Sanusiyyah

SANUSIYYAH. - The most recent of the great ṭarīqah or Muslim mystical brotherhoods; it is the least mystical of all, in the most precise sense of the word, and the most influential in political affairs, so much so 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, b. in 1787 near Mustaghanem (Algeria), in 1837 at Mecca.

In 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 firstborn son

Muḥammad al-Mahdī, who carried the brotherhood's influence as far as Lake Chad and Darfur. For this and for other strategic considerations, al-Mahdī moved his capital ever further south, first to Kufra (1895) and then to Gouro (1899). At his death (1902) the brotherhood, 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 heavy blow to the s., which nevertheless raised its head effectively during the First World War, when the Senussi sided with the Turks. The definitive defeat of the s. could be achieved only in 1931 with the Graziani expedition. The Italians destroyed the various zāwījah, preserving only that of Giarabub. In the Second World War, however, the Senussi were on the side of the English, obtaining from them promises of independence. These promises were kept when on 24 Dec. 1951 the Libyan Kingdom was proclaimed under the scepter of the emir Muḥammad Idris as-Sanūsī, a refugee in Egypt since 1923 after the first Italian repressions, and current head of the s. brotherhood. Not all Libyans agree on this dominion of the s. over the whole of Libya. The doctrines of the s., contained in the works of the founder, 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 work of deriving norms directly from the Koran and the canonical traditions, is not closed with the 11th century, but is still lawful; c) devaluation of rational analogy in law; d) mystical union with God is a rare prerogative of a few great souls. The common mortal must rather strive on the path of an imitation of Mohammed and of a spiritual union with him; e) abolition of the means of exterior mystical excitation, such as song, dance, etc., in use in other brotherhoods, placing the emphasis instead on meditation; f) legal rigorism similar to that of the Wahhabis (v.) with prohibition of the use of tobacco.

The s. brotherhood was of great importance for the raising of the standard of living of the rough Bedouin tribes that adhered to it, and for a relative purification of the rather corrupt Islam of those zones. The brotherhood always maintained an attitude of militant activity for the diffusion and defense of Islam, which won it many sympathies in the Muslim world.

Alessandro Bausani