Imam al-'aydarus al-akbar

His Lineage

He is Imam 'Abdullah al-'Aydarus bin Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Sakran bin Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf bin Shaykh Muhammad Mawla al-Dawilah, bin 'Ali Mawla Darak, bin 'Alawi al-Ghuyur, bin al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muham-mad, bin 'Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib Mirbat, bin 'Ali Khali' Qasam, bin 'Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Sawma'ah, bin 'Alawi, bin 'Ubaydullah, bin al-Imam al-Muhajir il-Allah Ahmad, bin 'Isa, bin Muhammad al-Naqib, bin 'Ali al-'Uraydi, bin Ja'far al-Sadiq, bin Muhammad al-Baqir, bin 'Ali Zayn al-'Abidin, bin Husayn al-Sibt, bin 'Ali bin Abu Talib and Fatimah al-Zahra’, the daughter of our Master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets .

Zanbal burial area in tarim

Imam Bahraq said that it is probable that the name “'Aydarus” is derived from the word “'aytarus,” one of the names given to a lion in the Arabic language, and just as the lion is “the king of the jungle,” likewise Imam al-'Aydarus rose above his peers to become the greatest of the awliya’ of his time.

His mother was Maryam, the daughter of al-Shaykh al-Wali Ahmad bin Muhammad Ba Rushayd.

His Life

He was born in Tarim in 811 (1408). When his grandfather Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf was given the good news of his birth, he said: “He is the Sufi of his time.” He was blessed with the nurturing of his grandfather for the first eight years of his life, as well as his father, Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Sakran, for the first ten. During these early years, he took the path of spiritual struggle and study, memorising the Qur’an and delving into the inward and outward sciences. When his father died, his uncle, Shaykh 'Umar al-Mihdar, took him under his wing and closely monitored his every step on the path to Allah. He married him to his daughter, Sayyidah 'A’ishah. Sayyidah 'A’ishah was known for her piety and closeness to Allah and was described as being “the daughter of a Qutb (Shaykh 'Umar al-Mihdar), the wife of a Qutb (Imam al-'Aydarus) and the mother of a Qutb (Imam Abu Bakr al-'Adani).”

Shaykh 'Umar al-Mihdar passed away when Imam al-'Aydarus was around 25 years old, and the 'Alawi scholars of Tarim unanimously recognised him, in spite of his protests, as their leader. From this role he expended great efforts in calling to Allah and rectifying society, often mediating with the tribal rulers of the time to prevent bloodshed. He generously received guests, helped the needy and built several mosques, the most famous of which is Masjid al-'Aydarus, in the heart of the city of Tarim. In it, his place of khalwah can be found, where he would seclude himself underground to be with his Creator.

He and his brother Shaykh 'Ali were amongst the first of the 'Alawi schol-ars to author books. Their predecessors had not done so, as their primary con-cern was their students. Imam al-'Aydarus’s most famous work is al-Kibrit al-Ahmar (The Red Sulphur), an explanation of the stations on the path to direct knowledge of Allah. He played a fundamental role in laying down the founda-tions of the 'Alawi Tariqah. He had the utmost admiration for the works of Imam al-Ghazali, especially Ihya’ 'Ulum al-Din, on the greatness of which he wrote a treatise. He said of the Ihya’: “In it is the explanation of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The one who reads it and acts upon it is guaranteed the love of Allah, His Messenger, the angels, the Prophets, Messengers and the Awliya’. Were Allah to bring the dead to life, they would only recommend the living to act upon that which is in the Ihya’.” His daily wird was la ilaha ill’Allah, Allah Allah and Hu Hu (“He”) twelve thousand times each. This is the Dhikr al-'Aydarus mentioned by his son Imam al-'Adani in his famous poem:

The remembrance of al-'Aydarus, the Qutb, polishes Rust from the hearts of the sincere

Upon taking the path, the seeker is often given this remembrance to complete. La ilaha ill’Allah is the remembrance of the heart, the seat of knowledge of Allah (ma'rifah); Allah Allah is the remembrance of the spirit, the seat of the love of Allah (mahabbah); and Hu Hu is the remembrance of the sirr (the inner secret), the seat of the witnessing of Allah (mushahadah).

Imam al-'Aydarus said: “Whoever desires divine purity must be in a state of brokenness in the depths of the night.” “Squeeze your body with spiritual strug-gle until you extract from it the oil of purity.”

His Death

The Imam died while returning to Tarim from the town of al-Shihr on 12th Ramadan 865 (1460) and was carried back to Tarim and buried in the Zanbal Cemetery. A dome was later erected over his grave. He left behind four sons – Abu Bakr (al-'Adani), 'Alawi, Shaykh and Husayn – and four daughters – Ruqayyah, Khadijah, Umm Kulthum and Bahiyyah. From his progeny came forth many great imams who carried the name of al-'Aydarus. He thus be-came known as “al-'Aydarus al-Akbar,” as he was the first and the greatest to be known as al-'Aydarus and to distinguish him from those who came after him. May Allah give us the strongest of attachments to him, an attachment which benefits us in this life and the next.