Neverthless, it is well-established in Jawahir al-Maani that opening and arrival to the Divine Presence is only reached through the Obligatory Litanies (al-Awrad al-Lazima), namely, the Wird, Wadhifa, and the Friday Haylala after the Asr Prayer. Thus, let it be known that the Cornerstone of Tijani praxis is the morning and noon recitation of the Mohammedian Wird that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had himself assigned to Sidna Shaykh Tijani to initiate any seeker who asks for it and accepts to abide by its conditions; (1) "Astaghfirou Allah" (I seek Allah’s forgiveness), 100 times; (2) Prayers upon the Prophet with any version, preferably with the Salat al-Fatih, 100 times; (3) " La-ilaha illa’Allah" (There is no God but Allah); 100 times. To these are added the daily Wadhifa and the Friday Haylala after the Asr Prayer. 

Secrets vs. The Path

According to the Baraka of the Age, the Allama, the Sharif, Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun (may Allah outlast his lifetime),  

"The Tijaniya order is twofold: (1) The Tariqa (Path), and, (2) The Asrar (Arcane Secrets). The Tariqa-element is based on three corners: (a) the Wird, (b) the Wadhifa, and (c) the Haylala of Friday. Performance of the daily five obligatory rituals, 24/7 visualization of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him and his family), extremism in the recitation of the Salat al-Fatih prayer and Jawahir al-Maani, hagiographication of the life and career of Sidna Shaykh Tijani (may Allah sanctify his secret) and his companions, Ahl al-Bayt’s love and praise and veneration, lifetime devotion to the service of the order, visitation of the Zawiya al-Kubra, obedience to the order's caliphs and muqaddams, respect and veneration of the other Sufi orders and masters, defense of the order in word and deed when needed, understanding of the order's jurisprudence and Sidna Shaykh’s ranks of Qutbaniya and Khatmiya and Katmiya and perception of the known bounties and merits of his companions can be seen as complementary to the threefold corners mentioned above as they are from the conditions of the order. The Asrar-element however concerns the invocation of the prayers and supplications and names. Once the latter are discovered the disciple would start to read them under the authorisation and supervision of a sound Muqaddam. From these the Concealed Greatest Name, Surat al-Fatiha and Salat al-Fatih with the known intention, Idrissid Names, Hizb Sayfi, Hizb al-Bahr, Dalail al-Khayrat, “Salat al-Ghaybiya fi al-Haqiqa al-Ahmediya” (The Divine Prayer in the Ahmedi Reality), “Yaqutat al-Haqaiq fi-Ta’ariif bi-Haqiqat Sayyid al-Khalaiq” (The Jewel of Realities in the Definition of the Reality and the Master of Mankind) exemplify. The Awfaq and Talasim and Raml and ‘Asqarat al-Asame and Asrar al-‘Huruf have nothing to do with the nature of Tijanidom. They are rather from Sufism. Sad he who spends 90 per cent of his time on the Asrar and 10 per cent on the Tariqa! In the Jawahir al-Maani , the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) warns those who concentrate on the Greatest Name on the account of the Quran and Prayers upon Him (peace and blessing be upon him)."

Secrets vs. Sincerity  

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) said,

"Verily Allah Most High has said: Whosoever shows enmity to a Wali (friend) of Mine, then I have declared war against him. And My salve does not draw near to Me with anything more loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My salve continues to draw near to me with Nawafil deeds until I Love him. When I Love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge. (Related by al-Bukhari)

To restate this doctrine in more Tijani terms, The Allama Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mishri Sibai al-Hassani (d. 1224/1809) asked Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) on the meaning of the Hadith as reported in the second part of "Al-Jami'a a li-Maa Iftaraqa min al-Ulumn al-Qutb al-Maktum" (The Absolute in What Has Separated from the Sciences of the Concealed Pole). Sidna Shaykh with cognition and certitude answered,  

"The interpretation of this Hadith that you so ardently desire is the following:

 The slave does come up to Allah by means of superfluous deeds (Nawafil). By definition, a superfluous deed is any deed that complements religious duties (faraid). And the premium methods of superfluous deeds to accomplish are: (1) remembrance of God (dhikr), (2) observance of rituals (salawat), and, (3) fasting with its established conditions.

 What is meant by superfluous deeds in the words, 'My Slave continues to draw near to me with superfluous deeds until I Love him': is the presence of the spirit during their observance while traveling (qiyam ru’hiha bi-suluk). In other words, observance of the deed for the sake of Allah awed by complete sincerity with the abandonment of all claims, lust or greedy desires. 

 And the slave who travels along this route is similar to one who knows that he is stained with filth (najasa) all over the body while he is attempting to cut it off from himself at all price in order to appear clean and purified before Allah. And in this way he is longing for purification rather than return of good deeds.

 Now that the individual ego (nafs) is thrilled to tear away from Allah, Exalted is He, when she travels and when she rests home, the only way for the slave to relinquish her plight is to cut her off of all her attachments. The Sufis describe the state of this individual ego as the crow, for she is tick with darkness and there is no white in it, and at this point, the slave is extremely far away from Allah, Exalted is He.

 So, let anyone who has a heart understands that the purpose of superfluous deeds is to go back to Allah, Exalted is He, with good deeds in a state of pure honesty (mukhlisan lillah) free from any aspiration for rewards (thawab). And to restore the purity of his individual ego, the slave is required to pursue the means of striving (mujahada), exertion (mukabada), repression against lust of passion, and abandonment of customs and desires.

 Yet, the remembrance of God (dhikr) remains the most powerful method for striving. Why? Because as much as pureness (safa’) is the one and only mean to relinquish the plight of the slave, through which he enters into the Divine Presence, the flow of lights (Fayd al-Anwar) gushes out from the Holy Presence ('Hadrat al-Quds) upon him through the grace of purity thanks to the  remembrance of God.

How? Now it happens that lights will pour into the slave’s heart when he remembers and leave his heart when he finishes remembrance, and this situation is advantageous because it brings him a sort of pureness to some extent. Thereupon, lights will pour into his heart when he remembers and leave his heart when he finishes remembrance; and again they will pour into his heart when he remembers and continue to reside in there two or three minutes before their departure; and again they will pour into his heart when he remembers and continue to reside in there for an hour before their departure, and (4) so on and so forth until the heart becomes their final home.

 And the result of this situation is:

(1)    Strength of the spirit during remembrance, 

(2)    Longing for standing before the Door of Allah, 

(3)    Pain of the heart in mingling with people (for their states of confusion are to be observed by him), 

(4)    Remembrance of God in the morning and in the evening, 

(5)    Contentment with Allah in predestination (qada' Allah), 

(6)    Enduring adversities with patience without worry, 

(7)    Firm reliance on the Will of Allah (tawakkul) in the condition of the finances, 

(8)    Flee from ostentation with worldly goods and preponderating towards seeking the things of this world, and,

(9)    Acquisition of tranquility (tuma’nina).  

When the heart is tranquil by remembrance, remembrance becomes the final adobe of the slave, without which his life cannot exist.

And on this point, he will:

(1)     Taste the first fruits of the people of certitude (Ahl Tahqiq), 

(2)    Perceive the gleams (lawamia’) of the states that are restricted to the special elite (al-khassa al-'ulya), 

(3)    Witness the greatness of proximity (qurb), and, 

(4)    Realize the div ine sciences in his heart.    

Henceforward, the slave would: (1) use detachment from everything other than Allah, (2) withdraw from creation in prosperity and adversity, and (3) enter into Allah from the door of observance (muqaqaba). Should he look for a desire he would perceive in himself nothing but inward: (1) God-centeredness, Exalted is He, (2) purity of heart with Allah, He is mighty and glorious, (3) perfect sincerity, (4) firmness of mind, (5) effective resolve, and (6) self-certainty."

The meaning of everything set forth above is also indicated by a passage from a speech that was dictated by the Chieftain of Existence and the Emblem of Witnessing, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), to the Most Noble Intermediary, Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Arabi Tazi Damrawi (may Allah be pleased with him), the companion of Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) in a state of wakefulness, not of sleep. He was instructed to take it to Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) as reported in Jawahir al-Maani,

"Allah's Messenger has said: "Tell him," meaning Sidna Shaykh Tijani: "Here is the explanation of worship, which is subdivided into four parts:  The first consists of detachment (from the world) and dedication to Allah with perfect deeds and complete sincerity. This dedication must be spontaneous, and what he intends by this dedication must be to extol Allah, magnify Him, glorify Him and sanctify Him, and to praise Allah according to the condition he is in. He must not intend to gain anything by his worship, nor expect anything from it, so that his actions will ascend to Allah, enter the opened door, and become preoccupied with transformation in the manner we have mentioned at the beginning. There must be no pause in the study of His saying (in the Quran) Those who believe, and do righteous deeds, they are the best of creatures. (Quran 98:7) For the people of righteous conduct are those who do not intend to gain anything by their deeds, in the form of benefit or profit. He must ask in his worship for nothing except the assistance and perfect well being that he requests for his afterlife. 

Tell him the best request! If one of them asks, let him ask for pardon and well being. If his intention in his detachment and dedication is attainment to a station, or if he is seeking knowledge or a secret, his deeds will ascend until they arrive at a door that is locked, so they will sit there, expecting it to be opened in a while, and hoping that their owner will return and say: "My worship is for Allah. I do not seek any object of need." Then, if he is inspired and says this, they will go back and enter the opened door, but if he does not say what has been mentioned, those deeds will go back scattered, like the gusting of the wind in the air. They will wander about until they come to rest, in the sense what they will return against him in desperation, until the Prophet says (peace and blessing be upon him): "Tell my beloved Tijani that all of these meanings are in the Glorious Quran, and say to him: "This book will guide you to what I have commanded you to do. I have told you not to aim at anything, nor strive in greedy pursuit of anything. You must exert yourself in worship and opposition to the lower self, for greedy desire for what the human being aims at in worship cause the postponement of opening (fath)." You must tell him: "It cause the postponement of illumination (fath)," and tell him "It is the impediment to illumination," up to three times."

The Knower of Allah, the Allama Sidi Ahmed Skirej, may Allah be pleased with him, said in his book, “al-Jawahir al-Muntashara fi’l Jawab ‘ala al-Asila al-Ihda ‘Ashara” (The Scattered Gems in Reply to the Elevenfold Questions),

“And know that Our Mohammedi Tijani Path is a Path of Perfect Beauty (Tariqa-tu Jamal) and likewise are its remembrances (adhkar) with the manifest exception of the Prayer of the Sword Bearer (Hizb Sayfi) and the Prayer of the Sea (Hizb al-Bahr), for reading them, or reading one of them, regularly each day, robes the reader in a manifestation of majesty that a disciple in our Path cannot hold even though he is to read them free without intentions of acquiring a particular kind of return (khasiya). (..) In this sense, Our Path is not founded upon the bases of acquiring a particularity (ta’hsil al-khasiya) nor on walking (suluk) under the standards set up by the seekers of spiritual training (tarbiya) in the other Sufi paths, but, as it is known among its people, Our Path is a Path of Thankfulness (Tariqa-tu Shukr).” “It is a Path of divine openings, celestial states and gnostic perceptions gushed out from the Mohammedian Presence upon its Companions through the blessing (baraka) of Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him). Verily, verily, his authority (Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani) was about to be sanctified by the Truth and approved even by non-(Tijani) companions and brothers.” 

Benefiting the Tijani Brothers by Some of the Sayings of Our Master the Concealed Pole and His Companions in Respect to Seeking the Material World (Dunya)

The Allama Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mishri, may Allah be pleased with him, said in his Book, “Rawd-u al-Mu’hibb al-Fani fi-ma Talaqqaynahu min Shaykhina Abil Abbas Tijani” (The Garden of the Annihilated Lover in What We Have Received from Our Master Abil Abbas Tijani):

“The Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him, told me on the last Tuesday of the Month of Allah Safar in the year 1252:

‘Warn my Companions not to borrow any money from me nor ask me something among the goods of the material world (dunya). For, verily, asking the material world from the Shaykh is one of the main reasons of cutting the disciple from him.’

(…) And I have heard him, may Allah be pleased with him, saying two years prior:

‘Whoever from among my Companions has asked the material world from me, the material world would be his only fortune with me (dhalika ‘hadduhu minni)!!’

I would add that what is hidden in this statement is that he will not be able to benefit from the Secrets of the Shaykh (Asrar Shaykh) and he will not attain from him any sainthood (wilaya), particularity (khasiya), or a secret (Sirr) in this life. And Allah know best.

(…) Then he said, may Allah be pleased with him:

‘My material world upon my Companions is like poison. Whoever has taken it [from me] and he does not need it, he will suffer harm faster than poison spreads [through the body].’

And it came to pass that I myself went to most of the Companions of the Shaykh to tell this news. Some of them said, ‘We heard and obeyed.’ So they rose to their feet and fled from the material world of their teacher. Other said, by the tongue of their states, ‘We heard and disobeyed.’ So they continued to seek [the material world] even without permission. I ask Allah not to call us and them to account of whatever sins and acts of disobedience against our Master we have committed. Amen. I have mentioned this subject under this section because it is from among the most important conditions of discipleship; so that whoever might suffer suffers with evidence, and whoever might benefit benefits with evidence. And I beseech Allah to give us success in whatever might benefit us. Amen.”

It is reported in Kitab Al-Ibriz that the Qutb Sidi Abdellaziz Dabbagh (d. 1132/1717) said: 

"The purpose of the Friend of God is to point the way to God the Sublime and bring people together with Him, and induce renunciation of everything but God. So if the one who seeks the Friend sets about asking him for this matter, he'll surely find profit with him. But if he sets about asking him to fulfill wishes and desires and doesn't question him about his Lord and how to know Him, the Friend of God will come to hate him and detest him. On the other hand, he will be safe if he manages to avoid a calamity afflicting him for any of the following reasons. One reason is that his love of the Friend of God isn't for the sake of God the Sublime's face but is wavering. Wavering love entails manifest loss. The light of truth will never descend on it Another reason is that the Friend of God sees him in his attachment to other than God the Sublime as being in the essence of estrangement and wishes to release him from it, whereas the bondsman wishes him to increase his estrangement. The Friend of God sees that he's left the date (tamara) and picked up the hot ember (jamra). Now the date is knowledge of God the Sublime and engagement before Him. The hot ember is estrangement from Him and grasping what's other than Him, along with an inclination for the world and reliance on its vanities. Still another reason is that if the Friend helps him in fulfilling some of his desires and confronts him with some unveilings, the bondsman sometimes thinks this is what knowledge of God (ma’arifa) should be about and what people desire, and there's nothing to strive for beyond it But all this is error and leads to the Friend of God hating him."  

Fulfillment of Core Purposes (“Aghrad”; needs, wants, profit, etc.)

Our Master, Mawlana Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani, may Allah be pleased with him, said in a letter that he dispatched to the Supreme Successor, the Greatest Intermediary, the Author of Jawahir al-Maani, Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem Berrada al-Fasi, may Allah be pleased with him, 

“I am particularly concerned about your possible break from our company due to your persistence in asking lower core purposes (aghrad) from us. I would say that this is not going to happen due to my will. But, the reason for this unprofitable matter is the fact that you are persistent in been consumed in longing for them. And if you pursue this route for a long period of time, and your core purposes are not yet fulfilled, the Waswas (whispers from Iblis or the lower ego) will tell you: ‘There are no hopes to be gained nor profits to be harvested in there!’ Then, you will seek to attain your goal with somebody else, for your satisfaction is not anymore found in us. And this will cause love [between us] to perish from its very own root.”

The Allama Abil Abbas Sidi Ahmed Skirej, may Allah be pleased with him, had this to add:

“Whoever has wanted among the brethren to attach himself to particular nonobligatory litanies, such as the Prayer of the Sword Bearer (Hizb Sayfi), and the like of that, let his practice be built on compliance (imtital) free from any aspiration for core purposes (aghrad) in every fashion. If it is a supplication (du’a), let his practice be built on worshiping Allah, He is Exalted, directing his face towards Him, Exalted is He, from an inward state of sincerity (ikhlas), without the motivation to gain any profit (‘hudhudh) or lower claim (lu’hudh). And it is not part of the lower claims to observe the promised rewards (thawab), while trusting in the truthful promise, for that is from the Unseen World (ghayb), and not from the lower claims. Nor reciting remembrances for the purpose of protection (ta’hsin) is regarded from the lower claims, for, verily, that is from piety (taqwa) in a grace of Allah, He is Exalted."

And he said about the same subject in the book of "Nayl al-Amani" (Attainment of Aspiration),

"Know that it is incumbent to recite the remembrances (adhkar) out of a sincere desire to serve Allah, the One-and-Only Conqueror, hoping to reach through core purposes (aghrad) the attainment of his desire from Him, He is Blessed and Sublime, in order to assist himself in worshiping his Lord: and this he considers to be the goal. And he should beware in all of his endeavors lest he goes astray of the remembrance that is purely pursued to attain desires, in the light of what the speaker said successfully,  

He prayed and fasted for a matter he was seeking,

  And when the matter came to be fulfilled, he neither prayed nor fasted! 

And if he intends by his remembrance and worship the Face of Allah, He is Blessed and Sublime, hoping with that to gain his desire which would assist him in worshiping his Lord, raising up a prayer of supplication at the end of his worship so that Allah answer his need: it is considered acceptable without risk, provided that he had subsequently believed that Allah is the Doer (al-Fa’il) of whatever He Wish, not on account of the remembrance."

Stern Warning

The Allama Sidi Ahmed Skirej, may Allah be pleased with him, warns in his book, "Attainment of Aspirations in the Issuing of Permission to the Seeker of the Tijani Litany", may Allah be pleased with him,

"Woe to the disciple who engage himself in angling for the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-A’adham) or seeking the Special Names (Khawas al-Asma’), since that is the occupation of the corrupt folk who gain nothing from their endeavor except pure hardship. Woe to him who is hero at mixing remembrances and getting into the habit of being busy here and there asking for permission in reciting the arcane secrets (al-asrar) that are related to their use. For verily, verily, this disperses the thought (al-fikra) from arming the self with a mighty determination (al-himma). And the best thing for the disciple is to knee deep in Salat al-Fatih, the Haylala (the word of oneness), and the Istighfar (seeking forgiveness) as much as possible."

And he said, may Allah be pleased with him, in one of his letters he dispatched to a brother from the Sudan: 

“And what I strongly recommend you, O brother, is persistence in practicing your litanies and offering of Salat al-Fatih in abundance, if the time permits, when you travel and when you rest home. You must not exchange it or substitute it except for the recitation of the Quran in slow measured rhythmic tones and exegeses, and this suffices to ensure goodness in the two Worlds. So do not pay attention to any other remembrance under the category of the ASRAR (arcane secrets) or the KHAWAS (powerful complex of highly rewarding invocations), for, it is, verily, verily, and I swear by Allah, far more beneficial to the disciple than the recitation of the Greatest Name because it is free from any aspiration for core purposes (aghrad).”  

The Straight Path

The Greatest Caliph, Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem Berrada al-Fasi (d. 1212/1797) reports in Risalat al-Fadl,

"Be careful and be careful of being immersed and overwhelmed in extreme assortment of remembrances (adhkar) and at the same time in extreme thought (fikr) of the sayings of the Sufis. For, verily, verily, no one has followed this route and ever succeeded. Instead, let one sticks to a single remembrance and depends on a single direction (wijha) and counts on a solid ground of a particular Sufi Path. This is the disciple’s initial traveling and training before he meets the Shaykh.  If, by the Will and Kindness and Generosity of Allah, He bring him before the Complete, Fully-actualized Shaykh, the disciple, in observance of the rights due to the Shaykh, he must be ready to fall into his hands like the dead man falls into the hands of his washer (on the day of his funeral); without any choice (ikhtiyar) or any will (irada), and without giving him any gracious supply (i'ata’) or any benefit (ifada).  And let his effective will (himma) be directed to the Shaykh in order to save him from the plight to which he was driven and drowned, intending by that to attain the perfect state of purity (safa’) through which he is able to witness the Divine Presence (al-Hadra al-Ilahiya); turning himself from everything else except It, and freeing himself from any kind of choice or desire except the aforementioned. And when the Shaykh orders him to do something, he should be extremely careful not to investigate the matter in any depth, saying, how, why, what, or FOR WHAT, for, verily, verily this is the door of repugnance (maqt) and expulsion (tard). Instead, he must be aware that his Shaykh is far more familiar with his own interests than himself, and whatever situation he had chosen for him, he is taking him through it to Allah—because he is for Allah and by Allah, and saving him from the darkness and the lust of his lower self (nafs). Peace.”   

Special Permission 

The Asrar inherit endowments, cognition, and illuminations. They are very confidential that only an established Muqaddam can permit their recital. For reflecting this science in the sacred nature of knowledge elaborate rituals surrounded its acquisition and transmission, the authority of the spiritual master is absolute.  Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) expected obedience from the followers of his caliphs and muqaddams. “You must obey the muqaddam who gave you the Wird in whatever he orders you.” (Jawahir al-Maani) 

Great Secrets such as the Greatest Name (Al-Ism al-A'adham) are only initiated by the Pole of Poles in person. Sidna Shaykh Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) said,  

"The excellence attributed to the Greatest Name is peculiar to the version which is peculiar to the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, and no one except the comprehensive Pole (al-Qutb al-Jami’a) may reach it or authorize its teaching. As for the other versions of the Name, they carry half the reward of the preeminent form.'  (..) This great favor is for everyone who receives one of the versions of the Greatest Name through an authentic chain of transmission. As for someone who chances upon it in a book or something of the kind, and recites it without permission, its reward is ten good deeds per letter, no more than that.'" (Jawahir al-Maani)

Concealnes (kitman)

The Allama Skirej enlightens in the book of "Al-Iman Sahih fi-Rad ‘ala Mu’allif al-Jawab Sarih" (The Correct Faith in Reply to the Author of the Forthright Answer),

Whoever has revealed the Secrets [to outsiders], is verily

   Considered among the wicked in public and privacy.

A Secret is never regarded a Secret by a chosen (man), if it breaches

   The Sacred Law of the Messenger, the Chosen.  

The author of Kitab al-Ibriz min Kalam Sayyidi Abdelaziz, Sidi Ahmed ibn al-Mubarik said, "I heard our Shaykh (the Grand Qutb Sidi Abdellaziz Dabbagh al-Fasi, d. 1132/1717), say—God be pleased with him: 'The day I entered the Diwan, Sidi Ahmed b. Abdellah, and the other people of the Diwan as well, only spoke of one thing that day. They admonished me and urged me to keep the secret concealed. And al-Ghawt Sidi Ahmed b. Abdellah al-Misri ordered everyone who had a story dealing with this subject to recount it. Thus they recounted some two hundred stories.' I heard eight of them from our Shaykh—God be pleased with him!..[More] 

From the Characteristics of the Manipulators and Liars

Beware from the Businessmen of ‘Asrar’! Beware from some so-called “Muqaddams” who keep informing the brothers that the ‘Asrar’ are from the Tijani Path. Beware from their Fitna. And know that the Tariqa is threefold: The Wird, the Wadhifa, and the Haylala. And sad is he who thinks that the attainment of the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-Adham) by any brother is considered among the thaumaturgic gifts (karamat) of the Tijani Path. And we seek the refuge of Allah from the fools who use the ‘Asrar’ for material gains and egoistic profits, as well as from those who use them to hurt their brethren, to say nothing of those who mix them with magic and sorcery. By Allah, these people are not even Muslims, let alone be Sufis. Let alone be Tijanis. Wa La Hawla wa La Quwwata illa Billah al-Aliyy al-Adhim. So, whoever adorns himself with these norms he subjects himself to manipulation. A person has only himself to blame for mingling with the like of these people. Needless to say, one who applies himself to sorcery, must repent and renew his Tariqa and Wird from a sound Muqaddam. 

The Allama Sidi Ahmed Skirej, may Allah be pleased with him, tells us in the book of "Nur Siraj fi Sharh Ida’at  at-Daj" (Light of the Lantern in the Commentary of the Enlightenment of the Path),  

"If you ever see a man explicitly talking about strange rarities of extraordinary thaumaturgic gifts (karamat), supplementary remembrances (adhkar), and strange secrets (al-asrar al-‘ajamiya); basing his invocation of the aforementioned on sceptic conceptions (takhayyulat); consistently praising these unaccustomed things (gharaib) instead of the Obligatory Litany (al-Wird al-Lazim) and the Obligatory Remembrances (al-Adhkar al-Lazima); mentioning them in full power whenever one of the brothers sits with him; THEN, judge him without hesitation that he is going astray (dhaal) and leading others astray (mudhill) and verily he is a temptor (fattan)."

Beware from the People of the Lower Opening and the Users of the Letters and the Names

From the letters of the Qutb, Sidi Mohammed ibn Ahmed Akansus (d. 1294/1856), may Allah be pleased with him: He dispatched it to the Knower of Allah (Arif bi Allah), the possessor of serious states (ahwal al-khatira) the Great Muqaddam, our Master al-Hajj Sa'id al-Darariki al-Miskini al-Susi, may Allah be well pleased with him (one of the descendants of Sayyidina al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him): 

"If it were necessary to dispose of affairs (al-Tasarruf) by use of the Names and supplications, then the nearest and most effective means is the disposal “al-Mukhammas al-Khali al-Wasat” ("Mukhammas al-Ghazali"). Whoever has obtained its secret, then none of the creatures can oppose him. And it is a great door of Sainthood (al-Wilayah). And in it is the external opening (al-Fath al-Dhahir). However, the successful Knower (Arif) is not satisfied, in his determination (himma), remaining in that place; and that that should be his share in the Presence of Allah, the Exalted. 

And the Complete One (al-Kamil) does not worship Allah for any motive, except one or, if necessary two. The first is that one worships Allah, the Exalted so that Allah, the Exalted will love him for his following his commands and adhering to what he was created for. For, if Allah, the Exalted, loves him, He will subject all of the universe to him and everything will obey him. If he says to it, “Be,” then it is; by the indication of His saying, [When I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears] (hadith Qudsi). However, he does not say to anything, “Be,” out of courtesy with his Lord, and in light of the station of slavehood (al-Ubudiyya). Because, verily, the slave does not exceed his degree by giving orders. And his station is only to receive orders; unless his Lord gives him permission; so that he speaks with the tongue of his Lord, not with the tongue of his self (nafsihi). And the second purpose is that one worships Allah, the Exalted, for the sake of (seeing) His Honored Face in the place of eternal bliss (Dar al-na'im al-muqim). 

And whoever does any deed for other than these two reasons, it is returned to him without any benefit from him; except what arrives by the particularity of the remembrance (khasiyyat al-Dhikr); since for every Name there is a particularity, just like for every plant is likewise a particularity; such as this one being cold, and this one moist, and this one hot, and this one dry. And this particularity arrives to everyone whoever does it; to any pious (baarr) or corrupt (Fajir) person. So, let the believer not be deceived when he sees the reflection of disposal (al-tasarruf) [e.g. fame, wealth, miracles, numbers of students, authority, power] by means of the letters (al-Huruf) or the Names (al-Asma') on the hands of anyone. For that does not prove any position with Allah, the Exalted. 

This is the well-established tradition between the one who disposes by means of the letters and- other forms- and the one who disposes by means of spiritual states (al-Hal). For, the former may be far away from Allah, the Exalted, and from His Holy Presence- by (the distance of) many journeys (marahil). And the latter is from the people of the Presence (al-Hadrah), since he does not dispose by himself, as we had mentioned, and Allah is the one who enables (al-Muwaffiq). 

And this can be explained more simply than this. However, the intent is to warn from this slippery slope, which most of the people that use it are from the ["Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works" (Qur'an, 18:104)]. May Allah protect us and you all and make us his slaves in all states. Ameen." 

The Qutb Sidi Abdellaziz b. Masoud Dabbagh (may Allah sanctify his secret) said about the difference Way of thankfulness (shukr) and the way of exertion and spiritual exercises (mujahadah), which is loftier?,

"(..) In the first (Shadhili) Path, the Opening (Fath) is only obtained by the believer (mu’min) knower (‘arif) beloved (habib) close one (qarib), in distinction with the second (Ghazali) Path, in which one hears of certain monks and rabbis undertaking physical acts of spiritual striving through which they attain to some degrees and ranks. In all of this we speak of physical and spiritual acts of striving and exertion in an absolute sense, regardless if they come from someone on the Path of truth or falsehood, and we are not referring specifically to the Riyadah of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (may Allah be pleased with him), for he is a true leader and a real saint." (Kitab al-Ibriz)

Conclusion  

The Knower of Allah, the Allama Sidi Ahmed Skirej, may Allah be pleased with him, concludes in his book, Bulugh al-Amani,

"Let our brother, who has just received our license in the Mohammediya Tijaniya Path of ours, learn that persistence in doing its obligatory litany causes all goodness to pass in front of him in both Worlds, and there is no doubt that this assurance is true, according to the promise of the Sadiq (the Truthful), the Masduq (the Confirmed), peace be upon him, in glad tidings from him to the Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him, in the state of wakefulness and in the state of  sleep. And this bounty revolves around belief (al-i’atiqad).  And this Path revolves—according to us: the Tijanis—around commitment to the obligatory litanies (al-Awrad al-Lazima) which the person has taken a solemn oath to fulfill under its very own conditions with an authentic permission from its very Muqaddam, without paying attention to the merits and all the other matters that are mentioned, in addition to all this, in the Books of the Path, since what is added to this, it is only virtue (fadl) or meddling (fudul); for, the first is from the people of beliefs (Ahl al-I’atiqad) and the second leads the latter as well as others to criticism (intiqad). And each group carries out its appointed duties. And the wise is the one who takes on himself the guilt of not being aware of anything and travels with Ahl Allah on the path of peace." 

Last Counsel

"I give this brother counsel to recite the litanies in slow measured rhythmic tones and awakening of their meanings as much as it is possible, while guarding the conditions of the Path. And if one of the terms above fails or is broken, an immediate repentance is necessarily, and, so, he is required to renew his Path from someone who has authentic permission to transmit this inner light. Otherwise, he would suffer impediment after alliance. And Allah suffices us and He is the best Disposer of affairs for us, asking from Him Almighty to give us success in word and deed. And let the peace and abundant blessings be upon Sidna Mohammed, his family and companions. And praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds." (Kitab Bulugh al-Amani)  

 

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION