At a glance
- Roles
- Scholar · sufi
- Era
- The Modern Era
- Region
- Maghreb · Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Sanus al-Khattabi al-Hasani al-Idrisi (d. 1275 AH / 1859 CE), founder of the Sanusi order and its first leader. Al-Zirikli says that he was born in Mostaganem in the districts of Algeria, studied in Fez, and travelled in the south of Algeria as a preacher. He then visited Tunis, Tripoli, Barqa, Egypt and Mecca. 1
The lodge and the order
He built a lodge on Mount Abu Qubays in Mecca, then moved to Barqa and settled in the Green Mountain, where he built "the White Lodge". His disciples grew many and his order spread. The Ottoman government grew suspicious of him, so he moved to the oasis of Jaghbub and stayed there until he died. 1
Notes
His birth date is confused in the printed text; the commonly given date is around 1202 AH / 1787 CE, and the conversion to the Gregorian calendar is derived. 1
Connections
- Parent of
- محمد المهدي السنوسي
People and things also explored
Sources
- al-Alam — al-Zirikli , tarjama
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “محمد بن علي السنوسي”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/muhammad-ibn-ali-al-sanusi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.