Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi

Al-Mursi Abu'l-'Abbas (1219 in Murcia – 1287 CE) (Arabic: ‫املرسي أبو‬

‫ )​العباس‬is a Sufi saint from Al-Andalus of the Moroccan Merinid dynasty who
later in his life moved to Alexandria in Egypt. His complete name is Shahab
al-Din Abu'l-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Umar ibn Mohammad al-Ansari
al-Mursi. Al-Mursi Abul-'Abbas, as he is now commonly called, is one of the
four master saints of Egypt, the other three being Ahmad al-Badawi, al-
Dessouqi and al-Haggag. His legacy and reverence in Egypt were such that
Mursi became a common name in the country.

In al-Andalus

Shahab was born in Murcia in al-Andalus, in 616 H (1219 CE) to a wealthy

family in the trading business and was well educated in religious sciences.

He grew up helping his father in the trading business. He was known for his
honesty and for his many contributions to the needy. He left Spain with his
family in 640 H (1242 CE) in the face of increasing Christian control over
Spain. He was accompanied by his father, brother, and his mother. However,
his parents did not make it to Tunisia, their destination.

Meeting al-Shadhili

In Tunisia, Shahab heard about Shaykh Abu’l-Hassan ash-Shadhili, founder

of the Shadhiliyya Sufi brotherhood, and he accompanied him when the latter
moved to Alexandria in Egypt. Many Muslim scholars from Spain chose to
live in Alexandria as Muslim Spain gradually fell under the domination of
hostile Christian forces. Al-Shadhili was fond of Shahab who was becoming
one of his best students. Abu'l-'Abbas al-Mursi (the Murcian) - as Shahab
became known in Alexandria - married al Shadhili’s daughter and had two
daughters and a son from her. He lived 43 years in Alexandria as a Muslim
teacher until he died in 686 H (1287 AD).
His mosque in Alexandria

A mosque was built over his tomb in the Anfoushi district of Alexandria,
which over time became the most famous of all of Alexandria's mosques, the
El-Mursi Abul Abbas Mosque.

Bibliography

D. M. Dunlop, "A Spanish Muslim Saint: Abul-'Abbas al-Mursi", in: The

Muslim World, Volume 35 Issue 3, P. 181 - 196
Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari, The Subtle Blessings in the Saintly Lives of
Abul Al-Abbas Al-Mursi & His Master Abu Al-Hasan Al-Shadhili,
translated by Nancy Roberts, ed. Fons Vitae, 2005 ISBN 978-1-887752-
61-9
Hizb Abul 'Abbas al Mursi: "The Litany of Abul 'Abbas al Mursi", in:
Awrad Book- English Invocations of the Shadhili Order, compiled by
Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller Cairo, Egypt 2006 p. 59;