Sheikh Mustafa Rahimahullah - Imam as Seylan

Sheikh Mustafa known as Sheikh Mustafa Waliullah , Islamic scholar from Sri Lanka. He was also a poet and Sufi. Sheikh Mustafa was a leader of the Qadiriyyathun Nabaviyyah Sufi order.

Sheikh Mustafa was born in 1836 (Hijri 1252) in Beruwala, Sri Lanka. His father Baawa Aadam was a descendant from Sultan Jamaluddeen bin Alawuddeen dunnurainul Usmani, who was a descendant of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, the third Caliph of Islam. Sultan Jamaluddeen bin Halauddeen ruled Konya, a city in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey. Sultan Jamaluddeen and his eleven companions migrated to Sri Lanka. King Wasanthahimiya then ruled Beruwala. King Wasanthhimiya honoured Sultan Jamaluddeen and granted posts to him and his friends according to their status.
Sultan Jamaluddeen married the King's sister. Later Sultan Jamaluddeen's friends settled in different places in Sri Lanka such as Colombo, Galle, Hambantota and Batticaloa. They proved influential in mathematics, astronomy, medicine and science. Sheikh Mustafa's father died when he was four
and his mother died several years later. After his mother's death his sister care him.

Sheikh Mustafa learned Arabic calligraphy during childhood. He went to Kayalpattinam, India, for Islamic education at the age of twelve. He gained deep knowledge of Fiqh, or jurisprudence. Later he travelled to Makkah for Islamic education. In Makkah he studied under Mawlana Shaykh al-Islam Mufti Sayyad Ahmad Zayni Dahlan al-Makki'i ash-Shafi'i who was a great scholar of Makkah and Madina at that time.He received ijaza from  Sheikh Ahmad Zayni Dahlan.

Sheikh Mustafa returned to Sri Lanka after his Islamic Education. Sheikh Mustafa started a madrasa in galle for islamic education. In this period he met Sheikh Ahmed Ibn Mubarak Mowlana who is an Islamic Scholar from Hadarmout, Yemen. Sheikh Mustafa already met Ahmed Ibn Mubarak moulana while he was studying in Kayalpattinam, India. Shiekh Mustafa became a spiritual follower of  Ahmed Ibn Mubarak Mowlana. Sheikh Mubarak Moulana founded the Qadiriyyathun Nabaviyyah Tariqa Sufi order which is a branch of Qadiriya Tariqa. Sheikh Mubarak Moulana and Sheikh Mustafa travelled around Sri Lanka to places such as Galle, Beruwala, Balapitiya, Thunduwa, Kahatowita, Malwana, Viyangalla and other places and they established a Takkiya (Sufi meditation center) in those villages. They founded a Takkiya (Sufi meditation center) in Beruwela. This Takkiya is the headquarters of the Qadiriyyathun Nabaviyyah Tariqa in Sri Lanka. Sheikh Mubarak Moulana later gave Ijaaza and granted the Khilafa of Qadiriyyathun Nabaviyyah Tariqa Sufi order to Sheikh Musthafa.Sheikh Mubarak Moulana died in the year 1862. His body was buried in Galle Talapitiya Jumma Mosque.

Sheikh Musthafa became as spritual leader of theQadiriyyathun Nabaviyyah Tariqa. Sheikh Ahdal Mowlana who is the Islamic scholar from Yemen came to Sri Lanka and met Sheikh Mustafa in Beruwela. Sheikh Ahdal Mowlana granted Ijaza (authority) to Sheikh Mustafa to conduct annual saheehul bukari majlish.Saheehul Bukhari annual commemoration  feasts (popularly known as Beruwela Bukhari Feast) in Beruwela Takkiya.Sheikh Mustafa performed his sixth and last Hajj in 1888. He died on 25 July 1888 in Makkah. His body is buried in Jannathul Mualla, Makkah, in the vicinity of Khadija bint Khuwaylid grave. Sheikh Mustafa was the first Ajami(Non-Arabi) who is buried in Jannathul Mualla, Makkah.


Sheikh Mustafa was one notable person contributed to Arabic -Tamil (Arwi) in Srilanka. He wrote many books. Some of his works are given below:

Fathhur-Rahma Fi Tarjimati Tafsir al-Quran (Qur'an translation)                                            Sheikh Mustafa wrote many books on a variety of religious and social topics and was the first person to translate the Qur'an into Arabic Tamil under the title Fathhur-Rahma Fi Tarjimati Tafsir al-Quran. This was published in five volumes in Hijri 1291/1874.

Meezan Malai                                                                                                                                             This  is an Arabic Tamil poetry book which includes 149 poems which is the first printed Tamil (Arwi)book  in Tamil printing History in Sri Lanka. This widely discuss islamic aqeeda.

Kawaithul Bawaarikkul Hidaayaa

Baakiyatus Saalihaath Waddurhis Saabihaat

References :

1. Hilari, M.S.M. (1941). Srilanka Muslim's Origins. Oriental News Agency.

2. Gani, R.P.M. (1963). Islamiya Ilakkiyam. Madras. p. 210.

3. Shukri, M.A.N. (1986). Muslims of Srilanka. Jamiah Naleemia Inst. p. 352.

4. Shuayb Alim, Dr.Tayka (1996). Arabic, Arwi and Persian in Serandib and Tamil Nadu. Madras:                  Imamul  Aroos Trust. p. 63