Ahmad Zarruq

A Maliki jurist, theorist of Sufism and Shadhili master, Ahmad Zarruq is regarded as one of the most important thinkers in the history of Maghrebi Sufism. He sought to establish a spiritual discipline grounded in law and texts, and left a body of work that is still studied.

Childhood and studies

He was born on 7 June 1442 near Fez, in the Berber tribe of the Barnusi. Orphaned very early, he was raised by his grandmother, a jurist, who was his first teacher. From the age of sixteen he studied at the Qarawiyyin and at the al-ʿInaniyya madrasa in Fez.

Masters and travels

He received spiritual initiation from Ahmad ibn ʿUqba al-Hadrami, a scholar of the Shadhili and Qadiri branches, and was influenced by Muhammad al-Jazuli. In 1468-1469 he set out on pilgrimage, visited Cairo and then stayed in Medina; he then continued his studies in Cairo, where he taught at Al-Azhar before several thousand listeners and became head of the Malikis. Driven out of Fez for political reasons, he travelled through North Africa.

Thought and works

Zarruq argued for bringing Sufism and law closer together. In the Qawa'id at-Tasawwuf (“The Principles of Sufism”), he offers a methodical treatment of spiritual discipline and notes that Sufism has received more than two thousand definitions. He also wrote commentaries on Maliki law, a commentary on the Hikam of Ibn ʿAta' Allah and a litany, the Wazifa Zarruqiyya. His recollections are translated into English as Memoirs of a Sufi Master.

Death and legacy

He settled in Misrata, in Libya, where he died in 1493. His disciples founded the branch called the Zarruqiyya. His teaching has remained a reference for many later masters, among them Ahmad ibn ʿAjiba.