Biographical notice
Sidi Muḥammad Larbi Ben Sayeh (1814–1892), whose full name is Sidi Muḥammad al-Arabi Ben Muḥammad Ben Sayeh ash-Sharqawi al-Omari, was one of the major scholarly and spiritual figures of nineteenth-century Morocco. A jurist, hadith scholar, Quran commentator, man of letters, and Sufi master, he was among the best-known representatives of the Ahmadiyya Tijāniyya in Morocco.
Early Life
He was born in Meknes at dawn on the day of Eid al-Adha in 1229 AH / November 22, 1814. His father, Sidi Muḥammad Ben Sayeh, was seventy-six years old at the time of his birth and later passed away at the age of ninety-six, leaving him still young. He was his father’s only son.
Biographical accounts mention that his father had long prayed to God for a son who would inherit his knowledge and spiritual legacy, making his birth especially meaningful in the family tradition.
Education
He studied under a number of leading Moroccan scholars of his time, including:
Al-Walid al-Iraqi al-Husayni
Abdelkader al-Kouhen
Al-Hadi Ben ash-Shafii al-Meknassi, known as Baddou
and other distinguished scholars
He became known for his mastery of fiqh, hadith, Quranic exegesis, and literature, alongside his recognized standing in Sufi spirituality.
Works
Sidi Muḥammad Larbi Ben Sayeh authored several important works in commentary, devotion, interpretation, and spiritual teaching. Among his best-known writings are:
Bughyat al-Mustafid li Sharh Munyat al-Murid
Sharh Lamiyyat al-Busiri
Sharh Salat al-Fatih Lima Ughliqa
Ta‘liq ‘ala al-Hamziyya
Ta‘liq ‘ala Burdat al-Madih lil-Busiri
Sharh al-Qasida al-Khazrajiyya
Ta‘liq ‘ala ash-Shama’il at-Tirmidhiyya
Turar ‘ala Sharh an-Nawawi ‘ala al-Arba‘in an-Nawawiyya
Tafsir of “Wa ma kana Allahu li yu‘adhibahum wa anta fihim”
Kitab as-Sa‘ada al-Abadiyya fi al-Adhkar at-Tijāniyya al-Ahmadiyya
Rihla ‘Ajiba
as well as several complete readings of Sahih al-Bukhari
Connection to the Tijāniyya Order
He was one of the major figures of the Tijāniyya in Morocco. His connection to the order is linked in the sources to a powerful spiritual experience. Deeply devoted to prayers upon the Prophet, hoping to see him in a dream, he reportedly had a vision in which his father led him to a gathering of disciples of Shaykh Aḥmad al-Tijānī and indicated that there he would find what he was seeking.
It is also reported that he met many individuals who had personally known Shaykh Aḥmad al-Tijānī, and that they held him in high esteem and regarded him as one of the blessed signs of the order.
Scholarly and Spiritual Influence
He combined religious scholarship, hadith transmission, Quranic interpretation, and spiritual training. His hadith sessions and teaching circles made him a highly respected authority in Moroccan religious life.
Death
He passed away late on the night before Sunday, at eleven o’clock, on Rajab 29, 1309 AH / February 28, 1892.
His funeral prayer was led in the Great Mosque of Rabat by the scholar and judge Sidi Ahmed Bennani ar-Ribati, and he was buried in his riyad, the same place where he used to hold his hadith gatherings.
Legacy
Sidi Muḥammad Larbi Ben Sayeh left behind a major scholarly and spiritual legacy. He remains remembered for his learning, devotion, and central role in the development of the Tijani tradition in Morocco.
