Question
If I'm doing the wird with Salat al-Fatih then notice that I'm late for work or some other appointment, can I start doing salawat using a different form in the middle of my wird?
Answer
Yes you can, though some shaykhs didn't allow this change in the middle of the wird.
Question
Can you clarify the difference between majnun and majdhub?
Answer
A majnun is one who goes mad due to the affect of jinn or mental disorders.
A majdhub is one whose mind was altered due to the affect of witnessing the divine presence.
Question
What does it mean when Shaykh Ibrahim says that he is free of someone that is majdhub but does not do suluk?
Answer
It means he distances himself from and condemns the talibe that experienced the jadhb (pull of the divine presence) in tarbiyah, but then stopped his prayers and worship after that experience. A talibe must always continue his journey as Allah is limitless.
Before the jadhb, you journey to Allah; after it, you journey in Allah, and that's forever.
Before, your worship was a means to the arrival in his presence;
Now your worship is showing gratefulness and adab to His presence.
An arif respects "Himself".
Question
What is the Tijani position on Music Sidi?
Answer
Wa Alaykum As-Salam Sidi,
This is a Fiqh issue and the people of the Tariqah may follow the verdicts of the various Ulama regarding it. The Tariqah does not prescribe any particular view.
According to Imam al-Ghazali (RA), there is no strong proof that prohibits the usage of any musical instruments, therefore they are all allowed per se.
Based on what we saw from our Tijani Saints, we prefer this opinion to that of other great Ulama who considered certain or all instruments as Haram.
However, all Ulama agree that any Music that promotes Haram ways (e.g. vulgarity, indecency, racism, zina, abuse, violence), is HARAM to listen to...with or without instruments.
What remains is Music that promotes halal matters (e.g. love for country, history, culture, beauty of life, human emotions...etc). This would be permissible, as long as it is not excessive and does not distract from our Ibadah. Indeed, the Prophet (SAW) himself listened to such things on some occasions (such as the authentic Hadith of the wedding songs).
Then there is the Music (Sama) of the Sufis that promotes spirituality and the higher love for the Divine Realm.
This would be recommended in certain cases, when it takes our souls from the lower worlds to the Higher Realms. But it should not be excessive.
Like numerous other Awliya-Allah, our Master Shaykh Sidi Ahmad al-Tijani (RA) would sometimes ask his his personal munshid (poem reciter), Sidi al-Jabiri (RA) to sing some Sufi poems to him using the Oud (Arabic Guitar-like instrument), as mentioned by Sidi Sukayrij (RA) in his Kashf al-Hijab.
He (RA) would particularly prefer to hear the poems of the Egyptian Arif Ibn al-Faarid (RA) who wrote:
عن مذهبي في الحب مالي مذهب
و إن ملت عنه يوماً فارقت ملتي
و إن خطرت لي في سواك إرادة
سهواً على خاطري قضيت بردتي
As for my Madh-hab in Love...I have no Madh-hab (i.e. set way)
For me, if I neglect His Love for a day, I have denounced my Religion
Indeed, if I think of other than You for a moment...
even by mistake....then I consider myself a Murtadd (apostate)
And who wrote on the Tongue of the Haqiqah al-Muhammadiyyah (Essential Reality of Muhammad SAW):
إني و إن كنت ابن أدم صورة
لي فيه معنيً شاهد بأبوتي
And even if I am the son of Adam by my appearance
The meaning (purpose) he carries points that I am actually his father!
Allah Allah Allah!
May we always drink from His (SAW)'s Divinely-Filled Ocean.
Question
What should the attitude of a Tijani murid be with regards to the sunna adhkar for the morning and evening?
Should he ask his Shaykh permission and guidance in using them or, coming from the sunna, he is generally recommended to hold on to them as he can?
Considering that so many have been transmitted in the ahadith, and that we cannot resort to the selections used by other tariqas as their awrad (ex.: safinat an-Najah of Imam az-Zarruq and Wird al-Latif of the Ba'alawi tariqa), how should we go about selecting those we adopt in our daily practice?
Answer
The Sunnah Adhkar have been granted an Idhn Aam (general permission) from the Prophet (SAW) for the whole Ummah. A Tijani murid may of course recite them, without requiring any further Idhn from his muqaddam or Shaykh.
However, he should not recite the compilations of non-Tijani Shaykhs, to avoid attachment to them (i.e. the Shuyukh), which can remove one from the Tariqah (as is well-known).
Noting also that to recite these Sunnah Adhkar as they are compiled by Zarruq and Haddad, is itself NOT a Sunnah!
The Prophet (SAW) did NOT recite ALL those adhkar, ALL the time, in THAT compiled manner and sequence.
So, as a Tijani murid, you can choose what you wish to recite daily from them.
Preference should of course be given to those Sunnah Adhkar that our own Tijani Shaykhs used to recite daily. These can be found in books such as Ahzab wa Awrad and Jawahir al-Ma'ani.
Question
You wrote that Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) advised all Tijanis to pray with folded arms.
I ask: What is wrong with not folding the arms in Salah, like the rest of the Malikis? Why should we follow Shaykh Ibrahim's Ijtihad rather than the dominant Maliki position? What do we say to those who would say we are doing the same thing as Salafis who also go against the 4 Madh-habs preferring to follow the Ijtihad of their scholars like Albani or Bin-Baz?
They claimed to follow a school of fiqh but considered their ijtihad better than the many scholars that came before!
Answer
Please differentiate between two things:
1- Abandoning madh-habs all together, following some new pseudo-ijtihad that goes against all 4 madh-habs, and showing disdain for the great Imams of the madh-habs.
2- Sticking to a madh-hab generally speaking, but disagreeing with some of its opinions, based on one's personal Ijtihad (if one is qualified to do ijtihad), while still operating within the madhhab and maintaining Adab with the great Imams of the madh-habs.
The first approach is unacceptable to us, and is the method of most modern "Salafis".
The second scenario is acceptable and was a common phenomena amongst the great scholars of Islam, who followed a madh-hab but sometimes disagreed with its opinions based on their personal Ijtihad. This was done by students of Imam Abu-Hanifah, Imam Malik and Imam Shafii as well. Imam al-Ghazali was a Shafii but disagreed with the Shafii madh-hab in certain matters. The same goes for Qadi Ibn-al-Arabi in the Maliki madh-hab and al-Lucknawi in the Hanafi madh-hab. Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (RA) did that while remaining a Maliki in most matters.
As devoted murids of Shaykh Ibrahim (A), we follow his Ijtihad (scholarly reasoning and preference) in the issue ofSadl and Qabd. Especially when we know that Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) revived the Sunnah of Qabd (praying with folded arms) by the authorization of the blessed Rasul (SAW) himself.
Someone asked Shaykh Ibrahim (RA), "Why do you pray with Qabd while your own father and even Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (RA) prayed with Sadl?"
He replied: "Allah did prescribe on us to follow anyone in Shariah except the Rasul (SAW). As for the Tariqah, I follow Mawlana Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (RA) step by step".
I asked Shaykh Mahy Cisse (RA) why Shaykh al-Tijani (RA) did not revive this Sunnah?
He replied that Shaykh al-Tijani (RA) had not been given that particular duty by the Rasul (SAW). It was meant for Shaykh Ibrahim, which would still be Shaykh al-Tijani in action (just like the Tariqah of Shaykh al-Tijani was still the Rasul SAW in action).
Note also that Shaykhuna al-Tijani (RA) was followed by only a minority of people in Morocco. Their numbers were too insufficient to bring about any significant change of practice in the Mosques there. After the appearance of the Grand-Faydah however, Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) had millions of followers all over West Africa. Thus the time was ripe to revive this Sunnah there, and he (RA) was granted that Idhni from Rasul-Allah (SAW).
Nevertheless, the great Nigerian Tijani Khalifah (authorized by the descendants of Shaykhna al-Tijani) Shehu Abu-Bakr Atiqu wrote that he had read in some old Tijani documents that Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA) used to personally pray with Qabd (folded arms), in private. See Ajwibat Ahl Tashad by him.
Note that Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) was Shaykh-ul-Islam and the MUJADDID of the Age. Part of the mujaddid's work is to revive Sunnah practices neglected by those before him.
Question
As-Salam Alaykum Sidi,
Since i took the Tijani Path, I dont like mixing with bad company and corrupt friends who only talk about the Dunya, Women, Cars, Money….etc. I used to like their company before, but now I hate it.
However, I find it difficult to avoid them as they are everywhere, especially at the College where is study. What do you advise?
Answer
Wa Alaykum As-Salam dear brother,
Don’t worry too much. It is a sign of your Imaan and the benefit of the Tariqah that you don’t like bad company.
Indeed, after you smell the fragrance of the roses of Tariqat, you hate the stink of the Dunya and those who talk about it all the time.
Its normal!
Nevertheless, our Tijani Tariqah is not one of seclusion and hiding from people.
We all have to mix with bad people and hear their bad talk sometimes. We all have to go to Shops, Schools, Colleges, Offices. We all live in the Dunya so we can’t run away from these people.
However, even these people can bring us closer to Allah. For example:
1-Every time we see them lost in Dunya we thank Allah for guiding us to the Haqq, and we love Allah even more because He saved us.
2- Every time we see these people talking bad things, we remember that it is not their mistake but that Allah has left them like that. For Allah can guide or misguide whom He wants. We all belong to Him. So we fear Allah.
3- Every time we see these people, we appreciate the beauty of Tariqah. For we can never appreciate beauty without ugliness. Day without Night. Kufr without Islam.
So say al-Humduli’Llah and be happy!
We are all Allah’s Creation. Some are loved by Him more than others.
Just make your Prayers and Wirds on time. Think a lot of Rasul-Allah (SAW). He was also having lots of enemies and ignorant people around him. But he was still strong!
Maybe, you will remind these foolish people about Allah one day!