Ahmad Zayni Dahlan
Ahmad Zayni Dahlan () (1816–1886) was the Grand Mufti of the Shafi'i madhab in Mecca, and Shaykh al-Islam (highest religious authority in the Ottoman jurisdiction) in the Hijaz region of the Ottoman state, and Imam al-Haramayn (Imam of the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina), as well as being a historian and an Ash'ari theologian. He was known for his extreme criticisms of Wahhabism and his tendency toward Sufism (Mysticism). In his treatise against Wahhabi influence, Dahlan clearly views Sufism as a legal and integral part of Islamic practice – including such aspects as Tawassul (intercession, or  addressing God through an intermediary), Tabarruk (seeking blessings through persons or things), and Ziyarat al-Qubur (the visitation of tombs and graves). He was the descendant of 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. He authored, and personally published numerous works on history, fiqh, and the Islamic sciences in general. Birth. He was born in Mecca in 1231 or 1232 AH = 1816 or 1817 AD. Teachers. He studied under Ahmad al-Marzuqi al-Maliki al-Makki (). Students. His students were so many, to the extent that it is rare to find a scholar who came after him whose chains of narrations  do not include him. Among his students were Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca who studied the Qur'an with him and completed its memorization, Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Qadri Barelvi, Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, Sheikh Mustafa, Usman bin Yahya, Arsyad Thawil al-Bantani, Muhammad Amrullah, and Ahmad b. Hasan al-'Attas. Works. He wrote and taught in an era when the first printing press came to Mecca, Dahlan was able to disseminate his challenges to Salafism through his devoted students. He wrote, for instance, a booklet outlining the suffering Wahhabis brought to Mecca during their rule in the first quarter of the  nineteenth century, "Fitnat al-Wahhabiyyah" (), and also a study refuting the entire Wahhabi doctrine and practices, "Al-Durar al-Saniyyah fi al-Radd 'ala al-Wahhabiyyah" (). Following is a list of some of his published works: Death. He died in Medina in the month of Muharram of 1304 AH = 1886 AD.