Scholars and religious figures
Sheikh Sufi (Sheekh Suufi), Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah
Sheikh Sufi (Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah, 1829–1904) was a Benadiri scholar, poet and reformer of Mogadishu and one of the leading Qadiriyya teachers of the Banadir coast. He trained at the Warsheikh centre, wrote religious works such as The Tree of Certitude, mediated between merchants in the coastal towns, and was buried in a Mogadishu tomb that became a place of yearly visits.
Sheikh SufiSheekh Suufi · Shaykh Sufi
- Lived
- 1829 to 1904
- Known as one of
- Scholars and religious figures
- Era
- 1500 to 1884; Partition and the Dervishes, 1884 to 1920
- Sources
- 2 sources
Who was he?
Sheikh Sufi was a 19th-century Benadiri scholar, poet and reformer (Wikipedia, Shaykh Sufi). His name was Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah (same source). The historian Abdurahman Baadiyow calls him the most prominent scholar of Mogadishu in his time (Abdurahman Baadiyow, WardheerNews, 25 June 2024).
Early life and study
He was born in Mogadishu in 1829 (Wikipedia). He studied at the Qadiriyya centre of Sheikh Abikar Mahdar at Warsheikh, north of Mogadishu (Baadiyow 2024). His teacher, who lived from 1816 to 1876, was known as "Sheikh al-Shuyukh", the sheikh of sheikhs (same source). After his teacher died, he took up his place as a leader of the order (same source).
Teacher of the Qadiriyya
He founded a Qadiriyya congregation in Mogadishu (Wikipedia). His circle included Sheikh Uways al-Barawi (same source). Baadiyow writes that he pledged allegiance to Uways, linking the two great branches of the order on the coast (Baadiyow 2024). See Islam in Somalia.
Writer and poet
He wrote on religious sciences and on the future of Mogadishu (Wikipedia). His books include Shajarat al-Yaqin ("The Tree of Certitude") (same source). He also studied the stars (same source). He wrote many poems in private, and later scholars such as Abdallah al-Qutbi gathered them in their books (same source).
Mediator and reformer
He was known as a mediator between merchants and shopkeepers in the coastal cities (Wikipedia). As a reformer, he worked to end dances in the town that he judged immoral (same source).
Death and memory
He died in 1904 (Wikipedia). His tomb became a place of yearly pilgrimage for people from across Somalia and East Africa (same source). A cemetery grew around it, where ministers, artists and presidents were later buried (same source). See heritage sites.
In short
A Qadiriyya scholar and poet of Mogadishu in the 1800s.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Shaykh Sufi · en.wikipedia.org
- Abdurahman Baadiyow, WardheerNews, 25 June 2024 · wardheernews.com
Sheikh SufiSheekh Suufi · Shaykh Sufi
- Lived
- 1829 to 1904
- Known as one of
- Scholars and religious figures
- Era
- 1500 to 1884; Partition and the Dervishes, 1884 to 1920
- Sources
- 2 sources
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
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Keep reading
- Sheikh Uways al-Barawi (Sheekh Uweys)Sheikh Uways al-Barawi (1847–1909), Baraawe scholar who spread the Qadiriyya across East Africa: his life, teaching, poems and death.
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