Merits of the Followers of the Seal of Saints Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani

The Radiant Glad Tidings in the Recollection of Some of the Merits of the Followers of the Seal of Saints Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani

“Our Tariqa was particularized by Allah of a characteristic which places it above all the paths, and whose language cannot be understood, so that the truths of this cannot be known. If ever the veil which is covering this Tariqa was to be raised, the greatest of the poles (Aqtab) would have wished for it just as the shepherd of the desert areas wish for the clouds of rain. Pay attention! Do not let yourself be deluded because all of the paths come from it. It is the source of all the paths from the beginning of creation, till the blowing of the trumpet on the last day. Our Tariqa is hidden except from the Master of Existence (peace and blessing be upon him), for He knows its value and worth.”

- Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him)

Al-Haj Sidi al-Haj Omar al-Futi (d. 1279/1864) says in “ (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting in one of the mosques of Fez (may Allah the Exalted keep that city safe from everything harmful), and one of the jurists (fuqaha') was by his side. The jurist said to the companion of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him): "You people inhabit the mosques with your bodies, but you do not inhabit them with your hearts!" The companion of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) responded to this by saying: "We are beloved and accepted in whatever situation we may be!" But then he felt afraid of this utterance, so he returned to the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) in a state of fear and dread, worried about himself, and told him the whole story. The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Yes, you are indeed beloved and accepted in whatever situation you may be. Did you not tell him: 'We are beloved and accepted in whatever situation we may be, in spite of your disdain!'" cheikh-skiredj.com/bibliotheque-rimah-fouti-omar-1.php">Kitab of this Ahmedi jani.html">Shaykh

As previously mentioned, someone who met the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) informed me that he (may Allah be pleased with him) did not condescend to provide instruction for his fellow creatures, after his ancestor, Allah's Apostle (peace and blessing be upon him), commanded him to do that, except after his saying to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him): "If I am a doorway to the salvation of every disobedient sinner who attaches himself to me, well and good. It not, what merit have I?" The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told him: "You are a doorway to the salvation of every sinner who attaches himself to you!" He then felt happy about that. Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali informed me that he asked Shaykh Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) about the cause of the excellent merit contained within his litanies so he told him (may Allah be pleased with him): "On my account" (LI-AJLI). This is obvious to everyone who knows that Allah Most High established him in the circle of excellence (Dairat al-fadliya), and that it is the circle of the people of his Path.

In the words of Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him),

1.        “I am the patron (of sainthood) from Qaf to Qaf. (Ifada Ahmediya)

2.       “I am the comet of jawzahar (i.e. when two lines intersect in the orbits). All the saints dissolve when they approach me; whether their importance is great or small!” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

3.       “My sword hangs over the sky. Whoever sticks his head up, I will cut his head.” (Rafa’a Niqab)

4.       “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said on Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), “He is the partition between Heaven and Hell.” And so am I. Our lover is told, 'Enter to Paradise, and our enemy is told, ‘Enter to Hell.’” (Ifada Ahmediya)

5.        “I was aware of my sainthood while Adam was between the water and the clay.” (Oral Teaching of Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun) Shaykh al-Akbar said (May Allah be pleased with him): “None of the other prophets was a prophet, nor aware of his Prophethood, except when he was sent (on his mission) after his coming into existence with his material body and his complete fulfillment of the preconditions of Prophethood." Then he added: “the Seal of the Saints (Khatim al-Awliya) was likewise actually a saint, aware of his sainthood, while was between the water and the clay, and none of the other saints was a saint in actual fact, nor aware of his sainthood, except after his acquisition of the Divine characteristics that are stipulated in the definition of sainthood." (Futuhat Makkiya)

6.       “Our Chain and Master in this path is the Chieftain of the Universe.” (Risalat al-Fadl wa al-Imtinan) The Prophet -peace and blessing be upon me, “No creature among the shaykhs of the paths has any benefit to bestow upon you, for I am your intermediary and your supporter in actual fact.” (Jawahir al-Ma'ani) “Our Path is the Path of pure bounty (tariqa ma’hd al-fadl). The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) gave it to me; from him (peace and blessing be upon him) to me, in the state of wakefulness and not in a state of sleep.” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

7.        “Our Tariqa was particularized by Allah of a characteristic which places it above all the paths, and whose language cannot be understood, so that the truths of this cannot be known. If ever the veil which is covering this Tariqa was to be raised, the greatest of the poles (Aqtab) would have wished for it just as the shepherd of the desert areas wish for the clouds of rain. Pay attention! Do not let yourself be deluded because all of the paths come from it. It is the source of all the paths from the beginning of creation, till the blowing of the trumpet on the last day. Our Tariqa is hidden except from the Master of Existence (peace and blessing be upon him), for He knows its value and worth.” (Kashf al-Hijab)

8.       “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me that I am the Concealed Pole in the state of wakefulness and not in state of sleep." (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem) "The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me that I am the Concealed Pole (al-Qutb al-Maktum) and the Sealed Isthmus (al-Barzakh al-Makhtum) in the state of wakefulness and not in state of sleep." (Rima'h) "The inner manifestation (tajalli) of the Concealed Pole is compared to the inner manifestations of the Messengers. The number of manifestations of Allah unto him in an instant (for instance) is one hundred thousand (100.000). He is given during this very instant what is given to the whole people of Paradise as a whole. At the next instant, he is given more than one hundred thousand times (100.000) the epiphanies he had in the first instant. And so forth obsoloutly continuously." (Al-Jami’a)

9.       “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: ‘Allah has 300 characters (khuluq). Whoever acquires one of them will enter Paradise.’ Sidi Ali Harazem comments: None of the prophets or the saints has ever acquired these 300 characters before the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) expect him (peace and blessing be upon him) and the poles (of his community) after him. And when the Greatest Evidence Ibn Arabi al-Hatimi (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered them all, he went, “I am the seal of sainthood, without any doubt, by virtue of inheritance of the Hashemite, along with the Messiah. But as far as the description and attribute (of sealness of sainthood) is concerned, it does not belong to him. Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Allah has never revealed to a prophet or a saint the interiors (bawatin) and secrets (asrar) and obscures (khabaya) and sciences (‘ulum) of these characters except to the Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him) and me alone. Praise and thankfulness be to God. The other (saints) (however) knew only their exterior (dawahir). (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

10.     “The Mohammedian Sciences (al-‘ulum al-Mohammediya) are 111 in number. Each science contains 111.000 units and each unit contains into 111.000 sub-sciences. Whoever obtains a single Mohammedian Science will obtain the sciences from the first generation to the last generation. The most complete of the Saints the likes of Mawlana Abdessalam ibn Mashish, [Moulay Abdellqadir al-Jilani and Sidi Ibn Arabi al-Hatimi], have obtained 72 Mohammedian Sciences. As for Sidi Abul Hassan Shadhili, he has obtained 71. The Sharif Sidi Mohammed ibn Mishri then said, “The Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) informed us that he requested from the Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him) to teach him all 111 Mohammedian Sciences, which the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) guaranteed for him. And this is from the greatest particularities of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him). (al-Jami’a) (N.B. According to the Arabic system of "Ilm ‘Huruf al-Jumal" (calculating the numerical representation of the Arabic letters), if one was to calculate the numerical value of the word "Qutb" it would equal 111; Qaf:100, Ta'a:9, Ba'a:2=111) (N.B. The Greatest Name comprises 11 letters and it is also recited 11 or 111 times) Uwais al Qarni (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sidna Omar and Sidna Ali (may Allah be pleased with both of them) when they met him: “You haven't see anything of the Prophet but his shadow.” They replied: “Not even the son of Abi Qahafa" (Sidna Abu Bakr). He replied, "Not even the son of Abi Qahafa." He did not say that to them until he had reached into the depths of gnosis wherein he sought a place in the essence of the Mohammedian Reality. It was said to him: “This is an affair whose arrival is incapacitated for even the greatest of the Prophets so it’s hopeless for anyone in any aspect or state." Abu Yazid said (may Allah be pleased with him): "I underwent the depths of gnosises in search of place at the essence of the Mohammedian Reality to where I found between me and it a thousand veils of light. If I approached the first veil I would be burned just as a hair is burned when cast into the fire, and so I merely delayed the retreat.” (Jawahir al-Ma'ani)

11.      “Oh God! Do not take my soul until You make me reach the ultimate Poleship (Qutbaniya) of Sidi such and such, and the ultimate Poleship of Sidi such and such (..) (More than 50 poles of the Salaf were stated). (..) And Give me the Poleship of every pole from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) until the blowing of the trumpet. (..) And give me moreover all what You have bestowed upon Sidna Talha and Sidna Zubayr (Nearly 60 Sahaba, their immediate followers (Tabi'in), and the followers of the Tabi'in that gained fame with Poleship were stated). Make me their heir obtaining all their sciences and gnosises and secrets and lights and deeds and states. (...) Make my rank (Maqam) contain the greatness of this array of Poleship (Qutbaniya) and Solitariness (Fardaniya) and Support (Ghawtaniya) and Viceregency (Khilafa) and Absoluteness (Jami’iya) to the point that all the Poles and Solitaries and Supports and Vicegerents and Absolutes and all the Gnostics, whether they are lovers (mu’hibbin) or loved ones (ma’hbubin), wayfarers (salikin) or pulled ones (majdubin), to the point that all of them dissolve and vanish before me. Make my opening (in this array of Poleship and Solitariness and Support and Viceregency and Absoluteness) enclose in every twinkling of an eye and moment the Night of Destiny (Laylat al-Qadr); the difference between the first and the next (twinkling of eyes and moments) the extent of 1,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (Nights of Destinies). (…) Make me in this Poleship: the very Pole and Solitary and Support and Absolute and Greatest Vicegerent (al-Khalifa al-A’adham) who receives the flow from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) without mediation; the one who is the Deputy and Vicegerent of God and the Prophet across all worlds, and the one who has the absolute, complete, general, excellent disposal (tasarruf) across all worlds, and the one who receives the flow from Our Lord Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) and Abi Bakr and Omar and Uthman and Ali and Israfil and Jibril and Mikail and ‘Izrail and the Holy Spirit that is the sultan of all the worlds and universes, and the one whose relationship with all the saints of his time is like the relationship of the sun with the planets. (…) And, O Lord! Make such and such humans and jinns (i.e. 1,000,000,000,000) attain gnosis (ma'arifa) at my hands.” (Jawahir al-Ma'ani)

12.     “Regarding the Shaykh’s wants (may Allah be pleased with him) of all kinds of realms and servants and houries and palaces and everything in Paradise at every level, each level is multiplied by hundreds and hundreds manifolds, it is just something beyond imagination and make a tongue tired, and no one is able to count up what he has requested except himself (may Allah be pleased with him).” (Jawahir al-Ma'ani)

13.     “Sidi Abul Hassan Ali ibn Chtiwi al-Jaridi said to Moulay Abdellqadir al-Jilani, "O my master, we heard about a Shaykh (i.e. Abil Abbas Tijani) that came to the village of Abi Samghoune (at the Eastern Sahara), what do you say about him?" He answered to his inquiry, "O my son, he is the tree under which shadow all of us find shelter." (Kashf al-Hijab)

14.     “Allah gave me in Paradise the rank of Forty Messengers. And this was never given to someone else.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

15.     “Allah gave me in the ‘Sab'a al-Mathani’ (Seven Oft-Repeated Verses) what He has not given to anyone except to the messengers (peace and blessing be upon them)” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

16.     “I am the one whom on the Day of Judgment a caller would call out the people of Standing: “Oh people of Standing! This is your Imam that supplied you from the creation of the world until now.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

17.     “I have perceived a time of 80,000,308,000,070,000 (more than 80,000 trillion) years in the primordial past.” (Jawahir al-Ma'ani)

18.     “These two feet of mine are upon the neck of every saint of Allah, from the time of Adam until the blowing of the trumpet.” (Rima'h)

19.     “The spirit of the Prophet and my spirit are like this--pointing with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger. His spirit supports the Messengers and the Prophets and my spirit supports the poles, the sages, the saints, from pre-existence to eternity (mina al-azal ila abad),” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

20.    “No saint drinks or provides water to drink, except from our ocean, from the origin of the world until the blowing on the trumpet.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

21.     “'Our station in the Presence of Allah in the Hereafter will not be attained by any of the saints, and it will not be approached by anyone, whether his importance is great or small. Of all the saints among from the very beginning of creation until the blowing on the trumpet, there is not one who will attain to my station.” (Rima'h)

22.    "You should know that Allah's bountiful grace has no limit, and that bountiful grace is in the hand of Allah, who gives it to whom He will. Let me also tell you that my station in the presence of Allah in the Hereafter will not be attained by any of the saints, and not one of them will come close to it, whether his importance be great or small. Of all the saints, from the time of the Companions until the blowing of the trumpet there is not one who will attain to our station, and not one of them will come close to it. I did not tell you that until I heard it for certain from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). As for the relationship of the degrees of the people of this Path with the degree of the people of the other paths, it is like that, to the point where it reaches a limit that I am forbidden to mention and divulge." Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

23.    "The relationship of the poles (aqtab) with me is like the relationship of the common folk with the poles." (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

24.    “All the shaykhs have taken from me from the time of the Companions until the blowing of the trumpet.” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

25.    (After beating his chest with his hand, the Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say,) “Only if I could find custodians to carry the sciences that are in my chest!” (Kashf al-Hijab)

26.    “Whoever claims authority (mashyakha) after my passing is a liar.” (Oral Teaching of Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun)

27.    “We have a degree in the sight of Allah, to the point that if someone is not on his guard against changing the heart of our companions, with no respect for our companions, Allah will banish him from his nearness, and He will deprive him of what He has bestowed upon him." (Rima'h)

28.    “The bounties that flow from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) are received by the natures of the prophets, and everything that flows and emerges from the natures of the Prophets is received by my own nature, and from me it is distributed to all creatures from the origin of the world until the blowing on the trumpet.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

29.    "We have a degree in the sight of Allah, which reaches such a height in the presence of Allah that I am forbidden to divulge its definition to you. If I were to express it, the masters of truth and gnostic wisdom would be unanimous in declaring me guilty of unbelief (kufr), to say nothing of other people. It is not the degree that I have mentioned to you. No indeed, it is beyond that!" (Rima'h)

30.    "I was told from the Unseen world (Ghayb): “Such are Our Bounties: whether you bestow them (on others) or withhold them, no account will be asked (Quran 38:39)."” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

31.     "The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: “Spend Bilal and never fear a decrease from the owner of the throne.” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

32.    "If the greatest poles came to know what Allah has prepared for the people of this path, they would weep and they would cry: 'Our Lord! You have given us nothing!'" (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

33.    “If the greatest Poles (Aqtab) of the Ummah are brought together they would not reach altogether the hair weight of the ocean of a group of my companions. And today, one of them has appeared. He was born into a Fasi father and Fasi mother.” (Kashf al-Hijab) Sidi al-Arabi ben Sayeh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The exact number of this group of companions does not exceed 600; 300 among human beings, and 300 among Jinns.” (Bughyat al-Mustafid) Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun (may Allah be pleased with him) states that there is a strong correlation between this group of companions, the city of Fez, and the concept of Fayda understood in the report whereby Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “At the end of time, when people will be faced with tremendous difficulties, a spiritual flood will descend upon my companions, who will then lead people into our Tariqa in large flocks!” Note that the ten companions whom the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has guaranteed the Grand Opening (all-Fath al-Akbar) to are Fasis!

34.    “If the greatest gnostics knew the bounty of the (Grand) Zawiya, they would pitch their tent in it.” (Kashf al-Hijab)

35.    “Were Ben Naser to be alive in this time, he would not have a choice but to follow me.” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

36.    “All the saints will be incorporated into our Circle, take our Wird and be initiated into our Path from the origin of the world until the doomsday. Even al-Imam Mahdi will receive our Path when the end of times arrives, and he will enter our company after our death,” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

37.    “All the paths will be incorporated into the Path of Shadhili (may Allah be pleased with him), except this Mohammedi Ibrahimi Hanifi Spiritual Path of ours, for it is self sufficient." (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

38.    “If the (Sufi) Shaykhs have special, beloved companions, they would send them to me (to become my companions).” (Kashf al-Hijab)

39.    “The egg from our side is worth a thousand (i.e. companions of other shaykhs), while the chicken is simply priceless!'" Sidi Tayyeb Sufyani comments: “Perhaps, the term ‘egg’ here is being referred to a veiled person and the term ‘chicken’ for a person bestowed with opening.” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

40.    “I have asked the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him): “O Master, Shaykh Mawlana Abdellqadir al-Jilani said, 'My stamp is not overstamped.' The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) responded: “O Ahmed your stamp is not overstamped and your stamp overstamps all the others. (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

41.     “For the one who quits other wirds emanating from the other shaykhs in order to hold on to this Mohammediya Ibrahimiya Hanifiya Path of ours there will be no harm to him, and he shall have no fear from his shaykh either in this life or in the Hereafter, and he is safe. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has himself guaranteed this to me. As for the one who enters our circle and quits it in order to enter another one, Allah will expel him from His Presence, and take away from him what He has given him. He will die as a kafir - we seek the refuge of Allah from the cunning of Allah, and he will never succeed, and no saint whatsoever will be able to help him.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

42.    “The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) combined in himself the loftiest degree of ‘Qutbaniya’ (Poleship) and the loftiest degree of ‘Fardaniya’ (Maqam of the Keys of the Treasures; Mafatih Kunuz, also called, Afrad).” (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

43.    “Allah gave me the divine capability to intercede for the people of my age (and twenty years after my death) excluding my hater who will die as an unbeliever (kafir) even though he would fulfill the duty of pilgrimage and participate in holy war (jihad). I have heard this from the Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him). (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem) (Ifada Ahmediya)

44.    “The Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: “Whoever looks at your face on Fridays and Mondays enters Paradise without reckoning.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

45.    “The Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him) gave me the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-A’adam) especially reserved for Sidna Ali (ibn Abi Talib) (may Allah glorify his face), after he gave me the Greatest Name especially reserved for himself (peace and blessing be upon him.” “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: This Name that is especially reserved for Sidna Ali (may Allah glorify his face) is only given to he whom Allah has willed in His Past to become a Qutb. I said to the Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him): ‘Give me permission in all its secrets and all what it contains. So he did” (Jawahir al-Maani)

46.    “All the Gnostics (‘arifin) have invoked the Greatest Name one thousand time a day from the time of Adam until the Day of Judgment, and this does not exceed no more than 27.000 years. Now, if you pull their remembrance together during this period it would not come near to one recitation of the Greatest Name by the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him)” (Jawahir al-Maani)

47.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) gave me “Miftah al-Qutbaniya” (Key of Poleship). And this litany is only given to and invoked by he whom Allah has willed to become a Qutb. (..) This litany is worth the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-A’adam) in acceptance.” (Jawahir al-Maani)

48.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had orally taught the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) the (litany of) "Dur al-Anwar" (Circles of Lights), and this litany appeared only at the time of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him), and it is worth the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-A’adam) in acceptance. (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

49.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had orally taught the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) the (litany of) Al-Asmae al-Idrissiya (The Forty Idrissid Names).” (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude) The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had also taught him the Prayer of “Yaqutat al-Haqaiq fi-Ta’ariif bi-Haqiqat Sayyid al-Khalaiq” (The Prayer of the Jewel of Realities in the Definition of the Reality of the Chieftain of Mankind). From the qualities of the latter is that if someone recites it twice in the morning and twice in the evening he would never face illusions in the Oneness of God (tawhid).” (Jawahir al-Maani) “And the Prayer of Yaqutat al-Haqaiq summarizes in full the Book of the “Meccan Openings” (al-Futuhat al-Makkiya) by Shaykh Ibn Arabi” (Mizab Rahma Rabbaniya)

50.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) gave me an invocation of blessing called Jawharat al-Kamal. If someone recites it twelve times and says: 'This is a gift from me to you, O Apostle of Allah,' it is as if he has visited him in his noble garden, and as if he has visited the saints of Allah Most High and the righteous, from the beginning of existence until his own time." Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem (may Allah be pleased with him) adds: “This is the reason of cutting the visitation on all his companions so that none of them visit our masters the saints (may Allah be pleased with him) save the Chieftain of the Universe (peace and blessing be upon him) and his companions. Sidna Shaykh said: “Whoever visit a saint from the saints the cord that is between me and him is cut. He is neither with us nor with him (i.e. the visited saint).” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

51.     “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: “Write a letter to our son Sulayman ibn Mohammed, prince of the believers, and tell him there is nothing on earth greater in merit and in honor than my Wird, the wird I dictated to you. Tell him to recite it, for indeed, Allah will purify his life on earth and in the hereafter thanks to the recitation of this wird. Inform him there is nothing on earth greater in merit and in honor than the invocation known as the Hizb Sayfi that I had dictated to Ali ibn Talib. By reciting it Allah keeps away both apparent and hidden calamities from him, which will bring him good here and in the hereafter." (Kashf al-Hijab) “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) asked the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) to substitute Hizb Sayfi with 40 recitations of al-Qadr chapter (Ch. 97).” (Raf’a Niqab)

52.    “Whatever I remember a word from any remembrance whatsoever, seventy thousand (70.000) angels would join me in the remembrance, and the remembrance of each angel would be worth seven thousand words, each word being worth ten deeds. And this was never given to anyone else before us.” Our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) graciously presented this tremendous favor to his companions, and that was in the month of Jumada Thaniya in the year 1213 (November, 1798). (Jawahir al-Maani) “70,000 angles associate with each and every companion of Sidna Shaykh from the time of initiation until death (24/7)." (Ira’at ‘Araais Shumus Falak al-Haqaiq)

53.    “And a numerous company from among the last [Quran 56:40]” is my companions!” (Al-Ifada al-Ahmediya)

54.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has guaranteed the Grand Opening (al-Fath al-Akbar) to ten companions of mine.”

55.    “The Driver of Salvation (i.e. the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him) drives communities to this Presence of ours and the Divine Force keeps other people far away from it.” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

56.    “The support (madad) of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) will continue to flow until the Day of the Judgment. His path on human beings will exceed the number of ten thousand (10,000); each path is led by a student of his, and each path would be divided into other branches until the Day of the Judgment. Whereas, the paths among his Jinni students will also exceed the number of ten thousand (10,000), and each path will be divided into other branches until the Day of the Judgment.” (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

57.     “Our Stamp is Mohammedian. It comes above every person that takes our Wird, and intersection occurs to him and his parents immediately." (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

58.    “My companion would not be consumed by the Fire of Hell, even if he had killed seventy spirits, provided that he had subsequently repented." (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

59.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: “Your paupers are my paupers, your students are my students, and your companions are my companions. Everyone who receives your litany is emancipated from the Fire of Hell.'" (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

60.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: "Tell your companions: 'Do not offend me by offending one another.'" (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

61.     “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: ‘When your companions pass by my Companions, they should visit them. As for others among the saints, they should not visit them." (Rima'h)

62.    “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me (Wasita Sidi Mohammed ibn Arabi Damrawi), ‘Was it not for your love to Shaykh Tijani, you would have never seen me’.” (Kashf al-Hijab)

63.    "The Chieftain of Existence (peace and blessing be upon him) informed me that everyone who loves me is a beloved friend of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), and he will certainly not die until he becomes a saint." (Rima'h)

64.    "The Chieftain of Existence told me: 'You are included among those who are safe, and anyone who loves you is included among those who are safe. You are my beloved friend, and anyone who loves you is my beloved friend. Everyone who receives your litany is emancipated from the Fire of Hell.'” (Rima'h)

65.    “I asked the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) about those who already possess a wird from the other shaykhs and are keen to have our Wird? What should they do?” The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) replied: “O Ahmed! Tell them that my Wird is the greatest one, and this Wird dispenses all the other wirds, and it contains the secret of all the other wirds. For the one who holds on to it and quits other wirds emanating from the other shaykhs there will be no harm to him, and he shall have no fear from his shaykh either in this life or in the Hereafter, and he is safe. This Wird suffices him. Otherwise, he has to leave our Wird, for this Wird is only accepted as a single one”. (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude) “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: “Write a letter to our son Sulayman ibn Mohammed, prince of the believers, and tell him there is nothing on earth greater in merit and in honor than my Wird, the wird I dictated to you. Tell him to recite it, for indeed, Allah will purify his life on earth and in the hereafter thanks to the recitation of this Wird. (Kashf al-Hijab)

66.    “As for someone who is a lover but does not receive the litany, he will not leave this world until he comes to be among the saints." (Rima'h)

67.    “I swear by the Truth! I will never let down my neighbors (of the Grand Zawiya) neither in this life nor in the next” (Ifada al-Ahmediya)

68.    "If I am a doorway to the salvation of every disobedient sinner who attaches himself to me, well and good. It not, what merit have I?" The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told him: "You are a doorway to the salvation of every sinner who attaches himself to you!" (Rima'h)

69.    “If I were to express what Allah has bestowed upon me and my companions of the bounty of Salat al-Fatih prayer, the great gnostics (akabir al-‘arifin) would be unanimous in having me killed.” (From the epistles Sidi Mohammed ibn Ahmed Akansus) “The great bounty that Allah has saved for the reciters of Salat al-Fatih prayer should not be mentioned, and it will only appear at the Hereafter.” Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem comments, “The reason being that the prayer is itself from the direct words of the Holy Essence of God (Kalam Dat al-Muqaddasa), and thereby it is not from the product of men. “And among its benefits that one recitation of the prayer sets free a person from Hell (fidya mina an-nar)… and whoever recites it once, Allah will forgive all his sins even though he was 100,000 years old.” (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

70.    "One million students multiplied by itself (“One Trillion”; 1,000,000,000,000), including women and Jinns, are going to reach the most sublime, perfect, direct knowledge (ma'arifa), divine love (ma'habba), witnessing (mushahada), certitude (yaqin), oneness of God (tawhid), courtesies (adaab), sciences (‘ulum), and straightforwardness (istiqama) at the hands of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him). (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

71.     “He (Shaykh Tijani) is telling you that he will never die.” (Sidi Hafid ben Adwa al-Fasi who was from the Afrad said this statement to Sidi Mohammed Ibn Ghazi, the contemporary Companion of Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him), the very instant he thought of the possibility of visiting shrines after the death of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him). (Kashf al-Hijab)

72.   “Not one of the men of distinction will have all of his companions enter Paradise without reckoning and without chastisement, whatever sins and acts of disobedience they may have committed, not one of them except me alone." (Kunnash of Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem)

73.    "My Companions will have an isthmus of their own, in which they will find shelter, and all of this is part of the abundant provision bestowed upon them, since Allah Most High has favored them with His love and His familiarity. (Sidna Shaykh) “The Companions of our Master move with their bodies and souls from their graves into an isthmus (Barzakh) of their own next to Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him)! Some of them even attend the Grand Zawiya to read the Wadhifa, and perhaps the elite companions notice them. (Al-Qutb Sidi Ali Tamasini in Kashf al-Hijab)

74. "One day, Moulay Mhammed ibn Abi Nasr al-Alawi (may Allah profit us by him), was walking in the district of the Sharabiliyine in the city of Fez (may Allah preserve it from every harm) when he found Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) standing in the middle of the crossroads of Darb Zuqaq Rawah while people were looking at him from the four directions. So when he saw our Master (may Allah be pleased with him) he greeted him and stayed next to him until he departed with him to his residence (i.e. Dar Lamraya). There, he asked him, “Oh Master! What is the reason behind your long standing at that place?” Our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) answered: “The Divine Presence told me, ‘Go out to my slaves in my image. Whoever has seen you has seen Me!” (Kashf al-Hijab)

75. “The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is present at the time of the death of my followers, and he is also present when they are being questioned in their graves.” (Kashf al-Hijab)

If you have understood this, O my brother, you should know –may Allah enable me and you to attain this tremendous benefit and comprehensive success, that Allah, by His gracious favor and His noble generosity, has granted many favors to those who have attached themselves to this Shaykh, who is the Concealed Pole and the Sealed Isthmus. Those favors were guaranteed for them by his ancestor his confidant and his beloved, the Chieftain of Existence and the Star of the Universe, our master and our patron Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him), in a state of wakefulness not sleep. It is nor permissible to mention most of those favors, nor to broadcast them and they will not be seen or recognized except in the Hereafter.

The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned a sufficient number of them, so the convinced believer can rejoice in the good news, despite the disdain of the critic. We have therefore decided to mention some of them here, revealing as much about them as we can, and withholding what ought to be concealed. Those who have considered it proper to mention are thirty-nine gracious favors. Fourteen of them are bestowed upon everyone who attaches himself to the Shaykh with submissivness (taslim), firm conviction (i'atiqad), reverence (ta’adhim) and love (ma’habba) for him, refraining from opposition (al-i'atirad) to him and from criticism (al-intiqad), treating the people of his Path with loving affection (ma’ahabba), respect (i’htirami-him) and veneration (ta’adhimi-him), and causing them no harm (‘adam idayatihim). The rest are peculiar to those people of his Path who strictly adhere to his invocations (adhkar).

Let us begin with the first part:

1.     The fact that his ancestor the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) guaranteed to them that they will die in true faith (iman).

2.    The fact that Allah Most High will relieve them of the agonies of death (sakarat al-mawt).

3.    They will not see anything in their graves except what is easy for them to bear.

4.    The fact that Allah Most High will keep them safe from all the forms of His torment (‘adab) and His terror (takhwif), and all evils (shurur) from death until settlement in the Garden of Paradise.

5.     The fact that Allah Most High will forgive them for all their sins, those already committed and those committed later (ma taqaddam wa ma ta’khar).

6.    The fact that Allah Most High will recompense all their liabilities (taba’at) and their misdeeds (madalim) from the treasuries of His gracious favor (Almighty and Glorious is He), nor from their good deeds (hasanat).

7.     The fact that Allah Most High will not call them to account (laa yu’hasibuhum), nor will subject them to interrogation (laa ya’luhum), and He will not question them about anything small or great on the Day of Resurrection.

8.    The fact that Allah Most High will shade them (yudilluhum) in the shadow of His Throne (fi Dilli ‘Arshih) on the Day of Resurrection.

9.    The fact that Allah Most High will cause them to pass across the Narrow Bridge (sirat) over the Fire of Hell more quickly than the twinkling of an eye, mounted on the shoulders of the angels.

10. The fact that Allah Most High will quench their thirst from the Basin of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) on the Day of Resurrection.

11.   The fact that Allah Most High will cause them to enter the Garden without reckoning and without chastisement, in the vanguard of the first troop (zumra al-uwla).

12. The fact that Allah Most High will cause them to settle in the Garden, in the highest heights of the Garden of Iliyyine and the Garden of Eden.

The Prophet's guaranty (peace and blessing be upon him) of everything mentioned by the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) was granted for the following reason: When the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) recognized the love that came to him from his Ancestor (peace and blessing be upon him), and which he expressed to him in no uncertain terms, he thought of his companions, those whose kindness had touched him and the people of his Path. He then wrote a letter, in which he presented all these requests for himself, for them, and for others whom I shall not mention at length, and he placed it in the hand of Allah's Apostle (peace and blessing be upon him). When he looked at the letter (peace and blessing be upon him), he gave the answer that he (peace and blessing be upon him) had guaranteed everything that he had requested. He also presented all these requests to him (peace and blessing be upon him) by word of mouth, without putting them in writing, and he (peace and blessing be upon him) guaranteed everything that he requested.

13. The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) will love everyone who becomes a lover of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him).

14. The fact that the lover or the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) will not die until he becomes a saint (wali). He said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Chieftain of Existence (peace and blessing be upon him) informed me that everyone who loves me is a beloved friend of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), and he will certainly not die until he becomes a saint." He also said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Chieftain of Existence told me: 'You are included among those who are safe (anta mina’l aminin), and anyone who loves you is included among those who are safe (wa man a’habbaka mina’l aminin). You are my beloved friend (anta Habibi), and anyone who loves you is my beloved friend (wa man a’habbaka Habibi). Everyone who receives your litany is emancipated (mu’harrar) from the Fire of Hell."' He also said (may Allah be pleased with him): "As for someone who is a lover (mu’hibb) but does not receive the litany, he will not leave this world until he comes to be among the saints."

This brings us to the end of the first part, so let now us proceed to explain what is peculiar to those people of his Path who strictly adhere to his litanies:

15. The fact that the parents of someone who receives his litanies, and his wives and his descendants, and his wives’ parents, will enter the Garden without reckoning and without chastisement, even if one of them is not attached to him with any of the various kinds of attachment. Our master said (may Allah be pleased with him): "If someone receives from me the well-known litany, which is essential to the Path, or he receives it from someone I have authorized to teach it, he will enter the Garden of Paradise—he and his children, his wives and her parents excluding his descendants—without reckoning and without punishment, provided that they are not guilty of any insult (sabb), hatred (bughd) or enmity (‘adawa), and that he persists in loving the Shaykh until death." He then went on to say (may Allah be pleased with him) "I asked Allah's Apostle (peace and blessing be upon him): 'Is this a special favor, peculiar to someone who has received the remembrance from me verbatim, or is it for everyone who has received it, even through an intermediary'' He told me: 'Everyone whom you have authorized, and who has given it to someone else, for it is as if he has received it from you verbatim, and I am a guarantor for them all.' This favor is granted to anyone who recites this litany, whether he has seen me or has not seen me." In response to one of his companions, who asked him for good tidings, our master said (may Allah be pleased with him): "You have requested me to inform you of certain matters, so that your heart may be at peace, your love may increase, and your happiness may be lasting. Let me tell you, therefore, that what is most important is the charismatic gift bestowed on the firm believer in defiance of the critic, for that is the greatest benefit to be hoped for, and the most excellent promise to be anticipated by the intelligent person. It means that anyone who receives our litany, and practices it constantly until death, will enter the Garden of Paradise without reckoning and without punishment -he and his children, his wives and his descendants, if they all remain innocent from criticism (in salima al jami’a minal intiqad)."

16. The fact that they are disciples of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).

17. The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has called them companions of his (peace and blessing be upon him). Our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Chieftain of Existence told me: 'You are included among those who are safe and sound, and anyone who loves you is included among those who are safe and sound. You are my beloved friend, and anyone who loves you is my beloved friend. Your paupers are my paupers (fuqarauka fuqarai), your students are my students (talamidhatuka talamidhi), and your companions are my companions (ashabuka ashabi). Everyone who receives your litany is emancipated from the Fire of Hell.'" The people of his Path have thus become companions (Sahabis), in this sense, for the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) spoke about them in the same way as he spoke about his own Companions (may Allah the Exalted be well pleased with them), since he said to our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him), in a state of wakefulness not sleep: "Tell your companions: 'Do not offend me by offending one another,'" and he said about his own Companions (may Allah the Exalted be well pleased with them): "Do not offend me with regard to my Companions!"

18. The fact that anyone who offends them is offending the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). A quarrel once broke out between two men among his companions. So he commanded them to make peace between the two without delay. Our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) then let it be known that the command to make peace between them had come to him from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), who had informed him that whatever is offensive to his Companions (may Allah be well pleased with them) is offensive to him (peace and blessing be upon him).

19. The fact that the Rightly Guided Imam (Mahdi) who is Expected Imam Mahdi is a brother of theirs in the Path. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): "All the saints will enter our company, receive our litanies, and adhere to our Path, from the beginning of existence until the Day of Resurrection. Even the Rightly Guided Imam will receive from us when the end of time arrives. They will enter our company after our day and our transfer to the Abode of Perpetuity (Dar al-Baqa’)." Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Abu Talib Sharif al-Hassani informed me that one of the Shaykh companions said to another, in the presence of the Shaykh: "The Rightly guided Imam Mahdi will slaughter us when he appears!" But the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) told him: "He will not slaughter you. Because he is a brother of yours in the Path. He will slaughter only the scholars of evil." He also said: "When the Expected One (al-Muntadhar) comes, he will seek Fatiha from our companions." He also informed me, when we were in Medina the Illumined (upon its Resident - the most excellent blessing and the purest peace), that he was in the vicinity of the Two Noble Sanctuaries for certain reasons only, one of them being to observe the appearance of the Rightly Guided Imam al-Mahdi while he was present, for perhaps Allah would favor him with the Imam's acceptance of this Path at his hand. I left him there in that vicinity (may Allah be well pleased with him).

20. The fact that the people of his Path, all of them, are higher in degree than the greatest of the Poles (Aqtab). He said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "If the greatest of the Poles became aware of what Allah Most High has prepared for the people of this Path, they would weep and they would say: O our Lord, You have not given us anything!'" He also said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "Not one of the men of distinction will have all his companions enter the Garden without reckoning and without chastisement, whatever sins and acts of disobedience they may have committed, not one of them except me alone!" Al-Khalifa Abul Hassan Sidi Ali Harazem (d. 1212/1797) remarks in Kitab Jawahir al-Ma'ani, “Beyond that, it is not permissible to mention what he told me about them, amid which the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) guaranteed. It will not be seen and known except in the Hereafter and in some of the epistles (rasa’il). He said (may Allah sanctify his spirit): "Allah Most High has given to me"—meaning to him and his companions—"what He has not given to any of the Shaykhs, and He will not give it to any of those who come after them, not ever. He has given it as a gracious favor from Him and out of sheer generosity, not because of any rightful claim against Him (Glory he to Him), but rather because He foreordained that in His simper eternity. So praise be to Him and abundant thanks, for Allah provides for whomever He will, without reckoning."

21. Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali (may Allah be well pleased with him) informed me that the Shaykh (may Allah be well pleased with him) said one day at his meeting: "If someone has loved me for the sake of Allah and His Apostle, let him love me. If someone has loved me for the sake of some personal interest, I swear by Allah—there is no God but He— I am a simple ordinary man and I own nothing at all." Sidi Mohammed al Ghali forgot about it, until he ventured to say: "Welcome to the simple ordinary man whose companions have surpassed the greatest of the Poles!" The Shaykh (may Allah be well pleased with him) responded to this by saying: "Yes indeed, and what significance docs that have in the sight of Allah Most High.” I say: For every successful, fortunate and equitable person, it should now be obvious that the ordinary people of this Path of ours are higher in degree, in the Hereafter, than the greatest of the Poles (Aqtab) and Helpers (Agwath). That is because, as previously explained, the people of every Path will be summoned on the Day of Resurrection in the name of their Shaykh, and they will be summoned to its proximity. Allah (Exalted He) has said: “On the day when We shall call all human beings together with their leader.” (Quran 17:71) As we have also previously explained, the seekers will attain to the degrees of their elders and their Shaykhs, provided that they have believed peace their spiritual states and have understood their reaching, .is Allah (Glory be to Him and Most High) has said: “And for those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith, We shall join their offspring to them.” (52:21) What should also lie clearly understood, from all that has been said, is the secret meaning of the Prophet's saying (peace and blessing be upon him) to the Shaykh of the people of this Path of ours: "Your paupers are my paupers, your disciples are my disciples, and your companions are my companions." He has thus made it known (peace and blessing be upon him) that there is a complete connection between his Companions (peace and blessing be upon him) and the companions of this Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him), and because of that connection they are greater in the sight of Allah than the greatest of the gnostic sages and the Helpers even if, in outward appearance, they are grouped among the common folk. The proofs of this in the Sacred Law are innumerable. Allah Most High has said: “The likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allah's cause is as the likeness of grain that grows seven ears, peace every ear a hundred grains. Allah gives increase manifold to whom He will.” (Quran 2:261) —and Allah Most High has said: “The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.” (97:5) And it has been narrated in the “Al-Ifada al-Ahmediya li-Murid Sa’ada al-Abadiya” (The Ahmedi Notification for the Hunter of Eternal Rapture) by Al-Allama Sidi Tayyeb Sufyani al-Hassani (d. 1259/1844) that Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “And a numerous company from among the last” (Quran 56:40) are my companions!”

22. The fact that the litanies essential to the Path contain one of the versions of the Greatest Name (al-lsm -A'dham). This version is not the preeminent form of the Greatest Name, which is peculiar to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), and if someone receives this version through an authentic chain of transmission, he is entitled to half the reward of the preeminent form. The Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The excellence attributed to the Greatest Name is peculiar to the version which is especially reserved to the Maqam of 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." He then went on to say (may Allah be pleased with him): "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."

23. The fact that the litanies of this Path contain the preeminent form of the Greatest Name, which is especially reserved to the Maqam of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him pence).

24. The fact that a few of them are safe from downgrading (salb). The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "One of the peculiarities of the circle of comprehension (Dairat al-Ihata) is that, if Allah Most High teaches someone an utterance, without its secret meanings, he is safe from downgrading, and no one may hurt him, even if he has not been endowed with sainthood. No one can downgrade him except the Qutb."

25. The fact that each and every single one of his companions has a share of the reward of the preeminent Greatest Name, which is the circle of comprehension (Dairat al-Ihata), even he does not know the Name, let alone recite it in the remembrance. That is because, whenever the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) remembered a word from any remembrance whatsoever, seventy thousand (70.000) angels would join him in the remembrance, and the remembrance of each angel would be worth seven thousand words, each word being worth ten deeds. Our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) graciously presented this tremendous favor to his companions, and that was in the month of Jumada Thaniya in the year 1213 (November, 1798). May Allah Most High provide us with a share of that and a reward, purely by His gracious favor! Amin. (Jawahir al-Maani)

26. The fact that 70,000 angles associate with each and every one of them from the time of initiation until death. (Ira’at ‘Araais Shumus Falak al-Haqaiq). Angels would join them in the remembrance, and the remembrance of each angel would be worth 70.000 manifolds, each word being worth ten deeds (‘hasanat). (Jawahir al-Maani)

27. The fact that each and every single one of his companions has a share off Sidna Shaykh’s Qutbaniya, khatmiya and katmiya. (Allama Sidi Mohammed Radi Gannun) Al-Qutb Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (d. 1309/1894) says in “Bughyat al-Mustafid fi-Shar'h Minyat al-Murid (Aspiration of the Beneficiary in the Commentary of the Desire of The Seeker) that companions of Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) inherit the secrets and lights and illuminations and stages and states of the Shaykh as he (may Allah be pleased with him) ascends in his high ranks absolutely continuously.

28. The fact that they obtain so much of the reward of the exalted invocations of the preeminent Greatest Name (al-Adkar al-‘Aliya mina’l Ism al-A’adham al-Kabir), while the greatest of the gnostic sages (‘arifin) and the Poles (aqtab) obtain far less. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): "If you consider the reward of the Qutb before this time, and the reward of a single remembrance by our companions, it will be obvious to you that the reward of a Qutb before our time, in comparison with the reward of a single remembrance by one of our companions, is like a drop in the vast ocean." When he was asked Allah be pleased with him): "How do they obtain all that?" he replied "On my account!" (min ajli). This secret is revealed in the Prophet's saying (peace and blessing be upon him) to our master (may Allah the Exalted he well pleased with him): "Your paupers are my paupers, your disciples are my disciples, and your companions are my companions." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) thereby made it known that there is a complete connection between his Companions and the companions of this Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him), and because of that connection they are among the greatest in the sight of Allah, even if, in outward appearance, they are grouped among the common folk.

29. The fact that they obtain so much of the reward of the Salat al-Fatih prayer. The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If I were to express what Allah bestow upon us and our companions of the bounty of Salat al-Fatih prayer, the great gnostics (akabir al-‘arifin) would be unanimous in having me killed.” He has also said (may Allah be pleased with him): "After I studied the prayer (of Salat al-Fatih) I realized that it excels the worship of all jinns, humans, and angles". And he said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Apostle of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) told me: 'No one has ever prayed on me with a prayer better than the one of Salat al-Fatih.” And he said (may Allah be pleased with him): "That the residents of the Seven Skys and the Seven Earths congregate to describe the rewards of Salat al-Fatih they would have failed." And he said (may Allah be pleased with him): "What you have heard on the bounty of Salat al-Fatih is a drop in the sea compared to what is concealed."

30. We have a degree in the sight of Allah, which reaches such a height in the presence of Allah that I am forbidden to divulge its definition to you. If I were to express it, the masters of truth and gnostic wisdom would be unanimous in declaring me guilty of unbelief (kufr), to say nothing of other people. It is not the degree that I have mentioned to you. No indeed, it is beyond that!"

31. The fact that the Qutb would always be found in the midst of the companions of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him). “He shall not be questioned as to what He does” (Quran 21:23) Amid the companions that sat on the throne of the Qutbaniya the names of Sidi al-Haj Ali Tamasini al-Hassani (d. 1260/1845), Sidi Mohammed ibn Abi al-Nasr al-Alawi al-Hassani (d. 1273/1858), Sidi al-Haj Omar b. Said al-Futi (d. 1279/1864), Sidi Mohammed ibn Ahmed Akansus al-Jaafari (d. 1294/1879), Sidi al-Arabi ibn Sayeh (d. 1309/1894), Sidi al-Haj al-Ahsan ibn Ahmed al-Ifrani al-Hassani (d. 1328/ 1913), 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), Sidi al-Haj al-Ahsan al-Baaqili al-Hassani (d. 1368/1953), Shaykh Sidi Ibrahim Niass al-Kawlakhi (d. 1390/1975), Sidi Mohammed Siba'i (d. 1403/1983), Moulay al-Hassan al-Kathiri al-Hassani (d. 1409/1988). "A group of my community will remain on truth in the Maghreb until Allah commands" (Narrated by Muslim). The Qutb could reach this known Maqam in the divine hierarchy without being able to assume this title.

32. The fact that certain individuals among them are complete Murabbis (spiritual trainers), who are highly qualified to educate those who recite litanies, while they are still in the process of initiation. Their number, according to the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him), does not exceed 600 Muqaddams; 300 among human beings, and 300 among Jinns. (Bughyat al-Mustafid)

33. The fact that the support (madad) of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) will continue to flow until the Day of the Judgment. His path on human beings will exceed the number of ten thousand (10,000); each path is led by a student of his, and each path would be divided into other branches until the Day of the Judgment. Whereas, the paths among his Jinni students will also exceed the number of ten thousand (10,000), and each path will be divided into other branches until the Day of the Judgment. (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

34. The fact that a number of one million students multiplied by itself (“One Trillion”; 1,000,000,000,000), including women and Jinns, are going to reach the most sublime, perfect, direct knowledge (al-ma'arifa), divine love (ma'habba), witnessing mushahada), certitude (yaqin), oneness of God (tawhid), courtesies (adaab), sciences (‘ulum), and straightforwardness (al-istiqama) at the hands of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him). (Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude)

35. The fact that the nature of certain individuals among them is such, that if a person sees one of them on a Monday or a Friday, the beholder will enter the Garden of Paradise with reckoning and without chastisement. This is an Ahmedi-Tijani inheritance. As previously mentioned, I saw in the hand of the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) a garment of light, and he said to me: "Anyone who sees it will enter the Garden of Paradise." Then he clothed me (Sidi Omar al-Futi) with it.

36. The fact that the nature of some among them is such, that if a person sees a vision of one of them and the beholder says to him: "Bear witness for me that I have seen von." the one who is seen will say: "I have borne witness for you that you have seen me!" The beholder will therefore enter the Garden.

37. The fact that Allah Most High will give, to any one of them who does the work of a worker whose work is acceptable to Allah Most High, more than one hundred thousand times (100.000) the reward He gives to that worker. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): “Allah Most High give us and our companions each worker whose work is acceptable more than one hundred thousand times the reward He gives to that work; be this work small or big, obligatory or non obligatory. And (He gives us this) while we are asleep. Praise be to Allah. Glory be to the King Most High who said: “He shall not be questioned as to what He does” (Quran 21:23). “Your Lord is indeed effective in doing whatever He wishes.” (Quran 11: 07) “And You give sustenance to whom You will, without reckoning.” (Quran 3:27) “And Allah sustains whomever He will, without reckoning.” (Quran 2:212) “The bounty is in Allah's hand. He bestows it on whom He will.” (5:54)

Suppose one said: "I am afraid that one of the incompetents might oppose you by citing Allah's saying Most High: “And that the human being has only that for which he strives.” (53:39)" My response would be: "No one would oppose me by citing that noble Quranic verse, except someone who has no familiarity with the science of the Sacred Law and Reality, no acquaintance with the Book and the Sunna, and no knowledge of the consensus of the Community." As stated in Siraj al-Munir on the subject of this Quranic verse, Ibn 'Abbas said: "This is abrogated as a ruling in this Sacred Law—that is to say, it is confined to the scrolls of Moses and Abraham (blessing and peace lie upon them both) —by His saying: “We shall join their offspring to them.” (52:21) —for He will cause the believers' children to enter the Garden bee a use of the righteousness of their parents." 'Ikrima said: "That applies to the people of Moses and Abraham (blessing and peace be upon them both). As for the members of this Community, they have that for which they strive, and also that for which others strive on their behalf. It is related that a woman lifted up a young boy of hers, and said: O Apostle of Allah, does this lad have a Pilgrimage to his credit:" He replied: 'Yes. and you have a reward!" A man said to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him): 'My mother has reproduced herself, so is she entitled to a reward if she gives alms on her daughter's behalf:" He said: 'Yes!"'

Shaykh Taqiyyu'd-Din Abul-Abbas Ahmad ibn Taimiyya said: "If someone is convinced that the human being does not benefit except by his own work, he has violated the consensus. And that is invalid from many points of view:

"i. The human being benefits by the supplication du'a' of another, and that is benefiting by the other's work.

"ii & iii. the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) will intercede on behalf of the people at the place of standing at the Reckoning, then on behalf of the people of the Garden, to secure their admission thereto, then on behalf of the people who are guilty of major sins, to secure their exit from the Fire, and this is benefiting by another's effort.

"iv. The angels plead and seek forgiveness on behalf of those on the earth, and that is benefiting by the work of others.

"v. Allah Most High will extract from the Fire those who have done nothing good at all, purely by His mercy, and this is benefiting by something other than their work.

"vi. The children of the believers will enter the Garden because of the work of their parents, and that is benefiting by the work of others.

"vii Allah Most High has said, in the story of the two orphan boys: “And their father had been righteous."(Quran 18:82) —so they benefited by the righteousness of their father, not by their own striving.

"viii. The dead man benefits by the charitable donation (sadaqa) that is made on his behalf, and by the emancipation of a slave, in accordance with the Sunna and the consensus, and that is benefiting by the work of others.

"ix. The prescribed Pilgrimage is discharged on behalf of the dead man by the Pilgrimages of his legal guardian, in accordance with the Sunna, and that is benefiting by the work of another.

"x. The solemnly vowed Pilgrimage or tasting is discharged by the action of another person, in accordance with the Sunna, and that is benefiting by the work of another.

"xi. Consider the case of the debtor on whom the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) refused to invoke blessing, until Abu Qatada settled his debt for him All ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) also settled the debts owed by other people. The benefits of the Prophet's blessing (peace and blessing be upon him) and exemption from liability were thus obtained through the work of others.

"xii. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said of someone who performed the ritual prayer alone by himself: 'Surely a man will be charitable and perform the prayer together with him!'—so he obtained the benefit of the congregation by the action of another.

"xiii. A person is absolved of his liability for the debts owed to his fellow creatures, if someone settles them on his behalf, and this is benefiting by the work of another.

"xiv. When someone is guilty of offenses and misdeeds, he is acquitted of them it he is declared innocent, and this is benefiting by the work of another.

"xv. The righteous neighbor is the source of benefit in life and death, as related in the traditional report, and this is benefiting by the work of another.

"xvi. When a person sits in the company of the people who practice remembrance, he is treated kindly by them, even though he is not one of them. He does nor sir with them for that reason, however, but because of some need that has affected him. Actions are valued according to the intentions, so he has benefited by the work of others.

"xvii. In the case of the ritual prayer at the funeral of the deceased, and the supplication made for him in the prayer, the deceased receives the benefit of the prayer performed over him by the living, and that is benefiting by the work of another.

"xviii. The Congregational Prayer is convened through the gathering together of the required number of worshippers, that being a considerable number, and this is benefiting from one another. Allah Most High said to His Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): “But Allah would not punish them while you were among them.” (Quran 8:33) “And if it had not been for believing men and believing women.” (Quran 48 25) “And it Allah had not repelled some people by others.” (2:251) —so Allah Most High kept the torment away from some people by means of others, and that is benefiting by the work of others.

"xx. The charitable donation at the end of Ramadan must be given by a man on behalf of the minor and anyone else whom he is legally hound to support, so the benefit of that is obtained by someone who is not directly involved, without any effort on his part.

"xxi. The alms-due (zakat) is imposed on the property of the minor and the lunatic, and they are rewarded for that, even though it involves no effort on their part.

If someone considers the evidence, he will find almost countless examples of benefit obtained by the human being without his having worked for it, so how can the Quranic verse be interpreted in contradiction to the explicit verdict of the Book, the Sunna and the consensus of the Community.

38. The fact that there will be a place for them at the Assembly on the Day of Resurrection (al-ma’hshar) in the shade of the Heavenly Throne (dhil al-‘arsh), where they will be alone by themselves. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "Our companions will not enter the Assembly together with the people, and they will experience neither trial nor tribulation, from the lowering of their eyes until the establishment in the Iliyyine Paradise." He also said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "On the Day of Resurrection, our companions will not be together with the people at the Place of Standing. No, they will be sheltered in the shade of the Heavenly Throne, in a place of their own. No one will precede them in entering the Garden, except the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them)."

39. The fact that they will be in the highest of the Iliyyine Paradise. As for his loved ones who are not among the people of his Path and his litanies. Their ultimate situation will be in the Iliyyine Paradise. He said (may Allah be pleased with him): "My companions will be in the vicinity of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in the Iliyyine Paradise, together with the masters of firm resolve (Uli’l ‘Azm), among the messengers and the prophets (blessing and peace be upon them)."

40. The fact that they will have an isthmus (barzakh) of their own. Our master (may Allah sanctify his spirit) has also informed us, in one of the epistles, that they will have an isthmus of their own, in which they will find shelter, and all of this is part of the abundant provision bestowed upon them, since Allah Most High has favored them with His love and His familiarity. (Rimah) “The Companions of our Master move with their bodies and souls from their graves into an isthmus (Barzakh) of their own next to Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him)! Some of them even attend the Grand Zawiya to read the Wadhifa, and perhaps the elite companions notice them. (Al-Qutb Sidi Ali Tamasini in Kashf al-Hijab)

41. The fact that they will not be exposed to the horrors of the Place of Standing (ahwal al-mawqif), and they will not experience its thunderbolts (sawa’iq) and its earthquakes (zalazil). Instead, they will be together with those who are safe and sound at the gate of the Garden, until they enter with Chosen Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in the vanguard of the first troop, along with his Companions. Their permanent abode will then be in his vicinity (may Allah the Exalted bless him and his family and give them peace) in the Highest Heights, as the neighbors of his Companions (peace and blessing be upon him). Glory be to the One who graciously favors whomever He will with whatever He will, entirely of His own volition.

42. The fact that most of them will be granted each day the favor of visiting the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in his noble garden, and of visiting all the saints of Allah Most High and the righteous, from the beginning of existence until his own time. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): "Allah's Apostle (peace and blessing be upon him) gave me an invocation of blessing called "Jawharat al-Kamal fi Mad’hi Sayyid Rijal” (The Jewel of Excellence in the Praise of the Chieftain of Men)' If someone recites it twelve times and says: 'This is a gift from me to you, O Apostle of Allah,' it is as if he has visited him in his noble garden, and as if he has visited the saints of Allah Most High and the righteous, from the beginning of existence until his own time."

43. The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and the Four Caliphs are present with the people of this Path every day. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me that if someone recites it seven times or more, he (peace and blessing be upon him) and the Four Caliphs will be present with him as long as he remembers it." Allah Most High has graciously recommended to our brethren that it should he recited twelve times in the daily office Wadhifa- so that is sufficient for those who are lazy.

44. The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) loves them with a special love, different from that already bestowed on them and on all the loved ones in the first part. Our Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me that, if someone makes a regular practice of reciting the Jawharat al-Kamal prayer more than seven times every day, he (peace and blessing be upon him) will love him with a special love, and he will not die until he becomes a saint."

45. The fact that they have a special characteristic by which they are distinguished from others, and by which they are recognized as the disciples of Allah's Apostle (peace and blessing be upon him). Inscribed between the eyes of each one of them is: "Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him)." Inscribed over his heart, close to his back, is: "Mohammed Ibn Abdellah." On his head there is a crown of light, bearing the inscription: "The Tijani Path the origin of which is the Mohammedan Reality [Tariqa Tijaniya, manshu u-ha al-Haqiqa al-Mohammediya]"

46. The fact that they have received from Allah Most High a special subtleness peculiar to them (lutf khass bihim). According to Sidi Mohammed Abu Talib Sharif al-Hassani—who was told by his ancestor, the Chieftain of Existence, our master Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him): "If someone looks at your face, Allah Most High will grant, him forgiveness!" The Shaykh (may Allah the Exalted he well pleased with him) said of the people of this Path: "Allah Most High has endowed them with a gracious quality peculiar to them, in addition to the gracious quality that is common to them and others." That is why he said (may Allah the Exalted he well pleased with him): "My companion would not be consumed by the Fire of Hell, even if he had killed seventy spirits, provided that he had subsequently repented."

47. The fact that if anyone has not treated them with respect, and has abused them, Allah Most High will banish him from His nearness (taradahu min qurbih), deprive him (salabah maa mana’hah) and subject him to tribulation. Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We have a degree in the sight of Allah," to the point where he said "The peculiarity of that degree is this: If someone is not on his guard against changing the heart of our companions, with no respect for our companions, Allah will banish him from his nearness, and He will deprive him of what He has bestowed upon him." That is because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) lies jealously of the people of this Path, with a special zeal, as he used to lie jealously of his Companions, because its people are his paupers fuqara and his disciples, just like his companions (may Allah be pleased with them). That is why he (peace and blessing be upon him) said to our Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him): "When your companions pass by my Companions, they should visit them. As for others among the saints, they should not visit them." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) also said to Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali: "You are the son of the Confidant (anta ibn al-Habib) and you have entered the Path of the Confidant (wa akhadta tariqata al-Habib). This is sufficient good news for the people of his Path, for it is more important that this world and all of its goods, and than the Garden of Paradise, its palaces and the rest of its delights, and there is no goal beyond it beyond it except beholding the countenance of our Noble Master.

48. The fact that they will not experience the fever heat of death (‘haratat al-mawt), which is what is referred to as "the agonies of death (sakarat al-mawt]." It should be known here as well that if someone makes a constant practice of reciting the Hizb Sayfi prayer in the morning and the evening, he will definitely not experience the fever heat of death. His spirit will depart without his being aware and without his feeling any pain. If someone makes a constant practice of reciting: "Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and His blessings!" (Salam Alayka Ayyuha an-Nabbiyu wa Rahmatu Allahi wa Barakatuhu)—one hundred times every day—he will definitely not experience the agonies of death. One of them made a constant practice of that, and he died while sitting in the ritual prayer. For those mentioned in the first part, death is made easy, whereas these experience absolutely no pain whatsoever. Allah Most High is the One who enables us, by His gracious favor, to reach the straight Path, and to Him (Glory be to Him) is the homeward journey!

49. The fact that their opening (fath) is guaranteed without any need for seclusion (khalwa), retirement from people ('uzla), companionship (suhba), or training (tarbiya). The Holy Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said to Mawlana Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him), "You owe no favour to any of the Shaykhs of the Path, for I am myself your medium and provider in every truth. Abandon all that you have taken from all other tariqas and hold fast to this tariqa without seclusion, or retirement from people, until you reach your promised maqam, and you are as you are, without hardship, difficulty, or strive, and abdicate all the saints."

In a word, Al-Khalifa Abul Hassan Sidi Ali Harazem says in the Epistle of Bounty and Gratitude,

"Almighty Allah has bestowed upon (our Shaykh) and gave him and made him reach the Qutbaniya of spiritual training (tarbiya) and eye glance (nadra) leading the disciple to the perfect knowledge, direct perception, certitude, oneness, courtesies, science, and straightforwardness. He can lead him to Allah from his initial walking to his desire in an eye glance. And promote his heart with his secret (sirr) not in attitude. He makes him reach in a quick eye glance pulling him (as a result) from the obstacles of the stage of Islam (maqam al-Islam) and the stage of faith (maqam al-iman) and the stage of beneficence (maqam al-I’hsan) so that he can embellish him with that one eye glance with the three above stances leading him (to reach), with this eye glance, in drunkenness (sukran) and awakening (sa’hwan) and subsistence (sa’hwan) and annihilation (baqa’an); as he sees no one with his heart in a remote place and in spite of the fact he is an unbeliever or a despot king and by that Master’s eye glance he will be a complete knower in God (‘arif kamil). All these achievements need no companionship or spiritual education, but the Shaykh can only look at him through his heart whenever this disciple who is an unknown element is based, and therefore turns him immediately into to a perfect knowledgeable man.

The Ahmedi Mohammedi Ibrahimi 'Hanifi dimensions of the Tijaniya Path

You should know that the full name of this Spiritual Path of ours comprises several (adjectival) names, arranged in this order al-Ahmediya al-Mohammediya al-Ibrahimiya al-Hanifiya Tijaniya. If you wish, you may call it: Tariqa al-Ahmediya (the Ahmedi Spiritual Path), or Tariqa al-Mohammediya...[More]