A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Iyyashi as-Sukayrij’s ( q.s. ) Kashf al-Hijab ‘Amman Talaqa ma’a ash-Shaykh at-Tijani min al-Aswḥab ; and Shaykh ‘Umar ibn Sa’id al-Futi Thal’s ( r.a. ) Kitab ar-Rimah Hizb ar-Rahim .   Shaykh Abu Thalib Muhammad al-Ghali at-Tijani al-Hassani ( q.s. ) was one of the elite companions of Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani ( q.s. ).  According to Shaykh as-Sukayrij ( q.s. ), Shaykh al-Ghali ( q.s. ) was one of ten companions of Shaykh at-Tijani ( q.s. ) whom Allah ( s.w.t. ) Blessed with fath al-akbar , grand illumination, at the hand of the Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ).  Shaykh at-Tijani ( q.s. ) was very fond of Shaykh al-Ghali ( q.s. ), and it was him whom he called to pronounce the famous words, “These two feet of mine are on the shoulders of every saint of Allah.”  Shaykh at-Tijani ( q.s. ) also let it be known that it would be Shaykh al-Ghali ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Of taswawwuf , Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ) said, “As for its founder, he is the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), to whom Allah ( s.w.t. ) Made it known, by means of Revelation, and inspiration.  Jibril ( a.s. ) came down to him, firstly, with the shari’ah .  Then, once it had been established, he came down, a second time, with the haqiqah , so the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) used it to motivate some of his aswhab , rather than others.  Of those who spoke of taswawwuf , and demonstrated it in practice, the first was our master, ‘Ali ( k.w. ), and from him, all the Sufis have received it through their chain of transmission, which is celebrated in their books, with the exception of our master, our patron, our shaykh , and our means of access to our Lord, Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani al-Hasani ( q.s. ), whom Allah (s.w.t.) Blessed with receiving from the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), mushafahatan , without mediation of a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani ( q.s. ) said, “As for the misfortune in this world, it will surely happen for any human being committing sins unless he rejects this misfortune by giving alms to the poor, or through what he spends such as money for family relation, or by the fact of paying back debts for someone, or cancelling a debt which was due to him, if not, be sure that misfortune will happen to him.   Therefore, keep an obeying Allah ( s.w.t .).  If there is ever disobedience, and the servant is not screened from sin, one must repent quickly, and become obedient, as far as Allah ( s.w.t .) is Concerned, for if this has not been done quickly, one must know that the servant is losing his esteem near the True One in such a situation he lays himself open to Allah’s ( s.w.t .) Anger, unless he feels deep down in his very heart that, because of this sin he does need Allah’s ( s.w.t .) Mercy, and because of that, he is...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ) wrote, in Kashif al-Ilbas , “In Kitab al-Jami’ , “Shaykh Ahmad at-Tijani ( q.s. ) is recorded as saying, what he intended to set down in writing was the unity of the ‘arifin , for that is a clear distinguishing factor.  And Allah ( s.w.t. ) is the Best of Knowers.  This was in reference to the Prophet’s ( s.a.w. ) request for pen and paper on his deathbed.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani ( q.s. ) said, “I caution every person to whom Allah ( s.w.t. ) Grants a blessing never to make use of it in what is Prohibited by Him such as the purchase of wine, and committing fornication, to generate usury, or to take the power to harm Muslims, shedding their blood, confiscating their goods, and breaching their honor or even causing them the least damage.   One, who uses His Blessings in such a way, will be Deprived by Allah ( s.w.t. ), and Exposed to His Anger and Abomination.  If he does not realise the Deprivation of Allah ( s.w.t. ), this is a sign that he belongs to those who are under Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Wrath and Discontentment in this world and the hereafter.   As for the Blessed, he will realise Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Deprivation as consequence of his transgression; he will fear His imminent Punishment, and his heart is warned against Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is adapted from  “Offering Prayer on the Prophet ( s.a.w. )” , which is excerpted from  Ustadz Zakariya Zachary Wright ’s, “On the Path of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ): Shaykh Ahmad Tijani ( q.s. ) & the Thariqa’ Muhammadiyyah ”. Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani ( q.s. ) was particularly concerned with the explaining the benefits of offering prayer on the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), which he declared to be the best form of nafilah , supererogatory worship.   He explained further, “As for he who perseveres in the prayer on the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), even if he is attributed all the faults committed by all the inhabitants of the earth, while adding to them without end, from the Creation of the world until its ending, Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Forgive him these faults in the Ocean of His Forgiveness and Grace.”   Shaykh Ahmad at-Tijani’s ( q.s. ) emphasis on sending blessings on the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) is no...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ On the story behind the composition of Dala’il al-Khayrat , Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad asw-Swawi al-Maliki ( q.s. ) related that one day, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli ( q.s. ) went to perform his ablutions for the prescribed prayer from a nearby well but could not find any means to draw the water up.  While thus perplexed, he was seen by a young girl who called out from high above, “You are the one people praise so much, and you cannot even figure out how to get water out of a well?”  So, she came down and spat into the water, which welled up until it overflowed and spilled across the ground.   Imam al-Jazuli ( q.s. ) made his ablutions, and then turned to her and said, “I adjure you to tell me how you reached this rank.”   She said, “By saying the Blessings upon him whom beasts lovingly followed as he walked through the wilds.”  But she did not tell him the exact swalawat she recited then.   ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sufism, or taswawwuf as it is known in the Muslim world, is Islamic mysticism.   Shaykh al-Islam , Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ) said such in his book, Kashf al-Albas ‘an Faydhat al-Khatm Abi al-‘Abbas , “The Removal of the Cloak from the Spiritual Flow of the Seal of the Saints Abu al-‘Abbas”, about the reality of taswawwuf , its ten basic principles, and the source of the method of teaching the adzkar .   Shaykh Ibrahim Niyas ( q.s. ) said, “Let me say first of all: Success is achieved with the Help of Allah ( s.w.t. ), for He is the Guide by His Grace to the straight path.   Where taswawwuf is concerned, there are ten basic principles to be considered: its definition, its subject, its founder, its proper name, its corroboration, its legal status, its propositions, its excellent merit, its relationship with other sciences, and its fruit.   Shaykh asw-Swawi ( q.s. ) said, ‘It is necessary for ever...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following was originally mentioned by Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani ( q.s. ) in his Kunnash .  This is adapted from Kashif al-Ilbas of Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ), in the chapter, “Congregating for the Remembrance and Awakening the Desire for Reading the Qur’an.”   The Reward of reciting the Qur’an is allotted by degrees according to the ranks of Creation concerned.   The degree of the one who is Veiled is not the same as the one for whom the secrets of wilayat asw-swaghir , lesser sainthood, has been Opened.   The degree of this wali asw-swaghir , lesser saint, is not like that of the ‘arif , gnostic, who has attained the rank of swiddiqiyyah , the most truthful.   And the degree of this ‘arif is not like that of the quthb , the unique and comprehensive saintly pole.   The Reward for recitation at each of these degrees reaches a certain limit.  At every degr...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is adapted from the introduction by Shaykh Hasan ibn ‘Ali Sisi ( q.s. ), of Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi’s ( q.s. ) “Revival of the Sunnah ” .   It is recorded, in Swahih Muslim that Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq ( r.a. ) said, “One day we were sitting in the company of Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ), when there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothing; his hair was extraordinarily black.   There were no signs of travel on him and none of us knew him.”   He sat before Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ), his knees supported against the Prophet’s ( s.a.w. ), his palms placed on his thighs, and said, “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.”   Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ) said, “Islam is to testily that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and that you establish swalah , pay zakat , observe the fast of Ramadhan, and perform haj to the House if ...