Sidi Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani
Sidi Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | Al-Sayyid Burhan al-Din Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani 1924 |
| Died | 1979 (aged 55) |
| Resting place | Sidi Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani Mosque (until 2019) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Era | 20th century CE |
| Region | Northeast Africa |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Maliki |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
| Movement | Sufism |
| Tariqa | Shadhili |
Al-Sayyid Burhan al-Din Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani (1924–1979) shortly known as Sidi Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani (Arabic: سيدي أبو الإخلاص الزرقاني) was a 20th-century Sufi mystic who lived in Egypt. He was part of the Shadhili order of Sufis, and his Mawlid feast is still celebrated annually.
Life
[edit]Al-Sayyid Burhan al-Din Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani was born in 1924, in a village located in the Gharbia Governorate of Egypt.[1][2][3] In his youth, Abu al-Ikhlas lived in Cairo with his extended family but later returned to his hometown in the Gharbia Governorate, before returning again to pursue a scholarship at Al Azhar University on recommendation of his uncle, a renowned Muslim scholar who had taught him the basics of religion ever since he was a young child.[1][2][3] In his adulthood, Abu al-Ikhlas went on a spiritual tour to Sudan, Morocco, Yemen, Jerusalem and Medina.[1][2][3] Upon his return to Egypt, he started an ascetic lifestyle, later building a small zawiya for himself in Alexandria; he would eventually die in 1979 and be entombed in his zawiya.[1][3]
Death and burial
[edit]In 1979, Abu al-Ikhlas died and he was buried in his zawiya next to his sister, Umm Muhammad.[1][4] The zawiya was incorporated into a larger religious complex in 1985 which was attached to a mosque known as the Sidi Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani Mosque.[1] In 2019, the mosque and the adjoining complex was demolished by the Egyptian authorities as it stood in the way of the construction of a large integrated traffic axis that leads to El Mahmoudiyah.[4][5][6] The remains of Abu al-Ikhlas and his sister were exhumed and then reinterred in a new mausoleum, also located in Alexandria.[6][7] The actions of the government did not have much negativity from the Sufi communities, who accepted the decision to demolish the mosque and religious complex without any frustrations.[5][6]
Legacy
[edit]Amongst locals, Al-Sayyid Burhan al-Din Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani is known for his mystical powers, known as karamat.[8] Additionally, the Mawlid feast for his birthday is still celebrated every year in the month of October, and it lasts for almost one week.[2] During his lifetime, Abu al-Ikhlas was also the founder of a Sufi order, or tariqa, known as the Ikhlasiyya which was a subsect of the Shadhili order.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "After the President had announced the transfer... Information about the shrine of Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani in pictures". Masrawy. 17 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Alexandria's Sufis celebrate the closing night of the Mawlid of Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani". Al Masry Al Youm. 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Sisi ordered the moving of his shrine... Who knows God, al-Zarqani?". El Watan News. 17 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Who is "Sayyid Abu Al-Ikhlas Al-Zarqani," the Sufi saint whose mosque was demolished by the Egyptian authorities?". Raseef22. 20 August 2019.
- ^ a b Galal, Rami (30 August 2019). "Why Sufis let Alexandria mosque be destroyed". AL-MONITOR.
- ^ a b c "صور وفيديو.. تفاصيل نقل ضريح أبى الإخلاص الزرقانى لاستكمال مشروع محور المحمودية بالإسكندرية.. تحريك رفات القطب الصوفى وشقيقته إلى ميدان المساجد بأبى العباس.. وبناء مسجد بديل بالاتفاق مع الأجهزة التنفيذية". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ Amer, Mohammed (19 August 2019). "The first pictures of the new shrine of Abu al-Ikhlas in Alexandria reveal a surprising thing". Masrawy.
- ^ Azzura Sarnataro, Ayman Al Gohary. "Sufi Moulids in Modern Alexandria". Cultural Routes.