Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Sakandari
A Sufi, 'Alim and Faqih
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.v9i1.26764Keywords:
Sufism, social peace, political turmoilAbstract
Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Sakandari (d 1309) is known as the true founder of the Šadhili Madhhab. Little is known about his role in creating both social peace and political stability in Mamluk Egypt. Comparing him to Ibrahim al-Dusuqi , I will study three aspects of this role. First, I will study his introduction of a new model of the Sufi-the Faqih vis-à-vis the Sufi-the Theologian, a model that created reconciliation between the two historical enemies: the Sufis and the Jurists. Second, Ibn 'Ata' Allah moved from Alexandria to Cairo to be a teacher at al-Azhar University, turning Sufism into a respected discipline, and closing the gap between urban Islam and periphery Islam. Third, he forged a political alliance with Sultan Qalawun that saved the Sultan enough popular support to create political stability after long years of political turmoil.
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