The Beneficial Word in Tasawuf by Shaykh Ali Samatar Ash-Shafi'i Al-Qadiri As-Somali (d.1362/1943)

If there are any topics you'd like for me to discuss from the Ulama of Somalia, let me know in sha Allah

 

It's multifactored, but the Najdi Dawah was being pushed a lot after the Civil War in the 90s and the early 2000s, with very few Sunni Ulama having the resources to record and print like the Salafiya did. Along with the death of several great Ulama (or murder by the Khawarij) in the 90s-2000s, many laymen only saw these people as their Ulama and began taking them as leaders. Despite that before the 60-70s, Wahabiya didn't exist at all except for a few fringe individuals, including the father of the Najdi Dawah in Somalia, Nur Ali Ulow. Prior to the 60s, Somalia would've been no different than Tarim, Syria, or Egypt.

 

I don't have twitter so I'm limited in what I can see on your page but it looks good- keep up the good work! Unfortunately it seems all the people of Somalia who I've come into contact with in the UK believe tasawwuf is a bidah. Not sure if this is due to some kind of focused funding from Saudi in the area or whether it's due to certain movements getting political power in the region, I'm ignorant on that point.

 

https://x.com/AlShurahbeel/status/1670097730666938368

This work by Shaykh Ali Samatar Hasan, who was for all purposes and effects the leading Islamic authority in central Somalia (now covering the regions of Mudug and Galgaduud), is a work that was written due to 'a rise in the insult and dishonoring of the Ulama and claiming sainthood for those without knowledge of fiqh or spiritual tarbiya'.

After Shaykh Ali Samatar completed his studies in Shariah and Tariqah in southern Somalia (Marka and Muqdhiso), his teachers ordered him to return to his home region to teach and guide the people who were being influenced by corrupt Ulama and false claimants to Tasawuf. Initially feeling hesitant to embark on such a great task at such a young age (late 20s - early 30s), after receiving the duas of his mashayikh and a spiritual isharah from the Awliya buried in that region, he left and returned to his home region, landing in the port city of Hobyo, and eventually teaching across hundreds of kilometers and producing 1000 ulama and awliya by the time of his death at the age of 51, to the extent that some mashayikh have mentioned, 'There is not a single house of the Somalis that has not had the knowledge of Shaykh Ali Samatar enter it.' His mastery of Shariah was legendary. It is recorded by his students that while he would teach Minhaj At-Talibeen by Imam An-Nawawi in Shafi'i Fiqh (Comparable to Al-Hidaya for the Hanafis), he would instruct his top 4 students to have with them the commentaries of Imam Ibn Hajr Al-Haytami Al-Makki, Imam Shamsuddin Ar-Ramli, Imam Shamsuddin Al-Khatib Ash-Shirbini, and Imam Jalualudin Al-Mahali w/ the Hawashi of Qalyubi and ibn 'Umayra. He would teach from the matn, but whenever he would reach a masala where the commentators would differ, he would quote verbatim the text from each commentary off the top of his head, and for the 20+ years that he would teach, his students never heard him err is his recollection. His zuhd and wara' was shown in that he never committed any makruh tanzihi act (let alone tahirmi or outright haram), and he would reprimand his students for committing makruh acts.

Due to his disregard and disrespect to the Italian colonization and being arrested by them twice, he was a danger for the colonists in the region. As such, they decided to send some spies disguised as students to try and get close to the shaykh. When they approached Shaykh Ali, he looked at their foreheads and inquired, 'Are you not the spies of the Italians?' Terrified, the spies fled. Afterwards, he was asked how he knew they were spies, to which he responded, 'I saw the word Jasus (spy) written on their foreheads.'

The risalah is quite small (11 pages), yet covers a lot of topics, with the underlying core message being that Shariah and Tariqah is inseparable, and neither contradicts the other when properly studied and acted upon.

Some topics he discusses:
- The conditions of a Murabi Shaykh
- The principles of Tasawuf
- The importance of following one of the 4 madhabs
- Sticking to the way of Al-Ashari and Al-Maturidi in creed
- Distancing oneself from claimants to Tasawuf who claim to know the ghayb
- The reality of Karamat, and Istiqamah is the height of Karamah

Some of his quotes:
- "This age is not a age where new books are needed; what is needed are righteous, knowledgeable scholars to explain the works of the past."
- "The Mashayikh of Islam have written books in which they explained that outer knowledge (the Shariah) is necessary before the Tariqah, and whoever enters the Tariqah before studying Fiqh shall become lost."
- "Oh Muslims! Know that if a person claims sainthood and spiritual training, yet blatantly contradicts the Quran, Sunnah, and the rulings of the Mujtahid Imam, then he is deceived and deserves punishment from Allah!"
- Takfir of Ahlul-Qiblah is from the signs of disgrace.
- "If you recite the praise of the Prophets, then beware of resemblence to the Most High King- And if you recite the praise of the Ghawth (Shaykh Abdulqadir Al-Jaylani) then stick to what is below the descriptions of Prophethood!"
- "The Quran had summarized the meaning of the Wali, By having the Fear of Ar-Rahman, not seeing the Ghayb!"
- "People are enamored by those who have many Karamat yet what is incumbent upon the one at whose hands Karamat occur is to not pay any attention to them, as it is not Allah."