THE KHARTOUM ADDRESS OF BAYE NIASSE

THE KHARTOUM ADDRESS OF SHAYKH IBRAHIM NIASSE

From: Jawahir ar-Rasa‘il (Essential Letters) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse.

Compiled by: Shaikh Ahmad Abu’l Fat’h (Maiduguri)

Translated by Adnan Wood-Smith (USA)

In the name of Allah, the most widely and deeply merciful. O Allah, send prayer upon Our Master Muhammad, the Opener of what had been closed, the Seal of what came before, the Aider of Truth by Truth, and the Guide to Your straight path, and upon his companions, to the full extent of his ability and his immense measure, a prayer that fills the infinite past and infinite future, in all time and place, multiplied by every number, by every number known to You, O One, O Indivisible. O Allah, send prayer upon Our Master Muhammad, the Opener of what had been closed, the Seal of what came before, the Aider of Truth by Truth, and the Guide to Your straight path, and upon his companions, to the full extent of his ability and his immense measure, a prayer that surpasses all the prayers of Allah’s creation forever, by Allah’s everlasting dominion, multiplied by every number known to Allah, and through it make us know him forever out of Your pure grace, O Allah. O Allah, send prayer upon Our Master Muhammad, the Opener of what had been closed, the Seal of what came before, the Aider of Truth by Truth, and the Guide to Your straight path, and upon his companions, to the full extent of his ability and his immense measure, to the extent of the immensity of Your essence, in every moment and time. Amin.

All praise is due to Allah. Allah (TWT), out of His love for us and His own mercy, loved to be known, so He manifested Himself in preeternality. And when He manifested Himself, Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) was the first slave of Allah (TWT), the first one to make remembrance of Allah (TWT), and the first one whom Allah loved. So He looked at him, brought him close, decreed slavehood for him, was pleased with that slavehood, and took pride in it. It’s for this reason that the Prophet (SAWS) said, “I am the master of the children of Adam and that’s no source of pride.” His position of master over the children of Adam is not his source of pride—rather, he takes pride in his slavehood to Allah in Allah’s (TWT) presence, because it is only when he is absent from Allah’s (TWT) presence that he is a master; as for when he is in Allah’s presence, he is nothing but a slave. And he takes more pride in being in Allah’s (TWT) presence than in being a master in respect to Allah’s (TWT) creation.

Therefore, in his (SAWS) slavehood to Allah lies his real honor, and in the greatest of all his stations, Allah (TWT) refers to him as His slave. His greatest stations (SAWS) are that of calling to Allah (TWT), of receiving revelation, and of his night journey, when “he approached and came close, till he was at the length of two bows” (Qur’an 53:8-9). In all of these stations, Allah (t.w.t) has named him a slave: “and when the slave of Allah rises to call upon Him…” (Qu’ran 72:19), “all praise be to Allah, who revealed the book to His slave” (Qur’an 18:1), and “exalted be the One who took His slave on a night journey” (Qur’an 17:1). He (SAWS) was called a slave at all these points, and of all his stations, he takes most pride in this slavehood of his to Allah.

This has also been a way in which Allah has protected his (SAWS) community from misguidance. The Christians went astray and thought that Isa—in that Allah had brought him so close to Himself—was His son or His partner in divinity, but that is misguidance. As for our generous Prophet (SAWS)—despite the fact that he has a more majestic and higher station than Isa, that he is Isa’s master, and that Isa receives his spiritual sustenance from him—his community has not gone astray and taken him as a lord, as the Christians did with their prophet. We all know that in respect to all other slaves, he is their master; but with respect to Allah (TWT) he is a slave. Once when I was on a plane journey, an American said to me, “How are you so different from us? We are Christians and you are Muslims, we worship Isa and you worship Muhammad, so how are you so different from us?” I said to him, “This is what distinguishes us from you: we don’t worship Muhammad (SAWS); rather, our lord and Muhammad’s lord is one. Muhammad is our imam in slavehood, our imam in worship, and our imam in obedience of God, but he is also God’s slave like the rest of us. That’s why we have Islam. Our way of life is called ‘submission to God,’ not ‘Muhammadanity’ like how you call your religion ‘Christianity,’ because our religion is only for God—we and Muhammad are the same with respect to God. Then he said to me that Americans don’t have anyone to tell them about this religion.

Indeed, our Prophet (SAWS) is a slave to Allah (TWT). He is Allah’s (TWT) first slave, the first thing to exist, and the first one to mention Allah, acknowledge His oneness, and worship Him, before the very appearance of time and after the appearance of time. He was worshipping Him billions of years before anything else came into existence. And this slave is Allah’s Messenger (SAWS). Allah chose and honored us by making us from his community, and he made him our complete messenger. He is everyone’s messenger. He is the prophets’ prophet. He is a messenger to all messengers, angels, jinn, and humans, but we are his community. Allah gave us a special favor in that we are his (SAWS) community.

When Allah manifested Himself in this way and the Muhammadi Reality came out, the Muhammadi Reality manifested itself, coming out with the existence of all beings. All beings are from his spiritual sustenance (SAWS). For this reason, some praise him by saying that the sun, moon, planets, stars, and gardens are all from his light. All this is no exaggeration—rather, it is an undisputable truth.

Allah (TWT) addresses him, “I created you for My sake and created the creation for your sake.” He also addresses him, “Were it not for you, I would not have created anything.” The meaning of “were it not for you, I would not have created anything” is twofold: He created everything in existence to make life easier for Muhammad (SAWS), and had He not created Muhammad He would indeed not have created anything. He created nothing except Muhammad, and everything that He created afterwards is simply a part of Muhammad’s (SAWS) light—as he (SAWS) said, “I am from Allah’s light, and the believers are from my light.”

Given this, and given that he (SAWS) was sent as a messenger to all the worlds and a seal for the prophets, there can be no prophet after him, nor any religion after the one he brought. This religion has abrogated all others before it, and so consequently it is the only religion on the face of the earth today that constitutes proper worship, since all others before it have been abrogated, and one can only worship Allah (TWT) by following something that a messenger has brought from Him. All the other messengers have preceded, were truthful, and fully proclaimed their messages from Allah, but their messages ended, their sacred laws have been abrogated, and the message of Muhammad (SAWS) remains in effect in creation until the end of time. So whoever adheres to this religion actually has a religion, while whoever does not, has no religion at all. The Qur’an confirms this in saying, “And the religion in the presence of Allah is Islam” (3:19) and “whoever desires other than Islam as a religion will not have it accepted” (3:85).

When the time comes, we’ll pray and then finish what we were saying.

Talking to brothers and sisters is better than any litany, because a litany can be made up, while talking to brothers and sisters cannot.

We said that the Truth (TWT) manifested Himself with all His attributes upon the Muhammadi Reality—which is the reality of Our Master Muhammad (SAWS)—thereby giving to it all His attributes. Truly, Allah gave what He gave to Muhammad according to the breadth of His lordship; every attribute that Allah had, He extended it to His beloved, Our Master Muhammad (SAWS). Then what’s the difference between the two of them—what makes one a lord and the other a slave? The difference between them is just two words: attribution and extension. All attributes were attributed to Allah in preeternality, from Himself, by Himself, for Himself—He received them from no one. Then all of Allah’s attributes were attributed to the Chosen One (SAWS), but they were extended to him from Allah (TWT)—this is what distinguishes them, making one a lord and the other a slave. He is a slave to Allah (TWT), and this attribute is his only source of pride. “Say: if the Most Merciful had a son, then I am the first to worship” (Qur’an 43:81). If Allah had had a son it would have been Muhammad, but Allah had no son. Our Master Muhammad (SAWS) is the khalifa of Allah, and all Allah’s attributes are the attributes of Our Master Muhammad (SAWS).

Just as Allah’s manifestation of Himself led to His bringing out the presence of Our Master Muhammad (SAWS), the khalifa of Muhammad needed to appear as another reality, so that the Muhammadi reality in turn could be fully manifest. Thus the reality of Our Master, the Hidden Pole, the Well-Known Muhammadi Seal appeared, and it is through him that the saints from the beginning of time until his manifestation spoke. He is Our Master Ahmad and he is the saint of Allah (TWT), though what he had came from the Chosen Prophet (SAWS), who gave him all his attributes, until the only difference between them was these two words: attribution and extension. All Ahmad Tijani’s attributes were extended to him from the Chosen Prophet (SAWS); when Our Master Muhammad (SAWS) manifested himself in the reality of our Shaykh, he extended to him all his attributes except prophecy, just as Allah had extended to the Chosen Prophet (SAWS) all His attributes except divinity. In this way, the Prophet (SAWS) is not a god, and Shaykh Tijani (RA) is not a prophet, but the Chosen Prophet (SAWS) extended to him everything except prophecy and placed it in his (RA) reality. For this reason, he is called the Well-Known Muhammadi Seal and the Hidden Pole: his true station is hidden from all people.

We don’t say that Our Master Ahmad Tijani is only a saint—rather, we say that he is the very source of sainthood. When Allah extended to the Chosen Prophet (SAWS) everything He had, prophecy and sainthood were combined in him; then, prophecy and all things in existence remained in the essence of the Chosen Prophet (SAWS), while he extended sainthood to our Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA). It is for this reason that you will find that everyone who drank from the ocean of the Chosen One (SAWS) came out as a prophet except Shaykh Tijani (RA)—he drank along with the prophets from the Muhammadi reality’s ocean while not becoming a prophet himself. Rather, he is a saint. With everything that Allah (TWT) brought into existence from the hidden of His unseen, He manifested for its sake a tongue in the material world, so that people could sense it and the intelligent ones would understand. Think of a saltwater ocean: this is the similitude of the Muhammadi Reality. The fish in it, though living in the saltwater ocean, drink freshwater, for if they drank saltwater they would die. When rain falls on the ocean, Allah (TWT) causes it to flow on the ocean floor, from where fish can drink it. Thus everyone who drinks from ocean water drinks salt, except for the fish—and this is what our shaykh is like: everyone who drank from the Muhammadi Reality’s ocean drank prophecy, except him, for he drank only sainthood. May Allah be pleased with our master.

This is why he is the one who came as the very essence of sainthood, and why he spoke words that others could not fully comprehend and people denounced him. All the shaykhs took from him, starting with Adam until the blowing of the trumpet. “What poured forth from the essence of the Master of Existence (SAWS) is received by the essences of the prophets. And what poured forth and appeared from the essences of the prophets is received by my essence, from his light, and then it is dispersed to all of the worlds…” “These two feet of mine are on the necks of every saint of Allah, starting with Adam until the blowing of the trumpet.” I say: there is no problem with this, for what he means by his “two feet” is the foot of Sharia and the foot of Haqiqa. He also said, “I was propelled out from the divine presence in one moment, such that my first became my last and my last my first, my whole became my part and my part my whole, and I became him and he me, on his terms, not mine—at that time, had I been asked a million different questions, I would have answered them with one answer. I became like a lamp.” This is from the speech of our shaykh.

I say: these words make me most pleased to have him as my shaykh (RA): “I was propelled out from the divine presence in one moment, such that my first became my last and my last my first, my whole became my part and my part my whole, and I became him and he me, on his terms, not mine.” May Allah be pleased with our shaykh.

This is also why he came as seal of the saints, just as the Chosen Prophet came as seal of the prophets; our tariqa abrogates other tariqas just as the Muhammadi Sharia abrogated all others before it. This abrogation of other tariqas is the reality of our present situation: you will not find any tariqa alive today except the tariqa of Our Master Ahmad Tijani (RA), because of the guarantee from the Chosen Prophet (SAWS). As long as the murid fulfills the conditions and etiquettes set forth by Our Master (RA), this wird alone will quench their thirst.

The wird is: istighfar, prayer on the Prophet (SAWS), and “la ilaha illa Allah.” The Sufis say, “Shedding oneself of bad qualities comes before taking on good qualities, and taking on good qualities comes before manifesting a spiritual station.” This is the structure of the wird: istighfar sheds you of all sins and filth, then you adorn yourself to be deserving of sending prayers on the Prophet (SAWS), who is the door to the divine presence, and after that, Allah manifests Himself to you by your saying “La ilaha illa Allah” or just saying “Allah.” The meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah” is “Allah.”

“La ilaha illa Allah” is explained fully in the Qur’an. For the generality of people it means “nothing is rightfully worshipped except Allah,” which is what all those who worship believe, so this is the meaning of “la ilaha illa Allah” for them. For those who are seeking the presence of Allah (TWT), the meaning of “la ilaha illa Allah” is “nothing is rightfully sought after except Allah,” because Allah is the only thing they seek. For the ones who have arrived and found the presence of Allah, the meaning of “la ilaha illa Allah” is “nothing really exists except Allah,” because they do not connect with the existence of anything except Allah’s (TWT) existence. Thus this phrase, in terms of its meanings, has a shell, a core, and a core of the core: the shell is “nothing is rightfully worshipped except Allah,” the core is “nothing is rightfully sought after except Allah,” and the core of the core is “nothing really exists except Allah,” and all of this is indicated in the Quran. Allah (TWT) says, “Allah—there is no god but He” (Qur’an 2:255), making Himself an absent third person. In another place He says, “There is no god but You” (Qur’an 21:87), making Himself present. In another place He says, “There is no god but I” (Qur’an 20:14), in which the thing speaking is absent from its own existence and finds nothing but the existence of Allah (TWT), by which it says “there is no god but I”—one saying this would be deemed a disbeliever, as it would make others think that he claims divinity for himself, but they would not have realized that he has found no existence for himself, and the real speaker through his tongue is Allah (TWT). Just as Allah spoke to Musa through the tongue of a tree that said, “Truly I, I am Allah” (Qur’an 28:30), He is able to speak through the tongue of a human who says, “There is no god but I.” This is the cream at the top, the result, the core. La ilaha illa Allah. “The best thing I and any of the prophets before me said is ‘la ilaha illa Allah.’ ”

Some have said that the wird consists of cleansing oneself, adorning oneself, and manifesting all in one sitting. This allows us to say that Shaykh Tijani took the hands of his beloveds and brought them to the door, and all praise is due to Allah. Now we’ll do the wadhifa. We ask Allah on your behalf to make you all from the elite of the companions of this shaykh, and from the beloveds of this generous Prophet (SAWS), in this world and the next.

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All praise is due to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the most noble of prophets, his family, all his companions, those who followed them, and those who in turn followed and continue to follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. May Allah be pleased with our shaykh and patron Ahmad b. Muhammad Tijani (RA), Seal of the Muhammadi Sainthood.

As for what follows: I greet you with the greeting of Islam: peace, the mercy of Allah (TWT), and His blessings be upon you.

We spoke a moment ago about some matters having to do with our Tijani Muhammadi tariqa, but that was in the public mosque—the mosque is public, while this zawiya is our private space. Accordingly, we will comment on what we said a moment ago—what’s public is for the public, and what’s private is for the elite.

We thank the great scholar Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Majjaj Muddaththir Ibrahim Majjaj, and we thank all the Tijani brothers who have gathered here. I thank them for this meeting that will be considered a historic meeting for our Tijani tariqa, and all praise is due to Allah who gathered us, for neither financial gain nor family ties—rather, He gathered us for the essence of Allah (TWT), and we have gathered to remember Allah (TWT). The generous Prophet said, “Allah has slaves who are neither prophets nor martyrs, though the prophets and martyrs envy them because of their closeness to Allah and their position with Him (TWT) on the Day of Resurrection.” Then a desert Arab stood up and said, “Describe them to us, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “They are people who are children of other people. They gathered in the essence of Allah (TWT), not for any family ties or financial gain, but to remember Allah (TWT), love one another in Allah, and visit each other in His essence. They are the saints who have pulpits of light. The prophets and martyrs envy them because of their position in Allah’s (TWT) presence on the Day of Resurrection.” This gathering of ours—and all praise is due to Allah—resembles such a thing. We have come together from different countries, for neither family ties nor financial gain, but rather to remember Allah (TWT) and out of our love for each other in Allah’s (TWT) essence.

Allah (TWT) says, “Close friends on that day will be enemies to each other, except the people of taqwa” (Qur’an 43:67). When those who were close friends in this world come to the Day of Resurrection, they will show enmity towards one another; each of them is an enemy to the other, and the reason for this is subtle: each of them sees that whatever punishment and retribution they are in, the cause of it is their companion who would accompany them in this world. As for the people of taqwa, they see themselves in everlasting pleasure, and each of them sees that their companion and close friend in this world was the cause of this ultimate pleasure for them. And why does a human ever befriend another? To get some benefit from them or repel some harm. So if the matter is reversed, and harm comes from the one from whom it was expected that benefit would come, the friend becomes an enemy. But when the friend turns out to be a source of benefit as hoped, the friendship remains forever, and for this reason we are told that “close friends on that day will be enemies to each other, except the people of taqwa.” We hope to be from among those brothers and sisters whose friendship abides forever, remaining brothers and sisters in this world and in the next—those are real brothers and sisters. As for the one who is a brother or sister to someone they deem an enemy, that is not a beneficial friendship. We hope to be companions, close friends, and brothers and sisters in this world and the next.

We thank Allah (TWT) that he made us humans, beings whom Allah favored over the rest of His creation: “We have ennobled the children of Adam, bore them across the land and sea, given them sustenance from good, pure things, and truly favored them over many of our creatures” (Qur’an 17:70). Then He made us from the community of Our Master Muhammad (SAWS): “You are the best community that has been sent forth to humankind—you enjoin the good and forbid the evil and believe in Allah” (Qur’an 3:110). And then He ennobled us in the best way He could, by making us from the companions of our shaykh and our means to our Lord, Our Master Ahmad b. Muhammad Tijani. The greatest blessing with which Allah has blessed His slave is belief in Allah, and the greatest miracle by which Allah has ennobled His slave is to make him from the companions of Shaykh Tijani (RA) in this time, and all praise is due to Allah.

I said before that the enemies of Allah—enemies of religion—have sometimes attacked our tariqa because they hide behind a veneer of fighting for the sunna, while in fact they demolish the sunna. They say that it’s an innovation, though according to the scholars, an innovation is that which has no basis at all in the Qur’an or the sunna. From the very beginning, Allah has protected our tariqa from innovation, new matters, deviancy, and heresy, and all praise is due to Allah, for it has come to be called “the tariqa of scholars” and “the tariqa of jurists.” The scholars in the time of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA) all showed deference to him (RA), and even Mawlay Sulayman, the reformist ruler of Morocco at the time, entered this Tijani tariqa. Every single scholar of his time entered the Tijani tariqa, for it is a sound tariqa unblemished by innovation and new matters, and all praise is due to Allah. And why would this not be, when it is a tariqa about which Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) gave a guarantee—istighfar, prayer on the Prophet and “la ilaha illa Allah”?

A scholar once told me to leave the Tijani tariqa, and ordered others to do so as well. I said to him, “Would a Muslim advise another Muslim to stop seeking forgiveness?” He said to me, “No.” I said to him, “The one who had no sin at all and was protected from sins never stopped seeking forgiveness; as for you and me, we must seek forgiveness. Would a Muslim advise another Muslim to stop sending prayers on the Prophet (SAWS), after Allah has said, ‘Truly Allah and His angels send prayer on the Prophet…’ ?” He said to me, “No.” I said to him, “Would a Muslim advise another Muslim to stop saying ‘la ilaha illa Allah’ ?” He said to me, “No.” I said to him, “This is the Tijani tariqa. The tariqa has two paths: loving the saints of Allah, and being in constant remembrance of Him. We have chosen to love the saints of Allah and be constant in remembrance of Him; as for you, if you wish, go ahead and show enmity to the saints of Allah and leave off remembrance of Him (TWT). Allah says, ‘I have declared war on whomever shows enmity to a saint of Mine’ (hadith qudsi), and He says, ‘We assign a devil as a companion to whomever turns away from remembrance of the Most Merciful’ (Qur’an 43:36). Allah wages war on whomever shows enmity to His saints, and whomever Allah wages war on will be destroyed without a doubt. Also, whoever turns away from the remembrance of Allah, Shaytan is his companion. This is your tariqa: you’re the ones who show enmity to the saints and leave off remembrance of Allah. As for us, we are constant in our remembrance of Allah, and Allah says, ‘I am the sitting companion of the one who remembers Me’ (hadith qudsi) and, ‘Mention Me, I will mention you’ (Qur’an 2:152). We love the saints of Allah, and Allah says in the hadith qudsi, ‘I have declared war on whomever shows enmity to a saint of mine.’ Our shaykh, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA) has said, ‘From the contents of this hadith is implied, “whoever befriends a saint of mine because he is a saint, I take him as a saint.” ‘ “

Another one of the hidden meanings we can infer from this hadith is the secret of attraction, benefit, and arriving at Allah (TWT) despite a great distance: accompanying a saint of Allah (TWT) will attract and snatch you to sainthood. The friend of a friend is a friend; if a saint is the friend of Allah (TWT) and you are their friend, then you will become a friend and saint of Allah (TWT). Herein lies the benefit of companionship, and for this reason it has been said, “All good is in companionship and all evil is in companionship.” The benefit and harm of companionship is evident in the story of the children of Israel. When they were wandering in the desert for forty years, Musa and Harun should not have been wandering with them, but by their companionship of the Jewish people who violated Allah’s command, they remained in punishment with them for forty years. While for those accursed Jewish people, when they had Musa and Harun with them, the clouds gave them shade, Manna and Salwa descended upon them, and rivers burst forth for them to drink, all because of their companionship of Musa and Harun. This situation displays both the benefit and the harm of companionship. As for us, by our companionship with the inheritors of Shaykh Tijani (RA), we are companions of Shaykh Tijani (RA), and it was to Shaykh Tijani that Allah’s Messenger said, “Your companions are my companions and your poor people are mine.” We thereby have become companions of Allah’s Messenger (SAWS). And what miracle could be greater and more immense for us in this critical time than to be from among the companions of Allah’s Messenger (SAWS)? Were it not for Shaykh Tijani (RA), we would not have this. Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) also gave Shaykh Tijani a guarantee that all his companions would enter the Garden without reckoning or retribution, and he guaranteed sainthood for them. Were it not for the fact that Allah had ennobled Shaykh Tijani by this station in the presence of Allah’s Messenger (SAWS), who in turn guaranteed Shaykh Tijani this degree of grace, how could we—bearing witness to what is in us—ever have been from among the companions of Allah’s Messenger (SAWS), and from among the saints of Allah (TWT), without any condition or cause from our end?

As for the denouncers, I say to them that it was only when they regressed away from Islam and grew in distance from Allah (TWT) that the thought of denouncing came to them, denouncing the Sufis in general and specifically the Tijani tariqa. Were they to return to Allah (TWT), they would find that this tariqa is the tariqa of Truth and the tariqa of the Messenger (SAWS). Al-Khadir b. Mayaba once wrote a book denouncing the Tijani tariqa and proclaimed the Tijanis heretics. A group of Qadiris at the time, who were known for their over-zealous adherence to their path, came and showed the book to their shaykh, telling him, “A book came out denouncing the Tijanis!” He said to them, “In that case, we should fear for ourselves, because the Tjianis are people of purification, people of salah, people who frequent the mosques, people who recite Qur’an, people of charity, people of hajj…heretics? What about us?” That shaykh is the same one who wrote:

So has a slave who sincerely says “la ilaha illa Allah” committed disbelief?

Who says “Allah, forgive me,” hoping for forgiveness for the sins his hands wrought?

If that is disbelief, o people, then hold fast to disbelief and you will praise its result!

He continued in saying to them, “The Tijanis have no defect—they seek Allah’s forgiveness, make remembrance of Him, and send prayers on the Prophet (SAWS). If they ever say they are safe from Allah’s punishment and they have this and that, that comes from their certainty in the grace of Allah (TWT), not from thinking that they’re safe from Allah’s devices as you might assume. Were they to feel completely safe from Allah’s devices, they would leave salah, fasting, and hajj, but they are the strongest of all people in their consistency in these matters, so they are free of feeling safe from Allah’s (TWT) devices.” What he said is right.

Since the beginning of the tariqa of the Shaykh, its miracles have appeared in every land. It suffices to mention that all the scholars of his time were followers of Shaykh Tijani (RA); foremost amongst them was Morocco’s ruler Sulayman, Ali Harazim whom you know, Ali al-Tamasini, Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafidh who spread the Tijani tariqa in our area, Abdul-Wahhab al-Ahmar, and a number of others, all of whom were companions of Shaykh Tijani. All the great people of knowledge in Fez joined this tariqa. The “Shaykh of Islam” in Tunis, Sidi Ibrahim al-Riyahi, who wrote the Siniyya, also joined this tariqa. And after them was the generation before us. Just remember who you know from Sudan from the list of those who raised the banner of Islam: this man’s father, Sidi Ahmadu Job, Sidi Muhammad al-Mukhtar, and men present amongst you today, and all praise is due to Allah. This is the best indication that the Tijani tariqa is true and right; indeed, its enemies have had to admit that it is free of innovation, new matters, deviancy, and heresy, and both the generality and the elite bear witness to that.

This tariqa also has immense miracles that those who would criticize it cannot match. Regarding one of these miracles, Sidi al-Arabi b. al-Sa’ih says, “The Tijani tariqa has a clear miracle, such that to comprehend it is a miracle, and that is that for some of the Shaykh’s companions, whoever saw them on Friday or Monday received an eternal happiness after which they never had any unhappiness. This happened often with the companions of the Shaykh, even with those who didn’t know that about themselves. This is the reason why the Shaykh stipulated that we gather on Friday in the late afternoon, form a circle, and make remembrance of Allah (TWT): we look at each other’s faces, and in our midst is someone who, if anyone were to see them, they would receive an eternal happiness after which there is never any unhappiness. So the circles of the wadhifa and the Friday haylala are the gardens of paradise mentioned in the hadith ‘Allah has angels travelling around to seek out the gardens of paradise, the circles of remembrance…’ It’s a hadith, and yet the circles of dhikr were not to be found before the coming of our Shaykh (RA)—they are only to be found in the Tijani tariqa. This is a miracle of the Prophet (SAWS), who informed us of it before it happened, and also a miracle for our Shaykh (RA), at whose hands it appeared. Also in a hadith we find that ‘the best day over which the sun rises is Friday, and on that day there is an hour in which any Muslim who is praying and calling on Allah during it is answered,’ as he (SAWS) said. When asked what particular hour that was, Abdullah b. Salam said, ‘It’s the last hour before sunset on Friday.’ It was said to him, ‘How could you say that, when the hadith states that a person will be praying at that time, and the hour you mentioned is a time when no one prays?’ He said, ‘Has Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) not said, “Whoever makes wudu’ and then sits, waiting for prayer, is in prayer”?’ It was said, ‘Right.’ He said, ‘There you have it.’ When the last hour of Friday comes, all Tijanis who adheres to the conditions of the tariqa purify themselves and sit in the mosque in a state of purity, waiting for prayer and making remembrance of Allah.” This is a unique miracle for the companions of the Shaykh: we sit in the mosque for the last hour of Friday, in a state of purity, making remembrance of Allah that whole time, and waiting for prayer—we’re in prayer as long as we’re waiting for it. This is both a miracle of the Prophet and a miracles of the Shaykh (RA).

So congratulations to us for having this tariqa, and congratulations to you for accepting it. This is indeed a special tariqa, for special individuals. It does not come to someone who had no portion of it in the preeternal decree. Rather, Allah chose its people before time as we know it, so whoever was not among them in preeternality will not be among them at any future point—and were it not for that, every reasonable person would accept it. Seeking forgiveness, prayer on the Prophet, and “la ilaha illa Allah”—whoever denounces this and is prevented from it has simply been pushed away. All praise is due to Allah, who gave us the success to be of this tariqa. All praise is due to Allah, who showered upon you the blessing of having people like this, the successors of the Shaykh, among you, such as Ahmadu Job and others here.

I am very happy to visit Sudan and Khartoum and gather with you all in this blessed zawiya. I praise Allah (TWT) and I thank the president of Sudan, who gave us this opportunity. In this time, as you well know, anything that governments do not want to happen cannot happen. So had I wanted to visit you, but had not received his invitation, it would have put me in an awkward position. But when he sent an invitation to me, that was permission from Allah (TWT) to visit you, and I thank the president for this, and ask Allah to give him success. May Allah (TWT) give him success to accomplish whatever pleases him and benefits his state, his nation, and his people. Allah is the one who gives success, He (TWT) is the one responsible for bringing benefit to us all, and He is the one responsible for confirming our opinion of Allah, of Allah’s Messenger, and of our patron Ahmad Tijani—the beloved of Allah’s Messenger and his khalifa—and for confirming His opinion of the slaves of Allah (TWT). There are two characteristics that no other good can match and two characteristics that no other evil can match: having a good opinion of Allah and a good opinion of His slaves on one hand, and having a bad opinion of Allah and a bad opinion of His slaves on the other. We all have a good opinion of each other, and Allah (TWT) takes up what is deep down inside of us and actualizes our opinions for us: “I am according to the opinion of My slave concerning Me, so let My slave think what he wants of Me.”

As the khalifa of the Shaykh, Sayyid Shaykh Ahmadu Job, said: the chain of authorization that gathers us through Sidi Ahmad Sukayrij is the highest chain we have. As for us, we have almost 50 chains of authorization, but the highest of all these is: Sidi Ahmad Sukayrij from Sidi al-Abdu Lawi from Sidi Ali al-Tamasini, and each of these have had a great miracle said about him.

Ali al-Tamasini, in his time, was “the owner of the bunch.” Between his garden in Tamasin and Fez was a 40-day journey, and once he had a vision of the servants of the Shaykh’s place in Fez wanting to eat dates. So he took a bunch of dates, threw it, and said to it, “Go to the Shaykh’s house, with Allah’s permission.” The bunch fell and the dates landed amongst the servants in Fez, who said, “Where did this come from?” The Shaykh said, “That crazy guy in Tamasin did this.” Ali al-Tamasini was the one who, when he wanted to visit the Shaykh, he went like this—and made the whole journey in one step. Shaykh Tijani said to him, “If you want to visit me again, take provision of food and water, and journey with other people like normal until you come to me; if not, then don’t come to me.” Until that point, he would fold up the whole journey in one step. This was Ali al-Tamasini, and he is the one who looked after the dependents of Shaykh Tijani after the Shaykh’s death. You know that after the Shaykh passed on, the Turks waged war on Shaykh Tijani’s dependents and killed the Shaykh’s son Muhammad al-Kabir. Ali al-Tamasini came to Algeria and entered the court of the governor, who said to him, “What do you want?” He said, “The dependents of Shaykh Tijani are in prison—I order you to set them free immediately.” He said, “You’re telling me to set them free immediately?” “Yes,” Ali al-Tamasini replied. The governor said, “Throw him into the prison.” So they took Ali al-Tamasini, put him in prison, and locked him in, only to return to the governor and find Ali al-Tamasini sitting with him. The governor said to them, “Did I not order you to put this man in prison?” They said, “We put him in the prison, then returned and found him with you.” He said, “Take him to the prison and lock him in.” So they took him to the prison and locked him in, only to return to the governor and find Ali al-Tamasini sitting with him. The governor stood up himself, dragged Ali al-Tamasini to the prison, locked him in, and fortified the locks, only to return and find Ali al-Tamasini sitting in his office. He said, “What do you want?” Ali al-Tamasini said to him, “I told you: set the dependents of Shaykh Tijani free immediately.” The governor said, “Set them free,” and they did so. That was Ali al-Tamasini.

As for al-Abdu Lawi, he fell so ill one day that it was feared he would die. When the morning came, they gathered around him to pay him a visit and he said to them, “Yesterday an angel came to me in the night and I said to him, ‘Who are you?’ He said to me, ‘I am the angel of death.’ I said to him, ‘Did you come to visit me or take me away?’ He said, ‘No, I came to visit you, and you won’t die until you have lived the number of beads on this string of prayer beads.’ “ He said, “Look under the pillow, do you see anything?“ So they searched under the pillow and found the beads, and upon counting them found them to be 105 beads. Al-Abdu Lawi lived to be 105.

And this last one, Sukayrij, he used to work in the storehouse, while Shaykh Tjiani had told him not to. When he assumed judicial responsibilities, the Shaykh’s companions told him not to do so, saying to him, “The Shaykh forbade serving the people of the storehouse, like you, and you’re doing this just out of love for this earthly life.” So he picked up a pillow that he was resting on. He picked it up like this, and gold coins scattered around until they filled the whole house. He said, “By Allah, had we wanted this earthly life, it would be with us like this.” That was Sukayrij.

This is our tariqa. We do not make claims, nor do we take pride in miracles. Rather, we busy ourselves with worship, the sincerity of slavehood, and upholding the rights of lordship, but all these miracles show how Allah has ennobled this chain of authorization that the khalifa Sayyid Shaykh Ahmadu Job (RA) mentioned. And we have seen a lot, yes, a lot. All who enter this tariqa have seen in themselves something indicating that the Tijani tariqa is the greatest of all tariqas. The Shaykh said, “My companions have two kindnesses: a special one for them and one mixed with divine will.” “My Lord is kind to whomever He wills” (Qur’an 12:100)—that is the general kindness. The special kindness is unique to the companions of the Shaykh, and all of us witness in our states and unique characteristics this unique kindness for the companions of the Shaykh. All of us see this in ourselves, such that Sidi al-Arabi said, “When a woman is pregnant with a companion of the Shaykh, if she is intelligent, she will know that this one inside of her is from the companions of Shaykh Tijani (RA).” Then he recited: But the light of Allah is mighty, not seen except by success from Allah, the Eternally Sufficient.

So hold fast to this tariqa, and congratulations to you all for it. The Shaykh says, “ ‘Sudan’ means all of Africa—it is the mine of sainthood of the Tijani tariqa,” and all praise is due to Allah for that. Ali al-Sufi gave me this glad tiding; he said that he heard it from Sidi al-Husayn al-Ifrini, who is al-Sufyani’s shaykh. When we were with him in Morocco, he said, “Sidi al-Husayn al-Ifrini was right—he said, ‘Sudan is the mine of the sainthood of Shaykh Tijani (RA),’ “and all praise is due to Allah. This is a glad tiding for us and for you.

Peace, Allah’s mercy, and His blessings be upon you all.

For all of you who want to renew the tariqa, I renew it for you by the permission of Shaykh Tijani (RA), with idhn, talqin, and taqdim. All of you are renewed in what you currently have from the tariqa of the Shaykh (RA), on behalf of Shaykh Tijani (RA).

I hope from Allah (TWT) that he benefits us all with this tariqa and allows others to benefit from us.

Peace, Allah’s mercy, and His blessings be upon you all. We bear witness that you have seen us, as we have seen you.

~ ~ ~

From: Jawahir ar-Rasa‘il (Essential Letters) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse.

Compiled by: Shaikh Ahmad Abu’l Fat’h (Maiduguri)

Translated by Adnan Wood-Smith (USA)

Sourced from the document titled;

“Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse: His Life & Wisdom (A Short Biography of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse: Africa’s Preacher In The Twentieth Century)”, Translated by Adnan Wood-Smith (USA) from an Arabic article by al-Hadi b. Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Nahwi (Mauritania)

SUFI LITERATURE AND PRAYER BOOKS COLLECTION (AVAILABLE FOR ORDER)

A Practical Guide on the Wird (Litany) of the Tariqah Faydah Tijaniyyah (The Adherent's Handbook)....by Sayyidah Bilqees Bolajoko Grillo at-Tijani

*SALAT ALA NABIYY (PRAYER UPON PROPHET) COLLECTION/SERIES*

Available for order and worldwide delivery....

1. It'haful muhtaaj bi tarfat al hajj fi salvation alaa saahibi taaj....by Shaikh Abubakar Atiku

2. Majmuu' kutubu thalatha....by Sheikh Aliyyu Harazim (kano).

3. Jaami'u salawaat alaa nabiyy....by Sheikh Aliyyu Harazim (kano).

4. Sullamu l muhibeena ilaa hadrat khairul mursaleen....by Sheikh Aliyyu Harazim (kano).

5. Salat qadaa'i l hawaa'ij....by Sheikh Aliyyu Harazim (kano).

6. Sirrul asraar fii salaat alaa Jaami'u l anwaar....by Sheikh Aliyyu Harazim (kano).

7. Mataalib al abd fii salaat alaa afdal mash'had....by Seyyid Hussein ibn Ilyas al-harazimi.

8. 'Awaa-idu l barakat fi fawaaidul waraqaat min hadrat Mawlana al-Arif billah Shaykh Aliyyu Harazim

9. Jihazu Sarih of Sheu Gibrima

10. Hizbu suwar al maneehi....by Sheu Gibrima

11. Nataij safar....by Sheu Gibrima

12. Itbaau tazyeel....by Sheu Gibrima

13. Sidratul muntaha....by Sheu Gibrima

14. Tazyeel wa tahaqeeb....by Sheu Gibrima

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NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE

1. Sayyida Fatimat Zahara (The Rose): The Beloved Daughter of the Holy Prophet (SAW) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)

2. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani and his Spiritual Path (Tariqat) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)

3.Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse's Annual Mawlid Nabiyy Lectures at Senegal - Arabic text & English Translation.

4. Selected Prayer Poems (Qasaa'id) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse from Kanzul Masun - Arabic, Transliteration & English Translation.

5. Jawahir Rasail (A Collection of Priceless Expositions via Letters "Letters 1 to 10"): Diamond Sparkles - Arabic text, English Translation and Commentary by Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse

6. Tahniah (Congratulatory Ode) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse to the Prophet Muhammad (Part 1) – Selected, Transliterated & Translated by Alhaji Abdul-Quadri Okeneye

5. Handbook for Every Tijaniyyat - (Compiled by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)

Other available books

1. Tafsir al-Jalalayn...warsh
2. Quran...written in warsh style with hausa leather pouch
3.Quran....very old (500years old) handwritten manuscript...written in warsh with hausa leather pouch

4. Diya at-Ta’wil fi Ma’ani at-Tanzil (hafs)...Published copy the tafsir by Abdullahi bin Fodio
5. Shifaa Qadi Iyadh (warsh)

And many other books are available

To get copies...contact the above links

CLASSICAL QUR'ANIC CALLIGRAPHY & MANUSCRIPTS (Available for order)

1. Qur’an (warsh) - Handwritten, with Barnawi/Kanawi calligraphic style (neatly wrapped in a leather skin-bag)

2. Qur’an (warsh) - Handwritten (Over centuries old manuscript, loosely bounded in leather case)

3. Qur’an (warsh) - Electronic print

4. Dalail al-khayrat (warsh) - Electronic print

5. Shifaa of Qadhi Iyadh (warsh) - Electronic print

6. Fii Riyadh Tafsir of Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse (7volumes)

7. Majmuu’at at-ta‘areef bi Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse (7volumes)

1. Dala'ilu l khairat of Shaikh Sulaiman Jazuli (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)

2. Hizbu Sayfi & Hizbul Mughni (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)

3. Hizbul Bahri (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)

4. Hizbu Suwar al Manee'hi – ‘Arabic (composed like Hizbu Sayfi)’ (by Shk. Muhammad Gibrima)

5. Sidratul Muntaha ad-daa'een– ‘Arabic’ (by Muhammad Gibrima)

6. Jihazu Sarih – ‘Arabic prayer book on Salatul fat’hi’ (by Shk. Muhammad Gibrima)

7. Tibbul faa'ihi – ‘Arabic prayer book on Salatul fat’hi’ (by Shk. Abdul-Waahid Nazeefii)

8. Nataa'ij Safar – ‘Arabic prayer book on Salatul fat’hi’ (by Shaikh Muhammad Gibrima)

9. Itbaau Tazyeel – ‘Arabic prayer book on Salatul fat’hi’ (by Shaikh Muhammad Gibrima)

10. Sirrul Jaleel fii l Khawaas 'Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal Wakeel (by Shaikh Abul Hassan Shadhili)

11. Afdalu Salawaat ala Sayyidi Saadaat – ‘Arabic collection of Salat upon the Prophet’ (Shaikh Yusuf ibn Ismaa'eel an-Nabahani)

12. Kanzul Masun wa luuluu l Maknuun – ‘Arabic collection of prayers written by Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse. Compiled by Imam Hassan Cisse’.

13. Ahzab wa Awrad (Litanies) of Shaikh Ahmad Tijani

1. Vessel of Spiritual Flood, Translation of Goran Faydah by Shaykh Balarabe Haroon Jega - (Translated by Khalifah Awwal Baba Taofiq)

2. Rihlat Konakriyah (A trip to Conakry), Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse - (Translated by Khalifah Awwal Baba Taofiq)

3. Shariah and Haqeeqah: In the Light of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions (Compiled by Khalifah Awwal Baba Taofiq)

4. The Icon of Mystics: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kawlakhy (Compiled by Khalifah Awwal Baba Taofiq)

5. Kano Conferences (Majlis Kano) and the khutba titled (Hadiqat al-Anwar fii ma ihtawa alayhi qawaaid al-Islam minal hikam wal asrar) - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)

6. Katsina and Kaduna Conferences (Jadhbul ahbab ila hadrat Rabbil arbab) and Mecca Conference - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)

7. A Brief Biography of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibrahim Niasse (Compiled by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)

8. Risalat at-Tawbah (Epistle of Repentance) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niyass al-Kawlakhi" – (Translation & Commentary by Dr. Razzaq Solagberu)

9. Islamic Law of Inheritance, by Sayyid Ali ibn Abubakar al-Muthanna ibn Abdullah Niasse (Translated by Dr. Sulaiman Shittu)

10. Muassasah Nasr al-'ilm Int. (AAII) Magazines No. 13, 14 & 15 (with Articles like Outline of Life of Sufi Heros & Heroines like Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse, Shaikh Abdus-Salam Oniwiridi Pakata, Shaikh Muhammad Bello Eleha, Shaikh Ahmad Rufa'i Nda Salati, and others...this magazines also features other interesting Articles).

11. Numerous “English” Sufism & Tijaniyyah Tariqah E-books/Journals/Articles (soft copies - to be sent via email)

12. Numerous “Arabic” Sufism & Tijaniyyah Tariqah E-books/Journals/Articles (soft copies - to be sent via email)

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