Chain of transmission
ʿAbd as-Salam ibn Mashish
Died 1227-1228 · Jabal al-ʿAlam (Rif) · master of Abu al-Hasan ash-Shadhili
A Sufi master of the Rif, ʿAbd as-Salam ibn Mashish is the master of Abu al-Hasan ash-Shadhili: through him, the tradition of Abu Madyan passed to the Shadhili way. His sanctuary on Jabal al-ʿAlam, near Tetouan, remains a much-visited place.
Origins
A descendant of the Idrisids, he was born among the Beni Arouss, in the area of Jabal al-ʿAlam, in northern Morocco. He is also known as “al-ʿAlami” after the mountain.
Education
At sixteen he left for the East to study. On his return, in Bejaia, he followed the teaching of Abu Madyan, of whom he became one of the spiritual heirs.
The retreat on Jabal al-ʿAlam
Back in Morocco, he withdrew into the mountains, then to the heights of Jabal al-ʿAlam, devoting his life to prayer and meditation. It was there that Abu al-Hasan ash-Shadhili came to him, and he later sent him to Tunisia.
Teaching
His teaching rested on refocusing consciousness on God, contentment in all circumstances and inner freedom from the world. He is credited with the prayer upon the Prophet known as as-Salat al-Mashishiyya, still recited today.
Death
He was assassinated in 1227-1228 by an anti-Almohad rebel. His sanctuary, at the top of the mountain, south of Tetouan, is a much-visited place of pilgrimage.