"
Al-Zayla'i was born in the rural village of Kedilai northwest of Mogadishu. Under the supervision of the local Ulema, he studied elementary ilm until he absorbed all they could teach him. Eventually surpassing his teachers, he decided to move to Mogadishu, where he obtained knowledge from the great scholars of the city including Sheikh Isma'il b. Umar al-Maqdishi.
Shaykh al-Zayla'i traveled to various Islamic centers in the Horn of Africa, honing his intellectual skills. After completing his education, he returned to his home village. He then established a community of pupils near Qulunquul, setting out to spread the Qadiriyyah order throughout the upper Shebelle region. This enhanced his reputation and also helped the order gain considerable success amongst the region's pastoralists, the religious elite, and the villagers of the interior."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_Al-Rahman_bin_Ahmad_al-Zayla'i
"Born at Mubarak town, southeast of Huddur , in the region of Bokool (formerly Alta Giuba) Somalia. He belonged to the Diso subclan of the Godle clan. According to his hagiographer, al-Zayla’i was a person who did not fear encounters with with other learned men or with sultans and who was accustomed to the society of poor people, for he believed they were identical in status if not in power to sultans, sayids, and amirs. His belief in humility and a common brotherhood was shown once when he was teaching Arabic syntax in the grand mosque in Harar. Among the students was Emir Abdallah, the sultan of the city, who used to sit on a platform raised above the floor, like a throne, while listening to the lectures. When al-Zayla’i finished his lesson, the sultan complained,“I understood nothing of what you said Sheikh Abdurahman!” As he was the sultan, no one dared to argue with him, but al-Zayla’i answered, “Sultan, you are a proud man and knowledge does not enter the heart of the proud. Your lack of understanding was all because you sat raised above the others while you listened to the knowledge.” The sultan accepted the honest words of the Sheikh and his sincere advice and, humiliated and degraded, sat down with the students and listened humbly.
Al-Zayla’i left Mubarak, his home town, after he completed his Qur’anic ed-ucation and went off to
Mogadishu for further Islamic studies, leaving behind wife and two daughters. After two years, he returned home, shocked to dis-cover that the ulema of his own clan had divorced him from his wife because of his long absence. He was so annoyed by this fasakh (compulsory divorce),contrived by the Diso ulema, that he laid habaar (a curse) on them: “No Diso ‘alim will live long.” Thus, until today, every Diso ‘alim dies young. It is believed that al-Zayla’i left home and never returned.
In Mogadishu, al-Zayla’i studied under prominent Banadiri ulemas, including Sheikh Abu Bakr ibn Mihdar and Sheikh Abdirahman Sufi, but hereceived his mystical training from his murshid (spiritual guide), Sheikh Is-ma’il al-Maqdishi. Al-Zayla’i served the sheikh until he mastered Sufi matters. He was then advised to go to Mecca to receive the ijazah from Sayid Fadl al-Qadiri. On pilgrimage from Mogadishu, he passed through Harar,where he remained after his return, preaching and teaching Islam for a period of time. Around 1850, al-Zayla’i came to Mogadishu to ask his murshid, Sheikh Isma’il al-Maqdishi, for permission to go and spread Islam and the Qadiriyya order among the Ogadens. About 1860, al-Zayla’i moved to southwest Ethiopia and established a jama’a settlement at Qulunquul. At this point, al-Zayla’i’s hagiographer says, Zayla’i’s prestige became“well–diffused,” his reputation “spread as far as the horizons,” and his rank was raised “in the towns and countryside."
Al-Zayla’i is considered a man of literature. His works were numerous,but unfortunately most of them have been lost. The few that have been published concern Arabic language, grammar, syntax, and morphology. He composed a rhyming treatise on ‘ Ilm al-Sarf (Arabic morphology) called Fath al-Latif Sharh Hadiqat al-Tasrif
(A syntax of Arabic language), published in Cairo in 1938. In addition, Sheikh Abdirahman was a poet and wrote numerous collections on Islamic topics, most of which have been put together into one volume,al-Majmuu’ah al-Mushtamalah (A complete collection), including nine poems covering Sufism, Islam, and the Qadiriyya or-der. This collection was also published in Cairo in 1972.
Al-Zayla’i died and was buried at Qulunqul on 5 Rabi’al-Thani, 1299 A.H. (24 February 1882). His students and followers continued spreading his message for the Qadiriyya order under a branch, al-Zayla’iyya, named after him .Remarkable powers have been attributed to al-Zayla’i’s shrine. Although it is described as being situated in a “dangerous and remote place,” the shrine is renowned as “the refuge of the traveler, and the troubled and those in need."
One of his poems were in regards to the 'burda'. What is a BURDA?
"A piece of Prophet Muhammad’s cloth given to Ka’b ibn Zuhayr as a reward for his poem in praise of the Prophet. But the “Burda” also became the name of the most celebrated poem on the same subject, by al-Busiri, the Egyptian poet. According to a legend, al-Busiri composed the poem after he was cured of a paralytic stroke when the Prophet threw a mantle over al-Busiri’s shoulders as he had done for Ka’b ibn Zuhayr. The fame of this miraculous healing spread throughout the Islamic world and the poem be-came used as a therapeutic subject for all ailments, particularly paralytic strokes. In Somalia, the “Burda” is used as a charm and recited over ill peo-ple and at burials
The legacy of the “Burda” is remarkable in terms of the poem’s impact on Somali religious poetry, particularly on poems composed in Arabic. The mul-tiple meters used in the “Burda,” such as the takhmis,
the tathlith, and the tashtir, have been employed by the Somali religious poems. This is very clearin the poems of
Sheikh Abdirahman al-Zayla’i in praise of the Prophet, namely: “Mawlid Rabi’al-‘Ushaq fi Dkikr Mawlid Sahib al-Buraq,” known as“Rabi’al-‘Ushaq,” and “Mahijat al-Afrah fi Madh Sayyidna Muhammad Nural-Arwah,” known as “Nur al-Arwah.” The latter was written in 100 verses.
Many Qadiri sheikhs later employed the method of multiple meters. The “Burda,” along with the “Rabi’al-‘Ushaq” and “Nur al-Arwah,” are frequently recited in Somalia during the Mawlid (the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday), which falls on 12 Rabi’al-Awal; during the ziyara
(visitation) tothe shrines of Somali saints and tariqa leaders; and in the month of Ram-adan, particularly on
Laylatul-Qadri (the Night of Power), which falls on 27 Ramadan. The poems are also recited in Laylat al-Isra’wa al-Mi’raj (theNight of Journey and Ascent), which falls on 27 Rajab"
Certainly an interesting individual.
@Young Popeye
@Grant Sheikh Zayla'i met Shiekh Uways by the way.
For those who don't know, I made a thread of Shiekh Uways aun a while
back https://www.somalispot.com/threads/...araawe-who-revived-islam-in-africa-aun.16705/
Al-Zayla'i was born in the rural village of Kedilai northwest of Mogadishu. Under the supervision of the local Ulema, he studied elementary ilm until he absorbed all they could teach him. Eventually surpassing his teachers, he decided to move to Mogadishu, where he obtained knowledge from the great scholars of the city including Sheikh Isma'il b. Umar al-Maqdishi.
Shaykh al-Zayla'i traveled to various Islamic centers in the Horn of Africa, honing his intellectual skills. After completing his education, he returned to his home village. He then established a community of pupils near Qulunquul, setting out to spread the Qadiriyyah order throughout the upper Shebelle region. This enhanced his reputation and also helped the order gain considerable success amongst the region's pastoralists, the religious elite, and the villagers of the interior."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_Al-Rahman_bin_Ahmad_al-Zayla'i
"Born at Mubarak town, southeast of Huddur , in the region of Bokool (formerly Alta Giuba) Somalia. He belonged to the Diso subclan of the Godle clan. According to his hagiographer, al-Zayla’i was a person who did not fear encounters with with other learned men or with sultans and who was accustomed to the society of poor people, for he believed they were identical in status if not in power to sultans, sayids, and amirs. His belief in humility and a common brotherhood was shown once when he was teaching Arabic syntax in the grand mosque in Harar. Among the students was Emir Abdallah, the sultan of the city, who used to sit on a platform raised above the floor, like a throne, while listening to the lectures. When al-Zayla’i finished his lesson, the sultan complained,“I understood nothing of what you said Sheikh Abdurahman!” As he was the sultan, no one dared to argue with him, but al-Zayla’i answered, “Sultan, you are a proud man and knowledge does not enter the heart of the proud. Your lack of understanding was all because you sat raised above the others while you listened to the knowledge.” The sultan accepted the honest words of the Sheikh and his sincere advice and, humiliated and degraded, sat down with the students and listened humbly.
Al-Zayla’i left Mubarak, his home town, after he completed his Qur’anic ed-ucation and went off to
Mogadishu for further Islamic studies, leaving behind wife and two daughters. After two years, he returned home, shocked to dis-cover that the ulema of his own clan had divorced him from his wife because of his long absence. He was so annoyed by this fasakh (compulsory divorce),contrived by the Diso ulema, that he laid habaar (a curse) on them: “No Diso ‘alim will live long.” Thus, until today, every Diso ‘alim dies young. It is believed that al-Zayla’i left home and never returned.
In Mogadishu, al-Zayla’i studied under prominent Banadiri ulemas, including Sheikh Abu Bakr ibn Mihdar and Sheikh Abdirahman Sufi, but hereceived his mystical training from his murshid (spiritual guide), Sheikh Is-ma’il al-Maqdishi. Al-Zayla’i served the sheikh until he mastered Sufi matters. He was then advised to go to Mecca to receive the ijazah from Sayid Fadl al-Qadiri. On pilgrimage from Mogadishu, he passed through Harar,where he remained after his return, preaching and teaching Islam for a period of time. Around 1850, al-Zayla’i came to Mogadishu to ask his murshid, Sheikh Isma’il al-Maqdishi, for permission to go and spread Islam and the Qadiriyya order among the Ogadens. About 1860, al-Zayla’i moved to southwest Ethiopia and established a jama’a settlement at Qulunquul. At this point, al-Zayla’i’s hagiographer says, Zayla’i’s prestige became“well–diffused,” his reputation “spread as far as the horizons,” and his rank was raised “in the towns and countryside."
Al-Zayla’i is considered a man of literature. His works were numerous,but unfortunately most of them have been lost. The few that have been published concern Arabic language, grammar, syntax, and morphology. He composed a rhyming treatise on ‘ Ilm al-Sarf (Arabic morphology) called Fath al-Latif Sharh Hadiqat al-Tasrif
(A syntax of Arabic language), published in Cairo in 1938. In addition, Sheikh Abdirahman was a poet and wrote numerous collections on Islamic topics, most of which have been put together into one volume,al-Majmuu’ah al-Mushtamalah (A complete collection), including nine poems covering Sufism, Islam, and the Qadiriyya or-der. This collection was also published in Cairo in 1972.
Al-Zayla’i died and was buried at Qulunqul on 5 Rabi’al-Thani, 1299 A.H. (24 February 1882). His students and followers continued spreading his message for the Qadiriyya order under a branch, al-Zayla’iyya, named after him .Remarkable powers have been attributed to al-Zayla’i’s shrine. Although it is described as being situated in a “dangerous and remote place,” the shrine is renowned as “the refuge of the traveler, and the troubled and those in need."
One of his poems were in regards to the 'burda'. What is a BURDA?
"A piece of Prophet Muhammad’s cloth given to Ka’b ibn Zuhayr as a reward for his poem in praise of the Prophet. But the “Burda” also became the name of the most celebrated poem on the same subject, by al-Busiri, the Egyptian poet. According to a legend, al-Busiri composed the poem after he was cured of a paralytic stroke when the Prophet threw a mantle over al-Busiri’s shoulders as he had done for Ka’b ibn Zuhayr. The fame of this miraculous healing spread throughout the Islamic world and the poem be-came used as a therapeutic subject for all ailments, particularly paralytic strokes. In Somalia, the “Burda” is used as a charm and recited over ill peo-ple and at burials
The legacy of the “Burda” is remarkable in terms of the poem’s impact on Somali religious poetry, particularly on poems composed in Arabic. The mul-tiple meters used in the “Burda,” such as the takhmis,
the tathlith, and the tashtir, have been employed by the Somali religious poems. This is very clearin the poems of
Sheikh Abdirahman al-Zayla’i in praise of the Prophet, namely: “Mawlid Rabi’al-‘Ushaq fi Dkikr Mawlid Sahib al-Buraq,” known as“Rabi’al-‘Ushaq,” and “Mahijat al-Afrah fi Madh Sayyidna Muhammad Nural-Arwah,” known as “Nur al-Arwah.” The latter was written in 100 verses.
Many Qadiri sheikhs later employed the method of multiple meters. The “Burda,” along with the “Rabi’al-‘Ushaq” and “Nur al-Arwah,” are frequently recited in Somalia during the Mawlid (the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday), which falls on 12 Rabi’al-Awal; during the ziyara
(visitation) tothe shrines of Somali saints and tariqa leaders; and in the month of Ram-adan, particularly on
Laylatul-Qadri (the Night of Power), which falls on 27 Ramadan. The poems are also recited in Laylat al-Isra’wa al-Mi’raj (theNight of Journey and Ascent), which falls on 27 Rajab"
Certainly an interesting individual.
@Young Popeye
@Grant Sheikh Zayla'i met Shiekh Uways by the way.
For those who don't know, I made a thread of Shiekh Uways aun a while
back https://www.somalispot.com/threads/...araawe-who-revived-islam-in-africa-aun.16705/
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Either way, you're a bigot.
