Shaykh Midin, khalifa of al-Ashmuni

Shaykh Midin Khalifa al-Ashmuni, the ascetic. His origin is from the descendants of Shaykh Abu Madyan. His grandfather had migrated as a poor man from the Maghrib and settled at a Tablayya in al-Minufiyya, then moved to Ashmun, where Midin was born. Midin studied knowledge until he gave legal opinions, then set out in search of the path, going to find a shaykh in Egypt. His departure coincided with that of Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghamri. A man of the states met them and directed them to a certain ascetic. The opening came to Midin within three days, and to al-Ghamri fifteen years later.

He was a man of high resolve, had great honour in the path and a long hand in Sufism. Many scholars, righteous men and poor people benefited from him. He was granted marvels. One was that the minaret of his lodge began to lean, and he was told it must be demolished. He climbed up with the engineer and pressed his back against the leaning minaret, and it straightened. Another: when Sultan Jaqmaq ran short of money he sent to ask for his blessing. The shaykh sent him half a column of metal which weighs as much as silver. Its price was placed in the treasury, and the sultan's affairs grew prosperous. The sultan said, "Kings are the reality of these people." Another: an elderly man came to him wanting to memorise the Qur'an. He told him to enter a retreat and to occupy himself with the remembrance of God, and that God would help him memorise it. The next morning the man had memorised it.

He died on Wednesday, the ninth of Rabiʿ I 892 AH, and was buried at his lodge ¹.