THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

36His Eminence SheikhAhmad Tijani AliCisseLeader of the Tijaniyya SufiOrder37Sheikh al HabibUmar bin HafizDirector of Dar Al Mustafa,Tarim, YemenCountry: SenegalDate of Birth: 1955Source of Influence: Lineage, ScholarlyInfluence: Spiritual leader of around100 million Tijani MuslimsSchool of Thought: Traditional Sunni,Sufi, TijaniRank: 2010:36 · 2009:32 Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Ali Cisse is the spiritualleader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order. TheTijaniyya is the largest Sufi order in WesternAfrica, and its leader commands a followingof close to 100 million people, whosee him as their guide to true Islam.Leader of Tijani MuslimsCisse is based in Senegal, however, TijaniMuslims are located throughout WesternAfrica and further afield. As an order, Tijanisgive allegiance to their sheikh givinghim significant influence as a leader. Cisseis installed as Imam of the Grand Mosquein Medina Baye, which is one of WesternAfrica’s key positions of Islamic leadership.Descendent of the Honorable SheikhIbrahim ibn Abdullah Niass, Leader of theFayda Tijaniyya (Spiritual Flood)The Tijaniyya is a Sufi order founded byAhmad al Tijani Hasani, an Algerian, inthe late 18th century. As the spiritual leaderof the Tijaniyya, Cisse is considered to bethe bearer of a spiritual inspiration calledthe Fayda Tijaniyya, giving him authorityto carry on the teachings of Ahmad al TijaniHasani. Because of this position, someTijani Muslims refer to Cisse as the reviverof the sunna.Country: YemenDate of Birth: Not AvailableSource of Influence: Scholarly, LineageInfluence: Runs one of the foremostcenters for Islamic education in theworldSchool of Thought: Traditional Sunni,Shafi’iRank: 2010:37 · 2009:36 Sheikh al Habib Umar bin Hafiz is wellknown for his Prophetic lineage and statusas one of the most influential Sufi scholarsalive today. His influence through scholarshipand preaching is vast in Indonesia andEast Africa. He is also incredibly influentialthrough his leadership of the Ba’Alawimovement.Cultivation of ScholarshipSheikh al Habib Umar founded and runsDar al Mustafa, a center for traditional Islamicscholarship that currently hosts anarray of international students, in Tarim,Yemen. He has joined the ranks of theworld’s leading Muslim academics andscholars as a signatory of ‘A CommonWord Between Us and You’, a documentthat builds bridges between Muslims andChristians. He has also spoken at CambridgeUniversity on the need for such adialogue.Da'wa EffortsSheikh al Habib is noted for his da'wa effortsover the past year, with sigificant visitsto South East Asia and Australia.HumanitarianIn July 2008, Sheikh al Habib Umar partneredwith Muslim Aid Australia as founderof Yemen-based NGO Al Rafah CharitableSociety to address issues of povertyand hunger and lack of sufficient healthcare that affect areas of Tarim.83