The Known Tijani Caliph, Allama Shaykh, Sharif, Mawlana Abul Funun Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun al-Idrissi al-Hassani 

I swear and I am righteous in this swearing that time 

    has not produced any example of him. 

It is true and authentic statement without the fear of denial 

    that women have not given birth to any one like him.  

Blessings and Peace be upon his Grandfather, the Chosen, the Splendor of Allah Most High be upon the Best of Its Creation, the Foremost of Its Cosmocration and the Pinnacle of Its Emanation, He Who is the One Who stands as the eternal christophany of Adam, Mawlana Mohammed ibn Abdellah (peace and blessing be upon him). And Glory be upon his Grandmother, the celestial Radiant, the First Pole (Qutb) in Islam, the Houri and Mother of the Cosmos and the Womb of Contingency: She who is both the conjunction as well as the progenitor of the Twin Divine Lights and all creation. Blessed be Our Lady, Sayyida al-Batul, Fatima Zahra', al-Qurashiya al-Haashimiya, Umm al-Hassanayn, the Cosmocrator, the Logos-Self and Face of divinity, the Mother of Her Father, the origin and the return; then upon his Grandfather, the Lion of Allah and Gate to the City of All-Knowledge, Mawlana Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah glorify his face), on whom the Chosen  (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "We were, me and Ali, two lights before Allah and then He left us in the loin of Adam and kept moving us from loin to loin until we reached our grandfather Abd al-Muttalib. Then I moved to the loin of Abdellah and he moved to those of Abu Talib. Then, our light reunited in Al-Hassan and Al-Hussayn: they are in fact two lights of the light of the Lord of the worlds," and said, "Actually nine tenth of knowledge has been bestowed upon Ali and by God Ali shares the other one tenth of knowledge with all the people." Then, upon the Righteous House of Their Progeny and Excellence be infinite peace, blessings and glory - constantly, absolutely! The consummation of laudation within the Luminous Divine Radiance of Eternal Peace be upon the First Unity in every moment, before every moment and after every moment! And praised be Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds! 

Apparently, the blessed Gannuni genealogy is an Idrissid branch of the Mohammedian Presence (peace and blessing be upon him) named after Mawlana “Gannun” (Berber. “Shining Moon") - the direct grandson of Moulay Idriss of Fez. For the next generations, his descendents would establish themselves among the Arabs of Banu Massara in Bilad Ghumara while maintaining a reputation for holiness that was based almost exclusively on their Idrissid descent. Bilad Ghumara, where the ancestors of  Sidi Mohammed Radi grew up, was an historically fluctuating region. A great tribal confederation made up of numerous and shifting tribal segments, of which the most famous were Banu Massara, Banu Humayd, Aghsawa (Ghzawa), Mattfwa, Majkasa, Bani Hassan, Bani Zarwal, and Bani Nal, it was considered by Ibn Khaldun to be among the Masmuda tribes- who with the Sanhaja constitute the main Berber stock of Morocco. Ghumara covers a vast region which encompassed all of the western Rif mountains, including those areas now called al-Habt and Jbala, and extended in length along the Mediterranean coast from the Straits of Gibraltar to the now ruined city of Nakur (near modern day al-Hoceima). It reached south to the river Wargha on the edge of the territory of Fez. Bilad Ghumara was in most areas rugged highlands, full of isolated valleys, steep ridges, and sheer drops, with mountains rising to 2500 meters, and covered in parts with dense upland forests of the very isolation which made Bilad Ghumara so prone to religious dissent had also made it a safe haven for the Idrisids, one of Morocco's most revered and holy lineages. The Idrissid dynasty, founded in Morocco in 172/789 by Mawlana Idriss ibn 'Abdellah had ruled much of Morocco for over a century, but fell from power in the early 10th century as a result of incursions into the region by forces loyal to the Fatimid Caliph 'Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi. Not only did the Idrisids lose power, but they suffered grievously from the persecution of Musa Ibn al-'Afiya (d. 326/938), a nephew of the Fatimid Qaid Masala b. Habus al-Miknasi. Many of them, including the Gannunis, sought refuge with the tribes of Ghumara and at times were able to establish short-lived principalities there. After the fall in the 11th century of the Hammudids, descendants of 'Umar b. Idris II, there were no Idrisids in Bilad Ghumara with overt political authority, but they nevertheless remained a potential spiritual power, producing some of Morocco's greatest saints, including both al-Qutb Mawlana Abdessalam ibn Mashish (d. 625/1227-8) and Mawlana Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (may Allah be pleased with them). 

The Gannuni family would throw out olive-liked holy names and these in turn develop other twigs. According to Mumti'u‘ al-asma'a fi dhikr Jazouli wa at-Tabba'a wa ma lahuma mina al atba‘ (The Delight of the Hearing in the Recollection of Jazouli, at-Tabba'a, and Their Followers), a hagiographical monograph written two by Sidi Mohammed al-Mahdi al-Fasi (d. 1109/1694), Sidi Ahmed ibn Yusuf Gannun (d. after 933/1518) had already established a zawiya in the Beni Zarwal at the time of his master, al-Qutb Sidi Abdellaziz Tabba’a (d. 933/1518). Contemporary to Sidi al-Hadi b. Aissa (d. 933/1518 in Meknes) and Sidi Abdelkarim al-Fallah (d. 933/1518) , Sidi Ahmed ibn Yusuf permitted himself to initiate many notables including the Allama Sidi Abul Mahasin Yusuf al-Fasi (d. 1013/1598). Should a shrine be gifted with a medicine; one of the main concentrations of Sidi Ahmed ibn Yusuf is headache-healing. The much-celebrated Moulay al-Arabi Darqawi (d. 1239/1824) had achieved divine opening in the very own shrine of the Shaykh. 

One of the most eminent predecessors of the Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun moreover is the Imam of the Grand Tijani Zawiya of Fez, the venerated prolific author, one of the Qarawiyin university’s most prestigious scholars, Sidi Mohammed ibn Mohammed ibn Abdessalam Gannun (d. 1326/1911). The Imam, surnamed Abul Fath, was the pupil of the Clock and Patron Saint of Rabat, the Holy Qutb, Sidi Mohammed al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (may Allah be pleased with him), himself the student of three direct companions of Mawlana Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah sanctify his secrets), namely, Sidi Abdelwahhab b. 'Ahmar al-Fasi (d. 1269/1853), Sidi Mohammed b. Ahmed Akansus (d. 1294/1856) and al-Qutb Sidi al-Haj Ali b. Isa Tamasini (d. 1260/1845). The Qarawiyin had always been a magnet for Maghribi scholars, but it had been given an injection of a new vigour under the very Sidi Mohammed Gannun who wrote several books on Quranic commentary and Tradition. His reputation was that of a high-born and gifted man, of gentle manners, and remarkable for his scrupulous piety. Formal relations were also established him and the contemporary scholars of this blessed university. His teaching was preferred because it showed superior beauty, and the least exiguity in thought; it conveyed the largest number of indications in the fewest words, his expression were the most excessive, and it contained the largest number of proverbs. To him fell as well the duty of leading the prayers and orations at the Grand Tijani Zawiya. Side by side with the noted Muqaddams of Fez that grouped together in service of the Mohammedian Threshold, the Allama initiated golden names into this Ahmedi Tijaniya Path including Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed Zizi (d. 1345/1926), Sidi al-Arbi al-Mu'hib Alawi (d. 1351/1932), the Red Sulphur Sidi Ahmed b. Haj al-Iyyachi Skirej (d. 1363/1944), Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1370/1951), Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed al-'Hajuji al-Fasi (d. 1371/1952). The Allama passed away on the 28th of Ramadan, 1326 corresponding to the 23rd of October, 1908. He was buried next to the tomb of Sidi Ali Boughaleb al-Qurashi  (“Teacher of Abu Madyan al-Ghawt” d. 568/1153) inside Bab al-Futuh Quarter.  

The chains of  Moulay al-Hassan al-Kathiri (d. 1409/1988 in Bani Kathir, near Wazzan) are plenty. Two spiritual lineages could be mentioned for the sake of baraka: one involving his initial Shaykh Mawlay al-Hassan al-Badra from the town of Sidi Qacem, who had the Sharif Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Arabi al-Alawi Musawi Zarhouni al-Hassani (d. 1328/1910) as a master. The latter is the student of Abul Mawahib Sidi Mohammed al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (d. 1309/1894). Another of Mawlay al-Hassan al-Kathiri’s spiritual masters is Patron Saint of Marrakech al-Qutb Sidi al-Haj Mohammed ibn Abdelwahid al-Nadhifi (d. 1366/1947). 

While in Fez, the Allama has also taken from the various figures including:

(1) al-Allama Shaykh, Imam of the Grand Tijani Zawiya, Sharif Mawlay Idriss ibn Sidi Mohammed al-'Abid al-Iraqi al-Fasi al-Hussayni (d. 1430/2009) whose father before him had been an imam of the Grand Tijani Zawiya, and famous preacher at Fez. His chain to the Concealed Pole goes through al-Qutb Sidi Ahmed ibn al-‘Haj al-’Iyyachi Skirej al-Fasi, Sharif Sidi Ahmed b. Mohammed Abdellawi al-Idrissi al-Hassani (d. 1328/1913 in Fez), and Sharif al-Qutb Sidi Ali b. Aissa Tamasini al-Hassani (d. 1260/1845).

(2) al-Allama Shaykh Sidi al-Haj Mohammed Aqasbi al-Fasi (d. 1411/1991), whom Sidi Mohammed visited constantly during his travels to the Holy City. Faqih Aqasbi had al-Qutb Rabbani and al-Ghawt Samadani Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed al-'Hajuji al-Idrissi al-Hassani al-Fasi (d. 1370/1951) as a master. The Shaykh al-Allama Sidi Mohammed ibn Mohammed Gannun (d. 1326/1911) is credited for initiating al-Hajouji but it was the so-called “Sultans of Muqaddams,” Sharif Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Arabi al-Alawi al-Hassani (d. 1328/1910) - student of Abul Mawahib Sidi Mohammed al-Arabi ibn Sayeh, who had much influence on him. In addition to al-'Hajouji, Faqih Aqasbi was also the student of (a) Sidi al-Hassan b. Omar b. al-Haj Idrissi Mazzur al-Fasi (d. 1376/1961) –author of Shifa’ saqim bi-mawlid an-Nabi al-karim (Remedy of the Ill in the Birthday of the Merciful Messenger), and (b) al-Qutb Sidi al-Arbi al-Mu'hib al-Ismaili Alawi al-Fasi (d. 1351/1932). Both are of the latter are Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh's companions.

(3) al-Allama Sharif Sidi Mohammed La'amarti al-Idrissi al-Hassani (d. 1416/1995) whose relationship with Sidi Mohammed could be found in numerous letters and documented events. He was the student of Sidi al-Haj Mohammed Aqasbi al-Fasi (d. 1411/1991).

(4) al-Allama, al-Muqaddam al-Kabir Sidi Ibrahim Han (d. 1428/2007) who had left Mali in the 50s to settle with his family at Fez. He is the student of Shaykh Sidi Mahi, himself the servant of Shaykh al-Islam, Sha'hib al-Faydah, al-Qutb Rabbani, al-Ghawt Samadani, Sidi Ibrahim ibn al-Haj Abdellah Niass al-Fihri al-Kawlakhi  (d. 1390/1975) - the pupil of the Red Sulphur, al-Qutb Sidi Ahmed ibn al-‘Haj al-’Iyyachi Skirej al-Fasi (may Allah be pleased with him). The Allama Gannun established a strong relationship with Sidi Ibrahim who would visit him constantly in Rabat in a 20 years period. Sidi Ibrahim died on Friday the 1oth of Rabi’a al-Awwal, 1428/ 30th March, 2007 and was buried at Bab Aguisa, Fez. To his outpourings of sorrow, the Allama owed verses in which he vents the lamentation of this event.  

(5) al-Muqaddam al-Fadil Sidi Mohammed al-Barda'i (d. 1429/2008). He was one of the most honest Tijani adepts, jealous for Islam and Muslim and the Tijani path in particular. He died at his house at the Sa’ada district, Fez on Tuesday the 15th of Rabi’a Thani, 1429/ the 22th of April, 2008, after 25 years of friendship with the Allama. 

Apart from the above names, Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun took also from the imminent Mohammedian Axis, Sharif al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mamun Siba'i al-Idrissi al-Hassani (d. 1403/1983) of the Atlantic city of Asafi. He was first of all the pupil of al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1370/1951), and finally travelled to Ain Madhi, where he long lived, as the student of the grandchildren of Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him). Later he proceeded into Asafi, and while travelling towards the city from Fuguig, he toured Morocco. A legist, progenist, and jurist, the now 95 years old Sufi master foretold Sidi Mohammed Radi about what he was destined to, and gave him glad tidings that he would dive in the ocean of the Jawahir al-Maani and spoil the best of its arcane pearls. ''Preserve the book [i.e. Jawahir] so that saints after you would benefit from it” - The Messenger peace and blessing be upon him to Mawlana Shaykh Tijani. And thus he lived with him for a certain time. He promised him many gifts (karamat) on his journey. 

The Allama attained also mastery in the Tijaniya Path while studding under other teachers and confidants,

1.       Al-Allama al-Muqaddam Sharif  Sidi Mhammed al-'Hajouji son of al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed al-'Hajuji (d. 1370/1951 in Damnat). 

2.       Al-Allama Sharif Sidi Mohammed al-Amine son of Sidi Abdelmalik son of Sidi Mohammed al-Amine son of the Great Saint, Shaykh al-Kabir, Sidi Mohammed ibn Ahmed Akansus’ known pupil, Sidi Said Darariki Susi al-Abbasi (d. 1423/2002 in Agadir).

3.       Al-Wali Salih, al-Arif Billah, al-Muqaddam Shahir, Sidi al-Haj Abdellqadir ibn Sidi al-Mahjoub Shuaybi al-‘Abdi (d. 1397/1977). Originally from Sidi Qacem town, the Sharif seems to have been blessed with the company of the then 130 years old Sidi al-Haj Abdellqadir at the city of Asafi when he was about fifteen or sixteen years old. Initiated by al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1370/1951), the Shaykh was to reveal numerous concealed lights of secrets and secrets of lights.

4.       Al-Muqaddam al-Kabir, Sidi Ahmed A’arab (“known as al-Khalifa” d. 1429/2008 in Bani Warayin next to Zerhoun, Meknes), student of his father-in-law Sidi al-Haj al-Hassan ibn Abdurrahman Regragui, himself the pupil of al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1370/1951).

5.        Al-Muqaddam al-Malamati, the Miracle Worker, Sidi Ahmed al-Khukti of the village of al-Jadid near the city of Sidi Qacem. It seems no coincidence that the two men would meet often at the Zawiya of Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh.

6.       Al-Allama Sidi al-Basheer ibn Tuhami Afilal (d. 14141/1994 in Tetouan),

7.        Al-Muqaddam Jalil, al-Muqri’, the Imam of Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh’s Zawiya, Sharif Sidi al-Haj Mohammed ibn Hachim Alawi al-Hassani (d. 1411/1991). He attained mastery in Quran recitation while studding under the most renewed scholars of Rabat. After his Quranic recitation between the two Duhrs at the blessed zawiya, Sidi Mohammed ibn Hachim took the position of opening the Wadhifa after the Asr prayer. The Sharif died in 1411/1991 and was entered into the cemetery of Shuhada’ at Rabat.

8.       Al-Muqaddam al-Fadil, the Imam of Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh’s Zawiya, Sidi Abdellah Sharradi (d. 1411/1991 in Sidi Qacem).

9.       Al-Khalifa al-Kabir, al-‘Arif Billah, Abul Abbas Sidi Ahmed son of al-Allama al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1370/1951) whom enjoyed considerable reputation as a successor of his father. The two men met several times. In his travels to Marrakech especially in company of the grandchild of the Concealed Pole Mawlana Sharif Mawlay Taher Tijani, where, when the scholar took Sidi Mohammed Radi by the hand before the tomb of his father, until they reached the house of the latter right next to the zawiya. There, he would dedicate to him a number of eccentric arcane secrets, a subject on which the Sharif, must have been very imperfectly informed. 

10.     Al-Muqaddam al-Kabir, al-Allama Sidi Abdelwahid Ben Abdellah (d. 1411/1991), from the celebrities of the order in Rabat, who had frequented a number of direct disciples of al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1370/1951). The shaykh was distinguished by his composure, his beauty, and his righteousness. Sidi Mohammed Radi met the saintly scholar often between the two Ichas at the Zawiya of Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh. The Sharif was present at the funeral of the Shaykh at the 14 of Ramadan, 1411/31th of Mars, 1991 who was buried at the cemetery of La’alou opposite the Zawiya of Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (may Allah be pleased with him).

11.      Al-Muqaddam al-Akbar, al-Allama al-Ashhar, Sidi Tuhami Drikbri who was based in Sale next to Zawiya of the Shadhili Master Sidi Abdellah ibn Hassoun Kahlidi (d. 1013/1598 – student of Sidi Abdellah al-Ghazwani). The scholar initiated Sidi Mohammed Radi abundant arcane pearls and informed him several accounts of Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh’s companions such as Sidi Ahmed b. Qacem Jassus (d. 1331/1912), Sidi Abdellqadir Lepress (d. 1332/1913), Sidi Mohammed b. Yahya Balamino (d. 1333/1914), Sidi Tayyeb b. Ahmed ‘Awwad (d. 1336/1917), Sidi Abdelkarim b. al-Arbi Bannis (d. 1350/1935), shaykh al-jama’a Sidi Mohammed b. Moussa Hamdawi (d. 1328/1908), Sidi Abdellah Tadili (d. 1336/1921), Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Hassani, to mention very few of the contemporary figures he encountered and took from.

12.     Al-Muqaddam al-Kabir, one of the Anchors of the Earth at his time, the Great Saint, the Baraka of Rabat, Shaykh Sidi al-Haj Mohammed ibn Mustapha ibn Ismail al-Maaroufi (d. 1428/2007).  The latter was one of the most distinguished Muqaddams at the Zawiya of Sidi Mohammed al-Arabi ibn Sayeh and one of the dearest confidants and friends of Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun for 30 years. He was a grand malamati and a holy man who deliberately concealed his spiritual achievements. He was buried at the cemetery of Shuhada’ on the 29th of Dhul Qiada, 1428/10th of December, 2007.

13.    Al-Muqaddam al-Allama, the prolific author, one of the noted Tijani caliphs at the Hijaz, Sharif Sidi Mustafa al-Alawi Sannari al-Madani (d. 1427/2007 in Medina Munawwarah). Shaykh Sannari made it a rule, when he visited Fez and Rabat to encounter Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun.

14.  The venerated Muqaddam of the Zawiya of Yacoub al-Mansur District, Rabat, Sidi Ibrahim Za’afarani (“known as Boughroum”; 1411/1990). Known for generosity, modesty, tranquillity, and high courtesy, the Shaykh used to call him, “Servant of the Sharifian Threshold” (Khadim al-A’atab Sharifa). The Allama visited him twice or more during his death illness during which he showered him with many prayers. Shaykh Sidi Ibrahim died on the 7th of Rabi’a al-Awwal, 1411/ 27th of September, 1990 and was buried at the cemetery of La’alou. 

1. Al-Muqaddam al-Kabir, al-Wali Salih, al-Malamati Rabi'h, the prolific author, Dr. Abu Abdellah Sidi Ahmed ibn Sidi Abdellah ibn Sidi Mohammed Skirej al-Fasi. Born in Fez, he was initiated to the Ahmediya Tijaniya Path in 1401/1981 at the hands of his uncle al-Muqaddam al-Allama Shaykh  Sidi Abdurrahman Skirej who had his brother al-Qutb Sidi Ahmed ibn al-Haj al-Iyyachi Skirej as a master. A year later his uncle authorized him to initiate this Mohammedian Wird to all the Muslims that ask for it.

2. Al-Allama Shahir, al-Muqaddam al-Kabir, the prolific author, the venerated master, one of order’s most honoured leaders, Shaykh Sidi Omar Masoud of the Sudan. The Allama drops by Morocco regularly, a position which gives him several opportunities of revisiting Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun. Sharif Gannun speaks very highly of Sidi Omar Masoud and informs that he is one of the most distinguished contemporary figures of the Tijani Path that victory of the order is won at his hands as Islam won at the hands of Sidna Omar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). Sidi Omar had Shaykh al-Azhar, Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh al-Misri (d. 1398/1983) as a main master. The latter was himself a student of al-Qutb Sidi Ahmed Skirej. 

3. Al-Khalifa al-Akbar, al-Allama Ashhar, Imam of the Knowers of God, an Ocean of Knowledge which would never be exhausted, the Keeper of the Secrets of Realities and the Realities of the Secrets, Shaykh Sidi al-Hassan ibn Ali Cisse (d. 1429/2008), son of Sayyida Fatima Zahra – daughter of Shaykh al-Islam, Sha'hib al-Faydah, al-Qutb Sidi Ibrahim Niass (d. 1390/1975), student of al-Qutb Sidi Ahmed Skirej. Imam Sidi Hassan was entirely devoted to the Prophet's family, whose sport it was to come upon Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun whenever he arrives to Rabat. Such is the beautiful nature of his brother, the contemporary imam of Kawlakh, al-Allama Shaykh Sidi Tijani ibn Ali Cisse (may Allah be pleased with him). Sidi Hassan ibn Ali died on Wednesday the 11th of Sha’aban 1429/13th August 2008 at Kawlakh, Senegal. He and Sharif Gannun kept up a correspondence when they were apart, and when they met they spent their time in Tijani discussions and amusing talk. They have met few days before Sidi Hassan’s death at Hassan Hotel in Rabat. Again, they talked for long and exchanged unprecedented warm firewall. Sidi Hassan informed al-Allama that this could be the last time he visited Morocco since the last trip of his grandfather Sidi Ibrahim Niass to the kingdom, he stayed at the very room 114 - which corresponds to the overall number of the chapters of the Holy Quran, the very room he was staying at, where numerous Tijani shaykhs made some stay as well. 

4. Al-Allama Shahir, al-Muqaddam al-Kabir, Sharif Sidi Ibrahim Salih al-Hussayni of Nigeria, student of Shaykh al-Islam, Sha'hib al-Faydah, al-Qutb Sidi Ibrahim Niass (d. 1390/1975) - student of al-Qutb Sidi Ahmed Skirej. On numerous occasions they have met in Morocco. A strong love and affection exist between the two blessed sharifs. 

يقول القاضي العلامة الجليل، المشارك النزيه النبيه الحفيل، سيدي أحمد بن سيدي الحاج العياشي سكيرج الأنصاري الخزرجي رضي الله عنه: و كل من أدرك الإحتلام من ذرية هذا الإمام ، يمنح من رب الأنام أسمى مرتبة و أسنى مقام بالإستفاضة من الحضرة المصطفوية من طريق الإجتبائية و الإصطفائية من غير علة و لا سبب في ذلك ، بل بمحض الوهب من الرب المالك . و يفاض على كل واحد منهم من حضرة رب العباد ، ما تكون فيوضات رؤوس الأفراد بالنسبة إليه كنسبة الخردلة مما يفاض على سائر العوالم من الإمداد و مما ضمنه لهم جدهم سيد الإرسال الغنى التام الذي لا يخشى معه الفقر بحال . و من كراماتهم و مزاياهم الغزار ، أن كل من كان في خدمتهم يكتب له ثواب تسبيح البحار و ما فيها من الحيتان و الدواب ، و كذلك ثواب تسبيح الأشجار ، و يوم القيامة يدخل الجنة من أي باب شاء “ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ “.

Thus the unique position of the shaykhs of Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun (may Allah be pleased with him) brings to mind the two most comprehensive types of authority in the Divine Hierarchy: the “Qutb” and the “Mafatih al-Kunuz”. According to Sufi tradition, the invisible hierarchy of sainthood and authority consists of the 40 "abdal" (substitutes; for when any of them dies another is elected by God from the rank and file of the saints), seven "awtad" (stakes, or props, of faith), three "nuqaba'" (leader; one who introduces people to his master), headed by the "Qutb" (axis, pole) along with "mafatih al-kunuz" (keys of the treasures), or "afrad” (supreme ones) that may exist. The Qutb, sometimes used as a synonym for the "Ghawt" (Nurturer), "al-Qutb al-Jami'a" (the Gathering Pole), or "Qutb al-Aqtab" (Pole of Poles), represents the generative authority of the saint. The Holy Khalifa Sidi Abul Hassan Ali Harazem Berrada al-Fasi (may Allah be pleased with him) reports in "Jawahir al-Maani wa-Bulugh al-Amani fi Fayd Shaykh Sidi Abil Abbas at-Tijani” (Gems of Indications and Attainment of Aspirations in the Overflowings of Sidi Abil Abbas Tijani) that Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) that our Master, Sidi Ahmed Tijani (may Allah sanctify his secrets) said,

"Allah has said: `Surely the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the one of you who is most truly devout' (Quran 49:13). And in the whole of Allah's creation, absolutely and without exception there is no one among humankind and the angels after the Prophets, who could possibly attain to as much as one thousandth part of the true devotion of the “Pole of Poles”, however much he might achieve. He is the most excellent of all the Muslims in every era, apart from any “Keys of the Treasures” that may exist, for he is superior to them in some respects, and they are superior to him in some respects." 

Everything is outside of Almighty Allah is unreal, everything taken individually
or collectively, when you truly know it.
Know: without Him the whole creation, including you, would
Disappear, and come to naught.
Whatever does not have it roots in His Being, can in no wise be real.
The Knowers of Almighty Allah are as if extinguished. What else can they look upon,
but Him, the Transcendent, the Glorious?
Everything you see outside of Him, has truly being destined for
destruction, the past, in the future, and in the present moment.

Sidi Mohammed Wafa' al-Idrissi (d. 765/1852) said in “Nafais Al-‘Irfan”, “The heart of the pole is the Greatest Name of Allah; and His face is His most noble Essence, by which is established creation and (divine) Command, and it (the heart of the pole) is the axis of the secret and notoriety. And all of the hearts of humanity are between two of His fingers, like one heart. They are His speaking tongues and His truthful words and His rending and repairing pens.”  The Shaykh Sidi Abul Hassan Shadhili (d. 656/1241) said that the “Qutb” or the Perfect Man is described by fifteen signs. These include the fact that he should be characterized by infallibility, mercy and succession, he should strengthen the Carriers of the Throne, and the truth of humility should be revealed to him. He should also be familiar with all the Divine Attributes. Then he explains the foregoing according to what is held by those who believe that other than the Prophet can also be infallible, and that those who confine infallibility to only certain people and deny it to others have strayed from the way. Shaykh Sidi Abdellaziz Debbagh (d. 1132/1717) said, as related by Sidi Ali ibn al-Mubarak al-Lamti in “Kitab al-Ibriz” (“The Pure Gold”) that it is a characteristic of the rank of the  “Qutb” to see the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) while awake, at all times. Sidi Abul Abbas al-Mursi said: "Were the Prophet to be veiled from me for but the blink of an eye, I would not count myself among the Muslim." Imam  Sidi Mohmmed b. Sulayman al-Jazouli  (d. 869/1454) said: "Oh assembly of Muslims! Do you know that the Chosen One (peace and blessing be upon him) is near to me (qaribun minni) and that his authority (hukmuhu) is in my hands? He who follows me is his follower, but he who does not follow me will never be his follower. I have heard [the Prophet] say (peace and blessing be upon him): 'You are the Mahdi! He who desires to be saved (man arada an yus'ada) must come to you!'" Shaykh Sidi Mohyiddin ibn Arabi in ‘The Bezel of Adam’ holds that caliphate is confined to the "Perfect Man" (al-Insan al-Kamil), and states “Succession (khilafa) cannot be true except for the Perfect Man.” Of course, it must be noted that from the viewpoint of the mystics, the ‘Qutb’ (the Pole) in the world of existence is like the spirit in the body, and ‘Hadi’ and Mahdi bear the same meaning of the ‘Qutb’. He also write in the Futuhat: "The name of the Qutb during every timeframe is Abdullah, and Abdul-Jami'. Al-Qutb is described as having acquired all the names of the Lord."

The noted Shaykh Sidi Abdelkarim al-Jili (d. 804/1402) said in the book of "al-Insan Kamil”,

“The Perfect Man is the Qutb on which the spheres of existence revolve from first to last, and since things came into being he is one (wahid) for ever and ever. He has various guises and appears in diverse bodily tabernacles: in respect of some of these his name is given to him, while in respect of others it is not given to him. His own original name is Mohammed, his name of honour Abul Qasim, his description Abdellah, and his title Shams ad-Din. In every age he bears a name suitable to his guise (libas) in that age. I once met him in the form of my Shaykh, Sharaf ad-Din Ismail al-Jabarti, but I did not know that he (the Shaykh) was the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), although I knew that he (the Prophet) was the Shaykh. This was one of the visions in which I beheld him at Zabid in 796/1393. The real meaning of this matter is that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has the power of assuming every form. When the adept sees him in the form of Mohammed which he wore during his life, he names him by that name, but when he sees him in another form and knows him to be Mohammed, he names him by the name of the form in which he appears. The name Mohammed is not applied except to the Reality of Mohammed (al-Haqiqa al-Mohammediya).

Thus, when he appeared in the form of Shibli, Shibli said to his disciple, "Bear witness that I am the Apostle of God"; and the disciple, being one of the illuminated, recognized the Prophet and said, "I bear witness that you are the Apostle of God." No objection can be taken to this: it is like what happens when a dreamer sees some one in the form of another; but there is a difference between dreaming and mystical revelation, viz., that the name of the form in which Mohammed appears to the dreamer is not bestowed in hours of waking upon the al-Haqiqa al-Mohammediya, because interpretation is applicable to the World of Similitudes: accordingly, when the dreamer wakes he interprets the Haqiqa of Mohammed as being the Haqiqa of the dream-form. In mystical revelation it is otherwise, for if you perceive mystically that the Haqiqa of Mohammed is displayed in any human form, you must bestow upon the Haqiqa of Mohammed the name of that form and regard its owner with no less reverence than you would show to our Lord Mohammed, and after having seen him therein you may not behave towards it in the same manner as before. Do not imagine that my words contain any tincture of the doctrine of metempsychosis. God forbid! I mean that the Prophet is able to assume whatever form he wishes, and the Sunna declares that in every age he assumes the form of the most perfect men, in order to exalt their dignity and correct their deviation (from the truth): they are his vicegerents outwardly, and he is their spiritual Reality inwardly.

The Perfect Man in himself stands over against all the individualisations of existence. With his spirituality he stands over against the higher individualisations, with his corporeality over against the lower. His heart stands over against the Throne of God (al-‘Arsh), his mind over against the Pen (al-Qalam), his soul over against the Guarded Tablet (al-Lawhu al-Mahfudh), his nature over against the elements, his capability (of receiving forms) over against matter.… He stands over against the angels with his good thoughts, over against the genies and devils with the doubts which beset him, over against the beasts with his animality… To every type of existence he furnishes from himself an anti-type. We have already explained that every one of the Cherubim is created from an analogous faculty of the Perfect Man. It only remains to speak of his correspondence with the Divine names and attributes. You must know that the Perfect Man is a copy (nuskha) of God, according to the saying of the Prophet, "God created Adam in the image of the Merciful," and in another Hadith, "God created Adam in His own image." That is so, because God is Living, Knowing, Mighty, Willing, Hearing, Seeing, and Speaking, and Man too is all these. Then he confronts the Divine Huwiyya with his Huwiyya, the Divine Aniyya with his Aniyya, and the Divine Dhat (essence) with his Dhat —he is the whole against the whole, the universal against the universal, the particular against the particular… 

Further, you must know that the Essential names and the Divine attributes belong to the Perfect Man by fundamental and sovereign right in virtue of a necessity inherent in his essence, for it is he whose "truth" (Haqiqa) is signified by those expressions and whose spirituality (Latifa) is indicated by those symbols: they have no subject in existence (whereto they should be attached) except the Perfect Man. As a mirror in which a person sees the form of himself and cannot see it without the mirror, such is the relation of God to the Perfect Man, who cannot possibly see his own form but in the mirror of the name Allah; and he is also a mirror to God, for God laid upon Himself the necessity that His names and attributes should not be seen save in the Perfect Man. This obligation to display the Divine attributes is the "trust" (Amana) which God offered to the heavens and the earth: they were afraid to accept it, "but Man accepted it; verily he is unjust and ignorant" (Quran 33:72), i.e., unjust to his own soul in letting it suffer degradation (from the things of this world) and ignorant of his real worth, because he is unaware of that with which he has been entrusted… Beyond the plane of the Names and Attributes, which are ranged on the right and left of him according to their kind, the Perfect Man feels through his whole being " a pervasive delight, which is named the delight of the Godhead" (al-Ladhat al-Ilahiya)… Here he is independent of his modes, i.e., the Names and Attributes, and regards them not at all. He knows nothing in existence save his own nature (Huwiyya), contemplates the emanation (al-‘Hudur) from himself of all that exists, and beholds the Many in his essence, even as ordinary men are conscious of their own thoughts and qualities; but the Perfect Man is able to keep every thought, great or small, far from himself: his power over things does not proceed from any secondary cause but is exercised freely, like other men's power of speaking, eating, and drinking.”

Granted, Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) had been promised that his companions would inherit the Qutbaniya al-Udhma till the descent of the Absolute Seal: Prophet Sidna Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him). Sidi Ahmed Skirej (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “At times the term khatm figures the ‘Seal of Prophetic Inheritance’ (khatm al-wiratha al-nabawiya). After this khatm appear no saints with power of governance (Awliya’-u tasreef). This seal will be the just Imam, the Awaited Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar). Sainthood wont cease to exist after him, for it is the Absolute Seal, the one after which there will be no saints at all is Prophet Jesus (peace and blessings be upon our prophet and him)." Thus the Pole of Poles would always be found in the midst of this Mohammediya Path. Amid the known companions that sat on the throne of the Divine Kingdom are Sharif Sidi al-Haj Ali Tamasini al-Hassani (d. 1260/1845), Sharif Sidi Mohammed ibn Abi al-Nasr al-Alawi al-Hassani (d. 1273/1858), Sidi al-Haj Omar b. Said al-Futi (d. 1279/1864), Sharif Sidi Mohammed ibn Ahmed Akansus al-Jaafari (d. 1294/1879), Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (d. 1309/1894), Sharif Sidi al-Haj al-Ahsan ibn Ahmed al-Ifrani al-Hassani (d. 1328/ 1913), Sharif Moulay al-Arabi al-Mu’hibb al-Alawi al-Hassani (d. (d. 1351/1932), Sidi Ahmed Skirej al-Fasi (d. 1363/1944), Sidi al-Haj Mohammed ibn Abdelwahid al-Nadhifi (d. 1370/1947), Sharif Sidi al-Haj al-Ahsan al-Baaqili al-Hassani (d. 1368/1953), al-Qutb Sidi Ibrahim Niass (d. 1390/1975), Sidi Mohammed Siba'i al-Idrissi al-Hassani (d. 1403/1983), and Sharif Moulay al-Hassan al-Kathiri al-Idrissi al-Hassani (d. 1409/1988). Praise be to God. "A group of my community will remain on truth in the Maghreb until Allah commands" (Narrated by Muslim).

The Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun (may Allah be pleased with him) remained as a servant at the door of his main teachers for many years, during which he pursued his eccentric studies in Morocco and beyond. In his travels in search and proliferation of cognition and knowledge, he journeyed from Rabat to points as far as Nigeria and Egypt. After he obtained his Masters in Islamic Studies from the prestigious Rabat-based of Dar al-Hadith al-Hassaniya - Dissertation title: “The Abrogating and the Abrogated in Light of the Glorious Quran”), he first travelled to Senegal in the final years of its glory under Sahib al-Faydah, Shaykh al-Islam, Sidi Ibrahim Niass, then to Mauritania. There he was awarded the Doctoral Degree of Philosophy with distinction in literature from the Nabighiya’ Institute of Islamic Studies on March 2003. Title of PhD dissertation: “The Anthropologist Address of Ibn Khaldun. After travelling to Egypt and staying for few months in Cairo, he journeyed to the Sudan, where his most intimate confidant: the Blessed Faqih and Grand Muqaddam Sidi Omar Masoud (“Dean of al-Khartoum University”). As a cultured traveler man, the Allama has also explored the Hijaz and much of African states such as Cameron, Nigeria, Mali, and Ivory Coast. 

The Allama is one of the most productive authors of the Mohammediya Ahmediya Tijaniya Path. Largely because of his role as a custodian of the private library of Mawlana Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Skirej (may Allah be pleased with him), the Allama is one of the most influential Tijani authors of the formative period. He wrote at least 100 works, ranging from minor treatises to the huge volumes. As an accomplished legal scholar and well-versed in the sciences of hadith and Arabic literature, his emphasis, as with any Tijani mystic, lay on the Mohammedian Presence (peace and blessing be upon him), Tijani doctrine, and hagiography literature. His love and fondness and attachment and affection and extinction and longing in “Kitab Jawahir al-Maani wa-Bulugh al-Amani fi Fayd Shaykh Sidi Abil Abbas at-Tijani” (Gems of Indications and Attainment of Aspirations in the Overflowings of Shaykh Sidi Abil Abbas Tijani) drove him to devote seven long years in the comparative study and examination of the blessed book, letter by letter, word by word, based on eleven extant versions of the treatise attributed to al-Khalifa al-Mu’addam, Abul Hassan Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem, al-Allama Sidi Ahmed Skirej, al-Allama Sidi Mahmud Tamasini, al-Allama Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh, al-Allama Sidi Mohammed Akansus, al-Allama Sidi Mohammed ibn Yahya Balamino, al-Allama Sidi Ahmed ibn Qacem Jassus, al-Allama Sidi Mohammed ibn Qacem Basri al-Miknasi, and al-Allama Sidi Mohammed ibn Abderrahman Mghara Titwani.  The “Gannuni” new version of the Jawahir is forthcoming due January 2010. The Allama is also responsible for the Millennium Multilingual Jawahir Translation Project.  

The Jawahir al-Maani work, along with “Kitab al-Jami’a li ma Iftaraqa min Durar al-'Uulum al-Faidah min Bihar al-Qutb al-Maktum” (The Absolute in What Has Separated from the Pearls of Sciences in the Seas of the Concealed Pole) by al-Allama al-Kabir Shaykh Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mishri Siba’i al-Hassani (d. 1224/1809), is a required text for Tijani Companions. Thus the Allama’s study of the book was favorably received as it recognizes the doctrine of the last twelve years Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) had taught in Fez. Although some detailed information on the characters (manaqib) and narratives (shamail) of Mawlana Shaykh Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) is missing from these sources, its preparatory stages including the miracles and medicines and teachings with figure prominently in the Allama’s treatises, “Al-Muqaddima” (a 160 pages introduction of the Jawahir), “Tamam al-Amani bi-Ba’ad Manaqib wa Akhbar Shaykh Tijani” (Excellence of Aspirations in some of the Narratives and Reports of Shaykh Tijani), and “Wathaiq al-Qutb Rabbani Shaykh Sidi Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tijani” (Documents of the Divine Axis Shaykh Sidi Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tijani). Another interesting study concerns Ibn Mishri’s 65 pages volume, “Nusrat Shurafa’ fi Rad ‘ala Ahl al-Jafa’” (Victory of the Prophetic Household in Response to People of Estrangement.” As for the book itself, the recognition of the preeminence of the Household of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in the wide context of Arabia ensured that they would remain the very imams of Muslims until doomsday.

Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun also wrote discrete state-of-art dissertations on the legacy of the Mohammedian Poles: Sidi Mohammed Akansus and Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh which is called, “Rasail Ma’alamat Ma’alim Sus Abi Abdellah Sidi Mohammed Akansous” (Epistles of the University of Universities of Sous: Abi Abdellah Sidi Mohammed Akansus), and “Khulasat al-Misk al-Fa’ih bi-dhikr Ba’ad Manaqib Sidi Mohammed al-Arbi b. Sayeh” (The Musky Breeze in the Recollection of some of the Narratives of Sidi Mohammed al-Arabi ibn Sayeh) respectively. Other works to provide information on the ramifications of al-Qutb Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (may Allah be pleased with him) is found in ten distinct publications especially reserved for the contributions of Sharif Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Arabi al-Alawi Musawi Zarhouni al-Hassani (d. 1328/1910), Sidi Ahmed ibn Musa al-Hasnawi (d. 1328/1910), Sidi Ahmed b. Qacem Jassus al-Fasi (d. 1331/1912), Sidi Abdellqadir Lepress (d. 1332/1913), Sidi Mohammed b. Yahya Balamino (d. 1333/1914), Sidi Tayyeb b. Ahmed ‘Awwad Salawi (d. 1336/1917), Sidi Abdelkarim b. al-Arbi Bannis al-Fasi (d. 1350/1935). The Allama has also been accredited with the authorship of a number of chronicles, generally short in length. His recent book entitled “Tijani Female Companions” exemplifies. It is the first hagiographical work of its kind dedicated to the career and sainthood of 86 Tijani female companions. Other examples are illustrated in the works of "Sir al-Bahir fi Rihla ma'a Sidi Mohammed Taher" (The Astonishing Secret in the Journey with Sidi Mohammed Taher- Tijani) and the essays on Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed al-'Hajuji (d. 1370/1951) and Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Haj al-Iyyachi Skirej (d. 1385/1965). 

All in all, the Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun (may Allah be pleased with him) is the easiest, strongest and closest contemporary SHAYKH of this Mohammediya Tariqa, which may be felt by any heart that creates spiritual affinity with him. In his personal behaviour, he is the quintessential son of his time, pious and tranquil, modest in dress, morally virtuous, of an open demeanor, and pleasant in nature. All who met him is moved to affection for him. He induces the most intense love for Sidna Shaykh Tijani and his Ancestor the Chosen (peace and blessing be upon him) in his companions. The study of Sufi doctrine as depicted in his books opens a window onto the ongoing authority in Sufism. In his works, one can perceive a community of Moroccan saints whose examples reveal a distinctive blend of silent productivity, preferring instead to turn the Tariqa into invisible offices than detectable institutions. Should his books speak, they would reveal him as a highly devoted Sufi whose writings represent the work of the giant Tijani masters of Morocco. His works on Sufism however are to be nothing but foam cast up on the shores of the infinite ocean of spiritual illuminations.