QUESTION As-salamu alaikum ya Sidi I am in a group where the ladies often sing praises to Shaykh Ibrahim (may Allah sanctify his secret) . What is actually sung, I do not know, as it is in wolof. However, it sounds like a nasheed. So the question is: Is it permissible to sing in praise of the awliya and is the described practise in accordance with Sacred Law? Fi amaniLlah ANSWER Wa Alaykum As-Salam wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuh ya Sidi al-Aziz, You have as asked a few questions. Firstly, know that this practice you described is not a command of the Tariqah or of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (RA), so you are not obliged to follow it. It is just a Senegalese cultural practice. African people, esp women, like to sing. What better to sing about than their guiding Shaykh. In fact, all nations sing about their heroes. The Prophet (SAW) allowed the girls of Medina to sing about their heroes (of Yawm Bu'ath), as in the Sahih books of Hadith.
Secondly, praising the Awliya-Allah is the Sunnah of Allah and His Prophet (SAW). In the holy Quran, Allah praised Awliya such as Maryam, Luqman, al-Khidr, Dhu'l-Qarnayn and Ashab al-Kahf (A.S.), and even Surahs are named after them. The Prophet (SAW) praised many of his Sahabah and even Tabi'in (like Owais al-Qarni), and they are Awliya. Furthermore, he (SAW) said: "Rahmah descends at the mention of the Pious." The third issue would be the women singing in front of men. This is discouraged, but not necessarily prohibited if its a group of properly-clad older women singing spiritual songs, in the presence of their mahrams. The Prophet (SAW) once allowed an old woman to beat the Duff in front of him and the Sahabah, in the famous incident. This should be enough. Was-Salam Servant of the Tijani Door Fakhruddin bin Ahmad al-Tijani
What are the conditions I must present to a person who wishes to take the Tijani Tariqah from me, since I have been made a Muqaddam now?
ANSWER:
As-Salam Alaykum Sidi,
In order to give Bay'ah in the honorable Tijani Path, you need to make the person understand and accept the uncompromisable Muhammadan conditions of the Tariqah Tijaniyyah. Then you can initiate him, with the Permission you have from a complete Tijani Shaykh.
The conditions are:
1. Keep up the Tijani Awrad till death
2. Keep up the 5 daily prayers (if possible in Jama'ah) and all obligations in Islamic
Shariah
3. Don’t take or practice any Dhikr from any non-Tijani Awliya, while respecting them
fully. You must leave all other previous Dhikrs you had as well.
4. Don’t visit any non-Tijani Wali, living or dead for spiritual help, but love them all
5. Obey parents completely
Do note that these conditions were prescribed by Sayyid al-Wujud (SAW) himself to Shaykhuna al-Qutb al-Maktum Sidi Ahmad al-Tijani (RA).
QUESTION Salam Alaikum Sheikh Sidi Fakhruddin I would like to solve some doubts. My first question is: when we do the Wazifah and inside it we do Jawharatul Kamal (apologize my writing) spreading out the white cloth so that the Prophet and other Khalifas come up to us, aren't we practicing, in a certain way, invocation to the dead? Like wise when we ask for help to Sheikh Ahmed Tijani through his madad by reciting Salatul Fatihi 100 times and exposing our problems so that he gives us the answer, aren't we doing the same thing and disobeying the ayat of the Koran who says: Only Him we adore and only from Him we ask help? It would like very much to get these answers since I have doubts in this respect. Jazakallahu Khayr. Ma Salam, ANSWER Wa Alaykum as-Salam dear brother, Firstly, the White Cloth is put to honor the Place of Zikr, as it might be dirty. As Sidi Shaykh Ahmad bin Muhammad al-Hafiz al-Tijani of Egypt said about it: هي رمز للطهارة “It is a Symbol of Purity” It is also put to honor the Angels that are present in the Place of Zikr, as confirmed in Hadith. However, the Wazifah is valid without it as well. The late 19th Century Moroccan Scholar of the Tariqah, Sidi Muhammad bin Abdus-Salam Gannoun (RA) mentioned in his amazing work Hall al-Aqfal li-Qurra Jawharat al-Kamal (which is a detailed explanation of the Jawharah) that Sayyidna Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq (RA) and Sayyidna Uthman bin Affan (RA) used to spread sheets in certain places especially for the Angels that might be present. Then Sidi Gannoun (RA) – who was also the Imam of the Fez Zawiyah - writes: إذا كان هذا في حضور الملائكة فكيف مع حضوره صلى الله عليه وسلم بل لو فرش الإنسان حينئذ جبينه أو قلبه أو مقلته لحق له ذلك “If this was the case with the Presence of the Angels, then what about the Presence of the Prophet (SAW)! Indeed, if a person spreads his forehead or eyes or heart (for the Prophet SAW), it would only be due (respect for him)” So understand the Way of the People of Adab! Secondly, There is no “invocation to the dead”. Please ponder on your words. Invocation means, “Praying” or ‘Summoning”. We do not pray to the Prophet (SAW) and the Khulafa or Summon them. Their presence in the Wazifah is by their choice and is a spiritual matter. There are times when the entire Wazifah is recited but the Prophet (SAW) may not be present himself because of the dirtiness of the place or the dirtiness of the hearts. Also ponder on your words, “Dead”. This is a secular materialistic way of speaking. In Islam it is Haram to call the Prophets and Saints “Dead”. You may say that they ‘died’, but you cannot say they are ‘Dead’. This is because Allah (SAW) clearly states in an Ayah of the Holy Qur’an: وَلَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا لِمَنْ یُّقْتَلُ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللہِ اَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ اَحْیَآءٌ “And do not call those who are killed in the way of Allah as DEAD. Nay, they are ALIVE”. Surah al-Baqarah (2): 154 And in another blessed Ayah: وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ قُتِلُوۡا فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللہِ اَمْوَاتًا بَلْ اَحْیَآءٌ “And do not think that those who are killed in the way of Allah as DEAD. Nay, they are ALIVE”. Surah Aal Imran (3):169 However, in the times we live in, people have become soo worldly and materialistic that they openly disobey and deny these Verses of the Qur’an. You see a bearded man standing next to the Blessed Tomb of the Prophet (SAW) telling the Visitors: ‘Why do you visit this dead man’. Astaghfir-Allah! Indeed such people are the real dead ones. As for the Prophets and Saints, they are perfectly Alive in the Spiritual World, in which the possibilities are endless. So be careful of your words my dear brother. Do not get influenced by those who don’t really believe in the Qur’an, although they think they do. As for reciting the 100 Salat al-Fatih then consulting with the Ruh of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA) for an answer to your problems. I ask you: Isn’t doing that permissible when the Shaykh was physically ‘alive’? Of course yes. Therefore, there is nothing wrong in doing it after he dies as well, because he is still alive. Also remember that it was always his Ruh (Spirit) that we spoke to, even when the Shaykh was physically alive. So the body and its death don’t matter to Spiritual people. Of course, such a spiritual consultation only works for those people who are spiritually alive and have a strong spiritual connection to our Shaykh (RA). One cannot advise an ordinary Muslim or non-Tijani to do it, as it is a special practice for special people only. And of course, whether we consult the Shaykh or anyone else, we are still only worshipping Allah and seeing His Help, as long as we know that nothing can happen without the Power and Permission of Allah. In the same Surat al-Fatihah, Allah has asked us to follow the Path of those whom He has blessed i.e. the Anbiya and Awliya. So, there is nothing wrong in consulting them. Was-Salam Servant of the Tijani Door, Fakhruddin bin Ahmad al-Tijani
Must women read Wazifah loudly or softly, and how must they dress when reading it? Can they wear night clothes?
ANSWER
Wa Alaykum As-Salam ya habibi,
1-Women must read softly when in the presence of men but may read loudly when alone.
An exception may be made if a women becomes ecstatic and loses herself in the Dhikr, but an exception remains an exception, not a rule.
This has been CLEARLY stated by Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (RA).
2- One should try to dress appropriately for the Sacred Wazifah in all circumstances. A woman must cover properly. Night clothes are not appropriate for men or women. Do wear something extra...e.g. a shawl and a skullcap.
Note that the Prophet (SAW) and the 4 Khalifahs are present during the Wazifah!!!
If one keeps this point in mind, then all other etiquette will be observed naturally.
Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) mentions in the beginning of the Ruh al-Adab that when we commence our Adhkar, we must display proper Adab outwardly and inwardly.
May Allah grant us all the Tawfiq for that.Amen.
Servant of the Tijani Door
Fakhruddin al-Tijani al-Ibrahimi
Thursday, 29 September 2016
SHAYKH
AHMAD TIJANI (RA) AND SAYYIDNA AL-HUSAYN (AS)
As-Salam Alaykum,
As we recall the tragic martyrdom of the Son of the Messenger of Allah
and his sweet offspring, Imam Husayn ibn Ali (RA), in the land of difficulty
and affliction [karb wa balā’] (Karbalā’) in the area of al-Tuff in Irāq, I forward you all the great book which refutes
the Nāsibīs (haters) who defend the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt:
الرد على المتعصب العنيد المانع من ذم يزيد - لابن الجوزي
It is well known that among the major principles of the TijānīṬarīqah is reverence for
the People of the Noble Prophetic Household (Ahl al-Bayt).
Our Shaykh, al-Khatm Sidi Ahmad al-Tijānī (RA) had extolled their rank. And he is also from them. He is a Ḥasanī Sharīf, whose lineage is
authentic, having been verified by the Chief of Existence and Noblest of
Ancestors, the Prophet (SAW), with his saying to him:
أنت ولدي حقاً
“You are truly my offpsring.” He (SAW)
repeated it thrice.
(As reported in Jawāhir al-Maʼānī)
In fact, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA)'s ancestor al-Hasan al-Muthanna (son
of Imam Hasan), was PRESENT in Karbala, as a small child in the ladies camp.
For this reason he (and his cousin Zayn-al-Abidin) were spared the murder by
the accursed army of Yazid.
Hasan the son of Hasan & Ali Zayn-al-Abidin the son of Husayn were
the only two male survivors of that massacre of the Ahl-al-Bayt. From them the
Prophetic Lineage continued.
Despite being a Sharif/Sayyid himself, it was the practice of our
Shaykh, al-Khatm al-Tījānī (RA), to stand up when welcoming any of the Noble Sharifs (Sayyids) and
kiss their hands, even if they were among his disciples!!!
(See Kashf al-Hijāb of Sīdī Ahmad Sukayrij)
Sh Fakhruddin on Karbala and Imam al-Husain alayhi
Our Shaykh, al-Khatm al-Tijāni (RA) also mentioned in the Jawāhir al-Maʼānī that whatever the
honourable Sahabah had found of Prophetic knowledge, had reached them through
the mediation of Imām ʼAlī al-Murtadā (RA). And that, from our Shaykh (RA), is verified by the well-known
Prophetic Hadīth:
أنا مدينة العلم و علي بابها
“I am the City of Knowledge and Alī is its gate.”
(Narrated by al-Hakim and Tirmidhi)
And he also mentioned that Sayyidah Fātimah al-Zahra (AS) was the only woman who had
attained the level of the Greatest Qutbāniyyah. And that is the greatest level after the
levels of Prophethood.
It is a level which a woman is not capable of bearing due to her
weakness and because of menstruation. However, Sayyidah Fāţimah (AS) had bore it
because she did not menstruate and because she is a Piece of the Prophet (SAW).
So, she is the first Qutb of this Ummah.
As for the the Greatest Martyr, the grandson of our Nabi, Sayyidna
al-Husayn (RA), our Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijānī (RA) had openly cursed his killer, the Tyrant of the Shām, Yazīd, with his saying:
يزيد بن معاوية ملعون لقوله تعالى: "إن الذين
يؤذون الله و رسوله لعنهم الله في الدنيا و الآخرة و أعد لهم عذاباً مهينا" و
لقوله عز و جل: "فهل عسيتم إن توليتم أن تفسدوا في الأرض وتقطعوا أرحامكم
أولئك الذين لعنهم الله و أعمى أبصارهم" و لا إذاية له صلى الله عليه وسلم
أعظم من قتل ولده و قطع رحمه
“Yazīd ibn Muʼāwiyah is cursed due to Allah's saying, Exalted is He:
{Indeed, those who abuse Allāh and His Messenger - Allāh has cursed them in
this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment}
[Surah al-Ahzab, 57]
and due to His saying, Great and Sublime is He:
{So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and
sever your [ties of] kinship. Those [who do so] are the ones that Allāh has cursed, so He
deafened them and blinded their vision} [Surah Muhammad, 22]
And there is no abuse of our Prophet, may Allāh bless him and give
him peace, greater than killing his offspring and cutting off his
lineage."
(Narrated by his close muqaddam, Sīdī al-Tayyib al-Sufyānī, in al-Ifādah al-Ahmadiyyah, Saying no 263)
In fact, our Grand-Master Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (RA) would not hear
Yazid's name in a sitting except that he would call loudly: "MAY ALLAH
CURSE HIM". And he would repeat it 3 times: لعنه الله لعنه الله لعنه الله
Also, our Shaykh al-Tijānī (RA), used to love the recitation of the blessed Qasidah Hamziyyah of
Imām al-Būsayrī. Among the couplets of this poem exalting the Ahl al-Bayt are are:
وبريحانتين طيبهما منك
الذي أودعتهما الزهراء
And the two sons whose perfumed scent is from you
Who the extremely Pure one had bore
كنت تؤويهما إليك كما
آوت من الخط نقطتيها الياء
You used to give them shelter in yourself just as
The Ya' gave shelter to the writing of its two dots
من شهيدين ليس ينسيني الطفّ
مصابيهما ولا كربلاء
Two martyrs, Neither al-Taff makes me forget
their affliction, nor Karbalā’
ما رعى فيهما ذمامك مرؤوس
وقد خان عهدك الرؤساء
The ruled did not take care of your rights with
regards to them...
and the rulers as well
betrayed your pact (to love them)
أبدلوا الود والحفيظة في القربى
وأبدت ضبابها النافقاء
They replaced the Love and Care (that was due) to
your relatives (with hate and harm)...and the fogs of Hypocrisy rose from its
people
وقست منهم قلوب على من
بكت الارض فقدهم والسماء
Hardened became their hearts towards those
For whose loss (Hasan & Husayn) the Earth and
Heaven had wept
فابكهم ما استطعت إنّ قليلاً
في عظيم من المصاب البكاء
So weep for them as much as as you are able, Surely
the very least (showing of emotion)
In the midst of such a great affliction is crying
كل يوم وكل أرض لكربي
منهم كربلا وعاشوراء
Every day and every land, due to my grief over them
is Karbalā’ and ʼĀshūrā’
آل بيت النبيّ إنّ فؤادي
ليس يسليه عنكم التأساء
O People of the House of the Prophet! All my own
griefs
cannot stop my heart from grieving for you
غير أني فوّضت أمري الى الله
وتفويضي الامور براء
But I have resigned my matter to Allāh
And my resignation of matters (to Him) is my
salvation
ربّ يوم بكربلاء مسيئ
خففت بعض وزره الزّوراء
That evil day in Karbala, perhaps some of its
misdeeds
were atoned in al-Zawra (Baghdad, whose Abbasid
Caliphs avenged the Ahl al-Bayt)
والأعادي كأن كلّ طريح
منهم الزّقّ حلّ عنه الوكاء
When the enemies (of the Ahl al-Bayt)
were laying around dead and mutilated
آل بيت النبيّ طبتم فطاب المدح
لي فيكم وطاب الرثاء
O People of the House of the Prophet, You are pure!
So my praises and eulogies for you are also pure
Our Shaykh, Sāhib al-Faydah al-Tijāniyyah al-hajj Ibrāhīm Niasse al-Kawlakhī (RA) made Ziyarah of both the graves of our Master al-Husayn (RA), in
Karbalā’ (where his noble body
is) and in Egypt (where his noble head is). About that visit he (RA) says in
Sayr al-Qalb:
بكربلاء زرت الحسين توسلاً
لوالده الأرضى من الله طالباً
In Karbalā I visited al-Husayn seeking a means
To his father (Ali), the pleased one, seeking (a
means to) Allāh
علي أبي السبطين ليث محمد
بصارمه الصمصام أنحي المصائبا
ʼAlī, the father of the two grandsons, the Lion of Muhammad
By whose sharp sword I ward off calamities!
And when Shaykh Ibrāhīm (RA) visited the Prophetic Relics which are stored in the Mosque of
our Master al-Husayn (RA) in Cairo, he asked those in charge to bring the
Relics closer to his breast, saying:
قربوه من قلبي لكي يتطهر
Bring them closer to my heart, so that it may be purified!!!
It was also the habit of Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse (RA) to give as a gift (Hadya) whatever he had of wealth to
whichever descendant of the Prophet (SAW) who visited him- even if his lineage
had not been verified - out of reverence for the Prophetic lineage.
1. Majmū’at ad-Dawāwīn (Collection of Eulogy Works) of Shaikh Ibrahim
Niasse’ (English translation) - Translated by Dr. Awwal
Baba Taofiq
2.Vessel of Spiritual Flood, Translation of Goran Faydah by Shaykh Balarabe
Haroon Jega (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
3.Shariah and Haqeeqah: In the Light of the Qur'an and the Prophetic
Traditions(Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
4.The Icon of Mystics: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kawlakhy (Translated by Dr.
Awwal Baba Taofiq)
5. Tahniat (Congratulatory Ode) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translation
& Transliteration of Majmuu' Qasaid al-Mawlid of Baye) - (Translated by
Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
6. Handbook for every Tijaniyyat (by Shaikh As-Sufi)
8. Risalat at-Tawbah (Epistle of Repentance) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niyass
al-Kawlakhi" - (Translation & Commentary by Dr. Razaq Solagberu)
9. Katsina and Kaduna Conferences (Jadhbul ahbab ila hadrat Rabbil arbab) and
Mecca Conference - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
10. Softcopy of Numerous Sufi Literature (Arabic & English) - (To be sent
via CD & email/googledrive)
12. Sayyida Fatimat Zahara (The Rose): The Beloved Daughter of the Holy Prophet
(SAW) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
13. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani and his Spiritual Path (Tariqat) - (by Sayyid Ahmad
Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
14.Special Prayers from Kanzul Masun- (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
15.Facts about Sufism by Ismaheel Abdulrauf
16. Who is Shaykh Jamiu Bulala (by Ustaz Olanipekun Shittu Tunde)
17. Mawlud lectures of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis
Grillo)
18. Practical Guide on the Wird(Litany) of the Tariqah Faydah Tijaniyyah (The
Adherent Handbook) - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
