Facsimile · p. 53
Is there a connection between Al-Sanusi and Al-Idrisi, who threatened the people of Fez with his followers? If the answer is yes, it aligns with the saying of "Rayan" about the Sultan's fear of Ibn Al-Sanusi. However, the author of Al-Istiqsa's silence about Ibn Al-Sanusi's news during that period makes us believe his role was not significant. Pritchard commented on the idea of Ibn Al-Sanusi's departure to avoid confrontation with the Sultan, saying, "They had little reason to be upset as long as their efforts seemed to have some effect on the people of Fez. But if the story is true, then the Sultan's suppression must have been his first experience in a series of oppositions he would face later in Cairo and Mecca." In any case, the atmosphere of Fez, filled with sedition, might have been one of the reasons for his departure from Fez, especially after Sultan Sliman managed to regain control. The fate of Sheikh Al-Daraqawi was imprisonment, and then he was released after the death of Sultan Sliman. It is likely that the position of Al-Alawi and his students was precarious because they stood against the Sultan. It is also expected that these events provided Ibn Al-Sanusi with extensive experience, and his prior preaching in Fez benefited him and prepared him for his later role. One of the things that prompted Ibn Al-Sanusi to leave Fez was that he had completed his studies and was eager to learn from new scholars. Ziyada believes that the idea of traveling to Mecca emerged for Ibn Al-Sanusi during that period. Ibn Al-Sanusi resorted to inquiring about the most famous scholars to travel to and learn from. Therefore, on his way back from Fez, he entered the Algerian desert to learn about the most famous zawiyas and meet their leaders until he reached Ain Madhi, where he stayed for a short period before heading to Ouargla. Shukri says that he studied the Sahiliyya order in Ain Madhi. We have already mentioned that he met Al-Tijani in Fez from Al-Tijani himself.