Grand Shaykh Ibrahim Al- Battawi
A Life Truly Spent Entirely For Allah



Shaykh 'Ibrahim Muhammad al-Battawi 'Abu Dhikri
1924 - 2009 ~ 1342 - 1430

We are taught that no one truly knew the Prophet (‘alayhi salat wa salam) as he could be known, because they had not reached his rank - and that only one of his rank could truly know him. Yet, we are taught that those who knew him best were the Companions, Allah be well pleased with them. We are likewise reminded that no one knew the Companions as they truly were, for the same reason, but that the next generation knew them best.

How incredible it is, therefore, to speak of the teacher, the shaykh, the 'alim, the lover of Allah and His Prophet - for truly, we were not of his rank, in order to really know him.

 He was Shaykh Ibrahim Muhammad al-Battawi Abu-Dhikri. His ancestors, from the sadah of the Prophet Muhammad,‘alayhi salat wa salam, came to Egypt from the Maghreb in the time of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi. The intention behind their hijrah to Egypt was restore ‘ilm according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamma' in that land which had lost much of it, due to the rule of the Fatimids.

He was a contemporary of Shaykh Abdal-Halim Mahmud, the great mujaddid of the 20th century in Egypt, and Shaykh al-Azhar. Shaykh Ibrahim was himself an Azhari, in a time when Azhar was not being assaulted by so many quarters. Like his Moroccan ancestors, he was a Maliki ‘alim, but he taught the works of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali for some 25 years in the Azhar, as Professor in the Department of Speculative Theology and Philosophy in the Azhar, and became fully acquainted with the madhhab of Imam al-Shafi'i. Like any scholar of worth in the Azhar, he also had familiarity with other madhhabs, particularly the Hanafi school.

 As an Azhari of the time, he was, of course, an adherent to the Ash'ari approach in speculative theology. These markers set him apart as a true adherent to the turath of Sunni Islam - and he never failed to be an example of that tradition.

 But the way in which we knew him was not in this academic of fashions - but in his role as a shaykh in the tariqah of Imam Abu-l-Hasan al-Shadhuli. Verily, he may have taught the works of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, the Imam of the Sufis on the path of muraqabah, or ‘those who worship Allah even if they did not see Him, for they know He Sees them'. But that was for the external practice of Islam - for Shaykh Ibrahim al-Battawi, Allah be well pleased with him, was a man of jadhb, of ‘attraction', and followed inwardly the way of the Imam of the Sufis on the path of jadhb, of those who  ‘worshipped Allah as though they saw Him'.

It was to this path Shaykh Ibrahim dedicated himself for most of his long life, in the service of his Lord. Shaykh Ibrahim was first a disciple of the great mujaddid of the Sufi ways in Egypt, Sidi Salama al-Radi - the shaykh of the Hamdiyyah-Shadhuliyyah tariqah. That noble shaykh was an inheritor of Imam Abu-l-Hasan al-Shadhuli. Most recognise the line as going through Sidi Abu-l-Abbas al-Mursi, who was Imam al-Shadhuli's sole successor, and then through Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari, the author of the famous ‘Hikam' - but they often neglect that while Sidi Ibn Ata'illah was the transmitter of the ‘written teachings' of the tariqah, there was another successor of Sidi Abu-l-Abbas. Sidi Yaqut al-Arsh was the transmitter of the ‘oral teachings', which have not been written down, and are passed only from shaykh to student by word of mouth. I remember going to the many bookstores around the Azhar masjid in Cairo, trying to find anything written by Sidi Yaqut, or written on him, and being told quite bluntly - there is nothing we have, and it is well known there is practically nothing written about this great lover of the Divine.

It was through this rare line that Sidi Salama is known in particular for inheriting. Sidi Salama, may Allah be well pleased with him, named Shaykh Ibrahim as ‘Shaykh al-Effendi' and instructed him to take care of the non-Egyptian Muslims who came through Egypt.

Shaykh Ibrahim was in his 20s at the time.

So it came to pass that Shaykh Ibrahim became the shaykh of many Muslims from all corners of the earth, who had come to Egypt to study at the Azhar. He inherited the tariqah not only through Sidi Salama, but also from the noble Darqawi master, Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alawi, who in some way or another is the shaykh of so many Sufi masters of the 20th century; the great inheritor of the Badawi way, Sidi Muhammad ibn al-Habib; and the great Sidi Ali Nur al-Din al-Yashruti, may Allah be well pleased with them all.

One should also keep in mind - Shaykh Ibrahim was a professor in what is well known to be the most difficult department at the Azhar. Shaykh Abdal Halim Mahmud, the great Shaykh al-Azhar and a contemporary of Shaykh Ibrahim, had graduated himself from that department. Every year, he would identify a few students who appeared to be attracted to certain principles, and would teach them privately at the small zawiyah that was housed a few minutes down from the Azhar mosque in Old Cairo. Here, he would focus on transmitting the knowledge of classical books of the Islamic canon in the traditional manner, where the student would recite, and he would clarify the meanings of the words as time went on.

In that zawiyah, the hadrah might be held - although in recent years, that zawiyah became less common as a meeting place, as he focused on the second zawiyah in Heliopolis, which was also a mosque in one of the new suburbs of Cairo. There, he had also built a hostel for students, as well as a clinic for taking care of the sick; such was the model he followed when building mosques all around Cairo and further.

When one drank tea after attending his hadrah, which was always sublime, peaceful and somber, yet powerful and elegant, one could chat to Indonesians, Turks, Russians, Britons, Pakistanis, Americans, and those of other nations. It was in this way that his teachings reached Korea and Singapore, England and America. Not all of those who attended the hadrah would be his murids - they could be from other tariqahs, and his murids were also able to attend other tariqah's gatherings. Not that he had that many all at once - in fact, he usually had only a small number at any one time, whom he would focus upon. Once he was satisfied they had the tools to live as true conscious Muslims inwardly and outwardly in this world of temptation, he would permit himself to take on more students to focus upon, leaving the rest to work on their nafs with the tools he had provided them with.

We are taught that no one truly knew the Prophet (‘alayhi salat wa salam) as he could be known, because they had not reached his rank – and that only one of his rank could truly know him. Yet, we are taught that those who knew him best were the Companions, Allah be well pleased with them. We are likewise reminded that no one knew the Companions as they truly were, for the same reason, but that the next generation knew them best.  

How incredible it is, therefore, to speak of the teacher, the shaykh, the ‘alim, the lover of Allah and His Prophet – for truly, we were not of his rank, in order to really know him.  

He was Shaykh Ibrahim Muhammad al-Battawi Abu-Dhikri. His ancestors, from the sadah of the Prophet Muhammad, ‘alayhi salat wa salam, through his grandson Hassan, ‘radi Allahu anhu, came to Egypt from the Maghreb in the time of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi. The intention behind their hijrah to Egypt was restore ‘ilm according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamma’ in that land which had lost much of it, due to the rule of the Fatimids.  

He was a contemporary and warm friend of the Egyptian Shaykh Muhammad Metawali al-Sha’rawi and Imam al-Akbar al-Shaykh Abdal-Halim Mahmud, the great mujaddid of the 20^th century in Egypt. The former is well known as one of the most famous da’is of the 20^th century, and the latter as the Shaykh al-Azhar, who was himself a Shadhuli shaykh, and delivered tasawuf in a particular way to a society that desperately needed it after colonialism. Shaykh Ibrahim al-Battawi was also a close associate of Shaykh al-Sayyid Muhammad bin al-Alawi al-Maliki, the great muhaddith of Mecca, and a Sufi shaykh of great prominence. 

Shaykh Ibrahim was a teacher of the Azhar, in a time when Azhar was not being assaulted by so many quarters. Like his Moroccan ancestors, he was a Maliki ‘alim, but he taught the works of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali for some 25 years in the Azhar, as Professor in the Department of Speculative Theology and Philosophy (‘aqidah wa-l-falsafah) in the Azhar, and became fully acquainted with the madhhab of Imam al-Shafi’i. Like any scholar of worth in the Azhar, he also had familiarity with other madhhabs, particularly the Hanafi school.  

Like all who bore witness to Azhar’s tradition, he was, of course, an adherent to the Ash’ari approach in speculative theology. These markers set him apart as a true adherent to the turath of Sunni Islam – and he never failed to be an example of that tradition.  

But the way in which we knew him was not in this academic of fashions – but in his role as a shaykh in the tariqah of Imam Abu-l-Hasan al-Shadhuli. Verily, he may have taught the works of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, the Imam of the Sufis on the path of muraqabah, or those who ‘worship Allah even if they did not see Him, for they know He Sees them’. But that was for the external practice of Islam – for Shaykh Ibrahim al-Battawi, Allah be well pleased with him, was a man of jadhb, of ‘attraction’, and followed inwardly the way of the Imam of the Sufis on the path of jadhb, of those who ‘worshipped Allah as though they saw Him’. 

That Imam of the Sufis on the path of jadhb was Imam Abu-l-Hasan al-Shadhuli, and it was to this path Shaykh Ibrahim dedicated himself for most of his long life, in the service of his Lord. Shaykh Ibrahim was first a disciple of the great mujaddid of the Sufi ways in Egypt, Sidi Salama al-Radi – the shaykh of the Hamdiyyah-Shadhuliyyah tariqah. Most recognise the line as going through Sidi Abu-l-Abbas al-Mursi, who was Imam al-Shadhuli’s sole successor, and then through Ibn Ata’illah al-Iskandari, the author of the famous ‘Hikam’ – but they often neglect that while Sidi Ibn Ata’illah was the transmitter of the ‘written teachings’ of the tariqah, there was another successor of Sidi Abu-l-Abbas. Sidi Yaqut al-Arsh was the transmitter of the ‘oral teachings’, which have not been written down, and are passed only from shaykh to student by word of mouth. I remember going to the many bookstores around the Azhar masjid in Cairo, trying to find anything written by Sidi Yaqut, or written on him, and being told quite bluntly – there is nothing we have, and it is well known there is very little written about this great lover of the Divine.  

It was through this rare line that Sidi Salama is known in particular for inheriting. Sidi Salama al-Radi, may Allah be well pleased with him, was the one who authorised Shaykh Ibrahim al-Battawi as a shaykh in the Shadhuliyyah, named him as ‘Shaykh al-Effendi’ and instructed him to take care of the non-Egyptian Muslims who came through Egypt.  

Shaykh Ibrahim was in his 20s at the time.  

So, it came to pass that Shaykh Ibrahim became the shaykh of many Muslims from all corners of the earth, who had come to Egypt to study at the Azhar.  

One should also keep in mind – Shaykh Ibrahim was a professor in what is well known to be the most difficult department at the Azhar. Every year, he would identify a few students who appeared to be attracted to certain principles, and would teach them privately at the small zawiyah that was housed a few minutes down from the Azhar mosque in Old Cairo. Here, he would focus on transmitting the knowledge of classical books of the Islamic canon in the traditional manner, where the student would recite, and he would clarify the meanings of the words as time went on. 

In that zawiyah, the hadrah might be held – although in recent years, that zawiyah became less common as a meeting place, as he focused on the second zawiyah in Heliopolis, which was also a mosque in one of the new suburbs of Cairo. There, he had also built a hostel for students, as well as a clinic for taking care of the sick; such was the model he followed when building mosques all around Cairo and further. 

His students were literally from all around the world. They did not come to him out of a note of his fame, for he stuck very strictly to the doctrine of transparency of the Shadhuliyyah – what a great Shaykh of that way described as ‘More glow… and less show.’ And certainly, Shaykh Ibrahim was glowing. It was out of respect for this teaching in particular, that I shy away from personally identifying myself when speaking of this way – for truly the way is far more important than this incredibly imperfect example of an aspirant.  

When one drank tea after attending his hadrah, which was always sublime, peaceful and somber, yet powerful and elegant, one could chat to Indonesians, Turks, Russians, Britons, Pakistanis, Americans, and those of other nations. It was in this way that his teachings reached Korea and Singapore, England and America. Not all of those who attended the hadrah would be his murids – they could be from other tariqahs, and his murids were also able to attend other tariqah’s gatherings. Not that he had that many all at once – in fact, he usually had only a small number at any one time, whom he would focus upon. Once he was satisfied they had the tools to live as true conscious Muslims inwardly and outwardly in this world of temptation, he would permit himself to take on more students to focus upon, leaving the rest to work on their nafs with the tools he had provided them with.  

He lived incredibly simply, but he was wealthy inside – and indeed, much of his external lack of wealth was due to the amount of money he constantly gave to his poorer students and others. He often gave the khutbah in the mosque of Sidi Ibn Ata’illah, his ancestral teacher in one of the lines that he inherited the Shadhuli tariqah from. He often visited the cities of Makkah and Madinah, for a long time doing it on a yearly basis.  

He was always easy to access. I myself took many people to see him – men and women, young and old, and he was always generous with his time to meet people. He was stern when it came to infringements against the religion, but he was sweet with any person who came to see him. It was my pleasure and my honour to be able to hold his tea, or to help him in any way – for one could not help but see him as someone latif and sweet. 

His way was simple. He called for attachment to the shari’ah, and living according to it in one’s life, abhorring any suggestion that success in tasawuf could be reached outside the realm of the shari’ah and the tradition of this religion of Islam. He clearly said, without any doubt, that one of the conditions of his way was to guide people to the truth of Islam through love, and he emphasised ‘love’ very strongly. He specifically warned against taking any price or profit in dunya for this work; this work is for Allah, and for Allah alone, with absolute sincerity. Shaykh Ibrahim was very transparent on his belief that all actions should be solely for Allah, with ikhlas and not for any profit in this dunya. He insisted his students spend a portion of their day studying the disciplines of the deen, and thus increase in ‘ilm, whether in sirah, tarikh, fiqh, tafsir, ahadith or other texts on tasawuf. Important to his method was that the student also set aside reading from the book of Allah, so as to ‘feel the meaning in (one’s) blood, (so) that it flows to your cells.’ He reminded his students to pay attention to their dreams, which the Prophet himself, ‘alayhi salat wa salam, described as a part of prophecy. He turned their attention to the orisons of Imam Abu-l-Hasan al-Shadhuli, certain in the value of these collections of du’as and ayat from the Qur’an, describing them as ‘necessary’ and ‘light’ from the Prophet, ‘alayhi salat wa salam. 

Shaykh Ibrahim al-Battawi was taken from us in this world on the 14^th of Rajab, 1430 hijri, surrounded by his family in Cairo, on the same day that Sayyidah Zainab, the granddaughter of the Prophet, ‘alayhi salat wa salam, passed on some 1368 years before, also in Cairo. It was also on the night of the hadrah, that serene and subtle gathering in the remembrance of Allah that he revived for so many who did not know of it before. 

He leaves behind 5 sons, 2 daughters, a wife, many khulafa’ and many more murids in the way of the tariqah. A week after his passing, some of the Egyptian brethren came together, and pledged that his long-time friend and khalifah, Dr Mo’ataz El-Marzouky would be the shaykh of the Cairo zawiyah. In this sense, he fills the void left in terms of continuing the majalis of the Cairo zawiyah, but never would anyone be able to replace Shaykh Ibrahim, the Sufi ‘alim who exemplified Egyptian tasawuf in the 20^th century.  

Shaykh Ibrahim’s khulafa were all over the world, and their work continues, growing out of the care he had for them, and the concern he had for their future. Upon his passing, it became clear that his teaching, though sprung from the same seed, would germinate and mature into remarkably unique trees in different climates: so was his intention, I think. 

The last book he read before he passed on (or rather, had read to him, for at that point he was already quite weak) was a collection of the awrad of his tariqah that was compiled by one of his foreign students. Up until his last few minutes of life, he was praising his Lord, continuously saying ‘al-hamdulillah’; his last words were ‘wa ‘alaykum al-salam wa rahmutullah wa barakatuh’: “And upon you be peace, and the mercy of God, and His grace.” 

We may never see the likes of him again, but as he reminded one of his students, ‘in the realm of the spirit (ruh), distance means nothing.’  

Wa-l-hamdulillah.  

al-faqir al-shadhuli