Investigating the Order of Azmiyya in Egypt

Mohammad Mazi Abu al-Azayim established the order of Azmiyya in the early 20 century. He organized Jama’a Ale-Azayim in 1893 and after more than 40 years in 1935 Azmiyya was officially registered as a sufi order. He has written many books in the subject of reforming Sufism, the problems of Egypt and Islam and the threat of Jews and global arrogance. One of his important desires is unification of Muslims and recurrence of Islamic caliphate. He was prisoned due to his fighting against colonialism. The appearance of Abu al-Azayim can be considered as an important event in the contemporary Egyptian Sufism and his era is called the era of Azmiyya establishment. After the death of seyyid Mazi, sheikhs of the order were not knowledgeable in mysticism as he was, and they mostly benefited his works and tried to make clarification and explanation on his works and widespread his tariqa so the era after the establishment of Azmiyya is called the era of publication of works and order’s development. After seyyid Mazi, his old son, seyyid ahmad was the sheikh of Azmiyya for 33 years from 1937 to 1970. After seyyid Ahmad, his old son, seyyid Ezeddin was the sheikh for 24 years from 1970 to 1990 and after him, his brother,  A’laeddin has been the sheikh of the order. This order has rich mystic teachings because of seyyid Mohammad Mazi’s works and order’s mystic visionary disclosure. Seyyid Mahammad Mazi has valuable works in speculative Sufism, practical Sufism and sufi customs and habits. Azmiyya has a good view toward shi’a and Taghrib because they love Ahle-beit and has no bigotry meanwhile they believe that Salafism is the enemy of Islam and prevent unification of Muslims so we should fight them. They have made so much effort to confront Salafism.