Sayyidi Abd al-Salam ibn Bashish
The Sheikh of all Sheikhs in the Ṭariqa Burhaniyya is Sayyidi Abd al-Salam ibn Bashish. His only student was Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili — who, in turn, became the spiritual ancestor of numerous Sufi orders known collectively as the Shadhiliyya, whose light continues to shine to this day.
His shrine (maqam) lies on a mountaintop in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco and remains a well-known destination for pilgrims.
Known in Morocco also as Ibn Mashish, Sayyidi Abd al-Salam traced his lineage to Sayyiduna al-Hasan, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ. He was born around 559–563 AH in a small village on Jabal al-Alam, near present-day Tétouan, in northern Morocco, where one of his ancestors had settled among the local Berber tribes.
Little is known about the details of his life. It is said that he earned his livelihood through farming, and he reportedly taught children the recitation of the Quran.
His spiritual guide was Sheikh Abd al-RaHman al-Attar of Sabta (Ceuta), also known as al-Madani due to his later residence in Madinah. He served as the spiritual intermediary (wasiṭa) for Ibn Bashish and initiated him into the ʿulum al-ruHaniyya—the spiritual sciences.
In the final years of his life, Sayyidi Ibn Bashish withdrew into solitude on the sacred heights of Jabal al-Alam, devoting himself entirely to worship, prayer, and contemplation. It was on this mountain that he met his only student: Abul-Hasan ash-Shadhili, a fellow descendant of the Idrisids, who carried forth his legacy and became the founder of the far-reaching Shadhiliyya order.
From Sayyidi Ibn Bashish comes the well-known Salat al-Mashishiyya, a supplication and prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ, transmitted through Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili and foundational to the spiritual practice (awrad) of the Ṭariqa Burhaniya. Through this, the Burhaniyya continues to carry the light of his teaching— a silent current that purifies, opens, and expands the hearts.
Here is an excerpt:
O Allah, unite us with him,
just as You unite the surface of the ocean with its depths.
Unite us with him—
in a union that knows no separation,
and in a bond that cannot be broken.
So that we see nothing,
hear nothing,
feel nothing,
touch nothing—
except through him,
with him,
in him,
and for him.
In this prayer, Sayyidī Ibn Bashīsh reveals the highest rank of the Prophet — as the “Supreme Light” (Nur Mohammedi), the Primordial Word, and the mirror of the Divine Names and Attributes.
In the year 622 AH, Sayyidī Ibn Bashīsh was killed during a raid by Spanish forces — at the very spot where he had once initiated Abul-Ḥasan ash-Shadhili.
His tomb remains on that sacred mountain to this day, Jabal al-ʿĀlam — a place of light and divine presence for all those who set out on the journey to visit him.
The Sayyidi Ibn Bashish on Jabal al-ʿĀlam, the sacred mountain in northern Morocco.
Salam ibn Bashish
Pilgrims at the Maqam
Meditation near the Maqam
On Jabal al-ʿĀlam
