Abdullah Bin Siddiq al-Ghumari: A Biography

was an unprecedented day for the port of Tangiers. In a city that rarely engages in public displays of grieving, hundreds of thousands poured out of their homes to participate in the funeral of al-Sharīf ‘Abdullah bin Siddīq al-Ghumārī. The bitter cold of winter could not deter anyone from participating, it seems. In video footage that still exists, you can easily find it on YouTube, one can see thousands and thousands of grievers helping to carry his body to the Ṣiddiqiyya Zawiya in the old part of the city for the funeral prayer. Floating atop this sea of people, ‘Abdullah al- Ghumārī was making his final trip to his final home. After many speeches and beautiful Quran recitations, he was gently placed in the earth of his native soil beside his father in the family Zawiya. His life was as long as it was eventful. He witnessed two World Wars, the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate, multiple revolutions, prison, and the rise of the Salafi/Wahhabi movement—this last development being something he battled with up until the very end of his life.