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A Yemeni Sufi; founder of the Ghaythiyya branch of the Ahdaliyya line attached to the Qadiriyya. His full name is Abu'l-Ghayth Sa'd (Sa'id) b. Salm b. Jamil al-Yamani.
If the report that he died at about ninety-five is accepted, it can be said that he was born around the year 556 (1161). It is recorded that he was born in the coastal part of the Tihama region of Yemen, that he belonged to a tribe of the Hajur area, and that he was of the mawali. There is not sufficient information about his family and childhood.
The sources relate that in his youth he was a highway robber, and that one day, while he was up a tree watching a caravan approach, he was moved by a voice saying “There is someone watching you too”, and turned to God; the source notes that in this respect his life resembles that of the early Sufi Fudayl b. 'Iyad. According to the report, after this experience he laid down his weapons and, while wandering aimlessly, met a dervish; learning that the man was going to Zabid, he decided to go with him. It is stated that he was eighteen when he entered the Sufi path.
In Zabid he became a disciple of 'Ali b. Aflah, one of the famous shaykhs of the time; according to the source, certain miracles began to appear from him at this time. Later he left 'Ali b. Aflah and took initiation from Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali b. 'Umar al-Ahdal (d. 650/1252), founder of the Ahdaliyya line of the Qadiriyya, who was at Murawa'a; there are two interpretations of why he left (details under Multiple Perspectives). His saying “I left Ibn Aflah as a raw pearl; it was 'Ali al-Ahdal who pierced me” shows that both shaykhs influenced him.
According to some sources, after benefiting from 'Ali al-Ahdal for a time he withdrew to al-Jibal al-Shamiyya in Yemen; when extraordinary states appeared from him there, many people, jurists among them, gathered around him. As Zaydism grew strong in this region, he came down to Tihama and settled with the jurist Ahmad b. 'Ata' in the latter's village known as Bayt 'Ata' in the Surdud valley. There his fame grew; the community formed by the Sufis attached to him was called the Ghaythiyya. It is stated that he was thirty-five when he began his work of guidance.
Besides 'Ali al-Ahdal, he is known to have been in contact with Ahmad b. 'Alwan, one of the famous Yemeni Sufis of the time; it is recorded that Ahmad b. 'Alwan wrote and sent him a poem describing his own spiritual state, and that he answered it likewise with a poem. It is also stated that he corresponded with al-Mahdi li-Din Allah Ahmad b. al-Husayn, who acted as imam of the Zaydis between the years 1248-1258: learning that he was a man whose word was heeded, Ahmad b. al-Husayn sent him a letter to win his support; Abu'l-Ghayth asked to be excused, saying that ever since he had learned the Qur'anic verse “lahu da'wat al-haqq” (al-Ra'd 13/14) he had not answered the call of creatures, and that he had drawn the sword against no one but his own self.
He remained in the village of Bayt 'Ata' until his death in 651 (1253) and was buried there.
His Circle of Influence — The Ghaythiyya, named after him, is regarded as a branch of the Ahdaliyya, named after his second shaykh 'Ali al-Ahdal, and hence of the Qadiriyya. Among his disciples are mentioned such names as Jamal al-Din Muhammad b. Safih, 'Umar b. Ahmad Hushaybir, Firuz and 'Isa b. Hajjaj al-'Amiri. After his death his deputy Firuz succeeded him.
His Poetry and Sufi Line — The sources mostly relate his miracles; very little information is found about his mystical views. It is related that he could not read or write. According to a piece of information the source considers important, he was at first opposed to sama' (spiritual audition); he even set out to fight a group of Sufis whom he heard were performing sama', but because of a state he experienced on the way he gave this up and himself performed sama'.
His Works — It is stated that his sayings were compiled by one of his disciples (Yafi'i, Mir'at al-jinan; Ahmad b. Ahmad al-Zabidi; Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Shami). According to Ibn al-Ahdal, however, the attribution of this work to him is doubtful.
His Tomb and Complex — He was buried in the village of Bayt 'Ata' in the Surdud valley. His tomb is today a famous place of visitation with many visitors.
Differing Scholarly Views
The source is Kübra Zümrüt Orhan's entry in the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam (Supplement 1); the entry sets side by side reports that diverge on many points of his life. The atlas takes no side.
Year of birth — The source gives no definite date of birth; around 556 (1161) is an estimate that can be made only if the report that he died at about ninety-five is accepted.
His leaving his first shaykh — The source gives two interpretations. On the first, because of the miracles that appeared from him, 'Ali b. Aflah did not want him to stay longer and sent him away out of a feeling of rivalry; Abu'l-Ghayth then asked several other shaykhs to accept him as a disciple, but was refused on the ground that he no longer needed a shaykh. On the second interpretation, his shaykh himself directed him to 'Ali b. 'Umar al-Ahdal. The atlas makes no choice between the two interpretations.
His settling in Bayt 'Ata' — On one account, when Zaydism grew strong in al-Jibal al-Shamiyya he came down to Tihama and settled with the jurist Ahmad b. 'Ata' in the latter's village. According to another report (Ibn al-Ahdal), 'Ali al-Ahdal gave him some forty dervishes and sent him to Bayt 'Ata' to found a lodge. The atlas records the two reports side by side.
His relationship with Ahmad b. 'Alwan — According to the source, the exchange of poems between the two Sufis has also been interpreted as indicating a rivalry between them. The atlas records this interpretation as an assessment reported by the source.
Location of the grave — The source says that the grave is in the village of Bayt 'Ata' in the Surdud valley; the administrative name in the atlas record (al-Zaydiyya) does not appear in the source. The location should be verified through this village.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) · vol. EK-1, pp. 381-382, entry “EBÜ’l-GAYS b. CEMÎL”
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