The Ahmedi Muhammadi Ibrahimi Hanifi dimensions of the Tijaniya Path
By Shaykh al-Hajj Omar ibn Said al-Futi (d. 1279/1864)
Kitab Rima’h al-Hizb al-Rahim ala Nuhur Hizb ar-Rajim
﷽
You should know that the full name of this Spiritual Path of ours comprises several (adjectival) names, arranged in this order al-Ahmediya al-Mohammediya al-Ibrahimiya al-Hanifiya Tijaniya. If you wish, you may call it,
Tariqa al-Ahmediya (the Ahmedi Path), or,
Tariqa al-Mohammediya (the Mohammedan Path), or,
Tariqa al-Ibrahimiya al-Hanifiya (the Ibrahimi-Hanifi Path), or,
Tariqa Tijaniya (the Tijani Spiritual Path).
Suppose you raise the question: “Why have you given it several names, while other Spiritual Paths have been given a single name?” My answer will be: “It has been given many names because it is endowed with excellent merits and special qualities, with which others are not endowed, and the multiplicity of names is indicative of the superiority of the object named. As we are told in the Siraj al Munir: ‘It -meaning the Sura of Sincere Devotion (al-Ihklas) has many names and the multiplicity of names is indicative of the honor of the object named.” According to Ibn Abi Jamra, in Bahjat an-Nufus:
The probable reason why it– meaning the Opening Sura of the Book (Fatiha al Kitab) has been called by many names, is the fact that it is endowed with excellent merits and special qualities, with which others are not endowed and the multiplicity of names is indicative of the superiority of the object named, either absolutely or generically. That is why the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) was called by five names. According to one of the religious scholars: “The total number of his names is approximately one hundred, whereas the other Prophets (Blessings and peace be upon them) have only one name each. That is because he (Peace and Blessing be upon him) is the Holder of the Furled Standard and the Praiseworthy Station (Sahib al Liwa al-Ma’qud wal Maqam al-Mahmud). The multiplicity of names is due to the magnitude of his worth. The same applies to the multiplicity of Allah’s Names, for there is nothing Like Him, so nothing resembles His Names, because of their multiplicity and their magnitude.
The Ahmedi Dimension
In the case of our Spiritual Path, once you have understood the reason why its full name comprises several (adjectival) names, arranged in a particular sequence, you must realize that the significance of its being “Ahmedi” is still unclear to you. We must therefore describe and explain the Ahmedi reality (al-Haqiqa al-Ahmediya), to make it clear to you as quickly as possible. Every intelligent observer views its being called “Ahmedi” from a particular standpoint, so let us quote what our Shaykh Tijani (may Allah be well pleased with him) had to say on the subject, in his commentary on the Invocation of Blessing (as-Salat al-Ghaibyya):“As for the Ahmedi Reality (al-Haqiqa al-Ahmediya), it is the subject previously discussed in connection with the statement ‘Every giver of praise in the universe has praised Allah, but no one in the universe has praised Allah to the same extent as the Prophet has praised Him’, Furthermore, the Ahmedi Reality is one of Allah’s mysteries, so no one has discovered what it contains in the form of intuitions, knowledge, secrets, bountiful favors, manifestations, exalted spiritual states and pure virtues, and no one has had any experience of it, not even any of the other Messengers and Prophets. Its station is peculiar to him alone (the Prophet Mohammed) who is also called Ahmed (peace and blessing be upon him) “As for all the attainments of the Prophets and the Envoys, all of the angels and those drawn near, all of the Qutbs and the Siddiqin, and all of the saints and the Gnostic sages, whatever they have achieved, as a whole and in detail, it has come from the gracious bounty of the Mohammedan Reality (Haqiqa al-Mohammediya). As for the Ahmedi Reality (Haqiqa al-Ahmediya) no one has obtained anything from it, for it is peculiar to him alone, because of the perfection of its glory and the extreme degree of its sublimity.”
Once you have come to know the meaning of the Ahmedi Reality (al-Haqiqa al-Ahmediya) and the understanding of it has been grasped by your mind, you should know that our Spiritual Path is called “Ahmedi” for several reasons:
1. It is called “Ahmedi” because of its having originated from the Chieftain of Existence and the Sign of Witnessing, whom Allah has named Ahmed in His Book: Jesus said: “I am also bringing good tidings of a Messenger who will come after me, whose name will be Ahmed.” Q (61:6) -so the adjective “Ahmedi” has been applied to that which emanates from him.
2. It is called “Ahmedi” because of its stemming from the gracious favor bestowed by our patron Allah’s Messenger upon Sidna Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tijani.
3. It is called “Ahmedi” in order to draw attention to the fact that he (May Allah be pleased with him) is the first of the saints and their supporter, even though his physical existence came later, for he already existed in reality. As previously mentioned, Ibn Arabi al-Hatimi said (May Allah be pleased with him): “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 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 he 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.”
Once this has been thoroughly understood, you will not be mystified by the previously mentioned statement: “Every giver of praise in the universe has praised Allah, but no one in the universe has praised Allah to the same extent as the Prophet has praised Him.” Once you have grasped this, you should know that the Seal of the Saints has surpassed every other giver of praise in the giving of praise to Allah, for none of the saints has praised Allah to the same extent as the Seal of the Saints has praised Him, because he is the heir who inherits from the source, and who recognizes the degrees. Ibn Arabi al-Hatimi said: “The Seal of the Saints is 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.” My master said about the elite, just as ash Sha’rani said 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.”
It is obvious, plain and clear, from the speech of these two masters, that the Seal of the Saints has surpassed every giver of praise in the giving of praise to Allah, for none of the saints has praised Allah to the same extent as the Seal of the Saints has praised Him. The one from whom something is received takes precedence ahead of the recipient, since it can never be correct to place the provider of support behind the recipient of support. That is why his Spiritual Path became the Spiritual Path of love and thankfulness, as previously explained in the Seventeenth Section of this blessed book, because of its having originated from the bountiful sphere, from which Allah removed the beneficence of anyone other that his ancestor (The Prophet) who said to him (Shaykh Tijani) ” No creature among the Shaykhs of the Spiritual Paths has any benefit to bestow upon you, for I am your intermediary and your supporter in actual fact.”
You must therefore abandon whatever you have received from all the Spiritual Paths. ” He also told him: “You must adhere to this Spiritual Path without secluded retreat or isolation from the people, so that you may reach your station which you have been promised. You will thus proceed without constraint and restriction, and without a great deal of strenuous exertion. You must also abandon all the saints, for Allah has mustered the people of the Spiritual Path by sheer grace, generosity, and munificence, and their Noble Lord does not put their business without constraint and restriction, and without a great deal of strenuous exertion. They were appealing by giving praise for the tremendous favor that Allah had specially conferred upon them, and by giving thanks for the superabundance that He had generally bestowed upon them.” Because of what has been mentioned, it came to be called the Ahmedi Spiritual path (Tariqa al-Ahmediya).
4. It is called “Ahmedi” because the spiritual station of its master, in relation to the spiritual stations of all the saints, is like the spiritual station of Ahmed in relation to the spiritual stations of all the Prophets, because the Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him):
” I am the Chieftain of the Saints, just as Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) was the Chieftain of the Prophets”. He also said (may Allah be pleased with him): ” A saint neither drinks nor quenches his thirst (Spiritual Gnosis), except from our ocean, from the origin of the universe until the blowing of the trumpet.” He also said (may Allah be pleased with him), while pointing with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger. “His spirit (peace and blessing be upon him) and my spirit are like this: His spirit (peace and blessing be upon him) supports the Messengers and the Prophets (peace be upon them), and my spirit supports the Qutbs, the Gnostic sages and the saints, from sempiternity to eternity (beginning to ending) everlasting. He also said (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had informed him that his spiritual station was higher than all the spiritual stations (except Prophethood and the companions) He also said (may Allah be pleased with him): “The relationship of the Qutbs with me is like the relationship of the common folk with the Qutbs”
He also said (Sidna Shaykh Tijani),
“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!”
He also said (may Allah be pleased with him), when speaking to his companions:
“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 Spiritual Path with the degree of the people of the other Spiritual Paths, it is like that, to the point where it reaches a limit that I am forbidden to mention and divulge.”
He also said (may Allah be pleased with him):
“If the greatest Qutbs came to know what Allah has prepared for the people of this Spiritual path, they would weep and they would cry: ‘Our Lord! You have given us nothing!'” “If this is the case of the Qutbs in relation to them, what do you think of those below them, including the champions of truth, the Gnostic sages, and the saints? If this is the condition of those just mentioned, what do you think of the people of their Spiritual Paths, who have not attained to their degree?”
He referred to what we have mentioned in his saying: “We have a degree in the sight of Allah,” to the point where he said “The peculiarity of that degree is this: If someone is not on his guard against changing the heart of our companions, with no respect for our companions, Allah will banish him from his nearness, and He will deprive him of what He has bestowed upon him.” He also referred to it in his saying (may Allah be pleased with him) : ” Not one of the men of distinction will have all of his companions enter the Garden without reckoning and without chastisement, whatever sins and acts of disobedience they may have committed, not one of them except me alone.”
The Mohammedi Dimension
Beyond that, it is not permissible to mention what he told me about them, and which the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) guaranteed. It will not be seen and known except in the Hereafter. As for why this Spiritual Path of ours is called “Mohammediya” despite the fact that all the Spiritual Paths of Allah’s people are alike in that respect, there are many reasons for it:
1. All the bountiful favors bestowed upon all the saints flow from one source, that being his (the Prophet Mohammed’s) essential nature (peace and blessing be upon him), just as all the bountiful favors bestowed upon all the Prophets flow from only one source, that being his essential nature. Our Spiritual Path is called “Mohammediya” because of this complete connection. Our Shaykh said: “The bountiful favors that flow from the essential nature of the Chieftain of Existence, the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), are received by the essential nature of the Prophets (peace be upon them) and everything that flows and emanates from the essential natures of the Prophets is received by my essential nature, from which it is distributed to all creatures, from the origin of the world until the blowing of the Trumpet. Once you have understood this, the reason for calling it “Mohammediya” will not be concealed from you.
2. (Because of his position of Seal of the Saints) Our Shaykh receives his peculiar support from the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and not one of the Prophets is aware of the bounty that is peculiar to him, because he has received a special temperament (Mashrab) from him (peace and blessing be upon him).
3. It is his (the Prophet Mohammed’s) Spiritual Path for a special reason, because he (peace and blessing be upon him) stated that explicitly to our Shaykh (may Allah be well pleased with him), dispelling all doubts by telling him: “Your fuqara are my fuqara, and your disciples are my disciples,” and by telling him: “Whenever you authorize someone (the wird), and he gives it to others, it is as if they have received directly from you, by word of mouth, and I am a guarantor for them.” The Prophet also said to one of the Shaykh’s companions (Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Abu Talib al-Idrissi al-Hassani who is buried right across from Umm Mumineen Khadija in Jannat al-Mullah, Mecca): “You are the son of the beloved friend, and you have entered the Spiritual Path of the greatest deputy (khalifa) and the most renowned inheritor, the most virtuous Tijani!” This is sufficient good news for the people of his Spiritual Path, for it is more important that this world and all of its goods, and the Garden of Paradise, its palaces and the rest of its delights, and there is no goal beyond it beyond it except beholding the countenance of our Noble Master.
4. The fact that its people have a special characteristic by which they are distinguished from others, and by which they make it known that he (the Prophet) is their guarantor and in charge of their affairs. Imprinted between the eyes of each of them is the stamp: “The Prophet, the Messenger of Allah (an-Nabiyyu Mohammedun Rasulu’llah)”. Imprinted over his heart, close to his back is : “Mohammed, the son of Abdullah (Mohammed ibnu Abdullah) On his head there is a crown of light, bearing the inscription: “The Tijani Spiritual Path, the origin of which is the Mohammedan Reality (Tariqatu Tijaniya manshu u ha’l Haqiqatu’l Mohammediya)” This is how they will be distinguished on the Day of Reckoning.
5. Allah has sealed the spiritual stations of all the saints with our Shaykhs’ spiritual station, and He has placed no spiritual station above it, except the spiritual stations of the Prophets. He has made him the Hidden Qutb (Qutb al-Maktum), the Sealed Isthmus (al-Barzakh al-Makhtum), the well known Mohammedan Seal (al-Khatim al-Mohammedi) and a center from which bountiful favors and knowledge emanate for all the Spiritual Helpers (Aghwath). That complete relationship with the immaculate Prophet will be clearly confirmed at the Resurrection.”
6. Our Shaykh (may Allah be well pleased with him) acquired the Divine perfections belonging to the saints, and he encompassed them all just as Allah’s messenger Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) acquired all the Divine perfections belonging to the Prophets. This tremendous secret has pervaded his Spiritual Path and its people, so it is called “Mohammediya” for this reason.
7. Our Shaykh has said: “All the Spiritual 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. We must therefore treat it as unique, because the Prophet gave it to us directly from him to us.” The Prophet also told him “Nothing will reach you except with my help”. He is the one who has trained us and led us, to the point where we came in contact with the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). Al Hamdulillah.
8. If someone abandons one of the litanies (Awrad) of the Shaykhs, for the sake of entering this Mohammedan Spiritual Path of ours, which Allah has honored above all spiritual paths, Allah will keep him safe and sound in this world and the Hereafter. He will therefore have no reason to be afraid of any affliction, not from Allah, nor from his Messenger, nor from his Shaykh, nor from anyone whomsoever among the living and the dead. As for someone who enters our company, but then backs away from it, he will be stricken by the afflictions of this world and the Hereafter, just as Allah’s Messenger decreed in relation to him Ummah.
9. The rightly guided Imam (al-Imam Mahdi) (may Allah be well pleased with him) will receive his Spiritual Path when the end of times arrives, and he will enter his company. The Spiritual Paths will thus become one single Spiritual Path, with the help of his appearance, if Allah so wills, just as the sacred laws have become one Sacred Law, that being Islam.
10. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is protective of the people of the Spiritual Paths, with a special zeal, as he used to be zealously protective of his Companions, because its people are his Fuqara and his disciples, just like his Companions (may Allah be well pleased with them). It has previously been mentioned that the Prophet informed Shaykh Ahmed Tijani that whatever is offensive to the people of his Spiritual Path is offensive to him (peace and blessing be upon him). It has also been mentioned that the Shaykh said: “We have a degree in the sight of Allah,” to the point where he said “the peculiarity of that degree is this: If someone is not on his guard against changing the heart of his companions, through lack of respect for them, Allah will banish him from his nearness, and He will deprive him of what He has bestowed upon him”. All of this has to do with the secret because of which the Spiritual Path of our Shaykh is “Mohammediya” in the special sense of the term.
11. The Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) conferred a Spiritual Path upon this Shaykh, the Mohammedan Seal (al-Khatim al-Mohammedi) because of its being Mohammediya in the special sense of the term. As a result, the multiplication of the reward of the good deeds of its people, in comparison with the multiplication of the good deeds of other Spiritual Paths, is like the multiplication of the good deeds of this Islamic Community in comparison with the multiplication of the reward of the good deeds of members of the other religious communities. That is why some of its Adhkar (remembrances) the Matchless Sapphire (al-Yaqut-a al-Farida), which is another name for Salat al-Fatihi for instance recited one time, absorb all the remembrances of the Gnostic sages. Some of them -the Jewel of Perfection (Jawharat al-Kamal) for instance- are equal to three times the worship of the whole world. In comparison with some of them- the Talismanic Treasure (al Kanz al-Mutalsam) for instance- recited one time, all acts of worship combined are like a drop in an ocean. No one will deny this, except someone who denies the existence of the remembrances in general, so no intelligent person will converse with him, he has simply denied the Master of the Sacred Law (peace and blessing be upon him).
12. Our Spiritual path is called “Mohammediya” in order to draw attention to the fact that Allah treats its people as the lover treats his beloved. As previously explained, Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali informed me that the Shaykh had informed him that the people of this Spiritual Path have received from Allah a gracious quality peculiar to them, in addition to the gracious quality that is common to them and others. Relevant in this context is Shaykh Ahmed Tijani’s saying:
“My companions will not be exposed to the horrors of the Place of Standing (at the Resurrection) and they will not experience its thunderbolts and its earthquakes. Instead they will be together with those who are safe and sound at the gate of the Garden, until they enter with the Chosen Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in the vanguard of the first troop, along with his Companions. Their permanent abode will then be in his vicinity (Peace and blessing be upon him) in the Highest Heights, as the neighbors of his Companions. Glory be to the One who graciously favors whomever He will with whatever he will, entirely of His own volition!”
He also said (may Allah be pleased with him):
“My companions would not be consumed by the Fire of Hell, even if his sins were very many, provided that he had subsequently repented.”
13. Our Spiritual Path is called “Mohammediya” in order to draw attention to the fact that its members are more numerous than those of other Spiritual Paths, just as the members of this Mohammedan Ummah are more numerous than those of the other religious communities. As proof of that, it is sufficient to note that the Rightly guided Imam who is Expected (al-Imam al-Muntazar) is included among its people, and all of his followers (may Allah be well pleased with him) are included among its people.
The Ibrahimi ‘Hanifi Dimensions
As for why this Spiritual Path of ours is called “Ibrahimi ‘Hanifi” there are several reasons for that:
1. If it is to be called “Mohammediya” in the special sense of the term, it must necessarily be “Ibrahimi”, since Allah has said: Say: “As for me, my Lord has guided me to a straight path a right religion, the community of Ibrahim, a sincere believer.” Q (6:161) Those of humankind who have the best claim to Ibrahim are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who truly believe; and Allah is the Protecting Friend of the believers Q (3:6).
2. Our Spiritual Path is called “Ibrahimi” in order to draw attention to the fact that Allah combined two spiritual stations for our Shaykh: Love (Mahabba) and Bosom friendship (khulla). Its being “Mohammediya” necessitates its being “Related to the Beloved” (Habibiya)”, because Allah’s Messenger is the holder of love and bosom friendship, for he is the beloved (habib) of Allah and His bosom friend (khalil) as reported by al- Bukhari and other traditional authorities. Furthermore, Allah has said in His definitive Book:
“And who is better in religion than he
who submits his will to Allah, while doing good,
and who follows the practice of Ibrahim, a man of pure faith?
And Allah chose Ibrahim for a bosom friend” (4:125)
Love (mahabba) is the kernel of bosom friendship (khulla). Since this Mohammedan-Ibrahimi-Habibi-Khalili Seal (who is our Shaykh Ahmed Tijani) plunged into the ocean of this Divine grace, into which the people of his Spiritual Path have plunged, and since he followed this Prophet Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him), the Beloved Bosom Friend and the Prophet Ibrahim, from both of whom he inherited these two spiritual stations, his Spiritual Path is called “Ibrahimi.”
3. Our Spiritual Path is called “Ibrahimi” because of its being an easy Spiritual Path, originating from the compact sphere of superior excellence, in which Allah installed the Hidden Qutb (al-Qutb al-Maktum), the Sealed Isthmus (al-Barzakh al-Makhtum) and the well known Mohammediya Seal (Khatim Mohammedi), before the creation of the universe and what it contains, just as He chose Ibrahim for a Bosom Friend in that sphere of superior excellence, before the creation of the universe and what it contains. As Allah has said: “And We gave Ibrahim of old his proper course” Q (21:51). The reason for calling it “Ibrahimi” is obvious, because it is the easiest of the Spiritual Paths, just like the Sacred Law of Ibrahim, which is incorporated into the Sacred Law of Mohammed. As Allah has said: “And strive for Allah’s sake with all the effort He deserves. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion, but only the practice of your father Ibrahim” Q (22:7). That is why our master’s Spiritual Path is the path of ardent love and affection. Ibrahim was of a people obedient to Allah by nature upright, and he was not one of the idolaters; thankful for His bounties; He chose him and He guided him to a straight path (16:120-121).
4. Our Spiritual Path is called “Ibrahimi”, because all the people of the Spiritual Paths are unanimously agreed on the rectitude of Abraham, and there is no religious community whose people do not speak of him in the most laudatory terms (peace be upon our Prophet and upon him). The Shaykh holds this spiritual station as a Mohammediya-Ibrahimi inheritance, because all the perfect people of Allah know that Allah has a saint (wali) who seals the spiritual stations of the saints (Awliya) with his spiritual station, and above his spiritual station there is no spiritual station except the spiritual station of the Prophets. Every one of them wishes to be that Wali, to the point where one of them suppose that he is he, when the lightning bolt of that spiritual station flashes for him, and he supposes that he has obtained that wish. Then it becomes clear to him that he has not obtained it completely, and he submits the whole matter to the Creator of inspiration, in the knowledge of Allah will surely reveal him after concealment. As for Shaykh Ahmed Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him), it has been mentioned previously in the 33rd chapter of this blessed book, that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) informed him by word of mouth, in a state of wakefulness not sleep, that he was the Hidden Saint. Because of this complete relationship, therefore, his Spiritual Path is called “Ibrahimi”.
Speaking of Ibrahim (blessing and peace be upon him), Allah has said: “In it (the Meccan Sanctuary) there are evident signs (one of them being) the Station of Ibrahim, and anyone who enters it is safe” Q (3:97), and the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said about this Shaykh, in connection with his Spiritual Path and its people: “You are included among those who are safe and sound, and everyone who loves you is included among those who are safe and sound. You are my beloved friend, and everyone who loves you is my beloved friend. Everyone who receives your wird is liberated from the Fire, he and his children, his wives and his offspring.”
The Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him),
“Rejoice at the good news! If someone is devoted to our love until he dies, he will be resurrected among those who are safe and sound, in whatever condition he may be, so long he does not wear the garb of security from the cunning (makr) of Allah.” {End of the Shaykhs words.}
This good news is speaking of those who just love the Shaykh. So if this is the case for those who just love the Shaykh, imagine the good news for his loved ones and disciples.
By Shaykh al-Hajj Omar ibn Said al-Futi (d. 1279/1864)
Kitab Rima’h al-Hizb al-Rahim ala Nuhur Hizb ar-Rajim