Origin and Transmission of the Tariqa Burhaniya

Sayyidi Abul Hasan ash-Shadhuli and Sayyidi Ibrahim Disuqi founded the Tariqa Burhaniya in the 13th century, which is why its full name is Tariqa Burhaniya Disuqiya Shadhuliya.
This sacred knowledge was preserved in secrecy and was rediscovered and revived in the 20th century by the Sudanese Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abduh al-Burhani (1902–1983), grandfather of the current sheikh, Mohammed Sheikh Ibrahim Mohammed Osman.

Thus, the Burhaniya Disuqiya Shadhuliya is the Sufi order (tariqa – طريقة) of Sayyidi Ibrahim al Qurashi al Disuqi (13th century), considered the fourth of the great Sufi masters and spiritual poles (aqtab).
The chain (silsila – سلسلة) of sheikhs of the Tariqa Burhaniya traces back to the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ.

The principal links in our spiritual chain are:

• Sayyidi al Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed Osman
• Sayyidi al Sheikh Ibrahim Mohammed Osman
• Sayyidi al Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abduh al-Burhani
• Sayyidi Ahmad Arabi al Sharnubi
• Sayyidi Musa Abu al Umran
• Sayyidi Ibrahim al Qurashi al Disuqi
• Sayyidi Abul Hasan al Shaduli
• Sayyidi Abdu al Salam ibn Bashish
• Sayyiduna wa Maulana al Imam al Husain
• Sayyiduna wa Maulana al Imam al Ali
• Ziyadatan fi Scharaf al Mustafa, salla'llahu alaihi wa sallama

The name of our Ṭarīqa means in detail:

Burhan – the name of Sayyidi Ibrahim in the Hadra Meditation
Disuqiya – refers to the town of Disuq in Egypt, where Sayyidi Ibrahim lived.
Shadhuli – the uncle of Sayyidi Ibrahim, Sayyidi Abul Hasan al Shadhuli

The Tariqa Burhaniya experienced a significant revival under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abduh al Burhani (†1983), and later his son, Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Mohammed Osman (†2003). Under the current spiritual guidance of Sayyidi al Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed Osman, the Tariqa continues to flourish. Hundreds of Burhani communities have spread across the globe. (→ Burhaniya Worldwide) Numerous communities have been established in many countries across several continents.

This far-reaching growth over recent decades is rooted in a profound, living heritage — a heritage we aim to highlight through the reports and pages that follow.

Sayyidi al Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abduh al-Burhani

Sayyidi al Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abduh al-Burhani was born around the turn of the 20th century in Halfa, in present-day Sudan. At just ten years old, after persistent pleas, he was initiated into the Tariqa Burhaniya by his uncle. However, despite this initiation, no teacher was initially available to guide him, so he received neither instruction nor spiritual practices.

During this period of inner seeking, Mohammed Osman spent many nights in prayer and retreat. He began to have visions in which some of the great saints visited him. Through these visions, he received the first parts of the Aurad, the special prayers of the Tariqa Burhaniya.

Years later, a blind stranger appeared, claiming to have been sent by Sayyidi Ibrahim al Qurashi al Disuqi, the founder of the order. This teacher helped him deepen his inner knowledge. Eventually, Sheikh Mohammed Osman discovered old manuscripts hidden by his ancestors in clay pots during the Mahdist book burnings. Among them was the complete Aurad of the Tariqa, a spiritual treasure he then preserved and passed on to his students.

In an all-encompassing vision that lasted forty days, it was revealed to him that it was his duty to revive the order of Sayyidi Ibrahim Disuqi. He hesitated for two months and declined the responsibility until, according to tradition, Imam al-Husain appeared to him personally, confirming and reinforcing the task—after which he accepted it.

Under the spiritual leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Osman, the Tariqa Burhaniya gained wide acceptance in Sudan and Egypt. Already by the 1970s, hundreds of thousands in Egypt alone followed him. From 1981 onwards, the Tariqa also spread to Europe and the United States.

Sheikh Mohammed Osman — affectionately called Sayyidi Fahruddin by his students — left this world on April 5, 1983. His tomb (maqam) in Khartoum, Sudan, remains a blessed site of remembrance, spiritual retreat, and connection.

How Maulana Received the Tariqa

In a recurring vision that spanned forty nights, Maulana Sheikh Mohammed Osman saw a locomotive with a single wagon approaching him. It stopped at his feet. He recognized it as coming from Disuq, the city of his spiritual guide, Sayyidi Ibrahim ad-Disuqi. Inside the wagon, he found a coffin draped in three cloths: white, green, and yellow.

These colors symbolized the essence of the Tariqa Burhaniya:

• White represents the Light of the Shari‘a, the sacred law passed from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to Sayyidi Ibrahim.

• Green signifies the inner knowledge and purity of heart, associated with Sayyiduna al-Husain.

• Yellow denotes the transformative path of spiritual refinement, as taught by Sayyidi Abul Hasan ash-Shadhuli.

When Maulana lifted the final cloth, he saw feet that looked like his own. At that moment, the presence of many saints became manifest to him — including Sayyidi Abul Hasan ash-Shadhuli. When he asked who the deceased was, he was told: “It is Ibrahim ad-Disuqi.”

Maulana was shaken. He wept, feeling all his striving had been in vain if the Sheikh had passed. But then Sayyidi Ibrahim appeared to him in a visionary form and said:
“This body symbolizes my Tariqa. You have been chosen to bring it back to life.”

Maulana hesitated and declined the responsibility for two months. Finally, he received another vision—this time accompanied by Sayyiduna Imam al-Husain, who said:
“My son, do not hesitate. Whoever receives a task is also given the strength to fulfill it. Take up the responsibility and ask for what you need—it will be granted.”

Maulana agreed, on the condition that:

• No student would fall into states of spiritual intoxication (maǧzūb),

• And the Tariqa would involve no spiritual retreats (khalwa).

These, along with 60 other conditions, were written in a contract and spiritually affirmed by Sayyidi Ibrahim and Sayyiduna al-Husain. This document remains in the safekeeping of the current Sheikh of the Tariqa Burhaniya, Maulana Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Ibrahim Mohammed Osman.

Jabal Awliya (Mountain of the Saints) – An Early Vision of Maulana

In a dream that Maulana Sheikh Mohammed Osman had as a child, the great saint Sayyidi Ahmad al-Badawi appeared to him. He took the child by the hand and led him to a mountain near Khartoum – later called “Jabal al-Awliya,” the Mountain of the Saints.

Once there, Sayyidi Ahmad al-Badawi struck the rock with his hand. The mountain opened – revealing a cave.
“Pray in this cave!” he commanded.

Upon awakening, the young Mohammed Osman was deeply moved and full of questions. What did this place mean? Where could it be found?

He approached the headman of the nearby village, a man named Wasim, and asked about the mountain. Wasim confirmed that the place was indeed known as Jabal al-Awliya, named so because devout saints had once prayed there in a hidden cave.

Mohammed Osman went in search of it—and found the very place from his dream: a cave with a floor of fine white sand. Deep inside, the direction of prayer, the Qibla, was clearly marked.

There he prayed for the chain of sheikhs of his order, though he only knew fragments of their names and sequence at the time.

Years later, he returned to the cave and spent six months in spiritual retreat.

The Blind Teacher

Though Maulana Sheikh Mohammed Osman had long entered the Burhaniya path, for many years no guide appeared to instruct him in the special spiritual exercises or to accompany him in his inner journey. He spent much of his time in the mosque, deeply immersed in the study of Islamic law and Sharia.

One day, a blind man from Egypt entered the mosque and approached him. “Will you not invite me to take a seat?” Mohammed Osman replied, “This is a house of God — everyone is welcome here.” The stranger turned away, prayed the two units of prayer recommended when entering a mosque, and then said: “Sayyidi Ibrahim ad-Disuqi has sent me to initiate you into the Aurad.”

He remained with Mohammed Osman for seven months, teaching him every detail of the Aurad and the unique practices of the Burhaniya. During this time, Maulana often prayed in secret for his teacher to regain his sight — until one day, the man calmly moved through the room, identifying colors with ease. Though physically blind, his spiritual vision was clear.

After seven months, the man bid farewell, saying he would now return to Disuq, to the resting place of Sayyidi Ibrahim near his home. Yet when Maulana himself later visited Disuq and inquired about the man, no one had ever heard of him.

More Infos about → Sayyidi al Sheikh Mohammed Osman Abduh al-Burhani