of his students in the Islamic world is the legendary Imam Sharaf al Din Abi Adbulla al Busuri (d1295), the poet who has become very famous for his poem in praise of Prophet Muhammad, the Mantle poem (al Burdah). The other great sufi disciples who played an important role in Sufism in eastern part are Sheikhyaqut al Arsh (d1332), ShaikhNajm al Din al Isfahani (d 1321) and Sheikh Ibn Ata Allah (d 1309). Ibn Ata Allah is the third eminent Shadhili Master and generally considered second successor of Abul Hasan Ali al Shadhili.
Taj ad Din Abdl Fadl Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abdal Kareem ibn Ata Allah al Iskandari, who is known as Ibn Ata allah al Iskandari, was born in Alexandria in the 13th centruy in a distinguished religious family. He grew up in Egypt during the Mamluk dynasty. He learned various branches of religious sciences from eminent scholars and became an expert in the Maliki School of Islamic jurisprudence. His father was a close follower of Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali al Shadhili, thus Ibn Ata Allah became disciple of Sheikh Abul Abbas al Mursi. After the death of his master he became the Kalifa of the Shadhiliyya order and responsible for systematizing Shadhili Sufidoctrines. He was a prolific writer and the first of the early Shadhili Masters to put pen to paper. His most important principle work is Al Hikam that has endured throughout the centuries. He compiled a biographical work on the first two masters of his Shadhiliyya order (Kithaballataif minan fimanaqibAbi / Abbas al MursiwashikhilAbi l Hasan (The Subtle Blessing in the saintley lives of Abul Abbas al Mursi and his master Abui Hasan). The important students of Ibn Ata Allah are Sheikh Dawud al Bakhili (f 1332), Sheikh Shinab ad Din Ibn Maylaq (d 1349) and Taqiyudin as Subuki (d 1355) who gave significant role in the rise of the fraternity. Two centuries soon after Ibn Ata Allah were the golden age of the Shadhiliyya order in Egypt.
Abu Adu Allah Muhammed ibn Said Al Busuri al Shadhili became the most exemplified scholar and Sufi poet for his worthy ideas and lyrics which were transcended across the world, especially for his famous poignant poem popularly known as Burdah. He was a disciple of Sheikh Abul Abbas al Mursi and belonged to Morocco, but he spent his life in Egypt under the patronage of Ibnu Himna where he put down the spiritually enlightening poem ‘qasidathul Burdah. He opened path of devotion and life with Prophetic love as epitome for the lovers of Prophet and the Almighty. He was born in Dalas in Hijrah 608. From young age itself, he turned his entire attention towards to the knowledge of Quran and Sunnah. He attended the classes of Al Azhar College and enhanced his knowledge level with grasping and practicing it in his life. Indeed, he got spiritual permission called as Ijazath from his teachers to teach and he began career of teacher. In his early days he kept keen rapport with rulers and eulogized them. But later he began to follow the path of Sufism especially under the influence of Abul Abbas Al Mursi. From him, he enjoyed exalt of happiness of absolute reality and truth and he could taste the zenith of spiritual enlightenment. He beautifully penned down the poems and gradually his popularity was increased among the mass. These things led to flow of lower and upper class of the society for solace of material and spiritual diseases. They celebrated his poem in popular culture. He attained the highest degrees of spirituality as began to see the Prophet in sleep and wake fullness. His humble and ascetic life caused the increase of popularity in the subaltern population that ultimately resulted in shrewdness of his spiritual messages and poem among them. He passed away in Alexandria in AH 694. His contributions were multi-dimensional in terms of creating positive aspiration in the realms of common people. In a sense, it was answer to political, socio-economic chaos in his contemporary society. Even now his digraph has become the nucleus of cultivation of popular culture in connection with the spiritually. The Qasidathul Burdah has contributed in the spiritual milieu with its content and literature especially in consider with its analogues and metaphors in Arabic language. Even though there are different kinds of poetries which named with that particular word ‘Burdah’, but that of Al Busuri became the most popular one. In Arabic literature it is Bur de Daa which means healing diseases. Actually it was a kind of spiritual solace for his diseases, but it also denoted for material and spiritual crisis and chaos in the world. Ultimately, it is the manifestation of infinite love towards the Prophet Muhammad through anthologies and words.
In Alexandrian travelogue of Ibn Batuta, he mentioned Yaquthul Arshi in his book Kitabul Rihala, “Another of the religious at Alexandria was Sheikh Yaqut al Habshi (an Ethopian), a man of outstanding gifts, who had been the pupil of Abul abbas of Mucia, who in his turn was the pupil of the famous saint Abul Hasan al Shadhili, noted for his great miracles and his high degrees of mystical attainment”. He was devout worshipper and spiritual guide of thousands of people and led enlightened life with pupils in Alexandiran city which had atmosphere and ambivalence of pious and righteousness with thousands of scholars and jurista who already proved their mastery in spiritual terrain. Throughout his life, he was known as al Arshi, because his mind and heart always connected with Arsh of Allah. He was more passion in solving problems in material and non-material life. He tried to deliver the solution to the problems, as his disciples have reported an incident that “he was from those who interceded on behalf of Sheikh Shams al din b al Lubban, when the latter disavowed Sheikh Ahmad al Badawi, resulting in his own knowledge and spiritual state being aken away. Sheikh Sham al din al Lubban has sought the intercession of all other saints. Sheikh Yaqut al Arsh died in Alexandria, when he was eighty years old, on 18 jamad al Akhir 707 AH. His shrine in Alexandria has been being a spiritual destination of pilgrims.
He was born during his father’s travel to Hijaz, and he grew up with a profound love for knowledge. He went to Damascus and Alexandria in search of knowledge and spiritually, especially in the field of Hadith and Quran. He was proficient in Maliki School of jurisprudence and Qasi in Shafi School of jurisprudence. He learnt discipliness of Arabic from Sheikh Abul Fadl Al Mursi. His knowledge tradition was going through Sheikhs and reaches to the Prophet directly. He taught and was master in the Dar Al Hadith Al Kamaliyaa. He authored and collated his wisdom in many books. The most vital work of him is ‘Al Imam. He died in AH 702. His Dargah is near to his own guide Ibn Ata Allah Sikandari.
He was Qutb in spiritual order and unveiled to Kashf and ultimate and absolute truth thorough the spiritual means and ways. He was the most illustrious Sheikh of Egypt and endowed with spiritual illumination. He could control authority on himself and by which he could redefine his character and identity on the measurement of Quran, Sunnah and tradition of Sheikhs. He is one of the most important pillars of this path which caused to contribute something different from earlier Sheikhs. He was born in AH 775 and learnt Quran and Hadith from Ibn Hisham and Al Iraqi respectively. During the interval of his study, he started a shop. Later, he withdrew into solitary by looking inward into his spirituality for seven years and came out a spiritually enlightened scholar. His spiritual guidance was from the Nasir Al din Al Maylaq. He died in Cairo in Rabi thani in AH 847 where he had been conducting spiritual remembrance (hadra). Sheikh Shams al Din Hanafi is buried in one of the largest and famous mosque of Cairo, Egypt. People from even far away localities and nations set out for his tomb hoping to get success in here and hereafter world. Every day, a mass Shadhilli public session of remembrance is performed.
Abul Mawahib al shadhili who was an Egyptian author born in Tunisia became popular in the name of Ibn Zaghdan. He sought the knowledge in depth in Malikhi Jurisprudence from Jamia Zythoon and adopted Sufism of Wafaiyya lineage of Shadhili order. His book The Qanoon (al Qanum) is famous in the science of spiritual path. He also wrote a commentary on al Hikam Al Ataiyya. He lived near the Azhar Mosque where he had special place which were built by Sultan Ghuri for him. His writings and Mawlids were recited and sung by the Muslims during the spiritual gathering which stimulated their culture to be more attached with spirituality and Islam. Such Mawlids could accommodate indigenous and lower class people and provixe them relief from all kinds of problems. Many Shadhili Sufis especially Ibn Zaghdan emphasized on the relation with the Prophet and get strengthen through supplications to him. These were part of creating networks in global level by getting encompassed to the Prophet. Through him, they tried to communicate to Almighty, in a sense that these are the part of generating of transnational and topographical communities bounded with prophetic love even though they have indigenous local identities. Syed Abul Mawahib passed away in A.D 850 and was buried, and a large dome was made for him in the great Qarafa Cemetery in Cairo, which is a famous graveyard of the Shadhili masters. A mass shadhili gathering of remembrance of Allah and the recitation of the Quran for entire night is held once in every year in his honor.
Sheikh Abu Muhammed Abdulla bin as ad al Yafi al Adani al Shadhili was born in Yeman. After the education and learning, he performed Hajj and returned to Syria. He was fond of solitary and tried to enjoy the spiritual essence. Firstly he met with spiritual guide Sheikh Ali al Tawashi. After the demise of Tawashi, he tried to explore and teach the knowledge in Mecca and Medina for a decade. After that he went to Egypt where he met famous Sheikh Nasiruddin Mailak al Shadhili which was a turning point in his life and made to seek more ecstasy in religiosity and devotion. Positively he could acquire Ijazath of Shadhili from this Sheikh. Later he returned to Mecca and Medina and died and buried at Babul Mualla next to Fudayl bin Iyad.
Ahmad bin Ajiba is an 18th century Sufi in the Darqawiyya order in Morocco. He was perfectly realized gnostic and reached the zenith of utmost happiness of ecstasy of religiosity. He was in the position of ghawth and led the followers to devotion and affection to Prophet and Almighty. His scholastic and intellectual capacity was reflected in numerous works and books. He could contribute in different disciplinary around forty works. He was born in AH 1159 at al Kamis, a province of the Andjra tribe (Meditterranean coastal area of Morroco between Tangir and Tetuam). He was famous in Morocco due to his pious and the ways he celebrated the Uboodiyah of Almighty and God’s kindness bestowed on him. He accounted many works like commentaries and exegeses to Quran and Hadith. Ajiba’s travels were in search of both spiritual and secular knowledge. His famous works Qawaid Tashawuf fi Haqaiqi Tasawuf, and exegeses, attempted to communicate the contemporary society with principles of Prophetic tradition. He provided some insightful commentaries on esoteric and exoteric science of Islam which negotiated with problems and chaos regarding possibility to apply it in all contexts. He revived Islamic knowledge tradition along with guidance to devotion and spirituality. He followed the Shadhili order and connected its lineage to his teacher and Shadhili master Syed Muhammad al Buzaidi. Sheikh Ahmad Ajiba became prominent Sheikh in this order and passed away in 28th of Safar 1235 AH. He was buried in Bou Barih.
Abu Abdullah Muhammed al Arabi al Darqawi, founder of Darqawiyya Sufi order in Shadhili tariqa was a Morocan Sufi leader and the author of letters concerning the dikhr which he preached and instructed for daily life. Sheikh al Arabi was born in 1760 in Moroco, stressed noninvolvement in wordly affaires (dunya) and spoke against other Sufi orders exploiting claims of barakha (blessing) as possible as he could. He opined in socio political subjects. As a result of supporting revolts against the throne he was imprisoned by the Morocan ruler Mulay Sulimane and was released by Abdul Rahman. As a young man “all Arabi al Darqawi studied in Fex where he met his spiritual master the Idirisis, Sheikh Sidi al Jamal who roughly tested him several times before accepting him as his discipline. The way Al Jamal treated Darqawi has been described in the letters of Darqawi. Sheikh Mawlay al Arabi died on Tuesday night, the 28th of Safar 1234 Ah. He left worldly life at around 80 years old and was buried in his Zawiya at Bu Barih the following night.
Sheikh Suliman Jazuli was born to a Sherif Family in the southern Moroccan village of Tankara in early fifteenth century. Simlala, an important sub tribe of the Sanhaja Berber that lived on the Sous river plain, were he belonged. As young scholar Suliman Jazuli left his hometown of Jazulla because inter-tribal conflicts made serious study impossible there. He moved to Fez and entrolled at Madrassathu Saffarin, he memorized works in Usul fiqh and Maliki jurisprudence. He memorized Lbn at Hajib’s Mukhthasaral Fari and Sahnun’s Al Mudavvana al Kubra from that Madrassa, where he met Ahmad Zarruque, the famous Jurist and Sufi Sheikh of Zarruqiyya. Imam Jazuli took Shadhili Sufi order from Abu Abdulla Muhammad Amghar, the Sheikh of Banu Amghar. As a young scholar he became known for his piety, while he was attending in Madrassathu Saffarin. He secluded himself in a room; no one else would enter and continued it for fourteen years. After spending forty years in Makkah. Madeena and Jarusalem, he returned to Fez where he completed Dalail Khayrath. After this long he moved to Safi where he attracted and gathered around him a number of followers. Though the authority of Safi felt obliged to expel him and later poisoned him which led to his death in 1465. He passed away, with poison in the second prostration (sujud) of Subh prayer’s first rakaa and was buried after the zuhr prayer, in the middle of the mosque which he had established in Afughal region. An incident happened after seventy seven years of his demise, caused changed his Shrine from Sues to Marrakech, and he was buried in the Arus Gardens, a mausoleum and shrine were built over his noble tomb. “When he was exhumed from his grave in Sus, he was found in the same state in which he had died”. Throughout the intervening time, imam’s conditions were unaltered, and the sign of the shave on his face was there 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 forehead, holding the skin back from what lay underneath, and when he lifted his finger the blood returned to the sport as it would happen to alive”. Dalail al Khairat to Shawaariq ul Anwaar Fee Zikri ‘Salaat Alan Nabiyyil Mukhthar; is a collection of prayers and blessings for the Prophet Muhammed written by Sheigh Sulaiman Al Jazuli al Shadili. Dalail is popular in Islamic world amongst traditional Muslims especially North Africa and Middle East. Dalail al Khairat is “the first major book in Islamic history which compiled litanies of peace and blessings upon Muhammad, is also the most popular and most universally acclaimed collection of litanies asking almighty’s blessings”. In Shadhili followers and among Sunni religious orders its recitation is a daily practice. It begins with the ninety-nine names of Almighty and then the collection of over one hundred names of beloved Prophet Muhammad.
On 7th June 1442 Shihabudheen Abdul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammed bin Isa al Burnusi, founder of Zarruqiya order was born. Buranis, where he belonged, was added in his name al Barnusi, which is in the mid-way of Fez and Taza in Morroco. The name Zarruq was not an original family name, but was inherited from his forefather who had blue eyes (asraqal aynan) a common feature in Berber race. The derivation of Zarruq does not correspond with Arabic etymology; but it is obvious that the nick name has its root from the word Azraw (blue). At the birth time of Zarruq his father named him Muhammad, after his father’s death he was called Ahmad, he himself maintained this name for three reasons, first of all he became fame with it and second it has not been twisted on the tongs of the common people, has happened to the name Muhammad and third it was the name with Jesus son of Mary foretold the Prophet and none of the other Prophet were called Ahmad. No were mentioned about his any other siblings, it seems that Ahmad Zarruq was the only child his parents had. Both of his parents were died within the same week following his birth. Though Ahmad then cared by his maternal grandmother Ummal baneen, but his father’s will was that he be cared for by his mother. Ummal Baneen was a wise and patient women and eager to bring up her grandson as best as she could. Zarruq talks about his grandmother in his autobiography that Zarruq was instructed and ordered to pray since he was five years. He was sent to the Kuttab where he was taught unity trust, faith and religion by a very curious method. There was an incident that to be taught to thank Almighty for all blessings from him. One day Zarruq returned home for lunch from Kuttab where Ummal baneen prepared food for him, but did not mentioned him. She ordered Zarruq to ask Allah for food. Then she said to Zarruq to find the food which may be the God has put something in the corners of the house. Zarruq found the food, she said to thank Allah before eat. Ummal Baneen had great influence on her grandson, Zarruq recorded all events in his autobiography. Zarruq says about the motivating mentality of his grandmother that “Encouraging me to pray, she used to put a dirham on my pillow so that I might see it when I opened my eyes in the morning. She used to say perform the Morning Prayer and then take it. Her idea was that, that dirham would help me to pray and keep me away from corruption and prevent me from looking at what is in other people’s hands when I desired to buy something. She used to leave me without cutting my hair or washing my cloth for a long time and say, if the young one becomes clean the eyes will follow him. After I had learned some chapters of the Quran by heart she began teach me how to write and read, warning me not to read poetry, saying he who neglects science and deals with poetry is like he who exchanges wheat for barely”. At home he was treated in a strict manner but not cruel. At the school he was regular and never played with friends or ran on the mosque yard as the others did. He finished the memorizing the whole of the quran by the time he was ten years old. Ummul Baneen used to tell her grandson that surely you must learn the quran for your religion and lean a profession for your lively hood. When we grew up he was sent to learn cobbling. Zarruq used to go to the cobbler shop three times in a week after the end of the school day in the Kuttab. Ummal Baneen died when Zaruq was ten years old, after his grandma’s death, he earned his expenses from working as a cobbeler’s assistant till he became sixteen years old. Then he changed his career to a student of jurisprudent and religious knowledge. For developing his studies he joined both the Qarawia mosque university and the Inaniyya College to study the essential books of the Maliki School of Jurisprudents, Hadeeth, Usul and Arabic grammar. In the meantime he came to contact with Sufi books too He was taught from several scholars of that era and from book ‘al Thanveer by Ibn Ata Allah Sikandari in the year 1465, and got connection with several Sheikhs of Shadhili order. In his 24th age he became disciple of al Zaithun, a Sufi Sheikh in Fex. Later he travelled for pilgrimage and around Egypt he got lots of disciples. He propagated Zaruqqiyya order all over the Morocco and neighbouring countries till his soul was taken by Almighty in 1493. The large number of works he left indicates that he was very active writer during his comparatively short life. He started writing when he was 24; it is not an easy task to trace Zarruq’s all works. Some of them are Qawa ‘id Tasauwuf, it is considered as his best contribution in Sufism. Uddat al Murshid al Sadiq, it is usually compared with Thalbis Iblis of Ibn Jauzi and regarded as better than it in some aspects. Al naseehaal Kafiya, is regarded as basic text for Zarrudiya order. Fanathal Muthawajjiha al Miskeen, is regarded as the essence of his teachings.