CHAPTER I
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF AS-SANŪSĪ

  1. Sources referred to:
    1. Principal
    2. Secondary
  2. The historical background against which he lived
  3. Events of his life:
    1. Name, dates and family
    2. Indications of character
  4. His intellectual contacts:
    1. His masters
    2. His contemporaries
    3. His students
    4. The spread of his works to West Africa
  5. His works

A. Sources referred to

a. Principal

1) Al-Mallālī. The major source for the life of as-Sanūsī is the work of his student M. b. `U. b. I. al-Mallālī, al-Mawāhib al-quddūsiyya fī l-manāqib as-sanūsiyya, finished at the beginning of Jum. II 899/ March 1494. It is a long work the Bibliothčque Nationale manuscript 6897, used for this thesis, contains 122 folios at 31 lines per page but is so filled with excursuses on all topics of Islamic learning and selections from as-Sanūsī's works that little room is left for biography. The biographical material itself is rather a description of the model shaykh, illustrated by incidents cast by the admiring disciple into ideal shapes where facts are few and hard to discern.

An idea of the book's contents can be had from the chapter titles, with the folio references of the Paris manuscript:

  1. His masters (5a-16a)
  2. His discernments and wonders (16a-24b)
  3. His learning, asceticism, preaching, piety, zeal, kindness, patience, propriety of action and character
  4. (24b-74b)
  5. His writings (74b-79b)
  6. His explanations of various Qur'ān verses (79b-95b)
  7. His explanation of various Œadīths (95b-108b)
  8. His explanation of certain sufic verses (108b-112a)
  9. Various wirds which he wrote for people (112a-116a)
  10. His last illness and death (116a-b)
  11. Poems written by him or about him (116b-121b)

2) Ibn-`Askar. The only other independent Arabic source is a. `Al. M. b. `A. b. `U. b. al-„u. b. MiŖbāŒ al-„asanī, known as Ibn-`Askar, DawŒat an-nāshir li-maŒāsin man kān min al-Maghrib min ahl al-qarn al-`āshir, written in 985/ 1577. The Bibliothčque Nationale manuscript 5025, used in this thesis, contains 76 folios, of which ff. 67b to 68a are dedicated to as-Sanūsī. This work was loosely translated by T.H. Weir, in The shaikhs of Morocco in the sixteenth century (Edinburgh: Morton, 1904); the section on as-Sanūsī is on pp. 34-38.

3) Brosselard, Charles, "Tombeau du Cid Mohammed es-Senouci et son frčre le Cid Ali et-Tallouti," Revue africaine, v. 3, n. 16 (April 1859), pp. 245-248. This work settles the date of as-Sanūsī's death from the evidence of his tombstone.

4) GAL, that is, Brockelmann, Carl, Geschichte der Arabischen Litteratur (Leiden: Brill, finished 1942). The sections on as-Sanūsī, II, pp. 250-252, and SII, pp. 352-356, however inadequate, are yet valuable for locating not only works long known to be of as-Sanūsī, but also other works not mentioned in his biographies.

b. Secondary

1) A. al-`Ubbādī wrote a brief biography of as-Sanūsī in 991/ 1583, which was translated by Charles Brosselard in "Retour ą Sidi Senouci - Inscriptions de ses deux mosquées," Revue africaine, v. 5, n. 28 (July 1861), pp. 241-260; the translation occupies pp. 243-248. The manuscript, as Brosselard describes it, consists of four folios bound with a collection of other works, and, to judge from the materials it contains and a reference to al-Mallālī, is merely an abridgement of al-Mallālī, except for adding another possible date of birth.

2) AB, that is, a. l-`Abbās AŒmad Bābā b. A. b. A. b. `U. b. M. Aqīt b. `U b. `A. b. Yy. aŖ-Ąinhājī l-Māsinī t-Tinbuktī. He wrote an abridgement of al-Mallālī, called al-La'ālī s-sundusiyya fī l-fa²ā'il as-sanūsiyya, not used in this thesis.

The work referred to as "AB" is his voluminous collection of biographies entitled Nayl al-ibtihāj bi-ta³rīz ad-Dībāj, completed "after 7 Jum. I 1005"/ 28 Dec. 1596. It is itself a supplement to ad-Dībāj al-mudhahhab fī ma`rifa a`yān `ulamā' al-madhhab of I. b. `A. b. M. b. FarŒūn. In the printed edition (Cairo: `Abbās b. `Abdassalām b. Shaqrūn, 1351/ 1932-3) the section on as-Sanūsī goes from p. 325 to p. 329. This work is also a primary source for many of the contemporaries of as-Sanūsī.

A third work, not used in this thesis, is Kifāyat al-muŒtāj li-ma`rifa man lays fī d-Dībāj. It also touches upon as-Sanūsī, but is only a popular abridgement of the preceding work.

3) IM, that is, M. b. M. b. A. ash-Sharīf, known as Ibn-Maryam, al-Bustān fī dhikr al-awliyā' wa-l-`ulamā' bi-Tilimsān, completed in 1011/ 1602-3. In the edition by Ben Cheneb (Algiers: al-Ma³ba`a ath-tha`ālibiyya, 1326/ 1908), pages 237-248 copy, with some few variants, the section on as-Sanūsī in AB. This work gives information on many individuals not included in AB.

4) Bargčs, J.J.L., in his Complément de l'histoire des Beni-Zeiyan (Paris, 1887), pp. 366-379, gives a resumé of the life of as-Sanūsī which contains nothing new. The book is useful, however, for information on the times in which he lived.

5) Ben Cheneb, Mohammed, wrote the article "al-Sanūsī" for the first Encyclopaedia of Islam, which adds nothing new.

More important is his "Étude sur les personnages mentionnés dans l'idjāza du cheikh `Abd el Qādir al-Fāsy," in Actes du XIVe congrčs internatioal des orientalistes, Alger 1905, troisičme partie, suite (Paris: Leroux, 1908), pp. 168-560. Besides giving 360 biographies as-Sanūsī is n. 55 this work describes an ijāza which gives information on how as-Sanūsī's works were transmitted through his principal students.

B. The historical background against which he lived

As-Sanūsī's works and al-Mallālī's biography tell us very little about the political situation of the city of Tilimsān, where he was born, lived and die. As-Sanūsī only gives a hint when he speaks of "this difficult time wherein the sea of ignorance overflows, and falsehood has spread beyond limits and thrown in every direction of the earth waves of denial of the truth, hatred for those who hold the truth, and coloring over of falsehood with deceptive trappings." Although these words apply strictly to the state of religious learning, in an Islamic state this is inseparable from political well-being.

The dynasty Banū-Zayyān, of the tribe Banū-`Abd-al-Wād, ruled Tilimsān throughout the lifetime of as-Sanūsī. To begin with the years of turmoil just preceding his birth, we have the following members of the dynasty who would have closely affected his life:

1) Abū-Mālik `AbdalwāŒid b. a. „ammū Mūsā, with the help of the Sultan of Fez, overthrew his brother on 16 Rajab 814/ 3 Nov. 1411. His rule went rather well until Abū-Fāris, the „afŖid Sultan of Tunis, who regarded Tilimsān as his dependency, deposed him on the grounds of fiscal maladministration. Abū-Fāris entered Tilimsān on 13 Jum. II 827/ 12 May 1424, and appointed Abū-Mālik's nephew to his place.

2) Abū-`Abdallāh M. b. a. Tāshufīn, the new ruler, soon became estranged with his master Abū-Fāris, who was occupied with war with the Europeans. In the meantime, the deposed Abū-Mālik failed to get help from Fez, and turned to Abū-Fāris, sending him emissaries and letters to sell his cause. Abū-Fāris was won over, and gave him a small army to send against Abū-`Abdallāh. In the engagement Abū-Mālik lost, and as he had foreseen, Abū-Fāris himself came out to defend his honor. Abū-Fāris place Abū-Mālik back in power over Tilimsān in Rajab 831/ April-May 1428.

Abū-Fāris had no sooner departed than Abū-`Abdallāh raised an army in the mountains, came down and retook Tilimsān on 4 Dhū-l-Q. 833/ 25 July 1430. The next day Abū-Mālik was discovered and killed. Abū-`Abdallāh's was a short victory. On hearing the news, Abū-Fāris sent his army back, and besieged Abū-`Abdallāh in the mountain fortress to which he had fled only eighty-four days after his restoration. Abū-`Abdallāh gave himself up, and was brought a prisoner to Tunis, where he died in 840/ 1436-7. In his place it seems that Abū-Fāris appointed a European mercenary, whom he left to govern for seven months before appointing a man from the traditional ruling house.

3) Abū-l-`Abbās A. b. a. „ammū Mūsā took over Tilimsān on 1 Rajab 834/ 15 March 1431. The beginning of his reign was marked with energy in endowing religious schools, punishing criminals, and establishing order and security in his domains. In 837/ 1433-4, seeing Tunis threatened by the Europeans, Abū-l-`Abbās declared himself independent. Abū-Fāris started off against him, but died before he could get there.

Another threat came from Abū-l-`Abbās' brother Abu-YaŒyā. In 838/ 1434-5 the latter mustered a force and marched upon Tilimsān. Failing to take it, he established himself in Wahrān (Oran). There were many battles between him and his brother until the month of Sha`bān 851/ Oct. 1448, when Abū-l`Abbās' army took Wahrān by storm.

In the meantime, a member of another branch of the family, Abū-Zayyān M. al-Musta`īn bi-llāh, left Tunis with an army and took Algiers on 19 Rajab 842/ 4 Jan. 1439. Abū-Zayyān was assassinated by the population of Algiers on 2 Shawwāl 843/ 7 March 1440, but his son al-Mutawakkil continued the conquest as far west as Wahrān. Tilimsān was weakening. Although an insurrection which took place in the city on 27 Ram. 850/ 16 Dec. 1446 was unsuccessful, the regional chiefs and nomadic Arabs dependent on Tilimsān proceeded to revolt, leaving the region in anarchy. Into this situation al-Mutawakkil moved his army, and took Tilimsān on 1 Jum. I 866/ 1 Feb. 1462. Abū-l-`Abbās was exiled to Granada.

4) Abū-`Al. M. al-Mutawakkil `alā llāh b. a. Zayyān M. b. a. Thābit b. a. Tāshufīn b. a. „ammū Mūsā (II) b. a. Yq. b. a. Zayd b. Zk. b. a. Yy. Yaghmurāsan, only a few months after taking over Tilimsān, had to face a. `Amr `Uthmān of Tunis before the gates of Tilimsān. He accepted the overlordship of `Uthmān, who then went away.

Soon afterwards the deposed Abū-l-`Abbās returned from Spain with an army and besieged Tilimsān for fourteen days before he was killed, on 13 Dhū-l-„. 867/ 29 Aug. 1463. The partisans of Abū-l-`Abbās then rallied around another leader, M. b. `Ar. b. a. `Uth. b. a. Tāshufīn, and tried again to take Tilimsān, but failed. Another rebellious and marauding chieftain, M. b. Ghāliya, was defeated on 13 Shawwāl 868/ 19 June 1465, and his head brought to Tilimsān.

Al-Mutawakkil tried to rule as independently as he could, but trembled and showed submission any time `Uthmān seemed to be on the move. At the end of Jum. II 868/ mid-Feb. 1464, the Qā²ī of Tilimsān, M. b. A. al-`Uqbānī arrived on one of his missions to Tunis, bringing a present from al-Mutawakkil to `Uthmān. In Dhū-l-A./ July-Aug. of the same year `Uthmān sent a gift in return.

Then, towards the middle of 870/ early 1466, a deputation of Arabs from the country of Tilimsān came to Tunis and alleged that al-Mutawakkil had thrown off his allegiance and was plotting with certain nomadic tribes. They asked to have Abū-Jamīl Zayyān b. `AbdalwāŒid b. a. „ammū as their ruler instead. The caliph agreed, and equipped the new leader with an army, which went victoriously westward until it began the siege of Tilimsān in Rabī` II 871/ Nov.-Dec. 1466. The first day a violent battle ensued, which was stopped by nightfall. The besiegers planned to take the city the next day, but were prevented from acting by a heavy rain. Then the Shaykh al-„. Abarkān and the qā²ī came out with a document of submission signed by al-Mutawakkil. The treaty made was reinforced by al-Mutawakkil's giving his daughter to `Uthmān's son. `Uthmān then turned back, leaving on 7 Sha`bān 871/ 14 March 1467.

Perhaps associated with the massacre of Jews in Fez at the end of 870/ July 1466, on the occasion of the overthrow of `Abdal-Œaqq b. Sa`īd, who had favored them and given them positions of authority, is the supposed bloody persecution of the Jews of Tilimsān in 1467. No other event is noted until the death of al-Mutawakkil in Ąafar 873/ July-Aug. 1468.

5) Abū-Tāshufīn (II), the elder son of al-Mutawakkil, succeeded him, but help power only forty days, or four months according to others, when he was deposed by his brother. 6) Abū-`Al. M. ath-Thābitī b. al-Mutawakkil, the brother of the former, continued in power until 910/ 1504. In the first year of his reign he compelled the famous writer al-Wansharīsī to flee from Tilimsān. No other events are recorded for his rule while as-Sanūsī lived. Yet it can only have been one of gradual decline, with the advance of the Spanish and Portuguese from the West, and of the Turks from the East.

C. Events of his life

a. Name, dates and family

Abū-`Abdallāh MuŒammad b. Yūsuf b. `Umar b. Shu`ayb as-Sanūsī l-„asanī died at the hour al-`aŖr on Sunday, 18 Jum. II 895/ 10 May 1490.

As for his birth, al-Mallālī says that as-Sanūsī told him a year or two before his death that he was fifty-five, which gives the year 838 or 839/ 1435-6. Al-`Ubbādī, however, says that as-Sanūsī died at the age of sixty-three, which gives the year 832/ 1428-9. AŒmad Bābā also, after quoting from al-Mallālī, says that he saw it asserted by someone (al-`Ubbādī?) who asked al-Mallālī and received the answer that as-Sanūsī died at sixty-three. Therefore he gives the date of as-Sanūsī's birth as "after 830". As-Sanūsī's relation to Ibn-Marzūq al-Œafīd suggests the later date as the more likely.

Of his relations, we hear only of his father, his half-brother `Alī, his wife, his daughter, the son of his brother, and a small grandson, the son of his daughter. Ibn-Maryam gives the biographies of a string of as-Sanūsīs whose academic chains go back to our as-Sanūsī, but there is no indication of any blood relationship to him.

Ibn-Maryam also mentions an a.-Zayd `Ar. as-Sanūsī r-Rafā`ī (alternatively "ar-Raqā`ī") dāran who, with one Būyadīr (?) b. as-Sanūsī, recounts many of the tales in as-Sanūsī's biography of al-Ghamārī, reproduced in Ibn-Maryam's work. In as-Sanūsī's biography of Abarkān, this `Ar. as-Sanūsī is said to have urged Abarkān to join him in begging Abū-Fāris' clemency during the siege of Tilimsān in the reign of a. `Al. M. b. a. Tāshufīn (Rajab 831/ April-May 1428). There is no indication of a relationship between our as-Sanūsī and these two.

b. Indications of character

Ibn-`Askar remarks that the learned men of Tilimsān admire as-Sanūsī for his perfection, holiness, and being withdrawn to God, but Ibn-Zakrī for the depth and extent of his learning. Al-Mallālī too, without minimizing as-Sanūsī's erudition, places greater emphasis on his holiness and mystic knowledge ('ulūmu-hu l-bā³iniyya al-Œaqīqiyya). Much of what al-Mallālī says is stereotyped panegyric: how much he prayed, fasted, and stayed up nights, how kind he was, and how he possessed every virtue to the fullest. But some details allow the individual character of as-Sanūsī to stand out.

Once the Sultan Abū-`Abdallāh sent his vizier a. `Al. M. al-`Ubbādī to as-Sanūsī, offering him a benefice from the revenues of al-Madras al-Jadīdiyya. As-Sanūsī's letter of refusal, given in full by al-Mallālī, politely explains that he does not need the benefice, that God takes care of him while he sets his mind on the riches of the next world, and, more pertinently, that he has no right to the revenues of the school, since he neither works there, nor lives there, nor provides it any service; to accept would be to rob others of their due. May God give the Sultan a mind for the good things of the next world.

Other stories tell how as-Sanūsī went out of his way to avoid meeting the Sultan, refused gifts from him, his son, and his officers, even while protestingly accepting gifts from ordinary people, and refused to present a tafsīr of the Qur'ān in his presence, although he consented to write to him whenever he was requested. The impression these incidents give is that as-Sanūsī avoided high political circles not merely from a sense of other-worldliness, but also because he disapproved of the holders of the political power.

This impression is confirmed by other acts of as-Sanūsī which were not revolutionary, but certainly were calculated acts of disobedience. "Anyone who committed a crime and feared from the Sultan or anyone else for his life or property fled to as-Sanūsī and stayed in his private quarters. No one dared to take the person out; even if the Sultan ordered, the Shaykh would not hand him over." As for al-Mallālī's use of the word "crime", we must remember that he was writing while al-Mutawakkil was still reigning, and would hardly accuse him overtly of punishing non-crimes. As-Sanūsī would hardly harbor a real criminal, at least against a fair process. Al-Mallālī continued with a story of how as-Sanūsī refused to hand over a terrified woman to the Sultan's messenger, even when the messenger had been sent three times to arrest the woman.

Such incidents reflect the powerful social position of a shaykh or walī as portrayed in as-Sanūsī's Manāqib al-arba`a al-muta'akhkhirīn. Sultans and princes humbly sought the advice and blessing of these holy men, and feared their curse, because of their access to divine secrets and power. Another aspect of as-Sanūsī's character was his attitude towards his opponents and critics. Al-Mallālī says that he treated even his enemies as his beloved friends, so that you could not distinguish his friends from his enemies by the way he treated them. In particular, as-Sanūsī's creeds drew a storm of opposition from many of his contemporaries, who considered them an outrageous innovation (min akbar al-bid`a). He was at first greatly disheartened by this opposition, but then gathered the strength to endure the opposition and win over his enemies by kindness and the exemplarity of his life.

One of those won over was Ibn-Zakrī. In as-Sanūsī's commentary on his first theological work, al-`Aqīda al-kubrā, with the pedantic flush of a new scholar he indelicately attacked Ibn-Zakrī on some minor points, not giving his name, but referring to him as "a certain present-day Tilimsānian, in his commentary on the `Aqīda of Ibn-„ājib". Ibn-`Askar also explains that "between Ibn-Zakrī and as-Sanūsī there were arguments and discussions (muŒāwarāt wa-mubāŒathāt) concerning the science of kalām. Ibn-Zakrī maintained that as-Sanūsī was one of his students, and when someone told that to as-Sanūsī, he said, 'By God, I did not learn more than one question from him.'" AŒmad Bābā speaks of "contention and ill-will" (munāza`a wa-mushāŒana) between them on various points, "each one answering the other; were it not for fear of length, we would mention some of them." Another point which may have discolored as-Sanūsī's view of Ibn-Zakrī is, as Ibn-`Askar remarks, that Ibn-Zakrī had a far spread reputation and great honor with kings and such like.

In as-Sanūsī's al-`Aqīda al-wus³ā and subsequent theological works he makes no further mention, directly or indirectly of Ibn-Zakrī. The relations between the two men must have then begun to improve, so that we hear from al-Mallālī of "a learned man contemporary to as-Sanūsī" coming to him in his last illness to beg pardon. Having received it, he mourned for as-Sanūsī a long time after his death. Since al-Mallālī was writing in the lifetime of Ibn-Zakrī, he does not mention him by name. Ibn-`Askar, however, identifies Ibn-Zakrī as having mourned as-Sanūsī in poems, in spite of what had gone on between them.

A point of contention involving several of as-Sanūsī's contemporaries was M. b. `Abdalkarīm al-Maghīlī's action against the Jews of Tuwāt. He had "brought upon them humiliation and degradation; moreover he had fallen upon them, fought them, and knocked down their synagogues." `Al. al-'UŖmūnī, Qā²ī of Tuwāt, condemned this action. Al-Maghīlī thereupon wrote for opinions on the question to a. 'Al. at-Tanasī, a. 'Al. ar-RaŖŖā`, Muftī of Tunis, a.Mahdī `Īsā l-Māwāsī, Muftī of Fez, A. b. Zakrī, Muftī of Tilimsān, al-Qā²ī a. Zk. Yy. b. a. l-Barakāt al-Ghamārī t-Tilimsānī, `Ar. b. Sab` at-Tilimsānī, and as-Sanūsī.

As-Sanūsī replied praising at-Tansasī, who alone, among the others consulted, sustained al-Maghīlī's action. On receiving the replies of as-Sanūsī and at-Tanasī, al-Maghīlī went ahead and ordered his band to demolish the synagogues, killing anyone who opposed them. No one opposed them. Then he said, "Anyone who kills a Jew will have seven weights of gold from me;" and this was done. Whether as-Sanūsī approved of the murders, we do not know. In any case, the incident reflects his bigotry against any but Ash`arite Sunnite Muslims, at least in his earlier works.

As-Sanūsī's fame spread to the East and the West in his own lifetime. He remained active until the end, expressing the desire two days before his final illness to retire from teaching in the mosque because it was too distracting. He was bedridden ten days before dying.

D. His intellectual contacts

Although as-Sanūsī praises traveling in search of knowledge, the only travel we know he made was to Algiers and Wahrān, where he met I. at-Tāzī. The only other indirect reference to any travel is al-Mallālī's remark that as-Sanūsī wore black shoes instead of his usual sandals when he was going far. Except for I. at-Tāzī, it can be presumed that all those listed below had contact with as-Sanūsī only in Tilimsān.

a. His masters

The order here followed is that of al-Mallālī, chapter 1. In their biographies of as-Sanūsī, AŒmad Bābā and Ibn-Maryam give the same names but in different order. Ibn-`Askar gives only some of these names, and some others of his own, placed at the end of this list.

  1. Abū-Yq. Yūsuf b. `U. b. Shu`ayb as-Sanūsī l-„asanī taught his son when he was small how to recite part of the Qur'ān.
  2. NaŖr az-Zawāwī, one of the greatest students of M. b. Marzūq (al-Œafīd), but not originally of Tilimsān, taught him Arabic.
  3. Abū-`Al. M. b. Q. b. Tūnart a-Ąinhājī t-Tilimsānī taught him arithmetic (Œisāb) and inheritance laws (farā`i²). As-Sanūsī said that he could not understand his lectures, and received private tutoring from him at night.
  4. Abū-l-„. `A. b. M. b. M. b. `A. al-Qurashī l-Basa³ī, known as al-QalaŖādī, moved from Spain to Tilimsān before 831/ 1427-8, from there to Tunis before 17 Jum. 851/ 1 Aug. 1447, from Tunis to Cairo and Mecca, then back to Granada, and finally to Bāja, in Tunisia, where he died in the middle of Dhū-l-„. 891/ dearly Dec. 1486. The author of fifty-three works, which AŒmad Bābā lists, he taught as-Sanūsī arithmetic and inheritance laws, possibly during his stay in Tilimsān on the way to Tunis.
  5. Abū-l-„ajjāj Yūsuf b. a. l-`Abbās A. b. M. ash-Sharīf al-„asanī taught him the seven readings of the Qur'ān, completing with him two recitations and a good part of a third. As-Sanūsī mentions this master in the commentary he began on the Qur'ān.
  6. Abū-`Al. M. b. A. b. `Īsā l-Maghīlī t-Tilimsānī, known as al-Jallāb, whose specialty was legal opinions (fatāw), died in 875/ 1470-1. He taught as-Sanūsī the Mudawwana.
  7. Abū-`Al. M. b. A. b. Yy. b. al-„abbāk at-Tilimsānī, one of whose specialties was the astrolabe, died in 867/ 1482. Having studied this under him, as-Sanūsī wrote a commentary on his treatise on this instrument.
  8. Abū-`Al. M. b. al-`Abbās b. M. b. `Īsā l-`Ubbādī t-Tilimsānī, author of three works listed by AŒmad Bābā, died in 871/ 1466-7. He taught as-Sanūsī a bit of the fundamentals of religious science (uŖūl), and covered with him the Jumal of al-Khūnajī from beginning to end.
  9. Abū-l-„. `Alī b. M. at=Talūtī l-AnŖārī, a half-brother of as-Sanūsī on his mother's side, died on Tuesday night, 5 Ąafar 895/ 29 Dec. 1489. He taught as-Sanūsī in the latter's youth the Risāla of Ibn-a. Zayd al-Qayrawānī.
  10. Al-„. b. Makhlūq b. Mas`ūd b. Sa`d b. Sa`īd al-Mazīlī r-Rāshidī, known as Abarkān, and famous primarily as a holy man, died at the end of Shawwāl 857/ the beginning of Nov. 1453, at the age of nearly one hundred years. As-Sanūsī attended his teaching without studying any particular book, although his half-brother `Alī studied the Risāla of Ibn-a. Zayd al-Qayrawānī under Abarkān.
    As-Sanūsī's biography of Abarkān relates incidents which as-Sanūsī no doubt admired as typifying the social position of a shaykh: Abarkān refused gifts from the Sultans Abū-`Abdallāh and Abū-Fāris. By his prayer and divine intervention, a man was freed from Abū-`Abdallāh's prison and gained sanctuary with Abū-Fāris. Again by his prayer, Abū-Fāris had a dream deterring him from his plan to deliver Tilimsān to pillage for three days because it did not open its gates to him in time.The Sultan Abū-l-`Abbās also sought him out, but when he came to see Abarkān during his teaching, Abarkān paid no attention to his visitor, and made him wait.
  11. Abū-l-Q. al-Kanbāshī l-Bijā`ī t-Tilimsānī taught as-Sanūsī and his half brother `Alī tawŒīd, specifically, the Irshād of Imām-al-„aramayn, and gave them an ijāza for all that he had to pass on. It is too bad we know so little of this source of as-Sanūsī's knowledge of theology.
  12. Abū-Zayd `Ar. b. M. b. Makhlūf ath-Tha`ālibī l-Jazā'irī was born, according to AŒmad Bābā's calculations, in 786 or 787/ between Feb. 1384 and Jan. 1386. He studied under various masters, whom AŒmad Bābā lists, going from Algiers to Bijāya (Bougie) in 802/ 1399-1400, from there to Tunis in 809 or the beginning of 810/ 1407, then to Egypt, and back to Tunis in 819/ 1416-7, dying in 875/ 1470-1. The author of seventeen works, listed by al-Mallālī and AŒmad Bābā, he taught as-Sanūsī the ĄaŒīŒ of al-Bukhārī, that of Muslim, and other works of Œadīth, giving him an ijāza. Al-Mallālī remarks that he was also interested in medicine, as was as-Sanūsī.
  13. Abū-Sālim a. IsŒāq I. b. M. b. `A. al-Lanatī t-Tāzī l-Wahrānī was one of the leading sufis of his time. He had various sufic and academic masters in his home town of Tāzā, on pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina in 831/ 1427, then in Tunis, in Tilimsān before 14 Sha`bān 842/ 30 Jan. 1439, and in Wahrān before 843/ 1439-40, dying on Sunday, 9 Sha`bān 866/ 9 May 1462. Al-Mallālī says that when as-Sanūsī came from Algiers, he entered the city of Wahrān, and sat by the Shaykh I. at-Tāzī for about twenty-five days; during these days the Shaykh I. at-Tāzī robed as-Sanūsī with the noble, bright and purified khirqa. Al-Mallālī then reports the chain of men from whom at-Tāzī received the khirqa, all the way back to MuŒammad, and gives similar chains with Œadīth explanations, for other sufic blessings given to as-Sanūsī, such as a²-²iyāfa (which consists in giving the guest Murīd dates and water), al-muŖāfaŒa (the clasping of hands), al-mushābaka (the passing of a rosary), talqīn adh-dhikr (the transmission of a sufic prayer), and finally, the spitting into his mouth.
  14. Al-Mallālī says that there are other alleged masters of as-Sanūsī, but that he omitted mentioning them because there is no certainty about them, whereas the previous were mentioned and praised by as-Sanūsī and his half-brother `Alī. Ibn-`Askar names some others as masters of as-Sanūsī:
    "Al-`ālim ar-raŒŒāl al-Ubbalī, who was the first to introduce the science of kalām to the Maghrib in recent times," that is, M. b. I. b. A. al-`Abdarī t-Tilimsānī, known as al-Ubbalī. He could not have taught as-Sanūsī, since he died in 757/ 1356.
  15. "Abū-`Al. Marzūq, the commentator of the Burda," that is, a. `Al. M. b. A. b. M. b. A. b. M. b. M. b. a. B. b. Marzūq al-Œafīd al-`Ajīsī t-Tilimsānī, who wrote three commentaries on the Burda, and died on 14 Sah`bān 842/ 30 Jan. 1439. Ibn-Marzūq's `Aqīda was the unacknowledged model and basis of as-Sanūsī's al-`Aqīda al-kubrā, and one of his commentaries on the Burda is quoted in as-Sanūsī's commentary on the poem of al-Jazā'irī. As-Sanūsī could have heard him as a boy of ten years old if he were born in 832, but in none of his theological works does he claim this famous name among his teachers. It is probable, therefore, that as-Sanūsī was born rather in 838-9.
  16. "Ash-shaykh a. l-`Abbās A. b. Zā`." I haven't a clue who he may be.
  17. "Ash-shaykh a. `Al. Qarqār." Nor have I any idea who this person may be.
  18. "Ash-shaykh a. `Uth. Q. al-`Uqbānī," who should be a. l-Fa²l a. l-Q. Q. b. Sa`īd b. M. al-`Uqbānī t-Tilimsānī; "Abū-`Uth." is the kunya of his father Sa`īd. Qāsim al-`Uqbānī was a muftī and qā²ī in Tilimsān who held some opinions differing from Mālikī law, and was opposed by Ibn-Marzūq al-Œafīd; he died in Dhū-l-Q. 854/ Dec. 1450- Jan. 1451. As-Sanūsī certainly had the opportunity to study under him, but perhaps did not claim him as one of his masters because of his unorthodox opinions.
  19. One who can be presumed to have been a master of as-Sanūsī, even though he is not mentioned by al-Mallālī or Ibn-`Askar is:
    A. b. al-„. al-Ghamārī, a sufi, the wonders of whose life as-Sanūsī relates in his Manāqib al-arba`a al-muta'akhkhirīn. He died on 12 Shawwāl 874/ 14 April 1470.
b. His contemporaries
  1. Abū-l-`Abbās A. b. M. b. Zakrī l-Mi`rāwī, muftī of Tilimsān, died at the beginning of Ąafar 900/ the beginning of Nov. 1494. His Bughyat a³-³ālib fī sharŒ `Aqīdat Ibn-„ājib was attacked by as-Sanūsī.
  2. Abū-`Al. M. b. `Abdalkarīm b. M. al-Maghīlī t-Tilimsānī, the author of twenty-three works, traveled as far as Kano, and died at Tuwāt in 909/ 1503-4. His correspondence with as-Sanūsī concerning the Jews of Tuwāt has already been mentioned.
  3. Abū-`Al. M. b. `Al. b. `Abdaljalīl at-Tanasī t-Tilimsānī, author of several works, including the historical work noted above, died in Jum. I 899/ Feb.-March 1494. AŒmad Bābā quotes A. b. Dāwūd al-Andalusī as saying that "knowledge is with at-Tanasī, goodness (ŖalāŒ) with as-Sanūsī, and leadership (ri'āsa) with Ibn-Zakrī."
  4. Abū-l-`Abbās A. b. `Al. al-Jazā'irī z-Zawāwī wrote a theological and sufic poem in basī³ meter rhyming in lām, on which, at his request, as-Sanūsī wrote a commentary. Al-Mallālī remarks that al-Jazā'irī was pleased with the commentary and praised as-Sanūsī for it, and adds that the outward meaning of some of its expressions was incorrect, but was interpreted in a correct sense by as-Sanūsī. Al-Jazā'irī died in 884/ 1479-80.
  5. Abū-`Al. M. b. `Ar. al-„aw²ī wrote a creed in rajaz meter, on which, at his request, as-Sanūsī wrote a commentary. He died in Tilimsān in Dhū-l-Q. 910/ April-May 1505.
    There remain a few names who are not recorded in connection with as-Sanūsī, but whom he inevitably knew and had contact with, since they were in Tilimsān with him and had many masters and students in common with him:
  6. A. b. Yy. b. M. b. `AbdalwāŒid b. `A. al-Wansharīsī studied under the masters of Tilimsān until the beginning of MuŒ. 874/ 11 July 1469, when he fell out with the Sultan (a. `Al. ath-Thābītī b. al-Mutawakkil) and his house was confiscated. He fled to Fez, where he wrote a number of works, including al-Mi'yar al-mu`arrab `an fatāwī `ulamā' Ifrīqiya wa-l-Andalus wa-l-Maghrib, an important source for the biographies of AŒmad Bābā. He died on 20 Ąafar 914/ 19 June 1508, at the approximate age of eighty.
  7. Abū-`Al. M. b. M. b. A. b. M. b. A. b. M. b. M. b. a. B. b. Marzūq al-kafīf al-`Ajīsī t-Tilimsanī, born on 1 Dhū-l-Q. 824/ 28 Oct. 421, was the son of Ibn-Marzūq al-Œafīd, and continued the family reputation for learning. He died in 901/ 1495-6.
  8. M. b. A. b. Q. b. Sa`īd b. M. al-`Uqbānī t-Tilimsānī seems to have directly succeeded his grandfather as qā²ī of Tilimsān. He was still qā²ī in 868/ 1463-4, when he brought a present from al-Mutawakkil to the Sultan of Tunis, but shortly thereafter was removed from office. He died on 23 Dhū-l-„. 871/ 26 July 1467.
  9. Abū-Sālim I. b. Q. b. Sa`īd b. M. al-`Uqbānī t-Tilimsānī, born in 808/ 1405-6, he became qā²ī of Tilimsān "after the removal (`azl) of his brother's son M. b. A. b. Q." He died in 880/ 1475-6.
c. His students (alphabetically by ism)
  1. `Ar. al-Majdūlī, known as at-Tūnusī, is said to have taught Zarrūq the creeds of as-Sanūsī.
  2. Abū-l-`Abbās A. b. M. b. `Īsā l-Burnusī l-Fāsī, known as Zarrūq, was born on 28 MuŒ. 846/ 8 June 1442. Besides learning directly from as-Sanūsī, he studied as-Sanūsī's creeds under `Ar. al-Majdūlī. He went to Cairo to study and teach, and died in Ąafar 899/ Nov.-Dec. 1551.
  3. a. B. m. B. m. B. a. B. m. B. a. B. m. B. m. B. A. b. b. Marzūq Œafīd al-Œafīd continued the tradition of learning of his father and grandfather, dying in 925/ 1519.
  4. Abū-l-`Abbās A. b. M. b. M. b. M. b. Yy. al-Madiyūnī l-Wahrānī, known as Ibn-Jayyida, studied under as-Sanūsī his Muqaddimat aŖ-Ąughrā, and died in 951/ 1544-5.
  5. A. b. M. b. M. b. `Uth. b. Yq. b. Sa`īd b. `Al. al-Manāwafī (aŖlan wa-nijāran) al-Warnīdī (mawlidan wa-dāran) al-Yabdarī, known as Ibn-al-„ājj, having studied under as-Sanūsī, wrote a versification of his al-`Aqīda aŖ-Ŗughrā and his Ąughrā-Ŗ-Ąughrā. He died around 930/ 1523-4.
  6. I. al-Wajdījī t-Tilimsānī died in the fourth decade of the tenth century/ 1523-1534.
  7. Ibn-Malūka is said by Ibn-`Askar to have led the people during the Turkish persecution, and to have died in 1530.
  8. M. b. A. b. a. l-Fa²l b. Sa`īd b. Sa`d at-Tilimsānī wrote two historical works: an-Najm ath-thāqib fī mā li-awliyā' Allāh min al-manāqib, frequently quoted by AŒmad Bābā, and Raw²at an-nisrīn fī manāqib al-arba`a al-muta'akhkhirīn. As will be discussed later, the latter work is likely an editing of the work of as-Sanūsī. Ibn-Sa`d died in Rajab 901/ March-April 1496.
  9. M. b. `Īsā is merely mentioned without further detail.
  10. Abū-`Al. M. b. a. Madyan at-Tilimsānī is an important teacher of as-Sanūsī's works. According to Ibn-Maryam, he died in Jum. II 915/ Sept.-Oct. 1509, but AŒmad Bābā says he was still living in 920/ 1514-5.
  11. Abū-`Al. M. b. M. b. al-`Abbās aŖ-Ŗaghīr at-Tilimsānī, the son of as-Sanūsī's master, studied as-Sanūsī's works under M. b. a. Madyan and directly under as-Sanūsī. He was still living after 920/ 1514-5.
  12. M. b. Mūsā l-Wajdījī t-Tajīnī t-Tilimsānī, himself the master of many students, was still living around 930/ 1523-4.
  13. M. al-Qal`ī died before as-Sanūsī and was buried by him.
  14. M. b. `U. b. I. al-Mallālī, the author of as-Sanūsī's biography and a commentary on his Ąughrā, is otherwise unknown.
  15. M. b. Yy. b. Mūsā l-Maghrāwī t-Tilimsānī r-Rāshidī learned from as-Sanūsī tawŒīd, fiqh, uŖūl, exposition (bayān), logic arithmetic, inheritance laws and grammar. The date of his death is unknown.
  16. Abū-l-Q. b. M. az-Zawāwī died in 922/ 1516.
  17. `U. al-`A³āfī is mentioned as a companion of al-Maghrāwī in studying under as-Sanūsī.
  18. Abū-s-Sādāt Yy. b. M. al-Madiyūnī t-Tilimsānī studied fiqh, uŖūl, exposition and logic under as-Sanūsī. There is no record of his death.
  19. Abū-Zk. Yy. as-Sūsī is mentioned as a student of al-Wansharīsī in the biographies of the latter by AŒmad Bābā and Ibn-Maryam, and as a master of al-Yasītinī in AŒmad Bābā's biography of the latter. His connection with as-Sanūsī is verified by the isnād of the ijāza of `Abdalqādir al-Fāsī.
  20. Abū-Yq. Yūsuf al-`A³āfī is mentioned as a student of as-Sanūsī in Ibn-Maryam's biography of M. al-Jadīrī.
  21. Abū-`Uth. Sa`īd al-kafīf al-Manawī, presumably a descendant of a. `Uth. Sa`īd al-`Uqbānī, and possibly to be identified with Sa`īd al-kafīf ar-Rāshidī, who taught tawŒīd to M. b. M., grandson of Yy. b. M. al-Madiyūnī, is reported as a student of as-Sanūsī in the ijāzas of `Abdalqādir al-Fāsī and al-Manjūr.
d. The spread of his works to West Africa

As-Sanūsī's works spread in many different directions according to many complicated lines of transmission. One line of interest is that through the family of AŒmad Bābā, to West Africa. Tracing upwards from AŒmad Bābā, the biographer from Timbuktoo, we have:

Westward of Timbuktoo, there is evidence that at least as-Sanūsī's Kubrā, Wus³ā, Ąughrā, Ąighrat aŖ-Ąughrā, and Muqaddima were well known in what is now northern Nigeria in the second half of the eighteenth century, where they have remained standard works. The details of this transmission demand further research.

E. His works

This enumeration of as-Sanūsī's works follows that of al-Mallālī in chapter 4 of his biography. Works not included in his list are placed after. Roman numerals indicate the numeration of GAL, SII, where it differs from II. To avoid further reference to AŒmad Bābā, it may be noted here that he testifies to having seen copies of numbers 1-11, 13-20, 24, 26-28, 39 and 40.

  1. = V and XXIX) SharŒ fī farā`i² al-„awfī, a commentary on the work on inheritance laws of A. b. M. b. Khalaf al-„awfī l-Qalā`ī (d. 588/ 1192). As-Sanūsī composed this when he was eighteen or nineteen years old, and won the praise of Abarkān for it.
  2. = I) Al-`Aqīda al-kubrā, the larger creed, whose official title is `Aqīdat ahl at-tawŒīd al-mukhrija bi-`awn Allāh min ¹ulamāt al-jahl wa-ruqbat at-taqlīd al-murghima be-fa²l Allāh ta`ālā anf kull mubtadi` wa-`anīd. This was as-Sanūsī's first work on tawŒīd. Although he does not say, a comparison makes it obvious that he modeled his creed after, and to a large extent copied from the creed of Ibn-Marzūq al-Œafīd, entitled `Aqīdat ahl at-tawŒīd al-mukhrija min¹ulamāt at-taqlīd. Nevertheless as-Sanūsī's version is considerably expanded, enough to grant him the title of originality.
  3. = I) A commentary on the preceding, entitled `Umdat ahl at-tawfīq wa-t-tasdīd fī sharŒ `Aqīdat ahl at-tawŒīd. This, with the preceding, has been published in a number of editions. The one used in this thesis is that published in Cairo by MuŖ³afā l-„alabī, 1354/ 1936, with the gloss (Œawāsh) of Ismā`īl b. Mūsā b. `Uth. al-„āmidī.
  4. = III) Al-`Aqīda al-wus³ā, the intermediate creed.
  5. = III) Its commentary. This and the preceding are discussed in detail in Chapter II, A.
  6. = II, including VII and XVIII?) Al-`āqīda aŖ-Ŗughrā, the smaller creed. As-Sanūsī does not give it any title, but in his commentary on it refers to it simply as "a creed small in volume" (`aqīda Ŗaghīrat al-jirm). In printed editions and popular references it is called Umm al-barāhīn, or simply as-Sanūsiyya. There are a number of European translations and studies of this work.
  7. = II) Its commentary ,which bears no special name. The edition of the creed and its commentary used for this thesis is that published in Cairo by MuŖ³afā l-„alabī, 1358/ 1939, under the title „āshiya `alā SharŒ Umm al-barāhīn; the Œāshiya is by M. b. A. b. `Arafa ad-Dasūqī.
    While the Ąughrā with its commentary is of a lesser scale altogether than the Kubrā or the Wus³ā, in as-Sanūsī's estimation and its widespread popular use it is his most important work. The commentary says of the creed, "Although it is small in volume, it is large in knowledge, containing all the articles of tawŒīd, together with decisive demonstrations adapted to anyone who has a proper use of reason. Besides, I have concluded it with something I have not seen any of the older or recent theologians do: I have explained the two statements of the shahāda... to show how they include all the articles of faith. You have here a creed without parallel, as far as I know."
  8. = II.A) A yet smaller creed, called Ąighrat aŖ-Ąighra (or Ąughrā Ŗ-Ąughrā, or yet Ąighrat aŖ-Ąughrā), composed espeicially for al-Mallālī's father, who found the Ąughrā too difficult.
  9. = II.A) Its commentary, which has no special title. There is an edition of the creed and commentary printed in Cairo by Ma³ba`at at-taqaddum al-`ilmiyya, 1322/ 1904-5, which is used in this thesis with the control of the Escorial manuscript n .697, ff. 252b-277a.
  10. = VI) Al-Muqaddima (or al-Muqaddimāt), which was meant to explain terms and presuppositions in the Ąughrā.
  11. = VI) Its commentary, which bears no special title. There is an edition of ti by J.l-D. Luciani, Les prolégomčnes théologiques de Senoussi, texte arabe et traduction franēaise (Algiers, 1908), but this thesis generally uses in preference the Escorial manuscript n. 697, ff. 194b-224b.
  12. Another `aqīda, written at the request of one of his students. In it, al-Mallālī says, are cogent reasons against those who assert that ordinary activating-links produce effects. This work seems to have perished.
  13. = XXVIII) SharŒ asmā' Allāh al-Œusnā, a commentary on the divine names. From a look at an incomplete copy of this in the Bibliothčque Nationale manuscript n. 6480, it seems more of sufic than of theological interest.
  14. SharŒ at-tasbīŒ, on the practice of saying at the end of the canonical prayers "SubŒān Allāh", "Al-Œamdu li-llāh", and "Allāhu akbar" thirty-three times each, and a final "Lā ilāha illā llāh". The text of this is given in chapter 6 of al-Mallālī's biography.
  15. A commentary on the `aqīda in rajaz meter by al-„aw²ī. I know of no copy of it.
  16. = IV and XXVI) A commentary on the theological poem of al-Jazā'irī, often listed as al-Minhāj as-sadī fī sharŒ Kifāyat al-murīd. There are a good number more manuscripts of this work than Brockelmann mentions, especially in Tunis and Cairo. The manuscript used for this thesis is that of al-Azhar, n. 4388 (283), which is of 448 folios at 15 lines per page. References to it give not only the folio number of this manuscript, but also the number of the faŖl, and a small letter for the naŖŖ concerned in each faŖl; this is simply a matter of counting, and will facilitate reference to any manuscript at hand.
  17. = XX) Mukmil Ikmāl al-Ikmāl, an abridgement of the Ikmāl al-Ikmāl, on the ĄaŒīŒ of Muslim, by M. b. Khalīfa b. `U. al-Washtātī l-Ubbī (d. 828/ 1424).
  18. = XXX) A commentary on the ĄaŒīŒ of al-Buhkārī, which as-Sanūsī did not finish.
  19. SharŒ li-mushkilāt waqa`at fī ākhir al-Bukhārī, a commentary on problems occurring at the end of al-Bukhārī. At least part of this work is reproduced in chapter 6 of al-Mallālī.
  20. MukhtaŖar az-Zarkashī, an abridgement of at-TanqīŒ li-alfā¹ al-jāmi` aŖ-ŖaŒīŒ, on al-Bukhārī, of M. b. Bahādur b. `Al. at-Turkī l-MiŖrī z-Zarkashī (d. 3 Rajab 794/ 27 May 1392 in Cairo). I know of no copy of this work.
  21. MukhtaŖar „awāshī t-Taftāzānī `alā Kashshāf az-Zamakhsharī, an abridgement of SharŒ al-Kashshāf by Sa`daddīn Mas`ūd b. `U. at-Taftāzānī (d. 2 MuŒ. 792/ 10 Jan. 1390). The work of at-Taftāzānī is a commentary on al-Kashshāf `an Œaqā'iq at-tanzīl wa-`uyūn al-aqāwīl fī wujūb at-ta'wīl, on the Qur'ān, by a. l-Q. MaŒmūd b. `U. az-Zamakhsharī (d. 9 Dhū-l-„. 538/ 14 June 1144). I know of no copy of this work.
  22. A commentary on Muqaddimat al-jabr, on algebra, by a. M. `Al. b. M. al-„ajjāj al-Adrīnī b. al-Yāsimīnī (d. 601/ 1204-5). The work commented upon is possibly al-Urjūza al-Yāsimīniyya, which Brockelmann mentions. Al-Mallālī says that as-Sanūsī composed this work in his youth. I know of no extant copy.
  23. A commentary on al-Jumal (or al-MukhtaŖar), on logic, by Af²aladdīn a. l-Fa²ā'il a. `Al. M. b. Namwar b. `Abdalmalik al-Khūnajī (d. 5 Ram. 646/ 23 Dec. 1249). Al-Mallālī says he does not know if as-Sanūsī finished this work. I know of no existing copy.
  24. = XXXI) A commentary on the Muqaddima Īsāghūjī, on logic, by Burhānaddīn a. l-„. I. b. `U. b. al-„. ar-Rabā³ b. `A. b. al-Biqā`ī sh-Shāfi`ī (d. 885/ 1480 in Damascus).
  25. A commentary on the MukhtaŖar on logic of a. `Al. M. b. M. b. `Arafa al-Warghamī (d. 750/ 1350). Al-Mallālī says that as-Sanūsī did not finish this work, because he was too busy and it was extremely difficult. Brockelmann has no reference to this work of Ibn-`Arafa. Nor have I seen any trace of the commentary.
  26. = VIII) MukhtaŖar fī l-man³iq, on logic.
  27. = VIII) A commentary on the preceding.
  28. = GAL on al-„abbāk) A commentary on the poem Bughyat a³-³ullāb fī `ilm al-as³urlāb, on the astrolabe, by his teacher al-„abbāk.
  29. A commentary on the Urjūza fī ³-³ibb, on medicine, of a. `Al. al-„u. b. `Al. b. Sīnā (d. 428/ 1037). Al-Mallālī says this work was not finished. I know of no copy of it.
  30. An abridgement of "a book" on the seven readings (of the Qur'ān).
  31. A commentary on ash-Shā³ibiyya al-kubrā, that is, „irz al-amānī wa-wajh at-tahānī, or al-QaŖīda ash-Shā³ibiyya, by a. l-Q. a. „amīd al-Q. b. Firruh b. a. l-Q. Khalaf b. A. ar-Ra`aynī sh-Shā³ibī (d. 18 or 28 Jum. II 590/ 11 or 21 June 1194). Al-Mallālī says this work was not finished when he saw it. I know of no copy.
  32. A commentary on the Įab³ of Kharrāz on the orthography of the Qur'ān (rasm), that is, ad-Durar al-lawāmi` fī aŖl maqra' al-imām Nāfi` or less likely a second work, Mawrid a¹-¹am'ān fī rasm al-Qur'ān by M. b. M. b. I. b. `Al. al-Umawī sh-Sharīshī l-Kharrāzī, known as al-Kharrāz, who wrote around 703/ 1303. I know of no copy.
  33. A commentary on the Mudawwana, the long work on Mālikī law by SaŒnūn `Abdassalām b. Sa`d b. „abīb at-Tanūkhī (d. 6 or 7 Rajab 280/ 1 or 2 Dec. 854). Al-Mallālī did not know whether this was finished. I know of no copy.
  34. A commentary on al-Waghlīsiyya, that is, al-Muqaddima, on law, by a. Zayd `Ar. b. A. al-Waghlīsī l-Maghrabī (d. 786/ 1384). This work was unfinished because as-Sanūsī was too busy. I know of no copy.
  35. a versification on inheritance laws (na¹m fī l-farā'i²). Al-Mallālī gives the first line of it, and says that as-Sanūsī composed it in his youth; he did not know whether it was completed.
  36. an abridgement of the Ri`āya, that is, ar-Ri`āya li-Œuqūq Allāh wa-l-qiyām bi-hā, on sufism, by a. `Al. al-„ārith b. Asad al-MuŒāsibī l-BaŖrī l-`Anazī (d. 243/ 837). I know of no copy of this abridgement.
  37. An abridgement of ar-Raw² al-unuf wa-l-mashra` ar-riwā fī tafsīr mā yashtamil `alay-hi Œadīth as-sīra wa-Œtawā, on the life of MuŒammad, by a. l-Q. `Ar. b. `Al. b. a. l-„. A. as-Suhaylī l-Khat`amī (d. 25 Sha`bān 581/ 12 Nov. 1285). I know of no copy of this abridgement.
  38. An abridgement of Bughyat as-sālik fī ashraf al-masālik, on sufism, by a. `Al. M. b. M. b. A. b. `Ar. b. I. al-AnŖārī s-SāŒilī l-Mālaqī l-Mu`ammam (d. 754/ 1353). This work was not finished, and is not known to have survived.
  39. = XXIII?) A commentary on verses on sufism by al-Imām al-Albīrī. I have not been able to identify this person. The text of the verses and the commentary are given in chapter 7 of al-Mallālī's work, in the third place.
  40. = XXIII?) A commentary on verses on sufism by "a sufi" (li-ba`² al-`ārifīn). The text of the verses and the commentary are given in chapter 7 of al-Mallālī's work, in the first place.
  41. = XXIII?) A commentary on other verses on sufism by "a sufi". The text of the verses and the commentary are given in chapter 7 of al-Mallālī's work, in the second place.
  42. A commentary on al-Murshida, that is, al-`Aqīda al-murshida by M. b. Tūmart, called "al-Mahdī" in the Maghrib, and "al-Mahdawī" in the East (d. 524/ 1130). The only copy of this which I know of is in the private collection of M. ash-Shādhilī l-Naifar in Tunis. It consists of thirteen folios, without a date, but the copy is approximately from the eleventh century H. The second work in the volume is by "al-Jarbī" (from the island of Djerba), who possibly is the copyist. The incipit, after the blessings, is "wa-ba`d, kasā-nā llāh wa iyyā-ka libās at-taqwā..."
  43. A commentary on al-Muqaddima al-Ājurrūmiyya, on grammar, by a. `Al. M. b. M. b. Dā`ūd aŖ-Ąinhājī b. Ājurrūm (d. Ąafar 723/ Feb. 1323). I know of no copy.
  44. A commentary on Jawāhir al-`ulūm, that is, Jawāhir al-kalām, mukhtaŖar al-Mawāfiq, by `A²udaddīn `Ar. b. A. b. `Abdaljaffār aŖ-Ąidīqī l-Qā²ī l-Ījī ¹-Åafarī sh-Shirāzī (d. 756/ 1355). This work on kalām was supposed to be modeled after the philosophical method of al-Bay²āwī's a³-Ćawāli'. Al-Mallālī remarks that this is an extraordinary work (kitāb `ajīb), but difficult. Unfortunately no copy of it is known to be extant.
  45. = XIX) A tafsīr of the Qur'ān up to Sūra 2, v. 5. Al-Mallālī reproduces in chapter 5 of his work all of this, going up even to verse 7.
  46. A tafsīr of Sūra 38 (Ą) and the following. Al-Mallālī did not know how far as-Sanūsī got in this work. It is not known to have survived.
    Besides the works listed above, AŒmad Bābā and Ibn-Maryam add the following two:
  47. = XXVII) Tafsīr Œadīth al-`umda, bayt "ad-dā' wa-l-Œamiyya ra's ad-dawā' wa-aŖl kull dā' al-barda". I have not had the chance to check al-Mallālī again to see if this is included in his chapter 6, in the miscellaneous passages between ff. 106a-108a.
  48. Ta`līq `alā far`ay Ibn-„ajib, an observation on two sections of a work by Jamāladdīn a. `Amr `Uth. b. `U. b. a. B. b. al-„ājib (d. 646/ 1249).
    There must also be added:
  49. = XVI?) Two prayers (wird) reproduced in chapter 8 of al-Mallālī's work.
  50. = IX-X) NuŖrat ahl ad-dīn wa-ahl al-Œaqq wa-l-yaqīn `alā man ta`arra² fī ³-³arīq fī r-radd `alā Abī-l-„asan aŖ-Ŗaghīr, a polemical work defending sufic practices. In this thesis, reference is made to the British Museum ms. Add. 9521, ff. 245a-258a.
  51. Manāqib al-arba`a al-muta'akhkhirīn, biographies of four recent sufic figures. Ibn-Maryam identifies these four as al-Hawārī, I. at-Tāzī, al-„ Abarkān, and A. b. al-„ al-Ghamārļ. The work can be reconstructed by assembling the passages which Ibn-Maryam quotes from it. There is a quotation in Ibn-Maryam's introduction, pp. 6-8, which must have been from the introduction of as-Sanūsī's work. The biographies of M. b. `U. al-Hawārī (d. 843/ 1439-40), pp. 228-236, Abarkān, pp. 74-93, and al-Ghamārī, pp. 31-38, explicitly acknowledge quoting from this work of as-Sanūsī. That of I. at-Tāzī, pp. 58-63, does not; rather it simply follows AŒmad Bābā, who quotes from Ibn-Sa`d's an-Najm ath-thāqib and from al-Mallālī. The quotations from an-Najam ath-thāqib are factual and objective, whereas al-Mallālī's style matches the hagiographical legendary style of the other three biographies attributed to as-Sanūsī. I suggest that al-Mallālī's section on I. at-Tāzī is based on as-Sanūsī's biography.
    Furthermore, until the Raw²at an-nisrīn fī manāqib al-arba`a al-muta'akhkhirīn of Ibn-Sa`d is found, I suggest that it is an editing of written or oral information gathered from as-Sanūsī and that Ibn-Maryam is quoting not directly from a work of as-Sanūsī, but from this edition by Ibn-Sa`d. This seems the best explanation of the first person singular pronouns on p. 31, which cannot refer to a-Sanūsī, but fit Ibn-Sa`d well. This also explains AŒmad Bābā's ambivalence regarding the source of his information for Abarkān.
    Possibly associated with this work is the short biography of M. b. Q. b. Tūnart, which AŒmad Bābā and Ibn-Maryam attribute to as-Sanūsī.
  52. A letter (or fatwā) to M. al-Maghīlī concerning his action against the Jews of Tuwāt, found in AŒmad Bābā's and Ibn-Maryam's biographies of al-Maghīlī, and in a shorter form in their biographies of at-Tanasī.
  53. etc. I leave from consideration Brockelmann's numbers XII, XIII, XIV, XXI, XXII and XXV, since to identify them adequately would require an examination and comparison of the texts.