Originally Posted by Brother Zakariya Wright.
bismillah
Sidi "ibndamian" asked me to post this excerpt of Fath al-Rabbani on his behalf, concerning the adab of the murid to his shaykh. First I thought I might give a little background to this person who has provided us with such an important translation, as well as to the text itself. Fath al-Rabbani was written early in the twentieth century and has since been considered an accessible summary of Tijani doctrine. The published version was edited by Muhammad ibn Abd Allah Tasfawi al-Tijani, but his version actually contains four works. The vast majority of the book is taken up by Al-Futuhat al-Rabbaniyya, authored by the famous Mauritanian shaykh Ahmad al-Amin al-Shinqiti (d. 1913), and it is the source for the quotation below. Many of the works we have available in English, often translated by Shaykh Hassan Cisse himself, concerning the rules of the Tariqa are from Fath al-Rabbani.
The translator of this passage is Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch, whom we are honored to have among us. Abdul Latif has recently taken the tariqa from Shaykh Hassan Cisse. He lives in Hayward, California, but is originally from Atlanta. He is currently studying full time at the Zaytuna institute with the respected Imam Zaid Shakir.
Here is the translation:
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Good manners are an indication of the embellishment of every grace and the divesture of every baseness. All comportment in the world is based upon that meaning.
As for his etiquette with his Shaikh, it goes back to what has already been mentioned. I will specify so that you turn your attention to it since according to spiritual wayfarer’s travel on it will be the degree of the attainment of the pleasure of his Shaikh, who will select him for his secrets and will flood him with lights of his grace.
So I say, among proper etiquette is having high esteem for him and a sense of reverence both inwardly and outwardly. He should not oppose him. He should prefer him above everyone else. He should not stand in his presence while he is sitting. He should not sleep in his presence without his permission to do so. He should not speak a lot in his presence out his permission, nor should he speak in his presence even if only a little without his permission. He should not sit on his prayer rug or in a place that is normally reserved for him. He should not make dhikr with his subha. He should not be insistent with him in any affair.
He should not travel or get married nor perform any important action without his permission. He should not (attempt) to shake hands with him while the Shaykh is busy, either with a pen or something of the like. He should not walk in front of him. He should not leave him while walking, except in order to proceed ahead of him in the darkness of the night to protect him from calamities.
He should not boast of the Shaikh in the presence of those who are antagonistic towards him, out of fear that it would lead to their criticizing him.
He is as careful with him in absence as he is in his presence. He observes him in his heart in all of his states, in order that his blessing might be encompassed. He doesn’t associate with anyone who hates him. He should see that every blessing that he has is only attained through him.
He should renounce harshness or aversion from him. He does not say, ‘He didn’t do something with someone’ or ‘He didn’t do something with me’. He should be obedient in every affair that he orders him to do.
He doesn’t pry into his spiritual states in worship or into his everyday habits. He doesn’t enter upon his seclusion but with his permission. He doesn’t visit him but in a state of ritual purity. He should have a good opinion of him in every condition. He doesn’t burden him with anything. He does not marry a woman that he has divorced or one who is his widow.
In general, it is obligatory to do everything that makes the shaikh happy and to avoid all things which he detests.
wassalaam
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Bijahy Shaykhuna Ahmad al-Tijani (RAA)