Shaykh Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i (b. 1820–1882) was a Somali

Somali people

Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...

 scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyyah movement in Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

 and East Africa

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

.

Early life

Al-Zayla'i was born in the rural village of Kedilai northwest of Mogadishu

Mogadishu

Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....

. Under the supervision of the local Ulema

Ulema

Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...

, he studied elementary ilm

Ilm

Ilm or ILM can refer to:*Ilm, Arabic for knowledge, referring to knowledge of Islam*I Love Music, an Internet music forum*Ilmr, a goddess in Norse mythology, sometimes written as Ilm- Acronyms :...

 until he absorbed all they could teach him. Eventually surpassing his teachers, he decided to move to Mogadishu, where he obtained knowledge from the great scholars of the city including Sheikh Isma'il b. Umar al-Maqdishi.

Shaykh al-Zayla'i traveled to various Islamic centers in the Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...

, honing his intellectual skills. After completing his education, he returned to his home village. He then established a community of pupils near Qulunquul, setting out to spread the Qadiriyyah order throughout the upper Shebelle

Shebelle River

The Shebelle River begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast. Below Mogadishu, the river becomes seasonal...

 region. This enhanced his reputation and also helped the order gain considerable success amongst the region's pastoralists

Pastoralism

Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...

, the religious elite

Elite

Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...

, and the villagers of the interior.