The Senussiyya reformation of Sufism

The Senussiyya tariqah was founded by the great Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi. He was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through His grandson Hasan ibn Ali, hence As-Senussi had the epithet “al-Hasani.” He was from the tribe of Walad Sidi Abdullah. As-Senussi studied at the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, and later on he became a disciple of the Sufi master Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi. As-Senussi eventually became the head of the second branch of the Qadiriyyah tariqah, and this would eventually be developed into the Senussiyya.

As-Senussi introduced several important reforms to Sufism during his lifetime. He discontinued the extreme practices that many so-called Sufis practiced; for example, the Sufis of his time would dress in dirty ragged clothes and refused to clean themselves, thinking that such actions would bring them closer to Allah. As-Senussi also made takfir on those people whom ask blessings and supplication from the individuals within the graves. Later on his life, he and his followers adopted the creed of the Salaf, and reinforced the belief of Allah being above His throne and the seven Heavens. The Senussiyya became a full Athari tariqah after this, and a tariqah that was not filled with strange and extreme innovations.

As-Senussi founded his first Zawiya (Sufi institution) in Makkah, but was exiled by the Najdiyyah who did not understand him at first. He then founded a Zawiya in the mountains of Sidi Rafa'a in Bayda, Libya. Unlike most Zawiyas contemporary to his time (which were places where ignorants did strange rituals) the Senussi Zawiya was a school where the memorization of the Holy Qur'an was taught. At the Zawiya, basic life skills like farming and defence were also taught, as As-Senussi believed that all Muslims should work for their own money instead of being reliant on the charity of others. Years later, the Najdiyyah realised the true intentions of the Senussis and allowed a Zawiya to be founded within Arabian territory.

The Senussis were able to ignite the fire of Jihad into the hearts of Muslims all across Libya. The Muslims fought against the colonizers, defeating the Italians, Germans, French and the infamous British. As-Senussi himself emphasized the importance of ruling by the Shari'ah, and this is one of the points which encouraged the people to fight against the colonizers.  As-Senussi also criticized the recently secularized Ottoman Empire, especially the secular Ottoman ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha. This made the ulema of Egypt issue a Fatwa against him and his teachings.

The tariqah of Senussiyya is still active in Libya, and many of its members call themselves either Salafis or Atharis. It is one of the few tariqahs present in nowadays that has little to no innovations. Other tariqahs like the Qadiriyyah of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani have been corrupted by deviants and have become a tariqah of innovation in the modern day.