Al Hamdulillah,


Here is a great post with some info and pics of the Tijani fuqara in Indonesia. Please remember that Indonesia has the largest muslim population worlwide and the Tariqa Tijaniyya is one the most popular there.

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As-Salam Alaykum Wa Rahmat-Allah,

This is a post from Imam of Cape Town South Africa, Sidi FakhraDin Uwaisi al Madani at Tijani


"I just returned from a trip to Indonesia where I was invited as a guest at the annual Id al-Khatm al-Tijani celebration there. It was heartwarming to recite the blessed Wazifah al-Tijaniyyah with 20,000 Indonesian Tijani Fuqara (number documented in news

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Among other things, the Indonesian Ahbab informed me that the current Indonesian president, Mr. Bambang Yuduyono is also a Tijani, taking the Wird Al-Ahmadi al-Muhammadi al-Sharif from Muqqadam Nasihin Pati of Central Java.



However more important than that, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Asanid al-Tariqah of the some of the Indonesian Tijanis going through the great Muhaddith (Hadith Master) of the Age, al-Imam al-Shaykh Muhammad Yasin al-Fadani (who was also of Indonesian origin but was born, raised up and died in Makkah in 1990).



Upon inquiry, the Indonesian Ahbab informed me that Musnid al-Asr Shaykh Yasin bin Muhammad al-Fadani was also follower of the Tariqah al-Tijaniyyah, and this was common knowledge for them.



They showed me the printed Sanad of the Tariqah Tijaniyyah of the famous Indonesian Tijani Muqaddam Shaykh Ahmad Jawhari al-Khatib who stated in it that he took the Tariqah Tijaniyyah from Shaykh Yasin al-Fadani in Makkah, who in turn had been initiated into the Tariqah by Shaykh al-Sayyid Ali bin Abd-Allah al-Tayyib al-Madani.



Al-Sayyid Ali bin Abd-Allah al-Tayyib (d. 1944) was the Mufti of Shafi'iyyah in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah and a well-known Faqih and Sufi of the Haram al-Nabawi al-Sharif.



Sayyid Ali was born in Madinah and but had studied at the Jami'at al-Azhar in Egypt as well, particularly under al-Shaykh Hasan al-Saqa, Khatib al-Azhar al-Sharif. His teachers in the Hijaz included al-Sayyid al-Habib Husayn al-Hibshi, the Mufti of Shafi'iyyah in Makkah al-Mukarramah.



He authored a few basic texts on Ash'ari Aqidah, Shafi'i Fiqh and the Tariqah Tijaniyyah. Some of these have been translated into the Indonesian languages as well. His descendants, the Sadah al-Hasaniyyin of Bayt al-Tayyib, reside in Madinah and Indonesia.



Sayyid Ali al-Tayyib took the Tariqah Tijaniyyah from al-Shaykh al-Muhaddith Alfa Hashim (1935), the Mufti of the Malikiyyah in Madinah. He also had an Ijazah in the Tariqah Tijaniyyah from Shaykh-al-Islam al-Haj Ibrahim Niyass (RA) of Senegal.



About this, Sayyid Ali writes in his Tuhfat al-Mubtadi'in fima Yajib Ma'rifatuhu min al-Din, printed by Esa al-Babi al-Halabi (p.127):



"Wa Qalu man lam yakum lahu Wird fahuwa qird. Wa qad manna 'Llahu ala al-faqir bi-Akhdh al-Tariqah Tijaniyyah min Akabir al-Ulama al-Amilin"



"And they stated that whoever doesn't have a Wird is a qird (a monkey). And Allah has blessed this faqir by taking the Tariqah al-Tijaniyyah from the highest of the practicing Ulama".


And on page 127:



"Wa hadhihi 't-Tariqah min a'zam al-turuq al-musilah ila'Llah. Wa hiya muwafiqah li's-Sunnah, khaliyah min jami' il-bid'a, wa hiya tariqat al-Ulama. Waqad ajaztu biha kullu man kana min Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah, muqallidan li-ahad al-Madhahib al-Arba'ah, bi-shart an la yatrukaha ila 'l-mamat wa an la yushrik ma'aha Tariqah ukhra".



"And this Tariqah is from the greatest of the Paths that lead to Allah, and is in accordance with the Sunnah, free of all innovations, and is the Tariqah of the Ulama. And I give Ijazah in it to whoever is from the Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah and follows one of the Four Madh-habs with the condition that he doesn't leave it till death and does not combine it with any other Tariqah".



It would be impossible for any Alim in the Hijaz today to proclaim his affiliation to any Tariqah in such an open way, let alone to the Tijaniyyah, against which the Muftis of Najd have passed a Fatwa of Kufr.



Indeed, both Sidi al-Tayyib and his mentor Shaykh Alfa Hashim were restricted by the Wahhabi authorities from publicly professing the Tariqah at a later stage, although they were allowed to continue teaching Fiqh and Hadith in the Haram. (they nevertheless continued to practice and promote the Tariqah in private, as is attested to by their students and descendants) .



Documentation of Shaykh Alfa Hashim's tough ordeal with the Najdis in Madinah is found in Radd Akadhib al-Muftarin ala Ahl al-Yaqin by the Musnid of Egypt, Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafiz al-Tijani (RA).



This strict Wahhabi surveillance would also explain why Shaykh al-Fadani doesn't mention his Tijani Tariqah affiliation in most of the Asanid he gave to seekers of Ilm from the East and West of the Muslim World.



This is besides the fact that Ulama and Shuyukh usually sought his prized Ijazah in Hadith and the Ulum al-Shar'iyyah only and not Talqin in the Tariqah which is something that should specifically be asked for. In the case of Tijani Tariqah, this becomes even more difficult as it cannot be given for Tabarruk purposes and one of the uncompromisable conditions for initiation in it is relinquishment of all other Tariqah affiliations for the past, present and the future as well; something that most people wouldn't want to do

(Syrian Shaykh Abd-al-Hadi Kharsa discusses this issue briefly at

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Shaykh al-Fadani's Tijani affiliation would also explain his enthusiasm in granting his prized Ijazah, via mail, to Sayyidi al-Imam al-Murabbi al-Arif'Bi"llah Shaykh Hassan Cisse, without any prior request for it from the latter!



Shaykh al-Fadani's Sanad in the Tariqah Tijaniyyah as found in the printed Isnad of Muqaddam Abd-al-Hamid Yunus of Jakarta is:



Shaykh Muhammad Yasin al-Fadani, the Musnid of the Age and Muhaddith of Makkah



From al-Sayyid Ali bin Abd-Allah al-Tayyib, Mufti of the Shafi'iyyah in Madinah



From Sidi Shaykh Alfa Hashim, Mufti of the Malikiyyah in Madinah



From his father Shaykh al-Faqih Sai'd bin Umar of Mali, West Africa



From the latter's brother Amir-al-Mu'minin the Warrior Saint al-Haj Umar Tal al-Futi,



From al-Sharif Muhammad al-Ghali Bu-Talib, Khalifat al-Tijaniyyah in the Hijaz



From al-Qutb al-Maktum Khatam al-Awliya Mawlay Ahmad al-Tijani (Q.S.)



From Sayyid-al-Wujud wa Qiblat al-Shuhud Mawlana Rasul-Allah (SAW)





I wanted to mention these fawa'id here so that my fellow students of Knowledge can be aware of how prominent Ulama of the past were affiliated to the Turuq of the people of Allah, humbling themselves in seeking both the Ulum of the Zahir and the Batin.



This is also important to note because many contemporary biographies of these past scholars omit any mention of their affiliation to the Sufi Tariqahs, therefore depriving present-day tullab al-Ilm of role models in this respect."



Wa'Llahu 'l-Hadi li-Kulli Khayrin Zahiran wa Batina,



fakhruddin Owaisi al-Madani al-Tijani

This is the translation of a major magazine article in Indonesia which covers the visit of Sidi Imam FakhruDin Uwaisi of Cape Town, South Africa.



This descendent of the great sufi Uways al-Qarni reminds, "If we strive only for the world, we will lose. Even if we win, we'll only attain worldly victory, not victory in both this world and the Hereafter."

The great tabi'in era sufi, Uwais al-Qarni, is known to have prayers that is mujarab (prayer that is easily granted), and Tijanis believe this applies likewise to his descendents. For that reason, when Syaikh Fakhruddin bin Ahmed Owaisi al-Madani, an Uwaisi descendent who is a representative of Tariqa Tijaniyya, came to PP Darussalam, Jatibarang, Brebes, Central Java, early March 2008 in conjunction with 'Idul Khatmi ke-215, the congregation asked for his prayers with full immersion.

In front of the general Jatibarang audience, and specifically to the 'Idul Khatmil congregation ('Idul Khatmil is the day Syaikh Ahmad Tijani, founder of Tariqa Tijaniyya, was raised as the Seal of Saints by the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him, 215 years ago in Fez, Morocco), at the concluding ceremony at Masjid al-Itihad Jatibarang, K. H. Soleh Basalamah, principal of PP Darussalam which hosted the event, with the prayer of the descendent of Uwais al-Qarni, may those sick be healed, those in hardship find a way out, those in trial pass their test, those working obtain sustenance, and those yet to meet a spouse will find one. The attendants responded simultaneously, "Amiiin!"

In an authentic hadith, it was narrated that the Prophet Muhammad SAW ordered Sayyidina Umar bin Khaththab and Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Thalib, when they meet Uwais al-Qarni, send my greetings to him and ask for his prayer because the Prophet assured his prayer is mustajab.

Uwais al-Qarni lived at the time of the Prophet. But, because he didn't meet the Prophet, he's considered a Tabi'in (a Muslim who lived at the time of and had met the Companions while while a Muslim).

Why did Uwais not manage to meet the Prophet? Firstly, because he lived in Yemen; secondly, because he was attending to his sick aging mother, who had to be cared after and not be left behind even for a minute. For that reason he did not have a chance to make a direct bai'at (take oath) with the Prophet in Madinah. But the Prophet knew of his condition to the extent he ordered his two Companions who were to become the second and fourth Caliphs to pass on his abovementioned message.

The descendents of Uwais have now spread to various nations, like Yemen itself, and then to Saudi Arabia and India. One of Uwais' descendent in India is Syaikh Fakhruddin.

Writes a Lot of Articles

Syaikh Fakhruddin was born in America on the 8th of March 1979, grew up in Madinah, and now teaches in Cape Town, South Africa.

This is his first time in Indonesia. But at the instant of meeting with an alKisah journalist, Syaikh Fakhruddin straightaway greets, "Apa kabar (How are you)?". For sure this surprised us for how can he speak Indonesian?

After further investigation, it was realized that in Cape Town that he learned some Indonesian phrases from Indonesian descendants there who were sent off to South Africa along with Syaikh Yusuf al-Makassari. "The Noble Teacher Yusuf al-Makassari contributed a lot to spreading Islam for the first time in South Africa, specifically Cape Town," he said.

Through the work of Syaikh Yusuf al-Makassari, and later to the scholars of today, like Syaikh Hassan Cisse, there is already around two million Muslims over there, out of 50 million people in South Africa. Several Indonesian words are used in normal conversations there such as "tongkat" (walking stick), "sandal" (sandals), "tuan" (sir), "berbicara" (Ulama's lecture), "selamat" (greeting), "Apa kabar?" (How are you?), "baik" (yes/good) and others. In fact, even Jawi-script books (books in Malay language written in Arabic script) are still read amongst Indonesians over there.

Hence when he first stepped foot in Indonesia on Thursday, 28th February 2008, he felt at home. He regards Indonesia as Cape Town, and often greets with "Apa kabar?". And, when meeting with the Tariqa Tijani congregation in various locations, he often remarks, "Saya senang bertemu Saudara-saudara. Selamat! (I'm delighted to meet my brothers. Peace!)".

But at the place of the Tariqa Tijani event, he was taken by surprise that his poster was on sale by street vendors. Only after his translator informed him, rumors of his arrival was spread afar, and street vendors searched for his picture on the internet, and printed it as posters. He was delighted and instantly bought it to take back home.

Syaikh Fakhruddin writes a lot of articles for sites on the internet. One of his writings in English is on the biography of Sayyid Muhammad al-Maliki, his teacher who passed away in 2005. He also wrote about various Tijani syaikhs who lived in Africa.

In Syaikh Fakhruddin's name is stated al-Madani because he grew up in Madinah and to this day is a resident of Madinah. Although he is now living with his wife, who is pregnant, in Cape Town, South Africa.

For almost 18 years he lived in Madinah following his father, an architect for the development of this Prophet's city. After that, he studied with syaikhs in various places, amongst them Sayyid Muhammad al-Maliki, in Makkah, for five years.

In his travels studying, Syaikh Fakhruddin met Syaikh Hassan Cisse in Senegal, with whom he then took the Tariqa Tijaniya in 2003. After committing himself to the Tariqa Tijaniya, he was asked by his teacher to spread Islam in South Africa and was anointed the Muqaddam in Cape Town. In the city that is located furthest south of Africa, he also became a teacher at Assalam International University. In addition to that, he became the imam of Hout Bay Masjid and head of the Sunni Ulama Council of Cape Town.

Last year, 2007, Syaikh Fakhruddin married Umi Khulsum from India. His wife, who comes from a family of the Tariqa Chistiya in India, now switched to the Tariqa Tijaniya. She comes from the Husaini family through the lineage of Sayyidina Ja'far Ash-Shaddiq. With the blessing of Syaikh Hassan Cisse's guidance, now Syaikh Fakhruddin's wife, who also memorized the Quran, has been appointed a muqaddam. She runs women's dawah activities in Cape Town.

Known Internationally

At the age of 29, Syaikh Fakhruddin has already been recognized as an internationally recognized muqaddam. He was often surrounded in the gathering of 3,000 muqaddams throughout the world in Fez, Morocco, the center of Tariqa Tijaniya. In that city Syaikh Ahmad bin Muhammad, founder of the Tariqa Tijaniya, is buried.

In the gathering of Tijani muqaddams in Fez 2007, he met K.H. Soleh Basalamah, who then invited him to Indonesia for the 'Idul Khatmil Qutbil Maktum (the day of remembering the seal of saints that is hidden) on the 1st of March 2008 in PP Darussalam, Jalan Pramuka 110, Jatibarang.

The first of five child of Insinyur Ahmad, he captivated the muqaddams and Tijaniya brotherhood who came from various places in Indonesia. His speeches were often given great attention to by the audience.

Not only that, Syaikh Fakhruddin, who has a soothing voice, also roused the congregation to recite the Qasidah and Maulid chants together. The congregation followed suit.

Wherever he was, even during rest and meals, often people crowded around him with various questions and requests. One moment, he was very serious in explaining the miracle of one book. In another moment, due to so many people wanting to take bai'at (oath), he took the hand of one person and another person shakes the hand of the first person. Likewise for tens of people.

It is obvious, Syaikh Fakhruddin knows a lot of people in Indonesia. Yes, in the five years he studied with Sayyid Muhammad al-Maliki, many of the students were from Indonesia. Some of his friends came to the gathering despite not being a follower of the Tariqa Tijaniya.

The Tijaniya congregation was generally impressed with the character of this young energetic muqaddam. At such a young age, Syaikh Fakhruddin has already mastered many religious texts. Also several languages, such as French and English. And, "I'm also interested to learn Indonesian language," he said when interviewed by alKisah on the journey from Jatibarang to Jakarta, Monday afternoon.

His character was flexible. Once our car reached Cirebon at 21:00 and looking for food, he chose Kentucky Fried Chicken. We, accompanying him, felt awkward, because he was wearing a sarong (traditional checked cloth) and baju koko (brown shirt). Then we were taken by surprise. He changed his thobe and turban for a gamis and a stylish French soldier hat.

Striving Sincerely

So why was Syaikh Fakhruddin attracted to the Tariqa Tijaniya? There is a relationship with his ancestor, Uwais al-Qarni.

In reality, the Tariqa Tijaniya is a Tariqa Uwaisiya. What Syaikh Ahmad Tijani did when meeting with Rasulullah SAW in an awakened state, and then given a will to practise istighfar, shalawat Fatih, and hailalah (reading La ilaha illallah), is likened to the honor given to Uwais al-Qarni.

As they met Uwais al-Qarni, Sayyidina Umar and Sayyidina Ali asked, "Is it true that you know about Rasulullah SAW?".

Uwais answered, "Yes". In fact, he even knew about other people, that is Sayyidina Abu Bakar ash-Shiddiq, who he did not have a chance to meet like he did not meet the Prophet Muhammad.

It is similar with Syaikh Ahmad Tijani, who didn't meet Rasulullah SAW, because he lived at a different time. But he knew well about the Prophet (SAW) in his meeting which, by his testimony, was in a state of awake, not in a dream.

Syaikh Fakhruddin adds, the Muslims condition is due to their striving not lillahi taala, but instead for wealth and the world along. Therefore, to strengthen the spirit and unity of the ummah, the most important is to build their aqidah and akhlaq.

"If we strive only for the world, we will lose. If even if we win, we'll only attain worldly victory, not victory in both this world and the Hereafter," he says.

Likewise with Muslims in Indonesia, he hopes, have to strive with sincerity for Allah alone. With a large population, Indonesian Muslims will succeed in the future.

In his conversation with K.H. Yunus Abdul Hamid, a muqaddam in Jakarta, Syaikh Fakhruddin advised that the first thing they have to do is build a Zawiya. Like how Prophet Ibrahim AS, who erected the Ka'ba first, then Allah asked the people to come there. "Insya Allah, if there's a Zawiya, people will come to study there. If done seriously, insya Allah I will come in December 2008 to put the first brick," he say