Al-Zaylaʽi

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ʽAbd al-Raḥman bin Aḥmad al-Zaylaʽi
عبد الرحمن بن أحمد الزيلعي
TitleShaykh
Personal
Born1820
Died1882
ReligionIslam
Era19th century
RegionZeila
Main interest(s)Islamic philosophy, Islamic Jurisprudence
Muslim leader

Al-Zaylaʽi (ʽAbd al-Raḥman bin Aḥmad al-Zaylaʽi عبد الرحمن بن أحمد الزيلعي) ( 1820–1882) was a Somali scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyyah Sufi order in Somalia and East Africa.

Born in the rural village of Kedilai northwest of Mogadishu, he studied elementary ilm under the supervision of the local Ulema, He later moved to Mogadishu, studying under Sheikh Isma'il b. Umar al-Maqdishi.

Al-Zayla'i traveled to various Islamic centers in the Horn of Africa. Upon returning to his home village, he established a community of pupils near Qolonqol, 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.[1]

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References[edit]

  1. ^ Reese, Scott S. (2001). "The Best of Guides: Sufi Poetry and Alternate Discourses of Reform in Early Twentieth-Century Somalia". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 14 (1 Islamic Religious Poetry in Africa): 49–68. doi:10.1080/136968101750333969. JSTOR 3181395. S2CID 162001423.