SŪFĪ HEROES AND HEROINES
SHORT
BIOGRAPHY OF SHAYKH ABDUS-SALAM ONIWIRIRDI (BABA ARUGBO) OF PAKATA, ILORIN
Written by: Dr. Abdur-Razzaq Mustapha Balogun Solagberu
Published
by: The Establishment of Nasr al-‘Ilm African American Islamic Institute
(AAII), Apalando Branch, Ilorin, Nigeria - 2011.
Source: 'Sūfī Heroes and Heroines' section from the Magazine titled;[Voice of Muassasah (A
Quarterly Magazine of Muassasatu Nasr al-‘Ilm International), No.13 Muharram,
1432 A.H./January 2011]
Shaykh Abdus-Salam
Oniwiridi commonly known as Baba Arugbo was son of Muhammad al-Awwal son of
Abdul-Qadir ibn Ahmad Rufai ibn Salih, born at Ile Onile Compound, Ita-Ogunbo,
Ilorin in Kwara State between 1816 and 1817, his mother was Rahmatullahi.
He started his
education with the learning of the Glorious Qur’an from Mallam Shaykh Muhammad
Nafiu of Ile Kewu and within few years he completed the learning of the Glorious
Qur’an. He continued to further his education by enrolling at Madrasat of
Shaykh Samraqandi of Ile-Oniwasi compound, near Dooba compound at Pakata in Ilorin, where
he acquired further knowledge in Arabic and Islamic Studies. The zeal for
traveling and seeking knowledge took him to Kano where he spent some years
seeking knowledge before returning to Ilorin his hometown.
At the age of 30
years, i.e. in 1849 C.E. Shaykh Abdus-Salam decided to perform holy pilgrimage
to Makkah and Madinah. He took along with him his wife Sayyidat Salamat bint
Abubakar a relation to Shaykh Abdul-Qadir Solagberu. He spent 10 years in
Makkah and another 10 years of Madinah, before he eventually came back to
Ilorin.
HIS SŪFĪ LIFE
Shaikh Abdus-Salam was
initially initiated into the Qadiriyyah order by Ash-Shaykh Samraqandi of
Ilorin when he was studying under him. During his stay in Makkah after the
performance of hajj, he came across as Sūfī master named Sheikh
Zakariyyah al-Ansārī who initiated him
into the Tijaniyyah order. With this, he abandoned his first order, i.e.
Qadiriya. He later renewed his initiation in Cairo under one Sharif Abdul-Azeez
before he later returned to Ilorin in 1874. He later visited Fez, Morocco,
where Shaykh Ahmad at-Tijani, the founder of the Tijaniyyah order flourished.
The first Tijaniyyah
Zawiyyah in Ilorin was constructed by Shaykh Abdus-Salaam Oniwiridi in 1884 or
1896. By the time he left Makkah and Madinah, he took along some soil of the
holy sacred places to Ilorin which he mixed with the local soil to construct
the Zawiyyah, especially a spot tagged as corner of Arugbo. The place was made
sacred to the extent that when there was need to reconstruct the building, the
spot was not demolished, rather it was renovated.
The arrival of Sheikh
Abdus-Salam Oniwiridi in Ilorin marked the beginning of another form of
hostility against Shaykh and Sufi order (Tijaniyyah) he brought. Shaykh
Abdus-Salam therefore met great opposition from the people including some
scholars and jurists.
The then Balogun
Ajikobi named Biala was one of the
strongest antagonists of the shaykh.The major reason why Shaykh Abdus-Salam was
opposed because he was alleged to have brought up an unpopular Sūfī order which was
considered as new comparing it with the Qadiriyyah order which was the Sūfī order of the Monarch.
Balogun Ajikobi Biala
threatened to arrest Shaykh Oniwiridi had he failed to abandon the Tijaniyyah
order, but before he could carry out his threat, he was removed as Balogun
Ajikobi and a new Balogun Ajikobi named Ajape was appointed.
The Removal of Biala
as Balogun Ajikobi was counted as a part of miracle for Sheikh Abdusalam and
the Tijaniyyah Sūfī order. The newly
installed Balogun Ajikobi had good working relationship with the shaykh.
With passage of time,
things changed in favor of Shaykh Abdus-Salam Oniwiridi to the extent that he
had attracted the attention of many people who either became his student or
disciples/followers. Some even took him as a spiritual consultant. And due to the
conducive atmosphere, he constructed the first Tijaniyyah Sūfī Zawiyyah in Ilorin in
1896 C.E. at Pakata.
The first and early
sets of disciples and followers of Shaykh Abdus-Salam Oniwiridi included the
following: Sheikh Abū Bakr Assanī, his son Shaikh
Sa’adu-Deen An-Nahwī, Shaykh Ahmad at-Tijānī and Shaykh Abdur-Rahmān an-Nahwī, all of Ile Oni
Nahwu. Others include Asuyuti Ile-Onimasa Kuntu, Mustapha Nda Rabi, Abu-Bakr
Alore, Abu-Bakr Kadi Solagberu, Bagadosi Isale Gaā, Ahmad Oja-gboro,
Shaykh Ahmad Kokoro kan, Murtadah Alaya, Shaykh Uthman Ayerimisa, Shaykh
Oniwiridi, Abdullah Elega and Al-Hajj al-Kaleem.
Two major works
“Tanbihu-l Ghafilīna تنبيهالغافلينand Mustafīdī مستفيديare ascribed to
Shaykh Abdus-Salam.
Shaykh Abdus-Salam
did not give himself any title, he even detested the title Shaykh or Al-hajj.
The people therefore considered his age being an old man usually addressed him
as my “Baba Arugbo” meaning “old man” and since then, it became the title of the
family. People also referred to him as "Baba n Zawi" meaning "the man of the sufi zawiyyah".
Shaykh Abdus-Salam
Oniwiridi died on 1302 A.H/1942A.C.E after spending 126 years on earth. He was
succeeded by his first son, Shaykh Abdul-Hamid Abdus-Salam, and after his death
in 1973 Shaykh Ibrahim Abdus Salaam (b. 1908) emerged as the new Khalifa and
Baba Arugbo.
 |
| Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Abdus Salaam (1908-2013) |
 |
| Incumbent Khalifa |
 |
| Shaykh Abdus-Salam Oniwirirdi's gravespot |
Article Written by:
Dr. Abdur-Razzaq Mustapha Balogun Solagberu
Published
by: The Establishment of Nasr al-‘Ilm African American Islamic Institute
(AAII), Apalando Branch, Ilorin, Nigeria - 2011.
Source: 'Sūfī Heroes and Heroines' section from the Magazine titled;[Voice of Muassasah (A
Quarterly Magazine of Muassasatu Nasr al-‘Ilm International), No.13 Muharram,
1432 A.H./January 2011]
Further Reading:
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Dalā’ilu l Khayrāt - Collection of prayers upon the Prophet “in Plain Arabic and Warsh script” (by Shaikh Sulaiman Jazūlī) - Arabic
Kanzul Masūn - Collections of Prayers/Supplications (by Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse) - Arabic
Dawāwīn as-Sitt (Six Anthologies) on Prophetic Eulogy (by Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse) - Arabic
Ahzāb wa Awrād (Collection of Prayers/Liturgies and Litanies) of Shaikh Ahmad at-Tijani - Arabic
Dalā’ilu l Khayrāt - Collection of prayers upon the Prophet “in Plain Arabic and Warsh script” (by Shaikh Sulaiman Jazūlī) - Arabic
Kanzul Masūn - Collections of Prayers/Supplications (by Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse) - Arabic
Dawāwīn as-Sitt (Six Anthologies) on Prophetic Eulogy (by Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse) - Arabic
Ahzāb wa Awrād (Collection of Prayers/Liturgies and Litanies) of Shaikh Ahmad at-Tijani - Arabic
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2.Vessel of Spiritual Flood, Translation of Goran Faydah by Shaykh Balarabe Haroon Jega (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
3.Shariah and Haqeeqah: In the Light of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions(Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
4.The Icon of Mystics: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kawlakhy (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
5. Tahniat (Congratulatory Ode) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translation
& Transliteration of Majmuu' Qasaid al-Mawlid of Baye) - (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
6. Handbook for every Tijaniyyat (by Shaikh As-Sufi)
8. Risalat at-Tawbah (Epistle of Repentance) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niyass al-Kawlakhi" - (Translation & Commentary by Dr. Razaq Solagberu)
9. Katsina and Kaduna Conferences (Jadhbul ahbab ila hadrat Rabbil arbab) and Mecca Conference - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
10. Softcopy of Numerous Sufi Literature (Arabic & English) - (To be sent via CD & email/googledrive)
12. Sayyida Fatimat Zahara (The Rose): The Beloved Daughter of the Holy Prophet (SAW) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
13. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani and his Spiritual Path (Tariqat) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
14.Special Prayers from Kanzul Masun- (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
15.Facts about Sufism by Ismaheel Abdulrauf
16. Who is Shaykh Jamiu Bulala (by Ustaz Olanipekun Shittu Tunde)
17. Mawlud lectures of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
18. Practical Guide on the Wird(Litany) of the Tariqah Faydah Tijaniyyah (The Adherent Handbook) - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
19. Hizbu Sayfi & Hizbul Mughni (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
20. Hizbul Bahri (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
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Call: +2348074393996
WhatsApp: https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=2349078376281
1. Majmū’at ad-Dawāwīn (Collection of Eulogy Works) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse’ (English translation) - Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq
2.Vessel of Spiritual Flood, Translation of Goran Faydah by Shaykh Balarabe Haroon Jega (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
3.Shariah and Haqeeqah: In the Light of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions(Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
4.The Icon of Mystics: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kawlakhy (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
5. Tahniat (Congratulatory Ode) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translation
& Transliteration of Majmuu' Qasaid al-Mawlid of Baye) - (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
6. Handbook for every Tijaniyyat (by Shaikh As-Sufi)
8. Risalat at-Tawbah (Epistle of Repentance) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niyass al-Kawlakhi" - (Translation & Commentary by Dr. Razaq Solagberu)
9. Katsina and Kaduna Conferences (Jadhbul ahbab ila hadrat Rabbil arbab) and Mecca Conference - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
10. Softcopy of Numerous Sufi Literature (Arabic & English) - (To be sent via CD & email/googledrive)
12. Sayyida Fatimat Zahara (The Rose): The Beloved Daughter of the Holy Prophet (SAW) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
13. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani and his Spiritual Path (Tariqat) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
14.Special Prayers from Kanzul Masun- (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
15.Facts about Sufism by Ismaheel Abdulrauf
16. Who is Shaykh Jamiu Bulala (by Ustaz Olanipekun Shittu Tunde)
17. Mawlud lectures of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
18. Practical Guide on the Wird(Litany) of the Tariqah Faydah Tijaniyyah (The Adherent Handbook) - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
19. Hizbu Sayfi & Hizbul Mughni (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
20. Hizbul Bahri (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
21. Sufi Tasbih/Prayer Beads/Rosary 📿
To place orders;
Call: +2348074393996
WhatsApp Link:
https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=2349078376281
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