Sufi_Path

LETTER #1 THE CLEAR LETTER

I pass by these walls, the walls of Layla And I kiss this wall and that wall It’s not Love of the houses that has taken my heart But of the One who dwells in those houses -Majnun

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").

Concerning the meaning of the "Seal of the Saints," from the writings of the spiritual master and preeminent Hadith scholar Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafiz al-Misri (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.

Imam Abu Hanifa (r) once went somewhere to perform a Janaazah Salaah. The day was blistering hot and there was no shade anywhere except beside a house nearby. Seeing the great Imam standing under direct sunlight, some people asked him, "Imam, why don't you stand in the shade?" He replied, "No. The person who owns that house has taken a loan from me, and I fear that if I benefit by standing in his shade, I'll be included amongst those who dealt in interest, because the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whatever is gained from a loan is interest.'" For this reason, the great Imam remained where he was. - Tazkiratul-Auliya

Ending biography of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani

“Make a ritual ablution before each prayer, beginning every action with "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful." First wash your hands, intending to pull them away from the affairs of this world. Then wash your mouth, remember and reciting God's name, purifying it in order to utter His Name. Wash your nose wishing to inhale the perfumes of the Divine. Wash your face feeling shame, and intending to wipe from it arrogance and hypocrisy. Wash your forearms trusting God to make you do what is good. Wet the top of your head feeling humility and wash your ears (in preparation) to hear the address of your Lord. Wash from your feet the dirt of the world so that you don't stain the sands of Paradise. Then thank and praise the Lord, and send prayers of peace and blessing upon our Master, who brought the canons of Islam and taught them to us. After you leave the place of your ablution without turning your back to it, perform two cycles of prayer out of hope and thankfulness for His making you clean. Next, stand in the place where you are going to make your prayers as if between the two hands of your Lord. Imagine, without forms and lines, that you are facing the Ka'bah, and that there is no one else on the face of this earth but you. Bring yourself to express your servanthood physically. Choose the verses you are going to recite, understanding their meanings within you. With the verses that start with "Say..." feel that you are talking to your Lord as He wishes you to do: let every word contain praise. Allow time between the sentences, contemplating what our Master, the Messenger of God, gave us, trying to keep it in your heart. Believing that your destiny is written on your forehead, place it humbly on the floor in prostration. When you finish and give salutations to your right and to your left, keep your eyes on yourself and your connection with your Lord, for you are saluting the One under whose power you are and who is within you...” ― Ibn Arabi

“Whoever does even an atom’s worth of good will see it. And whoever commits even an ounce of evil will see it. ́ ́ (Surah Zalzala, verse 7) The bill will be settled according to this principle. The day will come when you will be wrapped up on the funeral table and taken to the musalla (place where the ritual funeral prayer is performed). They will take you there and bury you. Don't be careless. Whatever your madhab, your mashrab, your path is, continue your dhikr. Do not stop practicing dhikr with your tongue while sitting or standing up. Be busy with dhikr. Seyh Seyyid Osman Mürteza Efendi Hazretleri

" I am no teacher To teach you how to love, For the fish need no teacher To teach them to swim. And birds need no teacher To teach them flight. Swim on your own. Fly on your own. Love comes with no textbooks And the greatest lovers in history were illiterate. " - Nizar Qabbani

“Knowledge of God, being cautious of his commands, holding tight to the Sunnah of the Prophetﷺ, constant cleanliness, contentment with God in all situations, being certain that all is with God and to not despair by what people do or have. To tolerate the harms of others, to take initiative to carry out God’s commands, to be gentle and humble towards people and knowing that your only enemy is Satan.” Shaykh Sayyid Ahmed al Badawi

Bismillah

“You must also rectify your soul as much as you are able. For life is short, the journey (of the spirit)is long, the burden (of sins) is heavy and the reckoning in front of Allah is severe. However, acting upon the command of Allah is the savior from all these affairs”. ~ Selected letters of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA)

"The Idea of "a woman's place is in the home" is wrong. The Prophet's school graduated female scholars, poets and women who fought for just causes" —Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah