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Veils Between Creation and Allah
Taken from the words of the Hidden Pole and the Known Muhammadan Seal, Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (may Allah sanctify his noble secret) Know that what veils creation from Allah Most High is their resting [inclining] in other than Him. Were it not so, they would all behold Him with the eye of inward sight [basa’ir], plainly and directly. Yet some are more deeply… Continue reading
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Forsaking the Visitation of Other Shaykhs, Living or Deceased [Part 1]
![Forsaking the Visitation of Other Shaykhs, Living or Deceased [Part 1]](https://tijaniyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/photo_2025-11-16_12-17-56.jpg?w=480)
On the Prohibition of Visiting Living and Deceased Saints in the Tijani Path and in All Sufi Paths Some people who are ignorant of the conditions of the Tijani Path hold the view that visiting saints—whose visitation was prohibited by our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (Allah be pleased with him) for those in his path, as it was prohibited among the masters besides… Continue reading
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Shaykh Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Sanusi and Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani
Shaykh Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Sanusi said: “And among those I encountered from the people of this station of witnessing—and to Allah belongs all praise—was our Shaykh, the unique Imam Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad al-Tijani. He informed me that he recited the Qur’an directly to the Prophet ﷺ both in wakefulness and in sleep. He was extra diligent, from what we know, in following the… Continue reading
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Sitting with the Haters
Sidi al-Tayyib b. Ahmad al-Sufyani (Allah have mercy upon him) recorded in al-Ifada al-Ahmadiyya that Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (Allah be pleased with him) said: “Sitting with those who harbor rancor brings a poison that slowly spreads into its companion.” Sidi al-Tayyib b. Ahmad al-Sufyani commented: And from the meaning of this is the saying: Choose for your soul the companion you obey, For… Continue reading
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Shaykh ‘Ali Daqar and the Tijani Path in Syria
The Imam of the Syrian lands, master of spiritual, scholarly, and armed revolutions that shook the entire region, as noted by the Syrian writer and historian Shaykh ‘Ali al-Tantawi, reached a level of fame and prominence unmatched by his contemporaries or those who came after him. His influence and goodness spread throughout all the Syrian provinces, reaching deep into the Hawran, and into… Continue reading
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Keys to the Prophetic Presence
This is what Shaykh Ahmad al-Hadi al-Hasani al-Tijani—may Allah preserve him—wrote some time ago in response to a question sent to him from the Western Sudan by a descendant of noble lineages, the son of imams and warriors, the upright young scholar, al-Sayyid Muhammad Salih Sakhu al-Sarkuli al-Tijani. May Allah admit us and him into stations of nearness and intimacy: My brother in… Continue reading
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Clinging to the Path
From the letters of Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij To our brothers in the Tijani path who reside on Jabal Bu-Makhlad—may God keep you safe and under His protection. Peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you, along with the greetings and spiritual gifts that flow by the grace of our master, may God be pleased with him and grant us benefit through him. This comes… Continue reading
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Guarded Times for Devotions
From the counsels of our master Aḥmad al-Tijānī—may God sanctify his secret—regarding sending blessings upon the Messenger (God bless him and give him peace): “I advise you to guard certain times in your day when you turn your hearts sincerely toward God—whether through remembrance, reciting the Qur’an in or out of prayer, or through sending blessings upon the Messenger of God, peace and… Continue reading
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Having a Good Opinion of God
Al-Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyi al-Din Ibn ‘Arabi (God be pleased with him) said in his Wasaya (counsels) in the final volume of his al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya: Have a good opinion of your Lord in all situations and do not have a bad opinion of Him. With each breath you take you do not know if it is to be your final breath before you die… Continue reading
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Ulterior Motives in Worship
The Divine openings that come from prayers upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) cannot be seized by force. One must simply empty their heart of ulterior motives and invoke with love and reverence, and, as Shaykh ‘Abd al-Karim al-Jili said, “observing the proprieties of reverence, magnification, awe, and shyness.” A common question that comes up is how one reconciles… Continue reading
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Moderation in Audible Dhikr
Shaykh Muhammad al-Nazifi al-Tijani said in al-Durra al-Kharida: “It is thus required, for a gathering such as this [the wazifa], that the dhikr (remembrance) be recited aloud — the least of it being that one hears himself and those near to him [hear him]. As for the most, there is no prescribed limit. What is sought is that one hear himself and those… Continue reading
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Pre-Jumu’a Grooming
Many people are keen to trim their nails on Friday morning, relying on a report that encourages it. Yet this appears to conflict with another hadith — “The believer remains in a state of sanctity on Friday until he completes his prayer.” (المؤمن مُحرم يوم الجمعة حتى يقضي صلاته) Though this latter narration is weaker in chain and reliability than the first, caution… Continue reading
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The Driver of Felicity (Sa’iq al-Sa’ada)
Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij al-Khazraji al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) said: And verily, the driver of felicity [Sa’iq al-Sa’ada] drives toward this sacred presence whomever is destined to be among its people; and the Divine repeller turns away from it whomever is not numbered among the company of its folk — those regarded with the eye of acceptance by God and His Messenger,… Continue reading
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The Shama’il of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani [1]
![The Shama’il of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani [1]](https://tijaniyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/561614417_24281379241535326_5428022189207867573_n.jpg?w=224)
Introduction The erudite master, Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij al-Khazraji al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) wrote a beautiful short work on the physical appearance, clothing, character, and lifestyle of our Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him), titled al-Shama’il al-Tijaniyya. It consists of an opening on the virtues of the Shaykh and the preface on the purpose of the work, followed by fifteen… Continue reading
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On Not Being a “Mashhur-Maximalist” in Fiqh
After answering a legal question about a traveler offering the Jumu’a sermon and prayer, Shaykh Idris al-‘Iraqi (God have mercy upon him) advised the reader to not be a “mashur-maximalist” in this age of dissolution: And there is no harm in adopting a weak opinion—much less one that is practiced in the schools of the four Imams—especially in this age, wherein naught remains… Continue reading
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The Tawhid of the Messengers
Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) said: Generally, all who obtained the science of philosophy leaped into ignorance, while claiming that they had reached the pinnacle of knowledge. But they were far removed from the Knowledge of God and the awareness of His Majesty. They expounded to the common folk that whoever did not know their science was as if he… Continue reading
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Salat al-Fatih is Muhammadan Tawajjuh
Ṣalāt al-Fātiḥ is not merely an ordinary formula of prayer upon the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace). It is a luminous chain bestowed by God upon the Hidden Pole (al-Qutb al-Maktūm), Shaykh Aḥmad al-Tijānī (God be pleased with him) through Divine inspiration and spiritual authorization from the Messenger of God (God bless him and give him peace) himself. In the… Continue reading
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Yes, Kalam is Overrated
In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and blessings be upon our leige Muhammad, the Opener and the Seal, and upon his family, according to the measure of his worth and his great dignity. The silence of the Leige of the Gnostics and Imam of the Realized [the Prophet Muhammad], grace and benedictions be upon him, concerning many of… Continue reading
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Sufi House Cleaning
One of the top priorities in this degenerate age is the purification of the Sufi household from within, from the intruders, impostors, and pretenders. What is the point of engaging the deniers of the path so long as such pollution festers among the people of spiritual affiliation? (This, of course, comes after securing the fundamental principles upon which this noble way is built—foremost… Continue reading
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Don’t Tire Yourself Out Seeking Lofty Stations
My master, Sīdī Aḥmad al-Tijānī — may God be pleased with him — said: “What I sincerely advise you is this: all that you are enamored of in seeking sainthood and lofty stations will bring you nothing but weariness. You shall gain nothing of substance thereby. For indeed, all affairs are in the Hand of God — Mighty and Majestic — and His… Continue reading
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Judgement Belongs to God and His Messenger
Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) said: We have a foundational principle on which all other principles are based: Judgement belongs to naught but God and His Messenger, and no consideration shall be given to any legal ruling except what is [supported] by the words of God and His Messenger (God bless him and give him peace); and it is unlawful… Continue reading
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“Tell him we’ll give him lead!”
Shaykh Tayyib b. Ahmad al-Sufyani records in his book al-Ifada al-Ahmadiyya that one day, a heretical pretender to the spiritual path asked one of the companions of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani for some food. Instead of feeding him right away, the companion of the Shaykh told him to wait for a while. As he was waiting, the companion went to Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani and… Continue reading
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On Forsaking Claims to Shaykhood
Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) said: Whoever rises up to the creation, calling them to God (Exalted is He), after having been granted special permission from God, his words will enter every heart and he will find acceptance among the creation and a response to his call. His commands will be obeyed by the creation and his prohibitions avoided. And… Continue reading
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Salawat=the Path
Sayyiduna Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) said: “If you desire the perfect pleasure of God in this world and the Hereafter, strive to love the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) until you make it an actual intimate experience because whoever attains this love obtains the perfect pleasure of God in this world and the Hereafter. And there… Continue reading
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Over Attachment to the Spiritual Books of Other Masters
The disciple of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) is cautioned from doing, saying, or harboring anything in his heart that would constitute a veering toward another Shaykh (and, necessarily, away from Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani). One form of this is getting caught up in Sufi books from Shaykhs of other paths, to the point of iltifat, or inclining with one’s heart… Continue reading
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Foundations for Not Visiting the Living or Deceased Shaykhs of Other Paths
Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafiz al-Tijani (d. 1978 CE) said in his work Fasl al-Maqal concerning the matters that sever one’s connection to Sayyiduna al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him): Said our master Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī—may God sanctify his secret—in al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, in the one hundred and eighty-first chapter, concerning the knowledge of the station of reverence toward the masters: Know, that… Continue reading
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Eschewing Affectation
Said the esteemed Shaykh and master, “the Bukhari of the Tariqa,” Sidi al-‘Arabi b. al-Sa’ih (God be pleased with him), in Bughyat al-Mustafid: “In sum, dealings that depend upon recompense are not of the manners of the righteous, but of the habits of the wicked. Nor is it hidden that this courtesy enters into what has been mentioned before by the Shaykh—may God… Continue reading
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Distance from God Due to One’s Devotions?
The meaning of ghurūr (self-deception) is to hold a conviction about something contrary to its true reality. Thus, the person who is deceived is the one who believes that the spiritual openings he attains come from the virtue or power of a certain remembrance (dhikr) or practice. He then expends all his energy and lifetime pursuing such practices, imagining that his devotion is… Continue reading
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Seeking God, Not Experiences
My master, Sīdī Aḥmad al-Tijānī — may God be pleased with him — said: “What I sincerely advise you is this: all that you are enamored of in seeking sainthood and lofty stations will bring you nothing but weariness. You shall gain nothing of substance thereby. For indeed, all affairs are in the hand of God — Mighty and Majestic — and His… Continue reading
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