بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Lecture series 004
By
SHayKH ALHAJI IBRAHIM ABDULLAH niass at-Tijani of
kaOlack
Translated By: Seyyidah Bilqees
Bolajoko Grillo
By
Shaykh Ibrahim bin Abdullah
Niass
[May Allah be satisfied with him]
Translated
by:
Seyyidah Bilqees Grillo, FCA, MBA
Printed,
published & distributed by:
Queen of Sheba
Lagos, Nigeria
ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED
No
part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without the permission of the
publisher.
First
Edition: November 2009
SHAYKH AHMAD TIJANI
IBRAHIM NIASS
Chairman, Queen of Sheba
Queen of Sheba
Head Office: Plot 2 Engnr. O. J Sikuade Street Lagos
96, Oduduwa Street Lagos
Bookstore: 2, Jonah Lane Idita Street
Lagos, Nigeria
www.queenofsheba_peace.org
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CONTENT
Translator’s
Note
Dedication
Authorizations
for the translation and distribution project
The Arabic text of the lectures
TRANSLATOR’S
NOTE
In
the Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful. All praise is due
to The Almighty Allah, The Lord of the worlds. The Most Beneficent, The Most
Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. May the peace and Blessings of Allah
be upon the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Eye of Divine Mercy
of God, his Household the pure ones, his Companions the esteemed in grace, and
those who follow this guidance until the Day of Resurrection.
My profound gratitude goes to Almighty
Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala), for making this humble attempt at
translation of the work possible. It could not have been if not for His Grace. In
addition, I take full responsibility
for any observed shortcomings in the translated messages since my best efforts
do not necessarily represent the best.
The aim for embarking on this
translation work is to create opportunity for the adherents of the Tariqah of
Shaykh Ahmad Tidjani under the tutelage of The Qutb and Gawth, the Sohibul
Faydah, Fadhilatu-Shaykh-el-lslam,
Alhaji Ibrahim Niass in particular and the entire Muslims in general, to
get closer to the expositions of our great Master and Teacher, Shaykh Ibrahim
Niass, by reading through one of his many illustrious and motivating lectures
delivered in the course of his delivery of the message of truth and the trust
of Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala) and His Apostle (peace be upon him) to
mankind. May Allah Ta’ala accept this work as an act of Ibadah (Amin).
My deepest appreciation goes to my
spiritual fathers and mentors, in particular Fadhilat Shaykh Ahmad Tijani
Ibrahim Niass al-kawlakhy (radiyallahu an’hu), for his unflinching support and
encouragement at all times. I also wish to place on record my gratitude to my
beloved Shaykhs who never stopped ‘leading
the way’ namely - Shaykh Muhammad Rabiu Olorire (late), Shaykh Muhammad
Rabiu Adebayo Abdul-Malik, Shaykh Abdul-Salaam Akoshile, Shaykh Zubair Idris
and Dr. Murtadha Busaeri. My special appreciation goes to Dr. M. Busoeri and
Professor A.0.Sanni for their contributions to the book review efforts. May
Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala) bless them throughout, till the end of time.
I will equally not fail to say a big
“thanks” to Alhaji Muhammad Shakirudeen Grillo my dear husband, for giving me
the full moral support to push this project through, Shaykh Shittu Jimoh,
(Khadim to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani in Lagos) who stood by my translation efforts
day and night, explaining those passages too advanced for my amateurish Arabic
comprehension, and my brother in Allah, Abdul-Lateef Owolabi. I employ the
tongue of Shaykh Ibrahim Niass in my expression of deep gratitude for the
moral, spiritual and intellectual support they all rendered. May Allah (Subhana’u
wa ta’ala) bless them immensely for their selfless services (amin).
In addition, my special appreciation
goes to a particular humble servant of Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala) and Khadimi-l-Hadrah
Faydatu Ibrahimiyyah, in the person of Alhaji
Abubakar Rajab for his financial support all the way. May his fortunes
never dwindle (amin).
Finally, my gratitude goes to my
mother, the one in a million, Alhaja Nihmatallah Kasumu Gbajabiamila;
and my children: all of them, for their
fortitude, prayers and sacrifices during the long periods I kept away from
them. I put them in Allah’s compassionate care and He is sufficient for them.
May Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala) profit every reader who may come across this
lecture by its gleam, purify our hearts by its beautiful admonitions and grant
us all His Rahmah (Mercy), till the Day of Resurrection.
Glory is to thy Lord, the Lord of
Honour and Power, far above that which they assert. May peace and blessings
also reside upon the Messengers! And all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of
the worlds.
Signed:
Hajiya Sayyidah Bilqees B. Grillo
Rabiu-l-Awwal, 1429AH (March 2006)
بسم
الله الرحما ن الرحيم
DEDICATION
This book is
dedicated to Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala) Ta’ala, His Apostle Seyyidina
Muhammad, His Seal of Sainthood, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani of Fez and His
Sohibu-l-Faydah, Shaykh-el-Islam, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullah Niass at-Tijani and
to the entire Muslim Ummah in aiding better comprehension of the ways of the
Sufis, the Electives of Allah (Subhana’u wa ta’ala).
AUTORIZATIONS FOR THE
TRANSLATION AND DISTRIBUTION PROJECT:
Praise Is Due To
Allah And He Is Sufficient. May The Peace Of Both Worlds Reside On Muhammad The
Chosen , And Upon His Household And Companions,
The People Of Light, The Most Exalted In Ranks.
I Have Given
Permission To The Esteemed Seyyidah, Full Of Barakah, A Muqadimmah, A Gnostic
In Allah, One Who Has Imbibed The Ways Of The Elects Of God, Sayyidah Bilqees
Bolajoko Grillo To Publish And Distribute All Lectures Delivered By Shaykh
Ibrahim After Translating Them To English Language So That It Benefits All And
Sundry (Muslims & Non-Muslims Alike). I Beseech Allah The Most Exalted, The
Omnipotent To Grant Her The Will To Be Able To Put Up With The Task, This Is
What I Am Obliged To Write.
This Izni
(Permission) Is Written By:
SHAYKH AHMAD TIJANI
IBRAHIM NIASS
LECTURE DELIVERED IN MAURITANIA
INTRODUCTION
Greetings and acknowledgements
In the
name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most
Merciful, Praise be unto Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon the most dignified of the messengers (of Allah).
His Excellency, Dear [Honourable] Governor, Brothers (in the
Tariqah) and my lovers:
As-
Salaam Alaykum Wa Mauritania Republic
of Mauritania
To have this warm welcome
is not surprising when it is a
standard that the Muslim is a brother to another Muslim and all the Muslims
together are like one single hand to their counterparts (in faith). A Muslim is
like a brick wall or like a single body (structure) to another Muslim. It is
therefore not surprising if a Muslim is accorded honour from his fellow
Muslims. I therefore owe a debt of gratitude and thankfulness. You all used to
come from this land that is far away hence the grace in that effort is to your
credit. Today, I come to you and you also enjoy the grace with what you used to
enjoy it by (in the past) namely: through honourable gestures and dignifying
others and the favours are to you just as the favours in both instances (of you
visiting me and myself visiting you) are to your credit.
Heartfelt
appreciation to the people for their regular visits
I shall
feel much prejudiced if Allah Almighty, The Most
Exalted do not grant me the fortune to match (your great dispositions) with
prayers in meritorious time–periods and in grace filled land (locations).
Verily Allah has some choice time-periods wherein He accepts prayers. He also
has on the face of the earth some holy places, which have favours whereon
prayers are accepted. Also the servant of Allah has certain circumstances which
have favours and in which prayers are accepted: when he is alone with Allah Almighty,
The Most Exalted. Prayers so offered are accepted in those situations. I always
offer prayers in those special periods for you until-perhaps-I make intentions
to pray for you even before I pray for my parents; were it not for the
stipulations of the Shariah which requires one to pray first for parents, I would
have extended yours first, and Allah Almighty is fully aware of that fact. Hence if
not for this matching of your honourable dispositions) with dua’ (prayers), I
would have felt greatly prejudiced in no small measure. You made journeys of
different kinds and secured accompanying graces until you make me feel highly
prejudiced again, but I, by virtue of (my constant) supplications for you by
Allah’s leave – will never allow prejudice (against you).
The
Honourable Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say:
“Whoever among you is being shown any act of goodness, let him return
such gestures in the like manner. If however he is unable to do such
(honourable retaliation), then he should return it with prayers until his
former benefactor knows that he is being sent a return-gesture”. Surely
myself, if not my standing by Allah’s door and my prayers to you all I would
have known that I am highly prejudiced in my companionship with you.
Gratitude
to Allah for the birth of the Islamic Republic
This
Head of State who announced the birth of The Islamic
Republic of Mauritania in the twentieth century thus beaming dazzling lights
into the country in a twinkle of an eye has my thanks on this great, momentous
feat. I have said many things (in the past) and I am proud of the youths in the
20th century who made this declaration in front of France, Britain
and America; which made each one of them to be filled-up with rage on this
account. To me, this is a most surprising thing (because it is of no concern of
theirs). I am requesting his Excellency, the Governor to carry my message of
gratitude and my prayers to the Head of state.
Prayer
that Arabs be made victorious and that Palestine be freed
We are with you all the way as One Hand and as brothers in this world and in the Hereafter, by
Allah’s grace. We also do not forget that nowadays we have been witnessing what
we are witnessing from the evil handworks of the enemies – the Jews and the
Colonialists over our Arab brothers. We pray to Allah the Almighty to
strengthen the Arabs and the Muslims until Palestine Senegal Senegal Mauritania Senegal Mauritania
Wa
Salaam alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu.
GOLDEN
ADMONITIONS
The Essence
of Teaming and Co-operation
Praise
is due unto Allah. After the conveyance of this
appreciation to the government and the nation of Mauritania, I am making this
discourse with you; every group (congregation) that team up together has a
special reason for coming together as a group. In respect to our own
companionship, it is in the Dhat [Essence] of Allah and His Religion. Companionship
- as you all know is a scenario whereby – if a congregation begins a journey
towards a destination which it does not know, there is no doubt about the fact
that the person in front (leading them) must have known the path that must be
trekked on the road. So, if they all desire comradeship, they will walk behind
him in (unison), neither foot-dragging behind (from further walks) nor veering
off the common route, (away from the others) nor diverting off the tracks. If this
is so, then real spirit of comradeship will occur. If however, a part of us
walks while another part sits down or if a part of us adopts a particular road
and another adopts a different route, then this is no fellowship.
Genuine
Brotherhood and Piety are admonished
We are
therefore hoping that our brotherhood is real, and that you shall make
efforts to ensure that it does not disintegrate, so that you all become brothers
with us both in this world and in the next world. Therefore, I am admonishing
you and myself with the need to fear Allah in the secret as well as in the
open, and this is an admonition which if followed, is guarantee for you with
regards to all your needs in this world, in your religion and in the next
world.
Piety
facilitates knowledge, understanding and illumines the soul
The
fear of Allah (piety) is the key to all the requests of
the servant (of Allah) pertaining to this life and the next life both manifest
and hidden. A believing servant has, as the first duty incumbent upon him, the
duty of having knowledge, and piety is the key to getting the knowledge, Allah
The Almighty says: “And fear Allah; and Allah will grant you knowledge
and He has knowledge over all things” (Al-Baqarah 2:282). Therefore,
whoever desires to have knowledge, let him be conscious of Allah The Most
Exalted: Imam Shafii in consonance with this discourse has said:
I complained my poor understanding to my
mentor.
And
he directed that I abandon sins.
He informed me that knowledge is (a special
form of) light.
And
Allah’s light is not given to the sinners.
Therefore, whoever wants knowledge should
fear Allah, The Source of blessing The Most Exalted.
The various meanings of piety
Piety
is the carrying out all the commandments and avoiding all that is prohibited in
the open and in secret. I say piety is the fear of abandoning what Allah has
made an obligatory duty upon you and also the fear of embarking on what Allah
has made forbidden to you. It also means the fear of carrying out what Allah
has made forbidden or abandoning what Allah has commanded. Therefore, the pious
one is He who is afraid of engaging in what Allah has made forbidden to him or
one who fears abandoning what Allah has made incumbent upon him. Such a person
is he who truly fears Allah.
Piety engenders sainthood
Taqwa is the guarantee for
every aspiration of the servant or means by which he becomes a seeker of
sainthood or makes a servant becomes someone who wants to be with the friends
of Allah The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted. Allah say: “Nay, as
for the friends of Allah, they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve, those
who believe and fear Him (Yunus
10: 62-63).
And on
this issue Abu Hanifah said: “if the learned ones and workers in the path
of God do not become friends of Allah the Most Exalted, then Allah will have no
friend”. Whoever believes in Allah, carries out all His commandments
and avoid all His prohibition such a person is ranked as being among the
friends of Allah the Most Exalted, those on whom there is no fear, nor shall
they grieve. Those upon whom there is no fear in this world and they shall not
grieve in the hereafter. It is this same route that is open should a servant
desire that he be given the glad tidings of happenings in this world and in the
hereafter; this is only possible for those who are friends (of Allah).
The Friends of Allah are those who fear Him
They asked the Apostle of
Allah (peace be upon him): “Who are those on whom there shall be no fear
nor shall they grieve? The Noble messenger said: “They are people from among
the children of men who gathered in the Dhat (Essence) of Allah sitting
together in Allah (that is, for the sake of Allah or wholly to seek His Face),
visiting one another in Allah, these are
they who shall have no fear nor shall they grieve”. Servants who
are neither prophets nor witnesses, but they will be envied by the prophets and
the witnesses because of their nearness to the Truth (Allah) on the Day of
Resurrection. Love in Allah is a great thing and I bear you all witness that I
love you all for Allah, just as I bear witness that you all love me for Allah’s
sake.
The Seven Categories of people under the Shade of Allah
Allah
the Source of blessing the Most Exalted has some servants who shall be under
the shade of Allah on a Day when there shall be no shade except His shade.
“He will give them shade under the shade of His Throne; they are seven kinds of
people among this category of servants:
v A
Just Ruler,
v A
youth who grows up in the path of obedience to Allah the Source of blessing and
the Most Exalted, and
v Someone
whose heart is inclined to the mosque whenever he leaves the mosque until such
time he returns back to the mosque,
v A man invited by a woman of beauty and
status/position and who say: “I fear Allah” (declining the offer),
v A man who remembers Allah alone and his eyes
well up with tears, and
v A man whose right hand gave out alms and hides
this work from the left hand.
v The
seventh are two people who loves each other for Allah’s sake (SWT), The Source
of blessing, The Most Exalted”.
A man will always be with his Beloved
This conduct as enumerated above is easy for
whoever is granted the fortune towards being capable in discharging any of it.
Despite all that, the one which is better in merit (above these ones as
enumerated) is that a man will always be with the
ones he loves. Whoever loves a people,
he will always mingle among their gathering. Just as Rasulullah said: “Verily,
a man will always be with his beloved” Anas said: ‘We were never happier in our
lslam than the day the Apostle of Allah said: “verily a man will always be with
his beloved’ He (Anas) added further: “I bear witness that I love the
Apostle of Allah and I love Abu Bakr Siddiq and Umar”. We too, praise be to
Allah, love them also. We love the men of Allah and we affirm with certainty
that they are not inmates of the fire. This is my hope for you, and it is the
same thing that we hope for ourselves and our beloved ones.
Piety is the Key to anything desired in this World
The fear of Allah is the key to
Al-Jannah, and Al-Jannah has been promised the pious. Also, piety is security
from Hell Fire. “Ten we will protect those who fear God” (Maryam 19:72). Piety
or fear of Allah is the inducers of a praiseworthy end “And the end is
for the pious” (Al-Qasas 28:83). Piety takes one out of hardship and
opens up the provisions. “And who so fears Allah, He will make a way out
for Him and provides for him from where he expects not” (At-Talaq
65:3). Piety is the opener of ease in all endeavours. “And who so fears
Allah, He will provide facilities for him in his affair” (At-Talaq
65:4). Piety is the inducers of Allah’s help. “And if they persevere and
fear Allah, their (i.e. the enemies’) plots will never harm them in aught”.
(Al lmran 3:130). Everything we are struggling to acquire in this world and in
the hereafter or even in the religion too is based on piety (Taqwa).
PIETY AND MEANS OF APPROACH THERETO
Hence, I admonish you all as I admonish
myself on the need to fear Allah in secret and in the open. This comprises
upholding the commandments and avoiding the prohibitions both manifest and
hidden. Allah says: “And fear Allah, and seek a means of approach to Him”
(Al-Maidah 5:35 ).
If you desire to have piety, no doubt you need a means of approach that will
connect you to absolute piety platform. The means of approach mentioned in the
Qur’an are three in number:
The
Three means of Approach in Islam
The
First Is the apostle of Mercy
Following
the Apostle of Allah, in word and deed, (that is, sincere obedience to him, may
the peace of Allah be upon him). This is the means of approach that links the
servant of Allah the Most High and Most Exalted. “say: if you all love
Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you in return” (Al-lmram 3:31 ). The Noble Apostle said: “If
you all love Allah, then follow me” and whoever follows the Apostle in
all his actions and speeches the resultant effect of that is the acquisition of
the love of Allah by that servant. He also said in another tradition: “lf l love him, l become him”, lf
Allah loves a servant, his hearing, sight, tongue, hand and legs becomes as
though is His and this is the beginning of sainthood and this is the means of
the Means.
The
Second is the Glorious Qur’an
The
second means of approach is the Al-Qur’an – Remembrance of Allah The Most High
and Most Exalted in which nothing is sought by it except His Face. Allah says:
“And keep thyself attached to those who call on their Lord morning and
evening, seeking His pleasure” (Al-Kahf 16:28 ). Detain
yourself with the people who remember Allah every morning and evening and who
seeks by it nothing except Allah’s pleasure, The Source of blessing, The Most
Exalted. This is the means, which connects the servant to Allah, The Almighty.
The Third is Companionship with
Men of Allah
Companionship of
the Gnostics of Allah, The Almighty. Allah The Most Exalted says: “And
follow the path of those who turn repentant unto me” (Luqman; 25). He
who turns unto Allah in his entire situations is the Gnostic in Allah, there is
nothing by him except Allah. From his companionship of him in this way, he
attains through this, a means of approach, which links him with Allah The Most
High and the Most Exalted. The Universe in reality has nothing in it except
Allah Ta’ala. The Universe and the Mankind are the keys. Mankind will want an
arrival unto Allah The Source of blessing and The Most Exalted but between him
and Allah is a screen and this screen is the universe, period. If he persist on
the remembrance of Allah The Source of blessing and The Most Exalted, with
concentration of his heart with Allah, this universe will slip away from him
and he will be joined to Allah The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted; thus
the universe will become “As mirage wherefore the thirsty one think it to
be water until he gets there and find nothing and he find Allah near him”
(Al-Nur 24:29). The Shaykh-al-Akbar ibn Arabi al- Haatimiyu said:
Whoever
sees the creation as mirage.
He
has transcended the screen.
THE POSITION OF DHIKR [ALLAH’S REMEMBRANCE] IN
WORSHIP
Dhikr
is a tool of seeking Allah’s Nearness
For a Shaykh who is perfect
in gnosis, whenever a Mureed [that is, a pilgrim in Allah’s path] approaches
him for an arrival unto Allah The Almighty, the first thing he will preoccupy
him with is to engage in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) until he attains an
arrival unto Allah’s Presence (i.e. conciliation of heart towards Allah The Source
of blessing and The Most Exalted) by following the road of annihilation. This
is because, if a servant is not annihilated in Allah’s Dhat (Essence), his
faith can never attain perfection. Hence, whatever remain of screen, that
represents a particular kind of punishment that will catch up with the servant.
Allah says: “Nay, they will surely be debarred from seeing their Lord on
that day. Then, verily, they will burn in Hell” (Al-Tatfif 83:15-16).
As long as there is the veiling then there will be punishment.
Annihilation through dhikr is
of three grades
However, if he persists
on the remembrance of Allah, he becomes annihilated. Annihilation is of three grades:
v Annihilation
in actions,
v Annihilation
in attributes, and
v Annihilation
in the Dhat (Essence) of God.
Annihilation
in actions or in the works of God is prevalent among the believers in terms of
attainment of this station. And whoever knows that there is no Doer of actions
in existence except Allah The Source of blessing and The Most Exalted, that
person’s annihilation in His works is complete because he certainly knows that
there is no Doer of any activity except Allah Ta’ala. This station is widely
embraced by a lot of believers generally.
I conversed with
students of Arabic grammar: “the Grammarians used to say: The Doer in reality
is Allah and metaphorically whoever brings an action into existence
idiomatically is the one to whom the act is predicated and this pertains to
Allah entirely. This is because in reality the Doer is Allah and the Doer metaphorically
too. They say it is whoever brings action into existence and this again is
Allah. Whoever knows that there is no Doer except Allah The Almighty, if he
gets annihilated in the actions in the hadrah (divine office of works of
God in the activity plane) such a person has acquired a portion of the faith.
But if he gets annihilated in His Attributes, he has climbed higher in this
station again.
The seven special attributes of
Allah
The Attributes of Allah
are well known amongst us and everyone of us reads it in the beginning aspects
of our studies in the Books of Tawheed (oneness of God): The attributes
of Power, Will, Knowledge, Life, Hearing, Sight and of Speech. These
are Allah’s Attributes, whenever we attribute these Attributes to Allah, we
attain the state of annihilation in Allah’s Attributes. We know that there is
no power except Allah’s. These are emphasized to us by the scholars in the
introduction to our studies, that these are attributes of Allah Ta’ala. That
there is no Will except Allah’s, no Hearing except Allah’s, no Knowledge except
Allah’s, no Seeing (sight) except Allah’s, and no Speech except Allah’s;
whoever knows this well has equally attained annihilation in the Attributes (of
Allah). If the person improves his efforts, he soon attain annihilation in
Allah’s Dhat (Essence) wherefore everything vanishes before him till nothing
remains (in his sight) except Allah while he seems to say:
Nothing
remains except Allah, there is nothing Apart from Him;
Hence there is no relation to, nor independence
from Him.
The Interior of the Kalimatu-s-Shahadah
Again, there is the Kalimah
of tawheed, which is Lah ilah illa Allah; this particular kalimah
(statement) has outer covering, inner core and inner most core.
The outer covering for the
Common
The
outer covering (as of fruit) which is the one applicable to all and sundry is ‘Lah
ilaha illa Allahu’- there is no god except Allah. It is the
one, which is mentioned in the Qur’an: “Allah – there is no god but He”
(Al-Baqarah 2:55 ). This is,
in the reality of someone that is absent (in his own perception) from Allah the
Source of blessing and Most Exalted, because Allah (SWT) is not an Absent
God, but the absent is you (since you think that your God is absent from you),
simple.
The Inner core for the Elects/Elites
If
he persists in the walk and aspires for Allah the Source of blessing and Most
Exalted, he arrives unto a state of being present with Allah and he (the
servant) will address Him as He is being addressed in the Qur’an: “It is
You we worship, and it is from You we ask for assistance. Guide us to the
straight path”. (Al-fatihat 1:5-6), he arrives at the station of Lah
ilaha illa Anta: “there is no god but Thee”. This again, has its
reference in the Qur’an “There is no god but Thee” (Al-Anbiyah
21:87).
The innermost core for the
Super Elects
If
he persists in the trek (to Allah) till he becomes annihilated in the Dhat
(Essence of God), he will not have any remembrance other than the phrase there
is no god but I. The phrase:”There is no god except I” is
also mentioned in the Qur’an but to man, it is very strange for a man to hear
his brother say: la ilaha illa Ana (there is no god but I); he
thinks that such a person is claiming to be God (i.e. ascribing Divinity to
himself). (The fact however is that), Allah [The Truth] is talking on his (the
servant’s) tongue only, and he was just hearing the speech just as you are
hearing it from him, he is not the one talking. Allah (the Converser) addressed
Musa with the ‘tongue’ of the tree “Verily I am Allah” (Taha 20:14 ). If He (Allah) has the power
to ‘talk’ with the ‘tongue’ of the tree saying: “surely it is I, Allah”,
He (Allah-SWT) definitely is able to talk with the tongue of a human saying: “Verily
it is I, Allah”.
Annihilation engenders a better
comprehension of the concept of Tawheed
Whenever
annihilation occurs, the servant knows that there is nothing except Allah, The Source
of blessing, Most Exalted; that is the “oneness
of God” of the Elites, which are the yearnings of real men (of
God). Shaykh Tidjani (rta) said in (Jawairil ma’aani): “The reality of
Tawheed (concept of unity of God) can never be deciphered. This is because for
as long as you say there is existence (of something) and Allah also exists,
then existence has become two, hence where is the oneness”? You can
never attain (the state of) “oneness” except when the Tawheed [concept of
oneness] is for Allah, by Allah, and to Allah. The servant present in this
situation has no means of entry (into Allah’s Hadrah-Divine Presence)
accessible to him (and if he has gained access already) has no means of exit
out of the Hadrah available to him. He said: This cannot be sound except on the
road of annihilation (in Allah) and it is for this reason that for the Gnostics
(Aarifs), the first thing the Mureed (student on the pilgrimage to Allah) is
presented with as an important matter (to grapple with), is to obtain
annihilation in Allah Ta’ala. Then, after that stage, he climbs (the spiritual
ladder) until he attains a bond with the Shaykh [of his Tariqah] because he is
the Attribute of Allah. What is being sought from these two annihilations is
that the servant will eventually return to a station which, if he did not meet
with the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) or with the Shaykh, he will not
know what follows after. If this continues, he returns to witnessing various
things and sees nothingness [things which, in reality are non-existences] as
being existent at the same time. An example of that is what we see in Cinemas,
whoever among you have not seen cinema, the Gnostics like to advise him to go
and see it, even if for once and by that witness a thing with the certainty
that it is a forgone (exist) thing and yet it (is seen as) if it exists.
The Universe is a manifestation
of Allah and Man, His Instrumentality
Were it not for its
existence, it will not be seen, but in reality it (really) does not
exist. The entire universal objects altogether are like this, just like cinema.
You witness something as if it exists but (in reality) it does not, you exist,
do good-deeds and know that you have not anything (i.e. do not count your good
deeds), you avoid evil deeds on the premise that you have not done anything
(i.e. do not count your eschewing evil as your act). The only one (in
existence) is Allah the Source of blessing, The Most Exalted and He is the sole
actor.
The heart
of the Mureed [pilgrim] after this, will journey in ‘Guyub’ {hidden state} wherein nothing is awake
nor asleep; he witnesses ‘Guyub’ that is devoid of anything until he is attracted
for the second time and then he returns to Allah The Source of blessing, The Most
Exalted, knowing that absolutely nothing
exists except Allah. In this state he is neither in fanai [annihilation]
nor in intoxication, neither is he attracted, nor awake.
Appreciating the reality of
things
He
now knows that there is nothing except Allah and understands all things as they
are, and he thereby places every creatures in its right stations where Allah
[SWT] has placed them, for he knows nothing is greater than things; he
dignifies things he does not consider existing, he is afraid of things he
considers not existing. He loves things not considered as existing, and he undertakes
to do all good (noble) deeds…, keeps up the prayers, observes fast, goes on
pilgrimage, gives out charity and spends his wealth. He does as a sign of
reference to Allah, the Source of blessing and The Most Exalted, because he
knows that there is nothing out there; [that is, he is merely an instrument of
Allah in doing these noble works]. Once a servant attains this state [of
contemplation of Allah], he becomes entangled in Allah with genuine
entanglement and he does nothing except for Allah, The Glorious. For as long as
the servant does not attain this (state), it maybe that he does some things and
feels confident that he is the doer.
However, if he did it consciously, he does not
do it for Allah’s sake, it is with the movement of the limbs; and he does good
deeds with no hope of earning Allah’s reward, he abandons the evil deeds for
fear that he might be blamed [or punished] by it, indeed these are not worship
(in the true sense).
UNDERSTANDING TRUE SINCERITY [IKHLAS]
Carry out all actions for
Allah’s sake only
Therefore, the servant
must make efforts to commune with Allah The Source of blessing, The Most
Exalted so that all his deeds and actions are entirely sacrificed to Allah The Source
of blessing, the Almighty whether out of abandoning evil things or doing of
good deeds…; that everything entirely is for Allah The Source of blessing, The
Almighty. It is in this context that the
Qur’an says: “And they have not been commanded except to worship Allah
(Alone), being sincere to Him in religion” (Al-Bayyinah 98:2) Allah
[SWT] commanded us to worship Him, and everything is conditioned on ikhlas
(sincerity). Ikhlas is to disregard any deity or excluding any deity in one’s
relationship with Allah [The Truth]. Even yourself (should be dissociated from
your acts as to enable it stand firm before Allah), you should exclude yourself
from your deeds then your deeds will be of Allah for Allah and towards Allah, The
Most High and Most Exalted. The Qur’an says: “lt is You we worship, and
it is from You we ask for assistance”. (Al-Fatihat 1:5). “It is You we worship”. [Iyyaka
na’budu] is a general state
[the state of the Common] while: “Wa
iyyaka nasta’in” [“It is from You we ask for assistance] is the special state of [the Elects].
THE
OBLIGATORY PRAYER
Prayer
is the strongest means of communion with Allah
Prayer is considered the strongest bond that a servant
employs in his communion with Allah, The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted
hence, you are all enjoined to contemplate (Allah) on your salat. Observing
salat is, in all its ramifications a form of sacrifice and worship to Allah The
Source of blessing, The Most Exalted. The greatest of them all is the
recitation of the Qur’an as a means of Glorification of Allah at all times; as
there is nothing in it except the remembrance of Allah; recitation and total
submission to Allah The Source of blessing and Most Exalted at all times. Allah
says: “And
l have not created the Jinn and the Men except to worship Me” (Ad-Dhariyah 51:56)
The
object of Man’s creation is worship and Allah is Independent unlike Mankind
He did not create them for any reason other than to
worship Him. lbn Abbas said: “Except
that they should know Him” This is because the deed
of one who does not know Him, may not be considered an act of worship to Allah
for He is not like human beings who, whenever they control servants, they have
hope that their (i.e. the servant’s) service will yield to them benefits which are divided into three
parts; as follows:
1. Those who engage in
several works so that his wealth can be increased;
2. Others
are engaged in the service of making foods and drinks to feed him. They take
the responsibility of accompanying him; when he walks, they walk with him and
when he sits, they sit with him.
3.
This third group is the class of people who are close to Allah The Source
of blessing, The Most Exalted. The first two groups are irrelevant [to Allah];
He desires nothing from any of them: “l
do not desire that they should feed me” (Ad-Dhariyah 51:57). He does
not want any one to work for him for the increase of His wealth as some masters
would demand of their servants. Equally, He does not require anybody to cater
for His feeding or drinking. The third group is the only one that remains. This
comprises of His beloved who are always present with Him; they want to
establish firm and strong covenants between Him and them, by dignifying (His
Mightiness), extolling His greatness and recognizing His Majestic Glory. He
does not want the creature except the people of His worship that are always
present with Him. Allah, the Source of blessing and The Most Exalted created
these servants and showered upon them His Favours both outwardly manifest and
inwardly hidden from the first point of creation up till this day, and He cares
for them so much that He sent to them prophets who call unto Allah.
The Learned ones are the Inheritors of the Prophets
When the prophetic missions ended,
then the Ulamas [the learned ones] became the inheritors of the prophets. Therefore
remains (nowadays) the scholars calling everyone unto Allah The Most High and
Most Exalted, and guiding the entire creation towards Allah The Source of
blessing, The Almighty. Therefore, any love that is not for Allah the Almighty
is a deception; it is only someone who guides you to Allah The Most Exalted
that has really admonished you.
On
the contrary, whoever directs
you towards the worldly good is only deceiving you, and whoever directs you
towards work [work without grace] only creates trouble for you. The one
advising you in reality is the one who is directing you to Allah, and Shaykh is
the one who should be followed….. [he is] the one who guides you towards Allah,
The Source of blessing, in his speech and whose countenance (or state) propels
you towards Allah The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted; if you see his
state, it elevates you to Allah Ta’ala and increases your determination (to
aspire to Him). If he talks, his speech gives you a lot of benefits on the side
of Allah the Source of blessing the Most Exalted, because he will never make
any statement except with wisdom. He The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted
says: “And what We have
given you of the knowledge is but, a little” (Al-lsra’l,17:85)
‘And whoever is bestowed with the wisdom, verily he has been given much
good’(Al-Baqorah 2:269).
Wisdom
supersedes knowledge
Knowledge
is a small gift but wisdom is
much; a great thing. And what is wisdom? It is the knowledge that is obtained
from Allah without any intermediation, and who possesses it is not a prophet.
The wisdom is given by The Lord The Source of blessing, unto His servant, and
the servant receives it from his Lord directly; the words therefore comes from
Allah The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted; the only thing being that it passes
through the speaker, and it happens that he is the first to benefit by it. This is because the words emanate from The Benefactor, The Source
of blessing; The Most Exalted Who is Allah; certainly Allah is The
Benefactor. Mere talk however, emanates
from the body of man and does not benefit the ears and does not reach the
hearts. Rarely does the listener derive any benefits there from. If the speaker
engages in much of it, his heart may become hardened as a result and this is
not wisdom. Also, Allah The Source of blessing The Most Exalted in His Grace
and Honour, when prophet hood ended this inheritance (of wisdom) remained so
that the worshippers (servants) can be united with their Lord, being joined
with Him till Allah inherits the world and what lies thereon.
The
Wise person is the one who works to benefit others
Allah,
the Source of blessing the Most Exalted brings us together at this time in this country of bliss;
we hope that Allah will put barakah (blessings) in it and further increase its
(already acquired) blessings. A note of wisdom: Allah does many things in which
he desires no benefit for Himself, and neither does He play. The works of Allah
are continuous even though it may resemble play; that is why He excludes play
from His works. He said: “Do you think that we have created you all for
play?” (Al-Muminun 23:115). This
is what the Gnostics (of Allah) would advise; those who witness Allah’s works
and know that He does not desire any benefit. If He loves to do a thing which
seems to be of no benefit to us (i.e. in our perception) which looks like a
play, Allah does not benefit Himself for He is a Benefactor who does not engage
in play. The (real) wisdom therefore is: He works in order to benefit others, which
explains why the Doctor is called a wise one, for his entire work is for the
benefits of others.
Allah
the Source of blessing, the Most Exalted works solely in order to benefit others. For this, He
gathers together at times, and He separates at times without hoping to benefit
Himself but in order that some of us may derive benefits from others, hence His
act eventually becomes wisdom and not play nor demand.We hope that Allah benefits
us by this our gathering both in this world and in the Hereafter.
Three
things of the world having many factors
If Allah, The Source of blessing, The Almighty wishes to
increase anything, He increases the avenues toward achieving it. Therefore, if
the causes of things are numerous, invariably the thing becomes plenty. We
observe in this world two things which factors are numerous as a result of
which everything emanating from it becomes plenty.
The
factors (sources or means) of wealth
in this world are many… every individual works on a particular means
through which he acquires wealth, while another person uses another different
means for the same goal of acquiring wealth; that is why wealth is plentiful in
this world. The second is death; it has many factors, while someone dies as
a result of a particular cause, and another because of another factor. The
causes of death are innumerable; people die under many circumstances. We never
stop hearing that so and so died and another so and so died, until we
eventually die. Forgiveness too has many factors; we hope that it becomes much
more.
Means
of seeking Allah’s forgiveness
Various means of seeking Allah’s forgiveness are identified
in the Shariah, and these are:
·
Sitting-down
with the Righteous people,
·
Sitting-down
in places of dhikr with others in a congregation and also;
·
Listening
to lectures (admonitions).
A sitting session in a virtuous gathering is sufficient to
erase (obliterate) thousands of evil gatherings previously attended. The
universe of Allah [subhana’u wa ta’ala] peradventure may bring us together or
separates us, so that He may forgive a part of us on account of the good done
by others.
Fear
Allah, follow His injunctions and practice Ihsan
I
admonish you, as l started
earlier, on the need to fear Allah in secret and in the open and observe Allah
as you breathe. There are two basic virtues by which the righteous people
[known and unknown among them] achieve success. They achieve nothing except
with piety of Allah and by observing His rules. Fear of Allah involves
implementing all that is His commandments, and refraining from all that is
forbidden. Observing Allah entails that the servant unites himself with
Allah, The Exalted, at all times just as if he is physically witnessing Allah The
Most Exalted, as was explained by Saadiq Al-Musaddiq (Umar bin Al-khattab) who
said: “To worship Allah as if you see Him, even though you cannot see
Him, He sees you” (Human beings worship Allah, as though he sees Him,
and he feels His presence in his mind as if he sees Him even though he does
not). If he has not attained this state, he feels Allah’s presence [subhana’u
wa ta’ala] and His active sight on his entire essence, hence he knows that if
he is unable to see Allah, then Allah surely sees him always. This is a minor watchfulness
observation (muraqqabatu-s-sugrah) and in each observation (the minor and
the major) lie all that is good.
The
Concept of Watchfulness
The
concept entails that you worship
Allah as if you see Him, and to worship Allah as if He sees you. If you know
that Allah The Most High and Most Exalted is gazing upon you every moment of
your entire life, then you realize that everything you do or all that you left
undone are under His watchful eyes (subhana’u wa ta’ala). It is assumed at this
juncture that, if you desire to do evil and then knows that a big man is by you
gazing at you, you re-consider and invariably decide to abandon doing that evil.
Every time that you resolve to do evil, you would hate the fact that he is
seeing you, and that will invariably dissuade you from carrying out that evil
work. Bear it in mind that every action that you do, it is Allah who sees you
and is He is The Greatest. Allah is The Greatest.
A
Narration about Consciousness of Allah
There
was a young maidservant who
was among the Righteous (people). A man approached her with evil (he wanted to
have illicit sexual relations with her) so she said: ‘yes’ but on the condition
that nobody sees us. He said: Yes, okay, and he closed all the doors of the
house. Then she said to him: “There still remained two doors which you
must necessarily close otherwise what you want will not happen between us”,
Allah has a door with Him and there is no doubt that He is seeing us, and as
long as Allah sees us, we will never engage in this evil ever! The remaining
(door) is that you know from me that l have done this thing. In the same vein I
also know from you that you have done it. So as long as these two doors are
open, l will not be able to do this thing. For this reason, he could no7t engage
in the evil at all, as it is not possible to find a place where Allah will not
see him; Allah [subhana’u wa ta’ala] said:“And you are not engaged in any
matter or recite any of the Qur’an and you (people) do not do any deed except
that We are witness over you when you are involved in it” (Yunus
10:61).
Allah’s Essence in His Creature
A
servant is within the sight of
Allah with the knowledge (bestowed on him from Allah) even if this is so by the
knowledge it is sufficient. However, the reality of the concept of Allah being
(resident) with His creature (especially man) is His very Essence, is that He
is with every creature with His essence. I spoke to a Jurist and he said to me:
“Your Shaykh Tidjani said: ”Association of Allah with His creature is His
being with His Essence” and association with Allah in essence is impossible. I said to him: this one with
us, is it not that Allah is with us with in His very Essence; that which is
with us, is what? He said to me: ‘These are the effect of His power’. I said:
Yes, that are indeed the effects of His power, so where has He gone to when it
is known that He does not shift? You and I have no power to impact things in a
particular place then leave that place. Allah is The One about whom the concept
of a movement is impossible - in the creed of the Jurists, then where gone His
effects if He does not move? I said: You [Jurists asserts] distance Allah the Source
of blessing the Most Exalted saying that Allah’s Essence cannot be in a dirty place
which is place of impurities, and that it does not befit His Essence, a
justification for distancing Him from a place. I maintained that were it not
that I understand your intention of distancing Him, you all will enter hellfire
because you made Allah incapable of taking a place for Himself other than a
place of Direction; all these are impossible with regard to Allah[Subhana’u wa
ta’ala]. So I said to him: “Now in this night, I will not say in this very
night (exclusively) because it is night for us but it is day for some other
people (in some other locations) but I will say that in this very moment that
we are now, it is the latest creature which Allah brought forth (SWT) and He is with
every creature with His Dhat (Essence); in the East, West, Heaven and Earth,
every creation is with Him at this very moment and it is the latest of what
Allah has created; that which He has power to create in this very moment and
gives it the power and is with it and also with every creation and He is with
it by His Dhat (Essence)”. Does He then not have power to be present with every
one? He said: “strengthen my faith for me”. I said again to you: The Apostle of
Allah is with every one by his essence, then he told me: This is even more
incredible than its sister (the earlier assertion). I told him: Do you pray? He
said, yes. Do you recite the at-tashahud? He said yes. I said, please read
at-tashahud (He reads:). “All greetings, all Holy words and all special
prayers belong to God. Peace be upon You (O prophet) and the mercy of God”.
The peace be (upon You O prophet) is a statement directed to someone
present before us, do an Arab make such a statement to someone that is not
present? He said to me, No. Is this prophet therefore, by extension present
with every (praying) devotee in the East and the West? He said: Yes. I said again: An Hadith related
by Al-Bukhari said: “If anyone dies, two angels will sit with him and ask him: ‘what do you
know about this man’? The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) will be sitting
with him in the grave. I told him, (just ponder over) all these dead people
numbering hundreds of thousands dying in a twinkle of an eye; don’t you realize
that their case is enough justification to let you know that he is present with
every single creature by his essence? He said: Yes. Allah is with everything
with His Essence therefore let us observe Him in our actions, speeches,
situations and intentions, because He is watching every aspect of our being, it
is therefore not easy that we do a single thing that is unseen by Allah (SWT).
As Shibli used to say: “The evil (man does) have a relationship with the
deeds of the servant even if Allah forgives him in it. Our works are under the
watchful Eyes of Allah, The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted” and
it is because of this again that As-Shibli said: “it is still evil and
even if he is forgiven (by Allah) the servant remains shameful before his Lord
no matter the situation. Even if he is honoured with forgiveness, what has
happened has happened or the deed has been done.”
THE
PILLARS OF ISLAM
Salat and fasting are obligatory
The pillars of the religion of Islam are Imaan (Faith), Salah (Prayer), Siyam
(fasting), Zakat (Alms-giving) and Hajj (Pilgrimage). Both Zakat and Hajj are
not compulsory except for those capable to do them; Zakat is not obligatory
except on the wealthy, and Hajj is not obligatory except on whoever has the
wherewithal to perform it. But salat and fasting are obligatory on every
matured and eligible male and female, freeborn and slave, compulsory from the
age of puberty till death, and is not excused under any circumstance. Therefore,
prayer is enjoined upon you.
Youths of Islam should not abandon
obligatory prayers
Presently, you will see many of the youths proclaim Islam,
being neglectful of their prayers. Whoever abandons prayer has completely
walked out of the Islamic fold. Allah the Source of blessing, The Most Exalted
has made congregation prayers obligatory and put it within time-frame. He also
made obligatory the need for piety therein. It was mentioned that those who
performed their salat in these manners are the inheritors of Paradise
(Al-Fridaus). Mention was also made of those who refrain from prayers such as
Abu Jahl and those who followed him in abandoning prayers. He (SWT) said: “He
neither gives charity nor prays”. (Al-Qiyamah :31). Then, their fate
was also mentioned when they were asked: “What brought you into the fire
(of saqar)?” (Al Mudathir 73:42) that is, what made you to enter
hellfire? “They said: we were not among those who offered prayers”
(Al-Mudathir 73:42)
Hellfire awaits those who abandon the
obligatory prayers
Therefore it is clear that those who abandon offering prayer are the inmates of
Hellfire. Just as those who uphold observance of prayers with its pillars, its
reverence and its courtesies (i.e, moral requirements) are the people of Al-Jannah
fridaus, by Allah’s Will. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was
approached by one of his companions who asked him about his neighbours in
Al-Jannah; the prophet said to Him: “support me with plenty of
prostration (prayers)”. He wants to let him know that if he desires to
live with the prophet (peace be upon him) in paradise, he has to support the
prophet with lots of prayers for him. The prophet and the Shaykhs do not exonerate
their followers from performance of prayers and still assure them of paradise. The Apostle has no power to do this.
Rather, what he is capable of is to lead his companions and followers unto
Allah, by commanding them to uphold that which Allah has commanded them to
uphold, and refraining them from all that Allah has forbidden them from.
Whoever emulates him, does what he commanded and abandons what he forbids will
be with him in Al-Jannah; but whoever does not, will not be with him in
Al-Jannah. The prophet of Allah says: “O Fatimah daughter of Muhammad! I
cannot profit you in any matter or thing against Allah: Ask of me of my wealth
whatever you want, but in the matters of the hereafter, do not come unto the
hereafter except with whatever good works that you have earned for yourself.
All men will come to me on the basis of the degree of excellence of their works
(which they have done) and their degree of nearness to God (by way of their
personal strivings) and you will all become (by virtue of having earned this
nearness) The Close Ones to the Apostle of Allah. I therefore, cannot profit
you all in anything against Allah. I have conveyed the message.”
The Apostle and Men of Allah cannot
make Guidance but only directs people to the path of guidance
The prophet guides mankind but he has no power to make guidance. Rather, he directs
them to the path of guidance, because the Guide in Reality is Allah. The
Apostle, The Learned Ones and The Shaykhs have nothing other than to guide the way
only. They show the Mureed (Student) the way or path to eternity and whoever
emulates them will be prosperous with them, but whoever refuses to take after
them is on his own.
THE TARIQAH TIJANIYYAH: BASIC
INGREDIENTS
The Tariqah is about plenty of
prayers and fasting
Our
Tariqah is the Tariqah Tijaniyyah just like our religion is about offering
prayers and fasting. Our Tariqah offers Istigfar (seeking forgiveness from
Allah) and makes salat on the prophet and La ilaha illa Allahu. A lot of people
in This Age wherein the Muslims are seriously retrogressing (and strangely
too); a lot of the people have abandoned prayers and fasting and they are
greatly involved in opposing the Tariqah (Sufis); and the Tariqah invariably is
none other than the path of the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him); it does
not belong to Abdul Qadir Jaelaani or to Shiekh Ahmad Tijani (may Allah be
pleased with them both).
The
Tariqah is about following the way of the Apostle
The Tariqah is just an
adoption of a thing from the way of the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him)
and enjoining mankind to uphold it in order to benefit there from, the seeking
of forgiveness (Astagfirullaha) and salat (Prayer
of peace and salutation on the prophet) (peace be upon him) and Lah ilaha
illa Allahu (there is no God except Allah) – all these Allah commanded
us to carry out in His Mighty Book.
The Tariqah is not an innovation but
sunnah of the Prophet
A Learned Scholar in Makkah held a discussion with me on the matter of
following a Tariqah and advised me to abandon the Tariqah Tijaniyyah because it
is an innovation, a myth and gross disbelief; and that you hail from a country
where you are most appreciated. We also know that you are a learned person.
Therefore we will not bother to shoulder the responsibility of visiting your
country and taking people out of the Tariqah Tijaniyyah; rather, you will be
the one to take them out of it. Okay, I told him, go on talking. Say whatever
you want to say. So he went on talking until he got to the end of his talk. I
then said to him: “what is the meaning of Tariqah Tijaniyyah”? He told me: “I
do not know”. I asked: “what is the correct position? I know about the Tariqah
Tijaniyyah and I know who is Shaykh Tidjani (rta); I know it very well but you
do not know any of it. Do you want to teach me or shall I teach you? He told
me: okay, it is whoever knows something that will teach the other. So I said to
him: ‘If you enquire about the Tariqah Tijaniyyah then you are not in any
position to teach me about the Tijaniyyah path.
The Tariqah has three basic
ingredients
The Tijaniyyah path is about making Istigfar and salat upon the prophet and
chanting La ilaha illa Allahu. Can a Muslim advise another Muslim to stop doing
Istigfar?’ He said: ‘No’. Allah says: “And seek ye all forgiveness of
your Lord” (Nuh :10) I said: ‘
Who is absolved of sins, only the
prophet (peace be upon him) has been absolved, as he has been forgiven of all
sins that went before him (past) and after him (future) and despite this he
would say: “I always seeks forgiveness of sins from Allah in a day, 7O
times”. In another tradition it is reported: 100 times.
So I said to him, even the person who was absolved of all sins does not have the capacity to abandon seeking
forgiveness. So someone like you, and myself have no option other than to be
doing Istigfar. So he` said to me, yes, that is a fact. I told him again: As
for the rendition of the prayer of salutation and peace on the prophet (peace
be upon him), Allah says in this respect: “And shower peace and prayers
of blessings upon him” (Al-Ahzab 33:56). The Noble Messenger said “whoever
sends prayer of peace (do salat) upon me for just once, Allah will do 10 times
back upon that person (in place of the unit he did)”. ‘Does a Muslim
advise another Muslim to forsake this?’ He told me: ‘No’. Does a Muslim advise
another Muslim to abandon the saying of ‘Lah ilaha illa Allah’?
He said: ‘No’. So I told him again: This
is the Tariqah Tijaniyyah: Doing Istigfar, Solat on the prophet (peace be upon
him) and La ilaha illa Allahu. As for La ilaha illa Allahu, it is recited both
morning and evening. I said: “If you say something is an innovation, an
innovation (to me) is something that cannot be found in the Holy Qur’an nor in
the Hadith.”
The Litanies of Tariqah is fashioned after the divine
injunctions
Our litanies are commenced with “Audhu billahi mina shaytoni Rojeem’, then
you read Surat-al-Fatiha. Allah says: “And recite whatever is easy from
it (the Qur’an)” (Al-Muzammil 73:20). This is followed by Istigfar.
Allah says: “And seek ye all forgiveness of your Lord, for verily he is a
forgiver of sins” (Nuh 71:10), then follows salat on the prophet: “And
shower prayers of peace and salutation upon him” (Al-Ahzab 33:56), then
La ilaha illa Allahu. “And remember Allah with much remembrance”
(Al-Ahzab 33:41) and nothing else remained except the selection of (special
time); morning and evening. The Qur’an says: “And Glorify Him in the
mornings and the evenings” (Al-Ahzab 33:42) “In the early morning
and in the late evenings” (AN-Nur 24:36). All these are found in the
Holy Qur’an.
Are you commanding us to abandon this? He said to me: No. write a book for
me that will explain explicitly to me what is the Tariqah Tijaniyyah until we
know the sound position of it from the polluted view. So I told him, okay. The
Tariqah Tijaniyyah is as follows: The Istigfar, the Salat on the Holy Prophet
who is undoubtedly the Door to Allah, The Source of blessing The Almighty and
La ilaha illa Allah. What is desired is the remembrance of Allah.
The meaning of La ilaha illa Allah
The statement: ‘La
ilaha illa Allah’ has two meanings – as I have said previously – it has the
outer cover (as of a fruit), an inner seed, and the innermost seed. La
ilaha illa Allahu means – ‘there is none worthy of worship in truth
except Allah’. This is the state of The Common. However with regard to
those that intends to serve Allah, La ilaha illa Allah means: ‘there is none
that is conceived in truth except Allah’. Finally in the reality of
those who have attained unity with Allah, ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ means: ‘there
is no existence in Truth except Allah’.
v The first group comprises the adherents of La
ilaha illa Huwa (No deity but He);
v The second category comprises the adherent of La ilaha illa Anta (No deity but You
(Allah), while
v The third group
comprises the adherent of La ilha illa
Ana (No deity but I). These are the three (spiritual) levels by which Allah
is remembered, “Allah, Allah”, as I have heard you saying: Therefore the
remembrance of Allah The Most High and Most Exalted is the key to becoming a waliyy
(friend of Allah), the dhikr (remembrance of Allah) is the
beginning of wilayah (friendship with Allah); it is the commencement and
conclusion of wilayah, it is the commencement as well as the conclusion….at all
times, always. The attaining of an end (to knowing God) is in the beginning, at
all times, such that (this occurs always) in the commencement (of the struggle
to know God) and also in the conclusion thereof. If the commencement (efforts)
is sound, then the end too is sure to be sound.
The entire journeying of the soul is
based in the Kalimah
We start (the journey of the soul) first with ‘La
ilaha illa Allah’, then we advance in our comprehension of God by
moving on to: ‘La ilaha illa Anta’, and (with more efforts and
concentration), we get to ‘La ilaha illa Ana’. Allah is The One
to whom we shall all return. Therefore all of you say La ilaha illa
Allah, The Source of blessing, The Most Exalted.
CONCLUSION
I praise Allah The Most High and Most Exalted in such a manner that I
affirm that our love (for one another) is in the Dhat (Essence) of Allah The Source
of blessing, The Glorious. I love you all with one that I never thought could
be increased, and I increase in manifold my thanks and praise to Allah. I
beseech Thee O Allah Ta’ala to reward you all with all that is good. I beseech
Him the Almighty to increase your good works in this world and in the
hereafter. I beseech Allah The Source of blessing The Most Exalted to increase
your wealth and children and bless you in all that He has provided for you by
way of good health in this world and the next. I pray that He also bless the
land of Mauritania altogether, and to protect you all from every kind of evils
and misfortunes; and to protect you and your children with peace of mind and
make us all among the very special Elects of Allah) among the followers of Shaykh
Ahmad Tidjani in the Hereafter and in this world, for He has power over this,
and that to Him is not difficult.
O Allah! Shower your peace upon our Leader Muhammad, The Opener
of what is closed, The Seal of those who have proceeded (him), Helper of The
Truth with The Truth, and a Guide to Your Most Straight Path. May this peace be
also upon his household, according to the measure of his worth and merit which
are great.
Wa salaam alaykum,
wa Rahamatullah wa barakatuhu Ta’ala.
What Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Kaolakh (on whom be Allah’s
pleasure) said ended here.
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