Shaykh Ismail al-Kurdi UK Tour 2024
Alhamdulillah, with hearts filled with gratitude, we humbly announce the upcoming visit of our beloved Shaykh Ismail Al-Kurdi (Jordan) in August for his first ever visit to the UK, inshaAllah.
He will be joined by other esteemed guests including Dr Murad Al-Rifa’ii and Sidi Abdurrahman b. Shaykh Ismail Al-Kurdi
Biography of Shaykh Ismail al-Kurdi (Shaykh al-Tarīqa al-Shadhilyya al-Darqawiyya al-Hashimiyya)
Shaykh Isma’īl al-Kurdī is the son of the renowned gnostic and saint Shaykh Muhammad Said al-Kurdī, a chief disciple and heir of one of the greatest saints in the Shadhili order of his time, Shaykh Muhammad al-Hashmī al-Tilimsanī.
Shaykh Isma’īl was born in Irbid, in the south of Jordan, in 1958. He began his learning at the tender age of 5 under the guidance of his father. By the age of 6, his father, having seen goodness in him through spiritual insight, appointed him as the naqīb (leader) of the Hadra. Unfortunately, Shaykh Ismail's father passed away when he was fourteen, compelling him to take responsibility for his seven younger brothers as the eldest sibling. Once his brothers no longer needed his support, Shaykh Ismail resumed his pursuit of knowledge. He studied tajwid, memorized much of the Qur’an, and obtained multiple ijazat (authorizations) in Qur’anic recitation. He studied the science of tawhid under Shaykh Fa’iq al-Khatib and memorized major texts in the discipline, such as the Jawharat al-Tawhīd.
Shaykh Isma’īl then travelled to Damascus to learn from the region’s major scholars, spending about three years there. Among the prominent teachers he studied with were Shaykh Nuh Salman al-Qudat, the former mufti of Jordan. With Shaykh Nuh Salman, he studied Shafiʿi fiqh, works in ʿAqida (creed), and hadith, benefiting greatly from Shaykh Nuh’s character and teaching methods. He pursued tasawwuf (Islamic mysticism) and the spiritual path under the guidance of the renowned Damascene scholar and gnostic Shaykh ʿAbdul-Rahman al-Shaghouri. Shaykh Isma’il benefited immensely from Shaykh Abdul-Rahman and entered the khalwa under his guidance. Recognizing Shaykh Isma’il's competence, Shaykh Abdul-Rahman granted him in 1998 an ijāza ʿAmma and Khassa in tasawwuf, authorizing him to initiate seekers on the spiritual path and guide them in khalwa.
In addition to his ijazas from Shaykh ʿAbdul-Rahman and Shaykh Nuh Salman, Shaykh Isma’il has received many other ijazas from various teachers, including Shaykh Mustafa al-Turkmani, Habib ʿUmar b. Hafidh, and Shaykh Malik al-Sanusi.
Currently, Shaykh Isma’il lives with his family in Irbid, holding weekly gatherings of knowledge and spirituality at the mosque where his father is buried and in Amman. He has numerous disciples from around the world who benefit from his spiritual insights and lessons. Shaykh Isma’il al-Kurdi is a true representative of the way of his teachers and the sublime path of tasawwuf in Islam. He is known for his immense character, piety, humility, and a radiant presence that anyone who meets him feels immediately. His generosity, nobility, and service epitomize a tasawwuf that unites hearts and brings people together, not one that divides and separates. Many who meet him fall in love with the Shaykh instantly, and it is clear that he has been granted Divine tawfiq (success) and acceptance.
