Sidi Abu Madyan al-Ghawth ق
He is the single most important founder of Sufism in the Maghreb. Shaykh Ibn Arabi ق called him "the teacher of teachers". He is Sidi Abu Madyan al-Ghawth (1126 – 1198 CE) the great gnostic of Allah. He was a mureed (disciple) of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani ق . He was also the murshid (spiritual guide) of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Harazim ق who was the murshid of Sidi Abdussalam ibn Mashish ق who was the murshid of Imam Abul Hassan ash-Shadhili ق.
“Say Allah!”
His Teachings
Sidi Abu Madyan's ق teachings may all be summed up in this verse which he often repeated, "Say Allah! and abandon all that is creation, or is connected with it, if you desire to attain the true goal." The basic principles and virtues taught at his school were repentance (tawba), asceticism (zuhd), paying visits to other masters, and service to experienced masters. He emphasized futuwa (youth/chivalry) but only when accompanied by the obedience of devotees to their master, the avoidance of disagreements between devotees, justice, constancy, nobility of mind, the denunciation of the unjust, and a feeling of satisfaction with the gifts of God.
Sidi Abu Madyan ق and his followers refused to confine themselves to only asceticism and meditation alone, but instead lived day to day by maintaining close relationships with the people around them. Devoted to the fervent service of God, he helped introduce looking into oneself and harmonizing internal occurrences with the external observances through asceticism. Along with sharing his knowledge and ideas with his disciples, Sidi Abu Madyan ق also wrote many poems and spoke in proverbs in order to connect with the masses and not just the intellectuals.
“Regard not any fault, but that acknowledged within yourself. As a manifest, clearly apparent fault, though it be concealed.”
His Early Life
Sidi Abu Madyan Shuayb ibn al-Hussein al-Ansari al-Ghawth ق was born in a small town Cantillana, Seville, in Muslim Spain in 1126 CE. He came from an obscure family and his parents were poor. He was orphaned early in life and suffered cruel treatment and exploitation at the hands of his elder brothers. Sidi Abu-Madyan's own account of the often difficult, formative period of his intellectual development is available via the his autobiographical comments in Kitab Al-tashawwuf ila rijal at-tasawwuf:
I was an orphan in Al-Andalus. My brothers made me a shepherd for their flocks, but whenever I saw someone praying or reciting [the Qur'an], it pleased me. I would come near to him and found a sadness in my soul because I had not memorized anything from the Qur'an and did not know how to pray. So I resolved to run away in order to learn how to read and pray.
I ran away, but my brother caught up with me, spear in hand, and said, 'By God, if you do not return I will kill you!' So I returned and remained for a short time. Then I strengthened my resolve to flee by night. I slipped away at night and took another road, but my brother again caught up with me after sunrise. He drew his sword and said, 'By God, I will kill you and be rid of you!' When he raised his sword in order to strike me, I fended off with a piece of wood that was in my hand and his sword broke and flew into pieces. When he saw this he said to me, 'go wherever you wish'.
His Learning
In his journey, he met a Shaykh, who told him: 'Return to the city, for God is not [properly] worshipped except with knowledge.' He drifted for several years in Maghreb, and finally was told, 'If you want to devote yourself to religion, go to the city of Fez.’ He left for Fez around the end of the Almoravid era.
In the several years in Fez, he joined the Ghazalian tradition of Sufism and spent a number of years studying the works of Imam al-Ghazali ق. He studied under Sidi Abu Ya’azza al-Hazmiri ق, Sidi ‘Ali Hirzihim ق , and Sidi al-Dakkak ق. It was Sidi al-Dakkak that provided him with the khirka, the cloak passed from Master to student in the study of Sufism. Sidi Abu Madyan ق accompanied Sidi Ali ibn Hazazem ق and they fasted and prayed together in a continuous fashion, practicing very strict asceticism. Sidi Abu Madyan ق, who came from a poor background, did not have a hard time distancing himself from such pleasures.
Sidi Abu Madyan ق then went to Mecca where he met the great Muslim saint, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani ق, and completed the spiritual training of the Qadiri Tariqah under him.
On his return, Sidi Abu-Madyan settled in the Algerian city of Béjaïa, where he founded his own zawiyah centre for Sufi instruction, Rabitat az-Zayyat (Hermitage of the Oil Seller). No other Shaykh in this period had a more electric spiritual and intellectual formation than did Sidi Abu Madyan. He stands as the axial figure of early Maghribi Sufism, as proven by the popularity of his written works and the large number of his disciples. People would come far to both listen to his public lectures and consult him on various matters.
His Passing
Sidi Abu Madyan’s ق beliefs were in opposition to the Almohade politicians of that town. The Almohades were disturbed at his increasing reputation and wanted to get rid of him. The sheer amount of fame and influence that Sidi Abu Madyan evoked raised serious concern from the political powers of the time. The Almohad Caliph Ya’qub al-Mansur summoned him to Marrakech for this reason so he could talk to Sidi Abu Madyan himself. Upon his summoning to Marrakech, Sidi Abu Madyan was taken ill and died before he reached his destination in 1198 CE, near the river of Ysser. His last sigh was supposedly "Allah al-Haqq”.
Sidi Abu Madyan ق was buried in al-‘Ubbad near Tlemcen, Algeria. His funeral was widely commemorated by the people of Tlemcen and he has been considered the patron saint and protector of Tlemcen ever since. A mausoleum was built by the order of the Almohade sovereign, Muhammad al-Nasir, too shortly after his death. Many princes and kings of Tlemcen have contributed to this mausoleum since his demise. Many monuments, a good number of them still well preserved, were built in his honor next to his tomb by the Marinid kings, who controlled Tlemcen in the 14th century. One such monument is the Mosque of Madrasa. His tomb became the center of fine architecture and is still a place of pilgrimage for many Sufis today.
Sidi Abu Madyan taught hundreds of disciples. He gained immense popularity because he was relatable, despite his high scholarly status. He had a personality and way of speaking that united people from all walks of life, from the common people to the academics. Even to this day, scholars say that no one of the time surpassed him in religious and intellectual influence. His school produced hundreds of saints and out of the 46 Sufi saints in the Rif region, 15 were his disciples. People still visit his tomb today for asking god through him they call it tawassul, they visit him from all around the world.
His Works
There are very few surviving writings from Abu Madyan, and of those that do still exist, there are mystical poems, a testament (wasiyyah) and a creed (aqeedah) .
Adab al-Tariq, A poem on the etiquette of the murid for beginners on the spiritual path of suluk.
Istighfaraat, A poem written on seeking forgiveness from Allah
Ya Sa’da Qawmin, A poem on the People of Felicity
