This is chapter 32 of the Rimah of Shaykh Umar Futi, regarding the prerequisites for entering this Tariqa. These prerequisites did not come later but came from the dictation of the Holy Prophet to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani which is dictated in the Jawahir al Maani (of Sidi Ali Harizim), the Kitab al Jami (of Sidi Muhammad al Mishri), and other compilations of text from other companions and contemporaries of Sidina Shaykh Ahmad Tijani.
Allah is the Source of enabling grace, and He is the Guide to the straight path!
You should know that the preconditions of this Spiritual Path (Tariqa) of ours are twenty-three in number. If someone fulfills them all without a single exception, he is included among the people of the Spiritual Path who are successful, beloved, drawn near, most highly exalted. If someone does not fulfill them all, but he does fulfill twenty-one of the preconditions that I am about to list in order, as you will see, he is included among the beloved beneficiaries, even if he is not equal to the former. If someone does not fulfill them (the twenty one preconditions), he is not included among the people of the Spiritual Path.
1. The Shaykh who teaches the remembrances (adhkar) must have received permission to teach from the exemplary leader, or from someone who is qualified to give him valid permission.
2. The applicant for instruction must not be equipped with any of the litanies (awrad) of the Shaykhs that are essential to their Spiritual Paths, or if he has acquired one of them, he must detach himself from it and never go back to it. We are told in the
Jawahir al Ma'ani:
"As you should know, this sublime litany must not be taught to someone who is equipped with one of the litanies of the Shaykhs (may Allah be pleased with them), unless he abandons it completely and swears to Allah that he will never return to it. Only then may he be taught the litany, and only by someone who has special permission from the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him). This is not a form of arrogance on our part, nor a claim of superiority over the Shaykhs--far be it from us, and let us take refuge with Allah! All the litanies of the Shaykhs are based on right guidance and clear proof from Allah, and each of them is a path and a means of access to Allah. This condition is stipulated only in our Spiritual Path, not any other. If someone wishes to enter our Spiritual Path, he is therefore bound to fulfill this stipulation. He then has nothing to fear from his companion, nor from anyone whomsoever, among the saints, the living and the dead, in this world and the Hereafter. He is safe, so no harm will afflict him, not in this world, not in the Hereafter, not from his Shaykh, and not from Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), on the strength of a true promise that cannot be broken."
3. If someone receives our litany (wird) and enters our Spiritual Path, he must not visit any of the saints living or dead. (this visitation spoken of here is the visit of spiritual training, or spiritual enlightenment such as marifa, and traveling the spiritual path, the visitation recomended by the sharia law is of course allowed, like visiting for the sake of love and respect, the sick, invitation, and so forth.)
4.Constant observance of the five daily prayers in congregation and compliance with the rules of the Sacred Law. As we are told in the
Jawahir al Maani : "The preconditions (of the litany) include observance of the ritual prayers at their prescribed times, in the congregation if possible."
5. Constant dedication to love for the Shaykh, without interruption until death.
As we are told in the
Ibriz: "The servant does not attain to true knowledge of Allah until he truly knows the Prophet. He does not truly know the Prophet until he truly knows his Shaykh. He does not truly know his Shaykh until people die in his sight. so he does not notice them and does not pay attention to them, but performs the funeral prayer over them and removes the craving for them from his heart."
6.There must be no sense of security from the cunning (makr) of Allah.
Allah has said:
Do they feel secure from Allah's cunning?
No one feels secure from Allah's cunning.
except folk who are going astray (7:99)
Our master Shaykh Tijani said "Be of good cheer! Anyone who is devoted to our love, until he dies in that state, will certainly be resurrected among those who are safe, provided that he does not wear the garb of security from Allah's cunning." As we read in
al Jawahir, he was asked (may Allah be well pleased) about the real meaning of
makr (cunning), so he said: "It signifies the process by which Allah reveals benefit to the servant and makes it available to him in abundance, then moves him gradually to the final stage of perdition because of that benefit." Allah says
Do they think that because We have granted them abundance of wealth adn sons, We hasten to them with good things? No, they are not aware (23:55-56)
The servant must always be fearful of his Lord. He must never feel self confident, and his heart must not rest from the fear of Allah's chastisement.
And those who are fearful of their Lord's chastisement--
Their Lord's chastisement is that
before which none can feel secure (70:27-2
Faith has two wings, like the bird. The first wing is fear, which is the agony experienced by the heart because of the severity of the threat. As reported in the tradition(hadith) the Prophet said (blessing and peace upon him:
The believer views his sins as if he is sitting under a mountain, afraid that it will fall upon him, while the hypocrite (munafiq) views his sins like a fly buzzing over his nose.
The second wing his hope in Allah, the hope He will forgive him and not punish him, but without the expectation of security. If hope exists by itself alone, without fear, it is a sense of security, and the sense of security from the cunning of Allah is the very essence of disbelief in Allah. If fear exists by itself alone, it amounts to despairing of Allah and despairing of Allah is the very essence of disbelief in Allah.
7. He must not be guilty of any insult, hatred, or enmity directed toward the Shaykh.
8. Constant practice of the litany (wird) until death.
9. Firm conviction. Our master said "If someone receives from me the well known litany, which is essential to the Spiritual Path, or he receives it from someone I have authorized to teach it, he will enter the Garden of Paradise--he and his children, his wives, and his descendants---without reckoning and without punishment, provided that they are not guilty of any insult, hatred, or enmity, and that he persists in loving the Shaykh until death.
10.Innocence from criticism. As we read in
Jawahir al Ma'ani, our master and our Shaykh Tijani wrote the following, after the invocation of Allah's Name and the invocation of blessing and peace upon Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace):
"You have requested me to inform you of certain matters, so that your heart may be at peace, your love may increase, and your happiness may be lasting. Le me tell you, therefore, that what is most important is the charismatic gift bestowed on the firm believer in defiance of the critic, for that is the greatest benefit to be hoped for, and the most excellent promise to be anticipated by the intelligent person. It means that anyone who receives our litany, and practices it constantly until death, will enter the Garden of Paradise without reckoning and without punishment, he and his children, his wives and his descendants, if they all remain innocent from criticism.
11. In order to practice the remembrance (dhikr), the disciple must be authorized by receiving a valid instruction from someone who has a valid authorization from the exemplary guide, or from someone he has authorized. Our master said: "I asked Allah's Messenger: 'Is this a special favor, peculiar to someone who has received the remembrance from me verbatim, or is it everyone who has received it, even through an intermediary?' He told me: "Everyone whom you have authorized, and who has given it to someone else, for it is as if he has received it from you verbatim, and I am a guarantor for them all".
12.Congregation for the performance fo the daily office (wazifa) and the remembrance of the Hailalah (La ilah illa Allah at least one thousand times) in the wake of the afternoon prayer on Friday. as we read in
Jawahir al Maani:
"If someone is all alone, for instance in a country where he is not accompanied by any of the brethren, he should recite the wazifa by himself. If brethren are present, however, he should get together with them and they should recite it in congregation, for that is a necessary precondition of the daily office.... The litanies that are essential to the Spiritual Path include the remembrance of the Hailallah in the wake of the afternoon prayer on Friday, together with the congregation. If someone has brethren in the town, they are obliged to gather together and perform their remembrances in congregation."
13. The Jewel of Perfection (
Jawhara Kamal), must not be recited without ritual cleansing with water. As we read in
Jawahir al Maani: "You must not recite the Jewel of Perfection (
Jawhara Kamal) unless you have performed the ritual cleansing with water, not with dry earth, because the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the Four Khulufa are present at the time of its recital.
14. The abandonment of disharmony between him and all his fellow creatures, especially between him and his brethren in the Tariqa. In the first treatise (risala) of
Jawahir al Maani, our master has said:
"You must beware of neglecting the litany, even one time in your life, as well as the provisions of the litany, which are in compliance with the congregation prayers and the rules of the sacred law. You must also beware of donning the cloak of security from Allah's cunning in the matter of sins, for they are source of perdition. You must abandon disharmony with all of your fellow creatures, especially between you and the spiritual brethren. You must pay visits for the sake of Allah, make friends for the sake of Allah, and serve food for Allah's sake, to the extent of your ability without undue hardship and trouble. You must be patient with Allah's command, whatever trials and tribulations may befall. This world is the abode of temptations, and its afflictions are like the waves of the ocean....."
15. There must be no negligence in the performance of the litany, such as postponing it after its proper time, without a valid excuse, and so on. Our master has said: "If someone receives this litany, but then neglects it completely or treats it as unimportant, a penalty will be inflicted upon him and perdition will befall him." This is a communication from the Chieftan of Existance (Allah bless him and give him peace) to our Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (may Allah be well pleased with him)
Our master also said: "If someone abandons one of the litanies of the Shaykhs, for the sake of entering this Muhammadia Spiritual Path of ours, which Allah has honored above all the Spiritual Paths, Allah will keep him safe in this world and the Hereafter. He will therefore have no reason to be afraid of any affliction, not from Allah, nor from His Messenger, nor from his Shaykh, nor from anyone whomsoever among the living and the dead. As for someone who enters our company, but then retreats from it,(in a bad way), he will be stricken by the afflictions of this world and the Hereafter and he will never return.
16. The litany must not be given without a valid authorization. As we read in
Jawahir al Ma'ani, our master said: "The masters of illumination have mentioned several things that result in dire consequences for someone who commits any one of them. If he does not repent before he dies, he will come to a bad end. (The only refuge is with Allah the Exalted) They include the false pretense of sainthood and laying claim to Shaykhhood, which is committed by giving the litany without authorization."
17. Respect for everyone connected to the Shaykh, especially the distinguished members of the elite among the people of the Spiritual Path. Our master said: "We have a degree in the sight of Allah, which reaches such a height in the presence of Allah that I am forbidden to divulge its definition to you. If I were to express it, the masters of truth and spiritual knowledge would be unanimous in declaring me guilty of unbelief (kufr).
18.Cleanliness of the body and clothing, if possible.
19.Cleanliness of the location (where the litany is performed)
20. Sitting and facing the Qibla, except on a journey, even if very close or in a congregation.
21. Refraining from speech, except in a emergency. As we read in
Jawahir al Maani "The preconditions of the litany are: (1) Observance of the ritual prayers at their prescribed times, in the congregation if possible. (2) Cleanliness of the body, clothing, and location. (3) Facing the Qibla. (4) Refraining from speech, except in emergency.
22. As we read in
Jawahir al Maani: "Its special precondition for someone who is capable of it, is the visualization of the spiritual guide, as if he is sitting in his presence from the beginning of the remembrance to its end, while seeking his support. It is more significant than this, more refined, more perfect and more beneficial, for him to visualize the form of the Chosen One (al Mustafa) (Allah bless him and give him peace), as if he is sitting in his presence in a state of awe and reverence, and to seek his support in accordance with his spiritual state and his station.
May Allah bless us and you, with His enabling grace and may He grant us a taste of this pure beverage! As you should also know, the Muhammadia Reality is a manifestation in every world. Its manifestation in the world of physical bodies is not like its manifestation in the world of the spirits, because the world of the physical bodies does not contain what the world of the spirits contains. Its manifestation in the world of the spirits is not like its manifestation in the world of the essence, because the world of the essence is more subtle and more extensive than the world of the spirits. Its manifestation in the earth is not like its manifestation in the sky. Its manifestation in the sky is not like its manifestation on the right side of the Heavenly Throne. Its manifestation on the right side of the Heavenly Throne is not like its manifestation in the presence of Allah, since there is no "where" and no "how" to define it. In every higher station, its manifestation is more complete and more perfect than in the station below. Each manifestation is more complete and more perfect than in the station below. Each manifestation has a majesty and an awesome dignity corresponding to the place, until its finally arrives at a place in which it cannot be seen by any of the Prophets, the angels, and the saints. That is the meaning of his saying:
I have with Allah a time in which no angel drawn near
and no Prophet or Messenger can keep up with me.
You must therefore raise your aspiration, O my brother, in order to see him in the loftiest quintessential manifestations, wherever he is, and you must understand the signal.
23. As we read in the
Jawahir al Maani: "He should also visualize the meanings of the words of the remembrance, if he is capable of understanding them. If not, he should listen to what he is remembering with his tongue, in order to keep his mind from drifting away from his purpose."
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