Taj al-Din al-Bahari is considered the pioneer of Sufi work in Sudan and the founder of collective organization. He was the first disseminator of the Qadiriya order, the most widespread and prevalent order in Sudan. This Sheikh came to Sudan, as seen by al-Shater Basili, in the year 1089 AH, or as others believe, in the year 1089 AH. He married and resided in al-Jazira for seven years, during which he granted his Qadiriya order to five men, including Sheikh Muhammad al-Himaim and Sheikh Banga the Blind. He wanted to bring other Sudanese into the path of the righteous, such as Sheikh Abdullah bin Dafa' Allah al-Arki, but he refused, excusing himself by saying he was a jurist and would not accept another science that would distract him from jurisprudence. However, when he sensed the status attained by those who followed al-Bahari, he decided to be among the people of this order. He joined Taj al-Din in the Hijaz, but found that he had passed away. He then took the order from his successor, Habib Allah al-Ajami, and returned to Sudan as a guide to the people in both the apparent and hidden sciences.

It is believed that the Shadhiliya order entered Sudan before the establishment of the Funj kingdom. Sheikh Hamad bin al-Majdhoub took it from Sheikh Ali al-Darawi, a student of Sayyid Ahmad bin Nasser al-Shadhili. This order flourished in the Damar region at the hands of the Majadhib, the descendants of Sheikh Hamad, to the point that it became known and spread as the Majadhibiya order. A number of researchers believe that the Shadhiliya order entered Sudan in stages, and many of them consider the branch of Sheikh Khujli (d. 1170 AH) to be earlier than the branch of Sheikh Hamad al-Majdhoub (d. 1171 AH). However, it is clear that it was the first order to enter Sudan, as we have mentioned. In the narratives, we find that one of the daughters of Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Sulaiman al-Jazuli was married to Sharif Hamad Abu Dathana, who migrated with al-Shater Basili.