IHSAN Community Forum May 23, 2026, Mawlid of Imam Abul Hassan al-Shadhili
Sayyidi Abul Hasan al-Shadhili was born near Ceuta, in the north of Morocco. His linage traces back to Imam Husain, through his mother, and Imam Hasan, through his father. He rose to prominence in Shadhila, a village in Tunis. From an early age Sayyidi Abul Hassan studied and mastered the sciences of the Divine Law (shari’ah). It was only after he had engaged in scholarly dialectic (munazara) that he entered the Sufi path.
As a young man, Sayyidi Abul Hasan set out to find the Pole (qutb) of his era and, through many travels, it was not until he reached Iraq that the Sufi master Abu al-Fath al-Wasiti, a murid of Sayyidi Ahmad al-Rifa’i, told him that the purpose of his travels would be fulfilled by returning home. Returning home Sayyidi Abul Hasan found a light rising above Jabal Alam. Ascending the mountain he made ablution (wudu) at a fountain at the base. Arriving at the top he saw Sayyidi Abd al-Salam ibn Bashish reciting Qur’an with one of his sons. Their bodies seemed to be moving, though, as Sayyidi Abul Hasan approached he realised that it was the whole mountain that was swaying in harmony with their recitation. Sayyidi Abd al-Salam ibn Bashish addressed him, saying, “You cannot come to us in a state of impurity, return and perform ablution.” Sayyidi Abul Hasan returned to the spring at the bottom of the mountain and refreshed his ablution. Ascending again, Sayyidi Abul Hasan was rebuffed a second time with the statement, “We told you to return when you have purified yourself.” On the decent Sayyidi Abul Hasan pondered his repeated rejection until it became clear that the purification required of his was inward. Performing ablution again, Sayyidi Abul Hasan washed all his attributes, perceptions, preconceived ideas, and aspirations. It was in this state of total surrender that he entered the Path of Allah.
After his time under the tutelage of his Shaykh, Sayyidi Abul Hasan was directed by Sayyidi Abd al-Salam ibn Bashish to travel to Tunisia and reside in a village called Shadhila. Part of Sayyidi Ibn Bashish’s parting advice was “O Ali, Allah is Allah and the people are people. Let the remembrance of Allah live every moment in your heart. Leave behind all dependence on people and keep your heart from inclining towards them. Perform your duties and the guidance of Allah will always be with you.” On approaching the town, rather than finding lodging, Sayyidi Abul Hasan sought refuge in a cave on a nearby mountain. He did so because he had not received permission by Allah to guide others and knew that he needed seclusion to empty his heart from inclination towards the creation. He resided there for forty days, sustaining himself on herbs and leaves. When the order came, “Go down to the people, they will benefit from you,” Sayyidi Abul Hasan descended with some reluctance and entered the town.
In Shadhila, Sayyidi Abul Hasan established himself initially with forty students, which grew rapidly. His increasing influence within the village incurred jealously, specifically from a lawyer who, when he could not bring legal charges against Sayyidi Abul Hasan, tried to direct the Sultan against him. The Sultan gathered all his scholars of Divine Law and Theology and requested that they test Sayyidi Abul Hasan. During this questioning, the Sultan remained hidden behind a screen, listening in, and on hearing the responses dismissed all charges and stated to the enraged lawyer, “This man is one of the greatest saints and you have no power over him.” The Sultan grew to have such a great love for Sayyidi Abul Hasan that when Sayyidi Abul Hasan decided to perform the pilgrimage the Sultan begged him to stay.
Initially Sayyidi Abul Hasan travelled to Egypt with his students. The infuriated lawyer sent a message ahead, warning of the arrival of an unscrupulous Shaykh, and Sayyidi Abul Hasan and his students were detained in Alexandria. After a few days it was apparent that the charges were unsubstantiated, and Sayyidi Abul Hasan and his students completed the pilgrimage and returned to Tunis. He continued to remain there until a young man from Spain arrived by the name of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi. Regarding his arrival, Sayyidi Abul Hasan said, “Truly no one has brought me back to Tunis except this person.” Soon after this, Sayyidi Abul Hasan moved to Egypt after seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a dream wherein he ﷺ directed “Ya Ali, go to Egypt and again raise up forty true believers there.” Some of his students remained behind to continue the teaching.
They moved to Alexandria, where Sayyidi Abul Hassan spent the rest of his life. There he gave lessons on Ibn ‘Atiyya’s commentary of the Qur’an and Qadi ‘Iyad’s al-Shifa, amongst other texts.He was widely recognized for his eloquence, able express himself with exquisite delicacy and subtlety. Sayyidi Abul Hasan left an extensive collection of litanies (ahzab) and correspondence with those that resided away from him. When asked the reason for not authoring any books, he replied, “My companions are my books.” He was reluctant to take any student who did not have a trade or profession.
In Egypt, during the time of Sayyidi Abul Hasan, Sufi was a recognized profession. There were special seats in court and these professional Sufis wore specific garb to designate their profession. Sayyidi Abul Hasan rejected this and directed his students to wear the clothing of those they mixed with. He always wore fine garments. One day an ascetic, dressed in dirty rags, called out in the assembly, “How is it that the Shaykh speaks about asceticism while wearing these garments? I am the ascetic with regard to worldly good.” Sayyidi Abul Hasan replied, “Your clothes are the garments of worldly desire which cry out with the tongue of effort and poverty while our garments cry out with the tongue of abstinence and sufficiency.”
Sayyidi Abul Hasan performed pilgrimage several times. One year Sayyidi Abul Hasan stated, “I have been Divinely ordered to go to pilgrimage.” They set sail from Cairo, though, after only a few days, the winds shifted, and they remained in an uninhabited spot on the bank of the Nile. After about a week without movement another pilgrim started questioning how Sayyidi Abul Hasan could have been Divinely ordered to go on pilgrimage and then have this happen. Sayyidi Abul Hasan came out of his resting quarters, ordered that the sails be unfurled, and recited the Litany of the Sea (Hizb al-Bahr). The wind picked up so quickly that there was not enough time to cast the rope off the stake and it continued this way until they reached their destination. When questioned about this, Sayyidi Abul Hasan stated “By Allah, I did not utter it [the Litany of the Sea] except as it came from the Prophet of Allah ﷺ, from whose instruction I learnt it. ‘Guard it,’ he said to me, ‘for it contains the greatest name of Allah (ism al-adham)’.” On his deathbed, Sayyidi Abul Hasan said of the Litany of the Sea, “Teach it to your children for the greatest name of Allah (ism al-adham) is contained within it.”
Towards the end of his life, Sayyidi Abul Hasan fought on the front line of the battle of al-Mansurah against the Crusaders, led by King Louis IX of France, despite his advanced age and weakening eyesight. Before the battle, Sayyidi Abul Hasan had a dream (ru’ya) wherein he saw a huge tent emanating light and filled with saintly people. When he asked to whom the tent belonged, Sayyidi Abul Hasan was informed “To the Prophet of Allah ﷺ.” In the latter part of the dream, the Prophet ﷺ spoke to Sayyidi Abul Hasan and gave him advice and transmitted to him the Litany of Victory (Hizb al-Nasr). After this dream, Sayyidi Abul Hasan entered the battle mounted on his best horse, with a sword in each hand, reciting the Litany of Victory (Hizb al-Nasr). Despite superior military power, King Louis IX lost the battle and was captured along with many of his generals.
Sayyidi Abul Hasan is the founder of the shadhuliyya tariqa. He passed away while travelling to perform Hajj and is buried in Humaithra, Egypt. Around his tomb a mosque and zawiyya have been built.
Of Sayyidi Abul Hasan, Shaykh Makin al-Din al-Asmar would say, “People call to Allah’s door, may He be Exalted, whereas Sayyidi Abul Hassan enters them into Allah’s Presence.”
Amongst the statements of Sayyidi Abul Hasan al-Shadhili, he said:
“Among the signs of hypocrisy is dhikr being heavy on the tongue. Turn to Allah in repentance, so that dhikr will be light on your tongue.”
“This tariqa is not travelled by practicing monasticism and eating barley but by patience and presence with Allah.”
“He whose modesty toward other people is not increased by his knowledge and deeds is destroyed.”
“Do not depend upon your knowledge, your deeds, and the help of others. Be with Allah, by Allah, and for Allah.”
“Enjoin yourself to seek forgiveness, even in the absence of prior sinfulness. Take heed of the Prophet’s ﷺ practice of seeking forgiveness after he was given glad tidings and attained certainty that his earlier and later errors were all forgiven. If that is the case of the protected (ma’sum) who never committed any sin and who was purified above sin, what would you say of those who are not free from fault or sin at any given time?”
“If your unveiling (kashf) contradicts the Book and the Sunnah, hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah and discard the unveiling. Say to yourself, ‘Surely Allah has guaranteed to me fortification by the Book and the Sunnah, whereas He did not guarantee it to me in respect of any unveiling, inspiration, or contemplation, since they are unanimous that these are not acted upon except after they have been subjected to the test of the Book and the Sunnah’.”
“Turn back from disputing with your Lord, for then you will be one who proclaims His Oneness; act by the pillars of the Divine Law, for then you will be a follower of the Sunnah; and gather between the two of them, for then you will be one who actualizes the truth.”
“The causes of contraction (qabd) are three: a sin you have newly perpetrated, the disappearance of a share of this world, or your self or honour being harmed by someone. If you have committed a sin, seek forgiveness. If the world has evaporated from your hands, turn back to your Lord. If you have been wronged, be patient and endure the wrong. This is your cure.”
“Whoever calls to Allah Most High by other than what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called to Him by is an innovator.”
“Sufism is to train the self for slavehood (‘ubudiyya) and to curb it on behalf of the rules of Lordship (rububiyya).”
“No scholar becomes perfected in the station of knowledge until he is tested with four things: vilification by enemies, reproach by friends, defamation by the ignorant, and envy of the scholars. If he endures all of these patiently, Allah will make him a saint.”
“The confirmation of this path of ours is friendship with the Divine (waliya).”
Amongst the salutations of Sayyidi Abul Hasan al-Shadhili are:
“O Allah, send salutations, peace, and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, the essence of light, and the diffusing secret in all the Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah.”
