According to his biographers his a descendant of the Prophet, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him He belonged to the Berber tribe of Jazula which was settled in the Sus area of Morocco between the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlas Mountains. He studied locally and then went to the Madrasat AS-Saffareen in Fez where his room is still pointed out to visitors. After setting a tribal feud he left the area and spent the next forty years in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. After this, he returned to Fez where he completed Dala'il u/-Khayrat.

He was initiated into the Shadhili Tariqa by Sharif Abu Adullah Muhammad Ibn Amghar. He spent forteen years in Kbalwa (seclusion) and then went to Safi where he gathered around him many followers. The governor of Safi felt obliged to expel him and as a result, Jazuli called down Allah's wrath on the town and it subsequently fell into the hands of the Portugese for forty years According to a tradition, it was the governor of Safi who poisoned Jazuli and caused his death, whilst engaged in prayer, in 869 AH(or 870 or 873) Seventy seven years after his death his body was exhumed for removal to Marrakesh and found to be uncorrupted (adapted from The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1957 Leiden).

It is said that the writer of Dala'il ul-Khayrat once went on a journey , when in great need of water for making ablutions. he came upon a well but could not reach the water without a bucket and rope which he did not have. He became very worried . A young girl saw this and came to his assistance. She spat into the well whereupon the water rose to the top of its own accord. Seeing this miracle, he asked the girl " And how is that possible?" The replied "I was able to do this through my asking for blessings upon the Prophet, Allah's blessings and peace be upon the him." Having thus seen the benefit of asking for blessings upon the Prophet, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him , he decided to write Dala'il ul-Khayrat.