Introduction
This chapter presents a critical historical and genealogical examination of the noble (Shurafa) lineages descending from the renowned Sufi Qutb, Sheikh Master Abd al-Salam ibn Mashish. Drawing upon regional oral traditions, manuscript references, and historical records, the text traces the family branches, burial sites, and geographical migrations of his progeny across northern Morocco—specifically within the Beni Arous region, Afrnu al-Sufla, and Mayzan. In addition to establishing verified patrilineal chains, the study critically audits historical claims, addresses spurious lineage insertions (al-Afiya), and documents the spiritual, social, and cultural practices preserved by these families over successive generations.
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We caught our fathers and ancestors talking about this. As for what is narrated that she was of ugly appearance due to her cousin's refusal to marry her, and that her father pleased him by assuring him of worldly happiness and then married her, this is among the conjectures that others meddle with regarding us. There is none among our noble daughters who is of ugly appearance to this day, and this is well-known and famous through sense and observation, requiring no explanation. My success is only by Allah; in Him I have put my trust, and to Him I turn in repentance.
The House of Our Master Muhammad, the son of the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam
The righteous ally, our Master Muhammad, the son of the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam, left behind a single son named Abd al-Karim, buried in the village of Taziya in the sector of Awlad Isa, above the vehicular road ascending to the shrine of his grandfather, the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam ibn Mashish. His noble tomb is located under a large Dlem tree, and over it is an enclosure of stones without mud, plastered with gypsum in the recent era. Near it is a cemetery for his descendants, family, and paternal cousins.
The House of His Son, Our Master Abd al-Karim
The righteous ally, our Master Abd al-Karim, the son of our Master Muhammad, the son of the Qutb, our Master Abd al-Salam—according to the most correct view—left behind two male sons, namely: al-Sayyid Abd al-Wahhab and his brother al-Sayyid Abd al-Wahid. As for what has been said that there was a third named al-Afiya—mentioned by the author of Mir'at al-Mahasin in the margin and attached by him to Sidi Muhammad, the son of the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam, claiming he was a brother to al-Sayyid Abd al-Karim—he is among those smuggled into the scholarly lineage and has no basis in it. I think a sinful hand slipped him in, because we first searched for someone named al-Afiya among the Idrisids and found only one among the Qasimites; as you have known, this name is the name of the enemy of the Idrisids, and it is unreasonable for anyone to name his son after his enemy, let alone the Idrisids, who generally do not name their children except with the names of the Ahkyar (best/notables) from their ancestors and loved ones. Then we searched for him from another angle: who lived in the villages of the Beni Arous tribe? I found the scholar al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Tihami, famous among, to have established residence for him in the village of Tjazirt and mentioned that he had children there. So, we raised the matter to the elders of the noblemen of Tjazirt.
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They denied having any knowledge—nor did their fathers, who used to speak to them about the families of the noble lineage, about those residing and migrating among them, and where they were—just as they used to speak to them about the famous tombs and to whom they belonged. All their people are famous and well-known among them, and none of them mentioned with certainty that he had knowledge by hearsay or acquaintance of anyone from the sons of al-Afiya who existed in this village, so his lineage was cut off or he moved from it to another village. It is well-known among the elite and common people of the genealogists, as well as among themselves, that the people of Tjazirt are from the descendants of three men: al-Hashimi, al-Tahir, and al-Hadr, and that they pressure their children to preserve the pillar of their lineage to this day due to their intense protection against intruders. Al-Allama ibn Rahmun erred when he failed to verify the transmission, and there was only 272 years between us and him. A period like this cannot see the hearsay of a famous family become rare even if its individuals vanished in it. Therefore, the existence of the story of al-Afiya among the sons of Sidi Muhammad ibn Abd al-Salam belongs to the fictional illusions resembling foreign Israelite myths intruded upon Islam.
Our Master Abd al-Wahhab ibn Abd al-Karim, mentioned above, is buried in the cemetery beside his father. As for his brother, al-Sayyid al-Wahid, he is buried at the upper part of the village of Dashr al-Ithnayn from the tribe of Beni Yidir, faction of Beni Ahmaid.
The House of Our Master Abd al-Wahhab al-Akbar
The righteous ally, our Master Abd al-Wahhab al-Akbar, the son of our Master Abd al-Karim, left a single son whose lineage continues from him, namely, our Master Yusuf. The lineage of this [Yusuf] continues from his son Ibrahim, and the lineage of the latter continues from two sons: al-Sayyid Mabhuth and his brother al-Sayyid Muhammad. Mabkhuth is the one to whom the lineage of al-Raddam in the village of Afernu al-Sufla leads; he is called al-Raddam in the village of Mayzan, and he is not of noble lineage. Their paternal cousins are the sons of Isa from the village of Taziya, among whom is the noble fighter against the enemies of Allah, the sincere one in the path of Allah, who tended towards spiritual ecstasy (jadhb), who passed away at the dawn of Dhu al-Hijjah 1346 AH corresponding to 1927 CE and was buried at the known stone of Sidi Muhammad in al-Maghrib from his father and mother. His grave was crested with stones. As for his brother, our Master Muhammad al-Wahhab al-Asfar, to him belong all the nobles of the sons of Ibn al-Wahhab across their various factions who became known by other names such as al-Umayrin, al-Subaydin, al-Taydiyin, and al-Yusufyin, while the Wahbiyun among them.
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are those whose name of Wahhabism did not change, and they remain on the old name, as will be explained. Abd al-Wahhab al-Asghar—who unites them—is buried in the village of Afernu al-Sufla in the middle of a retreat surrounded by wild trees. Over it is a small enclosure of unarranged stones plastered with gypsum in the recent era, located below the road through which cars pass to the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam, or to Tetouan. Next to it is the grave of his son, the righteous ally, our Master Isa (1) ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Asghar, and his lineage comes from him and his two brothers: al-Sayyid Muhammad (2) ibn Abd al-Wahhab, buried in the hamlet of taziya in the cemetery of the sons of Abd al-Wahhab near the quarter of al-Yawsh; and his brother the righteous ally, our Master Yusuf (3) ibn Abd al-Wahhab, whose burial place was not found.
The House of Our Master Isa ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Asghar
The righteous ally, our Master Isa ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Asghar al-Qani’, left behind four men: our Master Muhammad ibn Isa, mentioned above, son of Abd al-Wahhab al-Asghar, who had no offspring; his lineage came from the remaining three: (1) the righteous ally, our Master Abd Allah ibn Isa ibn Abd al-Wahhab, buried at the shrine of his grandfather, the Qutb, our Master Abd al-Salam; (2) his brother the righteous ally, our Master Ahmad ibn Isa ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Asfar, buried in the cemetery of the sons of Bunkhju in the village of Bubiyin near Chefchaouen; and (3) their brother the righteous ally, our Master Ibrahim ibn Isa ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Asfar, buried near his father and grandfather in the village of Afrnu al-Sufla.
Biography of Our Master Omar ibn Isa Mentioned Above
He is the righteous ally, the erudite scholar, the gnostic of Allah Almighty, author of Anwar al-Muhammadiyyah, the gnostic of Allah Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali al-Kharubi al-Trabulisi. He was dispatched to Morocco as an ambassador of the Ottoman Sultan to the lands of Libya and Algeria to the Sultan of Morocco, Abi Abd Allah Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Sa'di, regarding the borders between Morocco and Algeria. He arrived to him in Marrakesh in the year 961 AH, then returned to Algeria and passed away there in the year 963 AH, and was buried outside Algeria. He was a companion of Mulay Abd Allah al-Ghazwani al-Marrakushi, and our Master Omar ibn Isa ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Asfar.
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is the son of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Yusuf ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Akbar ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad ibn the comprehensive Sheikh and shining rescue, our Master Abd al-Salam ibn Mashish, may Allah be with him. He passed away in the year 1019 AH and was buried in front of the grave of his grandfather the greatest, our Master Abd al-Salam. Over it is a wall of stones without mud, plastered with gypsum since ancient times. Next to his grave is a cave, above which is a room for the call to prayer for the five daily prayers in the summer. Steps were constructed in the recent era for the muezzin to ascend for the call to prayer, and congregational prayer is organized on its right side, just as the courtyard facing the Sheikh's shrine is a shelter for students carrying the Holy Quran. A wide circle is held there for reading the Quran party after the dawn and sunset prayers every day, after which the non-noble students and the noble ones who belong to other than the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam, perform [their tasks], while the Quran carriers from the sons of the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam, take gifts from visitors and pray to Allah for them to fulfill their wishes for which they came. Here comes His saying, blessings and peace be upon him: "Actions are but by intentions, and every man shall have what he intended". Many people visit the shelter of the aforementioned students and present gift after gift to pray with them and with those they love from family and neighbors that Allah may grant the desires of those lovers and respond to the seekers. Then you hear in this venerated place nothing but the sound of the Quran, the voice of supplication, and the word "Amen". If you saw the recitations of the Holy Quran and the dedication of their reward to the soul of the righteous ally, the Sheikh, our Master Abd al-Salam, and those around him from his family and descendants, you would verify that the souls of: "Those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. That is the bounty from Allah, and sufficient is Allah as Knower". As for the aforementioned Sidi Omar, he had his private mosque to worship his Lord in the manner of his fathers and ancestors regarding retreat for worship, remembrance, and Quran recitation in the quarter of Ayyush in the hamlet of Tziya. The building would not welcome anyone who wanted worship and retreat in it, and this station reached its peak in the recitation of the Quran and the dedication of its reward to the souls faithful to Allah, in the days when northern Morocco was a haven for carriers of Warsh and the sevenfold reading. There I wished that every lover had been present, seen with his eye, and heard with his ear the word of Allah recited in the sevenfold reading, to find himself in this dark world to which destiny has brought us. That era passed with its goodness and departure, and our time came with the scandal of honor, lack of modesty, and the girl came out unabashed, failing to comply with the command of Allah, displaying the adornment of the pre-Islamic ignorance (Jahiliyyah) as if she were not.
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in the earth of Islam, exposing her major and minor private parts, roaming among men without modesty or decency, neither before Allah nor His servants. Adornment in Islam is modesty, and peace and blessings be upon him said: "Modesty is goodness, and it is better in Islam". He also said: "Whoever has no modesty has no faith". How then do they combine the love of Allah's allies with disobedience to Allah? This is manifest straying and compliance with what the accursed Satan commanded. It was incumbent upon her and her guardians responsible before Allah for her—before heading to this respected place where the people of Allah and those who love the allies gather—to change her state, discard the clothing that brings Allah's wrath upon her, and then wear the clothing of Muslims that pleases Allah, so as to be disciplined with the etiquettes of Islam. She should not wound the sentiments of Muslims in such a place, and moreover, she is in need that Allah respond to her supplication. For Allah does not respond to her supplication until she repents and returns to the etiquettes of Islam, because she is in the station of the man mentioned in the hadith: "Indeed, Allah is good and accepts only what is good. And indeed Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers...". Then he mentioned: "The man who prolongs his journey, disheveled and dusty, stretching his hands to the sky: 'O Lord, O Lord,' while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he was nourished with the unlawful—so how can he be answered?". That is, he is far from being answered because women and men are co-equals in rulings according to the established rules, and what comes for a specific reason is considered general according to the majority. The lesson lies in the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.
The House of Our Master Omar ibn Isa Mentioned Above
The righteous ally, our Master Omar ibn Isa mentioned above, left behind two male sons whose lineage continues through them, namely: our Master "Muhammad" ibn Omar, buried in the village of Adyar, and his brother our Master "Ahmad" ibn Omar ibn Isa, buried in the quarter of al-Niyarin, lane of Sidi Ahmad ibn Omar in the city of Tetouan. His tomb is famous and blessed by the elite and common people, and upon it is an old structure with no trace of upkeep or repair. All the gifts that reach him are taken by his children, and at this time I found a foreign man residing in it and taking its offerings due to the excessive neglect on the part of his children.
The House of Our Master Muhammad ibn Omar
The righteous ally, our Master Muhammad ibn Omar, left behind three male sons.
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One of them is Ali, who has no offspring, and his lineage continues from two: Sidi Muhammad number (1) and Sidi Ahmad number (1). Sidi Muhammad, the subject of the biography, is the son of Omar, buried in the village of Adyaz. As for Muhammad number (1), he is Sidi Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar, and Sidi Ahmad the first number is Sidi Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar.
The House of Sidi Muhammad Number (1)
The righteous ally, Sidi Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar, left behind three male sons, and his existing lineage to this day comes from two of them, while the third had his lineage cut off. The two whose lineage remains are: Sidi Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (repeated) ibn Omar, and his brother Sidi Abd al-Salam ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (also repeated) ibn Omar.
The House of Sidi Ahmad Number (1)
Sidi Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar left behind two male sons, and his lineage comes from them, namely: Sidi al-Tihami number (7) and Sidi al-Tahir number (8). The first is Sidi al-Tihami ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar, and his brother Sidi al-Tahir is Sidi al-Tahir ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar. It will come to the author that he left six sons from his loins.
The House of Sidi al-Tihami Number (7)
Sidi al-Tihami ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar left behind three male sons: Sidi Muhammad, Sidi Abd al-Salam, and Sidi al-Mahdi. Their settlement is Tetouan from the eleventh century until now, 1392 AH.
The House of Sidi al-Tahir Number (8)
Sidi al-Tahir ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar left behind three male sons: Sidi Abd al-Salam, Sidi Muhammad al-Akbar, and Sidi Muhammad al-Asghar. The settlement of these is the village of Afrnu al-Asfal. As for the descendants of these, their branches have intertwined, and they cannot be pinpointed except through the contracts of their women's friends or an expert physician in their lineages and tracking their places of residence. Therefore, we will mention them in the manner followed by genealogists in documenting lineages. The author said: As for the sons of Sidi Abd al-Salam, brother of the aforementioned Sidi Ahmad, they are the sons of Sidi Ali ibn Abd.
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al-Salam from his two sons, al-Sayyid Idris and al-Sayyid al-Hashimi. He had three male sons: al-Sayyid Ali, his brother al-Sayyid Muhammad, and their brother al-Sayyid Idris, the sons of the children of al-Afiya al-Hashimi. The first, Ali, his residence is the village of Afrnu al-Sufla. The second, named Taym, his residence is the village of Awlad al-Afiya al-Hassaniyah. The third, Idris, disappeared towards the east in a permanent disappearance. As for al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn al-Sayyid Idris ibn al-Sayyid Ali ibn al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam, al-Sayyid al-Hashimi ibn al-Tahir ibn al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam, and the two sons of the brother of al-Sayyid Ali ibn Abd al-Salam—namely al-Sayyid Ali and al-Sayyid al-Hashimi ibn Omar ibn Abd al-Salam—their settlement is Afrnu al-Sufla. As for the two sons of their brother al-Sayyid Muhammad, they are al-Sayyid al-Hashimi and al-Sayyid Omar, and their settlement is the village of Afrnu al-Sufla. Their brother moved from them to the city of Chefchaouen, and they are al-Sayyid Muhammad and al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam, as stated by the author Ibn al-Sadiq, may Allah have mercy on him, in his time 1191 AH. Sidi Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Omar mentioned above left six male sons from his loins: al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Akbar, al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Haj, al-Sayyid Ahmad, al-Sayyid Abd al-Wahhab, al-Sayyid Idris, and al-Sayyid Omar. The grandsons of al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Akbar are al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam, al-Sayyid Ali, and al-Sayyid al-Tihami, sons of Omar ibn Muhammad al-Akbar. As for the two sons of al-Sayyid Ali mentioned above, they are al-Sayyid Idris and al-Sayyid Muhammad. As for the son of al-Sayyid al-Tihami, he is al-Sayyid Muhammad. They are young children without families, all of them in Bashar Maysira al-Arusiyah, and it is necessary to search for what remains of their descendants because it is a village with an outstanding location in the tribe of Beni Arous from an economic perspective.
As for the sons of al-Sayyid Idris, brother of the aforementioned al-Sayyid al-Hashimi, before his turning above al-Sa'l, they are al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn al-Khidr ibn Idris, and the paternal cousins of al-Sayyid Muhammad and al-Sayyid Idris, son of al-Haj Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Idris, and their settlement is Afernu al-Sufla. As for the sons of al-Sayyid ibn Omar, they are three groups: the faqih al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Omar, and the two sons of his paternal uncle al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam ibn Omar (al-Sayyid Muhammad and his brother al-Sayyid Ahmad, sons of al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam ibn Omar). The sons of al-Sayyid Muhammad are al-Sayyid Idris, al-Sayyid Abd al-Salam, and al-Sayyid al-Arabi. As for his brother al-Sayyid Ahmad, he has a single son named al-Sayyid al-Tahir. The residence of the faqih al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Omar mentioned above is the village of Afernu al-Sufla, and the residence of
Final Page
(Handwritten note at the top of the page: "Stop (People of the village of Mayzan)")
Al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abd al-Salam ibn Omar: his residence is the village of Mayzan, and the people of the village of Mayzan still reside there until now, or have moved to the city of Tetouan or Chefchaouen. He has two sons there, namely: al-Sayyid Muhammad and al-Sayyid al-Tahir, and he has a third son named Idris—it is said: al-Sayyid Muhammad and al-Sayyid al-Tahir, and he has a third son named Idris whose name is in the village of Beni Arous in the village of Mugaziyin—and he has a fourth son as well, named al-Haj, once with his father in the village of Mayzan. As for al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Haj and his brother al-Sayyid Abd al-Wahhab, they left no offspring there.
End of the Section, to be continued
Author
Taher Ben Abdessalam El Lhioui Al-Wahhabi Al-Alami Al-Hassani
Foreword
Abdallah Guennoun
Digital Edition, Translation and Presentation
Jaafar El Lhioui
Northern Morocco ArchiveConclusion
The archival lineage records preserved by historian Taher El Lhioui offer critical insights into the structural dynamics of the early prophetic households. By documenting these primary transmissions and clarifying descendant pathways, his work serves as an essential bridge connecting foundational Islamic history with the genealogical heritage of Northern Morocco.
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters of this digital series as we continue to unlock rare documents from the Northern Morocco Archive
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