Sheikh

Yusuf Abu el Haggag
Abu Haggag Mosque
Bornc. 1150
Baghdad
ResidenceLuxor
Diedc. 1245
Luxor
PatronageAbu Haggag Mosque
Tradition or genre
Sufism

Sheikh Yusuf Abu el Haggag (Arabic: الشيخ يوسف أبو الحجاج; c. 1150 – c. 1245), also al Haggag or Al-Hajjaj,[upper-alpha 1] was a mystic Sufi scholar and religious figure. The patron saint of Luxor, Egypt, inhabitants in the town celebrate his birthday every year.[1]

Early life

Yusuf Abu el-Haggag was born in Baghdad c. 1150 and is regarded as one of the Sharif, or one of the descendants of the prophet Muhammad. His lineage goes back to Husayn ibn Ali.[2]

Career

Abu el-Haggag moved to Mecca, likely between the years 1190 and 1200,[3] and later settled in the upper Egyptian town of Luxor.[1] He established a zawiya in the settlement[3] and devoted himself to knowledge, asceticism and worship.[2] He traveled to Alexandria, where he met prominent Sufis and became a student of Sheikh Abd Al-Razeq. He then returned to Luxor and convened with Sheikh Abdal Rahim Al-Qanai, the owner of the Qena mosque.[2] In his pursuits, he earned the nickname "Father of the Pilgrim".[upper-alpha 2]

Abu el-Haggag is the patron of the Abu Haggag Mosque, where his birthday (Mawlid)[upper-alpha 3] is celebrated annually. Local folklore indicates that he did not build the mosque, but saved it from later attempts by officials to demolish it.[upper-alpha 4][1] el-Haggag likely lived within the site of the temple and conducted his religious teaching there.[4]

Death and burial

Abu el-Haggag died c. 1244 during the reign of sultan As-Salih Ayyub.[1] By the time of his death, he had amassed a large and devoted following in Luxor. His body was placed in a mausoleum located on the roof of the ancient church, which at this time was buried below ground level. This site is where the early structure of the current mosque was erected a decade later by el-Haggag's son. el-Haggag may have been buried on the site of an already existing mosque.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Other forms of the name are also utilised, such as al-Haggag, el-Hajjaj and el-Haggag.
  2. ↑ "حاج" (Hajj) in Arabic means "pilgrim", not to be confused with حج which means "pilgrimage." However, "حجاج" (Hajjaj,) is the word denoting someone who performs the pilgrimage frequently and assiduously. Therefore, the name “Abu el-Haggag” translates to "Father of the Pilgrim".[1]
  3. ↑ The birthday is known as ‘Mawlid Abu al-Hajjaj al-Uqṣūrī’ in Arabic.
  4. ↑ According to local legend, when a local official decided to destroy the mosque, Abu al-Haggag attempted to prevent him from doing so. Nevertheless, the official insisted that the mosque should be demolished. However, just before the mosque was to be torn down, the official woke up one morning to find that he could not move his body. Believing this condition to have been inflicted upon him by Abu al-Haggag, he decided to change his mind and keep the mosque.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "تعرف على تاريخ ومولد ودورة الإمام أبو الحجاج الأقصرى السنوية × 15 معلومة". اليوم السابع (in Arabic).
  2. 1 2 3 "Sufis celebrate birthday of Sheikh Abu El-Haggag at Luxor mosque". Arab News.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sheikh Yusuf al-Haggag and His Mosque and Moulid". Tour Egypt. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  4. 1 2 "Luxor Temple Abu'l Hajjaj Mosque Documentation". American Research Center in Egypt. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
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