Muhammad al-Jazuli
Encyclopedia
Sidi Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli al-Simlali (died 1465), often known as "Imam al-Jazuli", was a Moroccan Sufi leader of the Berber
tribe of the Jazulah. He is especially famous for compiling the Dala'il al-Khayrat
, an extremely popular Muslim
prayer book. Imam al-Jazuli is known by many Moroccans as one the seven saints of Marrakesh.
area of Morocco
, situated between the Atlantic Ocean
and the Atlas Mountains
. He studied locally and then went to the Madrasat As-Saffarîn in Fes
where his room is still pointed out to visitors today. In Fes he memorized works of usul al-fiqh and Maliki law, such as Ibn al-Hajib’s Mukhtasr al-Far’i and Sahnun’s Al-Mudawwana al-Kubra. He also met the famous jurist and mystic Sheikh Ahmad Zarruq
. After settling a tribal feud he left the area and spent the next forty years in Makkah, Medina and Jerusalem. After his long journey, he returned to Fez where he completed the prayer book Dala'il al-Khayrat
.
He was initiated into the Shadhili
Tariqa, a Sufi order, by a descendant of moulay Abu Abdallah Mohammed Amghar
, the sheikh of the Banu Amghar. He spent fourteen years in Khalwa
(seclusion) and then went to Safi
where he gathered around him many followers. The governor of Safi
felt obliged to expel him and later poisoned him which caused his death in 869 A.H. (or 1464). He is said to have died during prayer. His tomb in Afoughal became the center of the Saadi dynasty
Saadian resistance against the Portuguese
. His deep respect for al-Jazouli was the reason that Abu Abdallah al-Qaim
chose Afoughal as his residence.
Seventy-seven years after his death (in 1541) his body was exhumed to be transferred to Marrakesh and found to be uncorrupted. In the northern part of the Medina of Marrakesh the Saadi sultan Ahmad al-Araj
(1517–1544) had a mausoleum built for al-Jazouli. The mausoleum was enlarged and partly rebuilt during the reign of the sultans Moulay Ismael and Mohammed Ben Abdallah
.
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
tribe of the Jazulah. He is especially famous for compiling the Dala'il al-Khayrat
Dala'il al-Khayrat
Dala'il al-Khayrat or Dalaail u'l Khayraat Wa Shawaariq u'l Anwaar Fee Zikri's Salaat Alan Nabiyyi'l Mukhtaar is a famous collection of prayers for Islamic prophet Muhammad, which was written by the Moroccan Sunni Sufi and Islamic Scholar Muhammad al-Jazuli...
, an extremely popular Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
prayer book. Imam al-Jazuli is known by many Moroccans as one the seven saints of Marrakesh.
Biography
Al-Jazuli lived in the historic SousSous
The Sous or Souss is a region in southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Oued Sous , separated from the Sahara by the Anti-Atlas Mountains...
area of 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...
, situated between the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
. He studied locally and then went to the Madrasat As-Saffarîn in 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....
where his room is still pointed out to visitors today. In Fes he memorized works of usul al-fiqh and Maliki law, such as Ibn al-Hajib’s Mukhtasr al-Far’i and Sahnun’s Al-Mudawwana al-Kubra. He also met the famous jurist and mystic Sheikh Ahmad Zarruq
Ahmad Zarruq
Ahmed Zarruq was a Shadhili Sufi Sheikh and founder of the Zarruqiyye branch of the Shadhili Sufi order...
. After settling a tribal feud he left the area and spent the next forty years in Makkah, Medina and Jerusalem. After his long journey, he returned to Fez where he completed the prayer book Dala'il al-Khayrat
Dala'il al-Khayrat
Dala'il al-Khayrat or Dalaail u'l Khayraat Wa Shawaariq u'l Anwaar Fee Zikri's Salaat Alan Nabiyyi'l Mukhtaar is a famous collection of prayers for Islamic prophet Muhammad, which was written by the Moroccan Sunni Sufi and Islamic Scholar Muhammad al-Jazuli...
.
He was initiated into the Shadhili
Shadhili
The Shadhili Tariqa is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by Abul Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili. Followers of the Shadhiliya are known as Shadhilis....
Tariqa, a Sufi order, by a descendant of moulay Abu Abdallah Mohammed Amghar
Abu Abdallah Mohammed Amghar
Moulay Abul Mahasin Abu Abdallah Mohammed Amghar was a Moroccan Sufi saint during the reign of the Almoravid dynasty and the founder of the Taifa Sanhajiya, the earliest example of a Sufi order in the Maghrib. He is also the patron saint of Tit, a small village 12 kilometers from El Jadida...
, the sheikh of the Banu Amghar. He spent fourteen years in Khalwa
Khalwa
Khalwa .-Retreat:In Sufism, a solitary retreat, traditionally for 40 days , during which a disciple does extensive spiritual exercises under the direction of a sufi master...
(seclusion) and then went to Safi
Safi, Morocco
Safi is a city in western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of the Doukkala-Abda Region, it has a population of 282,227 , but is also the centre of an agglomeration which has an estimated 793,000 inhabitants ....
where he gathered around him many followers. The governor of Safi
Safi, Morocco
Safi is a city in western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of the Doukkala-Abda Region, it has a population of 282,227 , but is also the centre of an agglomeration which has an estimated 793,000 inhabitants ....
felt obliged to expel him and later poisoned him which caused his death in 869 A.H. (or 1464). He is said to have died during prayer. His tomb in Afoughal became the center of the Saadi dynasty
Saadi Dynasty
The Saadi dynasty of Morocco , began with the reign of Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh in 1554, when he vanquished the last Wattasids at the Battle of Tadla....
Saadian resistance against the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
. His deep respect for al-Jazouli was the reason that Abu Abdallah al-Qaim
Abu Abdallah al-Qaim
Abu Abdallah al-Qaim bi Amrillah of Tagmadert in the Draa River valley was the ancestor of the Saadi Dynasty of Morocco. The Sharifian movement on which the Saadi Dynasty was to be built began when Abu Abdallah, during a visit to Medina, dreamed of two lions entering a tower with a crowd of people...
chose Afoughal as his residence.
Seventy-seven years after his death (in 1541) his body was exhumed to be transferred to Marrakesh and found to be uncorrupted. In the northern part of the Medina of Marrakesh the Saadi sultan Ahmad al-Araj
Ahmad al-Araj
Ahmad al-Araj was a member of the Saadi Dynasty, son of Abu Abdallah al-Qaim bi Amrillah and brother of his successor Mawlay Mohammed ash-Sheikh ash Sharif al-Hassani al-Drawi at-Tagmadert, the first Saadi sultan of Morocco....
(1517–1544) had a mausoleum built for al-Jazouli. The mausoleum was enlarged and partly rebuilt during the reign of the sultans Moulay Ismael and Mohammed Ben Abdallah
Mohammed III of Morocco
Mohammed Ben Abdellah al-Khatib was Sultan of Morocco from 1757 to 1790 under the Alaouite dynasty. He was the governor of Marrakech around 1750 and was the son of Sultan Abdallah IV who reigned 1745-1757...
.
External links
- The Most Comprehensive Autobiography of Imam Sidi Mohammed b. Sulayman al-Jazouli on the Internet.
- Dalail al-Khayrat
- Image of the mausoleum of al-Jazouli in Marrakesh http://www.marrakech-ville.com/jazouli.php
- Mp3 Audio Recitation of Dala’il al-Khayrat and PDF translation and transliteration.
- http://www.dalail.co.uk/dalail.htm The Story of Dala’il al-Khayrat (written by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim KellerNuh Ha Mim KellerNuh Ha Mim Keller is an American Muslim translator of Islamic books and a specialist in Islamic law, as well as being authorised by Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri as a sheikh in sufism in the Shadhili Order...
) - http://www.angelfire.com/pa/durood/Bio.html Biographical note
- Dala'il al-Khayrat Fund http://www.DalailFund.org.uk