A named account preserved by Ibn al-Sabbagh from al-Shadhili’s son Sharaf al-Din describes the saint’s final pilgrimage journey and last night at Humaythira. When al-Shadhili asked for water from the local brackish well, he drank from it and had the remaining water returned; his son reports that the well then became sweeter and more abundant. That same night al-Shadhili remained in remembrance of God until before dawn, when he died and was buried at Humaythira.
One of the fullest classical accounts of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili’s final hours is preserved by Ibn al-Sabbagh in Durrat al-Asrar. Ibn al-Sabbagh says that in 715 AH, at Damanhur, he heard the account from Sharaf al-Din, the son of al-Shadhili. The story concerns the saint’s final journey toward the pilgrimage in 656 AH and the night his caravan reached Humaythira in the desert of Aydhab.
The journey already carried a sense of preparation. Al-Shadhili gathered his companions during the evening and gave them final counsels. He especially directed them toward his close disciple Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, telling them that after his death they should remain with Abu al-Abbas. The atmosphere of the report is therefore not simply about a well; it is the account of a final night in which al-Shadhili ordered the affairs of his companions and prepared them for what was coming.
Between the evening and night prayers, according to his son’s account, al-Shadhili asked for a vessel of water from the local well. His son replied that the well water was intensely brackish while sweeter water was already available. Al-Shadhili nevertheless asked specifically for that water. He drank from it, rinsed his mouth, returned some of the water to the vessel, and instructed his son to pour it back into the well. Sharaf al-Din then reports that the water of the well became sweet and increased in quantity.
The night continued in worship. Sharaf al-Din says that his father remained turned toward God in remembrance, repeatedly calling, “My God, my God.” Near the time before dawn he became quiet. His companions at first thought he had fallen asleep, but when they tried to speak to and move him, they found that he had died.
Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi was then called. The companions washed al-Shadhili, performed the funeral prayer and buried him there at Humaythira, the place that would remain associated with his final journey. Ibn al-Sabbagh adds a personal note: he later drank from the water there and visited al-Shadhili’s grave.
A second early Shadhili source, Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari’s Lata’if al-Minan, preserves the water story in another well-known form, placing the increase and sweetness after the burial and washing. The two classical versions differ in timing, but together they show how strongly the memory of Humaythira, al-Shadhili’s final night, his burial and the well became joined in the early Shadhili tradition.
The journey already carried a sense of preparation. Al-Shadhili gathered his companions during the evening and gave them final counsels. He especially directed them toward his close disciple Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, telling them that after his death they should remain with Abu al-Abbas. The atmosphere of the report is therefore not simply about a well; it is the account of a final night in which al-Shadhili ordered the affairs of his companions and prepared them for what was coming.
Between the evening and night prayers, according to his son’s account, al-Shadhili asked for a vessel of water from the local well. His son replied that the well water was intensely brackish while sweeter water was already available. Al-Shadhili nevertheless asked specifically for that water. He drank from it, rinsed his mouth, returned some of the water to the vessel, and instructed his son to pour it back into the well. Sharaf al-Din then reports that the water of the well became sweet and increased in quantity.
The night continued in worship. Sharaf al-Din says that his father remained turned toward God in remembrance, repeatedly calling, “My God, my God.” Near the time before dawn he became quiet. His companions at first thought he had fallen asleep, but when they tried to speak to and move him, they found that he had died.
Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi was then called. The companions washed al-Shadhili, performed the funeral prayer and buried him there at Humaythira, the place that would remain associated with his final journey. Ibn al-Sabbagh adds a personal note: he later drank from the water there and visited al-Shadhili’s grave.
A second early Shadhili source, Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari’s Lata’if al-Minan, preserves the water story in another well-known form, placing the increase and sweetness after the burial and washing. The two classical versions differ in timing, but together they show how strongly the memory of Humaythira, al-Shadhili’s final night, his burial and the well became joined in the early Shadhili tradition.
Conclusion
In the classical Shadhili sources, Humaythira is remembered as the place of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili’s final night, his last counsels, a reported blessing connected with the well, and his burial after a life devoted to teaching and spiritual guidance.
Sources
Latā’if al-Minan p.50: introduced as “من الأمر المشهور”; after al-Shadhili was buried at Humaythira and washed with its water, the water is reported to have increased and become sweet enough for caravans, unlike before.
Ibn al-Sabbagh, Durrat al-Asrar wa Tuhfat al-Abrar: he says he heard Sharaf al-Din, son of al-Shadhili, at Damanhur in 715 AH. Sharaf al-Din places the well-water change on al-Shadhili’s final night before death; Ibn al-Sabbagh adds that he later drank from the well and visited the grave.
Ibn Battuta, Rihla: Humaythira is described as having a brackish spring ('ayn ma' zu'aq), and Ibn Battuta records visiting al-Shadhili’s grave. Used as later counter-evidence against claiming permanent sweetening.