Egypt.. Crowds of followers of “Al-Sayyid Al-Badawi” renewed controversy over popular birthdays

Cairo, Egypt - The city of Tanta in Gharbia Governorate, northern Egypt, is witnessing a large turnout from fans and followers of Mr. Ahmed Al-Badawi, coinciding with the celebrations of his birth, which is considered one of the largest Egyptian popular birthdays, amid an atmosphere that combines circles of remembrance, religious praise, and popular gatherings, and renewed controversy over some of the practices accompanying these occasions and the extent of their compatibility with religious regulations. The birth of Sayyed al-Badawi has a prominent place in the popular and Sufi conscience, as devotees flock to participate in the celebrations associated with the Ahmadi Mosque in Tanta, which includes the shrine of Sayyed Ahmed al-Badawi. This occasion is associated among supporters of Sufi orders with commemorating remembrance, religious praise, and expressing love for the Prophet’s family and righteous saints.

On the other hand, some of the practices that accompany birthdays raise a debate regarding their nature and the limits of what is religiously acceptable, which raises questions about how to preserve the religious and traditional character of these occasions, and deal with the individual behaviors that may occur during them. Mr. Ahmed Al-Badawi, whose name is Ahmed bin Ali bin Ibrahim, is one of the most prominent figures in the Islamic Sufi heritage. He is affiliated with the Al-Bayt family and is a descendant of Imam Hussein bin Ali. Historical sources state that he was born in the city of Fez in Morocco in the year 596 AH, corresponding to the year 1200 AD, then he moved to Mecca and from there to Iraq, before settling in Tanta in the year 637 AH, and he died there in the year 675 AH, corresponding to For the year 1276 AD.

The Ahmadi Mosque has become a destination for visitors and devotees, and the name of Sayyed Al-Badawi has been linked to the Ahmadiyya order, which is attributed to him, and to one of the largest popular religious gatherings in Egypt. The celebrations of his birth vary between visits, circles of remembrance and praise, in addition to popular activities and gatherings surrounding the mosque. In previous fatwas, the Egyptian Fatwa House addressed the truth about Sayyed Ahmed al-Badawi, his status, and his lineage to the Prophet’s family, and responded to those who doubted his being one of the righteous saints, and those who denied his lineage or described him as a myth.

She stressed that he is one of the nation’s great saints, and that his method is based on adherence to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and legal duties, and being honest, loyal, generous, providing food, and benevolent to the needy. She also stressed the prohibition of challenging the lineage of the Prophet’s family. During the celebration of Sayyed Al-Badawi’s birth, Minister of Endowments Osama Al-Azhari said that birthdays are not quackery, sorcery, or superstition, but rather they can be occasions to consolidate the values ​​of honesty, trustworthiness, attachment to God, and love of the homeland, explaining that actions that may violate Sharia etiquette should be dealt with with kindness and advice, distinguishing between them and extremism, infidelity, carrying weapons, and intimidating the safe.

For his part, the former Grand Mufti of the Republic and a member of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar, Dr. Ali Gomaa, addressed the importance of introducing the biography of Sayyed Al-Badawi, the etiquette of visiting shrines, and the meaning of true Sufism, pointing to the preparation of awareness brochures that address these topics and the importance of printing and distributing them, calling for developing the organization of the Mawlid in a way that achieves its religious, social, and tourism goals, with attention to cleanliness, maintenance, and dealing with violations, in a way that preserves the nature of these occasions. Sheikh of the Shabrawiyyah al-Khalutiya order, member of the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders, Abdul Khaleq al-Shabrawi, said that the birth of Sayyed Ahmed al-Badawi reflects his status among sectors of the Egyptian people and the Arab and Islamic peoples, where love for the Prophet’s family, saints, and righteous people represents one of the components of the Sufi heritage. Sayyed al-Badawi’s lineage also goes back to the Prophet Muhammad, according to what is written on his tomb, where his fans flock to his birth to seek blessings and express their love for him.

Responding to “skeptics” Regarding the criticisms directed at Mawlids and questioning the lineage of some saints, Al-Shabrawi said, in special statements to Ofoq News in Arabic, that there are intellectual currents that oppose Sufi practices and the celebration of saints, considering that love of the Prophet’s family, saints, and righteous people is widely spread among Egyptians. He explained that Mawlids include various activities and practices, including dhikr and supplications, in addition to other behaviors that may not be consistent with legal controls, stressing the need to distinguish between religious practices inside mosques and what may happen outside them.

Al-Shabrawi defended the practices associated with requesting support and blessings when visiting the shrines of saints, explaining that Sufism views saints as righteous people whom their lovers can emulate, and they see their visit as an opportunity to pray and seek blessings and spiritual light. The sheikh of the Shabrawiyya order said that Sufism is a method based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, and not just ideas adopted by individuals, explaining that adherence to good qualities and staying away from reprehensible qualities represent the basis of Sufi behavior, as well as refining the behavior of the disciples and directing them towards righteousness and piety.

Al-Shabrawi pointed out that large numbers flock to the birth of Mr. Al-Badawi out of love, considering that his status among his followers and lovers explains the extent of participation in the celebration, as the celebration of the birth is not limited to his fans only in Egypt, but also includes followers of Sufi orders and lovers of a number of saints from inside and outside the country, as love represents the main factor in gathering participants around the shrines of the saints and their births. It reflects the Egyptians’ connection to the family of the Prophet. The Sheikh of the Sufi Orders, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Sufi Orders, Abdul Hadi Al-Qasabi, said that celebrating the birth of Sayyed Ahmed Al-Badawi reflects the Egyptians’ connection to the Prophet’s family, the saints and the righteous, indicating that these occasions represent an opportunity to revive the values ​​of tolerance, solidarity and belonging to the homeland.

He added that the family of the Prophet, the saints, and the righteous provided models of values, morals, work, and giving, and contributed to teaching the Islamic nation the principles of monotheism, tolerance, and belonging to the homeland, stressing that they are models that new generations can emulate in their dealings with others. Al-Qasabi explained, in exclusive statements to Ofoq News in Arabic, that celebrating saints and righteous people is linked to the moral values ​​they presented, noting that love of the righteous pushes their lovers to emulate their behavior in dealing with people, achieving rights, and not oppressing others, in a way that supports cohesion among members of society.

The sheikh of the sheikhs of the Sufi orders said that the number of participants in the birth of Sayyid al-Badawi is difficult to accurately count, given the spontaneous influx of visitors motivated by their love for Sayyed al-Badawi, without there being a party to gather them or count their numbers comprehensively, adding that the streets and squares witness crowding during the celebrations, amid an atmosphere of joy and connection with religious symbols that evoke in the souls of the participants positive meanings and values. Regarding the manifestations of celebrating the birth of Sayyed Al-Badawi, Al-Qasabi said that commemorating these occasions should be in a way that pleases God and His Messenger, noting that ties of kinship, communication between people, feeding food, and remembrance of God are among the positive practices that accompany celebrations.

He added that birthdays reflect aspects of the nature of Egyptian society, most notably generosity, giving and communication, explaining that participants compete to receive visitors coming from different regions, thus strengthening social relations between families and local communities. Regarding how to deal with practices that violate Sharia law during Mawlids, Al-Qasabi stressed the need to correct uncontrolled behavior with good advice and admonition, instead of generalizing the mistake or considering it a representative of the nature of the entire celebration. Celebrating saints and righteous people should be consistent with the values ​​they called for. A person committing a wrong practice during the celebration does not make it part of Sufi or Islamic behavior.