Khatmiyya
Encyclopedia
The Khatmiyya is a Sufi order or tariqa founded by Sayyid
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim
.
The Khatmiyya is the largest Sufi order in Sudan
, Eritrea
and Ethiopia
. It also has followers in Egypt
, Chad
, Saudi Arabia
, Somalia
, Uganda
, Yemen
and India
.
It was established by Sayyid
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim
, the grandson of Al-Sayyid Abdullahi Al-Mirghani Al-Mahjoob who was the Imam
of Al-Haram mosque in Mecca
and the Mufti.
It was established as an amalgamation of five other orders which are: Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya
, Shazaliyya, Junaidiyya and Mirghaniyya. Mirghaniyya having been already established by Al-Sayyid
or Abdullahi Al-Mirghani Al-Mahjoub.
Al-Sayyid Al-Khatim was born in Al-Taief in Hijaz and buried in Mecca
. He started his travels at the age of twenty five after gaining his education through a number of prominent islamic scholars in Mecca
of his time among whom was Sayyid Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi
.
His lineage goes back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
through his grandson the noble Al-Sayyid
Al-Hussain as specified in the famous book of Ajayib Al-Athar by Al-Jabarti.
He spent a significant amount of time in Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt and Ethiopia where he lived with the local communities and played a significant role in introducing the Arabic language and the teachings of the religion of Islam
to the people of these areas in an organised structure at a time when many of these communities were largely isolated and lacked organised education.
Among his accomplishments was the precedence of establishing the first school for the education of women in the Horn of Africa.
He was a man of extraordinary linguistic ability and knowledge of the sciences of both Shari'a and Haqiqa
as praised by his scholars in Al-Hijaz as well as an extensive knowledge of the Abrahamic religions
(some of which were already practised when he arrived in Ethiopia and Egypt). These abilities allowed him to write over 30 books and articles. His writings included an explanation of the verses of the Quran in his book Taj Al-Tafaseer, a concise and immaculate description of the story of the birth of the prophet Muhammad Al-Asrar Al-Rabaniya and over 112 literary poems on the description of the attributes and praise of the prophet Muhammad.
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani known as Al-Khatim was the founder of the Khatmiyya sufi tariqa that has a following in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia....
.
The Khatmiyya is the largest Sufi order in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It also has followers in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, 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...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, 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....
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
It was established by Sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim
Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani known as Al-Khatim was the founder of the Khatmiyya sufi tariqa that has a following in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia....
, the grandson of Al-Sayyid Abdullahi Al-Mirghani Al-Mahjoob who was the Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of Al-Haram mosque in 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...
and the Mufti.
It was established as an amalgamation of five other orders which are: Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya
Qadiriyya
The Qadiriyya , are members of the Qadiri Sufi order...
, Shazaliyya, Junaidiyya and Mirghaniyya. Mirghaniyya having been already established by Al-Sayyid
Al-Sayyid
al-Sayyid or al-Sayed is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert of southern Israel, located between Arad and Beersheba, just south of Hura...
or Abdullahi Al-Mirghani Al-Mahjoub.
Al-Sayyid Al-Khatim was born in Al-Taief in Hijaz and buried in 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...
. He started his travels at the age of twenty five after gaining his education through a number of prominent islamic scholars in 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...
of his time among whom was Sayyid Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi
Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi
Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Laraishi al-Yamlahi al-Alami al-Idrisi al-Hasani 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....
.
His lineage goes back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
through his grandson the noble Al-Sayyid
Al-Sayyid
al-Sayyid or al-Sayed is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert of southern Israel, located between Arad and Beersheba, just south of Hura...
Al-Hussain as specified in the famous book of Ajayib Al-Athar by Al-Jabarti.
He spent a significant amount of time in Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt and Ethiopia where he lived with the local communities and played a significant role in introducing the Arabic language and the teachings of the religion of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to the people of these areas in an organised structure at a time when many of these communities were largely isolated and lacked organised education.
Among his accomplishments was the precedence of establishing the first school for the education of women in the Horn of Africa.
He was a man of extraordinary linguistic ability and knowledge of the sciences of both Shari'a and Haqiqa
Haqiqa
Haqiqa is a stage in Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam. Sufis strive to perfect themselves and come into the presence of God while still living. They recognize four stages in their pursuit of this: shari’a, tariqa, haqiqa and marifa....
as praised by his scholars in Al-Hijaz as well as an extensive knowledge of the Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
(some of which were already practised when he arrived in Ethiopia and Egypt). These abilities allowed him to write over 30 books and articles. His writings included an explanation of the verses of the Quran in his book Taj Al-Tafaseer, a concise and immaculate description of the story of the birth of the prophet Muhammad Al-Asrar Al-Rabaniya and over 112 literary poems on the description of the attributes and praise of the prophet Muhammad.