Bone -fracturing war … Sudan’s Madakhalis engaged in conflict of “most dogmatic”

By Abdul-Hadi Rabee

Preachers of Madakhali Salafaism have been engaged in frequent verbal wars with other Islamic currents and groups, ranging from the Muslim Brotherhood, to Ansar Al-Sunnah Al-Mohammadia, as well as with Salafist currnets which they describe as  “Hezbioun”, such as Srourism, Qutbism, Hadadism. Through this war, Madakhalis were seeking to enforce what they call “Methodology of Ahlus-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah.”

The negative impact of the war has not been confined to promoting enmity between Madakhalis and other Islamist currents, but it also led to a split among the Madkhalis themselves, many of whom  abandoned Rabee bin Hadi Al-Madkhali, after whom the current was named.

Madakhali Salafism in the Sudan, is a major evidence of the splits that afflicted Madakhalism. The group was formed by preachers who split up from Ansar Al-Sunnah Al-Mohammadia in the late 1980s following a long dispute with the latter which they accused of being penetarted by Srourism, and Qutbism followers.

The Sudan Madakhalis came to embrace the same beliefs of the Madakhali current led by Rabee bin Hadi Al-Madakhali, namely allowing no membership in Islamic groups, fighting Sufis whom they accuse of falling in Shirk (Polytheism) and exaggeration of love of righteous people; and denying any rebellion against rulers. These are the beliefs that set them against the Muslim Brotherhood.

Recently, the split among Sudan Madakhalis has been augmented in the wake of rehtoric battles between the three top leaders; Nizar bin Hashim Al-Sudani, on one hand, and Muzzammil Faquiri and Abu Bakr Adab on the other. The war escalated to the extent of vilifying icons of Madakhalism worldwide, such as Rabee bin Hadi Al-Madakhali and Mohammed bin Hadi Al-Madakhali.

Head of Sedition

Nizar bin Hashim Al-Sudani is viewed as the head of the ”Madakhali Salafist sedition” and the reason of the split-up of ‘Sudan Madakhalis.” He graduated in the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where he was taught by Rabee bin Hadi Al-Madakhali who granted him his scientific recommendation.  He received similar recommendation from Hammad Al-Ansari, Hassan bin Abdulwahab Al-Banna, Mohammad bin Abdulwahab Al-Akeel and Mohammed bin Hadi Al-Madakhali.

Once Al-Sudani was back home, he embarked on his Madakhali preaching through the Kitab and Sunnah Charity Society –Sudan, which had split from Ansar Al-Sunnah Society.

Al-Sudani later came to head the society, which allowed him to bring preachers of the Madakhali Salafist current to deliver lessons at the afiliated mosques. But this led to a confrontation between him and senior preachers at the society, the old fellow companions, who believed  he deviated to a different path from the one the society had adopted since it was established. Al-Sudani turned against them and attacked their approach.

The attacks initaited the conflict between both sides, which later came to hit an icon of the Madakhali curent in Yemen, Sheikh Mukbel bin Hadi Al-Wadei. Al-Sudani went further, writing a book velifing Sheikh Mohmmad bin Hadi Al-Madakhali, which led to “Sa’afiqa” sedition, that hit the Madakhali Salafist current around the globe and divided it into two. The term was first used by Mohammed bin Hadi Al-Madakhali when he referred to Nizar bin Hashim Al-Sudani as “Sa’afooq” (black slave).

A Madakhali offends Prophet Mohammed

Muzzammil Faquiri is a Madakhali preacher who graduated in the Faculty of Commerce, Neelain University, and started preaching through Ansar Al-Sunnah Al-Mohammadia, but later on, he disagreed with the group’s fellow preachers for different reasons, some related to preaching itself. Then, he joined Kitab and Sunnah Charity Society –Sudan, which was referred to as “Hezbioun” by preachers of Madakhalism.

Faquiri shared the same views of the Kitab and Sunnah Charity Society –Sudan but he adopted an opposing stance against Sufism (Mysticism), a matter that led him to get arrested many times over charges of offending Sheikh Mohammed Al-Montasser Al-Izirki and Al-Irkia Sufi Tarika (School). In addition, he was convicted for offending a host of Sufi Sheikhs, such as Al-Amin Omar Al-Amin.

In a major cause, Faquiri was charged with offending Prophet Mohmmed and Sahaba, as well as some Sahabiyat. On August 29, 2018, a judge described what he did as “heavy apostasy.”

The conflict over Madakhalism

Back to the flaring strife between leaders of Madakhalism in the Sudan, as Faquiri criticised Al-Sudani for prohibiting lessons in markets. The latter argued that Salafi approach confined learning to mosques.

In addition, Faquiri blamed Al-Sudani for being lenient with cxommon Sufisand, and on the other hand, being strict with the Hezbioun.

Faquiri said Al-Sudani was only known by “few youth” on social media.

Sheikhs of  Madakhalism, both at home and overseas, were severely divided over the sedition, some backing Faquiri, such as Mohammed bin Hadi Al-Madakhali and Abdul-Rahman Mohei-Eddin, and others supporting Al-Sudani, such as Rabeen bin Hadi Al-Madakhali.