Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi
Founder of the Sanusi order
al-Sanusi in the 1850s
Born(1787-12-22)22 December 1787
Mostaganem, Regency of Algiers
Died2 September 1859(1859-09-02) (aged 71)
Jaghbub, Libya, Ottoman Tripolitania
IssueMuhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi
FatherAli al-Sanusi
ReligionIslam

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi (Arabic: محمد بن علي السنوسي; full name Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Sanūsī al-Mujāhirī al-Ḥasanī al-Idrīsī; 1787 or 1791–1859), also known as Sīdī Muḥammad al-Sanūsī, was an Algerian Muslim theologian, religious leader, and mystic who founded the Sanūsīya order in 1837. He sought to combine orthodox Islamic practice with mystical attainment, placing particular emphasis on dhikr, and the movement he founded subsequently became an important religious and political force in North Africa.

Life and teachings

Al-Sanusi was born at al-Wasita near Mostaganem, Algeria, in 1787. He belonged to the Algerian Walad Sidi Abdallah tribe and claimed descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was named al-Sanusi after Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Sanusi, a venerated Muslim teacher associated with Tlemcen in the 13th century.

After spending a period in Mecca, al-Sanusi returned to North Africa and established himself at Jaghbub, where freed slaves were welcomed into his community. He had been initiated into Qādiriyya mysticism and sought to harmonize orthodox religious practice with mystical attainment, giving particular prominence to dhikr. In 1837 he founded the Sanūsīya, or Sanusi order.

Legacy

The Sanusi movement developed into a militant mystical movement of considerable importance in North Africa and later contributed to Libya's struggle for independence from Italy, which culminated in freedom on 10 February 1947. Al-Sanusi's grandson, Idris, subsequently became king of Libya and reigned from 1951 until 1969.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Al-Sanūsī". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  2. 1 2 Bowker, John, ed. (1997). "al-Sanūsī, Sīdī Muḥammad". The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-19-213965-7. OCLC 896422819.
  3. 1 2 Shillington, Kevin (2005), "Libya: Muhammad Al-Sanusi (c.1787–1859) and the Sanusiyya", Encyclopedia of African History, Fitzroy Dearborn, New York, pp. 830–831, ISBN 1-57958-245-1.
  4. ↑ Juan Eduardo Campo (2009). Encyclopedia of Islam. Infobase Publishing. p. 443. ISBN 978-1-4381-2696-8.
  5. ↑ Paolo Sensini (2016). Sowing Chaos Libya in the Wake of Humanitarian Intervention. SCB Distributors. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-9860853-8-3.
  6. ↑ Martin, B. G. (1992). "A Future Sanusi Caliphate? Muhammad ʿAli al-Sanusi and His "Durar al-Saniya"". Journal of Asian History. 26 (2): 160–168. ISSN 0021-910X. JSTOR 41930867.

Sources