Al-Zaylai (''Abd al-Raḥman bin Aḥmad al-Zaylai'' ) (1820–1882) was a
Somali scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the
Qadiriyyah
The Qadiriyya () or the Qadiri order () is a Sunni Sufi order (''Tariqa'') founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166, also transliterated ''Jilani''), who was a Hanbali scholar from Gilan, Iran.
The order, with its many sub-orders, is wides ...
Sufi order in
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
and
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
.
Born in the rural village of Kodle in the Bakool region northwest of
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
, he studied elementary
ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to:
Acronyms
* Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product
* '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1
* Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets
* Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion p ...
under the supervision of the local
Ulema
In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.
"Ulama ...
,
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
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
. Upon returning to his home village, he established a community of pupils nea
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
Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anima ...
, the religious elite, and the villagers of the interior.
See also
*
Uways al-Barawi
Sheikh Uways Al-Barawi (; 1847–1909) was a Somali scholar credited with reviving Islam in 19th century East Africa. Biography Early life
Sheikh Uways was born in Barawa during the Geledi Sultanate period on the Benadir of Somalia coast, the so ...
*
Zeila
Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland.
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...
References
*
1820 births
1882 deaths
Somalian religious leaders
19th-century Somali people
Somalian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Ethnic Somali people
Scholars of precolonial East Africa
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