A POEM IN PRAISE OF SIDNA SHAYKH AHMAD AL-TIJANI (RA)

- By Shaykh-al-Islam Ibrahim Niasse (RA)  -

ﻣَﻌَﺎﻧِﻲ ﺃَﺑِﻰ الْعَبَّاسِ ﺃَﻓْﻨَﻰ ﺍﻟْﻤَﻌَﺎﻧِﻴَﺎ

ﻭَ ﺃﻓْﻨَﻰ ﻣَﻌَﺎﻧِﻲ ﺷَﻮْﻗِﻪِ ﺫَﺍ ﺍﻟﻤُﻌَﺎﻧِﻴَﺎ

Ma‘ānī Abī-l ‘Abbāsi afnā-l ma‘āniyā

wa afnā ma‘ānī shawqihi dhā-l mu‘āniyā

The Meanings of Abul-Abbas have annihilated all other meanings!

And the yearning for him has annihilated this languishing one (in his love)!

أَبَى الشَّوْقُ إلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مُلاَزِمِي

وَ طَنَّبَ حَتَّى صِرْتُ سَكْرَانَ صَاحِيَا

Abā-sh shawqu illā an yakūna mulāzimī 

Wa ṭannaba ḥattā ṣirtu sakrāna ṣāḥiyā

For the yearning for him refuses to leave me…

Nay! It has entrenched itself (in me) & left me intoxicated in my full senses!

ﻭَ ﻗَﺪْ ﻏُﺼْﺖُ ﺑَﺤْﺮَ ﺍﻟْﻐَﻴْﺐِ ﻓِﻲ ﺑَﺤْﺮِ سِرِّﻩِ

ﻭَ ﻟَﻢْ ﺃَﻙُ ﻭَﺍﻥٍ ﻻَ ﻭَ ﻻَ ﻣُﺘَﻮَﺍﻧِﻴَﺎ

wa qad ghuṣtu baḥra-l ghaybi fī baḥri sirrihi 

wa lam aku wānin lā wa lā mutawāniyā

And I dived into the Sea of the Unseen…in the Ocean of his Secret

And (I swam therein)…and was neither weak nor lazy (in my swim)! 

حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ الْقُطْبَ أَحْمَدَ أَحْمَداً

وَ قَصْرَ وُجُودِ الْكَوْنِ شَيَّدَ بَانِيَا

ḥattā ra‘aytu-l Quṭba Aḥmada aḥmadān 

wa qaṣra wujūdi-l kawni shayyada bāniyā

Until I witnessed the Qutb Ahmad…as the most Praised One (of God)

And the foundation-layer of the edifice of this Existence!

ﺣَﻘِﻴﻘَﺔُ سِرِّ ﺍﻟْﻜَﻮْﻥِ ﺛَﺎﻧِﻲ مُكَوَّﻥٍ

ﻭَ ﺧَﺎﺗِﻤَﺔُ ﺍَلْأَﻓْﺮَﺍﺩِ ﻓَﺮْﺩﺍً ﻣُﺴَﺎﻣِِﻴَﺎ

ḥaqīqatu sirri-l kawni thānī mukawwanin

wa khātimatu-l Afrādi fardān musāmiyā

The Reality behind the Secret of Existence! The Second Creation from God…

And the towering Seal of the Unrivalled Saints (of God)!

تَنَوَّﺭْﺗُﻪُ ﻓِﻲ ﺣَﻀْﺮﺓٍ ﻗُﺪْسِيَّةٍ

ﻣُﺪِﻳﺮﺍً ﻟِﻜَﺎﺳَﺎﺕِ ﺍﻟْﻤَﻌَﺎﺭِﻑِ ﺳَﺎﻗِﻴَﺎ

tanawwartuhu fī ḥaḍratin qudsiyyatin 

mudīrān li-kāsāti-l ma‘ārifi sāqiyā

I saw him in the most illuminated Divine Presence…

Passing on & distributing the Glasses (of the Wine) of Ma’rifah !

ﻟَﻌَﻤْﺮِﻱَ ﻫَﺬَﺍ الشَّيْخُ ﻋﻴْﻦُ ﻭِﻻَﻳَﺔٍ

تَفَجَّرَ ﻣِﻦْ ﺑَﺤْﺮِ النُّبُوَّﺓِ ﺻَﺎﻓِﻴَﺎ

la-‘amriya hādhā-sh Shaykhu ‘aynu wilāyatin 

tafajjara min baḥri-n nubuwwati ṣāfiyā

I swear by my being! This Shaykh is the Fountain of Sainthood…

That sprang from the pure Ocean of Prophethood!

ﻭَ ثَمَّ ﻭَﺭَﺍﺀَ ﺍﻟْﻌَﻘْﻞِ ﻣَﺎ ﻟَﻮْ ﺫَﻛَﺮْﺗُﻪُ

ﻳُﺮِﻳﻖُ ﺩِﻣَﺎﺋِﻲ ﻣَﻦْ ﺃَﺧَﺎﻝُ ﻣُﻮَﺍﻟﻴَﺎ

wa thamma warā‘a-l ‘aqli mā law dhakartuhu 

yurīqu dimā’ī man akhālu muwāliyā

Thereafter is that which is beyond the pale of rational comprehension…

If I mention it, even those I consider close friends will spill my blood!

فَذَا الشَّيْخُ سِبْطُ الْمُصْطَفَى عَيْنُ مُصْطَفَىً

وَ وَارِثُ مَاحٍ كَانَ مِنْ قَبْلُ مَاحِيَا 

fadhā-sh Shaykhu sibṭu-l Muṣṭafā ‘aynu muṣṭafan 

wa wārithu Māḥin kāna min qablu Māḥiyā

Indeed this Shaykh is the grandson of the Mustafa (Chosen Prophet) & the Mustafa himself !

And the inheritor of the Mahy (Erasing Prophet) who had erased all that came before him!

عَلِمْتُ بِأَنَّ اللهَ أَوْلاَهُ خُطَّةً

تَذَبْذَبَ عَنْهَا الْعَارِفُونَ تَوَانِيَا

‘alimtu bi-anna Allāha awlāhu khuṭṭatan 

tadhab'dhaba ‘anhā-l ‘ārifūna tawāniyā

I know for sure that Allah has granted him a station…

which even the greatest Gnostics are hesitant & incapable of drawing to!

عَلِمْتُ بِأَنَّ اللهَ أَوْلاهُ خُطَّةً

تُسَكِّتُ شُعَّارًا تَفُوتُ الْمَعَانيَا

‘alimtu bi-anna Allāha awlāhu khuṭṭatan 

tusakkitu shu‘ārān tafūtu-l ma‘āniyā

And I know that Allah has granted him a station…

that silences all poems and surpasses all meanings!

ﻟَﻌَﻤْﺮِﻱ ﻭَحَقِّ الشَّيْخِ ﺗَﻜْﻔِﻲ إﺷَﺎﺭَﺓٌ

ﻓَﺄَﺳْﻜُﺖُ ﻋَﻦْ ﻫَﺬَﺍ ﻭَ ﻟَﺴْﺖُ ﻣُﻮَﺍﻧﻴَﺎ

La-‘amrī wa ḥaqqi-sh Shaykhi takfī ishāratun

Fa-askutu ‘an hādhā wa lastu muwāniyā

I swear by my life & the honor of the Shaykh, a subtle indication is sufficient here!

So I keep quiet about this; though I’m not incapable (of revealing it)!

صَلاَةٌ وَ تَسْلِيمٌ عَليْهِ بِقَدْرِهِ

مَدَى الدَّهْرِ مَا أَحْيَا الوَرَى وَ الْمَغَانيَا

ṣalātun wa taslīmun ‘alayhi bi-qadrihi 

madā-d dahri mā aḥyā-l warā wa-l maghāniyā

Salutations & Greetings upon him, in accordance with his rank!

Forever…as long as people live and gardens blossom!

*

Fully Transcribed & Translated by:

Imam Fakhruddin Owaisi al-Tijani