Sammaniyyah and the Mahdist Movement of Sudan

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

سبوحٌ قدوسٌ

Holy Holy

We previously discussed reformist “Sufis” like Ahmad bin Idris al-Fasi, who influenced subsequent reformist orders like the Khatmiyyah in Sudan, the Sanusiyyah in Libya and the Salihiyyah in Somalia.

Another reformist order is the Sammaniyyah attributed to Muhammad bin Abd al-Karim al-Samman (1718-1775). A descendant of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and born in Medina, he was initially in the Khalwatiyyah Sufi order and a disciple of the eminent Shaykh Mustafa Kamal al-Din al-Bakri of Syria.

Regrettably, despite his noble pedigree and background, al-Samman left the traditional Sunni way and founded a Sufi new order—Sammaniyyah—which is somewhat problematic. 

The researcher Abdulgalil Abd Allah Salih has written a paper on the Sammaniyyah entitled “The Sammaniyya: Doctrine, History and Future”. I have relied on this paper extensively to acquire a deeper understanding of al-Samman and the Sammaniyyah order.

According to it, al-Samman was “opposed to the traditional veneration of saints.” Regarding the practice of taqlid, that is confining oneself to a single Madhhab in fiqh, “Al-Samman did not confine himself to only one Madhab. He put more emphasis on ijtihad.”

According to the research paper, one of Samman’s teachers was “Muhammad Higat al-Sindi” but this is probably a reference to Muhammad Hayat al-Sindi. The latter was also the initial influence on Ibn Abd al-Wahhab of Najd in rejecting veneration of Saints, and the practice of intercession. It is quite plausible that the “reformist” streak within the Sammaniyyah in this regard originates in the influence of al-Sindi on al-Samman.

Now the false Mahdi of Sudan, who was initiated into the Sammaniyyah order, was encouraged and supported by some of the elders and members of this order, particularly Shaykh al-Qurashi, “Shaykh al-Qurashi sat on the carpet of the Sammaniyya tariqa in Sudan, for more than forty years, as a true guide and instructor, after the passing away of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tayyib bin al-Bashir. He had played a vital role in the emergence of the Mahdiya in Sudan, when he joined the Mahdi and his disciples into the Sammaniyya, and hinted to him that he is the awaited Mahdi.”

One can now clearly discern a pattern. These reformist “Sufi” orders, characterized by a rejection of taqlid and traditional veneration of saints, are often embraced by delusional militants as a springboard to launch a violent insurrection, usually against a colonial power. The “Mad Mulla” of Somalia and the “Mahdi” of Sudan are examples of this phenomenon.

Sunni Muslims should beware of so-called “reformist” Sufism, such as the Idrisiyyah, Khatmiyyah, Sanusiyyah, Salihiyyah and Sammaniyyah orders, and instead stick to the traditional Sufi orders, like the Naqshbandiyyah, Qadiriyyah, Suhrawardiyyah, Chishtiyyah, Rifa’iyyah, Shadhiliyyah, Khalwatiyyah and Kubrawiyyah orders.

In Sudan, the Mahdist movement persists in the form of the so-called Ansar and the Umma Party. But there is no doubt that Muhammad Ahmad of Sudan was a false Mahdi, who was deluded by some of the Sammani elders teaching that the Mahdi would emerge from their order. One should not join any movement, organization or party that is associated with this false Mahdi of Sudan.