The Sparkled Bridegroom in the Concealness and Sealness of Abil Abbas Tijani the Phoenix

The Concealed Pole, the Known Mohammedian Seal, the Seal of Special Mohammedian Sainthood,  Shaykh Abil Abbas Sidi Ahmed Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him)

"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." - Mawlana al-Khatm Sayyidi Abul Aabas Ahmed Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him)

There was a secret reason why the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, was made the Seal of the Prophets, such that he appeared only after the prophets who were his precursors. Each of these received, in accordance with the places and circumstances of each manifestation, a revealed Law and taught to all beings the existence of the one God. When it became part of the design of the Creator to close the cycle of prophecy, lie delegated this function to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, lie revealed to him the Quran, a hermetic summary of all the previous revelations and religions. 

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, summoned people to the Straight Path. His reforms accomplished an unprecedented miracle in the history of religions. Among those who followed him were a series of imams (spiritual guides) who appeared over the passage of time. One of those who received the mission to guide the Muslim community was the Greatest Shaykh, Mawlana Abil Abbas Sidi Ahmed Tijani, may Allah be pleased with him, who established one of the most eclectic of ways because it represents the summit, or the quintessence, of all the turuq (plural of tariqa) which had come before it since the emergence of Islam.

(In fact he before receiving this particular mission, Shaykh al-Tijani had been initialed into all of the turuq of his time, the Shadhiliya, the Khalwatiya, the Naqshbandiya and the Qadiriya. In each one, he had received the rank of shaykh. Therefore, he thus had the right not only to transmit the initiation of each of these turuq, as a muqaddam does, hut also the right to name muqaddams. He thus had within himself the convergence of all the spiritual currents that had been deployed since the time of the Prophet through the various turuq. During the vision he had of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, had said to him. "From this moment, you are exempt from the authority of all the other shaykhs. I am your spiritual master.")

During one of his spiritual retreats, the founder of the Tijani Tariqa was honored in 1196 of the Hijra (1782) with the very holy appari­tion of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him. He received from him the secret and mystical gift of being able to comment on the mysterious passages of the Quran, the Sunna, and the teachings of the 'ulama' and other Sufi shaykhs. This mission makes Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani, may Allah be pleased with him, the Pole of Poles, the Shaykh of Shaykhs, the Link of Links, a great figure of Islam. Within Islam, his Tariqa plays the role that Islam plays among all religions. This is to say that Shaykh Tijani, may Allah be pleased with him, occupies among the saints the place that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, occupies among the prophets. 

Furthermore, when we speak of "the Tariqa" we mean the Tariqa of makes Shaykh  Tijani, may Allah be pleased with him. And if we speak about it, it is not because it is ours, but because it presents a perfect analogy with the three pillars of the teaching of the 'ulama' and the Sufis, that is, the Wird Lazim, the Wadhifa, and the Haylala. He was given this Tariqa to strengthen Islam. Before an initiate is accepted he is first admonished to continue to be strict in observing the five pillars of Islam.

"Khatmiya" by definition

The Arabic dictionary of "Lisan Al-Arab" defines the word 'khatm' in the following terms:

“A person seals (khatama) the Noble Quran: If he reads it from beginning to end. And in the words of Ibn Sayyidih, a person seals (khatama) something: If he reaches its very end. And Allah seals (yakhtum) a person’s life with goodness. And the seal (khaatim) and closure (khaatimya) of everything is the shutting of what had gone before (‘aqiba) and the very end of it (akhir).  And I’ve sealed (khatmatu) something: I’ve started it all over (istaftahtuhu). And the end of the chapter (khaatima-t surah): Its very end. And the plural of ‘Khaatim’ (seal) is ‘Khawatim’ (seals). And the khitaam (seal) of every beverage: Its very end. And in the Holy Quran: ‘Khitaamuhu Misk’ (It is sealed with musk): Meaning at very end, because what they find therewith is the scent of musk. And the chroniclers report that Sidna Ali, peace be upon him, has said: ‘Khaatimuhu Misk’, and he articulated: ‘I’ve seen a woman saying to the perfume merchant, ‘Ij’al lii Khaatimatan Miskan’ (Make for me a musk at the very end)."  (Letter Jim/15)

Now our Topic

According to Sufi tradition, the invisible hierarchy of sainthood consists of the 40 abdal (substitutes; for when any of them dies another is elected by God from the rank and file of the saints), seven awtad (stakes, or props, of faith), three nuqaba' (leaders; one who introduces people to his master), headed by the qutb (axis, pole) or ghawt (succour). In addition to these hierarchal ranks there exist two other greater saints: there are the 'Seal of Mohammedian Sainthood' (Khatm al-Wilaya al-Mohammediya) and the  'Seal of Prophetic Inheritance’ (Khatm al-Wiratha an-Nabawiya) represented in Mawlana Shaykh Tijani and Imam al-Mahdi respectively. 

Sidi Abdelwahhab Shaarani (d. 905/1490) illustrates in Durar al-Ghawas, 

"This community has two comprehensive Seals, and every degree and station has an inheritor. Every saint there has ever been, or will ever be, can only receive from these two Seals, one of whom is the Seal of the sainthood of the elite, while the other is the one by whom the common sainthood is sealed, for there will be no saint after him until the advent of the Final Hour."

Sidi Muhyiddin ibn Arabi al-‘Hatimi(d. 636/1221) introduces the Seal of Sainthood in the Book of ‘Anqa’ Maghreb fi khatm al-awliya wa shams al-Maghreb (The Phoenix in the Seal of Saints and the Sun of the Maghreb) as,

 “The inheriting saint, who receives from the source, who recognizes the degrees and ascertains the entitlement of their holders, in order to give each creditor his rightful due, for that is one of the virtues of the Chieftain of the Envoys, the Captain of the Community." 

The concept of sealness of sainthood (khatm al-wilaya) have been introduced for the first time in the book of Khatim al-Awliya (Seal of Saints) of Shaykh Sidi al-Hakim Tirmidhi (d. 320/905) and then popularized through the writings of the Shaykh al-Akbar Sidi Muhyiddin ibn Arabi al-‘Hatimi (d. 636/1221) in his ‘Anqa’ Maghreb fi khatm al-awliya wa shams al-Maghreb, the Futuhat al-Makkiya (the Makkan Openings), and the Fusus al-Hikam (Bezels of Wisdom), only to develop later in mainstream Sufi literature by Sidi Mohammed Wafa al-Idrissi  (d. 765/1350), Sidi Mohammed b. Sulayman Jazouli (d. 869/1454), Sidi Abdelwahhab Shaarani (d. 905/1490), Sidi Shihabuddin Ahmed al-Qushashi (d. 1074/1661), and Sidi Mokhtar al-Kunti (d. 1226/1811). Sufi literature argues that Seal of Sainthood is the last and most perfect personality in the historical spiritual cycle inaugurated by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). With this person, the evolution of Perfect Sainthood (al-Wilalaya al-Kassa) has found its end— just as prophethood did with the emergence of the Seal of Prophets Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). In the twelfth/eighteenth century onward, a new era of literature on has been flourished by followers of the Hidden Pole and the Known Mohammedian Seal, Sidna Shaykh Abul Abbas Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tijani al-Hassani (may Allah overflow on us from his ocean with the best of spectacles). 

The prolific penman, al-'Alim al-Allama, Shaykh al-Kabir, Sidi Ahmed Sukayrij al-Fasi (d. 1366/1940) dismantles in the book of "Nahj al-Hidaya fi-Khatm al-Wilaya" (Path of Guidance in the Seal of Sainthood),

"Authorized Sainthood (al-wilaya al-ma’aduna) which is a special inheritance (wiratha) from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is divided to general (‘aam) and private (khass) as mentioned by the Sufis. The source of both emanates either from the inner prophethood (batin al-risala), inner messengerhood (batin al-nubuwwa), or from the Mohammedian Essence (ad-dhat al-Mohammediya). Each of these can be attained by the saints. The only difference, however, is in the degree of appearance and manifestation at the rank (maqam)." 

Accordingly, the nature of "Seal" stands for various meanings  in Sufi literature,

"At times the term the term khatm stands for the maqam of the ‘Seal of the Greatest Viceroy” (khatm al-khilafa al-udhma) appeared first through Adam.  Almighty Allah said: “And when the Lord said to the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy (khalifa) in the earth [2:30]. The seal of this maqam is one person who is on the footsteps of Adam as well as Sidna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) for viceroyalty perfectly and absolutely manifested itself restrictively in him. Therefore no saint will ever reach the perfection (of Sidna Ali) when arriving to this type of khatmiya. The khatm, therefore, does not seal sainthood. In fact, others will attain the khatmiya after him except that no one will reach his degree. (In the framework of this typology) the khatmiya is termed al-mulk (reign) as well. At times the term khatm characterizes the ‘Seal of Imams’ (khatm al-imama). This category typifies the full and perfect manifestation in the imama (leadership) of people. This is restricted to the sons of Sidna Ali ibn Abi Talib. Therefore no one else will be bestowed the perfect manifestation of this saintly category except them.

At times the term khatm characterises the maqam of the "Absolute General Authorization" (al-qutbaniya al-jami'a al-'udhma), that is graded one rank bellow that of the prophets (anbiya) and companions (sa'haba) of the Holy Prophet (peace an blessing be upon him). Only those very unique Mohammedian-Poles reach this khatmiya maqam. One person only occupies it at every age, resembling, on the other hand, the Reviver of Faith (al-mujaddid) that appears at every 100 years. The mujaddid is not restricted to one person and one person only. Numerous poles claimed this khatmiya rank such as Sidi Mohammed Wafa (d. 765/1350), Imam al-Qushashi (d. 1074/1661), and others (may Allah be pleased with all). Compliance with the Shari’a by heart and recollection (without having to resort to an aid) is a prerequisite of this khatmiya. Knowledge of the names of each animal, plant, mineral metal and other beings is another prerequisite. Sidi Ali ibn Mohammed Wafa (807/1404) said: "The most perfect saint in every age is the one who manifests his divine revelation and gnosis in a way people could never have guessed". Therefore each khatm (in this typology) possesses special manifestation in accordance to his rank. Hence levels of variance exist (in every age). The particularity of this khatmiya (in the historical cycle inaugurated by the prophethood of the Holy Prophet) was fastened and sealed by the Greatest Seal (al-khatm al-akbar), the Famous Gnostic (al-'arif shahir), the Sun of Gnosis (shams al-ma'arif), Mawlana Ahmed Tijani. Shaykh Tijani's great sealness of the khatmiya maqam indicates that no one will ever appear in this maqam the way he appeared and manifested in it as he sealed the absolute appearance (ad-duhur at-tam) of the khatmiya maqam. This does not indicate that he sealed its appearance nor no one after him will attain the rank of sainthood (wilaya) as it is commonly misunderstood. The khatmiya maqam's absolute appearance was claimed before by Sidi Muhyiddin ibn Arabi al-‘Hatimi (d. 636/1221) when he said: “We no doubt sealed sainthood by inheriting the Hachimi and the Messiah”. However he retracted (taraja'a) later when aware that the full, complete and absolute appearance in that maqam is to be for some one else. He discover not who will attain such absolute appearance. That is why, like other saints, called such a khatm: the Concealed (al-Maktum).  

At times the term khatm figures the ‘Seal of Prophetic Inheritance’ (khatm al-wiratha al-nabawiya). After this khatm appear no saints with power of governance (Awliya’-u tasreef). This seal will be the just Imam, the Awaited al-Mahdi (al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar). Sainthood (out of the power of tasreef) wont cease to exist after him, for it is the “Absolute Seal”, the one after which there will be no saints at all is the Prophet Sidna Aissa (“Jesus”; peace and blessings be upon our prophet and him). At times the term khatm bodies the ‘Seal of the Existence of Birth’ (Khatm wujud al-wilada). Meaning that this khatm will be the last to be born from mankind. It is restricted to one person who is on the footsteps of Prophet Seth (peace be upon him) and holder of his secrets. After this seal there wont be any more children from the children of Adam for he is the ‘Seal of Children’. A sister of his will also be born at the same time. She will be born before him and he will follow. His head will be at her feet. His birthplace will be China and he will speak the language of his country. Sterility will be widespread in man and women and there will be no more children. He will call people to Allah but will not be heard. When Almighty Allah takes his soul and the souls of the believers in his time, those remaining will be at the level of animals where they don't establish the ‘Halal (the authoritative) nor refrain from ‘Haram (the forbidden). Their conduct will be based on mindless and faithless vain-desires, this is when the last hour before Judgment will occur." (Kitab Nahj al-Hidaya)

The famous Muhaddith Sidi al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. 320/905) was certainly the first to write about what he called the Seal, or Khatam, of the Awliya. In his writings, he spoke of a great Sufi who will come much later in time, and who will be the Seal of Sainthood. In the chronicle he called Khatim al-Awliya, al-Hakim Tirmidhi (d. 320/905) argues that Khatim al-Awliya is the person, “upon whom the leadership (imama) of the saints is incumbent, who bears in his hand the Banner of the saints, and whose intercession all the saints have need of, just as prophets have need of Prophet Sidna Mohammed”. Tirmidhi continues that that authority of the Khatim al-Awliya even extends to the eschatological realm. On the Day of Judgment he will come forth as the proof of the saints just as the Seal of Prophets Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) will come forth as the proof of the prophets. Indeed, Sidna Shaykh said to his companions in Fez, "'When Allah assembles His creatures at the place of standing, a herald will proclaim at the top of his voice, so that everyone at the place of standing will hear him: "O people of the final congregation, this is your Imam, from whom you obtained your support!"

يقول الحكيم الترمذي ﺭضي الله عنه: "قال له القائل:  ‏وما صفة ذلك الولي، الذي له إمامة الولاية ورياستها وختم الولاية‏؟ ‏ قال‏:‏ ذلك من الأنبياء قريب، يكاد يلحقهم‏.‏ قال‏:‏ فأين مقامه‏؟ ‏ قال‏:‏ في أعلى منازل الأولياء، في ملك الفردانية، وقد انفرد في وحدانيته، ومناجاته كفاحًا في مجالس الملك، وهداياه من خزائن السعي‏.‏  قال‏:‏وما خزائن السعي‏؟ ‏ قال‏:‏ إنما هي خزائن ثلاث‏:‏ خزائن المنن للأولياء، وخزائن السعي لهذا الإمام القائد، وخزائن القرب للأنبياء عليهم السلام، فهذا خاتم الأولياء مقامه من خزائن المنن، ومتناوله من خزائن القرب‏:‏ فهو في السعي أبدًا فمرتبته ههنا، ومتناوله من خزائن الأنبياء عليهم السلام، قد انكشف له الغطاء عن مقام الأولياء ومراتبهم وعطاياهم وتحفهم‏."...‏"‏فهذا سيد الأولياء وأمان أهل الأرض ومنظر أهل السماء، وخالصة الله وموضع نظره وسوطه في خلقه‏"‏..."وأن هذا الذي حصل عليه ذلك الولي إنما كان باجتباء من الله ومنة منه فهو الذي جذبه إليه، وأراد به ذلك‏".‏  ...‏‏"قال له القائل صف لنا هذا الذي وجبت له الإمامة على الأولياء وأن لواء الولاية بيده وأن الأولياء كلهم محتاجون إليه في الشفاعة كما يحتاج الأنبياء إلى نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم. قال أما صفته فهو الذي أعلمتك. قال فيم تقدم الأولياء فاحتاجوا إليه؟ قال: فإنه أعطي ختم الولاية فبالختم تقدمهم فصار حجة الله على أوليائه وقد ذكرت في أول الكتاب سبب الختم وهو أن النبوة أعطيت الأنبياء عليهم السلام ولم يعطوا الختم. فلم تخل تلك الحظوظ من هنات النفس ومشاركتها وأعطي نبينا وختمت له نبوته كالعهد الذي يكتب ثم يختم فلا يصل أحد إلى أن يزيد فيه أو ينقص منه وقد وصفت شأنه فيما تقدم وكذلك هذا الولي يسير به الله تعالى على طريق محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بنبوته مختوما بختم الله فكما كان محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم حجة على الأنبياء كذلك يصير هذا الولي حجة على الأولياء بأن يقول الله تعالى لهم: معاشر الأولياء أعطيتكم ولايتي فلم تصونوها في مشاركة النفس وهذا أضعفكم وأقلكم عمرا قد أتى بجميع الولاية صدقا فلم يجعل للنفس فيها نصيبا ولا تلبيسا. وكان ذلك في الغيب من منة الله تعالى على هذا العبد حيث أعطاه الختم لتقر به عين محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم في الموقف حتى قعد الشيطان بمعزل وأيست النفس فبقيت محجوبة فيقر له الأولياء يومئذ بالفضل عليهم فإذا جاءت تلك الأهوال لم يك مقصرا وجاء محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بالختم فيكون أمانا لهم من ذلك الهول وجاء هذا الولي بختمه فيكون أمانا لهم بصدق الولاية فاحتاج إليه الأولياء. وللختم شأن عجيب ولله في ولد آدم عجائب وخلقهم لأمر عظيم ولما عرف العاقل أن الله ولي (أي تولى) خلق آدم بيده علم أن هذه خطة فيها أمور عظام ولما عرف أنه سماه خليفة علم أن هنا عجائب فإن الخليفة له شعبة من الملك المستخلف".

According to Sidi Ahmed Sukayraj (may Allah be pleased with him), absolute appearance of the "Station of Sealness" was claimed in the past many Sufis including Shaykh al-Akbar Sidi Muhyiddin ibn Arabi al-‘Hatimi al-Andalusi (may Allah be pleased with him) when he said: 

“We no doubt sealed sainthood by inheriting the Hachimi and the Messiah”. 

However he retracted (taraja'a) later when aware that the full, complete and absolute appearance in that maqam is to be for some one else. He discover not who will attain such absolute appearance. That is why, like other saints, called such a khatm: the Concealed (al-Maktum). In his explaination of the station of "Station of Sealness", Ibn Arabi went too far to connect the nature of the Sealness of Prophethood and that of Sainthood, 

“The meaning of the Prophet's saying:  ‘I was a Prophet while Adam was between the water and the clay -is 'I was a Prophet in actual fact, aware of my Prophethood, while Adam was between the water and the clay.” 

He then went on to say 

"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 fulfilment of the preconditions of Prophethood." 

Then he added: 

“the Seal of the Saints 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." 

Because he is characterised by the complete assimilation of the Mohammedian paradigm, the Seal of Sainthood acts as a deputy (khalifa) of Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and symbolically takes his place in isthmus (Barzakh) as well as during the time allotted to him on earth. 

Among the other saints that claimed the Station, according to the book of "Rihla al-'Iyyashiyya", a who's who encyclopedia of the world of Muslim theology and Sunnism, written by the Moroocan saint Sidi Salim al-'Ayyashi (d. 1909/1679), is Sidi Ahmed al-Qushashi (d. 1074/1660). In al-Qushashi’s words, Sayyida Sitt Ajam, the woman who became Ibn Arabi’s spiritual successor, and claimed to have understood him more than any of his direct, or living, students, also claimed to have been a "Seal". In her understanding then, being a "Seal" is probably a spiritual station. This is what al-Qushashi wrote on the margins of one of the books in his library. He said, 

"Sealness of Sainthood is a spiritual station that has always existed and that there will always be one person who has reached this station in every age, until the end of times”. “He himself,” says al-Qushashi, “had reached this station and become the khatm.”

Al-Qushashi was born in a village near Jerusalem, then settled in Medina. In Medina he studied under two renowned mystics of Indian origin, al-Shinnawi and Sibghat Allah. He was affiliated with a number of paths, including the Naqshbandi and Shattari, of which he became khalifah. He has also benefited from the Moroccan Shaykh Sidi Ali ibn Maymun al-Fasi (d. 917/1502), who claimed for himself the station of khatmiya when he said: "Then I finished before the end of the forty days, and [my Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tibbasi (d. 929/1506)] said to me, 

'O Ali my son, there remains nothing above your station except for the station of prophethood, but fully realize your [present] station until you complete the [required number of] days.' I achieved far more than I could possibly have hoped for many times over."

يقول الشيخ الأكبر رضي الله عنه: "ومنهم ‏(‏يعني الأولياء‏)‏ الختم، وهو واحد لا في كل زمان، بل واحد في العالم يختم الله به الولاية المحمدية فلا يكون في الأولياء المحمديين أكبر منه"..."الختم ختمان: ختم يختم الله به الولايه مطلقا و ختم يختم به الولايه المحمديه فاما ختم الولايه على الاطلاق فهو عيسى عليه السلام فهو الولى بالنبوه المطلقه فى زمان هذه اﻷمه و حيل بينه و بين نبوة التشريع و الرساله فينزل فى آخر الزمان وارثا خاتما لا ولى بعده فكان اول هذا الامر نبى و هو آدم و آخره عيسى اعنى نبوه الاختصاص فيكون له حشران: حشر معنا و حشر مع الانبياء و الرسل" و يقول في فصوص الحكم: "وليس هذا العلم إلا لخاتم الرسل وخاتم الأولياء، وما يراه أحد من الأنبياء أو الرسل إلا من مشكاة الرسول الخاتم، ولا يراه أحد من الأولياء إلا من مشكاة الولي الخاتم، حتى إن الرسل لا يرونه متى رأوه إلا من مشكاة خاتم الأولياء؛ فإن الرسالة والنبوة أعني نبوة التشريع ورسالته تنقطعان، والولاية لا تنقطع أبداً، فالمرسلون من كونهم أولياء لا يرون ما ذكرناه إلا من مشكاة خاتم الأولياء". و صرح رضي الله عنه في مواضع أخرى بأنه الختم. حيث أخبر أنه رأى سنة 599 هـ حائطاً من ذهب وفضة إلا موضع لبنتين إحداهما من ذهب والأخرى من فضة، فانطبع في موضع تينك اللبنتين قال: وعبرت الرؤيا بانختام الولاية بي، وذكرتها للمشايخ والكاملين المعاصرين فعبروها بما عبرتها به. ولكنه تراجع عن هذا الادعاء وقال إن هذا المقام لرجل من فاس يكنى بأبي العباس ويبتلى بإنكار الناس وأشار إلى اجتماع برزخي مع صاحب هذا المقام حيث قال في الفتوحات المكية "وأما ختم الولاية المحمدية فهي لرجل من العرب من أكرمها أصلا وبدء وهو في زمننا اليوم موجود عرفت به سنة 595هـ ورأيت العلامة التي قد أخفاها الحق فيه عن عيون عباده وكشفها لي بمدينة فاس حتى رأيت خاتم الولاية منه وهو خاتم الولاية المطلقة لا يعلهما كثير من الناس وقد ابتلاه الله بأهل الإنكار عليه فيما يتحقق به من الحق في سره من العالم به وكما أن الله ختم بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم نبوة الشرائع كذلك ختم الله بالختم المحمدي الولاية التي تحصل من الإرث المحمدي لا التي تحصل من سائر الأولياء فإن من الأولياء من يرث إبراهيم و موسى وعيسى فهؤلاء يوجدون بعد هذا الختم وبعده لا يوجد ولي على قلب محمد صلى الله عليه سلم هذا معنى خاتم الولاية." والشيخ محي الدين بن عربي أشار أيضا إلى مقام الكتمية في الفتوحات المكية عند الكلام على حديث "لاتزال طائفة من أهل المغرب ظاهرين على الحق إلى يوم القيامة" حيث قال: وإنما جعله الله بالمغرب لأنه محل الأسرار والكتم وهو سر لا يلهمه الله إلا أهل الاختصاص، وفي رواية قال أبو جعفر الرازي عن الربيع بن أنس في قوله تعالى:"وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ"  قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "إن من أمتي قوماً على الحق حتى ينزل عيسى ابن مريم متى ما نزل." وفي الصحيحين عن معاوية بن أبي سفيان قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "لا تزال طائفة من أمتي ظاهرين على الحق لا يضرهم من خذلهم ولا من خالفهم حتى تقوم الساعة".

The Shaykh Sidi Mohammed ibn Slimane Jazouli (d. 869/1454) has demonstrated his closeness to Allah and the Prophet Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) through divine inspirations (ilhamat), divine addresses (muhadathat), and divine conversations with God (mukalamat). These attestations of divine favour also served as proofs of his Sealness of Sainthood by confirming his exalted ranks as the Khalifa (successor) of the Prophet, Mahdi (the Guided), and Qutb az-Zaman (Axis of the Age). Many of his statements consist of bold declarations of unparalleled spiritual supremacy, both among his contemporaries and in comparison of old generations of Sufis.  Several of Imam Jazouli's muhadathat call for the revival of Islam under a divinely guided imam. These discourses are replete with double meaning and make use of ambiguous and highly provocative vocabulary:

"Past nations (umam) have asked to be included in our polity (dawlatuna). Yet no one can be included in it unless he has already attained salvation (sa'ada). Our polity is the state (dawla) of those who strive (mujtahidin) and struggle (mujahidin) in the path of Allah—fighters against the enemy of Allah. The kings of the Earth are in my hands and under my feet!" (...) "Oh assembly of Muslims! Look at your Master, for He is with me! I have no perception (nadhar) except through Him. His perfection (kamal) has encompassed my chest and my life. Indeed, it has encompassed me for all of my life! His perfection has annihilated me from everything other than him. Oh you who would see me on earth! See me instead in Heaven, on the Throne, and even above it! Do you not know that the axial saints (aqtab) are needed by every created being? They are in the station of prophethood (maqam an-nubuwa), revealing the divine secret (yafshuna as-sirr)!" (...) "Oh assembly of Muslims! Do you know that the Chosen One (peace and blessing be upon him) is near to me (qaribun minni) and that his authority (hukmuhu) is in my hands? He who follows me is his follower, but he who does not follow me will never be his follower. I have heard [the Prophet] say (peace and blessing be upon him): 'You are the Mahdi! He who desires to be saved (man arada an yus'ada) must come to you!'"

Tijani Literature

It is well-known that Sidna Shaykh emerged in the twelfth/eighteenth century. He attained the Greatest Opening (al-Fath al-Akbar) at the hand of his grandfather (peace and blessing be upon him) in 1197/1782 in the castle of Abi Samghoune. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) authorised him in a daylight vision to establish his own order, the Tariqa Ahmediya-Mohammediya-Ibrahimiya-Hanifiya-Tijaniya, and furthermore assigned to him the obligatory wird (litany) which he has to transmit in general and unstrictly to any seeker who asks for it and accepts to abide by its conditions. In 1211/1796, Sidna Shaykh (63 years old) finally moved to Fez.

Two months after his settlement in Fez, Sidna Shaykh gave the al-Khalifa al-Mu'adham  Abul Hassan Sidi Ali Berrada permission to start the complication of the Jawahir al-ma'ani wa-bulugh al-amani fi fayd Sidi Abil al-Abbas at-Tijani (Gems of Indications and Attainment of Aspirations in the Overflowings of Sidi Abil Abbas Tijani) by an order from his grandfather (peace and blessing be upon him). The  Holy Prophet have arrogated the book to himself by saying, "I am the author of this book" (kitab-i huwa wa ana al-ladi katabtuh). Al-Khalifa Harazem was among the most  intimate companions (khassat al-khassa) of Sidna Shaykh. He had a high rank before the Shaykh who used to praise him so much about his qualities before his companions that caused jealousy among them. It was reported from Sidna Shaykh that the Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) told him: ''He is for you, what Abu Bakr was for me." Among the sayings of the Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) to Sidna Shaykh is the following: ''O Ahmed! Ask the opinion of your servant and your beloved (Harazem). Indeed he is for you in the rank of Harun (Heron) for Musa (Moses). I do not advise you something better than this about him, may peace be upon you.” Observing his baraka, the sultan Moulay Sulayman demanded from Sidi Ali Harazem to perform the daily obligatory Tijani wird on his behalf.   

And one year after his entrance to Fez, Sidna Shaykh was entrusted with the Station of AL-QUTBANIYA AL-UDHMA (Absolute Poleship) on Sunday, the 12th of Mu'harram 1214/ the 15th of June 1799. The author of  Minya-t al-Murid (The Desire of the Seeker), Sidi Tijani b. Baba Chinguiti’s (d. 1260/1845), informed that Sidna Shaykh attained the Absolute Poleship on Mount Arafat, the scared mountain outside Mecca. Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Arbi Sayeh (may Allah be pleased with him) explains in the Bughya that the author of Minya-t al-Murid has learned this from Mawlana Mohammed al-Habib ibn Mawlana Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him; d. 1269/1854) at Ain Madhi. Granted, the Absolute Poleship of Sidna Shaykh is not like the other ones. The Grand Khalifa and Holy Mediator, Abul Hassan Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem (may Allah be pleased with him) explains in the first chapter of Jawahir al-Maani,  

"The following is one of the supplications of Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) where he was asking Allah, Exalted is He, to grant him all the ranks (maqamat) and way-stations (manazil) and standings (mawaqif) and presences (‘hadarat) and ascents (taraqqiyat) and states (a’hwal) and stations (darajat) of the complete Gnostics (‘Arifin) and Poles (Aqtab) and Solitaries (Afrad) from the Time of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) until the Day of Judgment. I hereby share some of its contents hoping that you would be able to realize the vastness of the gnosis of this Master, his immensity and grandeur in the sight of Allah, and the gratification and favor that Allah has prepared for him,

'Oh Lord! I am asking You, by Your Bounty through your Bounty, by Your Kindness through Your Kindness, by Your Generosity through Your Generosity, by Your Glory through Your Glory, not to 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), including their viceregency (Khilafa) and support (Ghawtaniya) and solitariness (Fardaniya) and absoluteness (Jamii’yya), and all what their ranks contained of all kinds of obligatory, logic, dogmatic, unveiling, divine sciences, and all kinds of gnosises; the gnosises of Your Essence (Dat) and Attributes (Sifat) and Names (Asma’) and Deeds (Af’al), and all kinds of secrets (asrar), and lights (anwar), and acts (a’amal), and states (a’hwal), and ranks (maqamat), and descends (munazalat), and unveilings (kushufat), and openings (futuhat), and certitude (yaqin), and oneness in God (tawhid), and observation (mushahada), and love (ma’habba), and specification (takhsis), and courtesy between Your Hands (al-adab bayna Yadayka), and comprehension through You (al-fahm ‘anka), and jurisprudence in Your Religion (fiqh fi-Din-ika), and ascendants of Your Manifestation in all the ascendants (tawali’a tajalliyatik fi jami’a al-matali’a), and fulfillment of the divine rights of Your Lordship (rububiya), and absorption in the observation of Your Greatness (A’adama) and Grandeur (Kibriya’), and continuity of wither and dissolve from Your Awe (hayba) and Chastisement of Majesty (satwat al-Jalal), and extinction (khumud) under the windstorms of Your Destiny (maqadir), and excellence of standing through You (kamal al-qiyam bika) at the levels of submission (islam-an) and faith (iman-an) and adoration (ihsan-an) and cognition (ilm-an) and action (‘amal-an) and state (‘halan) and way-station (manzila-tan) and rank (maqam-an) and certitude (ta’ha’qu’qan) and character (takhalu’qan). All in all, do not take my soul until You give me all what You have given them during (the time of) their Poleship; from birth to death. Give me all what I have mentioned and what I have not mentioned which is encompassed in Your Knowledge.

Give me along with this 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.'

[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).]

The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) informed us that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has guaranteed for him all the above requests. Praise and thankfulness be to God. As for now, he is described with what he has requested. Praise and thankfulness be to God. As far as all his requests are concerned, we could not have mentioned all of them thereby due to the arcane nature of the content. I have mainly mentioned this one in order that you realize the immense Grandeur, Excellence and Absolute Poleship of Our Shaykh Abil Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him)."  

Few days later, Sidna Shaykh attained the Station of KHATMIYA (Sealness of Sainthood), known as “Khatm al-Wilaya al-Mohammediya al-Khassa” (Sealness of Special Mohammedian Sainthood). Shaykh Ibn Arabi al-Hatimi (may Allah be pleased with him) explains in the book of ‘Anqa’ Maghreb fi khatm al-awliya wa shams al-Maghreb ( Phoenix of the West in the Seal of Saints and Sun of Maghreb), he introduces the Seal of Sainthood as, “the inheriting saint, who receives from the source, who recognizes the degrees and ascertains the entitlement of their holders, in order to give each creditor his rightful due, for that is one of the virtues of the Chieftain of the Envoys, the Captain of the Community." Simply put, this man is the intermediary between the prophets and the saints from pre-existence to eternity (mina al-azal ila abad), so that not one of the saints, whether his importance is great or small, can receive an overflow from the presence of a Prophet except through his mediation, since that saint is not conscious of what is involved. 

Sidna Shaykh was aware of this Station of Sealness for billions of years, as he declared to his companions, "I was aware of my sainthood while Adam was between the water and the clay.” Shaykh al-Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) explains,

“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)

It is interesting to note what Sidi Ahmed Sukayraj ((may Allah be pleased with him) has reported in Kashf al-Hijab, 

“Sidi Ahmed Abdellawi (may Allah be pleased with him) told me that Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Arabi Tazi (may Allah be pleased with him; d. 1210/1795) wrote Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) a letter in which he revealed him that he saw a station that was between Prophethood and the Poleship but it was not inheritable and reserved to one person in this community. He acknowledged that he envied that station but he didn’t dare to ask it the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in case that station wasn’t reserved for him and fearing to lose everything. Indeed, he was informed that it was reserved for Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him), that’s why he went to inform him about this huge favour. Sidi Mohammed Ibn Arabi (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) to give him, as for a reward to the good news, the merit of ten times of the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-A’adam), ten times of Salat al-Fatih and ten times the reward of the “Key of Poleship” (Miftah al-Qutbaniya). He asked it because he noticed that a single invocation of Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) was beyond what his ancestors, his sons and him could have done for seventy years.”

In Tijani terms, the nature of the "Sealness of Sainthood" is best understood under the concept of Fayd (spiritual flow) and hierarchy of divine presences (al-'Hadarat). Sidi Omar al-Futi provide us with a list of seven circles arranged in the same order as the Presences: 

(1)    The all encompassing Ahmedi Mohammedian circle (al-‘Hadra al-Ahmediya al-Mohammediya). As previously explained, no one has any share in its content, because of its sublimity.

(2)   The circle which comprises the sphere of the supportive Mohammediya Reality (al-‘Haqiqa al-Mohammediya).  It has two openings: The first, an opening in its highest part, through which our masters the Prophets (blessing and peace be upon them all) receive the bountiful grace that is bestowed on them from the nature of the Chieftain of Existence (Peace and blessing be upon him). The second, an opening in its right side, through which the Seal of the Saints (Khatm al-Awliya) receives the support that is peculiar to him, without the mediation of anyone between him and the Chieftain of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).  No one has any comprehension of that bountiful grace. 

(3)   The circle which comprises the sphere of the Presences of our masters the Prophets (Hadrat al-Anbiya). It has an opening in its highest side, through which the Presence of the Seal receives the bountiful grace that flows from it.

(4)   The circle which comprises the sphere of the Presence of the Seal (Hadrat al Khatm). It has two openings: The first, an opening in the right side, through which bountiful grace is bestowed upon the Presence of the people of his Spiritual Path in particular. The second, an opening in the right side, through which bountiful grace is bestowed upon the Presence of the Shaykhs, which includes their Presences in general. As for the bounties that flow from the sphere of the Presence of the Seal to the sphere of the people of his Path in particular, however, they are more numerous, more excellent, more splendid, more copious, more voluminous and more tremendous than the bounties that flow from it to the sphere of the Presences of our masters the Shaykhs, the people of their Paths, including our masters the saints (may Allah be well pleased with them). Indeed, what flows from the sphere of the Presence of the Seal to the sphere of the Presences of the Shaykhs, in comparison with what flows from the sphere of the Presence of the Seal to the Presence of the people of his Spiritual Path in particular, is like a drop of water in comparison with the mighty ocean. This accounts for the superiority of the people of his Spiritual Path over others.

(5)    The circle which comprises the sphere of the Presence of the people of his Path (Hadrat al-Ashab). It has an opening through which they receive the bountiful grace bestowed by the Seal upon them in particular, consisting of the support peculiar to him, which flows from the Mohammedian Reality, of which our masters the Prophets have no comprehension.  This also explains their superiority over others. As Allah has said: “Favor is in Allah’s hand, to bestow on whomever He will” (57:29). (…)

(6)   (Hadrat al-Mashayikh): The circle of the Presence of the ghawts (Helpers of Time), qutbs (poles), and shaykhs (Sufi masters), which contains their Presences. It has an opening for the people of their Spiritual Paths.  

(7)  The circle which contains the sphere of the followers (Hadrat al-Atba’a) of their Spiritual Paths. The Presence of the people of each Spiritual Path receives support from their Shaykh, and the Shaykhs receive support from the Seal. 

 

On Monday, the 12th of Safar 1214 /the 15th of July, 1799, one month and few days on achiveing the ranks of Poleship and Sealness, Sidna Shaykh perceived the Concealed Rank of KATMIYA ( Concealhood). Thus he gained eternal fame with the title of the "Concealed Pole” (al-Qutb al-Maktum). He is "concealed" because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "[Al-Qutb al-Maktum] is the one that Allah had concealed from everyone including angles and prophets except me". (Rima'h). Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the Kunnash al-Kabir that Sidna Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him), “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." And in the Rima'h, "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." 

قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه: "أخبرني سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم بأني أنا القطب المكتوم والبرزخ المختوم مشافَهةً يقَظةً لا مناما."

In an effort to shed the light of the immense grandeur of this Concealed Pole, Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said as read in "Kitab al-Jami’a li-ma f-taraqa min ‘Ulum al-Qutb al-Maktum" (The Absolute in What Has Separated from the Sciences of the Concealed Pole) by Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mishri,

"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."

Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mishri remarks in the al-Jami'a, 

"The Hidden Pole has a position facing the Mohammedian Reality that will never be identified by anyone else from amongst all the greatest of the saints (may Allah be pleased with all of them). With that said, verily his reality in that position which is specific to him will not occur to anyone but Allah and the Chieftain of Existence (peace and blessing be upon him) because he has a relationship with the Mohammedian Reality."  

In the Jawahir al-Maani, Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) is quoted to say the following on the Mohammedian Reality, 

"Know that when Allah created the Mohammedian Reality, He placed inside it all that He apportioned for the creation from the outpouring of knowledge, gnosis, secrets, manifestations, light, as well as the creation (itself) by way of all its rulings, necessities, and requirements. Also know that he (peace and blessing be upon him) is now ascending in perfect witnessing of the Divine in such a way that no one else could ever hope for. This perfection will never end for the duration of an eternity of eternities. Regarding this, there is nothing within the essences of existence anything more worthy of respect or greater than this Mohammedian Reality nor purer or cleaner or more perfect. Again, verily it is in its actual reality unreachable and unrecognisable. 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 reach 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 its 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.”

Sidi al-Haj Ibrahim ibn Abdullah Niass al-Kulakhi Tijani (d. 1390/1975) said,    

“The Mohammedian Reality is manifested on the reality of Sidna Shaykh, the Concealed Pole and Seal of Sainthood, from the primordial time till period of his appearance. Sidna Shaykh is the only saint that receives divine providence directly from his grandfather (peace and blessing be upon him). The Mohammedian Reality manifested on Sidna Shaykh encloses all the attributes of his grandfather (peace and blessing be upon him) save that of prophethood. That is the reason why Sidna Shaykh Tijani was named the Best of all Saints. Whoever drinks from the spiritual sea of Mohammedian Reality will emerge as prophet save Sidna Shaykh Tijani who drank from it and did not become a prophet but a saint. (...) Shaykh Tijani is the source of sainthood and all creation receive its divine providence from his nature from the primordial time till the day of resurrection. Sidna Shaykh said: “My two feet steps on the neck of all saints from the period of Adam to the day of resurrection”. I (Shaykh Niass) say there is no controversy over this, what he means by his two feet his Sufi order and his reality. He asserted, through ecstatic utterances that “I am He and He is I and if I am asked thousands of questions, I will answer in one word”. By virtue of this he emerged as a Seal of Saints just like the Prophet (pace and blessing be upon him) emerged as Seal of Prophets. The Tijani Sufi Path abrogated all Sufi Orders just like the Divine Law (Shari’a) of the Prophet abrogated all laws before him.”

"And a witness of her own folk testified" (Quran 12:26)

The Khalwati Witness 

There is a little question that grand saints venerated Sidna Shaykh as a Seal of Mohammedian Sainthood in his lifetime. The teacher of Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him), the Khalwati master, Sidi Mahmud al-Kurdi al-Iraqi (d. 1186/1771), has already told the then 36-years-old Shaykh Tijani that he was already more advanced than the above mentioned station. 

The Qadiri Witness 

The Book of Kashf al-Hijab depicts that the Companion of Sidna Shaykh, Sidi Abul Hassan Ali ibn Chtiwi al-Jaridi, has often met the spirit Mawlana Shaykh Abdellqadir Jilani (d. 561/1166) from whom he received initiation of his Tariqa. Hunting was his occupation; one day while hunting a gazelle with all his attention on his prey, appeared before him Moulay Abdellqadir saddled on his horse. He was embarrassed that his Shaykh found him in such a situation. They started discussing and our personage inquired the Shaykh: "O my master, we heard about a Shaykh that came to Abi Samghoune, 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." Hearing this caused Sidi Ali to affiliate himself with Sidna Shaykh. It is also reported by Sidi Abul Hassan Harazem that he heared Sidna Shaykh saying, “I have asked the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him): “O Master, the Shaykh Mawlana Abdellqadir al-Jilani said, 'My stamp cannot be overstamped.' The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) responded: “O Ahmed your stamp can overtake any stamp and the other stamps cannot overtake yours”. 

The noted Qadiri Shaykh,  al-Qutb Sidi Abu Mohammed al-Mokhtar al-Kunti (d. 1226/1811) who lived during the age of Sidna Shaykh Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him) has predicted in the book of "Taraif wa Talaid" (Mysteries and Eccentrics) the appearance of the Seal of Saints throughout the twelfth/eighteenth century. According to al-Kunti, his century was comparable to that of Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in many aspects and it was in that particular moment that the Seal of Mohammedian Sainthood would appear. 

"The twelfth century of the Hijra of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) resembles his century  (peace and blessing be upon him) in several respects, the first being the fact that it contains the Seal of the Saints, just as his century contains the Seal of the Prophets. The second is that the followers of this Saint, the Renewer (al Mujaddid) and the Seal, are devoted to summoning to what is good, enjoining what is right and fair, forbidding what is wrong and unfair, and vying with one another in good works, just as the Companions of that Prophet, were devoted to enjoining what is right and fair, forbidding what is wrong and unfair, believing in Allah alone, and fighting the errant communities, just as these (followers of this Saint) are waging the greater Holy War (al-Jihad al-akbar) against the lower self, passionate desire and the devil.  Allah’s Messenger  (peace and blessing be upon him) once said: "We have returned from the lesser Holy War (al-Jihad al-asghar) to the greater Holy War (al-jihad al-akbar). When they asked: "And what is the greater Holy War?", he replied: "The Holy War against the lower self and passionate desire!". The third is the evidence that this generation is more excellent than all the generations preceding it, apart from the three whose superior excellence is established by the Prophet’s saying: "The best of all generations is my generation, then those who will follow them, then those who will follow them, then those who will follow them.”

يقول الشيخ المختار الكنتي رضي الله عنه في الطرائف والتلائد: الحمد لله الذي جعل صدور أوليائه معادن لحل رموز ما أشكل من الحكم والأحكام وصيرهم مهيئين لورود الكشوفات وبدائع الإلهام والصلاة والسلام على بشير الأنام وعلى آله وأصحابه مصابيح الظلام. سؤالك أيها السائل الهمام عن تأويل قوله عليه الصلاة والسلام فيما رأيته في غيابات المنام أرأيتكم ليلتكم هذه فإن على رأس مئة سنة منها لا يبقى ممن هو على ظهر الأرض أحد فتأويله والله أعلم أن هذا القرن الذي نحن فيه يشاكل قرنه عليه الصلاة والسلام من وجوه: أولها أن فيه خاتم الأولياء كما في قرنه خاتم الأنبياء. الثاني أن أتباع هذا الولي المجدد الخاتم يدعون للخير ويأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر كما أن أصحاب ذلك النبي الخاتم الماحي يأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر ويؤمنون بالله وحده ويجاهدون الأمم الضالة كما أن هؤلاء يجاهدون النفس والهوى والشيطان الجهاد الأكبر قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم رجعنا من الجهاد الأصغر إلى الجهاد الأكبر قالوا وما الجهاد الأكبر قال جهاد النفس. الثالث الإشارة إلى أن هذا القرن أفضل من جميع ما تقدمه من القرون السابقة سوى القرون الثلاثة لورود النص بأفضليتها قال صلى الله عليه وسلم." "خير هذه الأمة أولها وآخرها".

Sidi al-Haj Omar ibn Said al-Futi said,  

“For the party of the Ahmediya-Mohammediya-Ibrahimiya-Hanifiya-Tijaniya, this good news is more important than this world and all that it contains. Congratulations to the truthful people of this path, for they have gained the honor of this world and the Hereafter! O Allah, we implore You to let us live in accordance with it, to let us die in accordance with it, and to resurrect us in the company of its people, for the sake of him upon whom the Chosen Prophet bestowed it, and for his sake (Allah bless him and give him peace). Amin, O Lord of All the Worlds!"

The Shadhili Witness 

According to Allama Sidi Ahmed Sukayraj (may Allah be pleased with him),

"My Shaykh, the Gnostic Sidi Ahmed al-Abdellawi (may Allah profit me by him), told me that he has encountered in Tunisia with a Shadhili shaykh who was bestowed by the sound unveiling and genuine opening. And while they were talking about the gnosis and secrets and overflowings and lights, the Shadhili Shaykh told him, “I am a Shadhili, but nevertheless I see the spiritual flow that comes upon me through the mediation of our Master and Lord Ahmed Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him). If ever the veil was to be raised by Allah, anyone would have seen this in daylight.” (Kashf al-Hijab)

Sidna Shaykh expresses his Sealness/Concealness complex in various forms:  

Sidi al-Haj Ali Harazem (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the Kunnash al-Kabir,

“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)."  

Sidi Mohammed ibn Mishri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated in the Jami'a,

"Sidna Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: '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 Shaykh (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) [Do note that 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]

 

يقول العلامة العارف بالله سيدي أحمد سكيرج رضي الله عنه في كتاب الإغتباط بالجواب عن الأسئلة الواردة علينا من الأغواط: اعلم أن أهل الله العارفين به لهم اصطلاح خاص بهم فيما يخوضون فيه من المعارف ويرتقون فيه من المراتب، على قدر اختلافهم في المشارب، فكانت الولاية لديهم عامة وخاصة، ولها مقامات، ولكل صاحب مقام منها اسم أو لقب أو كنية يمتاز بها عن غيره ممن حل في مقام منها بحسب الترقي والتدلي. فكان منهم القطب والغوث والبدل والنقيب والنجيب والختم، وغير هؤلاء من أصحاب المراتب الخاصة على الجميع السلام. فالقطبانية مثلا من حل في مرتبتها يسمى قطبا، إما قطبا جامعا، أو قطب دائرة من دوائر الولاية العامة أو الخاصة، سواء كان من المتعددين أو المتفردين، وهكذا الشأن فيما بقي من المراتب مثل الختمية والكتمية والمهدوية، فكل من حل في مقام من هذه المقامات سمي بمظهره. فمن حل في مقام الختمية سمي بالخاتم، وهكذا من حل في المهدوية يقال له مهدي، وليس المراد بالخاتم أنه لا يوجد ولي معه أو بعده، ولا بالمهدي لا مهدي بعده. وإنما المراد بالخاتم من حل في مرتبة الختمية إلى أن تختم بعيسى عليه السلام، ثم بخاتم الأولاد الذي لا ختم بعده. وهكذا الشأن في المهدي إلى أن يظهر المهدي المنتظر قرب الله زمانه. وبما بيناه هنا لم يبق إشكال في تعدد الختم وتعدد المهدي ونحوهما. لأنهم أصحاب مراتب لم يخل من صاحبها في كل زمان. وتلك المراتب متفاوتة في العلو والإرتفاع في الخفاء والظهور، وقد انفرد بكمال الظهور فيها من خصه الله به مثل الشيخ التيجاني رضي الله عنه، فهو خاص بكمال الظهور في الختمية، فلم يحل أحد من الأختام في المحل الذي حل فيه، بما خصه الله به من ذلك الكمال، كما خص الحق بكمال الظهور في المهدوية المهدي المنتظر الذي نوهت الأحاديث به، وكل من أخبر بأنه ختم أو أنه مهدي، أو اجتمع بواحد منهما، وإن احتمل أخباره الصدق والكذب فلا معنى لتكذيبه سوى سوء الظن الحامل لكثير المنتقدين على ذلك، فإن غير الشيخ رضي الله عنه قبل وجوده قد اجتمع بالخاتم صاحب الختمية، مثل ابن العربي الحاتمي قدس سره، وقد ادعاها لنفسه، فادعاؤها لنفسه مع كونه يقول اجتمعت به دليل واضح على تعدد الختمية، وكذلك المهدوية، وكذا غيره من أصحاب هذا المقام، فلا معنى لتكذيب من اجتمع بالخاتم أو بالمهدي فيما مضى من الأزمنة. ولا يكون صاحب كمال الظهور إلا واحدا، كما أن المهدي المنتظر واحد، وقد بسطت القول في معنى الختمية في تأليفنا الكوكب الوهاج، ثم أفردت الكلام فيه في تويلف سميته نهج البداية في معنى ختم الولاية. وقد تم ترتيبه في نحو خمسة كراريس، نفع الله به من اطلع عليه ودعا لنا بالمغفرة. ولقد تكلم على الختم جماعة من العارفين كابن عربي الحاتميالمذكور، ومن انتهج منهاجه من ذوي المشارب العرفانية، وقد بسط القول في المهدي الذي هو أحد الأختام المهديين، مع الخاتم الأكبر عيسى عليه السلام، في تأليفه عنقاء مغرب، وخصصهما بما ذكره هناك. وقد استدللنا على ختمية الشيخ رضي الله عنه بأدلة تكاد أن تكون من قبيل القطع من علم البيانات، وعلم الزبر، وعلم الجفر، وعلم الزرايج، ونحو ذلك بما يشفي الغليل، وتطوعنا بذكر بعض اصطلاح هذه الفنون لمن أراد العملية الموصلة لتحقيق ما قلناه فيه، والله الموفق.

In the words of the Concealed Pole, the Known Mohammdian Seal, Mawlana 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)

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) has guaranteed the Grand Opening (al-Fath al-Akbar) to ten companions of ours.”

9.       “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)

10.     “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)

11.      “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)

12.     “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)

13.     “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)

14.     “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)

15.     “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)

16.     “'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)

17.     "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) 

18.     "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)

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

20.    (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)

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

22.    “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)  

23.    “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)

24.    "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)

25.    "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)

26.    "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)

27.    "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)

28.   “If the Greatest Poles 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, and this man 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!

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

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

31.     “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)

32.    “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)

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

34.    “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)

35.    “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)

36.    “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)

37.    “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)

38.    “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)

39.    “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)

40.    “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) 

41.     “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) 

42.    “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)

43.    “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)

44.    “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)

45.    “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)

46.    “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)

47.    “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)

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

49.    “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)

50.    “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)

51.     “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)

52.    “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)

53.    “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)

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

55.     “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)

56.    “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)

57.     "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)

58.    "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)

59.    “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)

60.    “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)

61.     “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)

62.    "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)

63.    “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)  

64.    "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)

65.    “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) 

66.    “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)

68.  "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)  

69.    "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) 

قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه: "إن جميع الأولياء يدخلون زمرتنا ويأخذون أورادنا ويتمسكوا بطريقتنا مـــن أول الوجود إلي يوم القيامة حتى الإمام المهدي إذا  قام آخر الزمان يدخل زمرتنا بعد مماتنا وانتقالنا إلى دار البقاء." "طائفة من أصحابنا لو اجتمعت أقطاب الأمة ما وزنوا شعرة من بحر أحدهم والآن قد ظهر واحدا منهم." "لو أطلع أكابر الأقطاب على ما أعده الله لأصحابنا في الجنة لبكوا عليه طول أعمارهم وقالوا ما أعطيتنا شي يا ربنا." "أنا سيد الأولياء كما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سيد الأنبياء"."لا يشرب ولي ولا يسقى إلا من بحرنا من نشأة العالم إلى النفخ في الصور." "إن نسبة الأقطاب معي كنسبة العامة مع الأقطاب." "إن لنا مرتبة تناهت في العلو عند الله تعالى إلى حد يحرم ذكره وليس هو ما أفشيته لكم ولو صرحت به لأجمع أهل الحق والعرفان على كفري فضلا عمن عداهم وليست هي التي ذكرت لكم بل هي من ورائها." "طابعنا يغلب على كل طابع ولا يغلب عليه طابع."وقال رضي الله تعالى عنه وأرضاه مشيرا بأصبعيه السبابة والوسطى: "روحه صلى الله عليه وسلم وروحي هكذا روحه صلى الله عليه وسلم تمد الرسل والأنبياء عليهم السلام وروحي تمد الأقطاب والعارفين والأولياء من الأزل إلى الأبد.""كل الطرائق تدخل عليها‏ طريقتنا فتبطلها وطابعنا يركب على كل طابع ولا يحمل طابعنا غيره""من ترك وردًا من أوراد المشايخ لأجل الدخول في طريقتنا هذه المحمدية التي شرفها الله تعالى على جميع الطرق أمنه الله في الدنيا والآخرة فلا يخاف من شيء يصيبه لا من الله ولا من رسوله ولا من شيخه أيا كان من الأحياء أو من الأموات‏. وأما من دخل زمرتنا وتأخر عنها ودخل غيرها تحل به مصائب الدنيا وأخرى ولا يفلح أبدًا" "‏وليس لأحد من الرجال أن يدخل كافة أصحابه الجنة بلا حساب ولا عقاب ولو عملوا من الذنوب ما عملوا وبلغوا إلا أنا وحدي" "إن أصحابنا يوم القيامة ليسوا مع الناس في الموقف بل هم مكشفون في ظل العرش في موضع وحدهم و لا يقدم عليهم أحد في دخول الجنة إلا الصحابة رضي الله عنهم." لما قيل له رضي الله عنه و أرضاه و عنا به بمَ نالوا ذلك قال: "من أجلي." قلتُ (أي العلامة سكيرج) و سره يظهر في قوله صلى الله عليه و سلم له رضي الله عنه و أرضاه و عنا به: "و فقراؤك فقراءي و تلاميذك تلاميذي و أصحابك أصحابي." فعُلِم أن بين أصحابه صلى الله عليه و سلم و بين أصحاب هذا الشيخ رضي الله تعالى عنه مناسبة تامة و لتلك المناسبة كانوا عند الله من الأكابر و إن كانوا في الظاهر من جملة العوام."   

Shaykh Sidi Omar al-Futi documents in the Rimah that his murshid and muqaddam, the sharifian khalifa, Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Boutaleb al-Idrissi al-Hassani al-Fasi (d. 1244/1829) reopred to him that Sidna Shaykh lived the maqam of katmiya for 30 years. We read in the Rimah interesting details on Sidna Shaykhs's claim of khatmiya,

One night, Sidna Shaykh asked the assembly of companions: “Where is Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali?” When the latter showed up, Sidna Shaykh said: “My two feet are laid on the shoulders of each saint”. Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali then said to him: “ô Master, are you in a state of consciousness and present-mindedness or in a state of ecstasy (Hal) and “disappearance in Allah” (Fana) ?” He answered: “I am in a state of full consciousness; all praises are due to Allah” Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali replied: “So what are your comments on Sidi Abdellqadir al-Jilani’s words when he said: “My foot is laid on the shoulders of each saint”?. Sidna Shaykh answered: “He (al-Jilani) is truthful, but he meant the saints of his time. As for me, however, what I am saying is this: my two feet are laid on the shoulders of all the saints from the time of Adam to the end of times.” Sidi Mohammed Al-Ghali then asked him: “O Sidi, what will you reply if someone says the same thing after you? He said: “No one will ever repeat that after me”. Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali said: “O Sidi, you are restricting what has always been wide open. Isn’t Allah capable of bestowing on another saint an influx (madad) wherein the divine manifestations, the favours, the high ranking, the knowledge of Allah, the secrecies, the height and the spiritual states (a’hawal) are more important than those He has granted you?” Sidna Shaykh told him: “He is indeed! He is even capable of doing much more, but He will not, because that has not been His Will. Isn’t He capable of making of another man a prophet and of sending him to mankind, giving him more than He gave Mohammed (peace be upon him)?” Sidi Mohammed a-Ghali answered: “He is indeed, but such has not been His Will in the pre-existence. “Sidna Shaykh then added: “These two facts are similar. Allah (Gory and Praise are due to Him) has not willed them in the pre-existence, and His Knowledge has not ordained them.”

أكابر أقطاب هذه الأمة لا يدركون مراتب أصحابي

يقول العلامة العارف بالله سيدي أحمد سكيرج رضي الله عنه في كتاب الإجادة على الإفادة : اعلم أن أهل الله الذين أذن لهم في التعبير عما أدركوه من المقامات إلهاما من الحق لهم ليزدادوا بذلك ترقيا فيها بمقتضى شكر النعمة و التحدث بها في سائر الحالات، لا يمنعهم من ذكر ما أحرزوه بالفعل. و ما وعدوا به من الفضل، ما يخطر على الأوهام من التبجح، وحب التمدح، لصفاء سريرتهم، و تنوير بصيرتهم، و تنزيه قدرهم من أن يقفوا مع هذا الحظ الذي تنحط به الرتب العلى إلى الحضيض الأسفل. و الدرك الأرذل، و الظن بهم أن يكون قصدهم المولى، كما هو أليق بهم و أولى، فإن التحدث بالنعم مأمور به شرعا، و القصد من أعمال القلوب لا سبيل إلى الإطلاع على حقيقته قطعا، و إنما يطلع عليها من يعلم السر و أخفى. فالمتعين إذًا سلوك حسن الظن بكل متحدث منهم بما أعرب عنه من الفضائل والمناقب. وحسن الشمائل و المراتب. و نحو ذلك مما يخصهم أو يعم غيرهم بسببهم. إلا أن إساءة الظنون بمن جرى على هذا المهيع قاضية بالطرد و المقت و البعد، نسأل الله السلامة من ذلك. و قد ابتلي جل أهل كل زمان بالنظر إلى معاصريهم من المتحدثين بالنعم بعين التهم. و سوء الظن بهم فيما يقولون أو يفعلون. و يخصون من مضى قبل زمانهم بالتقديس و حسن النية طبق ما ينكرون أو يعتقدون، تلك سنة الله سنها لهم ما جبلت عليه النفوس من الإرتياب. وألزمهم السلوك على منهجها ما انسدل عليها من حجاب المعاصرة الذي هو أعظم حجاب. فلم ينتفع بأهل عصره إلا القليل من قليل. و تلك سنة الله في خلقه جرت على نهجها القويم من قديم. حتى لا ينتفع إلا الخاص بالخاص. بمحض الإختصاص، لذلك تجد كثيرا من أهل الله لا ينتفع بهم إلا البعض من الناس. و لا يحصل فيهم اعتقاد من أهل قطرهم. بل من أهل عصرهم. إلا من يسره الله لهم أو يسرهم له. فيجد من نفسه قابلية الحب فيهم. و إقبالا على ما يقابله منهم بوجه القبول، فيرى الخصوصية فيهم. فيجد ذاته كلها عيونا تنظر. و تنتظر ما يلوح لها من محاسن من اعتقدت فيه تلك الخصوصية. و كله آذانا تسمع حديثه و ما حدث عنه. و كله ألسنة تثني عليه طبق ما له من حسن الظن فيه. حتى أنه يستحسن ما يستقبحه غيره. و يهجر من أجله من لا يوافقه في الإعتقاد، و هذا كله من قبيل ما يسلمه كل شخص. وذلك ليستدل على صحته بما يجده من الحال في نفسه. بين أبناء جنسه. فلا يحتاج إلى الإستدلال عليه من كلام رجال هذا المجال. و إذا تقرر هذا المقال في هذا المقام أنتج لمطالعه نتيجة حسن اعتقاد في كل من حدث بنعمة مولاه. بما خصه به و أولاه، و لا يفتح باب الإنكار لفضله الذي أعرب عنه بنفسه. إلا المحروم في معناه و حسه. و لا موجب للإنكار أو الإعتراض إلا سوء الظن. أو الحسد. أو سوء الأدب. و قل من يصدر منه ذلك من غير حظ نفس. و هو نفساني. و لهذا تجد الكمل من العارفين يزرعون حب الأدب في قلوب المحبين. ويؤكدون عليهم قطف ثماره من أفنانها. حتى يتمكن فيهم ذلك ليكمل لهم الإنتفاع بسراية السر عند الإستمداد منهم. أو التعلق بهم. أو الإختصاص بهم من بين العموم. و كثيرا ما يلهج الكمل بين مريديهم بما منحهم الحق به ليتمّ على يدهم الإنتفاع لعمومهم و خصوصهم. و ينوهون بما أحرزوه من المقامات من بينهم حتى ترسخ المحبة في قلوبهم. و هي المغناطيس الجاذب للسر النافع. الذي لا تؤثر فيه عوامل القواطع. و المقصود من ذلك كله توثيق العلائق و الروابط القلبية بين المريد و شيخه. فيظفر بالمراد طبق ما يريد. و فوق ما يريد. و كل شيخ يصرح بما يرى فيه مريديه. و كلما عظمت رتبته زاد تنويها بما لديه. ليعظم الإنتفاع على يديه. و من هذا الباب قول سيدنا رضي الله عنه: أكابر أقطاب هذه الأمة لا يدركون مراتب أصحابي.

"Suppose you raise the question", Shaykh Sidi Omar al-Futi discussed, “How can the latter day saint be more excellent than the great saints of earlier times, whose excellence has been disseminated and come to be widely known, and whose fame has spread in the east and the west, like Shaykh Abdellqadir al-Jilani, Shaykh Abul Hassan Shadhili, and others of their kind (may Allah be well pleased with them all). 

My answer to this will be: “Due to the fact that the latter day Prophet Sidna Mohammed (Peace and blessing be upon him) is more excellent than Abraham, the Bosom Friend of Allah, and Moses, and Jesus, and others among the Prophets and the Messengers (upon our Prophet and upon them be the most excellent blessing and peace). Abul Mawahib al Tunsi ("Sidi Abdellaziz Tunsi; d. 468/1053) (may Allah be well pleased with him) said: “You must beware of saying: ‘The great ones and the truthful ones among the spiritual paupers have departed, for they have not departed in reality. They are simply like the treasure of the keeper of the vault. To someone who comes in the later time, Allah may give what He withheld from the people of the earlier age, for Allah gave to Sidna Mohammed (may Peace and blessing be upon him) what He did not give to the Prophets before him.”

On the 18th of Safar, one month and few days on achiveing the Qutbaniya, Sidna Shaykh perceived his great rank: i.e. Maqam al-Katmiya (Stage of Concealhood). Thus he gained eternal fame with the title of the "Concealed Pole” (al-Qutb al-Maktum). Sidna Shaykh said, "The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told me in daylight not in state of sleepiness that I was the Concealed Pole (al-Qutb al-Maktum) and the Sealed Isthmus (al-Barzakh al-Makhtum)". The quiddity of this rank is concealed. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "[Al-Qutb al-Maktum] is the one Allah had concealed from His angles and prophets except me". According to Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Boutaleb (d. 1244/1829) Sidna Shaykh lived 30 years in the Katmiya. The scholar Sidi Mohammed ibn al-Mishri (d. 1224/1809) remarks in Kitab al-Jami'a, "The Hidden Pole has a position facing the Mohammedian Reality that will never be for anyone else from amongst all the greatest of the saints (may Allah be pleased with all of them). With that said, verily his reality in that position which is specific to him will not occur to anyone but God and the Chieftain of Existence (peace and blessing be upon him) because he has a relationship with the Mohammedian Reality." In the Jawahir al-Maani, Sidna Shaykh Abul Abbas Tijani is quoted to say the following on the Mohammedian Reality,

"Know that when Allah created the Mohammedian Reality, He placed inside it all that He apportioned for the creation from the outpouring of knowledge, gnosis, secrets, manifestations, light, as well as the creation (itself) by way of all its rulings, necessities, and requirements. Also know that he (peace and blessing be upon him) is now ascending in perfect witnessing of the Divine in such a way that no one else could ever hope for. This perfection will never end for the duration of an eternity of eternities. Regarding this, there is nothing within the essences of existence anything more worthy of respect or greater than this Mohammedian Reality nor purer or cleaner or more perfect. Again, verily it is in its actual reality unreachable and unrecognisable. 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 reach 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 its 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.”

More, Shaykh al-Islam Abul Fayd Sidi al-Haj Ibrahim ibn Abdullah Niass al-Kulakhi (d. 1390/1975) has said,  

“The Mohammedian Reality is manifested on the reality of Sidna Shaykh, the Concealed Pole and Seal of Sainthood, from the primordial time till period of his appearance. Sidna Shaykh is the only saint that receives divine providence directly from his grandfather (peace and blessing be upon him). The Mohammedian Reality manifested on Sidna Shaykh encloses all the attributes of his grandfather (peace and blessing be upon him) save that of prophethood. That is the reason why Sidna Shaykh Tijani was named the Best of all Saints. Whoever drinks from the spiritual sea of Mohammedian Reality will emerge as prophet save Sidna Shaykh Tijani who drank from it and did not become a prophet but a saint. (...) Shaykh Tijani is the source of sainthood and all creation receive its divine providence from his nature from the primordial time till the day of resurrection. Sidna Shaykh said: “My two feet steps on the neck of all saints from the period of Adam to the day of resurrection”. I (Shaykh Niass) say there is no controversy over this, what he means by his two feet his Sufi order and his reality. He asserted, through ecstatic utterances that “I am He and He is I and if I am asked thousands of questions, I will answer in one word”. By virtue of this he emerged as a Seal of Saints just like the Prophet (pace and blessing be upon him) emerged as Seal of Prophets. The Tijani Sufi Path abrogated all Sufi Orders just like the Divine Law (Shari’a) of the Prophet abrogated all laws before him.”

قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه: "أخبرني سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم بأني أنا القطب لمكتوم والبرزخ المختوم مشافَهةً يقَظةً لا مناما."  قال العلامة سيدي محمد ابن المشري رضي الله تعالى عنه: سمعت شيخنا رضي الله عنه يقول: القطب المكتوم له تجلي باطني يضاهي تجليات الأنبياء يتجلى له الحق سبحانه في كل لحظة مائة ألف تجلي، مثلا كل تجلي يعطي فيه ما يعطى لجميع أهل الجنة مائة ألف مرة أو أكثر منها ويؤدي وظائف كل واحد في تلك اللحظة، ثم في اللحظة الثانية يتجلى له بتجليات يصير جميع ما تقدم عليها من التجليات جزءا من مائة ألف جزء من تجل واحد، وهكذا التي بعدها في اللحظة الثالثة وقس عليها إلى ما لا نهاية له ولا حد، وله أيضا جمعية جميع ما يعطى لجميع العوالم من الفيض ما عدى الأنبياء وكذلك جميع العوالم تستمد منه كما تقدم وهو الواسطة بينهما وبين الحقيقة المحمدية عليه الصلاة والسلام ما عدى الأنبياء، فإنهم يستمدون منها بغير واسطة. وله وقفة ومقابلة للحقيقة المحمدية لم تكن لغيره من جميع الأكابر. ومع هذا، إن حقيقته في مقامه الخاص به لم يطلع عليها أحد إلا الله تعالى وسيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم لأن له نسبة من حقيقته المحمدية لكونها لم يطلع عليها أحد من الأكابر ولا يعلمها إلا الله وصاحبها عليه الصلاة والسلام. وهذا الحكم لها في الدنيا والآخرة، وكذلك حقيقة القطب المكتوم. ثم قال مرة أخرى : نسبة الأقطاب معه كنسبة العامة مع الأقطاب، لأن مقامه في غيب الغيب لا علم لهم به لا دنيا ولا آخرة، لأن له مقاما في الجنة لا يعلمه حتى الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام. قيل له حيث كان: ما ذكرتم فيه لا ينتفع به أحد. قال أصحابه الذين يعرفون ذاته البشرية وإن كانوا لا يرون إلا ظله وانتفعوا به دنيا وأخرى ولهذا المقام الأفخم قال في بعض شطحاته: فلا يقدر أحد من الرجال ان يدخل كافة أصحابه الجنة بغير حساب ولا عقاب إلا أنا وحدي وإن عملوا من الذنوب ما عملوا وبلغوا من المعاصي ما بلغوا كما هو مذكور في رسالة التحدث بالنعمة. و خص الله تعالى سيدنا بأسرار وأمور لم تكن لغير، منها أن الاسم الأعظم الكبير، الكامل من الرجال يذكره في اليوم مرة او مرتين، وطلب هو من سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يذكره كل يوم عر مائة ألف مرة وضمنها له وطلب أن يجمع له بين القطبانية والفردانية وضمنها له، وكثرة الصحاب من الجن والإنس وضمنهم له، وأسرار مكتومة لم يمكن ذكرها هنا. وسيأتي ذكر شيء من فضل الاسم الأعظم والفاتحة مما يدلك على خصوصية هذا السيد العظيم، وأمور غير هذه. ثم قال سيدنا رضي الله عنه: ليس مرتبة كاملة من كل وجه وصاحبها محيط بجميع المراتب إلا له صلى الله عليه وسلم او القطب المكتوم، فإن مرتبته جامعة ومحيطة لجميع المراتب وسمعت سيدنا رضي الله عنه يقول: طلبت سيدنا صلى الله عليه وسلم بلوغ  الغاةي في أقصا مقام القطبانية إلي ما فوقها إلا مقام النبوءة. (...) فأكبر مناقبه ما تقدم ذكره في الفصل الذي قبل هذا من المقام الذي خصه الله به ولم يعط لغير، ومن أكبر مناقبه ما خصه الله به من فيض الفاتح لما أغلق الخ... ومما خصه الله به، إدراك جميع العلوم المحمدية وهي مائة علم واحدى عشر علما. قال بعض العارفين: ينقسم كل علم منها إلى اثنين وسبعين جزءا وكل جزء من هذه الصغار ينقسم إلى اثنين وسبعين جزءا. وقال شيخنا رضي الله: بل كل علم منها ينقسم إلى مائة ألف واحدى عشر ألف جزء، وكل جزء ينقسم الى مائة ألف علم واحدى عشر ألف علم. من علم علما من هذه العلوم علم علوم الأولين والآخرين، الكامل من الرجال يدرك منها اثنين وسبعين كمولانا عبد السلام بن مشيش. وأخبرنا رضي الله عنه انه طلبها من سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم وضمنها له، وهي من اعظم خصوصية له رضي الله عنه. ومن مناقبه رضي الله عنه ان أصحابه الداخلين في طريقته لهم مراتب يوم القيامة أكبر من مراتب الأولياء. ومنها أنه قال: قال لي الواسطة المعظم رحمه الله: أتاني ملك من اعظم الملائكة وأفضلهم وقال لي: إذا سمعت الملائكة اسمي ترتعد هيبة من الله، وأحمد التجاني فضله أعظم من فضلي، وهذا الملك هو الذي علمه مفتاح القطبانية، ومنها أنه قال لي: إذا خرج السعال مني في حال الذكر خرج معه من فمي نور مثل البرق حتى تضيء البيت كله مهما وقع مني السعال خرج معه. ومنها أننا كنا يوما نذكر بين يديه ما يشاهد الأولياء من الخوارق قال لنا رضي الله عنه: ما وقع لي من هذا إلا مرة واحدة كنت سكرت من اول النهار إلى بعد العصر فشاهدت عوالم لا مثال لها في هذا العالم ولا ما يصوره الفكر، وكأني ملك عليها أتصرف فيها. ومن كراماته رضي الله عنه انه قال: ضمن لي من الأصحاب كرامة من الله وفضلا ألف ألف ألف ألف من الرجال إلى أن تعد أربع مراتب ومائة ألف ألف ألف من النساء، وضمن لي الغنى ما دمت حيا ولأولادي ولأولادهم أي اولاد الصلب والحفدة، ومنها أنه يشفع في أهل العصر كافة، ومن كراماته الكبرى التي شاعت في الأقطار واستفاضت في البوادي والقرى والأمصار وهو قول سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم له أن كل من رأى وجهك يوم الجمعة أو يوم الاثنين دخل الجنة بلا حساب ولا عقاب. وقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم لقدوتنا : بعزة ربي يوم الاثنين ويوم الجمعة لم أفارقك فيهما من الفجر إلى الغروب ومعي سبعة من الأملاك، وكل من يراك في اليومين يكتبون اسمه في ورقة من ذهب يكتبونه من أهل  الجنة وأنا شاهد على ذلك، وتكثر من الصلاة علي في هذين اليومين، كل صلاة تصليها علي أسمعك وأرد عليك، وكذلك جميع أعمالك تعرض علي والسلام. و منها أني سمعته رضي الله عنه يقول: قال لي سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم: لك في الجنة أربعون مقاما من مقامات الأنبياء. ومنها أنه قال لي: إذا بلغت مقام كذا يكون لك تصرف عظيم وتكون لك عوالم وتربح على يديك أناس وتخسر أخرى. ومنها انه قال لي: طلبت سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم ان يضمن لي قبول أعمالي كلها فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم: أعمالك مقبولة على أي حال كانت وطلبته أيضا فقلت له: أردت تمكين المحبة منك ومن الله لي ودوام الرضا منك ومن الله لي والاعتناء منك ومن الله بي. فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم ما معناه هو في الأوراد التي أعطيتها لك، ثم قال: وضمن لي الأمان من البلاء. قلت له: من بلاء الآخرة والدنيا؟ قال رضي الله عنه: أوليس. قال لي صلى الله عليه وسلم: أنت من الآمنين وكل من أحبك من الآمنين. قلت له: نعم. فلله الحمد وله المنة على هذه الكرامة العظمى (...) ومنها أني سمعته يقول: إني طلبت سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم أن من سبك ولم يتب لايموت إلا كافرا وإن حج وإن جاهد. قلت: إلا أن يكون شريفا من اهل البيت فإنهم لا يموتون على الكفر وإن عملوا من الذنوب ما عملوا لأنهم مطهرون. ومن كراماته ان كل بلد نزل بها كثرت فيها الخيرات وهذا مما يشهد به أهل كل موضع حل فيه، إلا أن يجحدوا نعمة الله عليهم. وأما أحبابه، فإن هذا أمر مجرب عندهم مرارا لا يشكون فيه، ولهذا كل واحد يرغب في نزوله في وطنه وإلى الآن لم ندر أي موضع يكون قراره. نسأل الله جلت عظمته أن لا يفارق بيننا وبينه من الآن إلى الاستقرار في عليين آمين. ومن اكبر كراماته حفظه للعلوم النافعة، فكل من أراد أن يسأله أو يكتب. عليه يملي عليه من غير تأمل في كل ما أراد، كأنه لوح بين عينيه ينظر فيه، وهذا مشاهد للخاصة والعامة. وقال لي مرة بعد أن كتبت عليه جواب مسئلة: لو سألني أحد أربع سنين وأنا أملي عليه وهو يكتب لم يفرغ، يعني من غير تأمل. قلت: وهذه أحوال أهل العلم اللدني رضي الله عنهم. وذكر لي الشيخ رضي الله عنه أنه استحضر كتابا في ذهنه من اوله إلى آخره بأبوابه وفصوله و مسائله وقال لي: ذكرت فيه بعض مغالط الفقهاء، أهل العلم الظاهر وأهل علم الكلام وفوائد لم يذكرها غيره. وقال لي سميته كتاب النص والفتوى فيما عمت به البلوى. وإلى الآن لم يخرجه الينا هـ. ولا يستغرب هذا منه لأن سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم قال له كل ما امليت فأنت مترجم عني، أو كلاما هذا معناه. ولا يستغرب هذا منه لأن سيد الوجود صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لهك كل ما امليت فأنت مترجم عني، أو كلاما هذا معناه . (..) ومن مناقبه، علمه بالوقت وهو علم خاص لا يعلمه إلا بعض الخواص من الأولياء. وأما كشفه رضي الله عنه فإنه كان كثيرا ما يستره بقوله: قلبي يحدثني أو وقع في خاطري كذا وكذا فيخرج كما قال. وأخبرني مرة بقدوم الأمير الظالم في وقته حين كنا في بلاد الصحراء، وبخراب قرية قبل وقوعه وبقدوم خواص بعض أصحابه، فكان كما قال، وهذا عند أهل الطريق من كرامة منزل الإخلاص. و أما إجابة دعائه، فهي كالسيف الصارم وهي أيضا من منزل الإخلاص. وأما وقايته من الأعداء مع كثرتهم ولم يمكنهم الله منه، وكل هذا من كرامة هذا المنزل. وأما تيسير الأرزاق والبركات فيها وفيضانها دائما، فهذا مشاهد عند الخاص والعام حتى عند أهل الانتقاد من غير تعب ولا تجارة ولا حرث، وهي من كرامات منزل أهل التقوى، وكلما ذكرت من أمور الكشف، فهي أول أمره، وأما اليوم فضرب عنها و سد بابها لكماله رضي الله عنه ونفعنا به. آمين. و من مناقبه أيضا أن كل من خدمه أو أطعمه أو أحسن إليه بشيء ولو مثقال حبة من خردل يدخل الجنة بغير حساب ولا عقاب بضمانة سيد الوجود وعلم الشهود صلى الله عليه وسلم". " ﴿الجامع لما افترق من درر العلوم الفائضة من بحار القطب المكتوم﴾.   

“My foot is laid on the shoulders of each saint”?

Shaykh Sidi al-Haj Omar ibn Said al-Futi (d. 1279/1864) said in Kitab Rima'h,

Concerning the excellence of our master, with the explanation that he is the Seal of Saints (Khatim al-Awliya), the Chieftain of the Sages (Sayyid al-‘Arifin), the Imam of the Champions of Truth (Imam as-Siddiqin), the Supporter of the Poles and the Helpers (Mumud-ul-Aqtab wal-Aghwat), and that he is the Hidden Pole (al-Qutb al-Maktum) and the Sealed Isthmus (Barzakh al-Makhtum); i.e. the one who is the intermediary between the Prophets and the saints, so that not one of the saints, whether his importance is great or small, can receive an overflow (fayd) from the presence of a Prophet except through his mediation, since that saint is not conscious of what is involved. Since this is the fact of the matter, you must beware, O my brother, of refusing to acknowledge the like of this superb master and noble supreme Imam. The leaders of Islam are unanimously agreed, and so are all the wise saints, that firm conviction is a profit and denial is a loss. You must know that we have presented you with the sections provided at the beginning of this blessed book, in which we have spoken about the deniers. We have been somewhat long winded, but only in order to give you sound advice and to free you from being with the followers of convention, if you are not with those who profit from firm conviction. Let my say, therefore: "Success is achieved with the help of Allah, for He is the Guide by His grace to the straight path."

You should know that if behooves us to present a statement at this point, before embarking on this section, for the sake of someone who has no share in knowledge, nor in the gifts of Allah's people. That person may present us with two assertions:  He may say, "The Shaykh Tijani has praised and commended himself, and that is blameworthy". He may say "The Shaykh Tijani has said: '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.' All the Companions are included, so he is superior to all the Companions, but that is false! The same applies to Shaykh Tijani's saying:  'No wali drinks or provides water to drink, except from our ocean, from the origin of the world until the blowing on the trumpet.'  It also applies to his saying: 'When Allah assembles His creatures at the place of standing, a herald will proclaim at the top of his voice, so that everyone at the place of standing will hear him: "O people of the final congregation, this is your Imam, from whom you obtained your support!" It also applies to his saying: '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 Qutbs, the sages, the saints, from azal ila abad (pre-existance to eternity)'. It also applies to his saying: '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.' It also applies to his saying: '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 the Comlpanion, until the blowing on the trumpet, there is not one who will attain to my station.' It also applies to his saying: 'The lives of all the people have been spent in futility, except the lives of the practisers of Salat al Fatihi, for they have gained both worldly and Otherworldly profit."

According to the antagonist, these sayings demand acknowledgment of our master's superiority, his own and that of the people of his Tariqa, over all the Companions. Success is achieved with the help of Allah, for He is the Guide by His grace to the straight path, so the response is as follows: The first assertion, ("The Shaykh Tijani has praised and commended himself, and that is blameworthy") is irrelevant, because this as explained by al Hafidh Jalaluddin Abderrahman Suyuti in Kitab Sawa'iq ‘ala Nawa'iq "is not about boastfulness or self commendation." The experts actually have two opinions on this, one of them being that this has to do with the definition of his spiritual state, since he was ignorant of his station. In al-Adhkar, Imam Nawawi has this to say on the subject of a person's praising himself and mentioning his virtues:

"You should know that someone who mentions his virtues is two separate individuals, one blameworthy and one praiseworthy. What is blameworthy is that he mentions something for the purpose of boasting, displaying superiority and suchlike. What is praiseworthy is that it contains some religious benefit, because he is commanding what is right and fair, or forbidding what is wrong and unfair, or giving good advice, or pointing to some benefit, or teaching, or educating, or admonishing, or reminding, or reconciling two people, or protecting himself, or something like that. When mentioning his virtues he intends by this to make his speech more likely to be accepted and received with trust. He is implying the message: "You will not find what I am saying in the company of anyone else, so that it to heart!' Many of the religious texts convey a message similar to this, like the saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): “I am the Prophet, that is no lie, I am the master of the children of Adam, and that is no boast. I am the first of those from whom the earth will split, and who will enter the Garden of Paradise. I am the one of you who knows Allah best, and the one of you who is most truly devout. I dwell in the presence of my Lord.”

There are many traditions similar to this. The Prophet Yusuf (blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Put me in charge of the treasures of the earth. I am a erudite custodian". The Prophet Shu'aib (Allah peace be upon him) said: "You will find me, if Allah wills, among the righteous." As reported in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim, Uthman (may Allah be well pleased with him) said, when he was besieged: "You must surely know that Allah's Messenger once said: 'If someone digs the well of Rome, he is entitled to the Garden of Paradise.' I have dug it". They believed him to be telling the truth. We are told in both the Sahih's that the people of Kufa (Iraq) complained to Umar ibn al Khattab (may Allah be well pleased with him) about Sa'ad ibn Abu Waqqas (may Allah be well pleased with him), and they said, "He does not perform the ritual prayer very well." Sa'ad responded by saying: "I was the first to shoot an arrow in the cause of Allah. And we used to campaign with Allah's Messenger." As reported in the Sahih of Muslim, Ali said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "By the One who created the living soul. Allah's Messenger vowed that no one shall love me except a believer, and no one shall hate me except a hypocrite."

We are told in the Sahih of Muslim that Abu Wa'il said: "Abdellah ibn Masud (may Allah be well pleased with him) addressed us saying: 'By Allah, I have received from Allah's Messenger seventy odd suras, and the Companions of Allah's Messenger have understood that I will surely acquaint them with the book of Allah even though I am not the best of them. If I knew of anyone more knowledgeable that me, I would surely travel to him". As reported in the Sahih of Muslim, ibn Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father) was asked about the blood money (diya) so he said: "You have stumbled upon the expert," meaning himself.... Reports of this kind are too many to be counted, all of them relevant to what we have mentioned at the end of the quotation from Imam Nawawi.¨ The author of al Kashshaf said, concerning the saying of Allah on the subject of Prophet Joseph (peach be upon him): He (Joseph) said: "The food which you are given shall not come to you without my tellign you the interpretation before it comes to you. This is part of that which my Lord has taught me." (12:37) - This implies that if the knowledgeable person's degree in knowledge is unknown, so he describes himself in a manner corresponding to it, that does not amount to self commendation. "

 Further evidence of that is provided by the saying of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be well pleased with him) reported by Tirmidhi and Ibn Habban in his Sahih: "Abu Bakr (may Allah be well pleased with him) said: 'Am I not the first of those who accepted Islam?" There is also the report of Ibn Abi Shaiba, according to which Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be well pleased with him) was told, when he was besieged: "So and so has mentioned that so and so said such and such about you" Uthman said: 'Where does it come from, when I have hidden myself for a decade in the presence of Allah? I am the fourth of those who accepted Islam, and Allah's Messenger has married me to his daughter (Ruqayya) then to this daughter (Umm Kulthum). I have pledged allegiance to Allah's Messenger with this hand, so I have not touched my private part with it. I have not flattered, nor have I vilified. I have drunk no alcoholic liquor neither in the Age of Ignorance nor in Islam. Allah's Messenger said: 'If someone buys this piece of ground and annexes it to the mosque, he is entitled to a house in the Garden of Paradise." so I bought it and annexed it to the mosque".

(…) The second point is that this had to do with speaking about the blessings of Allah (at-ta’haddut bi-ni’ama), as an expression of thankfulness and in compliance with his saying, “And as for the blessing of your Lord, tell of it!” (93:11) (…) As reported by Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Allah's Messenger said: "Speaking about the blessing of Allah is a form of thankfulness, and leaving it unmentioned is a form of ingratitude." (…) The erudite scholar Shaykh Shams Din ibn al-Qayyim had this to say on the subject: "The single thing has a single form, but it is advisable into what is praiseworthy and what is blameworthy. For instance, speaking about the blessing is a sign of thankfulness, while boasting is a sign of ingratitude for it. He also quoted the saying of Aisha (may Allah be well pleased with her) as reported by Ibn Sa'd:  "I have exceeded the wives of the Prophet in ten respects." She was asked, "What are they, O Mother of the Faithful". She replied "He never married a virgin other than me, and he did not marry any woman whose parents were Muhajirin (from Mecca to Medina), other than me. Allah sent down from heaven the revelation of my innocence (when I was falsely accused of infidelity). Gabriel (peace be upon him) brought from heaven in a piece of silk cloth and he said to the Prophet: Marry her, for she is your wife!' He and I used to bathe in a single basin, and he never did that with any of his wives, other than me. He used to perform the ritual prayer while I was lying in front of him, and he never did that with any of his other wives, other than me. The inspired revelation would sometimes come down while he was with me, and it never came down to him while he was with any of his wives, other than me. Allah took his soul away while he was between my breast and neck. He died in the night which he used to spend with me, and he was buried in my house."

(…) As for the second assertion (how antagonist may say, the statements of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani have included all the saints and also the companions, which is not true). By making statements in generalization but with an implicit specification. As Jalaluddin Suyuti also said in the book referred to above (Kitab Sawa'iq ‘ala Nawa'iq):  

The scholars fall into two different groups with regard to this kind of question. Some of them consider it a matter of customary convention, while some of them say: 'It is entrusted to the analytic process of the logical mind.' The gist is that it is an instance of generalization with implicit specification, for which there is no explanation in the science of the principles of jurisprudence. He mentioned several examples and proofs of that, to the point where he said: 'They include this saying of Allah:  “It will destroy everything by commandment of its Lord”. (46:25)

The scholars are agreed that this is an instance of generalization with implicit specification, because it (the tempest of chastisement) did not destroy the angels, nor the Throne (Arsh), nor the Pedestal (al-Kursi), nor the heavens and the earth and the mountains, nor the rest of humankind apart from the tribe of Ad. They also include His saying: “Say: Allah is the Creator of everything”. (13:16) In this case, the scholars are unanimously agreed that 'everything' must be understood in a particular sense, for the Sanctified Essence and the Noble Attributes of our Lord are not included in this (since they are eternal, and not created). “Everything will perish except His countenance”. (28:8)

The scholars are unanimously agreed that Allah has implicitly specified the exception of the Throne, and the Pedestal, the Garden and the Fire and what they both contain, and the spirits. There is also the saying of the Prophet reported by Ibn Abi Shaiba on the authority of Abu Haraira and Abu Darda: “The sky has not sheltered and the ground has not carried anyone more truthful in speech than Abu Dharr!”. This is definitely an example of generalization with implicit specification because this generality cannot possibly include him the Prophet, and the other Prophets, nor al-Khidr, if his existence is established.

Further evidence is provided by the report of Ibn Shaiba, who said in al-Musannaf:  “A colleague told us, on the authority of Ishaq, that Asim ibn Damra said: "Al-Hassan the son of Ali (may Allah be well pleased with them both) delivered a public address when Ali was killed, and he said: 'O people of Kufa, a man who had been amongst you was killed tonight, a man unsurpassed by the ancients and unmatchable by the later generations. Whenever the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) sent him on an expedition. Gabriel would be on his right side and Michael on his left, so he would not return until Allah granted him victory.'" Ibn Abi Shaiba also said: 'Abdullah ibn Numar told us, on the authority of Ismail ibn Abi Khalid, that Hubaira ibn Maryam said: "I heard al-Hasasn ibn Ali say after Ali's death: “A man departed from you yesterday, a unsurpassed by the ancients and unmatchable by the later generations."

'This statement by al-Hassan, the son of the daughter of Allah's Messenger is definitely an example of generalization with implicit specification, for the logical mind excludes from the expression 'the ancients' the Beloved Prophet and the other Prophets, as well as Gabriel and the other angels. Al-Hassan did not intend to declare his father superior, or equal to any one of these. Let us take refuge with Allah! Nor did he intend to declare him superior to Abu Bakr (may Allah be well pleased with him). He only meant others apart from these, as no intelligent person will doubt.

If you know and understand what has been presented above, you will realize that the speech of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani relating to his maqam and him being the mediator between the Prophet and the saints, and his feet being on the shoulders of all the saints from Adam to the trumpet is absolutely unrelated to the Companions (may Allah be well pleased with them). This is corroborated by the fact the Shaykh declared explicitly that the Companion would still be more excellent than another person, even if that other person attained to his degree of attainment of the intuitive knowledge of Allah.