What is Ma'rifah and did it exist before Tariqa Tijaniyyah?

ANSWER

Wa Alaykum As-Salam dear brother,

The term “Ma’rifah” has many meanings and levels. For the most part in the history of Sufism, this has referred to the Direct Experiential Knowledge of Allah.

This Ma’rifah of Allah existed among most of the great Awliya of this Ummah, though not all (as some were Awliya but not Arifin, and this is possible as indicated by Shaykh Ibrahim in the Jawahir).

Thereafter is the Ma’rifah of the Reality of the Prophet (SAW). This also existed before the Tariqah Tijaniyyah but was rare and lacking in certain aspects.

Both these levels were found among the great saints of the Tijani Path and among many followers also. In addition, they also tasted some of the Ma’rifah of the Hadrat Khatm al-Wilayah and what it entails. However, a lot of them would only achieve this Fat’h at the ends of their lives.

Nevertheless, the whole matter was hidden and limited to an elect few before the appearance of the Grand Faydah at the hands of Shaykh Ibrahim Abd-Allah Niasse (RA). With his appearance as Sahib al-Faydah al-Tijaniyyah and Imam al-Tarbiyah al-Ahmadiyyah, the oceans of Ma’rifah started overflowing and submerging every Talib.

Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) himself said (in his Rihla al-Kunakri/Conakry Travelogue):

حملت سر خاتم الولاية

جمعت بين الذوق والدارية

Hamaltu Sirra Khatam al-Wilayah

Jama’tu Bayna ’d-Dhawqi wa’d-Dirayah

I carried the Secret of the Seal of the Saints (Ahmad al-Tijani)

I combined in me both Experiential Knowledge and the Rational One

ففاض مني سره فلا احد

يقصدني ما عرف الله الصمد

Faada minni Siruhu fala Ahad

Yaqsuduni; ma Araf Allah al-Samad

Then from me overflowed His Secret, so there is no one…

Who follows me and does not Know Allah, the Self-Sufficient

سواء الذكران والنسوان

سواء الصعلوك و السلطان

Sawa’un iz-Dhukranu wa ’n-Niswanu

Sawa’un as-Sa’luku wa ’s-Sultanu

Whether they be Males or Females

Whether they be servants or King (i.e. they will all know Allah)

ومرة اخري ترون عجبا

من فيضة الختم امام النجبا

Wa Marratan Ukhra Tarawna Ajaba

Min Faydhi Dha’l-Khatmi Imam al-Nujaba

And once again you will see amazing matters

From the Fayd of this Seal (of Saints), the Leader of the Chosen (Masters)

وذاك كله فيضة التجاني

مدد مصطفي الوري العدناني

Wa Dhaka Kulluh Faydat al-Tijani

Madadi Mustafa ’l-Wara ’l-Adnani

And all of that is the Faydah of the (Shaykh Ahmad) al-Tijani

The Assistance of the Chosen One from (the tribe) of Adnan (The Prophet SAW)

وذاك كلا منة المنان

احمده في السر والاعلان

Wa Dhaka Kullan Minnat al-Mannani

Ahmaduhu fi’ s-Sirri wa ’l-I’lani

And all of that is the Gift of the Generous Lord!

I Praise Him in private and public

اوجدني حقا لجبر الكسر

فانني وكيل سر السر

Awjadani Haqqan li-Jabri’ l-Kasri

Fa-innani Wakilu Sirri ’s-Sirri

Indeed, He Created Me to bridge the Gap (between God and His Creation)

For, I am the Vice-regent of the Secret of the Secret

Not only was Ma’rifah proliferated to every single Talibe; the level and quality of this Ma’rifah was higher than anything experienced before. Baye (RA) himself mentioned in the Kashif al-Ilbas that the Ma'rifah and Fat'h that proliferated amongst the Talibes on his hands was unprecedented in the Tariqah Tijaniyyah before him. The secrets of the Haqa’iq and the Hadarat opened for the Men of the Faydah in a way that dazzled everyone. Besides the First 3 Realities I mentioned earlier, further Realities and Ma’arif opened up that were not known to none before.

I give you one example. Shaykh al-Sharif Sidi al-Hadi bin Mawlud Fal (RA) was the learned grandson of the great Khalifah Sidi Mawlud Fal (RA) from his father’s side and of Sidna Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafiz (RA) from his mother’s side. He was also destined to be Khalifah of the Tijaniyyah in Mauritania.

Yet, when the Faydah appeared, he traveled to Kaolack to Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) to check out the matter for himself. This is what he wrote about the Talibes of Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) thereafter in his famous letter (published as Irshad al-Sadah):

وأدناهم مشهدا لا يلحق به مشاهد أكابر التيجانيين سواهم وما شهدنا إلا بما علمنا

“And the Spiritual Experiential Insight of the highest ranking Tijanis outside of the Faydah do not come close to the Spiritual Experiential Insight of the lowest of Shaykh Ibrahim’s Talibes. And I do not testify to except that which I have seen myself. ”

An eminent Nigerian Khalifah of Kano, Mallam Tijjani bin Uthman (RA) also wrote the same about the Sahib al-Faydah and his disciples:

صاح عج نحو الهمام

ذي الفيوضات السوامي

Sahi ‘Ujja Nahwa ’l-Humami

Dhi’l- Fuyudati ’s-Sawami

O My friend! Travel to the Noble One (Shaykh Ibrahim)

The Possessor of lofty Spiritual Emanations

ذوق أدنى صحبه قد

فاق أذواق العظام

Dhawqa Adna Sahbihi Qad

Faqa Adhwaqa ’l-Izami

Indeed, the Spiritual Level of his smallest disciples

Surpasses the levels of the great saints

Note that the above-mentioned poem was presented to Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) and he approved of it, orally and by pen.

As Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) himself said praising the Gnostic Men of Allah among his Tijanite disciples in Medina-Baye:

لأنها مظهر فيض الخاتم

فيها رجال ذوقهم كالحاتمي

Li-annaha Mazharu Faydi ’l-Khatimi

Fiha Rijalun Dhawquhum ka’l-Hatimi

Because it is the Manifestation of the Faydah of the Seal (of Saints)

In it are Men whose Spiritual Tastes are like that of al-Hatimi (i.e. Ibn-Arabi)

And as Mawlana Shaykh Hassan Cisse (RA) stated and quoted Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) in the International Tijani Conference in Fez, Morocco in 2007:

وإنى بحمد الله أعرف زهاء عشرة ملايين من المسلمين إعتنقوا هذه الطريقة بواسطتنا، وعددا أوفر منهم كانوا قبل إتصالهم بنا كفارا وعبدة أصنام ومسيحيين وعددا أوفر منهم أدرك الفتح ومعرفة الله بالشهود والعيان لابالدليل والبرهان

“And I - and all praise is for Allah - know of tens of millions of Muslims who took this Tariqah through me; and even more who were unbelievers, idol-worshippers and Christians before coming in contact with us; and even more who attained the Opening (of the Knowledge of Allah) through witnessing and beholding (the Presence of Allah) without any proof and reasoning.”

As for your questions about WHY?

There is only one Answer. It is ALLAHS GRACE. That’s all. No ifs and buts here.

Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA) said:

لو اطلع أكابر العارفين على ما أعد الله لأصحابي لبكوا وقالوا ربنا ما أعطيتنا شيئا

“If the greatest Saints of this Ummah knew what Allah has granted me and my followers, they will cry and say: O Allah You gave us nothing.”

Why did the Qutb al-Maktum (RA) get such a Maqam in Wilayah?

It is ALLAH’S GRACE!

Why did Shaykh Ibrahim get this Maqam of disseminating Ma’rifah?

It is ALLAH’S GRACE!

Why did sinners like us of the last ages, attain this gift of the Faydah?

It is ALLAH’S GRACE!

Why do others in Islam or in the Tariqah don’t have it?

It is ALLAH’S CHOICE!

As the Allah Almighty Himself states in the Blessed Qur’an:

ذلك فضل الله يؤتيه من يشاء و الله ذو الفضل العظيم

Dhalika Fadlu ’lLahi Yutihi Man Yasha! Wa’Llahu Dhu’l-Fadli ’l-Azim!

That is the Grace of Allah! He grants it to whomsoever He wishes! And He is the Possessor of Unlimited Grace!

This is the Path of Grace. Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) starts his poem Ruh al-Adab by describing the Tariqah Tijaniyyah with these words:

طريق محض الفضل و الرضوان

اسس على السنة و القرآن

 The Path of Pure Grace and Pleasure (of Allah)                         

Established firmly on the Sunnah and the Qur’an

We should just thank Allah immensely and not question His Gifts. Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) wrote in one letter to his first Talibes (Jawahir al-Ras'ail, p.8):

و اعلموا أنكم يلزمكم حمد الله و شكره حيث جعلكم من السابقين الأولين من أهل هذه الفيضة

و لكن لا  تقعدوا و لا تميلوا الى الراحة فإن من ورائكم قوماً أتوا بعدكم و إن تقاصرتم في اداء حقوق مولاكم يسبقوكم و ذلك و العياذ بالله غاية الخسران

“And know that it is necessary for you to thank Allah and praise Him for making you of the foremost men of the Faydah. So do not relax and rest, for behind you are many others who have come after you - and if you fail to fulfill your duties towards your Lord (of gratefulness) - they will overtake you. And that is the ultimate loss, may Allah protect us".

Know also that this Knowledge of the Ma’rifah is also finished and taken away by Allah from those so-called tijanis who fought Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) and the Faydah and continue to do so, because fighting him is fighting Shaykhuna al-Tijani (RA), for he had said:

و هذا العبد الفقير باب الشيخ التجاني من قبلناه قبله و من رددناه رده

“And this poor Slave is the Door of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (RA). Whoever I accept, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani accepts, and whoever I reject, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani rejects”.

And know also that Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) writes in the Kashif al-Ilbas about the reasoning for this Faydah to appear in these last ages:

"والحكمة فى ظهور هذه الفيضة فى هذا الزمان الفاسد, ضعف الإيمان فى قلوب الناس وكثرة الفرق الضالة و المضلة وهذه الأمة مرحومة فأفيضت إليهم المعارف والحقائق كى يرجعوا لأهل فطرة الإيمان"

(كاشف الألباس)

“The wisdom in the emergence of the Faydah in this age of corruption is the weakness of Faith in the hearts of people as well as the abundance of misguided sects that are misguiding others. However, this Ummah has been endowed with Mercy (from Allah), therefore, the (divine) Sciences and Realities (of Allah) were poured on them (through the Faydah), so that they may return to the natural state of Iman”.

And as Mawlana Shaykh Hassan Cisse (RA) said in his above mentioned speech:

فكان من فضل الله على أهل هذه الطريقة وبقاء السريان المدد فيها أن ظهرت الفيضة التجانية مصداقا لقول الشيخ التجانى رضى الله عنه

“Consequently, from the Blessings of Allah on the people of this Tariqah, (and a proof) of the continuation of the flow of spiritual grace in it, was the emergence of al-Faydah al-Tijaniyyah (the Tijani ‘Flood’); a fulfillment of the prediction made by al-Shaykh (Ahmad) al-Tijani”

ولاغرو فى دوام سريان هذا المدد ونحن نتيقن أن الشيخ التجانى هو ممد الأولياء والعارفين لايشرب ولى ولايسقى إلا من بحره

“There is nothing surprising about the continuing flow of this Spiritual Grace (of the Tijaniyyah), if we are firmly convinced that al-Shaykh (Ahmad) al-Tijani is the ultimate provider (of spiritual knowledge) for all the saints and knowers (of Allah) and no saint drinks (of the spiritual knowledge) and is given drink except from his ocean.”

Read the entire speech on our website: www.tijani.org

The matter is clear. It is Allah’s Choice, whether anyone likes it or not.

When Sidna Rasul-Allah (SAW) appeared with Islam, both; his people, the Quraysh, and the foreign Jews fought him.

His people fought him out of an undermining of their own brother, and the Jews fought him because he did not appear from their chosen race and place.

The same goes with every Complete Inheritor of the Rasul (SAW). He must face the Quraysh and the Yahud.

As for your question about Tarbiyah;

Well, know that extra recitation of Adhkar with special permission (besides the Wirds and the Wazifah) has always been part of the practice of the Tijani Tariqah, especially the blessed Salat al-Fatih. We read in Shaykh Sukayrij’s book Kashf al-Hijab:

و كان سيدي العربي الأشهب رضي الله عنه يذكر كل يوم من صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق عشرة آلاف مرة

(كشف الحجاب عمن تلاقى مع الشيخ التجاني من الأصحاب)

“And Sidi al-Arabi bin al-Ash-hab (a companion of Shaykh al-Tijani) used to recite 10,000 Salat al-Fatih daily”

The great Sidi Akansus (RA) of Morocco also used to prescribe the recitation of the Name “Allah Allah Allah” in Seclusion to Tijani disciples in order to attain the Ma’rifah of Allah. The details of the number and process is mentioned by Shaykh Sukayrij (RA) in his book Raf al-Niqab, Vol 2, p.131.

So the matter is clear. Tarbiyah did exist before Shaykh Ibrahim (RA).

Yes, it was Allah’s Decision that the ultimate benefits of Tarbiyah proliferate through Shaykh Ibrahim (RA). We submit to it and do not question it.

I will post a detailed message on Tarbiyah soon In Sha Allah as well!

We pray that Allah keeps us all steadfast through His Mercy, Amin bi-Jahi’l-Habib (SAW).

Was Salam,

Servant of the Tijani Door,

Imam Fakhruddin Owaisi