The Shaykh al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was a saint of Allah and also the founder of the Badawiyyah Sufi order. He was born in Fez, Morocco in 596 AH and died in Tanta, Egypt in 675 AH. He was noted for his ascetic behavior, and was also known to perform many miracles.
Many false stories have unfortunately also been attributed to him, including by those who claim to be Sufi teachers.
According to the famous Muslim writer al-Sayyid Muhammad Murtadā al-Zabīdī (d. 1205 AH), the full genealogy of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī is Ahmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Muhammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Alī ibn ‘Uthmān ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Ashhab ibn Yahyā ibn ‘Īsā ibn ‘Alī ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ja‘far ibn ‘Alī al-Hādī ibn Muhammad al-Jawād ibn ‘Alī ar-Ridā ibn Mūsā al-Kāzim ibn Ja‘far al-Sādiq ibn Muhammad al-Bāqir ibn [Zain al-‘Ābidīn] ‘Alī ibn al-Husayn ibn Fāţimah, daughter of Muhammad SAW, the Prophet of Islam.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was the youngest of the seven children of al-Sayyid 'Alī. His siblings were al-Hasan (the eldest, born in 583 AH), Muhammad, Fāţimah, Zainab, Ruqayyah, and Fiddah.
Even from a young age, al-Sayyid Ahmad was already known as al-Badawī (the bedouin) as he liked to cover his face, imitating the behaviour of the desert dwellers.
And while he was still living in Fez, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was brought by his brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan to meet a Sufi shaykh by the name of ‘Abd al-Jalīl ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Naisabūrī, who recognized the spiritual talent of the young boy and gave him initiation into the Sufi path.
In 603 AH, al-Sayyid 'Alī heard a voice in his dream telling him to migrate to Makkah al-Mukarramah. So he took his family, including the seven year old al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī, to move to Makkah al-Mukarramah. The journey took approximately four years. They stopped at several places including Cairo, which at that time was under the rule of al-Sulţān Sayfuddīn al-‘Ādil al-Ayyūbī.
When they finally reached Makkah al-Mukarramah, they were warmly welcomed by the leaders of the Shurafā' (descendants of the Holy Prophet SAW).
In Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī studied and memorized the Quran. He also attended lessons on al-Hadīth and on al-Fiqh based on the madhhab (school of thought) of al-Imām al-Shāfi'ī.
After being introduced to the world of Sufism, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī would spent a lot of his time in spiritual seclusion. One of his favourite spots was on Jabal Abī Qubais, which is located near Masjid al-Harām.
In 633 AH, in a vision, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was spiritually visited by al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī who invited him to visit their tombs.
The next day, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī left Makkah al-Mukarramah and set out to visit the tombs of the righteous ones in Iraq, accompanied by his elder brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan.
Before they reached Umm 'Abīdah, the resting place of al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī , al-Sayyid al-Hasan decided to go back to Makkah al-Mukarramah for he missed his family. Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī continued his journey alone and met with many adventures including facing and defeating the enchantress called Fāţimah near Umm 'Abīdah.
In one of the most misquoted anecdotes, it was related that while al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawī was in Iraq, he was offered by al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī [in their spiritual form] the keys to the spiritual kingdoms of Iraq, Yemen, India, Iconium, and all the Muslim lands in the East and the West, for the keys were in their hands.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī politely declined. [One popular Sufi teacher of today naively claimed that because of this refusal, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī lost his memory for 6 months!]
After visiting the tombs of the pious ones in Iraq, including that of his ancestor al-Imām Mūsā al-Kāzim, and receving further spiritual illumination after spending some time in meditation there, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī headed home.
Back in Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī reported to his brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan on the offer of the keys to the spiritual kingdoms by the two spiritual poles al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī.
Al-Sayyid al-Hasan told his brother, "Verily, inviting people to the path of Allah is the key to goodness. What al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī had wanted was that you follow their path in inviting people to God. And their path is none other than following the Quran and the Sunnah. This is the true path (ţarīqah) in Islam."
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī concurred with and appreciated the explanation given by his Sufi brother [unlike the naive and silly explanation given by a certain popular Sufi teacher of today currently living in the USA!]
In the month of Ramadan 634 AH, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī received a spiritual command asking him to migrate to Tanta, Egypt. Without delay, he left Makkah al-Mukarramah and departed for Tanta.
After reaching Tanta, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī stayed at the home of a trader by the name of Rukain (also known as Ruknuddīn) ibn Shuhaiţ.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was very well received in Tanta. Many people came to visit him, for they benefitted from his presence and his teachings, and also from the barākah that flowed through him.
It was reported that al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī once said, "The spiritual paupers (al-fuqarā’) are like the olive fruit. Among them are the great ones and among them are the small ones. For those who do not possess "oil", I will be their "oil". I will aid them in all their affairs and I will also help them overcome their difficulties. Not on my own efforts and strengths, but through the barākah of the Prophet SAW."
After the death of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī in Tanta, his followers came to visit his tomb regularly. Today, three special annual festivals are celebrated in his honour, the center of which are held at the mosque bearing his name. The largest of these festivals is very popular and is attended by more than two million people from all walks of life in Egypt. Unfortunately, only a small number of these visitors truly understand the spiritual message brought by the Sufism of al-Shaykh al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī, qaddasallāhu sirrahu.
Many false stories have unfortunately also been attributed to him, including by those who claim to be Sufi teachers.
According to the famous Muslim writer al-Sayyid Muhammad Murtadā al-Zabīdī (d. 1205 AH), the full genealogy of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī is Ahmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Muhammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Alī ibn ‘Uthmān ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Ashhab ibn Yahyā ibn ‘Īsā ibn ‘Alī ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ja‘far ibn ‘Alī al-Hādī ibn Muhammad al-Jawād ibn ‘Alī ar-Ridā ibn Mūsā al-Kāzim ibn Ja‘far al-Sādiq ibn Muhammad al-Bāqir ibn [Zain al-‘Ābidīn] ‘Alī ibn al-Husayn ibn Fāţimah, daughter of Muhammad SAW, the Prophet of Islam.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was the youngest of the seven children of al-Sayyid 'Alī. His siblings were al-Hasan (the eldest, born in 583 AH), Muhammad, Fāţimah, Zainab, Ruqayyah, and Fiddah.
Even from a young age, al-Sayyid Ahmad was already known as al-Badawī (the bedouin) as he liked to cover his face, imitating the behaviour of the desert dwellers.
And while he was still living in Fez, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was brought by his brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan to meet a Sufi shaykh by the name of ‘Abd al-Jalīl ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Naisabūrī, who recognized the spiritual talent of the young boy and gave him initiation into the Sufi path.
In 603 AH, al-Sayyid 'Alī heard a voice in his dream telling him to migrate to Makkah al-Mukarramah. So he took his family, including the seven year old al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī, to move to Makkah al-Mukarramah. The journey took approximately four years. They stopped at several places including Cairo, which at that time was under the rule of al-Sulţān Sayfuddīn al-‘Ādil al-Ayyūbī.
When they finally reached Makkah al-Mukarramah, they were warmly welcomed by the leaders of the Shurafā' (descendants of the Holy Prophet SAW).
In Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī studied and memorized the Quran. He also attended lessons on al-Hadīth and on al-Fiqh based on the madhhab (school of thought) of al-Imām al-Shāfi'ī.
After being introduced to the world of Sufism, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī would spent a lot of his time in spiritual seclusion. One of his favourite spots was on Jabal Abī Qubais, which is located near Masjid al-Harām.
In 633 AH, in a vision, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was spiritually visited by al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī who invited him to visit their tombs.
The next day, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī left Makkah al-Mukarramah and set out to visit the tombs of the righteous ones in Iraq, accompanied by his elder brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan.
Before they reached Umm 'Abīdah, the resting place of al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī , al-Sayyid al-Hasan decided to go back to Makkah al-Mukarramah for he missed his family. Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī continued his journey alone and met with many adventures including facing and defeating the enchantress called Fāţimah near Umm 'Abīdah.
In one of the most misquoted anecdotes, it was related that while al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawī was in Iraq, he was offered by al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī [in their spiritual form] the keys to the spiritual kingdoms of Iraq, Yemen, India, Iconium, and all the Muslim lands in the East and the West, for the keys were in their hands.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī politely declined. [One popular Sufi teacher of today naively claimed that because of this refusal, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī lost his memory for 6 months!]
After visiting the tombs of the pious ones in Iraq, including that of his ancestor al-Imām Mūsā al-Kāzim, and receving further spiritual illumination after spending some time in meditation there, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī headed home.
Back in Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī reported to his brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan on the offer of the keys to the spiritual kingdoms by the two spiritual poles al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī.
Al-Sayyid al-Hasan told his brother, "Verily, inviting people to the path of Allah is the key to goodness. What al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlanī and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifā'ī had wanted was that you follow their path in inviting people to God. And their path is none other than following the Quran and the Sunnah. This is the true path (ţarīqah) in Islam."
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī concurred with and appreciated the explanation given by his Sufi brother [unlike the naive and silly explanation given by a certain popular Sufi teacher of today currently living in the USA!]
In the month of Ramadan 634 AH, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī received a spiritual command asking him to migrate to Tanta, Egypt. Without delay, he left Makkah al-Mukarramah and departed for Tanta.
After reaching Tanta, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī stayed at the home of a trader by the name of Rukain (also known as Ruknuddīn) ibn Shuhaiţ.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī was very well received in Tanta. Many people came to visit him, for they benefitted from his presence and his teachings, and also from the barākah that flowed through him.
It was reported that al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī once said, "The spiritual paupers (al-fuqarā’) are like the olive fruit. Among them are the great ones and among them are the small ones. For those who do not possess "oil", I will be their "oil". I will aid them in all their affairs and I will also help them overcome their difficulties. Not on my own efforts and strengths, but through the barākah of the Prophet SAW."
After the death of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī in Tanta, his followers came to visit his tomb regularly. Today, three special annual festivals are celebrated in his honour, the center of which are held at the mosque bearing his name. The largest of these festivals is very popular and is attended by more than two million people from all walks of life in Egypt. Unfortunately, only a small number of these visitors truly understand the spiritual message brought by the Sufism of al-Shaykh al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawī, qaddasallāhu sirrahu.
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