Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i

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Shaykh Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i (1820-1880) was a Somali scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyyah movement in Somalia and East Africa. He was born in the rural village of Kedilai North west of Mogadishu.

[edit] Early life

Under the supervision of the local Ulema he studied elementary ilm until he absorbed all they could teach him and eventually surpassed them, he decided to move to Mogadishu where he obtained knowledge from the great scholars of the city. He traveled to various Islamic centers in the Horn of Africa where he honed his intellectuall skills. After completing his education he returned to his home village where he started a community of pupils near Qulunquul setting out to spread the Qadiriya order throughout the region of the upper Shabelle river which enhanced his reputation and because of this the order gained considerable success amongst the Pastoralists, villagers of the interior and the religious elite.