Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAjība al-Ḥasanī (; 1747–1809) was an influential 18th-century Moroccan scholar and poet in the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Biography

He was born of a

sharif Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the fami ...

family in the Anjra tribe that ranges from

Tangiers Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Morocco. Many c ...

to Tetuan along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast of Morocco. As a child he developed a love of knowledge, memorizing the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

and studying subjects ranging from Classical

Arabic grammar Arabic grammar () is the grammar of the Arabic language. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language and its grammar has many similarities with the Semitic languages#Grammar, grammar of other Semitic languages. Classical Arabic and Modern St ...

, religious ethics,

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, Qur'anic recitation and

tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

. When he reached the age of eighteen he left home and undertook the study of exoteric knowledge in Qasr al-Kabir under the supervision of Sidi Muhammad al-Susi al-Samlali. It was here that he was introduced to studies in the sciences, art, philosophy, law and Qur'anic exegesis in depth. He went to

Fes Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. Located to the nort ...

to study with Mohammed al-Tawudi ibn Suda, Bennani, and El-Warzazi, and joined the new

Darqawiyya The Darqawiyya or Darqawi Sufi order is a revivalist branch of the Shadhiliyah brotherhood which originated in Morocco. The Darqawa comprised the followers of Sheikh Muhammad al-Arabi al-Darqawi (1760–1823) of Morocco. The movement, which bec ...

in 1208 AH (1793), of which he was the representative in the northern part of the

Jbala The Jebala () are a tribal confederation inhabiting an area in northwest Morocco from the town of Ketama to the west. The Jbala region thus occupies the western part of the Rif mountains. The Jbala has a population of 1,284,000 and is divided int ...

region. He spent nearly his entire life in and around Tetuan, and died of the plague in 1224 AH (1809). He is the author of over thirty works, including an autobiography, al-''Fahrasa'', which provides interesting information concerning the intellectual center that Tetuan had become by the beginning of the 19th century.

Works

* The Immense Ocean: Al-Bahr Al-Madid: A Thirteenth Century Quranic Commentary on the Chapters of the All-Merciful, the Event, and Iron (Fons Vitae, Quranic Commentaries) 2009. * The Book of Ascension: Looking into the Essential Truths of Sufism (Mi'raj al-tashawwuf ila haqa'iq al-tasawwuf), A Lexicon of Sufic Terminology by Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba, Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk (Translator), Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald (Translator). Fons Vitae 2012; . * Al-ʿumda fī sharḥ al-burda, ed. ʿAbd al-Salām al-ʿImrānī al-Khālidī, Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 2011. * Al-durar al-mutanāthira fī tawjīh al-qirāʾāt al-mutawātira, ed. ʿAbd al-Salām al-ʿImrānī al-Khālidī, Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 2013. * Īqāẓ al-himam fī sharḥ al-ḥikam, ed. Muḥammad Aḥmad Ḥasab Allāh, Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 1983. * Allah: An explanation of the divine names and attributes (Translator) Abdul Aziz Suraqah ISBN 9780990002673 * Autobiography: Aḥmad Ibn ʿAjība, Fahrasat al-ʿālim al-rabbānī Sayyidī Aḥmad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn ʿAjība al-Ḥasanī, ed. ʿAbd al-Salām al-ʿImrānī al-Khālidī, Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 2013. ** ''The Autobiography (Fahrasa) of a Moroccan Soufi: Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba'', translated from the Arabic by

Jean-Louis Michon Jean-Louis Michon (13 April 1924 – 22 February 2013) was a French traditionalist and translator who specialized in Islamic art and Sufism. He worked extensively with the United Nations to preserve the cultural heritage of Morocco. Biography Bo ...

and David Streight, Fons Vitae, Louisville KY USA, 1999 ** Jean-Louis Michon: Autobiography of a Moroccan Sufi: Ahmad Ibn 'Ajiba 747–1809 2000;

Sources

* Jean-Louis Michon: Le soufi marocain Ah̥mad Ibn 'Ajība (1746–1809) et son "Mi'rāj" (glossaire de la mystique musulmane). Paris : J. Vrin, 1990 (Etudes musulmanes, 14) (Review (1) (2) / Kat.). * Florian A.G. Lützen: Sufitum und Theologie bei Aḥmad Ibn ʿAǧība – Eine Studie zur Methode des Religionsbegriffs, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020. * Ḥasan ʿAzzūzī: Al-Shaykh Aḥmad Ibn ʿAjība wa manhajuhū fī al-tafsīr, 2 vols., Rabat: Maṭbaʿat Faḍāla, 2001. * Mahmut Ay: Ahmed b. Acîbe ve işârî tefsir açisindan „El-Bahru‘l-Medîd“, PhD, University of Marmara, Istanbul, 2010. * Nūr al-dīn Nās al-Faqīh: Aḥmad Ibn ʿAjība – Shāʿir al-taṣawwuf al-Maġribī, Beirut: Books-Publisher, 2013.

External links

His page on Goodreads
Asharis Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Sunni imams Sunni Sufis Darqawi Shadhili order Mujaddid Quranic exegesis scholars Moroccan Maliki scholars Moroccan autobiographers Moroccan Sufi writers People from Tangier People from Tétouan 18th-century Moroccan people 19th-century Moroccan poets 1747 births 1809 deaths {{Sufism-stub

Biography

Works

Sources

See also

External links