CONCERNING THE MEANING OF THE "SEAL OF THE SAINTS"
[From the Writings of the Spiritual Master and Preeminent Hadith Scholar, Shaykh Muhammad al-Hāfiz al-Misrī (d. 1978)]
"People are of different levels (marātib), distinguished by the elevation of their souls in the degrees of Tawhīd (Divine Unity) and by measure of the light of their faith. If we were to compare the spiritual levels of all people in a given land in terms of their understanding of Tawhīd, then the individual with the highest rank is the one whom the people of spiritual distinction have agreed to call the Pole (Qutb) of the Land, though you may choose to call him whatever you like. This rank is always present, and must—by necessity—be so. Similarity, if you were to compare the Tawhīd of all the people living at one time, the result would be that there must be one person whose degree surpasses all others in light, purity, gnosis, and realization of the Ultimate Reality. The possessor of this rank is called the Ghawth ('succor'), though you may call him whatever you like.
If we were to gather together all of those who reached this station of 'Ghawthiyya' until the Day of Resurrection and compare their spiritual levels, we would find one among them who attained a rank that surpasses all the rest. Allah has distinguished him with this unique rank from pre-eternity, and he is the one whom the saints have called Khātim al-Awliyā ('the Seal of the Saints'), because he has attained a level in the knowledge of Tawhīd higher than anyone else who reached the station of Ghawthiyya. He is thus called Ghawth al-Aghwāth ('succor of succors'), Barzakh al-Barazikh ('ithsmus of isthmuses'), and he has many other names as well, so call him whatever you like.
The gnostics have all agreed on believing a saint's explicit testimony concerning his own spiritual station, and that we should take their words in this regard at face value as long as there is not a reason to interpret them away from their literal meaning. They have also mentioned that the perfected saint (kāmil) cannot be recognized except by one who matches or surpasses his spiritual rank. Thus, the station of the one who attains the level of Ghawth cannot truly be known by anyone of his era except himself and those with whom he chooses to share this knowledge, whether this is an exoteric or esoteric disclosure.
Concerning the saints who claimed the rank of Khatmiyyah before Sidi Ahmad al-Tijani, may Allah be pleased with all of them, its attribution to them cannot be definitively established. Our master Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi (d. 1240 CE) claimed this rank for himself, then later retracted his claim and confirmed its reality for someone other than himself, leaving no room for further discussion of its attribution to him. The reason for such a declaration—i.e. a gnostic claiming a spiritual station which he has not himself attained—is that he perceives the radiating light of that station and becomes annihilated in it, such that he does not see himself except as the possessor of that station, and thus speaks with its tongue. In the same manner, the gnostic in an intense spiritual state may say 'I am Allah,' or 'I am the Prophet ﷺ,' and he is excused for these utterances while in such a state due to his spiritual bewilderment.
With regards to our master Muhammad Wafa (d. 1363 CE), his son claimed [the rank of Khatmiyya] for him. The claim of a rank by one person for another is not considered a proof unless it is made by one of similar or loftier rank, and this does not apply in the case of this unique station. As for Shaykh al-Mirghani (d. 1852 CE), it has only been transmitted from him that he ascribed to himself the rank of the 'Seal of the people of his era,' and this is not the station which has been discussed and attributed to him. Even if he did make such a claim, it is possible that he was annihilated in the rank of Khatmiyya, and thus spoke with its tongue. As for Sidi Ahmad Tijani (ra), he declared that it was the Messenger of God ﷺ himself who informed him that he was the unique possessor of this station, thus leaving no element of probability or doubt in the matter. When he made this claim, he was asked, 'Are you in a state of spiritual intoxication and annihilation, or of awareness and subsistence?' He replied, 'No, rather I am aware, and may Allah be praised.'
The Greatest Master (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi (ra), made reference to the Seal of the Saints in the Futuhāt al-Makiyya, saying: 'I met with him—the Muhammadan Seal after whom there is no seal—and I saw the sign that God Most High had hidden within him from the eyes of His servants. He revealed it to me in the city of Fez, such that I might perceive in him the seal of the Muhammadan Sainthood. And I saw that he would be tried with the denial of the people with regards to what he had realized of Divine Knowledge.' This meeting occured in the spiritual realm, and Allah knows best. Ibn Arabi specified the place of [the Seal's] concealment in his discourse in the Futuhat al-Makiyya on the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, 'A group of the people of the Maghreb (Morocco or North Africa) will continue to stand firm upon the truth until the Day of Resurrection.' Commenting on this, he said, 'God places him in the Maghreb because it is the place of secrets and concealment.'
The Shaykh and Knower of God Almighty, Sidi al-Mukhtar al-Kunti (d. 1811 CE), said in Kitab al-Tara'if that, 'The twelfth century of the Hijrah (from 1722-1822 CE) resembles the Prophet's ﷺ century in many respects. Among these is that in it is the Seal of the Saints, just as in his ﷺ century there was the Seal of the Prophets.'
These specific indications of his being in the twelfth century, in the land of the Maghreb, and in the city of Fez, did not come together in anyone [who claimed Khatmiyya] except Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani (1735-1815 CE), may Allah be pleased with him, and it is thus proven to apply to him rather than anyone else. May Allah provide us with his blessings in this world and in the hereafter, Amen."
— From Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafiz's book أصفى مناهل الصفاء في مشرب خاتم الأولياء وسيد الأصفياء ("Fountains of Unmatched Purity in the Drinking Place of the Seal of the Saints and Master of the Purified Ones").
Translated by: Nick Uwais Orzech
Please forgive any weakness in the translation.
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