Ma Laichi
Encyclopedia
Ma Laichi also known as Abu 'l-Futūh Ma Laichi, was a Sufi master, who brought the Khufiyya movement to China and created the Huasi menhuan (Sufi order) - the earliest and most important Naqshbandi
order in the history of Islam in China
.
(Dungan) and Han Chinese. He came from a muslim family with a military background. His grandfather, Ma Congshan, was a general under the Ming Dynasty
; his father, Ma Jiujun, passed imperial examination
s on the military track under the Qing
, but instead of joining government service, made a fortune in business and married a Chinese woman (she converted to Islam after marriage) later. His home was in Hezhou (now called Linxia), one of the main Muslim centers of Gansu
.
According to the legend told by Ma Laichi's followers, Ma Jiajun was still childless at the age of forty, and, desirous to have a son, he went to Xining
, to ask for a blessing from Afaq Khoja, a Naqshbandi
shaykh visiting from Kashgar
, and a reputed miracle worker. After reciting some prayers, the Kashgarian Sufi master told Ma Jiajun to go back to Hezhou and to marry a certain Chinese woman, who had previously been engaged a number of times, but every time her fiance died before the wedding. Ma Jiajun indeed married that 26-year-old woman, and she bore him a son. Soon after, all Ma Jiajun's property was destroyed by a fire, and he named his son "Laichi", meaning "[one who] came too late".
Rendered destitute by the fire, Ma Jiajun became a tea peddler, travelling in the region between Hezhou and Xining. His boy, meanwhile, studied at the Koranic school
run by Khoja Afaq's disciple
Ma Tai Baba (马太爸爸, "The Great-grandfather Ma", 1632–1709) in the nearby Milagou (米拉沟). (apparently, within today's Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County).
Tai Baba's top student, Ma Laichi had learned everything the school had to offer by the age of 18. Tai Baba ordained the young Ma as an akhund and initiated him into Sufism, passing onto him the barakah
that he had received from Afaq Khoja.
to Islam's holy places in the Middle East. In 1728-1733 he studied under a number of Sufi masters in Arab World (primarily in Mecca
and Yemen
; some versions of his biography also mention Cairo
and Damascus
). Due to the scarcity and imprecision of existing Chinese and Arabic sources, different researchers came up with different versions and dates for Ma Laichi's great Hajj
: the standard Chinese account by Ma Tong tells of Ma sailing to Arabia from Guangzhou
(after studying for 3 months with a famous ahong there), and coming back by the sea route as well; other accounts have him traveling to the west overland, via Central Asia, and studying for a while in Bukhara
. In Mecca, his teacher was the head of the Khafiya zawiya
(Islamic school) there, Muhammad Jibuni Ahmad Agelai (or Ajilai, in other accounts).
Another teacher who have influenced him greatly was Mawlana Makhdum, who gave Ma Laichi the name Abu 'l-Futūh. Not much is known about Makhdum, but Joseph Fletcher
surmised that he may have been a Hindustani.
(invocation of God's name). The Khufiyya teachings were characterized by stronger participation in the society, as well as veneration of saints and seeking inspiration at their tombs.
Ma Laichi spent 32 years spreading his teaching among the Hui
(Dungan) and Salar people in Gansu
and Qinghai
. He had great success in the guidance and persuasion of numerous Tibetan, Mongol, and Monguor-speaking communities in Qinghai
to convert to Islam, sometimes after winning a religious debate with a local Tulku
("Living Buddha"). Some of these communities still belong to the Khufiyya, and their members still revere Ma Laichi as the saint who brought their ancestors into Islam. His procedure in Dungan and Salar community, on the contrary, had been seriously challenged by Jahriyya
. As a result of conflicts lasted for more than two centuries which destroyed the basis of Khufiyya in Dungan community, most of the members of Khufiyya are not Dungans or Salars (the Salars mostly turned to Al-Ikhwan since late 19th century).
menhuan, Ma Mingxin
. Ma Guobao was later succeeded by Ma Wuyi.
Ma Laichi's grave in Linxia City was restored in 1986. The shrine complex, which includes a mosque and is known as Hua Si Gongbei (华寺拱北), continues to be the center of the Hua Si Khufiyya menhuan.
Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi is one of the major Sufi spiritual orders of Sufi Islam. It is considered to be a "Potent" order.The Naqshbandi order is over 1,300 years old, and is active today...
order in the history of Islam in China
Islam in China
Throughout the history of Islam in China, Chinese Muslims have influenced the course of Chinese history. Chinese Muslims have been in China for the last 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society...
.
Afaq Khoja's blessing
Ma Laichi is a hybrid of HuiHui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
(Dungan) and Han Chinese. He came from a muslim family with a military background. His grandfather, Ma Congshan, was a general under the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
; his father, Ma Jiujun, passed imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s on the military track under the Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, but instead of joining government service, made a fortune in business and married a Chinese woman (she converted to Islam after marriage) later. His home was in Hezhou (now called Linxia), one of the main Muslim centers of Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
.
According to the legend told by Ma Laichi's followers, Ma Jiajun was still childless at the age of forty, and, desirous to have a son, he went to Xining
Xining
Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, People's Republic of China, and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. It has 2,208,708 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,198,304 live in the built up area made of 4 urban districts.-History:...
, to ask for a blessing from Afaq Khoja, a Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi is one of the major Sufi spiritual orders of Sufi Islam. It is considered to be a "Potent" order.The Naqshbandi order is over 1,300 years old, and is active today...
shaykh visiting from Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
, and a reputed miracle worker. After reciting some prayers, the Kashgarian Sufi master told Ma Jiajun to go back to Hezhou and to marry a certain Chinese woman, who had previously been engaged a number of times, but every time her fiance died before the wedding. Ma Jiajun indeed married that 26-year-old woman, and she bore him a son. Soon after, all Ma Jiajun's property was destroyed by a fire, and he named his son "Laichi", meaning "[one who] came too late".
Rendered destitute by the fire, Ma Jiajun became a tea peddler, travelling in the region between Hezhou and Xining. His boy, meanwhile, studied at the Koranic school
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
run by Khoja Afaq's disciple
Murid
Murid is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' from the root meaning "willpower" or "self-esteem". It refers to a person who is committed to a Murshid in a Tariqa of Sufism. Also known as a Salik , a murid is an initiate into the mystic philosophy of Sufism. When the Talib makes a pledge to a...
Ma Tai Baba (马太爸爸, "The Great-grandfather Ma", 1632–1709) in the nearby Milagou (米拉沟). (apparently, within today's Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County).
Tai Baba's top student, Ma Laichi had learned everything the school had to offer by the age of 18. Tai Baba ordained the young Ma as an akhund and initiated him into Sufism, passing onto him the barakah
Barakah
In Islam, Barakah is the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres as prosperity, protection, and happiness. Baraka is the continuity of spiritual presence and revelation that begins with God and flows through that and those closest to God. Baraka can be found...
that he had received from Afaq Khoja.
The great Hajj
According to Ma Tong's chronology of Ma Laichi's life, after 30 years of religious work in Hezhou region, Ma Laichi left China in 1728 for a HajjHajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
to Islam's holy places in the Middle East. In 1728-1733 he studied under a number of Sufi masters in Arab World (primarily 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 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....
; some versions of his biography also mention 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...
and Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
). Due to the scarcity and imprecision of existing Chinese and Arabic sources, different researchers came up with different versions and dates for Ma Laichi's great Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
: the standard Chinese account by Ma Tong tells of Ma sailing to Arabia from Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
(after studying for 3 months with a famous ahong there), and coming back by the sea route as well; other accounts have him traveling to the west overland, via Central Asia, and studying for a while in Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
. In Mecca, his teacher was the head of the Khafiya zawiya
Zaouia
A zaouia or zawiya is an Islamic religious school or monastery. The term is Maghrebi and West African, roughly corresponding to the Eastern term madrassa...
(Islamic school) there, Muhammad Jibuni Ahmad Agelai (or Ajilai, in other accounts).
Another teacher who have influenced him greatly was Mawlana Makhdum, who gave Ma Laichi the name Abu 'l-Futūh. Not much is known about Makhdum, but Joseph Fletcher
Joseph Fletcher (historian)
Joseph F. Fletcher, Jr., usually referred to simply as Joseph Fletcher was an American historian of China and Central Asia, a professor at East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department of Harvard University...
surmised that he may have been a Hindustani.
The Khufiyya
After returning to China, Ma Laichi established the Hua Si (华寺; "Multicolored Mosque") school (menhuan) - the core of the Khufiyya movement in China. The name of the movement - a Chinese form of the Arabic "Khafiyya", i.e. "the silent ones" - refers to its adherents' emphasis on silent dhikrDhikr
Dhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
(invocation of God's name). The Khufiyya teachings were characterized by stronger participation in the society, as well as veneration of saints and seeking inspiration at their tombs.
Ma Laichi spent 32 years spreading his teaching among the Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
(Dungan) and Salar people in Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
. He had great success in the guidance and persuasion of numerous Tibetan, Mongol, and Monguor-speaking communities in Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
to convert to Islam, sometimes after winning a religious debate with a local Tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
("Living Buddha"). Some of these communities still belong to the Khufiyya, and their members still revere Ma Laichi as the saint who brought their ancestors into Islam. His procedure in Dungan and Salar community, on the contrary, had been seriously challenged by Jahriyya
Jahriyya
Jahriyya is a Sufi order in China that once existed in Persia and the Turkish World. Founded by Hadrat Abu Yaqub Yusuf Hamdani, it was brought to China in the 1760s by Ma Mingxin...
. As a result of conflicts lasted for more than two centuries which destroyed the basis of Khufiyya in Dungan community, most of the members of Khufiyya are not Dungans or Salars (the Salars mostly turned to Al-Ikhwan since late 19th century).
Death
After the death of Ma Laichi, his position as the leader of the Khufiyya was inherited by his son, Ma Guobao - an act that came to be strongly criticized by the founder of the competing JahriyyaJahriyya
Jahriyya is a Sufi order in China that once existed in Persia and the Turkish World. Founded by Hadrat Abu Yaqub Yusuf Hamdani, it was brought to China in the 1760s by Ma Mingxin...
menhuan, Ma Mingxin
Ma Mingxin
Ma Mingxin was a Dungan Sufi master, the establisher of the Jahriyya Sufi order in China.-Names:Ma Mingxin's religious name was Ibrāhīm. After returning to China from Arabia he started calling himself 'Azīz.He was also called Muhammad Emin.-Life:A Persian-speaking Muslim from Gansu, Ma Mingxin...
. Ma Guobao was later succeeded by Ma Wuyi.
Ma Laichi's grave in Linxia City was restored in 1986. The shrine complex, which includes a mosque and is known as Hua Si Gongbei (华寺拱北), continues to be the center of the Hua Si Khufiyya menhuan.