The Shadhili Order (Arabic: الطريقة الشاذلية) is a tariqah or Sufi order. The Shadhili order was[1] founded by Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili in the 13th century [2] and is followed by millions of people around the world. Many followers (Arabic murids, "seekers") of the Shadhili Order are known as Shadhilis, and a single follower is known as Shadhili.
It has historically been of importance and influence in the Maghreb and Egypt with many contributions to Islamic literature. Among the figures most known for their literary and intellectual contributions are ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari, author of the Hikam, and Ahmad Zarruq, author of numerous commentaries and works, and Ahmad ibn Ajiba who also wrote numerous commentaries and works.
In poetry expressing love of Muhammad, there have been the notable contributions of Muhammad al-Jazuli, author of the Dala'il al-Khayrat, and al-Busiri, author of the famous poem, the Al-Burda or "The Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation". Many of the head lecturers of al-Azhar University in Cairo have also been followers of this tariqa.
Of the various branches of the Shadhili are the Fassiyatush of Imam Fassi,[3] found largely in India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The Darqawiyya of Muhammad al-Arabi al-Darqawi is found mostly in Morocco and the Alawi-Darqawiyya of Ahmad al-Alawi originated in Algeria is now found the world over, particularly in Syria, Jordan, France, and among many English-speaking communities. British scholar Martin Lings wrote an extensive biography of Ahmad al-Alawi entitled A Moslem Saint of the Twentieth Century.[4]
The anniversary of al-Shadhili is held on 12th of Shawwal (the tenth month of lunar calendar) at Humaithara in Egypt.
Shadhiliyya has numerous across the globe. A few prominent branches are listed below.
The Fassiyatush was established by Imam Fassi, a Moroccan by origin who was born in Mecca.[5] Fassiyatush Shadhiliyya is widely practised in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mauritius and Indonesia. The descendants of al-Fassi who are sheikhs of the Fassiyatush and reside in Mecca and Jeddah visit these countries frequently. The international leader of the Fassiyatash is selected from the heirs of al-Fassi and Shaykh Mahdhi ibn Abdallah al-Fassi is the present leader.
The Darqawiyya, a Moroccan branch of the Shadhili order, was founded in the late 18th century by Muhammad al-Arabi al-Darqawi. Selections from the letters of al-Darqawi were translated by the Shadhili Titus Burckhardt and more recently by the scholar Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley.[6] [7] One of the first tariqas to be established in the West was the Alawiya branch of the Darqawiyya,[8] which was named after Ahmad al-Alawi, popularly known as "Shaykh al-Alawi".
The 'Attasiyah Order is a branch of the 'Alawi Order, founded by Umar bin Abdur Rahman bin Aqil al-Attas. It is centered in Yemen but also has centers 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[9] [10]
The Darqawi-Alawi branch of the Shadili Tariqa established itself in Damascus and the Levant through Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi al-Tilmisani, the son of an Algerian qadi, who migrated to Damascus along with his spiritual guide Ibn Yallis. After the death of Ibn Yallis, Hashimi was authorized by Sheikh Ahmad al-'Alawi in the early 1920s and was made his deputy in Damascus. The most well known living spiritual guide of this branch of the Shadhili tariqa is Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, an American scholar, author, and translator, who resides in Amman, Jordan, and Sheikh Abd al-Aziz al-Khateeb from Damascus both were authorized by Sheikh Abd al Rahman Al Shaghouri, who was himself a student of Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi al-Tilmisani. Sheikh Muhammad Said al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i, another student of Sheikh Muhammad al-Hashimi al-Tilmisani and who died in 2015, had worked from the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem and was a mufti of the Hanbali Madhab. He wrote many books on Sufism, tafsir, and healing and his students established the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism.[11]
In her biography of her husband, the British explorer and diplomat Richard Francis Burton, Isabel Burton describes a heterodox branch of Shadhilis that resided in Damascus in the 1860s and 1870s known as the Ghayr-Sharai. She claims that they protected Christians during the massacre of 1860.[12]