Sidi ‘Abdussalam ibn Mashish ق, Murshid of Imam Abul Hassan ash-Shadhili ق
“Accept and be content with everything that Allah sends to you and fall in love with Allah!”
Biography
Sidi ʻAbdusSalām ibn Mashīsh al-ʻAlamī (Arabic: عبد السلام بن مشيش العلمي) was the disciple of Sidi Abu Madyan al-Ghawth ق. He was the spiritual guide of Imam Abul Hassan ash-Shadhili ق, his only disciple. He was regarded as the Qutb (Spiritual pole) of his time.
His genealogy is traced through several ancestors all the way to our Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He was born to the Banu Arus tribe in the neighbourhood of the Jabal al-'Alam and lived during the reign of the Almohad Caliphate. He exhibited an extraordinary spiritual station from a young age and his life is split into three distinct phases. First, like many of the great sufi masters, he studied the Quran and Maliki jurisprudence, becoming a scholar in his own right. This was done in his travels at 16 years old. He then spent a period fighting with the Almohad army in al-Andalus, before finally devoting the last twenty years of his life to spiritual contemplation and retreat on the mountain djebal Alam. In Béjaïa, he followed the instructions of his spiritual guide, Sidi Abu Madyan ق.
Meeting with Imam Shadhili ق
As a young man, Imam Shadhili ق set out to find the Qutb of his era and, though many travels, it was not until he reached Iraq that the Sufi master told him that the purpose of his travels would be fulfilled by returning home. Returning home, Imam Shadhili ق found a light rising above Jabal Alam. Ascending the mountain he made wudhu at a fountain at the base. Arriving at the top he saw Sidi Ibn Mashish ق reciting Qur'an with one of his sons. Their bodies seemed to be moving, though, as Imam Shadhili ق approached he realised that it was the whole mountain that was swaying in harmony with their recitation.
Sidi Ibn Mashish ق addressed him, saying "you cannot come to us in a state of impurity, return and perform ablution.“ Imam Shadhili ق returned to the spring at the bottom of the mountain and refreshed his ablution. Ascending again, Imam Shadhili ق was rebuked a second time with the statement "we told you to return when you have purified yourself." On the decent Imam Shadhili ق pondered his repeated rejection until it became clear that the purification required of his was inward. Performing ablution again, Imam Shadhili ق washed all of his attributes, perceptions, preconceived ideas and aspirations. It was in this state of total surrender that he entered the Path to Allah!
His Master now embraced him with the deep love of acceptance. He could find no words with which to return the greeting, but the Master said to him, “If you wish to fetch water, you take an empty bucket to the well to do so. A full bucket has no room for water.” With these words he took his beloved disciple by the hand and filled him, overflowing with the freshest of Springs!
Works
Selawat Mashishiyyah of Sidi Abdussalam ibn Mashish ق is a beautiful litany summarizing the understanding of the greatness of the rank of our Blessed Prophet ﷺ. It is well known and the only work which has been preserved from Sidi Ibn Mashish ق. A commentary on the prayer was written by Sidi Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba ق.
“Let your heart attach itself to the Creator instead of attaching itself to the Creation!”
Ziyarah
For anyone who undertakes the journey to his maqam (shrine) on the mountain tops and spends the night in the freezing mountain air by his maqam, overlooking the valleys below from its cliff side, and disappears for a night into the presence of the pure light of this true Muhammadan Inheritor, surely you would come to know the deep meaning of the saying La illaha ilAllah, Muhammad RasulAllah and to find the steps of the dance which spring from the depths of one’s soul.
Sidi Abdussalam ibn Mashish ق is buried on the spot where he used to live, having deliberately chosen the mountain top so he could worship in seclusion. Sidi ibn Mashish ق is in many ways the Patron Saint of Moroccan Tasawwuf in the same way that Moulay Idris I is the Patron Saint of the Moroccan state, and so you might expect there would be a huge mausoleum here with a bulging green dome and lots of white marble. Yet setting aside the question of the practicality of building such a thing in a place like this, there is simply no need; for God Himself has provided the Saint with his own dome, a magnificent cork oak tree spreading its boughs and branches over the simple white stone walls of the tomb and beyond.
To arrive at his maqam of Abdessalaam, one must take a bus to either Chefchouan or Tetouan, for the maqam lies in the middle of these two destinations. There are road signs which mark the beginning of the trail from the main roads. However, the trail is winding and mountainous and it is too easy to get lost for one who does not know the trail.
One may take one of the following paths: From Tetouan, speak to one of the taxis there and ask them to take you to the shuttles to the maqam of Abdessalaam ibn Mashish, and they should be able to take you to the shuttles. These humble shuttles leaves every morning at 7 am to the maqam and they begin their return from the maqam around 12:30 p.m. Only costing is 20 dirhams a seat, it would take some fortitude to be able to endure this 45 minutes to an hour shuttle.
For a more costly and comfortable ride, one may speak to one of the grand taxis in either city, Tetuoan or Chechouan, and haggle for a direct taxi to the tombside. One may rent a cab for a reasonable price of 200 dirhams for the trip. In either city, to find the grand taxis, ask the mini taxis to take you to the ” Mahatat grand taxi”, or ” the station grande taxi”. If they ask specifically what station, tell them, if you are in Tetouan, the one going to Chefchouan, and if you are in Chefchouan then the one going to Tetouan.
