SANŪSIJJAH. — The most recent of the great ṭarīqahs or Muslim mystical confraternities; it is of all of them the least mystical, in the most precise sense of the word, and the most influential in political affairs, to such an extent that, at present (1951), its head has become king of the new independent State of Libya. It was founded by Sīdī Muḥammad b. 'Alī as-Sanūsī, born in 1787 near Mustaghanem (Algeria), who died in 1837 at Mecca.
By 1840 the ṭarīqah had already established itself in Egypt, and when, shortly thereafter, many Libyan tribes adhered to its preaching, as-Sanūsī found himself at the head of a strong politico-religious movement of a military character. When he died in 1859 at Giarabub, he was succeeded by his eldest son
Muḥammad al-Mahdī, who extended the influence of the confraternity as far as Lake Chad and Dar-Fur. For this and other strategic considerations, al-Mahdī moved his capital ever farther south, first to Kufra (1895) and then to Gouro (1899). At his death (1902), the confraternity, aided by the favorable position of its principal centers along the caravan routes, possessed an enviable military and political position, which attracted the attention of the French, who occupied the zāwījah of 'Ajn Galaka. Ahmad as-Sarīf, al-Mahdī’s successor, reconquered it in 1911 with the help of the Turks. The Italian occupation (1912) dealt a severe blow to the s., which nevertheless successfully raised its head during the First World War, when the Senussi sided with the Turks. The definitive defeat of the s. could be achieved only in 1931 through the Graziani expedition. The Italians destroyed the various zāwījahs, preserving only that of Giarabub. In the Second World War, however, the Senussi took the side of the British, obtaining from them promises of independence. These promises were fulfilled when, on 24 December 1951, the Libyan Kingdom was proclaimed under the scepter of Emir Muḥammad Idris as-Sanūsī, a refugee in Egypt since 1923 following the first Italian repressions, and the current head of the s. confraternity. Not all Libyans agree with this domination of the s. over the whole of Libya. The doctrines of the s., contained in the founder’s works, consist principally in the following points: a) only the īgmā' of the first Muslim generation has normative value; b) the īgthād, or the jurist’s endeavor to derive norms directly from the Qur’an and the canonical traditions, did not come to an end in the eleventh century; it is still permissible; c) the devaluation of rational analogy in law; d) mystical union with God is the rare prerogative of a few great souls. The ordinary mortal should instead strive along the path of imitating Muhammad and of a spiritual union with him; e) abolition of the means of external mystical excitation, such as singing, dancing, etc., employed in other confraternities, with emphasis instead on meditation; f) legal rigorism similar to that of the Wahhābites (v.) with prohibition of the use of tobacco.
The s. confraternity was of great importance for raising the standard of living of the rough Bedouin tribes that joined it, and for a relative purification of the rather corrupt Islam of those regions. The confraternity always maintained an attitude of militant activity for the spread and defense of Islam, which won it many sympathizers in the Muslim world.