Sidi Muhammad ibn Al-Habib
Muhammad ibn al-Habib ibn as-Siddiq al-Amghari al-Idrisi al-Hasani
Our master, our Sheikh, our guide, and knower of Allah, Sidi Muhammad ibn al-Habib (1286 AH / 1869 CE to 1392 AH / 1972 CE), is among the inheritors of the Prophetic legacy ﷺ in the modern age. He was a scholar, a guide, and a Sheikh of the Darqawi Tariqa, whose life was spent calling people to Allah with balance and clarity.
He was born Muhammad ibn al-Habib ibn al-Siddiq al-Amghari al-Idrisi al-Hasani, from the noble Hasani lineage tracing back to Sayyidina Ali and Sayyidina al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with them. His family came from Marrakech and later settled in Tafilalt, before his father moved to Fes, where he was raised.
His zawiya would later be established in Meknes, where he is buried today. By the end of his life, his influence had spread widely across Morocco, Algeria, and beyond. He was constantly traveling, surrounded by shuyukh, scholars, and people of dhikr, and his teachings reached people from every background.
His birth and primary education:
Sidi Muhammad ibn al-Habib was born in Fes around 1286 AH / 1869 CE, in a city long known for its knowledge and its people of remembrance. He was raised in a household where knowledge was encouraged.
From an early age, he was recognized as an exceptional student. He grasped the Qur’an and the foundational sciences quickly and with depth beyond his years. Scholars took notice of this early on, and he was often invited, while still young, to sit in circles of knowledge alongside students and scholars much older than himself.
He began his studies around the age of four at the Qur’anic school of Qantara Abu’r-Ru’us in the Sharabiliyyin quarter under Sidi al-Hashimi as-Sanhaji, where he learned to read, write, and recite the Qur’an. He later studied with Sidi Ahmad al-Filali at Qasba an-Nawwar, under whom he completed the memorization of the Qur’an.
His secondary education and instruction:
After completing his memorization, he continued his studies in Fes. Around 1309 AH / 1890 CE, he began studying with the faqih Sidi Mahmad al-Irari at the Abu’l-Junud Mosque. There he studied the Ajrummiyya, the Alfiyya, as-Sullam of Bannani, and The Qualities of Muhammad by Imam al-Tirmidhi.
At a young age, he also began attending lessons at the Qarawiyyin Mosque at the encouragement of a number of scholars who had recognized his ability early on. He continued to sit in these circles regularly until he was formally accepted into the Qarawiyyin around the age of sixteen, around 1302 AH / 1885 CE.
After his formal enrollment, he studied the Mukhtasar of Khalil with scholars including az-Zurqani, Bannani, and al-Kharashi, under the guidance of Sidi Ahmad ibn al-Jilali al-Amghari.
He also studied the Tuhfa with its commentary under Sidi at-Tawudi ibn Sawda, and the Adab of the Teacher and Student under Sidi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi Bannani. He read portions of Sahih al-Bukhari and the Hikam of Ibn ‘Ata’illah with a number of scholars in Fes.
He later received written ijazas from Sidi Badru’d-Din ad-Dimashqi in Damascus and from the Qadi of Tlemcen, Sidi Abu Shu’ayb. He also received oral ijazas from Sidi Ahmad ibn al-Jilali al-Amghari and Sidi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi Bannani.
His Teachings
After the passing of his Sheikh, Sidi Muhammad ibn Ali, in 1326 AH / 1908 CE, the matter of guiding others came to him. At first, he did not put himself forward.
During this time, the idhn, the permission to guide, became clear to him. He later spoke of how this was repeated within him, while he continued to see himself as unworthy of that station. The Prophet ﷺ came to him and of the shuyukh of the path, who instructed him to come forward and guide people to Allah.
Around 1329 AH / 1911 CE, when he was about forty years old, he took the mantle and began guiding people openly.
He was especially known for his tafsir and his deep understanding of the Qur’an. He taught in a way that people from all walks of life could understand, connecting their hearts to Allah without burdening them.
He held firmly to the Shariah and did not compromise in it, while teaching in a direct and accessible way.
He would give the Wird to his murids and instruct them to keep it regularly. It became a mainstay of the tariqa, and its recitation continues to this day in the zawiyas and among the fuqara.
He traveled often, especially to remote regions in the Maghreb, in Morocco and Algeria, reaching people who would not normally have access to scholars or gatherings of knowledge. Many who had been on the fringes of society returned through his companionship.
In the places he visited, he would appoint muqaddams to represent the tariqa and continue the work. Many of these muqaddams became strong men in their own right, carrying the path in their regions. This tradition continues to this day.
His gatherings were open, and he received people without distinction. It is well known that through him, and through those connected to him, a number of Westerners entered Islam and took the path of tasawwuf.
His journeys:
In 1350 AH / 1931 CE, Sidi Muhammad ibn al-Habib set out to perform Hajj. During this journey, he traveled through Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Syria, where he met scholars and taught from works such as Sahih al-Bukhari and al-Murshid al-Mu‘in.
Wherever he traveled, people recognized his knowledge and his standing as a Sheikh of ilm and tarbiyya. He was often asked to remain and teach, and in many places he did so. Through this, the tariqa further, and many people renewed their connection to the Darqawi path.
Some time after this journey, when he learned that his close companion Sidi Mustafa al-‘Alawi of Mostaganem was ill, he traveled to visit him. Shortly before his passing in 1353 AH / 1934 CE, Sidi Mustafa advised him not to remain in his zawiya, but to limit his stay and spend the rest of his time traveling and calling people to Allah.
He followed this instruction. From then on, he did not remain in his zawiya except for about a month each year, usually in Ramadan. The rest of his time was spent traveling throughout Morocco and Algeria, visiting his zawiyas and serving the people, many of them in remote areas where he taught the essentials of the religion and strengthened their practice.
Around 1360 AH / 1941 CE, he set out again for Hajj. As before, his journey was marked by teaching and meeting scholars along the way, both on his deoarture towards Mecca and upon his return.
His intellectual legacy:
Sidi Muhammad ibn al-Habib left behind a lasting intellectual legacy within the Darqawi tradition. At the center of this is his Diwan, Bughyat al-Muridin al-Sa’irin wa Tuhfat al-Salikin al-‘Arifin (The Desire of the Journeying Murids and the Gift of the Wayfaring Gnostics).
It is written in clear classical Arabic and has been published many times and translated into several languages. Its qasidas are recited and sung in gatherings of dhikr across different regions and among various turuq.
The Diwan contains instruction on the path, with reminders of the Shariah, guidance in dhikr, and the adab of the murid. It remains in regular use in the zawiyas of the tariqa.
In addition to the Diwan, he wrote a commentary on the Hafidha of Sidi Muhammad al-‘Arabi al-‘Alawi Amgahri, including Qur’anic verses, supplications, and known Shadhili litanies. He also wrote a commentary on the Salat al-Mashishiyya.
He was a faqih and was known for his mastery of the Islamic sciences. He taught throughout Morocco and Algeria, and beyond, focusing on the essentials of belief, worship, and conduct. His students and muqaddams continued this work, and his teachings remain present in the people and zawiyas connected to him.
His death and burial:
In 1391 AH / 1971 CE, Sidi Muhammad ibn al-Habib departed from Meknes intending to perform Hajj. However, due to illness, he was unable to continue and stopped in Blida, Algeria. There, on Monday, 23 Dhu’l-Qa‘da 1391 AH / January 1972 CE, he passed away.
He was first buried in the zawiya in Blida, which he himself had established shortly before his passing. Some time later, at the request of his family and disciples, his body was returned to Meknes. When the grave was opened, those present reported a strong and pleasant fragrance, and found his body in the same condition as when it had been buried.
He was then laid to rest in his zawiya in Meknes, in Darb al-Pasha near the Zaytuna Mosque, where his grave remains to this day.
His passing came while he was on the path to Hajj, and those who knew him saw in this a completion of a life spent in movement, service, and calling to Allah. His legacy did not end with his death. It continues through his students, his muqaddams, and the many communities shaped by his teaching and people of the Tariqa Habibiya.
May Allah forgive him, have mercy on him, and raise his rank among the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. May He gather him in the company of the Beloved Messenger ﷺ and grant him nearness to him. Amin