Sīdī ʿAlī al-ʿAmrānī al-Jamal

(d. 1194)
Masters of the Shādhili Path Series

Translated by Sidi Idris Watts

He is from the family of the Prophet  from the tribe of Banī

ʿAmrān. He was nicknamed ‘the Camel’ (al-Jamal) because of an
incident that occurred once in Fez. Once day a camel was blocking the
streets. Sīdī ʿAlī saw that it was causing a nuisance so he picked it up
and placed it at the side of the street. The people were so astonished
that they labelled him ‘the Camel’ from then on. It is said that the
angels know him as al-Jamāl (Divine Beauty).

In his early days he worked high up in the local authorities linked

as a minister of the court of the sultan, but later on he began to fear
for his safety so he fled to Tunisia. It was there that he met a number
of sheikhs and benefited from them. They eventually sent him back to
Morocco to the city of Wazzān in order to sit with Moulay aṭ-Ṭayyib al-
Wazzānī 1. This was in the year 1153. Moulay aṭ-Ṭayyib al-Wazzānī sent
him back to Fez in the same year and it was back in his home city that
he studied Sufism in depth with the like of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Gassūs and
he took the company of the grand sheikh of the time Sīdī al-ʿArabī bin
ʿAbd Allāh Maʿan al-Andalusī. He spent the next sixteen years under his
guidance until he had truly benefited from him and taken what he
could from him in terms of Divine wisdom. Sīdī al-ʿArabī wasn’t his first
master on the path, however. He had spent two years with a spiritual
guide from Tetoun who was known simply as ʿAbd Allāh. Once Sīdī al-
ʿArabī had passed away he built a zāwiyah for himself in the Ramīla
district in Fez and he attracted many followers.

He had two sides to his nature. At times he would wear the finest
of clothes and at other times he would wear the tattiest clothes he
could find. Sometimes he would wear fine slippers and on other
occasions he would walk in the streets barefoot, begging the people in
1
Moulay aṭ-Ṭayyib al-Wazzānī (d. 1181) The line of his order goes back to the Jazūlī
Order through Sīdī ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz at-Tubbaʿ. The Wazzānī Order goes back to Moulay
ʿAbd Allāh ash-Sharīf al-Wazzānī (d. 1089). It was one of the most powerful orders of
Morocco at one time. Even the Sultan of the day demanded his blessing before taking
any decisions. The order was inherited by his son Moulay Muḥammad (d. 1120) and
then his son Moulay at-Tuhāmī (d. 1127). After his death at-Tuhāmī’s brother Moulay
aṭ-Ṭayyib al-Wazzānī (d. 1181) took the mantle of the order on. All of these men are
buried in Wazzān. (note: Imām ar-Rahūnī (d. 1230) the great Mālikī scholar who has a
marginal commentary on Zarqānī’s commentary of Khalīl is buried here as well)
order to lower his ego. He would spend most of his time in the
Qarawiyyīn sitting inside the door that is covered known as ‘Bāb
Fandaq Sīdī ʿAbd al-Majīd’. He used to sit there in deep contemplation.
If people spoke to him they would find him an ocean of knowledge. He
was constantly engrossed in the witnessing of the Prophet  both in
waking and sleeping state. He used to say, “Whenever the Messenger
of God  came to my mind I would find him and his ten noble
companions literally before me. I would speak to them and take
knowledge from them.”

Moulay al-ʿArabī said, “Our teacher Sīdī ʿAlī al-Jamal was more
deeply engrossed in the essence of the Messenger of God  than Abu
al-ʿAbbās al-Mursī.” He also declared, “It is my strong belief –and God
knows best-that his station mightier than Sīdī al-Mursī due to what I
have witnessed of his engrossment in the witnessing of the Prophet 
and his addressing him.”

When he met with Moulay al-ʿArabī, he asked him, “Would you

like to bring back a path that has been extinguished since the time of
Junayd?” Moulay al-ʿArabī answered, “Why yes!” He dressed him in the
patched robe and sent him out into the streets to beg coming to him
daily for his instruction. He persevered until he achieved his goal.

He was one of those who God gave authority on the earth. It was
said that it was through his blessing and will that the caravans made
their way safely and gained profit. He would go outside of the gate of
the city to meet the caravans and they would give him a dirham for
every camel they had before they set off. Those who did so never lost
any of their camels and always came back safely and with plenty of
profit. One day, one owner of a caravan of camels decided too haggle
with him over the price of his camel to the point where he ended up
not giving him anything. When they set out they were attacked by
thieves on the road and they only took the camel which they did not
give any money to Sīdī ʿAlī for.

He achieved the state of ultimate spiritual pole (al-Quṭbāniyyah)

of the time; indeed he held the station for most of his life as his
student Moulay al-ʿArabī professed in his letters.

Sīdī ʿAbu al-Wāḥid ad-Dabbāgh said, “No one truly knows Sīdī ʿAlī
except he who has reached his station. He was a true scholar in both
opposed sciences (inward and outward knowledge).”
 Despite his mighty station he insisted on begging for money in
the streets not for material gain but to lower his ego before God all-
Mighty.

He passed away in the year 1194 IE at the age of 105. He is buried in

his zāwiyah in the Ramīlah District by the side of Sīdī Abū Madyan’s
mosque.