Abu'l-Huda as-Sayyadi

• Religion — Islam • Name — Abu al-Huda al-Sayyadi • Birth Name — Muhammad bin Hassan Wadi bin Ali bin Khuzam al-Sayyadi • Born — 1849 • Birthplace — Khan Shaykhun, Idlib Governorate, Syria • Died — 1909 • Place of death — Büyükada, Princes' Islands, Istanbul, Turkey • Resting Place — His shrine, near Khan Shaykhun in Idlib Governorate, Syria • Occupation — Islamic scholar and poet • Jurisprudence — Shafi'i • Creed — Ash'ari • Tariqa — Rifa'i

Sayyadi was born in 1849 in Khan Shaykhun, modern day Syria. His lineage allegedly goes back to Ahmad al-Rifa'i and Muhammad, making him a Sharif. He was made Naqib al-Ashraf, or head of the Sharifs, of Jisr al-Shughur by Abdülaziz in 1871, and of Aleppo in 1873. Sayyadi met with prominent reformists like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani. In 1895, he established a library next to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. In 1876, the Ottoman Sultan at the time, Abdülhamid II, met Sayyadi and made him Shaykh al-Mashayikh of the Ottoman Empire. After Abdülhamid II was deposed, Sayyadi was exiled to Büyükada where he died in 1909. He is buried next to his father in Aleppo.

Sayyadi was a supporter of Sufism. He was part of the Rifa'i tariqa, and wrote poems and books with Sufi themes. Sayyadi was also very anti-Salafi in his views. He encouraged the Ottoman Empire to issue a crackdown on Wahhabism. This resulted in Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, a Sufi scholar with Salafi-influenced beliefs, being sent into exile.

• Khizanat al-Amdad fi Akhbar al-Ghawth al-Kabir al-Sajad Mawlana al-Sayyid 'Izz al-Din 'Ahmad al-Sayaad • Buni al-Islam 'iya la Khamsat Ma'badi