محمد بن عبد الكريم السمان

Muhammad al-Samman (RH)

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Samman

Also known as: Syeikh Samman, al-Samman, Sammaniyah

1130–1189 AH · 1718–1775 CE

Sufism & Theology Sufism

Madinan Sufi master who founded the Sammaniyyah order, which spread to Sumatra, Borneo and Sudan.

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Samman spent his life in Madinah, where he taught in the circle of the Prophet's Mosque. He received the Khalwati order from Mustafa al-Bakri and combined it with other paths into a new order, the Sammaniyyah, known for its gatherings of loud remembrance (dhikr).

Malay students in the Haramayn, among them 'Abd al-Samad al-Palimbani and Arshad al-Banjari, studied with him and carried the order home. The Sammaniyyah took root in Palembang, Banjar and other parts of the archipelago, and it also spread to Sudan.

Open on the map →

Life journey

1718 CE Madinah المدينة
Died 1775 CE · 1189 AH
Lived and taught in Madinah; buried in al-Baqi'.

Students

'Abd al-Samad al-Palimbani (RH) c. 1704–c. 1789 CE
Al-Palimbani was one of al-Samman's leading Malay disciples and helped spread the Sammaniyyah.
Arshad al-Banjari (RH) 1710–1812 CE
Arshad al-Banjari studied Sufism with al-Samman and received the Sammaniyyah order.

Places in their life

Sources

Azyumardi Azra, The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia (2004)
al-Muradi, Silk al-Durar (entry on Muhammad al-Samman)

Draft, awaiting scholarly review.

Birth year reported as 1130 or 1132 AH.