Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Araishi al-Alami al-Idrisi al-Hasani (1760–1837) was a Sunni Islamic scholar, jurist and Sufi,^[1] active in Morocco, the Hejaz, Egypt, and Yemen. His main concern was the revivification of the sunnah or practice of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. For this reason, his students, such as the great hadith scholar Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi, gave him the title Muhyi 's-Sunnah 'The Reviver of the Sunnah'.^[2] His followers founded a number of important Sufi tariqas which spread his teachings across the Muslim world.

Life[edit]

“Mereka para Ahlul Bait Nabi adalah manusia suci. Dan ingatlah bahwa mereka adalah para penjaga bumi”. Abuya As-Sayyid Muhammad bin Alawi Al-Maliki Al-Hasani ialah pengikut madzhab Imam Malik.Namun kendati demikian, Abuya tidak menyuruh para santrinya untuk mengikutinya dalam bermadzhab, kecuali hanya beberapa orang saja.

Ahmad Ibn Idris was born in 1760 near the city of Fez, Morocco. He studied at the University of Al Quaraouiyine.^[3] In 1799 he arrived in Mecca, where he would 'exercise his greatest influence, attracting students from all corners of the Islamic world'.^[4] In 1828 he moved to Zabīd in the Yemen, which historically had been a great center of Muslim scholarship. He died in 1837 in Sabya, which was then in Yemen, later was his grandson's capital, but is today part of Saudi Arabia.

He was the founder of the Idrisiyya, sometimes known as the 'Muhammadiyya' or 'Ahmadiyya' (not be to confused with the Ahmadiyya of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad) or the after himself, and sometimes Muhammadiyya after Muhammad.^[5] This was not a tariqa in the sense of an organized Sufi order, but rather a spiritual method, consisting of a set of teachings and litanies, aimed at nurturing the spiritual link between the disciple and Muhammad directly.^[6][7] His path became more popularly known as the Idrisiyya, and became widely spread in Libya, Egypt, the Sudan, East Africa (Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya), the Yemen, the Levant (Syria and Lebanon) and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei).

The litanies and prayers of Ibn Idris in particular gained universal admiration among Sufi orders and has been incorporated into the litanies and collections of many paths unrelated to Ibn Idris.^[8]

Teachings[edit]

Ibn Idris' teachings centered on the moral and spiritual education of the individual Muslim.^[9] He emphasized the importance of piety, prayer, religious learning (especially the Prophetic traditions), and close following of Muhammad's example. He would send his students to revive the Prophetic Sunna in different lands.^[10] Ibn Idris called for a revival of ijtihad. His criticism of blind and rigid following of the schools of law (madhhabs) was based on three concerns. First, the need for following the Prophetic traditions.^[11] Second, to reduce divisions between the Muslims.^[12] Third, mercy for the Muslims, because there were 'few circumstances on which the Quran and Sunna were genuinely silent, but if there was a silence on any question, then that silence was intentional on God's part- a divine mercy.'^[13] He therefore rejected any 'attempt to fill a silence deliberately left by God, and so to abrogate one of His mercies.'^[14] These academic concerns however did not play as important of a role in his teaching as the attention that they attracted from modern academics, and Radtke and Thomassen are correct when they stated that his teachings mainly focused on the moral and spiritual education of the individual Muslim. In a sense, the one teaching underlying all of his thought was a direct and radical attachment to God and Muhammad, achieved through piety, minimizing the mediation of any other human authority.^[15][16][17]

Followers[edit]

Ibn Idris' teachings were spread by a group of highly influential and distinguished students, among whom were:

• Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi, distinguished hadith scholar, who spread the Tariqa Ahmadiyya Muhammadiyya of Ibn Idris in Cyrenaica (Libya), where it became known as the Senussi.
• Mohammed Uthman al-Mirghani al-Khatim, founder of the Khatmiyya Order in Sudan and Eritrea.
• Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahmud (d. 1874, Mecca). A Somali disciple who spread the Tariqa Muhammadiyya in Somalia, where it is known as the Ahmadiyya or al-Ahmadiyya al-Rahmaniyya. It is the second biggest tariqa in Somalia after the Qadiriyya.^[18]

Among later figures who spread the teachings of Ibn Idris, perhaps the most distinguished were:

• Salih al-Ja'fari (d. 1979, Cairo), the Imam of the Azhar Mosque in Cairo. He edited and published the works of Ibn Idris and revived his path. He founded the Ja'fariyya Ahmadiyya Muhammadiyya path.^[19]

Descendants[edit]

Ibn Idris's grandson, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi, established a short-lived state, the Idrisid Emirate of Asir.

Notes[edit]

1. ^Esposito, John L. (1998-01-01). Islam and Politics. Syracuse University Press. p. 40. ISBN9780815627746.
2. ^Al-Sanusi, Muhammad ibn Ali, al-Musalsalat al-Ashr, p. 13, in al-Sanusi, al-Majmu'a al-mukhtara, Manchester, 1990.
3. ^Radtke, Bernd R. 'Aḥmad b. Idrīs .' Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE.
4. ^Thomassen and Radtke, The Letters of Ahmad ibn Idris, p. 1.
5. ^Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker, p. 14.
6. ^Sedgwick, Mark, Saints and Sons, pp. 12, 17.
7. ^Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker, pp. 13-15.
8. ^Sedgwick, Mark, Saints and Sons, pp. 18-19.
9. ^Thomassen and Radtke, The Letters of Ahmad ibn Idris, p. 2.
10. ^Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker, p. 7.
11. ^Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker, p. 12.
12. ^Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker, p. 12.
13. ^Sedgwick, Mark, Saints and Sons, p. 15.
14. ^Sedgwick, Mark, Saints and Sons, p. 15.
15. ^Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker, pp. 12-15.
16. ^Thomassen and Radtke, The Letters of Ahmad ibn Idris, pp. 2-4.
17. ^Sedgwick, Mark, Saints and Sons, pp. 11-18.
18. ^On this shaykh see, Hidigh, Uthman, Anis al-jalis fi tarjamat sayyidi Ahmad ibn Idris, Mogadishu, pp. 112-124.
19. ^See Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker.

Bibliography[edit]

• Thomassen, Einar & Radtke, Bernd, (eds.) (1993) The Letters of Ahmad ibn Idris. London: Christopher Hurst. A collective volume containing the texts and translations of 35 letters to and from Ibn Idris. The contributors are Albrecht Hofheinz, Ali Salih Karrar, R.S. O’Fahey, B. Radtke & Einar Thomassen. Published by Northwestern University Press, Evanston, Illinois by arrangement with C. Hurst and Co. (Publishers) Ltd., London. ISBN978-0-8101-1070-0
• O'Fahey, Rex S. (1994) Enigmatic Saint, Ahmad Ibn Idris and the Idrisi Tradition, This book details his early life and travels. The book also examines his relationships with his students, including Muhammad al-Sanusi and Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani (founder of the Khatmiyya in the Sudan and Eritrea) and traces the influence of his ideas. Published by Northwestern University Press, Evanston, Illinois by arrangement with C. Hurst and Co. (Publishers) Ltd., London. ISBN0-8101-0910-7
• Radtke, Bernd; O’Kane, John; Vikør, Knut S.; and O’Fahey, Rex S., The Exoteric Ahmad Ibn Idris: A Sufi's Critique of the Madhahib and the Wahhabis : Four Arabic Texts With Translation and Commentary (Islamic History and Civilization), ed. Brill, Leiden, 1999, ISBN978-90-04-11375-6
• Sedgwick, Mark, Saints and Sons: The Making and Remaking of the Rashidi Ahmadi Sufi Order, 1799-2000, Leiden: Brill, 2005.
• Hidigh, Uthman, Anīs al-jalīs fī tarjamat sayyidī Ahmad ibn Idrīs, Mogadishu, n.d., pp. 112–124.
• Dajani, Samer, Reassurance for the Seeker: A Biography and Translation of Salih al-Ja'fari's al-Fawa'id al-Ja'fariyya, a Commentary on Forty Prophetic Traditions, Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2013.
• Al-Sanusi, Muhammad ibn Ali, 'Kitab al-Musalsalat al-Ashr,' in al-Sanusi, al-Majmu'a al-mukhtara, Manchester, 1990.

Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahāni (Arabic:أبو الفرج الأصفهاني) was one of the prominent figures of Zaydi Shi'as in the 3rd/9th and 4th/10 centuries. He is believed to have born in Isfahan and migrated to Baghdad to pursue his educations. In a short time, he turned to one of the leading scholars in various fields of knowledge, such as literature, history, and genealogy.

One of the most well-known works of Abu l-Faraj is Maqatil al-talibiyyin, which contains the history of the descendants of Abu Talib since the time of the Prophet (s) until his own time. His other work al-Aghani is the most comprehensive encyclopedia of Arab music, culture, prose, poetry, and pre-Islamic and early Islamic narrations.

Because of being a Shi'a, some Sunni scholars have considered him unreliable, or, despite admitting his knowledge, have criticized him in other ways.

• 4Works

Biography

'Ali b. al-Husayn b. Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Haytham al-Marwani al-Umawi al-Qurshi, known as Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahani was one of the descendants of the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan b. Muhammad (Marwan al-Himar). He was born reportedly in Isfahan in 284/897 during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tadid, though there is some disagreement as to his birth and presence in Isfahan.

He went to Baghdad in his childhood and started his education there under prominent scholars. He was interested from the beginning in the fields of music, history, hadith, and poetry. His talent and hard work made him a leading scholar in various fields of Islamic studies and earned him fame in the Muslim world. He was highly praised by scholars like Yaqut, Ibn Khallikan, al-Tanukhi, al-Tha'alibi and Ibn al-Nadim. For instance, after writing about Abu l-Faraj's expertise in different disciplines, al-Tanukhi states that the expertise of all scholars and the subtlety of all poets are gathered in him.

He was called by al-Mahlabi, the vizier of 'Izz al-Dawla, to Baghdad and became his special companion (nadim). According to some historians, he was also the scribe of Rukn al-Dawla as well.

He passed away on Dhu l-Hijja356/967 or 357/968 in Baghdad and was buried there.

Religious Affiliation

Many scholars, including Sunni scholars, maintain that Abu l-Faraj was Shi'a. Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, however, regarded his Shiite affiliation as strange considering the fact that he was a descendant of Marwan. Ibn al-Jawzi and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi maintained that the hadiths he quoted were unreliable because of his Shiite affiliation. The prophet richard harris mp3.

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In his works, especially in al-Aghani and Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, Abu l-Faraj shows great respect for Imam Ali (a) and his children, and in all cases, he calls the Imam (a) 'Amir al-Mu'minin. He also uses the formula 'peace be upon him' when he mentions the name of an Imam instead of formulas such as 'May God be pleased with him' or 'May God honor his face,' which can be an indication that he was a Shi'a.

Considering some of Abu l-Faraj's remarks in his works, al-Shaykh al-Tusi and al-'Allama al-Hilli, have regarded him as a Zaydi Shi'a. Khwansari also doubts his Imami affiliation; he believes that Abu l-Faraj took Shiite positions for political reasons. In Khwansari's viewpoint, being a descendant of Marwan counts as an indication that he was not a Shi'a.

Teachers and Students

Abu l-Faraj studied under many prominent scholars of his time, including Abu Bakr b. Durayd. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and Yaqut have mentioned some of his teachers. His teachers include:

• Muhammad b. Jarir b. Yazid al-Tabari
• Ja'far b. Qudama
• Abu Bakr b. al-Anbari
• Fadl b. Hijab al-Jumahi
• 'Ali b. Sulayman al-Akhfash
• Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah al-Hadrami
• Muhammad b. Ja'far al-Qattat
• Husayn b. 'Amr b. Abi Ahwas al-Thaqafi
• 'Ali b. 'Abbas al-Muqani'i
• 'Ali b. Ishaq b. Zatiya
• ..

Abu Zakariya Yahya, Abu l-Husayn b. Dinar, 'Ali b. Ibrahim al-Duhki, Abu Ishaq al-Tabari, Ibrahim b. Mukhallad, Muhammad b. Abi l-Fawaris, al-Tanukhi and .. are counted as his students.

Works

Abu l-Faraj has various works in different fields, especially in poetry and genealogy. Some scholars have mentioned about thirty works. The most well-known of his available works are Maqatil al-talibiyyin and al-Aghani. Some of his other works are as follows:

• Nasab Bani 'Abd al-Shams
• Ayyam al-'Arab
• Jamharat al-nasab
• Adab al-ghuraba'
• Al-Khabar wa l-nawadir

Al-Shaykh al-Tusi mentions two other works by Abu l-Faraj: Ma nazal fi l-Qur'an fi Amir al-Mu'minin wa ahl baytih (What was revealed in the Qur'an on Amir al-Mu'minin and his family) and another book in which the words of Lady Fatima (a) was recorded.

He composed many poems about various topics, which are mentioned in the introductions of al-Aghani.

Maqatil al-talibiyyin

This is a work which contains the biographies of about five-hundred descendants of Abu Talib since the time of the Prophet (s) until the age of the author. The compilation of the book ended in 313/925-6. It contains a detailed account of the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a) and his companions and the captivity of his family.

Because of its thoroughness and accuracy, many scholars, such as al-Shaykh al-Mufid, used it as a major source in their studies.

Al-Aghani

This book, which is the result of fifty years of work by Abu l-Faraj, is the greatest encyclopedia of music and culture and the most comprehensive collection of Arabic prose, poetry, and narrations of the pre-Islamic and early Islamic era, containing the biographies of musicians and singers of that era. According to some reports, Abu l-Faraj presented this book to Sayf al-Dawla b. Hamdan or the Umayyad ruler of Andalusia and received gifts from them.

References

• The material for this article is mainly taken from ابوالفرج اصفهانی in Farsi WikiShia.