The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (85 page)

 
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(1737–1815).
Founder of the African
S
f
order, the
Tij
niya
. He was born in Algeria, and early in life joined several S
f
orders before withdrawing for five years to a remote community. In 1781, he saw
Mu
ammad
in a vision, and received from him the command to establish his own order. He attracted little support until he received royal support in Morocco. After his death, the order spread rapidly in N. and W. Africa, becoming increasingly aggressive against French colonialists and non-Muslims. This use of the
jih
d
, combined with the personal cult of al-Tij
n
, makes the order suspect to other Muslims.