What is the truth about Ahmad al-Badawi, and are many innovations and superstitions attributed to him?

The summary of the answer:

Ahmad al-Badawi is an unknown figure whose biography and circumstances are not well-documented. He was only mentioned by later scholars, many centuries after his time, and was not noted by reputable scholars contemporary to him, despite the abundance of scholars in Egypt at that time.

Some scholars and historians have questioned his existence as a real person or the authenticity of what has been narrated about him.

The accounts of his states and miracles do not align with the characteristics of righteous saints; rather, some of what is narrated about him suggests that he was afflicted and not held accountable (i.e., "the pen was lifted from him"), which does not indicate sainthood.

In conclusion, al-Badawi is among the unknown, and none of the scholars who lived in his time and knew his condition attested to his imamate or sainthood.