The Language of the Future
Sufi Terminology
by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi

Sayyidi Shaykh Ibrahim Muhammad 'Uthman Abduh al Burhani
Sayyidi Shaykh Ibrahim Muhammad 'Uthman Abduh al Burhani (d. 2003)

Shaykh Ibrahim was the son of Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman Abduh al Burhani. He inherited the Burhaniyya Tariqa in 1983. Under the guidance of Shaykh Ibrahim, the Burhaniyya Tariqa continued to expand beyond the Nile Valley. Shaykh Ibrahim considered the teachings of his father as complete and understood his role as head of the Tariqa to be about action and not theory. To achieve this, Shaykh Ibrahim travelled widely across the globe, meeting many of his murids. These actions helped globalise the Burhaniyya Tariqa, while maintaining its centralised structure. He passed away in 2003.

Silsilat


See also: Spiritual Chain Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman Abduh al Burhani (1902-1983)
(Silsilat). The Spiritual Chain of each tariqa descends from the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) down to the present-day Shaykh. It is through his attachment to the silsilat that the newly initiated murid has the means to travel to Allah under Divine Protection.
Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman Abduh al Burhani was born in Halfa, Sudan, in 1902. At the age of ten he was initiated into the Path of Allah by his uncle. He established the Burhaniyya Tariqa in 1938, which was marked by the following dream and vision of Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman: "During sleep and during my visions I saw a locomotive with only one wagon coming towards me and stopping right in front of my feet. I discovered that the train came from Dasuq, the home of my Shaykh. This dream repeated itself for forty days. After that the vision became more tangible and I could enter it. I opened the wagon and found a coffin inside. I opened the coffin and found a corpse wrapped in white cloth. I lifted the white cloth and found a green cloth underneath. I lifted the green cloth and found a yellow cloth beneath it." After Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman had lifted all three cloths, he saw the feet of the corpse and was astonished that they resembled his own. He then found himself in the presence of many saints and asked "who is the deceased?" The reply was "it is Ibrahim Dasuqi," which brought Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman to tears. Sayyidi Ibrahim al Qurayshi ad-Dasuqi then appeared to Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman and said "the dead man stands for my tariqa and you have been chosen to bring it back to life." In the 1950's the Burhaniyya Tariqa expanded outside Sudan into Egypt and then into surrounding countries. Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman is recognised as the reviver of the Burhaniyya Dasuqqiyya Shadhuliyya Tariqa. He passed away in 1983 and is buried at Khartoum.

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