Jeddawi

Islamic Scholar & Ba Alawi Tariqa Sufi Shaykh Habib Ali Al-Jifiri is touring the UK, exploring the vision to which Muslims must aspire and what we must do with the time Allah has given us and What is real change? How does it take place? He will also be teaching and Intensive Study of Book of Imam Al-Ghazali Ihya Ulum Al-DiN " The Book of the Conduct of Life as Exemplified by the Prophetic Character " the tour is Organized by Radical Middle Way April 2012

SIDI NAZIM BAKSH ON THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE VISITS OF HABIB ALI AL-JIFRY AND SHAYKH ALI GOMAA TO MASJID ALAQSA IN JERUSALEM BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE BY NAZIM BAKSH The Ikhwan and the Salafist political parties might be making electoral gains in the Middle East, but it appears a growing chorus of religious scholars is determined to test their commitment to the democratic ideals they so ardently espouse. Among the scholars who are refusing to dance to the Ikhwan’s tune are Habib Ali Al-Jifry and Shaykh Ali Gomaa. Shaykh Ali Gomaa is Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a position that carries the weight of centuries of Muslim legal history. Habib Ali, on the other hand, is a rare type of public intellectual, admired by many Muslims both in the East and the West for the clarity of his religious commitments. A few weeks ago they visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on separate occasions. In so doing, they defied a fatwa that declares all visits by non-Palestinains to AlAqsa as “haram” on grounds that it leads to the “normalization of relationship with the state of Israel.” The author of the ill-tempered opinion is none other than the Muslim Brotherhood’s most senior religious scholar, Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi. Qaradawi lives in Doha, Qatar where his weekly Al-Jazeera television show gets a fairly large reception in the region. Not surprisingly, the newly elected members of Egypt’s parliament, particularly those belonging to the Freedom and Justice Party, dubbed the Mufti’s visit to Jerusalem “a crime” and “a catastrophe.” The architects behind the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt were so outraged they accused the Mufti of committing treason. Members of Hamas, cut from the same ideological cloth as their comrades in the Muslim Brotherhood, echoed the opinion of Shaykh Qaradawi. Mousa Abu Marzook said Mufti Ali Gomaa’s trip “served to legitimize Israel’s control of Palestine.” Shaykh Ali Gomaa was reluctant at first to get into the fray. He tried to justify the visit as a private response to an invitation by the Jordanian royal family to inaugurate a research center named after Imam Al-Ghazali. While in Jerusalem, Shaykh Ali Gomaa said he availed himself the opportunity to visit and pray at Al-Aqsa. Realizing those were lame excuses he tried to pacify the near intifada his visit caused by delivering a wonderful Friday sermon extolling the many virtues of Al-Aqsa. Still, the Ikhwan’s top brass pressed on, demanding he “apologize to the Arab and Islamic people” and resign as Mufti. Mufti Ali Gomaa fired back. “Visiting Jerusalem is not a crime,” he wrote on his twitter account. “Jerusalem,” he said, “is in the heart of every Muslim and visiting it increases one’s feelings of rejection of occupation and injustices and helps strengthen the (Palestinian) cause.” For senior scholars in the Middle East such as Shaykh Said Ramadan Al-Buti, at the heart of the dispute is the following question: Does the occupation of Al-Aqsa present sufficient reasons to cancel out an explicit order of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, that believers should visit the sanctuary? The Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, and the Khatib of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Shaykh Muhammad Hussein, believes Muslims should continue to visit Al-Aqsa even though Jerusalem is under Israeli occupation. In a fatwa released by Dar al-Ifta (Al-Falesteniyya), Shaykh Hussein outlines the following four general conditions that Muslims should abide by when visiting: They should be cognizant of their responsibilities and obligations They not do anything that could be construed as a normalization of occupation They coordinate with those who have authority among the Muslims in the occupied territories, and They reflect the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem Mahmoud Al-Habash, the Palestinian minister of Awqaf, welcomed Mufti Ali Gomaa’s visit as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people and he called on Shaykh Qaradawi to retract his edict on grounds that it contradicted clear Qur’anic verses and reliable Prophetic traditions. Habbash told the Palestinian daily Al-Quds that visiting Jerusalem was both a “religious commandment and a political necessity,” adding that Qaradawi’s ban “gave a free reign to the Israeli occupation which wants to isolate the holy city from its Arab and Islamic surroundings.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Muslims to visit Jerusalem. Abbas’ was unambiguous at an international conference for the Defense of Jerusalem held in Doha in late February. “Visiting Jerusalem,” Abbas said, “is a show of support for its Arab residents and causes Israel’s policy of altering the face of the city to fail.” Shaykh Qardawi spoke on the second day of that same conference and reiterated his fatwa banning Muslims from visiting Jerusalem. “Visits are banned in order to deprive the occupier of legitimacy,” Qaradawi declared. “Those who visit legitimize an entity which plunders Palestinian lands, and are forced to cooperate with the enemy’s embassy to receive a visa.” “We must feel as though we are banned from Jerusalem and fight for it until it is ours,” Qaradawi said. Abbas shot back. “Visiting the holy city does not mean normalization. Visiting a prisoner is not normalization with the jailer. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, himself visited Jerusalem (the Night Journey) when it was under Byzantine rule,” the Palestinian leader said, “and never did a subsequent Muslim scholar ban visitation to the holy city due to foreign occupation.” Strange as it might sound, Abbas’ arguments are more in tune with that of the vast majority of Muslims, thousands of whom visit Al-Aqsa every year. Every believer knows that the Messenger of God set out with hundreds of his followers to perform the pilgrimage to the Ka’ba in Mecca while it was under the occupation of Quraysh. Quraysh even refused the Noble Messenger entry into the city. Before returning to Madina, the Prophet got a concession from Quraysh to return the following year. In other words, the Prophet,peace and blessings be upon him, obtained what would be akin to a modern day visa from Quraysh to enter the holiest city in Islam while it was under occupation.[/color] For all the years the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed in Mecca and for fifteen months in Madina, he and his followers faced the direction of Al-Aqsa. At that time Jerusalem was under the control of the Roman Empire and yet no scholar has ever suggested anything was defective in their prayers. In other words, Jerusalem was holy long before Muslims arrived at its gates. In performing their ziyaras to Al-Aqsa, Habib Ali and Mufti Ali Gomaa have demonstrated immense courage and vision by adamantly refusing to allow an act of religious significance to be subjected to the shenanigans of politicians. And now a growing number of international scholars, Muftis from Bosnia, Kosovo and Croatia in the heart of Europe, along with thousands of ordinary Muslims all over the world, are voicing their support for Habib Ali and Shaykh Ali Gomaa. May 10. 2012. (In a future post I plan to write about my experiences in Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa during the week I spent there in 1999. I’ve also benefited greatly from Kanan Makiya’s “The Rock: A Tale of Seventh-Century Jerusalem.” I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading.)

SIDI NAZIM BAKSH ON THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE VISITS OF HABIB ALI AL-JIFRY AND SHAYKH ALI GOMAA TO MASJID ALAQSA IN JERUSALEM BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE BY NAZIM BAKSH The Ikhwan and the Salafist political parties might be making electoral gains in the Middle East, but it appears a growing chorus of religious scholars is determined to test their commitment to the democratic ideals they so ardently espouse. Among the scholars who are refusing to dance to the Ikhwan’s tune are Habib Ali Al-Jifry and Shaykh Ali Gomaa. Shaykh Ali Gomaa is Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a position that carries the weight of centuries of Muslim legal history. Habib Ali, on the other hand, is a rare type of public intellectual, admired by many Muslims both in the East and the West for the clarity of his religious commitments. A few weeks ago they visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on separate occasions. In so doing, they defied a fatwa that declares all visits by non-Palestinains to AlAqsa as “haram” on grounds that it leads to the “normalization of relationship with the state of Israel.” The author of the ill-tempered opinion is none other than the Muslim Brotherhood’s most senior religious scholar, Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi. Qaradawi lives in Doha, Qatar where his weekly Al-Jazeera television show gets a fairly large reception in the region. Not surprisingly, the newly elected members of Egypt’s parliament, particularly those belonging to the Freedom and Justice Party, dubbed the Mufti’s visit to Jerusalem “a crime” and “a catastrophe.” The architects behind the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt were so outraged they accused the Mufti of committing treason. Members of Hamas, cut from the same ideological cloth as their comrades in the Muslim Brotherhood, echoed the opinion of Shaykh Qaradawi. Mousa Abu Marzook said Mufti Ali Gomaa’s trip “served to legitimize Israel’s control of Palestine.” Shaykh Ali Gomaa was reluctant at first to get into the fray. He tried to justify the visit as a private response to an invitation by the Jordanian royal family to inaugurate a research center named after Imam Al-Ghazali. While in Jerusalem, Shaykh Ali Gomaa said he availed himself the opportunity to visit and pray at Al-Aqsa. Realizing those were lame excuses he tried to pacify the near intifada his visit caused by delivering a wonderful Friday sermon extolling the many virtues of Al-Aqsa. Still, the Ikhwan’s top brass pressed on, demanding he “apologize to the Arab and Islamic people” and resign as Mufti. Mufti Ali Gomaa fired back. “Visiting Jerusalem is not a crime,” he wrote on his twitter account. “Jerusalem,” he said, “is in the heart of every Muslim and visiting it increases one’s feelings of rejection of occupation and injustices and helps strengthen the (Palestinian) cause.” For senior scholars in the Middle East such as Shaykh Said Ramadan Al-Buti, at the heart of the dispute is the following question: Does the occupation of Al-Aqsa present sufficient reasons to cancel out an explicit order of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, that believers should visit the sanctuary? The Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, and the Khatib of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Shaykh Muhammad Hussein, believes Muslims should continue to visit Al-Aqsa even though Jerusalem is under Israeli occupation. In a fatwa released by Dar al-Ifta (Al-Falesteniyya), Shaykh Hussein outlines the following four general conditions that Muslims should abide by when visiting: They should be cognizant of their responsibilities and obligations They not do anything that could be construed as a normalization of occupation They coordinate with those who have authority among the Muslims in the occupied territories, and They reflect the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem Mahmoud Al-Habash, the Palestinian minister of Awqaf, welcomed Mufti Ali Gomaa’s visit as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people and he called on Shaykh Qaradawi to retract his edict on grounds that it contradicted clear Qur’anic verses and reliable Prophetic traditions. Habbash told the Palestinian daily Al-Quds that visiting Jerusalem was both a “religious commandment and a political necessity,” adding that Qaradawi’s ban “gave a free reign to the Israeli occupation which wants to isolate the holy city from its Arab and Islamic surroundings.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Muslims to visit Jerusalem. Abbas’ was unambiguous at an international conference for the Defense of Jerusalem held in Doha in late February. “Visiting Jerusalem,” Abbas said, “is a show of support for its Arab residents and causes Israel’s policy of altering the face of the city to fail.” Shaykh Qardawi spoke on the second day of that same conference and reiterated his fatwa banning Muslims from visiting Jerusalem. “Visits are banned in order to deprive the occupier of legitimacy,” Qaradawi declared. “Those who visit legitimize an entity which plunders Palestinian lands, and are forced to cooperate with the enemy’s embassy to receive a visa.” “We must feel as though we are banned from Jerusalem and fight for it until it is ours,” Qaradawi said. Abbas shot back. “Visiting the holy city does not mean normalization. Visiting a prisoner is not normalization with the jailer. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, himself visited Jerusalem (the Night Journey) when it was under Byzantine rule,” the Palestinian leader said, “and never did a subsequent Muslim scholar ban visitation to the holy city due to foreign occupation.” Strange as it might sound, Abbas’ arguments are more in tune with that of the vast majority of Muslims, thousands of whom visit Al-Aqsa every year. Every believer knows that the Messenger of God set out with hundreds of his followers to perform the pilgrimage to the Ka’ba in Mecca while it was under the occupation of Quraysh. Quraysh even refused the Noble Messenger entry into the city. Before returning to Madina, the Prophet got a concession from Quraysh to return the following year. In other words, the Prophet,peace and blessings be upon him, obtained what would be akin to a modern day visa from Quraysh to enter the holiest city in Islam while it was under occupation. For all the years the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed in Mecca and for fifteen months in Madina, he and his followers faced the direction of Al-Aqsa. At that time Jerusalem was under the control of the Roman Empire and yet no scholar has ever suggested anything was defective in their prayers. In other words, Jerusalem was holy long before Muslims arrived at its gates. In performing their ziyaras to Al-Aqsa, Habib Ali and Mufti Ali Gomaa have demonstrated immense courage and vision by adamantly refusing to allow an act of religious significance to be subjected to the shenanigans of politicians. And now a growing number of international scholars, Muftis from Bosnia, Kosovo and Croatia in the heart of Europe, along with thousands of ordinary Muslims all over the world, are voicing their support for Habib Ali and Shaykh Ali Gomaa. May 10. 2012. (In a future post I plan to write about my experiences in Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa during the week I spent there in 1999. I’ve also benefited greatly from Kanan Makiya’s “The Rock: A Tale of Seventh-Century Jerusalem.” I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading.)

Shaykh Al Habib Ali Zain Al Abideen Al Jifri and Prince Hashem, half brother of Jordan's King Abdullah II, paid a visit on to Jerusalem, where they prayed at Al-Aqsa mosque, officials said."Prince Hashem visited Jerusalem today and prayed at Al-Aqsa," the state-run Petra said in a brief statement, quoting the officials. It added without elaborating that he also met with officials of Jordan's ministry of Awqaf and Islamic affairs in the Holy City. Jordanian Govt is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

Islamic Scholar & Sufi Shaykh Al Habib Ali Zain Al Abideen Al Jifri at the Condolence Meeting of Head of Egyptian & African Coptic Church Shenouda Pope III in Abu Dhabi .

من مثلكم لرسول الله ينتسب ليت الملوك لها من جدكم نسب ما للسلاطين أحساب بجانبكم هذا هو الشرف المعروف والحسب أصلٌ هو الجوهر المكنون ما لعبت به الأكفّ ولا حاقت به الريب خير النبيين لم يُذكر على شفةٍ إلا وصلّت عليه العجم والعرب خير النبيين لم تُحصر فضائله مهما تصدت لها الأسفار والكتب خير النبيين لم يُقرَن به أحدٌ وهكذا الشمس لم تُقرَن بها الشهب واهتزت الأرض إجلالاً لمولده شبيهةً بعروس هزّها الطرب الماء فاض زلالاً من أصابعه أروى الجيوش وجوف الجيش يلتهب والظبي أقبل بالشكوى يخاطبه والصخر قد صار منه الماء ينسكب ساداتنا الغرّ من أبناء فاطمةٍ طوبى لمن كان للزهراء ينتسب مِنْ نسل فاطمةٍ أنعمْ بفاطمة من أجل فاطمة قد شُرّف النسب الامام العلامه المحدث العالم الحبيب السيد محمد بن علوي المالكي الحسني رحمه الله

Pics of Famous Saudi Sunni Scholar Al Sayyid Ahmed Bin Muhammed Al Maliki of Makkah Al Mukkaramah , Saudi Arabia فضيلة السيد احمد محمد مالكي إبن العالم الجليل السيد محمد علوي مالكي رحمهالله

Some Pics of Shaykh Habib Ali Al Jifri الحبيب علي زين العابدين بن عبد الرحمن الجفري

Pics of the Great Saudi Arabian Scholar & Sufi Shaykh Al Sayyid Ahmed Muhammed Bin Alawi Al Maliki السيد أحمد المالكي Pics of Great Arab Sunni Scholars & Ba Alawi Sufi Tariqa Shaykh Habib Ali Al Jifri & Shaykh Habib Umar Bin Hafiz

Here are some of the New Pics from Mawlids in Madina Al Munnawara where Big Scholars attended During Blessed Month of Rabi Al Awwal Some Pics of the Great Saudi Arabian Sunni Scholar Shaykh Ibrahim Al Khalifah who hails from the Eastern Part Al Ahasa of Saudi Arabia where large number of Sunnis/Sufi's live and who did not change even after living with many Shiites and Other Sects in there close Proximity and they stood strong on the Aqeedah of Ahle Sunnah. Some Pics of Shyakh Ahmed Bin Muhammed Alawi Al Maliki and his Great Father Shaykh Muhammed Bin Alawi Al Maliki Ra of Makkah Al Mukkaramah .

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين صور السيد محمد علوي المالكي رحمه الله تعالى Pics of the Late Shaykh Al-Sayyid Muhammed Bin Alawi Al Maliki Makki

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين صور السيد محمد علوي المالكي رحمه الله تعالى Pics of the Late Shaykh Al-Sayyid Muhammed Bin Alawi Al Maliki Makki

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين صور السيد محمد علوي المالكي رحمه الله تعالى Pics of the Late Shaykh Al-Sayyid Muhammed Bin Alawi Al Maliki Makki

Some Pics of the Various Mawlid u Nabwi Gatherings held in Madina Munnawara in the Hajj Season 2009 on the visit of the Great Islamic Scholar and Sufi Shaykh Habib Umar bin Hafeez .

الشيخ الكبير عبدالله فدعق

NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER TARIM JOURNAL Crossroads of Sufi Islam, Past and Present Bryan Denton for The New York Times Most of the students at Dar al-Mustafa, the local Sufi religious school in Tarim, Yemen, are between 18, the minimum age, and 25.More Photos > By ROBERT F. WORTH Published: October 14, 2009 TARIM, Yemen — This remote desert valley, with its towering bluffs and ancient mud-brick houses, is probably best known to outsiders as the birthplace of Osama bin Laden's father. Most accounts aboutYemen in the Western news media refer ominously to it as "the ancestral homeland" of the leader of Al Qaeda, as though his murderous ideology had somehow been shaped here. Multimedia Bryan Denton for The New York Times Tarim, Yemen, has a rich heritage of religion and trade. More photographs at nytimes.com/world. More Photos » The New York Times Tarim is a historic center of Sufi Islam, a mystical strand. More Photos > But in fact, Tarim and its environs are a historic center of Sufism, a mystical strand within Islam. The local religious school, Dar al-Mustafa, is a multicultural place full of students from Indonesia and California who stroll around its tiny campus wearing white skullcaps and colorful shawls. "The reality is that Osama bin Laden has never been to Yemen," said Sufi Shaykh Habib Omar Bin Hafeez , the revered director of Dar al-Mustafa, as he sat on the floor in his home eating dinner with a group of students. "His thinking has nothing to do with this place." Lately, Al Qaeda has found a new sanctuary here and carried out a number of attacks. But the group's inspiration, Mr. Omar said, did not originate here. Most of the group's adherents have lived in Saudi Arabia — as has Mr. bin Laden — and it was there, or in Afghanistan or Pakistan, that they adopted a Wahhabi jihadist mind-set. Mr. Omar set out 16 years ago to restore the ancient religious heritage of Tarim. It is an extraordinary legacy for an arid, windswept town in the far southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula. About 800 years ago, traders from Tarim and other parts of Hadramawt, as the broader area is known, began traveling down the coast to the Arabian Sea and onward in rickety boats to Indonesia, Malaysia and India. They thrived, and they brought their religion with them. Nine especially devout men, all with roots in Tarim, are now remembered as "the nine Sufi saints," Mr. Omar said, because of their success in spreading Islam across Asia. "This town, with its thousand-year tradition, was the main catalyst for as many as 40 percent of the world's Muslims' becoming Muslim," said John Rhodus, a 32-year-old Arizonan who has studied at Dar al-Mustafa off and on since 2000. Tarim's Sufist tradition also appears to have helped shape the relatively moderate Islam practiced in much of South Asia. Hadrami merchants remained an extraordinarily intrepid and successful network until well into the 20th century. Some made their fortune in Saudi Arabia — including Muhammad bin Laden, Osama's father, who became a construction magnate — and remained there. Others returned home and built flamboyant palaces as monuments to their success. Dozens of palaces remain, in a variety of styles — Mogul, modernist, British colonial — that contrast oddly with Tarim's traditional mud-brick homes and mosques. Most of the merchants fled after a Communist junta seized power after the British withdrawal from south Yemen in 1967. Now their palaces are abandoned and decayed, too grand even for the state to maintain in this desperately poor country. The Communist years, which lasted until North and South Yemen unified in 1990, were even worse for those who refused to accept the new government's enforced secularism. "Some religious scholars were tortured, others murdered," Mr. Omar said. "Some were tied to the backs of cars and driven through the streets until they were dead." Mr. Omar's father, who had been a renowned religious teacher in Tarim, was kidnapped and killed. In 1993, Mr. Omar began teaching Sufi-inspired religious classes in his home. Three years later, he moved into a two-story white school building, with a mosque attached. There are now about 700 students, at least half of them South Asians, with a rising number of Americans and Britons. Most of the students are between 18, the minimum age, and 25. They usually spend four years studying here before returning to their homes. Mr. Omar encourages them to pursue careers and spread their beliefs quietly rather than becoming religious scholars. But even as the school grew, a more militant Wahhabi Islam was gaining followers across the region. Saudi Arabia, on Yemen's northern border, was financing ultraconservative Salafi religious schools and scholars in an effort to shore up its influence here. In 1991 the Saudi king, angered by Yemen's public support for Saddam Hussein, abruptly sent home a million Yemeni laborers, many of whom had lived in Saudi Arabia for decades and had been shaped by it. The Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, accommodated the Saudis and welcomed many Arab jihadists who had fought in Afghanistan. Later, he enlisted the jihadists to fight his political enemies at home, incurring a political debt that has complicated his efforts to fight Al Qaeda. Some of the former fighters resettled in Hadramawt. Two years ago, one of Al Qaeda's top regional commanders was killed, along with two lieutenants, in a fierce gun battle with the Yemeni military just a few blocks from Sufi Center Dar al-Mustafa. And in March a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt killed four Korean tourists and their Yemeni guide in the nearby city of Shibam. Al Qaeda's Arabian branch claimed responsibility. The small trickle of adventure tourism that had remained in Hadramawt (it may not help that the name means "death came" in Arabic) slowed to almost nothing. Several students at Dar al-Mustafa said there was concern about possible conflict with hard-line Wahhabi Islamists in Hadramawt, though the school itself has not been attacked or threatened. On a tour of Tarim, one of the school's teachers, Abdullah Ali, pointed to the house where the Qaeda leaders had been killed. They had been there for some time, he said, escaping scrutiny by disguising themselves as women under thick black gowns. A trove of explosives and weapons was found in the house. "We are mulaataf," Mr. Ali said, using an Arabic term that describes a divine rescue from danger. Sufi Shaykh Habib Omar Bin Hafeez acknowledged, somewhat reluctantly, that his own, milder approach to Islam had enemies in Hadramawt. "There are differences," he said. "But we find the appropriate way to deal with these people is to remind them of Islamic principles, not to speak ill of them."

Militants in Disguise Sufi Fighters of Somalia Written by Abdi Mohamed Published Tuesday, October 13, 2009 After over two decades of fighting, moderate Islamists have joined the fray, and are rising up to take back Somalia. [Mogadishu, Somalia] Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca is an old, well-known Sufi Islamist group. It is one of the new groups to have joined the two decades long fighting in Somalia. But what is surprising is that their moderation and peaceable views traditionally stood in contrast to the violence of Al-Shabab's strict Wahhabi ideologies. Now their clerics are taking up arms - life is not worth living without a gun, they say. In the past, the clan and the shared group ideology was the channel by which the first preachers spread Islam throughout Somalia. The graves of past Sheikhs still play an important role in the Sufi clan communities, being the focus of visitations, tributes and prayer. After Al-Shabab Wahhabi militants began calling for these beliefs to be eliminated and were linked to the killings of several sheikhs as well as desecrating past sheikhs' graves, moderate Sufis began taking up arms, in a declaration of war against Al-Shabab. In December 2008 violent clashes erupted proper. Sufis experienced early success as Al-Shabab was driven out of several towns in the central region of Galgadud, but the cost of taking up arms is greater than some might have expected. Standing in an arid courtyard it's exercise time as Sheikh Omar Sheikh Mohamed Farah, chairman of Ahlu Sunna, is encouraging his fighters to stand firm against Al-Shabab. "We have to be ready to fight those distorting our religion,’’ he says raising his arms, an AK47 rifle in one and the Holy Qur'an in the other. "We have never liked to fight but this is a time to do so. Our people and our sheikhs are being killed, our sheikhs’ graves are being desecrated,’’ he furiously shouts. Creeping along their chests and elbows in the pre-dawn exercise, the fighters are chanting religious words in Arabic at the top of their voices, praising the prophet Mohamed. But there are different men of different ages in the group, and they are attracting more moderate volunteers. Abdullahi Huriye, a thin, tall fighter, was a high school student learning in Mogadishu but returned to the central region of Galgadud to defend his beliefs against what he termed "crazy men’’. "I’m ready to die for my faith and Sufism,’’ he told The Media Line, taking up his gun. There are now fears that the motives that forced people to fight are expanding to such an extent that there may be no end in sight. "We shall never put down our guns unless there is peace and there is no longer any Shabab or Islamists who misinterpret Islam- Islam is peace," Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu-Yusuf, the spokesman of Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca told The Media Line. "Islam says all religions should live peacefully and become neighbors," he stoutly said riding on an armored vehicle with his fighters on their way to the frontline. The reputation of Sufis as being peaceful clerics is the main reason more Somalis are taking up arms for the group, which he termed the "followers of the prophet Mohamed". Since Al-Shabab was ousted from the area, there is at least some semblance of peace. Foreigners can walk on the streets albeit with guns and guards, in the town of Dhusomareb, once a stronghold of Al-Shabab where U.S warplanes killed Al-Shabab leader Aden Hashi Eyrow in 2007. But this veneer of peace is fading as the group readies itself to extend its fighting further afield. "Our Jihad is for the freedom of our religion and of Muslims’ property which Al-Shabab describes legal for them to loot,’’ Abu-Yusuf snappily said after taking a phone call from Mogadishu telling him that Al-Shabab executed two men for espionage. "They kill anyone who does not want their crazy ideologies and fake justifications,’’ he adds. Though daytime is a busy time for the Sufis, they are protected in their bunkers at night by some vigilant eyes. "I’m wide awake to look out for Al-Shabab movements and to shoot if needs be,’’ Nor Ahlusunna told The Media Line in his foxhole on the frontline. Nor is one of the first fighters to have joined the group, and is now part of its backbone, he quickly gained recognition during the fighting which saw off Al-Shabab from important towns in the region. In contrast to Al-Shabab, there are no strict religious punishments in the group’s strongholds such as, whipping, executions and amputations, rather people are being peacefully preached to practice the religion well. "The Sufis will forever be our religion’s clerics. They were the first ones to spread Islam in our country,’’ Somali educator Abdulle Nur told The Media Line by phone from Nairobi, Kenya. The central region of Galgadud is the only place in which Sufism was threatened as Al-Shabab forbade the performances of spiritual ceremonies in the region while it was under their control. But now the Sufis are in charge, and this time in Galgadud, Sufis are enforcing the law, patrolling the streets and implementing justice. Increasing numbers of sheikhs are chanting the religious eulogy throughout the night, going into raptures over the prophet Mohamed and their late sheikhs. In front of large crowds in Guriel town, Ahlu Sunna Sheikh is telling people to hand over any information regarding anyone linked to Al-Shabab. According to Abu-yusuf, trial and imprisonment has replaced the previously commonplace practice under Al-Shabab of execution. It is a marked contrast from the Al-Shabab’s strongholds in which anyone who cooperates with the Somali government or with foreign troops counts as a traitor and an infidel, and mostly killed under ad-hoc courts' verdicts. We will never shed any humans’ blood meaninglessly like Al-Shabab,’’ said Sheikh Ali, a Sufi cleric. The Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca clerics are known for their frequent, ritual ceremonies and feasts to which residents are invited. "I like the Sufis for their openness and free food and meat,’’ resident Abbas Abdi Mahi told The Media Line. Indeed the hopes of the Sufi revolutionary advances are high after the lucrative capture of towns from the Al-Shabab Wahhabi militants and after seeing the residents praise them with good etiquettes. “We’ve experienced the control of Al-Shabab and Ahlusunna, Ahlusunna are not coercing people like Al-Shabab. When there is a wedding party, people play music and dance, they [Ahlusunna] never arrest them but they preach for women and men to dance unconnectedly. The Al-Shabab stop these things,’’ Galgadud resident Mohamed Haji told The Media Line. Driving along a street in Guriel town, the group’s stronghold, songs are being played on radios and TVs without fear. "The leaders of this group are not wanted by western countries as terrorists, nor are they violent like Al-Shabab because their ideology is moderate," said Bashir Hassan, a Somali teacher in Galgadud. "Their people support them so they will never be detested" he added.

Pics of a Mawlid u Nabwi held in Madina Al Munnawara which was attended by Famous Naath Khoon Owais Raza Quadri on 27 Ramdan 2009

(`'•.¸ (`'•.¸ ۩ Ramadan ۞ شهر رمضان ۩ ¸.•'´) ¸.•'´) بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ ,, هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ ,, فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ,, وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَر ,, َ يُرِيدُ اللّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ ,, وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ,, صدق الله العظيم ه ( سورة البقرة ( 185) ) ه اللهم صلِّ على سيدنا محمد النبي الأمي عالي القدر والشآن ، سيدي ولد عدنان ، وخيرة الأكوان وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم .

Here are Pics and Video of the Saudi Arabian King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Making Dua infront of the Blessed Grave of the Holy Prophet Muhammed Pbuh which is not unlawful according to the Ahle Sunnah Wal Jamath Aqeedah . But According to the Salafi/Wahhabi Aqeedah Scholars this is absolutely Shirk (Associating Partner with Allah Subhan Wa Tallah) And every Person going to visit the Prophet Muhammed Pbuh Grave is told not to raise hands by the Muttawas(Local Wahhabi Students ) standing near the grave of the Prophet Muhammed Pbuh but when the King was raising his hand no single scholar or the muttawas were seen saying anything . Will they call the Custodian of the Holy Mosques as Mushrik like how they call other fellow Muslims ??????????????????????? Check

Some Pics of Shaykh Habib Ali Al Jifri الحبيب علي زين العابدين بن عبد الرحمن الجفري

Some Pics of Shaykh Habib Ali Al Jifri الحبيب علي زين العابدين بن عبد الرحمن الجفري ولد في جدة – المملكة العربية السعودية في صفر 1391 هـ أبريل 1971م. نشأ في بيئة ساعدته على التوجه العلمي والسلوكي الديني ودرس في مدرسة الثغر النموذجية بجدة حتى حصل على الثانوية العامة ، في نفس الوقت ومن سن التاسعة لازم تلقي الدروس الدينية طبقاً لمنهج علمي تربوي اشتهر به منهج علماء حضرموت ونبغوا فيه نهجاً سمحاً ، لا تطرف فيه ولا عنف ولا سعي نحو سلطة أو جاه أو مال ، علماً وتربية وسلوكاً بسندٍ متصل ، وكان حظه عظيماً أن شيخه الأول الذي لازمه ولازم دروسه وأسس بناءه العلمي والتربوي والسلوكي ورعاه رعاية خاصة لأكثر من اثني عشرة عاماً مستمرة ثم لم ينقطع عنه حتى الآن ، هو العلامة المربي العارف بالله والداعي إلى الله الحبيب عبدالقادر بن أحمد بن عبدالرحمن السقاف ، كما كان يتلقى دروساً ومعارفاً على يد علماء أفاضل منهم العلامة الصالح الداعية الكبير الحبيب أحمد مشهور الحداد رحمه الله ، والعلامة الفاضل الحبيب حامد الحداد رحمه الله ، والعلامة الحبيب أبو بكر بن علي المشهور الذي أسهم مبكراً في بنائه العلمي والفكري ، والشيخ حسن شدّاد الذي كان يجتمع إليه مع أقرانه ، وكان يبث إليهم محبته للمصطفى عليه وعلى آله وصحبه الصلاة وا لسلام ويجذرّها في قلوبهم والسيد العارف أحمد الأهدل رحمه الله الذي كان يشوّقهم لأولياء الله الصالحين ، وغيرهم من أهل العلم الشرعي الشريف. وفي إطار الأسرة شاهد في طفولته عمه صاحب الفضيلة السيد محمد علي الجفري الذي درس في تريم على يد الحبيب الصالح العلامة المدرسة السيد عبدالله بن عمر الشاطري ثم أكمل دراسته بالأزهر الشريف وحصل على العالمية وعاد إلى الوطن وأسس أول هيئة تناضل للإستقلال والوحدة ويبرز سمو الإسلام وسماحته وسمع عمه يتحدث عن تريم وعن شيخه الإمام الحبيب عبدالله الشاطري ولا شك أن هذا رسم صورة في عقله وقلبه لتريم وخلق عنده في باطنه قبولاً وشوقاً لهذا النوع من العلم والعلماء الذي يجسّدون " نفس الرحمن الذي يهب من ناحية اليمن " كما جاء عن الذي لا ينطق عن الهوى عليه وعلى آله وصحبه أفضل الصلاة والسلام وهو الذي شمّه وشاهده ولمسه في شيخه الأول الحبيب عبد القادر السقاف وفي بقية شيوخه فكان سريع التجاوب من النهج شديد الملازمة لهم ولمنهجهم ، علماً وسلوكاً ، وكان كالمشتاق لموعد لقاء تحقق فلم يطق بعده فراق ، كما جلس في طفولته وصباه وشبابه إلى علماء صلحاء في أسرته هم أعمامه ( أبناء عم والده ) أصحاب الفضيلة السيد الحبيب عبدالله بن علوي بن محمد الجفري والسيد عبدالله حسن بن محمد الجفري والسيد علي حسن بن محمد الجفري رحمهم الله والسيد علوي حسن بن محمد الجفري ، كما تأثر بعمة والدته السيدة صفية بنت علوي بن حسن الجفري رحمها الله ، التي كانت تحدثه عن السلف و تحبب إليه الخير والصلاح وأهلهما. وكان من حسن الطالع أن ينتقل إلى الوطن بعد الوحدة حيث التحق بجامعة صنعاء – كلية الآداب قسم الدراسات الإسلامية – كمنتسب ، وفي نفس الوقت التحق برباط البيضاء الذي أسسه وأداره الحبيب العلامة الصالح المربي محمد بن عبدالله الهدار رحمه الله ، وكان يدّرس ويدْرُس في هذا الرباط بإشراف الحيب الهدار وحسن الطالع بزر في أن الحبيب العلامة الفذ الصالح الداعية المربي الشاب عمر بن محمد بن سالم بن حفيظ كان يدّرس في هذا الرباط فكان الشيخ الذي لا زمه علي زين العابدين الجفري منذ ذلك الوقت وحتى الآن شيخاً في العلم والتربية والسلوك والدعوة فهو الذي اعتنى بالبناء العلمي والتربوي والسلوكي والدعوي له ولا زال يتمتع بعنايته ورعايته وتوجيهه . ولم يستمر في جامعة صنعاء سوى عامين وكان ينجح فيها بدون جهد لتجاوزه مستوى المناهج في الجامعة في دراسته على شيوخه كما وجد أن من تلك المناهج مالم يكن يناسبه أو يتفق مع النهج الذي يعتقد صحته وهي لا تدَّرس كونها رأي من الآراء إنما تدرّس بفرضها على أنها الرأي الصحيح وما عداها باطل مما حول لمنهج إلى منهج تلقيني وبما يتعارض مع المذاهب السائدة في اليمن ويناصبها العداء ويصنع عوامل صراع وتطرف في إطار اليمن فوق ماتعانيه من عوامل الصراع الأخرى ، بل إن هذا المنهج يتعارض مع الغالبية الكبرى من العالم الإسلامي ، في حين يُفترض أن يكون منهجاً علمياً جامعياً يهتم بالتدريس للمذاهب السائدة في البلد ويعطي مساحة لتدريس المذاهب الأخرى لتوسيع مدارك التلّقي . منذ 1994 انتقل إلى تريم بحضرموت ليلحق بشيخه الحبيب عمر الذي أسس " دار المصطفى للدراسات الإسلامية " والتي يعمل بها الجفري محاضراً وعضو مجلس إدارة ، كما حصّل دروساً في الفقه وكان شيخه فيها الشيخ الفقيه الصالح الشاب عمر حسين الخطيب . إسهاماته بالإضافة إلى التدريس في دار المصطفى بتريم ومواصلة الدراسة والتلقي فإنه منذ أكثر من اثني عشر عاماً وهو يجوب البلدان ، من جنوب شرق آسيا وسيريلانكا إلى كندا مروراً بشرق أفريقيا ودول الجزيرة العربية ومصر العربية والسودان والأردن وسوريا ولبنان وعدد من بلدان أوروبا والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية داعياً إلى الله بالكلمة الطيبة والموعظة الحسنة ، وله محاضرات ودروس ومجالس في مختلف تلك البلدان وعشرات البرامج التلفزيونية والإذاعية في عدد من القنوات التلفزيونية والمحطات الإذاعية ، وبعض محاضراته أعدها تلاميذه وأقرانه للطباعة وا لنشر كما طرحت بعض مؤسسات التوزيع الكثير من محاضراته وجلساته في أشرطة صوتية وأشرطة فيديو . ينتهي نسب الشيخ الجفري إلى الإمام علي بن أبي طالب السيد الحبيب علي زين العابدين بن عبد الرحمن بن علي بن محمد بن علوي بن علي بن علوي بن علي بن أحمد بن علوي بن عبد الرحمن مولى العرشه بن محمد بن عبدالله التريسي بن علوي الخواص بن أبي بكر الجفري بن محمد بن علي بن محمد بن الشهيد أحمد بن الفقيه المقدم الأستاذ الأعظم محمد بن علي بن محمد صاحب مرباط بن علي خالع قسم بن علوي بن محمد بن علوي بن عبيد الله بن المهاجر إلى الله أحمد بن عيسى بن محمد النقيب بن علي العريضي بن الإمام جعفر الصادق بن الإمام محمد الباقر بن الإمام علي زين العابدين بن الحسين سبط رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم بن علي بن أبي طالب كرم الله وجهه زوج البتول فاطمة الزهراء بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم .

The Ribats in Morocco and their influence in the spread of knowledge and tasawwuf (from: al-Imra'a al-Maghribiyya wa't-Tasawwuf (The Moroccan Woman and Tasawwuf in the Eleventh Century) by Mustafa 'Abdu's-Salam al-Mahmah) The ribat played an important and major role in the awakening and preparation of Moroccan society since it provided a focus for combating illiteracy and inculcating knowledge, a place of worship, defence of the safety of the homeland and fighting injustice and social corruption. In Morocco, as in other Muslim and Arab countries, the ribat became known with the arrival of Islam. Moroccan society built ribats and then zawiyyas in every area, from the north to south, east to west, making that a defensive belt to protect its soil from all foreign incursions. Before beginning, we will give a definition of the term ribat, and ar-rabita as well as the purpose of its foundation and an explanation of the structure on which it is based in its religious, economic, and social arrangements. Ribat is a verbal noun derived from râbata, yurâbitu, meaning "to station and stay in place". The word ribat is derived from the word rabt and it comes in the Qur'an, "Arm yourselves against them with all the firepower and cavalry (ribat) you can muster." (8:60) And the words of Allah, "O you who believe, be steadfast, supreme in steadfastness, be firm (râbitû) on the battlefield, and have fear Allah, so that hopefully you will be successful." (3:200) It is also derived from the words of the Messenger: "The ribat of the day and night in the way of Allah is better than fasting and praying at night for a month." He said in another hadith, "The actions of every dead person are sealed except for the murabit in the way of Allah. His actions will go on increasing until the Day of Rising. and he will be safe from the trials of the grave." Abu Dawud related it. Ibn 'Abbas said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say, "There are two eyes which the Fire will not touch: an eye which weeps out of fear of Allah and an eye that keeps watch in the way of Allah." The Islamic Encyclopaedia has many explanations of the term ribat. The idea of the ribat moved to North Africa, Andalusia, and Sicily by means of Harthama ibn A'yan, who was the first to found a ribat in North Africa when he fortified the first ribat in 179 AH. The term ribat is used in Spanish in the form rebato, rápita and rávita, which indicates "a sudden attack carried out by a body of horsemen accordance with Muslim tactics." (Islamic Encyclopaedia) Ar-Râbita means ribât, whether applied to a place of jihad or a place of worship. Some people use "râbita" for the resident army in the ribat and from the word ribat is derived the term murabitun. In the usage of the fuqaha', ribat is applied to two things: the first is the location in which the mujahidun gather to defend the land and repel the enemy attack, and the second designates the place where righteous believers learn worship and remembrance of Allah and study fiqh in the affairs of this world Imam Abu Hafs al-Bakri defined it, "The people in the ribat are the murabitun who agree on the same goal and corresponding conditions. In this meaning, the ribat is established so that its inhabitant may have the qualities which Allah stated in Surat al-Anfal (8:60)." Prof. Hasan as-Sa'ih defined it in his book, Defense of Moroccan Culture, as an educational centre, military in respect of its structure which resembles a fortified fortress and educational by the murabitun being taught Islamic culture and instructed in matters of the deen. In the Islamic Encyclopaedia, the ribat is defined as the fortified Muslim zawiyya. Moroccan society became familiar with the ribat at the Muslim conquest when the conquerors built ribats to which the conquering Muslim armies resorted to protect themselves from sudden attacks. At the same time, they were a place for calling people to Islam. The first Maghribi ribat founded was the "Massa" Ribat in Sus al-Aqsa in the time of 'Uqba ibn Nafi'al-Fihri. Then after that, historians state that Ya'la ibn Mussalin ar-Ragragi built the Shakir Ribat known today as Sidi Shakir (Chakir) on the bank of the Wadi Nfis in the vicinity of Marrakesh. It is the burial site of the Arab mujahid Shakir, one of the companions of 'Uqba ibn Nafi'. After that a number of ribats and rabitas were founded, like the rabita of 'Abdullah ibn Yasin whose followers were called Murabitun and his state the Murabitun state. It is related in al-Istiqsa that when the nobles of Sanhaja gathered around 'Abdullah ibn Yasin, there were about a thousand men who were called the Murabitun because they stayed at their rabita. The ribats include the al-'Ubbad Ribat, the al-Ghar Ribat, the Safi Ribat, the Taza Ribat, the Sale Ribat, the Ribat al-Fath, the Shalla Ribat, the Ribat an-Nusayr, the Ribat of Tit-n-Fitr, 'Ayn al-Fitr which is located about ten kilometres from al-Jadida and is called Tit, the Ribat of Tinmall in the Great Atlas which was the house of al-Mahdi ibn Tumart, the Ribat of Tanoutan in the land of the Dukkala and the Ribat of Tasmatat, part of the district of Marrakesh and the Ribat of Moulasin, the Ribat of an-Nakur, the Asila Ribat, the Anbudur Ribat outside of Sijilmasa, and the Ribat of Ayysin, etc., (See Kitab at-Tashawwuf.) Summary of Reports about the Port of Ceuta from Glorious Antiquities states that there were forty-seven ribats and zawiyyas in the city of Ceuta, including zawiyyas and ribats defending the sea to the south and north inside the city and suburbs, and outside of it. The largest and greatest of which was the large building of the famous rabita known as Rabita as-Sayd which the book describes. A number of points were taken into consideration in the establishment of the ribat: [/color] 1. The choice of its foundation should be beside rivers and springs, and pastures and fertile earth in general so that it has ample economic resources, like the Ribat of Shalla, the Ribat of Sale, the Ribat al-Fath, the Ribat Zarhun and the Ribat Sidi Shakir, etc. 2. A location with many inhabitants should be chosen so that there will enough murabitun without emigrations from other regions, like the Ribat of Shakir and the ribat of Tinmall, etc. 3. The site should be distant or elevated, in the peaks of the mountains and deserts, in order to form a movement of change which will combat social corruption in a political system. This is what we notice when we examine to the history of the Murabit and Muwahhid states. 4. The proximity of location, especially by the coast, so that it was near the sea in order to meet the European invasion of the Maghrib. One of its constant goals was to capture Morocco, indeed North Africa in general. For example, we find the Ribat at-Fath, the Ribat of Safi, the Ribat of Asila, the Ribat of Nakur, and the Ribat of Sale. In his book, The Sound Excellent Musnad, Ibn Marzuq describes the task of this type of ribat, "Because the European pirates often brought their ships to these coasts and snatched the people of the countryside to make them slaves in their lands, ribats were founded by Abu'l-Hasan al-Marini extending from Safi in the south to the end of Middle Maghrib and the beginning of Tunis (Ifriqiyya). When the fires were lit at the top, in one night or part of a night, it would cover a distance which took caravans two months to cross. Each fortress had men assigned to keep watch over the sea and when any naval unit appeared in the sea headed for the Muslim coast, the alarm appeared in the watchtower. The coasts were safe in his happy days." [/color] The construction of the ribat was voluntary in the beginning, being regarded by society as a virtuous and desirable action and one for which there was a reward for promoting and spreading Islam. This is what can be noted in the construction of the mosques in the Muslim conquest of Morocco, and continues until today. Many believers in Moroccan society continue to build mosques with their own money. It is the same with the duty of maintaining them. It is not possible to say that the idea of the ribat vanished with the passage of time and appearance of the zawiyya. Ribats ceased to be established. The conception and method of the ribat remained in the mind of Moroccan society, deriving from its mention in the Qur'an which encourages the establishment of the ribat in any critical time. An example is what was done by the tribe of Timsaman in the days of Rif war when they lit watch-fires on the peaks of mountains to inform the hero 'Abdul-Karim al-Khattabi in Agadir of the Spanish invasion of the Rif. This reminds us of Ibn Marzuq's description of the ribat in the time of the Marinids. It is the same with the ribat of the Moroccan liberation army in the mountains with the aim of fighting colonialism. It is a sort of ribat. The discussion about the ribat and how it was built it now moves to how people joined it and whether that was compulsory or voluntary. It appears that membership of the ribat was voluntary. Every missionary (da'iya) or person who encouraged people to join it would receive a reward and a wage from Allah. This is what is described for us the Islamic Encyclopaedia. "When someone builds a ribat at his own expense or fortifies strongholds of existing ribats, that it is a action of piety and taqwa. It is the same for the reward for a man encouraging people to join the line of the ribat for jihad in the way of Islam and to strengthen their garrison The reward is for that which a man initiates. -The Moroccan ribat was the core of the formation of some Moroccan cities. It is clear that it played a role in the formation of cities, in respect of the economic, social and religious gifts which were devoted to it. It provided a place for emigration, as was the case with Ribat al-Fath and the Ribat of Safi, and for reinforcements. An example is provided in what is mentioned by Professor Hajji in his book, The Dala'iyya Zawiyya, in which he quotes Ibn Hawqal in his book, Al-Masalik wa'l-Mamalik. He said, "The old city of Salé was destroyed at the beginning of the fourth century AH and the people took positions at a ribat near it. About a hundred thousand murabitun may have gathered at this place and their ribat was directed against the Barghawata." When the Ribat al-Fath was established, there were a small number of murabitun in it. Its inhabitants and murabitun increased after the victory of Philip III and his expulsion of the Arabs from Andalusia. They then travelled to the Ribat al-Fath and the Ribat of Salé. From that time, due to the population increase, the ecology and morphology changed. So the ribat played a role in the foundation of cities and their inhabitation. A type of Moroccan architecture also appeared which has to be considered in relation to Moroccan art. Its architecture, as described by the Islamic Encyclopaedia, "comes from the design of ribats in the walls of fortresses which encircled them. They had rooms for living quarters, depositories for arms and provisions, and a command tower. Architectural changes in that developed according to times and political systems. (See The Islamic Encyclopaedia) The cause of the previous change was another change. That was a functional change when it began to include a number of posts in its internal organisation. That was the result of the emigration of inhabitants there which resulted in a need for organisation. This is what is observed in the functional organisation or in the division of work which was carried out by al-Mahdi ibn Tumart when he divided his people into groups and assigned each group a post and a quality by which it was described. This is what the author of al-Istiqsa mentioned. These groups included the Ahl ad-Dar, the Ahl Khamsin, the Ahl Sabi'in, and at-Talaba and al-Huffaz and Ahl al-Qaba'il. The Ahl ad-Dar were assigned to menial service. The function of Ahl al-Jama'a was consultation and advice. The Ahl as-Saqa were for boasts. The Ahl Sabi'in and Khamsin, the al-Huffaz and at-Talaba were charged with imparting knowledge and teaching. The rest of the tribes were to repel the enemy. This division continued, but the creation of ribat posts was based on the change and evolution which the ribat saw through the ages. Ibn Marzuq at-Tilimsani described this division, "Each of them, ribat and rabita, had men assigned to keep watch over the sea, and when any naval unit appeared in the sea headed for the Muslim coast, the alarm appeared in the watchtower." As for the economic aspect of the ribat, its economic resources came from what it was given by the neighbouring society and what the Murabitun could do themselves to obtain their weapons and food. This was the case at the beginning, and examples can be given of this economic form which still exist today. When the Spanish advanced to the region of the Rif in northern Morocco, the hero 'Abdu'l-Karim al-Khattabi undertook to gather the men of the Rif to the ribat in the mountains to resist the enemy. A group of men gathered to him, and every man carried his food, drink and weapons, and bought some weapons from his property. When the colonialists' suppression and torture of the citizens became unbearable, many travelled to the murabitun in the mountains to wait for a favourable opportunity to expel them. Generally every murabit who joined his brothers in the mountains had his weapons, a staff and his clothes. The second form of the economy of the ribat is represented in the state helping it before it undertook to build and supply them. This form includes what is called the general conscription, like what occurred in the preparation for the battle of Oued al-Makhazin. As for the social aspect, the ribat had a great and active influence in awakening Moroccan society when it provided many of the men of tasawwuf, mujahidun who struggled against the social system and colonialist incursion. By the way of example, the ideas of the Sufi and mujahid, 'Abdullah ibn Yasin can be seen in his address to his followers: "Company of Murabitun, today you number about a thousand, and a thousand will not be overcome by less. You are the nobles of your tribes and the leaders of your clans. Allah has put you right and guided you to His Straight Path. You must command the correct and forbid the bad, and strive for Allah as He should be striven for." One of the mujahidun was Shaykh Abu'l-Hasan ibn 'Uthman ash-Shawi who present at the Battle of Humr near Asila when he fought the colonialists who invaded Morocco. The author of ad-Dawh said about him, "When the people were defeated, Shaykh Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Uthman ash-Shawi an-Nasiri advanced, sword in hand, reciting the Burda of al-Busiri. That was the last we know of him. When the people returned the next day to remove their dead, they did not find any trace of him. They found his tunic with the Christians bearing the mark of his wound." The Sufi mujahid Abu'l-Mahasin Yusuf al-Fasi was present at the Battle of Oued al-Makhazin. The author of al-Istisqa said that Shaykh Abu'l-Mahasin attended this expedition and endured an excellent affliction in it. In al-Muntaqi al-Maqsur, it says, "This battle, the battle of Oued al-Makhazin, was one of the great expeditions and famous battles which at which a group of the people of Allah were present so that it was the most similar thing to the raid of Badr." We deduce from our studies of the ribat in Morocco that it played a great and active role in the formation and awakening of society since it provided a lot of mujahidun from the men of tasawwuf to fight against social injustice and colonialist incursion. Alongside this group were great scholars who enriched the Moroccan library with their books on various sciences and knowledges which are considered to be precious treasures. The Zawiyya Without a doubt, the appearance of the zawiyya was a result of the a number of factors: 1. The evolution of the internal organisation of the ribat when its precepts developed from jihad, worship and teaching to governmental posts. 2. With the development of political structures, the ribat was changed and transformed in its aim and began to resemble a city as other cities were founded as capitals for adminstration and scholarship, like Fes, Marrakech and Meknes. 3. The stability of political structures, the appearance of cities of scholarship, and the flowering of the scholarly movement there produced other positions in the form of those who graduated from the Qarwayyin University and the al-Andalus Mosque when their top students went to specific regions to complete the message of instruction and reform in the areas where the Shaykh thought there was a need for reinforcement, either to change certain social phenomena into which society had fallen or to combat illiteracy and spread knowledge and tasawwuf. Some of those who graduated simply returned to their birthplaces rather than being sent their shaykh, for example, Abu Bakr ad-Dala'i, Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah al-'Ayyashi, Shaykh 'Abdu'r-Rahman al-Majdhub, etc. 4. Some Sufis retired to places far from people and the city either to save themselves out of fear of suppression of their ideas, or a desire for solitude, and so they established centres for themselves. They had followers from among travellers who passed through that place or from those who lived in the area, or when there was unrest in the cities and people fled to the zawiyya for security from temptation and sedition, or to seek knowledge. 5. Eastern tasawwuf reached the Maghrib as a result of reciprocal visits which led to the change of the ribat similar to what had happened in the east. It changed to a zawiyya or khanqah. What is the zawiyya? How was it founded and what are its arrangements? What is are positive and negative roles which it plays in society? Definition of the term zawiyya The term zawiyya appeared in the Maghrib around the thirteenth century and was synonymous with ribat, i.e. the minaret where the wali retreated and around which his students and murids lived. Ibn Mazruq says, "This zawiyya is the term for what is called ribats, khanqahs and khanaqat in the east." The Maghribi zawiyya was first known as the Dar al-Karâma, like that which Ya'qub al-Mansur al-Muwahhidi built in Marrakech, and then the name Dar ad-Duyûf was applied to the great zawiyyas which the Marinids built which were founded by Abu 'Inan al-Marini outside of Fez. The oldest of the zawiyyas as such in the Maghrib were the zawiyyas of Abu Muhammad Salih al-Marjiri in Safi. Ibn Mazruq defined it, "It is clear that in Morocco we consider the zawiyya to be where wanderers seek shelter and travellers are fed." Daumas defined it, "It, in general, is a religious madrasa and a free house for guests. It has these two qualities like many monasteries in the Middle Ages." The difference between the ribat and the zawiyya is that the function of the zawiyya in Morocco is to prepare food for the needy and those who come to it while the task of the ribat is military, cultural and scholarly activity. Zawiyyas were built by Sufis when they took a residence for worship, retreat and spreading tasawwuf among the individuals of society who desired to learn religious knowledges. They used to try to provide food and drink and provide them with a place to spend the night. They encouraged them to build zawiyyas on roads and places where people could stay either temporarily or permanently so that the message of teaching tasawwuf would continue and knowledges would be continue to be taught. In this respect, the author of the book on the Dala'iyya Zawiyya says, "One of the oldest zawiyyas is the zawiyya of Shaykh Abu Muhammad Salih al-Majiri in Safi. His zawiyyas increased until there were forty-six of them, and they spread between the Maghrib and Egypt because this shaykh used to encourage his companions to go on hajj to the Sacred House of Allah and to establish many zawiyyas in the road by which the hajjis travelled so they could take stop there in the stages of their long journey." The building of the zawiyya by the followers was a voluntary action which falls in the sphere of the activity of some who embraces and loves the founder of the zawiyya, i.e the Shaykh, or out of a desire for reward and gratitude from travellers, or participation in the creation of a madrasa teaching tasawwuf and knowledges. In this manner zawiyyas increased, especially in the eighth century AH (fourteenth AD) and were full of visitors with different inclinations. At certain times authority forced the construction of centres beside them until there were zawiyyas who were rivals in the duties of teaching, as happened under the Marinids. As for the ecological aspect, the zawiyya had an important effect in creating another type of city. The Islamic Encyclopaedia describes the zawiyya from the architectural aspect as "a room for prayer with a mihrab, a tomb of one of the murabitun or a wali from the sharifs surmounted by a dome, a room set aside for the recitation of Qur'an, a kuttab or a madrasa for the memorisation of the Qur'an, and then private rooms for guests of the zawiyya, travellers and students. Usually adjoined to the zawiyya was a cemetery which included the graves of those who had commanded in their lifetime that they be buried there." There are other descriptions with more details, clarification and more refinement. Professor Hajji described the Dala'iyya zawiyya and the Nasiriyya zawiyya and Professor Dale Eickelman described the Sharqawiyya zawiyya. The zawiyya helped in the ecology until they developed into large cities as happened sometimes with the creation of suburbs and cities beside them. This is what was happened after the foundation of the Dala'iyya Zawiyya. Professor Hajji says, "After Abu Bakr founded his zawiyya in ad-Dala', he worked to increase buildings around it and built houses, shops and the rest of necessary amenities, and set up homes for students and neighbours so that it became one of the finest cities and had many inhabitants. It was the most famous of them and people came to it from different regions. Scholars and visiting students studied there and received esteem and respect which made them desire to stay there as long as they could. The scholarly assemblies relied on the hospitality of Dala' Mosque and the market of knowledge was held in was extremely effective." The zawiyya expanded in the eleventh century (seventeenth AD) until it became a quasi-state with a political, economical and cultural system. Its relations were organised internally and there were connections with other countries. One of the examples was the zawiyya of al-Dala'. As for the economic aspect, the zawiyya relied on its land and agricultural resources. They used those resources to build bridges and necessary amenities and provide food for those who came to it. It developed a system to calculate its property, materials and expenses. Duties had to be imposed on it in order to reduce its takings so that it will not be start a revolution against any political order. It was also a place where property could be deposited because of the respect which the zawiyya enjoyed. On the social side, the zawiyya participated at various times in awakening Maghribi society by means of teaching different knowledges, including the recitations, tafsir, hadith, tawhid, fiqh of usul, tasawwuf, rhetoric, times, Arabic language, eloquence and adab, which had an effect on the spirit of national pride on the land. This is what the Dala'iyya, 'Ayyashiyya and other zawiyyas did. Some zawiyyas were concerned with spreading knowledge and tasawwuf and encouraging jihad, like the Nasiriyya zawiyya at Tamakrut. It served as a refuge for everyone wronged or seeking protection. On the political side, the zawiyya played an important role, especially in critical periods of the history of the Maghrib. At certain times, especially in the collapse of a political structure, it acted to preserve stability in the regions bordering it or far from it by means of its religious and educational forms. Sometimes, due to necessity, it would play a direct role in order to save the land and society from exploitation, slavery and injustice. This was what led some of the king to persecute the heads of zawiyyas out of fear of them, to preserve the government, whether in a state of unrest, sedition or stability. Unfortunately, subsequently some of the zawiyyas co-operated with colonialism before and during the Protectorate and directed Moroccan Muslim tasawwuf in a negative direction. One of the results of its backwardness was a great of legerdemain and superstition which provided colonialism with an opportunity to violate the Maghrib. A Great Website on Morrocon Sufism http://www.dar-sirr.com/ الشيخ سيدي أحمد الغمّاري