Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Laraishi al-Yamlahi al-Alami al-Idrisi al-Hasani (1760–1837) was a mystic and a theologian, active in Morocco
, North Africa
, and Yemen
. He had opposed the Ulema
and tried to preach a vigorous form of Islam that is close to ordinary people.
Ahmad Ibn Idris was born in 1760 near the city of Fes
in Morocco
. He died in 1837 in Sabya, which was then in Yemen but is today part of Saudi Arabia. He was the founder of the Idrisi order (Idrisiyya
) and travelled extensively in North Africa and Yemen, instructing the ordinary people using their dialect, and teaching them how to perform such basics as the salat
(prayer). He rejected the legal schools of Islam (Madahib
s) and criticized the ideology of Wahabbism on many points.
He came to Cairo
in 1799 and in 1818 went to Mecca
for a second time and settled there. He became one of the most eminent teachers in the holy city. However, due to opposition from the exoteric Ulema
, he had to flee to Zabid
in Yemen in 1828.
After Ahmad’s death the Idrisiyya
split into new lines and his more influential pupils embarked upon independent courses. The most important of these was the influential Muhammad al-Sanusi, founder of the Senoussiya Sufi order , who had taken over Ahmad's school in Mecca in 1828.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. He had opposed the 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...
and tried to preach a vigorous form of Islam that is close to ordinary people.
Ahmad Ibn Idris was born in 1760 near the city of Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. He died in 1837 in Sabya, which was then in Yemen but is today part of Saudi Arabia. He was the founder of the Idrisi order (Idrisiyya
Idrisiyya
The Idrisiyya is a Sufi order founded by Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi . Its adherents are widespread throughout North Africa, from where it has spread to Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia. A branch of this order was introduced in Singapore by the followers of Shaikh Muhammad Said al-Linggi...
) and travelled extensively in North Africa and Yemen, instructing the ordinary people using their dialect, and teaching them how to perform such basics as the salat
Salat
Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
(prayer). He rejected the legal schools of Islam (Madahib
Madhhab
is a Muslim school of law or fiqh . In the first 150 years of Islam, there were many such "schools". In fact, several of the Sahābah, or contemporary "companions" of Muhammad, are credited with founding their own...
s) and criticized the ideology of Wahabbism on many points.
He came to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1799 and in 1818 went to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
for a second time and settled there. He became one of the most eminent teachers in the holy city. However, due to opposition from the exoteric 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 had to flee to Zabid
Zabid
Zabid is a town with an urban population of around 23,000 persons on Yemen's western coastal plain. The town, named after Wadi Zabid, the wadi to its south, is one of the oldest towns in Yemen...
in Yemen in 1828.
After Ahmad’s death the Idrisiyya
Idrisiyya
The Idrisiyya is a Sufi order founded by Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi . Its adherents are widespread throughout North Africa, from where it has spread to Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia. A branch of this order was introduced in Singapore by the followers of Shaikh Muhammad Said al-Linggi...
split into new lines and his more influential pupils embarked upon independent courses. The most important of these was the influential Muhammad al-Sanusi, founder of the Senoussiya Sufi order , who had taken over Ahmad's school in Mecca in 1828.
External links
- Article by R.S. O'Fahey: Ahmad ibn Idris, recent and forthcoming publications. http://www.smi.uib.no/sa/1Idris.html (retrieved on September 9, 2008)
- Excerpts from the hagiography of Ahmad ibn Idris can be found at http://www.maktabah-ibn-badawi.com/english/idrisi.htm