Shahin al-Jarkasi

Shahin ibn Abd Allah al-Jarkasi, a devout and ascetic shaykh, a man of gnosis who guided people on the path. He was one of the mamluks of Sultan Qaytbay and was close to him. He asked the sultan to free him so that he could devote himself to worshipping his Lord, and the sultan did so. He travelled to Persia and other lands and took the path from Sidi Ahmad ibn Uqba, who is buried in the courtyard of Sultan Barquq. After Ibn Uqba died, Shahin accompanied about sixty shaykhs. When he entered Persia, he took knowledge from Sidi Umar Rushani in Tabriz ¹.

He returned to Egypt and lived in the place where he was later buried, on the Muqattam mountain, where he had a place of worship built for himself. He came down into Egypt only in cases of serious need. Then he withdrew and did not come down from the mountain for forty-seven years, and he was famous for piety in both reigns. The amirs, judges and notables of Egypt visited him and sought his blessing. He performed a ritual washing before every prayer ¹.

Among his marvels: he got up at night to perform his ablution and found that the water in his vessel was gone. Then he saw a figure flying through the air with a water skin around its neck. The figure emptied the skin into his jar and flew back towards the Nile. He died in the month of Shawwal and was buried in his lodge on the mountain. The sultan built a dome over his grave and endowed charitable trusts for the place ¹.