Sidi Abu Abbas Ahmad al-Tijani was born in the Southwest Algerian oasis town of Ain Madi on the twelfth of Safar in the year 1150 (1737 C.E.). He was a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad through Fatima Zahra's first son Hasan and later through Mawlay Idris, the celebrated founder of Morocco. His father was Sidi Muhammad b. al-Mukhtar b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Salam, a prominent scholar whose family hailed from the Moroccan Abda tribe and whose grandfather had immigrated to Ain Madi fleeing a Portuguese invasion less than a century before Shaykh Tijani's birth. This same ancestor was perhaps one of the more renowned of the Tijani line prior to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani, and it is reported that he used to engage so much in spiritual retreat (khalwa) that he would have to walk to the five prayers in the mosque with his face covered, otherwise onlookers would fall so heedlessly in love with him that they would thereafter never be able to separate from him. Shaykh Tijani's mother, Aisha, was the daughter of Muhammad b. Sanusi (no known relation to Muhammad al-Sanusi, the founder of the Sanusiyya), and was noted for her piety and generosity.
The young Shaykh Tijani continued in the scholarly tradition of his family and city, memorizing the Qur'an by the age seven before turning to the study of jurisprudence (fiqh and usul al-fiqh), Prophetic traditions (Hadith), explanation of the Qur'an (tafsir), Qur'anic recitation (tajwid), grammar (nahw) and literature (adab), among other branches of the traditional Islamic sciences. According to the Jawahir, the Shaykh mastered all of these fields at a very young age, in part due to the force of his resolve but also because of the quality of his teachers. Among his first instructors were masters of their fields, such as Sidi Mabruk Ibn Ba'afiyya Midawi al-Tijani (not mentioned in the Jawahir as being a relation to Ahmad Tijani), with whom he studied the Mukhtasar of Sidi Khalil, the Risala and the Muqaddama of Ibn Rushd (Averoes) and the Kitab al-'Ibada of al-Akhdari.

Shaykh Tijani's prodigious capacity for learning at such an early age is explained in the Jawahir by the Shaykh's own statemet: "When I begin something, I never turn from it." In another passage describing his love for the people of religion, the Jawahir describes him as a youth of powerful intelligence, such that nothing escaped his realization. Thus it was that even after he had mastered the sciences available in Ain Madi and had become by the age of twenty, according to the Jawahir, a great scholar, jurist and man of letters such that people were coming to partake of the knowledge of this newest Mufti (a scholar licensed to issue legal decisions), his thirst for more knowledge pushed him to leave the city of his birth in 1171/1758.

The obvious destination for any seeker of Islamic knowledge in the Maghrebi context was Fes, the long-established political, intellectual, cultural and religious capital of the area. According to the Jawahir, the young Shaykh Tijani spent his time in Fes studying Hadith and generally seeking out the people of piety and religion. Among his teachers in Fes were many famous for their knowledge and saintliness. Their names are provided here to demonstrate Shaykh Ahmad Tijani's contact with some of the more significant luminaries of eighteenth-century Moroccan Sufism. Al-Tayyib b. Muhammad al-Sharif of Wazan (d. 1180/1767), who was head of the Wazzaniyya Sufi order at the time and the student of the famous Shaykh Tuhami descending from the Jazuli shaykh Ahmad al-Sarsari, gave Tijani permission to give spiritual instruction, only to have the young scholar refuse so that he might work harder on himself before becoming a spiritual guide. Sidi Abdullah b. 'Arabi al-Mada'u (d. 1188) was likewise impressed with his student, telling him that God was guiding him by the hand, and before Tijani left him, the old scholar washed his student with his own hands. Another scholar to predict to Tijani an exalted spiritual attainment was Sidi Ahmad al-Tawash (d. 1204). From Sidi Ahmad al-Yemeni, Shaykh Tijani took the Qadariyya Sufi order, and from Abu Abdullah Sidi Muhammad al-Tizani he took the Nasiriyya order. He also took the order of Abu Abbas Ahmad al-Habib al-Sijilmasy (d. 1165), who came to him in a dream, put his mouth on his, and taught him a secret name. Although Tijani did receive spiritual permission (idhn) in these orders, his association with them should not be considered the essential element in his spiritual development. But the imprint of his early affiliation with these orders was not completely lost with the later development of the Tijaniyya, and their emphasis on an elite "orthodox" Sufism, firmly rooted within the bounds of the Qur'an and Sunna, was an essential component of Shaykh Tijani's new order, as will be seen later in chapter three.

Even from the time of Shaykh Tijani's first visit to Fes, the young scholar's ascendent motivation seemed to be the attainment of a spiritual opening (fath). So when another of his teachers, Sidi Muhammad al-Wanjili (d. 1185), a man known for his saintliness, predicted for him a maqam (spiritual station) of Qutbaniyya (Polehood) similar to that of Abu Hasan al-Shadhili, but that his fath would come in the desert, Tijani hastened his departure from Fes. The Jawahir reports that he spent some time in the desert Zawiya of the famous Qutb Sidi Abd al-Qadir b. Muhammad al-Abyad (known as Sidi al-Shaykh) before returning to Ain Madi, only to leave his home soon again to return to al-Abyad before moving on to Tlemcen. His activities during this time consisted of teaching Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir) and Hadith in whatever town he happened to be staying while continuing an apparently rigorous practice of asceticism, including frequent fasting and superogatory worship. During his stay in Tlemcen, he received through Divine inspiration greater assurance of his coming grand illumination.

It was from southwest Algeria, then, that Shaykh Ahmad Tijani set out in 1186/1773 to accomplish the requisite Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj). Shaykh Tijani's first stop of note en-route to Mecca was at Algiers, where he met Sidi Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahman al-Azhary (d. 1793), a prominent muqaddam (spiritual guide) of the Khalwatiyya Sufi order who had received initiation at the hands of Shaykh al-Azhar Muhammad al-Hifni. The Khalwatiyya, originating in fourteenth century Anatolia, had become by the eighteenth century, under the tutelage of Mustafa al-Bakri, one of the most prominent orders in Egypt and a locus for Islamic and Sufi renewal.

Shaykh Tijani's affiliation with this order was perhaps the most significant influence upon his thought prior to his waking meetings with the Prophet, and he did not leave Algiers before receiving initiation at the hands of al-Azhary. No doubt such an encounter would have provided additional impetus to meet, as he later would, some of the day's most renowned Khalwati scholars, such as Mahmud al-Kurdi and Muhammad al-Samman, while passing through Egypt and the Hijaz.

Shaykh Ahmad Tijani's journey East brought him also to Tunis, home of the famous Zaytuna mosque and university, which predates both the Azhar in Cairo and the Qarawin in Fes. Indicative of the ease with which foreign scholars could integrate into diverse Islamic communities, upon his entry into Tunis, Shaykh Tijani immediately met with the people of saintly renown, such as Sidi Abd al-Samad al-Ruhwij, and took up teaching at Zaytuna, this time his syllabus including Ibn 'Atta Allah's Kitab al-hikam. It seems he made enough of an impression on the scholars there for the Emir, Bey Ali (r. 1757-1782), to offer him a lucrative permanent teaching position at Zaytuna. But the Emir's request had the opposite effect on Shaykh Tijani to that which was hoped for and, reportedly not wanting to accept dependence on state authority, he continued his journey East.

Arriving in Mecca just after Ramadan in the year 1187/1774, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani stayed long enough to accomplish the rites of the Hajj. During his stay there he also, as was his custom, sought out the people of "goodness, piety, righteousness and happiness." His search led him to a mysterious saint from India, Ahmad b. Abdullah al-Hindi, who had made a vow to speak to no one except his servant. On knowledge of Tijani's presence at his house, al-Hindi sent him the message, "You are the inheritor of my knowledge, secrets, gifts and lights," and informed the pilgrim that he himself was to die in a matter of days (it came to pass on the exact day al-Hindi had predicted for himself), but that he should go visit the Qutb (Pole) Muhammad al-Samman when in Medina.

After accomplishing the ziyara (visitation) to the Prophet's tomb, where "God completed his aspiration and longing" to greet the Prophet, Shaykh Tijani went to visit the renowned Shaykh Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Samman (d. 1189/1775). Like al-Kurdi, al-Samman was a member of the Khalwatiyya order, being one of two students given full ijaza (permission) by Mustafa al-Bakri; the other was al-Kurdi's shaykh, Muhammad al-Hifni. Aside for his own intellectual and spiritual prowess, al-Samman has become famous on account of another disciple, Ahmad al-Tayyib (d. 1824), who spread his ideas in the Sudan as the Sammaniyya order. Before Shaykh Tijani's departure, al-Samman informed him of certain secret "names" and told him that he was to be the al-qutb al-jami' (the comprehensive Pole).

On his return from the Hijaz, Shaykh Tijani stopped in Cairo and visited Mahmud al-Kurdi, the Khalwati representative in Egypt whom he had first visited on his way to the Hijaz. The Jawahir reports that many of the 'ulama of the city came to visit the travelling scholar during this second visit. Demonstrating his profound respect for his teachers of the Khalwati tradition, Tijani accepted from al-Kurdi to be a muqaddam (propagator) of the Khalwati order in North Africa. Although Tijani's later initiation at the hands of the Prophet would obviate its need, the Jawahir reproduces the chain of transmission (silsilah) of the Khalwatiyya, stretching from the Prophet through Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hasan al-Basri, Junayd, Umar al-Khalwati (from whom the order derives its name), Bakri, and Kurdi (not to mention all the names) to Shaykh Tijani.

The beginning of a distinctive "Tijani" order can be located with the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani in a waking vision. This occurred in 1784, in the desert oasis of Abi Samghun. The Prophet informed him that he himself was his initiator on the Path and told him to leave the shaykhs he had previously followed. The Shaykh then received the basis of a new wird and was given permission to give "spiritual training to the creation in [both] the general and unlimited (itlaq)." The Prophet told him: "You are not indebted for any favor from the shaykhs of the Path, for I am your means (wasita) and your support in the [spiritual] realization, so leave the entirety of what you have taken from all the tariqas."

Shaykh Ahmad Tijani and a group of his closest companions took up residence in Fes beginning in 1213/1798. By the time of his arrival in Fes, Shaykh Tijani's fame as a scholar possessing religious charisma or blessing (baraka) had spread throughout the Maghreb, so that his entry into the city was a matter of some importance for the political and religious establishment. The Shaykh was met by a delegation of scholars selected by the Sultan. The relationship that developed between Shaykh Tijani and Sultan Mawlay Sulayman is important in understanding the religious personality of both men. After a series of tests to ascertain the veracity of Tijani's claims to sainthood, such as giving the saint money in a manner he would not have been able to accept as a man of religion, Mawlay Sulayman became closely linked to the newcomer, appointing him to his council of religious scholars and giving him a large house ("the House of Mirrors"). The Sultan's initiation into the Tijaniyya has often been denied by non-Tijanis, but Tijanis have maintained his discipleship to their Shaykh. Tijani tradition has chronicled a series of letters between Shaykh Tijani and the Sultan clearly indicating a shaykh-disciple relationship. In one exchange, the Shaykh writes the Sultan urging him to fear God and keep to His command and then informs him of the some of the benefits of the Tijani wird as told him by the Prophet, and tells him of the proper manners for experiencing the vision of the Prophet. The Sultan replied,

The ransom of our parents, our master and our shaykh and our Muhammadan example, Abu 'Abbas Sidi Ahmad. I praise God to you and to Him and I send blessings and peace upon His noble Prophet. Your most blessed lines have reached us, and we praise God the Most High on account of what He has made special for us by them from the pleasure of the master, the Messenger of God ... and this matter I do not want that I should allow myself to leave its performance, and I am not safe from losing or neglecting its fulfillment ... [and I pray that you] remove me from all that prevents me from looking at his [the Prophet's] noble face, that [you may] surround me with the degree of those close to the glory of the Messenger of God. And [this] is needed of you, since you know that my righteousness is a righteousness from my guardianship of God over them [the people], and that my corruption is their corruption, so the prayer for me is a prayer for the general [population].

Aside from whatever esoteric connection existed between the Sultan and the founder of the Tijaniyya, another explanation of Mawlay Sulayman's warm reception of Shaykh Ahmad was the fact that the Sultan "found, in the person of Shaykh Tijani, the symbol that personified by his behavior and his teaching, the indelible precepts of the Shari'a." Certainly, the Shaykh's situation of Sufism firmly within Islamic sacred law, while maintaining the ascendancy of the Tariqa Muhammadiyya, the "path of the Prophet," over both Sufi and Fiqh (jurisprudence) historical traditions, would have been attractive to the reform-minded Sultan.

The Shaykh's time in Fes was largely occupied with the solidification of the tariqa and the training and sending out of muqaddams (propagators). Before the end of his life, he had attracted thousands of followers and sent out muqaddams such as Ali Harazem al-Barada, Muhammad Ghali and Muhammad al-Hafiz as far away as the Hijaz and Mauritania. Before the completion of the Tijani zawiya, his followers met at the Shaykh's own house, the House of Mirrors. This house can still be visited today, and although it has fallen into a state of disrepair, its original majesty has not been lost. It has an expansive courtyard decorated entirely with blue and yellow zellij tile work with a large fountain in the middle, flanked by a number of rooms that include what was the Shaykh's library, a room for khalwa (spiritual retreat), a salon, the bedroom, the kitchen, etc., with rooms for the Shaykh's family and guests on the second floor. It is easy to imagine the house serving as the center of prayer and for the teaching and diffusion of the Shaykh's ideas.

Established in Fes, the Shaykh's following continued to grow, prompting him in 1215 (1800), by order of the Prophet, to begin construction of the Tijani zawiya that still serves as a place of congregation for the order to this day. The construction of this fabulous specimen of Moroccan artistry was financed by Tijani's followers as well as from his own funds. Shaykh Ahmad Tijani passed from this world in 1230 (1815) at the age of eighty. He left behind him a firmly established order, the Tariqa Muhammadiyya emphasis of which inspired many of his later followers to renew and spread Islam in diverse communities far from the mother zawiya in Fes. Shaykh Ahmad Tijani was buried in his zawiya in Fes, which today remains a center of congregation for Tijanis around the world.

Yaa Ahmad Al Tijani Al Madad

His Noble Genealogy (R.A.A)

He is the Sheikh of the Tariqa, the Concealed Magnate (El-Qutb El-Maktoom), and the Known Mohammedan Seal, the noble & virtuous, Abul-Abbas, Sidi Ahmed the son of the famous saint & renowned scholar, imam Abu-Abdullah, Sidi Mohammed - who was called Ibn-Omer for his strict observance of religious duties - ibn El-Mukhtar ibn Ahmed ibn Mohammed ibn Salim ibn Abul-Eid ibn Salim ibn Ahmed, who was called "El-Alawani", ibn Ahmed ibn Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas ibn Abdujjabbar ibn Idriss ibn Is'haq ibn Ali Zein El-Abideen ibn Ahmed ibn Mohammed En-Nafs Ez-Zakiyah ibn Abdullah El-Kamil ibn El-Hassan El-Muthanna ibn El-Hassan El-Sibt ibn Ali ibn Abu-Talib (R.A.A.), from our reverent & noble mother Fatimah Ez-Zahara'a (R.A.A.) daughter of the Master-of-the-universe; the Messenger of Allah Seidna Mohammed صلى الله عليه وسلم.

back

Birth & Education in a Religious Environment

Sidi Ahmed El-Tidjani was born in 1737G (1150H) in the town of Ain Madhi, the home of his late ancestors. His fourth grandfather, Sidi Mohammed ibn Salim had moved, with his family, from the outskirts of Asfi, in Morocco, and settled in Ain Madhi, amongst the tribe of Bani-tojeen or Tidjanah, and got married from them. Thus, his descendents are known as the "Tidjanis"; called after the tribal name of their maternal-uncles. However, his real ancestry traces back to Seidna El-Hassan El-Sibt ibn Seidna Ali ibn Abu Talib (R.A.A.).

Ain Madhi was a town of great scientific importance, with an environment full of devoutness and piety, as it was a centre of knowledge and righteousness since inception. Most of the family members of Sidi Ahmed Tidjani, who constitute part of this town, had possessed a high degree of knowledge in both shari'a (Islamic jurisprudence) and sophism. His grandfathers were amongst the finest religious scholars and were well established in sainthood; like his two grandfathers Sidi Ahmed ibn Mohammed, and Sidi Mohammed ibn Salim who migrated to Ain Madhi. The father of Sidi Ahmed Tidjani was a pious scholar, very devout to the Sunnah (the Prophet's Tradition), a teacher and adherer to Allah, and to the truth who would never concede to a blamer. He had a room in his house where no one was admissible but for remembrance of Allah (dhikr).

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani grew up under righteous parents, who raised, educated and cultivated him, as their peers would do. Wherever he moved in Ain Madhi, he would find himself among religious scholars, and under the care of religious jurists, and teachers, in the mosque or zawiyah, dedicated to teach their students useful Islamic sciences. Thus, he grew up in an environment full of virtuousness, religiousness and preservation.

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani possessed a high degree of aspiration, spiritual energy, and noble character; guarded by divine providence and auspice. He was never accustomed to the habitude and excessiveness of people. He (R.A.A.) was very determinant and resolute; he would never give up what he had started, and had never left an unfinished business. His aspiration had always been supreme, and never inclined to the petty and insignificant.

Under this exemplary care, amidst a family of knowledge and righteousness, Sidi Ahmed Tidjani grew up with noble manners, perseverance and diligence, holding fast to the religion and the path of the rightly-guided, venerated by both the commons and the elites. Within this environment, which is naturally disposed for special care and guidance, he memorized the Qur'an, by age seven, as narrated by imam Warsh the student of imam Nafie, under the renowned righteous jurist & scholar sheikh Mohammed ibn Hammu Et-Tidjani El-Madhawi (of Ain Madhi & Tidjana tribe), who in turn studied and memorized the Qur'an under the saint Sidi Eissa Bu-Ukkaz Et-Tidjani El-Madhawi. Then, Sidi Ahmed Tidjani concentrated his efforts in studying the fundamentals and branches of religious and artistic sciences. He mastered them and conceived their intricacies and fine points. He continued his education until he qualified for teaching and ifta'a before he made his first trip to Fez. During this time, and while in Ain Madhi, he inclined to solitude, meditation and asceticism, and attracted to devout worshiping and night prayers.

As soon as he attained puberty his father got him married without delay, in order to preserve and safeguard him, and in observance of, and compliance with Sunna. He (R.A.A) started to guide people to Allah and exhort them to the righteous path, support Sunnah and revive the religion in the hearts of the believers. He and his family were renowned as examples in reviving the Sunnah and in commanding what is good & prohibiting what is evil. He had well deserved the name of religious revivalist.

Despite his young age, these qualities convinced the people of Ain Madhi to, unanimously, appoint him as a successor to his father in the zawiyah; he was, then, 16 years old. He carried this mission for five years teaching Qur'an & Sunnah and other religious sciences.

back

His First Trip to Fez and His Departure to the desert (RA)

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani was never content with the treasure of knowledge he attained in Qur'an, jurisprudence and sophism at his birthplace. He decided to move to Fez, in 1758G (1171H). Fez, the Idrissi city, was of great scientific significant, holiness, historical symbolism, and strong spirituality. In his early twenties, he (R.A.A) departed Ain Madhi, heading towards Fez.

During his stay in Fez he had been attending scientific assemblies, debating and reasoning with its prominent scholars. However, his real interest was more oriented towards the spiritual side, as evidenced by the quality of persons he met inside and outside the city:

1. He met, in the city of Wazan, the saint Mawlana Et-Tayeb ibn Sidi Mohammed ibn Mawlay Abdullah ibn Ibrahim El-Yamlahi El-Wazzani, who was in charge of the wazzani tariqa and its zawiyah, succeeding his brother sheikh Mawlana Et-Tuhami El-Wazzani. Sidi Et-Tayeb was a very famous man; people used to pack up and set off to see him. He authorized Sidi Ahmed Tidjani to give permission to people in the Wazzaniyah tariqa, but he abstained, as he was busy with himself (R.A.A).

2. He had got acquainted, in Ezzabeeb Mount in Bani Wanjal, with the saint Sidi Mohammed ibn El-Hassan El-Wanjali. He said to Sidi Ahmed Tidjani, when he first saw him and before Sidi Ahmed Tidjani talked to him: you will attain the standing of the Great Magnate (El-Qutb) Abul-Hassan El-Shazily. And, he asked him to return back to his hometown. Sidi Ahmed Tidjani was content with having his blessings without taking from him.

3. He met in Fez with the righteous saint Sidi Abdullah ibn Sidi El-Arabi ibn Ahmed ibn Mohammed El-Ma'ani El-Andalusi, from the sons of Ma'an. He discussed with him various matters. He prayed three times that Allah takes care of Sidi Ahmed Tidjani.

4. He embraced the Nasiriyah tariqa from the reverent saint Abu Abdullah Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdullah Et-Tazzani, but he declined it soon thereafter.

5. From the authorized muqddam at the time, he embraced the Siddiqiyah tariqa, which was attributed to the famous qutb Abul-Abbas Sidi Ahmed El-Habeeb ibn Mohammed, who was surnamed by El-Ghumari Es-Sajlamasi Es-Siddiqi; He then declined it soon thereafter.

6. He met with the righteous saint Sidi Ahmed Et-Tawwash, who had been residing in Taza. Sidi Et-Tawwash taught him a Name and asked him to stay in seclusion and keep patience until Allah bestows him with revelation. However, Sidi Ahmed Tidjani did not help him with what he asked of him, so he requested him to recite the Name without seclusion. Sidi Ahmed had recited it for only a short while. Sidi Et-Tawwash foretold him that he will attain a very significant standing.

7. He embraced the Qadiriyah tariqa, in Fez, for a short period and then gave it up.

This is a very short summary of the scientific and spiritual meetings and contacts he had in Fez and around it, in his first trip, before he return to the desert.

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani had moved to a town called El-Abiad, in the desert, where the zawiyah of 'Sidi El-sheikh' was located. Sidi El-sheikh is the well-known sheikh Sidi Abdul-Qadir ibn Mohammed El-Abiad. He had chosen it as an inhabitance and domicile; where he devoted himself to worshiping and teaching for five years, from the beginnings of 1181H. During those years, he dissociated himself from all hindrances and obstacles, and fully concentrated on dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and meditation until the lightening of revelation started to sparkle in him. People started visiting him in order to take from him. Nevertheless, he had been refusing, saying that 'All of us are equal in benefiting from each other, and there is no advantage of one over another in claiming sheikhdom but for bad heresy. During this period, he visited his hometown and birthplace: Ain Madhi.

back

His Pilgrimage (R.A.A) and His Visit to the Prophet (SAW)

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani started his trip, from the zawiyah of Sidi El-Sheikh, to Tlemcen, and then began his pilgrimage journey from there, heading towards Mecca, in 1772G (1186H). When he reached the town of Zawawa or Azwawi, he heard of the renowned imam and sheikh Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdur-Rahman El-Azhari. He visited him and got, from him, permission in the khalwatiyah tariqa. He arrived at Tunisia, in the same year. There he met with some more saints; one of those is the famous wali Sidi Abdus-Samad. The sheikh of this wali told him, through special envoy, that he is beloved. Sidi Ahmed Tidjani stayed in Tunisia for one year, moving between the Capital and the city of Sousa, delivering formal opinions in Islamic jurisprudence and answering many questions, and studying, as well, number of books, such as the 'Book of Wisdoms'. He soon became very reputable, and the news reached the ruler, who invited him to stay in Tunisia for teaching and benefiting people by his knowledge. He offered him a house and a good remuneration. However, Sidi Ahmed Tidjani, whose affection was strongly attracted towards the supreme and holy, kept silent when he received the letter of the ruler, and sailed off to Egypt next day. As soon as he reached Cairo, he visited its grand sheikh, at the time: Sidi Mohammed El-Kurdi, the Egyptian by residence and Iraqi by origin & birth. They held various deliberations among themselves. Then sheikh El-Kurdi asked him, after a few days, about his demand (aspiration). Sidi Ahmed Tidjani answered him by saying that his demand is to attain the status of the Grand Magnate. Sheikh El-Kurdi said, "You will get more than that".

From Egypt, he (R.A.A.) left to Makkah, which he arrived at in Shawwal 1187H (1773G). There he heard of sheikh Abul-Abbas Sidi Ahmed ibn Abdullah, the Indian, who had no permission to meet anybody. In spite of that, Sidi Ahmed Tidjani received from him special knowledge, through a special envoy, without meeting with him. He foretold Sidi Ahmed Tidjani about what he was destined to, and gave him glad tiding that he will inherit all his secrets, endowments, cognition, and illuminations. And, before his death on 20th Dhul-hajja 1187H he gave Sidi Ahmed Tidjani a very special Name, and asked him to recite it for seven days in seclusion until Allah endows him with revelation, but Sidi Ahmed Tidjani did not do it. He also told him that he would meet the Qutb El-Samman in Medinah, and gave him glad tiding that he would attain the status of Sidi Abul-Hassan El-Shazily, as he had been foretold before by Sidi Mohammed ibn El-Hassan El-Wanjali.

After he performed hajj and visited his grandfather, the Prophet Seidna Mohammed صلى الله عليه وسلم, in Medinah, he went to see Sidi Mohammed ibn Abdul-Kareem El-Samman. During this meeting, he asked Sidi Ahmed Tidjani to stay in seclusion with him for three days, but Sidi Ahmed Tidjani politely excused himself. He gave permission to Sidi Ahmed Tidjani in all the 'Names', and told him that he is the Grand Magnate (El-Qutb El-Jami'). He gave him the glad tiding that he will realize his aspiration and obtain the "Absolute General Authorization".

back

His Return Home (R.A.A.) and His Second Trip to Fez.

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani returned back to Cairo, with the pilgrims. As soon as he arrived, he visited sheikh El-Kurdi, to greet him, out of respect and good conduct. Sheikh El-Kurdi warmly welcomed him, and asked him to visit him on a daily basis. He complied with his wish. Those daily meetings had evolved into scientific assemblies, and dialogues. In those meetings, he answered with great competence and mastery questions on legal issues of jurisprudence. He quickly became widely known in Egypt; many scholars visited him and benefited from his profound knowledge.

Sheikh El-Kurdi, then, authorized him in the Khalwatiyah tariqa and tarbiyah (spiritual training), but Sidi Ahmed Tidjani was hesitant to accept. Sheikh El-Kurdi, then, asked him to authorize people under his guarantee. So he accepted. Sheikh El-Kurdi, wrote him the "Authorization and the Chain of Authority".

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani traveled back to Tunisia, where he did not stay for long. He left to Tlemcen in 1774G (1188H). He stayed there for three years in devout worshiping and guidance of people to Allah. In 1777G (1191H) he (R.A.A) made his second trip to Fez from Tlemcen, with the intention of visiting Mawlay Idriss El-Azhar. He met, during this trip, with his scribe & trustworthy Sidi Mohammed ibn El-Mishry El-Hassani El-Subaa'ie El-Sa'ihi of Takrat. Since then, Sidi El-Mishry, lead the prayers for Sidi Ahmed Tidjani and his family, and wrote the answers on his behalf until 1794G (1208H); the year that Sidi Ahmed Tidjani started himself to lead the prayers, in compliance with the instruction of his grandfather Prophet Mohammed صلى الله عليه وسلم. And, in the city of Wajdah (Oujdah), while returning back to Fez, he met, for the first time, Sidi Ali Harazim Baradah El-Fezi (from Fez), who accompanied him to Fez. Sidi Ali Harazim said, about this meeting, "I saw a vision, two years before this time, that showed my companionship with, and guidance by him. Then, two or three days, after he revealed himself to me, he reminded me of my vision, which I had forgotten." During this meeting, he authorized him in khalwatiyah tariqa and confided him with special knowledge and foretold him of what would be of him in revelation and strengthening. Thus, the first persons whom Sidi Ahmed Tidjani had authorized in the khalwatiyah tariqa were Sidi El-Mishry and Sidi Ali Harazim Baradah. These two companions lived up to the expectations, through the dedication and effort they had shown in servicing, and spreading of, the tariqa.

After visiting the maqam of Mawlay Idriss, he told his caliph Sidi Ali Harazim of his decision to go back to Tlemcen. He (R.A.A) bid him farewell, the same year he came to Fez, and asked him to hold fast to the vow, belovedness, and truthfulness & devotion in his endeavor to Allah.

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani stayed in Tlemcen for a while and, then, departed to Qasr El-Shallalah & Abu-Samghun.

Back

His Attainment of the Status of the Grand Magnate (Qutbaniyyah)

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani dismounted in Abu-Samghun in 1781/2G (1196H). There he attained the Grand Magnate status (Qutbaniyyah) and the great revelation, which he had endeavored to with great patience and endurance. Before this great attainment he (R.A.A) left Abu-Samghun twice for a short while: in the first time, he visited Saint Sidi Mohammed ibn El-Fadeel, of Takwarin, in the western Tawat. They took from each other some of the secrets of the tariqa. In the second time, he (R.A.A) met with his companion and student saint Sidi Mohammed ibn El-Arabi Ed-Damrawi of Taza, who, then, used to mediate in carrying the answers from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to him, in the beginnings. That was because he (R.A.A) could not ask the Prophet directly out of deep respect and politeness before the holy presence of the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Sidi Ahmed had attained the grand revelation in Abu-Samghun, the same year he arrived there, after he left Tlemcen in 1196H. Thereon, the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave him a full and absolute permission, while he was fully awake, to breed and educate all the beings, in their generality without exception. The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم specified to him the Wird: a hundred times of Istighfar and a hundred times of prayers upon the Prophet. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم authorized him to give permission in the Wird to any Muslim who asks for it and accepts to abide by its conditions. By 1200H the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم completed to him the Wird, by adding a hundred times of the holy word "La Ilaha Illa Allah" (There is no God but Allah).

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told him (R.A.A) that he is his educator and guarantor; and that nothing will reach him from Allah but by his holy hands, and through him صلى الله عليه وسلم; and said, "No sheikh has favor on you; as I am your true intermediary and supporter…so abandon all that you have taken from all other tariqas, and hold fast to this tariqa without seclusion, or retirement from people, until you reach your promised status, and you are as you are, without hardship, difficulty, or strive, and relinquish all saints." In compliance with this Mohammedan instruction he (R.A.A) left all tariqas, and ceased asking anything from other saints. This indicates the significance of the status of Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani before Allah and before The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, as the Prophet told him that his 'Revelation and Arrival' would be attained through his holy hands صلى الله عليه وسلم. And, he whose revelation and arrival were attained through his holy hands is superior in status and supreme in stature, as is well known amongst the sophists. After the attainment of this grand revelation, holy secrets, illuminations, elevations and promotions had started to outpour into him in Abu-Samghun and Shallalah. He soon became so reputed that great masses of people started visiting him to take his Wird, to be affiliated with him, and get more of what he (R.A.A) gives them in sense and meaning.

He (R.A.A) moved from Abu-Samghun in the Sahara, on 17 Rabi Awal 1213H, and entered Fez in 6th Rabi Thani of the same year.

He (R.A.A) established the foundations of the zawiyah, and continued spreading the tariqa. The tariqa took off to pervade the whole far west (Morocco), the Sahara, and the west Sudan. And Sidi Ahmed Tidjani emerged as an established saint, dedicated his whole life for spiritual education, training, guidance, and promotion of the endeavourers to the divine proximity; especially in the period following his permanent settlement in Fez until the day he met his Lord on Thursday morning, 17th Shawwal 1230H, at 80 years of age. He was buried in Fez (R.A.A).

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani possessed high spiritual energy, determination, perseverance of Allah's sacred rights, and firmness of resolution. He labored in his beginnings on perfection of repentance with its conditions, and on adherence to shari'a bounds. He also neglected his will, and cut himself off his desires and other hindrances, and totally devoted himself to Allah by preserving His rights. Thus, truth was unveiled to him. He never resorted to the allowances and far-reaching interpretations, and set himself to diligence and sedulity. He (R.A.A) minded his own business, and held fast to the Qur'an and Sunnah and the footsteps of the righteous ancestors. He totally turned himself to his Lord, so Allah sufficed him. He (R.A.A) reinforced his foundations first by preoccupying himself with the study of the Qur'an and Sunnah, and deep & thorough comprehension of the fine and subtle sciences and abstruse issues.

Sidi Ahmed Tidjani was one of the greatest scholars and men of knowledge. He was highly regarded, revered, and admired by all the scholars, without exception. To him, indisputably, has ended the leadership of this matter of education & guidance of the worshipers and cultivation of the followers; uncontested by the masters of this knowledge. There was no saint who had ever reached his heights, and none will be. He (R.A.A) was of high morality, fine proprieties, good manners, sublime prestige and dignity. He (R.A.A.) was judicious, always cheerful, and of great modesty and decency, bound by the ordinances of shari'a and Sunnah etiquettes, loving to the righteous, generous and respectful of the people of knowledge.

"Visit this sacred tomb and pray at its mihrab"


"Thereat the deeds of doers, the more so, acceptable"


"And remember, therein, thy Lord, read His Book"


"And abide with what has been ordained by Him"


"And recite prayers upon the Prophet, and"


"Upon his noble family and his Companions"


"And make thy intermediary the one, whose nobility"


"Makes this tomb, excel over the rest"


"The Tijani, Ahmed the Magnate of guidance"


"The ocean of generosity & kindness to his visitors"


"By his rank & prestige ask thy Lord, thee wilt be granted"


"For thou art at the gate of His grace & favor"


"And make thy everlasting retreat"


"Devotedly worshipping Allah in its mihrab"







(These lines are incribed on the tomb of Shaykh Ahmed Tijani )