Scholars and religious figures
Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla'i (Sheekh Cabdiraxmaan Seylici)
Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla'i (1820–1882) was a Somali Sufi scholar from Kodle in the Bakool region who spread the Qadiriyya order through the upper Shabelle and the interior. After study in Mogadishu and travels to centres of learning, he founded a community of students at Qolonqol. In 1882 he gave an ijaza, a licence to teach, to the young Sheikh Uways al-Barawi.
Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla'iAbd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i · Cabdiraxmaan Seylici
- Lived
- 1820 to 1882
- Known as one of
- Scholars and religious figures
- Era
- 1500 to 1884
- Sources
- 3 sources
Who was he?
Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i was a Somali scholar who played a key role in spreading the Qadiriyya Sufi order in Somalia and East Africa (Wikipedia, Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla'i). Wikipedia lists him among the notable leaders of the order, beside Uways al-Barawi and Sheikh Madar (Wikipedia, Qadiri Order).
Early life
He was born in 1820 in the village of Kodle, in the Bakool region (Wikipedia). He learned the basics of religious knowledge from local scholars (same source). He then moved to Mogadishu to study under Sheikh Isma'il bin Umar al-Maqdishi (same source).
Teachers on the coast
Baadiyow writes that he was a student of Sheikh Abikar Mahdar, the leading Qadiriyya teacher of Warsheikh (Abdurahman Baadiyow, WardheerNews, 25 June 2024). Abikar Mahdar lived from 1816 to 1876 and is buried beside an old mosque in Warsheikh (same source). Other students of that centre included Sheikh Sufi of Mogadishu (same source).
Travels and a community
He travelled to Islamic centres across the Horn of Africa (Wikipedia). On his return he set up a community of students near Qolonqol (same source). From there he spread the Qadiriyya through the upper Shabelle region (same source). The order gained wide support among herders, religious leaders and villagers of the interior (same source). See Islam in Somalia.
Licence to Uways
In 1882 Sheikh Uways al-Barawi visited him and received an honorary ijaza, a licence to teach (Baadiyow 2024). Uways went on to found the Uwaysiyya branch, which spread as far as Malawi and Mozambique (same source).
Remembered in writing
The Barawa scholar Qasim Muhyiddin al-Barawi wrote his life story in a Qadiriyya collection (Baadiyow 2024). He died in 1882 (Wikipedia).
In short
A Qadiriyya scholar who taught in the interior of the south and passed his teaching to Sheikh Sufi.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla'i · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Qadiri Order · en.wikipedia.org
- Abdurahman Baadiyow, WardheerNews, 25 June 2024 · wardheernews.com
Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla'iAbd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i · Cabdiraxmaan Seylici
- Lived
- 1820 to 1882
- Known as one of
- Scholars and religious figures
- Era
- 1500 to 1884
- Sources
- 3 sources
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