Cairo
Sayyid Husayn Abu Ali, known as Sultan Abu al-Ila, was a Husayni sharif born in Makkah who settled on an empty stretch of the Nile bank in Cairo. Followers…
Sayyid Husayn Abu Ali, known as Sultan Abu al-Ila, was a Husayni sharif born in Makkah who settled on an empty stretch of the Nile bank in Cairo. Followers gathered round him, his retreat became a zawiya, and the whole district grew up around it and still bears his name, Bulaq Abu al-Ila. He passed away in 890 AH at a great age, and Mazarat Misr says he lived to 120. His mosque, with its dome over his tomb, stands in Bulaq near the Nile. It has long been a gathering place for Qur'an reciters, and his mawlid is held there each year.