As Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barkatahu,


I pray this post reaches all in the best of Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. And may Allah increase our love for his blessed Prophet.


Here is the address for a new web site that is dedicated to Maghribi Tasawuf and its rich tradition. The site is authored by one of the blessed grandchildren of the great Gawth Sidi AbdelAziz ibn Masoud al Dabbagh(may Allah be pleased with him),
He is the honored Sidi Hassan al Dabbagh.

The site is very informative about Maghribi Tasawuf, which has been relatively ignored in research especially online. And the blessed author touches on many great aspects of this subject. and he especially touches on the subject of the Tariqa Tijaniyya.

For there is the famous saying:

The Mashriq (the east) is the land of the Prophets, and the Maghrib (the west) is the land of the Awliya.

And there is the famous hadith of our beloved Prophet (may Allah always shower his blessing and pleasures on him):
"There will always be a party of the truth found in the Maghrib"

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please enjoy

As Salaam Alaikum,


This is a post from the new website

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with much info on the Tasawuf in the Maghrib and the Tariqa Tijaniyya. Please check out the site it is very informative.



Tijani Chains and Ramifications

Since the goal of the mystic path is the transcending of the ego, it cannot be embarked upon without grace (tawfiq); nor can it be followed without the help of a spiritual master, who has himself traversed it, and without the spiritual education (tarbiya) by eye-glance (nadra), aspiration (himma) and state ('hal) which he confers on the disciple. Sufism therefore rests on unbroken spiritual succession which goes back, from master to master, to its origin in the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). The esoteric tradition runs in a parallel to the exoteric or Shari’a destined for the collectivity as a whole. At its origins are to be found in the divine secret (as-sirr) given by the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) to only some of his companions; for the mystical way presupposes extraordinary wisdom and gifts and also a vocation, which are not given to everyone.

Moroccan Tijaniya

The special companions of Abul Abbas Mawlana Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tijani were graced to inherit Sidna Shaykh's spiritual methodology of initiation (tarbiya) and promotion (tarqiya). No hagiographical collection documents the names of these companions than Sidi Ahmed Skirej's (d. 1355/1940) chronicle Kashf al-Hijab 'amman talaaqa bi-Shaykh Tijani mina-l As'hab (Rising the Veil on the Companions of Shaykh Tijani). In his narrative al-faqih Skirej set forth a remarkable hagiography of nearly350 successors (khalifas), representatives (muqaddams) and disciples initiated at the hand of Sidna Shaykh. Among the Moroccan figures reported in the book who made a contribution to the expansion of the Tijaniya are the names of: Sidi Ali Harazem b. al-Arbi Berrada al-Fasi (d. 1212/1797) –author of Kitab Jawahir al-ma'ani wa-bulugh al-amani fi fayd Sidi Abil al-Abbas at-Tijani (Gems of Indications and Attainment of Aspirations in the Overflowings of Sidi Abil Abbas Tijani), Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Boutaleb (d. 1244/1829), Sidi Tayyeb Sefyani Hassani (d. 1259/1844) –author of Al-Ifada al-Ahmediya li-murid sa’ada al-abadiya (The Ahmedi Notification for the Hunter of Eternal Rapture), Sidi Mohammed b. Abi Nasr Alawi (d. 1273/1858), Sidi al-Haj Abdelwahhab b. al-Ahmar Tawdi (d. 1269/1854), Sidi Mohammed b. Ali Sanusi (d. 1274/1859), Sidi Omar b. Mohammed b. Shaykh Moulay Abdellaziz Debbarh (on whom Kitab al-Ibriz was exposed), Sidi al-Ghazi Lamteri, Sidi Ahmed b. Idriss (d. 1252/1837), Sidi Mousa b. Maazouz (d. 1257/1842), Sidi Mohammed b. Hamza al-Madani (d. 1236/1821), Sidi Ahmed b. Abdessalam Filali Wadghiri (d. 1285/1870), Sidi Mohammed Belqasim Basri Walhaji (d. 1293/1878), Sidi Abu Yaaza b. Ali Berrada (d. after 1303/1891), Sidi al-Haj Ali Amlas al-Fasi (d. after 1269/1854), Sidi Tuhami b. Rahmoun (d. 1263/1848), Sidi Allal Ben Kiran (d. 1276/1863), Sidi Abdelwahhab b. Mohammed Tazi (d. 1277/1864), Sidi al-Haj Tayyeb Laqbab (d. 1310/1895), Sidi al-Haj Taleb Labbar (d. 1265/1850), Sidi Mohammed Lahbabi (d. 1252/1837), Sidi Abdellqadir Idrissi, Sidi Allal Benmousa, Sidi Dawdi Tilimsani (d. 1281/1866), Sidi Tuhami Lahlou (d. 1277/1862), Sidi Allal Ben Kiran (d. 1276/1863), Sidi Abdellqadir Benshaqrun (d. 1219/1804), Sidi Abul Abbas Ahmed al-Mazuni al-Fasi, and Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi Lmdaghri Alawi.

Granted, no mystic order in the long and checkered history of Moroccan mysticism has had such far-reaching impact amid scholars as the Tijaniya. Kitab Kashf al-Hijab reveals the names of prominent figures who marked the Tijani mission: Sidi Abderrahman Shinqiti al-Fasi (d. 1224/1809), shaykh al-jama'a Sidi Hamdun b. al-Haj al-Fasi (d. 1232/1817), Sidi Mohammed b. Ahmed Akansus (“minister of the sultan Moulay Slimane”; d. 1294/1879) –author of Al-Jawab al-muskit fi-r-raddi 'ala man takallama fi-Tariq al-Imam Tijani bi-la tatabbut (The Silenced Riposte to the Conferrers of Imam Tijani's Order Devoid of Evidence), Sidi Ahmed b. Ahmed Bannani Kala (d. 1306/1891), Sidi Mohammed b. Ahmed Sanusi (“Imam of Moulay Idriss’ mosque”; d. 1257/1842), Moulay Abdelmalik Darir Alawi (d. 1318/1903), Sidi Mhammed b. Mohammed Genoun, Sidi Abdessalam b. al-Hassan Bannani Kala (d. 1347/1932), Sidi Mohammed b. Abdessalam Genoun (descendent of Saint Sidi Ahmed b. Yusuf Zarwali) –author of ‘Hall al-aqfal li-qurra’ Jawharat al-Kamal (The Locks’ Key-Opener to the Rehearses of Jawharat al-Kamal), Sidi Mohammed al-'Hafyan Sharqi and his father Sidi Abdessalam b. Sidi Mohammed Lma'ati (author of Dakhirat al-Mouhtaj; a great work on the Prophet’s biography, narratives, and attributes) b. Salih b. Lma'ati b. Abdelkhaliq b. Abdellqadir b. Shaykh Sidi Mohammed Bou'abid Sharqi, Sidi Allal b. Abdellah al-Fasi al-Fihri (descendent of Saint Sidi Abul Mahasin Yusuf al-Fasi and grandfather of the nationalist Allal al-Fasi), Sidi Mohammed b. Ahmed Bensultan (b. 1255/1840), Sidi al-Walid Laaraqi (d. 1265/1850), Sidi al-Haj Ahmed Bennis, Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellatif Gessous (d. 1273/1858), Sidi al-Hassan Bannani (d. 1271/1856), Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellatif Gessous (d. 1273/1858), Sidi Abdellah Saqqat (d. after 1230/1815), Moulay Zaki Lmdaghri (d. after 1269/1854), and Sidi al-Arbi Zerhouni.

In the twelfth/nineteenth century, the Zawiya al-Kubra of Fez streamed a new pool of second-generation leaders. In addition to the flood of Sidi Ali Tamacini's pupil Sidi Ahmed b. Mohammed Abdellawi (d. 1328/1913) and his direct students, the Tijaniya mushroomed in Fez alone throughout dozens of Fasite al-Qarawiyyine scholars and muqaddams such as Sidi Mohammed b. al-Madani Genoun (d. 1302/1887), Sidi Ahmed Bannani Kala (d. 1306/1894), Sidi Allal b. al-Khatib al-Fasi Fihri (d. 1314/1899), Sidi Idriss Ammur (d. 1320/1905), Sidi Ibrahim Mohammed Yazidi Alawi (d. 1322/1907), Sidi Mohammed al-Maziri al-Jazairi, Sidi Hamid b. Mohammed Bannani (d. 1326/1911), Moulay Taher b. Abi Nasr Alawi (d. 1333/1925), Sidi al-Ghali b. al-Makki Santisi (d. 1338/1923), Sidi Mohammed b. Masoud Debbarh (d. 1340/1925), Sidi Mohammed Bannani Diwan (d. 1341/1926), Sidi Abdessalam Bannani Kala (d. 1374/1932), Sidi Mohammed b. Jaafar Kattani (d. 1345/1930), Sidi Mohammed Taleb al-Fasi (d. 1375/1933), Sidi Abdellah b. Abdessalam al-Fasi Fihri (d. 1348/1933), Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed Saqqat (d. 1354/1939), Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah Chinguiti Baydawi (d. 1365/1950), Sidi Abdelwahid b. Abdessalam al-Fasi (d. 1361/1946), and the prolific penman Sidi Mohammed La'hjuji al-Fasi (d. 1371/1952) –author of Nukhbat al-it’haf fi-dhikr man muni’hu mina Shaykh Tijani bi-jamil al-awsaf (The Selected Object D’art in the Memory of the Prettiest Tijani Attributes), Lawami’a al-anwar wa fuyud al-asrar (The Shining Lights and Overflowing of Secrets), and It’haf ahl al-maratib al-irfaniya bi-dhikr ba’ad rijal Tariqa Tijaniya (Pearling the Knowledgeable Cream in the Recollection of Tijani Elites).

Among the other most influencing second-generation Tijani centres is the one established in Rabat by Sidi Abul Mawahib Mohammed b. al-Arbi Sayeh (“descendent of Saint Sidi Mohammed Bou'abid Sharqi”; d. 1309/1894) –author of Kitab Bughyat al-mustafid li-shar'h minyat al-murid (Aspiration of the Beneficiary in Commenting the Demise of the Disciple). The Shaykh took the Tijaniya from Sidi Ahmed b. Akansus al-Qurshi (d. 1294/1879) who had the Idrissid Moulay Mohammed al-Ghali Boutaleb (d. 1244/1829) as a master. Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi Sayeh has also received ijazas to teach the Tariqa from Sidi Mohammed Hachimi Sarghini (“student of al-khalifa Harzem’s companion Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Bannani al-Misri; d. after 1269/1854 in Ain Madhi –buried in the shrine of al-khalifa Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi Tazi), Sidi Abdelwahab b. al-Ahmar al-Fasi (d. 1269/1854), and al-Qutb Rabbani Sidi Abul Hassan Ali b. Aissa Tamacini (d. 1260/1845). Huge crowd submitted to Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi Sayeh’s call including shaykh al-jama’a Sidi Mohammed b. Moussa Hamdawi Slawi (d. 1328/1908), Sidi Mhammed b. Mohammed Genoun (“He had also ijazas from al-Bahrawi and Bannani”; d. 1326/1911), Sidi al-Makki b. Ahmed Zwawi Slawi (d. 1326/1911), al-Qutb Sidi al-Haj al-Hussein b. Ahmed Ifrani (d. 1328/1913), Sidi Abdellqadir Lepress (d. 1332/1917), Sidi Ahmed b. Qacem Gessus (d. 1331/1923), Sidi Mohammed b. Yahya Blamino (d. 1333/1925), Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah Tadili Ribati (d. 1336/1921), Sidi Tayyeb b. Ahmed ‘Awwad Slawi (d. 1336/1921), Sidi Abderrahman b. Omar Alawi, Sidi Mohammed b. al-Hassani Alami (d. 1341/1926), Sidi al-Arbi al-Mu’hib Alawi (d. 1351/1936), Sidi Tayyeb b. Ahmed Wadghiri (“Sefyani”; 1357/1942), Sidi Ahmed Alami Rahuni (d. 1373/1958) to mention very few. The centre of Rabat is presided today by distinguished muqaddams particularly the sharifian ‘Allama Sidi Mohammed Erradi Genoun –author of Rasail ma’alamat ma’alim Sus Abi Abdellah Sidi Mohammed Akansous (Letters of the Scholar of Scholars of Sus: Sidi Abi Abdellah Mohammed Akansous), Khulasat al-misk al-fa’ih bi-dhikr ba’ad manaqib Sidi Mohammed al-Arbi b. Sayeh (The Musky Précis in the Recollection of the Narratives of Sidi Mohammed al-Arbi b. Sayeh).

Among the great muqaddams of Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi Sayeh who spread the Tijaniya in Meknes, Zerhoun and beyond, is the Idrissid sharif Sidi al-Arbi b. Idriss Alami Lahyani Musawi al-Fasi (d. 1328/1913). Of his downlines; the poet Sidi Allal b. Ahmed Ben Shaqrun al-Fasi (d. after 1313/1898), Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed Zizi al-Fasi (d. 1344/1930), Moulay Abdessalam b. Omar Alawi Lmdaghri (d. d. 1350/1935), Sidi Abdelkarim b. al-Arbi Bannis (“He got ijazas from Abdellawi and Tayyeb Sefyani”; d. 1350/1935) -author of Dhurrat at-taj wa 'ujalat al-mu'htaj (The Inimitable Gemstone in the Elucidation of Tijani Jurisprudence), the naqib Moulay Abderrahman b. Zidan Alawi al-Maknasi (d. 1361/1946) –author of an-Nur al-lai’h bi-mawlid ar-Rasul al-khatim al-fathi (The Apparent Light in the Birthday of the Opening-Sealing Prophet), Bulugh al-umniya fi-mad’h khayr al-bariya (Reaching of Desires in the Praise of the Chieftain of Mankind), Sidi al-Hassan b. Omar b. al-Haj Idrissi Mazzur (d. 1376/1961) –author of Shifa’ saqim bi-mawlid an-Nabi al-karim (Remedy of the Ill in the Birthday of the Merciful Messenger). In the Tangier-Tetouan block, the Tariqa spread first at the hands of Sidna Shaykh’s companions Sidi Ahmed Jweyyad Tanji and Sidi al-Arbi b. Mohammed Tanji. The Tariqa later flourished by the efforts of Lahyani’s students Sidi al-‘Arfawi al-Bukhari, Sidi Mohammed b. Mohammed Shashun Tanji (d. after 1332/1917), and Sidi Mohammed b. Abderrahman Mghara Tamsluhi, and Mohammed Ben Ahmed Daradibi Titwani.

The third most-ramified Tijani cluster is located in Marrakech and the Sus region. The Tijaniya spread there primarily through the chain of Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arabi Sayeh and his students. Of the most important leaves of this wig we mention Sidi Ahmed Mahmud b. ‘Hnini al-Bahrawi Idrissi al-Murrakushi (d. 1319/1904), al-Qutb Sidi al-Haj al-Hussein b. Ahmed Ifrani (d. 1328/1913), Sidi al-Hassan al-Baaqili (d. 1363/1948), Sidi Mahmud Dar’i, Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1366/1951) –author of Dhurra al-kharida (The Unique Gem), at-Teb al-Faih (The Blossomed Medicine), the great poet Sidi Ali al-Isiki Susi (d. after 1366/1951), Sidi Ali Drarki Susi (d. after 1370/1951), Sidi Taher b. Mohammed Bakri Susi (d. 1374/1959), Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi al-Adwazi, Moulay Ibrahim b. Mohammed Sibai, Sidi Mohammed b. Ali Tazarwalti al-Majjati, Sidi al-Hussein b. Ahmed Nataji Siddiqi, Sidi Mohammed b. Ali Susi, Sidi Mohammed b. Abbu Rasmuki, Sidi Ahmed b. al-Hussein Dwirani (descendent of Saint Sidi Abu Yaaza al-Mahaji -himself Shaykh of Abu Madyan al-Ghawt), Sidi Mohammed b. Ismail, Sidi Mohammed Yazidi Susi, and Sidi Belahssen Jakani Susi (d. 1419/2004) -teacher of Shaykh al-'Haramayn Sidi Mohammed b. Alawi al-Maliki Debbarh Idrissi (d. 1417/2006) and Sidi Mohammed Laqmari Tunusi (d. 1415/2004).

Within the context of profoundly spiritualising revival of Tijani Sufism that the Tariqa was leveraged in the life and work of sultan al-'ulama, the Last Moroccan Judge, al-qadi Abul Abbas Sidi Ahmed b. al-'Iyyashi b. Abderrahman Skirej al-Fasi (d. 1355/1940). He took the Tijani wird in his twenties from Sidi Mhammed b. Mohammed Genoun. However, Sidi Ahmed b. Mohammed Abdellawi (d. 1328/1913) had much influence on him. Abdellawi was the main heir of both al-khalifa Sidi Abul Hassan Tamacini (d. 1260/1845) and Sidna Shaykh’s son Sidi Mohammed al-Habib (d. 1269/1854), and he also had an ijaza from Sidi Mohammed b. al-Arbi Sayeh. After he supervised Skirej’s training, he gave him an open ijaza to teach the Tijaniya. Studying under Shaykh Abdellawi as well as Sidi Hamid b. Mohammed Bannani (d. 1326/1911), Moulay Abdellah b. Idriss Bedrawi (d. 1310/1895), Moulay Abdelmalik Darir Alawi (d. 1318/1903), and Sidi 'Ubayda b. Saghir Chinguiti (d. 1284/1869) gave Sidi Ahmed Skirej the opportunity to draw from the most important sources of Tijani doctrine then available in Morocco; i.e. Bannani is connected to Sidna Shaykh through Allal al-Fasi al-Fihri, Abu Yaaza b. Ali and his father al-khalifa al-akbar Abul Hassan Ali Harazem Berrada; Bedrawi through Abdelwahhab b. al-A’hmar, al-Ghazi Lamteri and al-Ghali Boutaleb; Alawi through the chain of his master b. al-A’hmar; Chinguiti through his brother Sidi Mohammed, Sidi Mawlud Fall (d. 1267/1852) and Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh Alawi Chinguiti (d. 1245/1830).

Indeed, Sidi Ahmed Skirej’s association with the Tijaniya proved to be the sparkling prowess in the regeneration of the order. In addition to his position as a supreme judge and director of large numbers of disciples, the Shaykh spent his free time in writing. Almost 300 in number, his eye-opening books, pottery and letters have underdisputedly cheered the conditions which have come to foster the Tijani tradition throughout the Muslim world; ex. Kashf al-Hijab 'amman talaaqa bi-Shaykh Tijani mina-l as'hab (Rising the Veil on the Companions of Shaykh Tijani), Raf’a niqab ba'ad kashf al-hijab 'amman talaaqa bi-Shaykh Tijani mina-l as'hab (Lifting the Curtain after Rising the Veil on the Companions of Shaykh Tijani), Jannat al-Jani fi-tarajim as’hab Shaykh Tijani (Paradise of Harvest in the Hagiographies of the Companions of Shaykh Tijani), Tajrid As’ilat Shaykh Mohammed Kattani (Detaching the Questions of Shaykh Mohammed Kattani; a must-read work where Shaykh Skirej proves the Sealness of Sidna Shaykh by answering the questions of Imam Tirmidhi), Nahj al-hidaya fi-ma'ana al-Khatmiya (The Guided Pathway in the Real Meaning of Sealness), Shamail Tijaniya (The Tijani Narratives), Al-‘Hijara al-Mqtiya (The Mighty Stone), Tanbih al-ikhwan anna Tariqa Tijaniya la-yu’tiha illa man lahu idhn-u sa'hih tula zaman wa la yasi'hhu talqinuha 'amman yulaqqinu ghayraha mina turuq kayfama kan (Paying the Brothers' Attention that the Tijani Tradition is Strictly Taught by those who Have Genuine authorizations and Never by Those who Pretend to Incorporate it with Other Traditions be they of High or Small Rank), Shata'hat Skirjiya (The Skireji Dances), and Miftah al-futuhat ar-Rabbaniya (Key to The Divine Openings).

Throughout official appointments as a judge in Fez, Oujda, Marrakech, Tangier, El Jedida and Settat, Sidi Ahmed Skirej worked so hard to restore spiritual life. This is very apparent in his letters (rasalil), journeys (rahalat), and debates (musamarat); of his Rasail we mention: Al-Yawaqit al-Ahmdiya fi al-ajwiba 'an ba'ad al-asila fi Tariqa Tijaniya (The Ahmedi Diamonds in the Reaction of some Question on the Tijani Path), Al-Ightibat fi-l jawab 'ala al-asila al-warida min al-Aghwat (Delight in Answering the Upcoming Questions from Al-Aghwat), Al-balagh al-muwajjah ila Shaykh Abdellaziz Debbarh (The Communiqué Forwarded to Shaykh Abdellaziz Debbarh), Al-Jawahir al-munthathira fi al-jawab a'ani al-asila al-i'hda 'ashara (The Bubbling Gems in Replying the Eleven Inquiries), ad-Durr al-Maknun fi al-ajwiba 'an asilat al-Faqih Sayyed Mohammed Shashun Tanji (The Unique Treasure in Answering the Questions of Scholar Sidi Mohammed Shashun of Tangiers), an-Naf'ha al-'anbariya fi al-ajwiya Skirejiya (The Musky Breeze in the Skireji Reports); of his recorded journeys: Ghayat al-maqsud bi-rihla ma'a Sidi Mahmud Tijani (The Set Objective in the Journey with Sidi Mahmud), Al-Bi'atha al-Makkiya (The Meccan Mission), ar-Rihla al-Hijaziya (The Journey to Hijaz), ar-Rihla al-Barisiya (The Parisian Journey). The Shaykh had also written many commentaries on Tijani litanies and literature, such as 'Aqd al-aal f- i'arab Jawharat al-Kamal (The Golden Necklace in the Grammar of Jawharat al-Jamal), Al-Kawkab al-wahhaj (A Commentary on Dhurrat Taj of Sidi al-Abdelkarim Bannis), 'Hadrat at-tadani ("Presence of Proximity"; a commentary on a poem of Sidna Shaykh Tijani), Al-Ijada 'ala al-ifada (A Commentary on The Ahmedi Notifications of Sidi Tayyeb Sefyani).

The Shaykh’s long list of pupils in Morocco and abroad is moreover astounding: e.g. Sultan Mawlana Abdelhafidh Alawi (d. 1352/1937) –author of al-Jami’a al-‘irfaniya fi-shurut wa jull fadail ahl Tariqa Tijaniya (The Obsolete Divine Exposition in the Introduction of the Conditions and Narratives of the Followers of the Tijani order), his brothers Sidi Hammad and Abderrahman Skirej [The latter is the teacher of the penman Sidi Ahmed ibn Abdellah Skirej -author of Iza'hat sitar 'amma fi-Tariqa Tijaniya min asrar (Lifting the Curtain on the Tijani Secrets) and Min anwar Jawahir al-Ma'ani (From the Lights of Jawahir al-Ma'ani)], Sidi Mohammed Shawni (b. 1286/1871), Sidi Mohammed Mghara, the sharif Sidi Mohammed b. al-‘Abid al-Iraqi (d. 1365/1950) and his son Sidi al-Haj Idriss, Sidi Abdellah b. Sayyed Mohammed Niass, Shaykh al-Islam Abul Fayd Sidi Ibrahim b. Abdellah Niass al-Kulkhi (d. 1390/1975), Shaykh al-Azhar Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh b. Abdellatif al-Misri (d. 1398/1983), Sidi Maodo Malick Sy (d. 1337/1922), Sidi Abdellaziz Debbarh b. Mohammed b. Abdellah al-Majid (“from Um Darman, Sudan”), Sidi Abdellrahim al-Bur'i Sudani Sammani, Sidi Afandim al-Muddathir b. Ibrahim al-Hijazi (d. 1356/1941), Sidi Mohammed b. Said Afandi al-Misri (A book publisher of various Skireji masterpieces), and Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah Shafi’i Taftawi al-Misri.

Global Expansion

For nearly fifty years Sidna Shaykh Abul Abbas Mawlana Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tijani Hassani was the main active propagator of the doctrine. From his Fez headquarters, he organised the born-global Tijaniya Sufi order, which spread in easts and wests in his blessed lifetime. During the same period, some of Sidna Shaykh's appointed khalifas had established new Tijani centres abroad and developed ramifications of their own. Of these the centres of Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Boutaleb (d. 1244/1829) and Sidi Alfa Hachim al-Futi (d. 1349/1934) in Medina Munawwara; the centres of Sidi al-Mufaddal Saqqat, Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Bannani al-Misri (d. after 1269/1854), and Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh al-Misri (d. 1398/1983) in Egypt; the centres of Shaykh al-Islam Sidi Ibrahim Riyahi Tunsi (d. 1266/1851), Sidi Mohammed b. Slimane Manna’i Tunsi, Sidi Mohammed Ben Achour (d. before 1230/1815) and Sidi Taher b. Abdesaadiq Laqmari (d. after 1266/1851) in Tunisia; the centre of Sidi Uthman Filani Aklani (d. after 1230/1815) in the Sudan; the centres of Sidi Mohammed Alawi Chinguiti (d. 1245/1830), Sidi Mawlud Fall (d. 1267/1852) and Sidi Mohammad al-Hafid b. al-Mokhtar Beddi in Mauritania; and the centres of Sidi Mohammed b. al-Mishri Sibai (d. 1224/1809) –author of al-Jami’a li-ma f-taraqa mina-l ‘ulumn (The Absolute in What Has Separated from the Sciences) and al-Qutb Sidi Abul Hassan Ali b. Aissa Tamacini (d. 1260/1845) in Algeria.

Upon the death of Sidna Shaykh in 1230/1815, the direction of the order moved to two blocks. Sidna Shaykh nominated the muqaddam of the Zawiya of Tamehalt near Tamacine, al-Qutb Samadani Sidi Abul Hassan Ali b. Aissa Tamacini (d. 1260/1845), as a khalifa and directed him to move his sons from Fez to the desert so that the succession should alternate between his own family in Ain Madhi and that of Sidi Ali in Tamacine. Following a complex scenario, Sidi Ali persuaded Sidna Shaykh’s sons Sidi Mohammed al-Kabir (d. 1238/1823) and Sidi Mohammed al-Habib (d. 1269/1854) to make Ain Madhi their home. Sidi Mohammed al-Kabir b. Abil al-Abbas Tijani was born in the village of Abi Samghoune. His mother is Sayyida Mabrouka. He died as a martyr with more than 300 persons from Abi Samghoune against the Bey’s Turkish forces near the city of Mascara (Mu’ascar, Western Algeria) in 1238/1823. Sidna Shaykh Tijani was aware through the kashf (foresight) about his son’s fate. That is why he implored Allah Almighty that the Turks will meet the same fate as that of the Andalusians in Spain. Upon the death of Sidi Ali Tamacini, the succession went to Sidi Mohammed al-Habib, and then back to the other line. No serious split in the order occurred until the death of Sidi Mohammed al-‘Eid Tamacini (d. 1290/1875), when two groups separated following a dispute over the succession. The result is that these two places came to have only a localized direct authority, and groups of their direct ramifications have made themselves independent. Leadership of Ain Madhi’s lodge has been presided eventually by Sidi Ahmed A'mar b. al-Habib (d. 1311/1896), Sidi Mohammed Bachir b. al-Habib (d. 1326/1911), Sidi Allal b. A'mar (d. 1334/1919), Sidi Mohammed al-Kabir b. A'mar (d. 1346/1931), Sidi Mahmud b. al-Bashir (d. 1349/1934), Sidi Mohammed Budali b. Allal (d. 1382/1967), Sidi Tayyeb b. Allal (d. 1388/1973), Sidi Ali b. Mahmud (d. 1405/1990), Sidi Abdeljabbar b. Budali (d. 1431/2006), and it is guided today by the supreme khalifa Sidi al-Haj Mohammed b. Mahmud Tijani. That of Tamacine had been presided mutually by Sidi Mohammed Sghir (d. 1307/1892), Sidi M'ammar (d. 1309/1894), Sidi al-‘Eid (d. 1342/1927), Sidi al-Bashir b. al-Eid (d. 1415/2000).

A number of outstanding companions of Sidna Shaykh had been involved in the foundation of new zawiyas and expansion of the Tariqa in Algeria; from Ain Madhi, the names of Sidi Mohamed b. Salama, Sidi Salam b. Ahmed, Sidi Ibrahim b. Aliyah, Sidi Ahmed Bouzayan, Sidi Ahmed Abdellqadir; from Bu Samghune; Sidi Najjar, Sidi Allal Abdellqadir, Sidi Ahmed Yaamar, Sidi Ahmed b. Taher, Sidi al-Haj Qattush, Sidi Qaddur b. Zayyan, Sidi Qaddur b. Rajea, Sidi Ben Abi Qacem, Sidi Najjar, Sidi Ahmed b. Achur, Sidi Mohamed Belabas, Sidi Ben Abderrahman, Sidi Abul Qacem, Sidi Mohamed b. al-Abbas; from Tilimsan-Oran, Sidi Ali Ben Abderrahman ("Mufti of Oran"), faqih Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah al-Jilani (d. after 1269/1854), Sidi Mokhtar b. Taleb (d. before 1230/1815), Sidi Mokhtar Debbarh, Sidi Qaddur b. Ismail, Sidi Ahmed b. Dawdi, Sidi Ahmed b. Mousa, Sidi Mokhtar b. Taleb, Sidi Abdelhalim Ben Soumayya ("Mufti of Algeria"); from Al-Abyad, Sidi Ahmed Zawi Boushikhi, Sidi Bouhafs Ben Shaykh, Sidi b. al-Musqim Ben Shaykh, Sidi Abdellqadir Ben Shaykh, Sidi Slimane Ben Shaykh, Sidi Slimane Bousmaha Boushikhi; from other parts of al-Aghwat (Laghouat), Sidi Slimane b. Saad, Sidi Mohammed b. ‘Herzellah, Sidi Abul Hassan Ali b. Shatiwi, Sidi Ahmed b. Ismail, Sidi Ahmed b. 'Asakir, Sidi Aissa b. Khazzaz, Sidi Ahmed Lakhdar Tamacini, Sidi Za'anoun, Sidi Abdellah Sawfi, Sidi Ahmed b. Mabruk Sawfi, Sidi Ahmed b. Ismail, Sidi Abdellqadir b. Haj Abdellawi, Sidi Ahmed b. Dahtiah, Sidi Ali b. Hammoudi, Sidi Ali b. Lakhdar, Sidi ’Emara b. Saleh Sawfi,, Sidi Ghilan Lahlafi; from Tuwat (Southern Algeria), Sidi Bouzayyan b. Mohammed Bouchikhi, Sidi al-Arbi b. Idriss, Sidi Ahmed b. Mohammed, Sidi Mohammed al-Mufaddal, and Sidi al-Arbi b. Idriss; from al-Jarid (Easter Algeria), Sidi Mohammed b. Uthman, Sidi Ali b. Shatiwi, Sidi Ahmed b. Khalifa, Sidi Abdellah Balbali, Sidi Lakhdar b. al-Mashri.

The Tijaniya first appeared in Mauritania through the efforts of the dynamic sharif Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh Alawi Chinguiti (d. 1245/1830). Based in Alawiya (his natal village) he bolstered the Tariqa amid great scholars such as Sidi Shaykh Banem, Sidi Mawlud Fall (d. 1267/1852), Sidi Baba b. Ahmed Tiba Alawi (d. 1250/1835 in Medina), and Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah al-Khalifa. While the latter taught the order to Sidi Shaykh b. Baba Alawi, Sidi Ahmed b. Baba Alawi, and Sidi Tijani b. Baba Alawi (d. 1260/1845) -author of Minya al-Murid (The Demise of Disciple), Sidi Mawlud Fal initiated his son Sidi al-Hadi, grandson Sidi Abdellah–author of Risalat al-qawl al-‘hasm fi-masalat al-khatmiya wal khatm (The Decisive Report on the Subject of Sealness and Seal of Saints), Sidi Abdelkarim Nakel, and Sidi Mohammed b. Saghir Chinguiti b. Taleb b. Mohammed b. Mohammed b. Anbuja Chinguiti Tashiti -author of al-Jaysh al-Kabir (The Grand Army). The latter initiated his brother Sidi 'Ubayda (d. 1284/1869) -author of Mizab ar-Rahma Rabbaniya fi-tarbiya bi-Tariqa Tijaniya (Spout of Divine Mercy in Tijani Training), Maydan al-fadl wal ifdal f-sham rai’hat Jawharat al-Kamal (The Meadow of Grace and Bounty in Smelling the Fragrance of Jawharat al-Kamal), Rihlat tahani fi-‘hilyat Shaykh Tijani (the Journey of Salutations in the Adornment of Shaykh Tijani)– and Sidi Mohammed b. al-Mokhtar Tijani, himself the teacher of Sidi Taher al-‘Himadi and al-Qadi Sidi Ahmed b. Abderrahman.

Simply speaking, no Sufi order had ever stretched the boundaries of Islam in Africa as did the Tijaniya. The Tariqa gained dozens of millions of followers through the career of Sidi Mohammed al-Ghali Boutaleb’s most influential student Sidi al-Haj Omar b. Said al-Futi (d. 1279/1864) –author of Rima'h al-Hizb al Rahim ‘ala Nuhur Hizb ar-Rajim (The Spears of the League of the Merciful thrown at the Necks of the League of the Accursed). Under his leadership, the Tijani spiritual propagation reached Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, and Nigeria (Borno and Sokoto); originally in the form of Sufi activities and later in the form of building lodges propagating Islamic mystic ideals and aiming at a mass effort for the spiritual Tijani culture. In the thirteenth/nineteenth century the Tariqa emerged as both a Jihadist and a political force against the French, the British, and the Spanish south of the Sub-Sahara. Successful in military affairs, Sidi al-Haj Omar developed the doctrinaire side of his thinking and survived his war and political activities and military entanglements, before falling victim to the colonial military supremacy. The French referred his as "Le Faux Prophet" (The Mistaken Prophet); and a very dangerous Muslim fanatic. The Tijaniya became the most vigorous opponent of France and many early French administrators feared the passion that Tijani masters were able to arouse in their followers. "Had Sidi Omar al-Futi not martyred in 1279/1864 the entire African continent could have converted into Islam," said the Lebanese historian Shakib Arsalan. Al-Futi had many successors: his son Mamadu, his niece Sidi Alfa Mohammed Hachim b. Ahmed b. Said al-Futi (d. 1349/1934) –author of ar-Radd ‘ala munkir lafdh al-asqam (The Anecdote to the Agnostic who oppose the Term of al-Asqam -the most straight), Sidi Tierno Aliou Bhuubha Ndiyan (d. 1342/1927), and Sidi Maodo Malick Sy (d. 1337/1922). The successors of this latter contain Sidi al-Hadi Tourè (d. 1394/1979), Sidi al-Haj Amadou (d. 1395/1980), Sidi Abdellaziz b. al-Haj Malick b. Uthman Sy (b. 1319/1904), Sidi Mansur, Sidi Daridri al-Khalifa Wadda Duleb, Sidi Aba Bakr, Sidi Mountagha Tall al-Umri (d. 1428/2006), Abdellaziz Sy, and many others.

Few of Sidna Shaykh's indirect disciples were doctrinal innovators. Instead, most were content to provide training for their students and to spread Sidna Shaykh's brand of Mohammedian mysticism around the world. An exception is the Senegalese Sidi Abul Fayd Ibrahim b. Abdellah Niass al-Kulkhi (d. 1390/1975). The Shaykh claimed the paradigmatic status of al-Fayda al-Kubra (The Grandest Overflowing); an awaited rank of a mysterious Tijani that appear at a time of need and hardship and enter masses of people to the fold. This figure is reported by Sidi Tayyeb Sefyani in his Al-Ifada al-Ahmediya in which Sidna Shaykh Tijani informed his companions that, “a colossal overflow shall tumble upon my companions so that communities, one after another, enter our order. This overflow comes at a time of great need and destitution." Indeed, following Sidi al-Haj Omar's footsteps, Sidi Ibrahim contributed remarkably to the widespread of Islam and Tijaniya in the Salum region of Senegal and Gambia, and throughout Ghana, Sudan, and Nigeria, where he converted virtually nearly 30 millions of his disciples. In the era in which he lived as a wanderer, his mystic activity in the Sub Sahara contained a response to the challenges of the time. The disintegration of African systems affected by colonialism, poverty, corruption, and degeneration of morals weakened the fabric of societies while materialistic pursuits froze the heat of spiritual life. These realities created an atmosphere in which African societies needed moral animation and spiritual renaissance. Granted, Shaykh Sidi Ibrahim filled this gap par excellence with his spiritual gifts and powers.


قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه: "تأتى فيضة على أصحابى حتى يدخل الناس فى طريقتنا أفواجا أفواجا. تأتى هذه الفيضة والناس فى غاية ما يكونون من الضيق والشدة."

As Shaykh Sidi Ibrahim’s childhood witnessed the great flourishing of the Tijaniya in West Africa, his father, al-Haj Abdellah b. Sayyed Mohammed –who studied the Tijaniya under Abdellawi, Skirej, al-Mu’hib Alawi, Sefyani, and Mohammed Jallu al-Futjali— was his most important teacher in Maliki traditional sciences and had already initiated him the Tijaniya at the age of 10. As his most important works the Kashif al-Albas (Uncovering the Obscurities), Mifta’h al-fath wal wusul ila ‘Hadrat shykhina ibn ar-Rasul (The Key of Opening and Unification to enter the Presence of the Prophet’s Grandson Our Master), Ru'h al-adab (Spirit of Good Morals) and Nujum al-huda (Stars of Guidance), assert, the Shaykh was not only a prolific writer, a talented speaker, and a great Sufi imam, but was also known as a muhaddith, mufti, and Maliki jurist. He was the only Black African scholar to attain the title of “Shaykh al-Islam” at the Azhar University of Cairo, and the only imam to lead the congregational Friday prayer in its mosque. While most of today’s African ramifications are tied to his name, Shaykh Sidi Ibrahim had thousands of international students who became shaykhs in their own right reviving the fayda doctrine when he was still alive.

Along with those who fogged Tijani mysticism in Africa the names of Sidi Tafsir Abdu Birane Cisse (d. 1381/1961), Sidi Abul Hassan Ali Cisse (d. 1403/1988), Sidi Hadi Tourè (d. 1394/1979), Sidi Walad al-Nahawi Chinguiti (d. 1419/2004), Sidi Mohammed Jamiu Bulala (d. 1419/2004), Sidi al-Mahi Haidara al-Mali (d. 1428/2006), Sidi Abul Fawati’h Ahmed Ali Nayjiri (d. 1428/2006), Sidi Mohammed al-Hassan -author of Rislalat ar-rad 'ala Sulaymi (Answering the claims of Sulaymi), Sidi Mohammed Awal ibn Abdellah Aynala, Sidi Mohammad al-Hafid b. al-Mokhtar Beddi Chinguiti --author of Mawlid Isnan al-Kamal (Birthday of the Most Complete Human Being), Sidi Ibrahim Salih al-Husseini (“Grand Mufti of Nigeria”), Sidi Abdellah al-Mishri Chinguiti, Sidi Ibrahim Diop (“Head of the Ulama of Senegal”), Shaykh Hummayda al-Yanbu'i, Sidi Abubakar Atiku Sanka, Sidi Ahmed Niass, Sidi Mustapha Niass, Sidi Tijani Usman Zangon, Sidi Mohammed Nurudeen Hakeem, SIdi Muneer al-Mali, Sidi Emir Sanusi, Sidi Ibrahim Mahmoud Job, Sidi Abdulmajid Kano, Sidi Liman Buhari, Sidi Bashir Buhari, Sidi Mohammed Salg Ben Omar Kachni, Sidi Uthman Taher Boutchi, Sidi Salisu Shaaban al-Ghani, and Sidi Ibrahim’s living grandson al-khalifa Abu Zayd Sidi Hassan b. Ali Cisse. The Tariqa particularly flowed in the Sudan by the followers of Sidi Abul Fawati’h’s remarkable disciple Sidi Ahmed Mohammed Omar Sharif Tijani. Under his activity the Tijaniya flourished in Khartoum and beyond by abundant of his downlines; i.e. Sidi Mohammed al-Hadi Sabouni, Sidi Abdelmajid Moussa Hassan al-Amin, Sidi Hammad Mohammed Ali Hussein, Sidi Khalid Idriss Ibrahim, Sidi Omar Masoud, Sidi Abdelkader Abu Aakri, and Sidi Zein al-Abidin. All in all, Niassite and Omarite leaders swelled the Tijaniya in Chad (2 million), Gambia (500,000), Ghana (1,5 million), Guinea Conakry (4 million), sIvory Coast (2,5 million), Mali (500,000), Mauritania (2 million), Niger (4 million), Nigeria (40 million), Senegal (6 million), and Sudan (9 million).

Among the Tijani saints that ensured spiritual stability in Egypt are the golden names of Sidi al-Haj al-Mufaddal Saqqat al-Fasi (“Companion of Sidna Shaykh Tijani”; d. in Qina), Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Bannani al-Fasi al-Misri (“Companion of Sidi Ali Harazem Berrada and Sidi Belqasim Basri”; d. after 1269/1854), Sidi al-Bashir b. Mohammed Zaytuni Talbani, as well as Sidi al-Haj Ahmed Tijani b. Mohammed b. Ibrahim Chinguiti (d. 1345/1930) –author of al-Futuhat ar-Rabbaniya fi Tariqa Ahmediya Tijaniya (The Divine Openings in the Ahmedi-Tijani Sufi Order) and as-Sirr al-abhar fi-awrad al-Qutb al-Akbar (The Surreptitious Secret in the Litanies of the Grandest Pole). Sidi al-Bashir Zaytuni took the Tariqa from Sidi Ibrahim Riyahi Tunsi (d. 1266/1851) and initiated the order to huge crowds; e.g. Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah Shafi’i Taftawi –author of Ghayat al-amani fi-manaqib wa karamat ashab Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani (The Ultimate Aspirations in the Narratives and Marvels of Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani). Sidi al-Haj Ahmed Tijani, on the other hand, had settled in Egypt after taking from al-Qutb Sidi al-Haj al-Hussein al-Ifrani (d. 1328/1913). He is credited to initiate flood of men such as Sidi Ahmed Sibai Idrissi al-Murrakushi (d. in Beir Chams, Manufiya), Sidi Badr Salama –author of an-Naf’ha al-fadliya wal hidaya al-Mohammediya (The Graceful Breeze and Mohammedian Guidance), Sidi al-Hachimi Mohammed, Sidi Mohammed Sayyed Tijani –author of Ghayat al-amani fi-manaqib wa karamat ashab Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani (The Ultimate Aspirations in the Narratives and Marvels of Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani) and Al-Hidaya ar-Rabbaniya fi-fiqh Tariqa Tijaniya (The Godly Guidance in the Tijani Jurisprudence), Sidi Mohammed Alwan al-Jusaqi –author of an-Naf’ha al-qudsiya fi-ssira al-Ahmediya Tijaniya (The Celestial Breeze in the Memoirs of Ahmed Tijani), Sidi Salahuddin Tijani -author of Tariqa Tijaniya (The Tijani Path) and Kashf al-ghuyum 'an ba'ad asrar al-Qutb al-Maktum (Clearing the Clouds on some of the Secrets of the Concealed Pole), and Sidi Ayman 'Hamdi -author of Ahl safa' min kalam Khatm al-Awliya (The Pure in the Sayings of the Seal of Saints).

However, no Tijani figure had succeeded to refuel the secrets of Tijaniya in Egypt than the Husseinid sharif, Shaykh al-Azhar, al-Imam Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh al-Misri (d. 1398/1983). The Shaykh had taken the Tariqa from the great masters of his age; namely, Sidi Ahmed Sibai Idrissi al-Murrakushi, Sidi Mohammed b. Abdellah Shafi’i Taftawi, Sidi al-Haj Ahmed Tijani Chinguiti, Sidi Abdelmalik b. Alami, Sidi Alfa Hachim al-Futi (d. 1349/1934), the supreme khalifa Sidi Mohammed al-Kabir b. Sidi al-Bashir Tijani (d. 1346/1931) and his brother Sidi Mahmud b. Sidi al-Bashir Tijani (d. 1349/1934), al-qadi Sidi Ahmed b. al-‘Iyyashi Skirej al-Fasi (d. 1355/1940), Sidi Mohammed b. al-Ghazi Ribati, Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Nadhifi (d. 1366/1951), Sidi Daridri al-Khalifa Wadda (His father is Sidi Omar ibn Said al-Futi's disciple), Sidi Ibrahim b. al-Mokhtar Chinguiti Tashii, Sidi al-Haj Belqacem Bukabu al-Wahrani, Sidi Abdelmun’im Mohammed Hassani Saaduni (Sidi al-Ghali Boutaleb’s disciple), Sidi Mubashir b. Sidi Omar b. Said al-Futi, Sidi Ibrahim al-Khuzami (Sidi Taher al-Hammadi’s disciple; connected to Sidna Shaykh through the sharif Sidi Mohammed b. al-Mokhtar Saqqaf). Sidi Mohammed al-Hafidh had spread the Tijani doctrine not only in Egypt but also in the Holy Lands, Yemen, and the Sudan. He defended the Tariqa against the agnostics and infidels, and wrote important treatises such as Asfa manahil as-safa fi mashrab Khatim al-Awliya (The Purest Fountain in the Spring of the Seal of Saints), Qasd as-sabil fi-Tariqa Tijaniya (The Straight Trail in the Tijani Pathway), Fasl a-maqal fi-ma yarfa’a al-idhn fi-l ‘hal (The Essential Saga in what Perishes Authorization), and Ahl al-Haqq al-‘arifun billah (The Community of Truth: the Sages of Allah).

The Tijaniya Sufi order spread in the Mashriq (East) at the hands of distinguished scholars in esoteric and exoteric sciences, i.e Sidi Yusuf b. Ismail Nabahani (d. 1347/1932), Sidi Ali b. Abdellah b. Mustapha Tayyeb al-Azhari al-Madani, Sidi Ali Dakr, Sidi Ahmed Dadssi, Sidi Abdelatif Suyuti, Imam Sidi Khalid b. Zekkali, Imam Abdelaziz Samlali, Sidi al-Makki Mohammed Makki, Sidi Ibrahim Bablawi, Imam Sidi Badr b. Abdelhadi, Sidi Hassan al-Akhssassi, Sidi Mohamed b. Madkur Tasfawi, Imam Sidi Mohamed b. Ibrahim al-Bablawi, Imam Sidi Kira’at, Sidi Ibrahim Khuzami, Imam Sidi Ahmed b. Abou Bakr, Sidi Abul Hassan Abdellah Maghribi, and Sidi Ali Alami al-Maghirbi. The latter initiated in Palestine alone the myrtir Sidi 'Izzuddin al-Qassam and his brother Sidi Ali, Shaykh Sidi Hanifi, Sidi Salih al-Wouli, and Sidi Mohammed Abdelghani. The Tijani Path penetrated Turkey for the first time by the charismatic businessman and lawyer Sidi Kamal Bilaw Ughlu and his student Sidi Abderrahman Balji who diffused the doctrine in Ankara and Central Anatoly under the patronage of Ottoman sultans. When Kemal Ataturk won the elections of 1959 and banned imams to learn the Quran by heart in Arabic and ordered the adhan (call for prayer) to start with "Tann uludur" (instead of Allah Akbar) from the top of minarets, Sidi Kamal Bilaw Ughlu stood firm and led a revolution against his party. The Shaykh called for a new Islamic constitution mobilizing imams to continue their call of prayers in Arabic. In 1951, a number of Tijanis destroyed an Ataturk's statue in Kir Shahr and accused Ataturk of atheism. The Shaykh was imprisoned with a 1000 supporter. Following an investigation, Turkish officials found a link between the Turkish Tijaniya and the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood as well as the Iranian Mujahidin of Islam. The Turkish Royal Embassy of Iraq reported the clashes to its Baghdad headquarters. In the 30th of June, 1951, the embassy estimated the presence of 300,000 Tijani in Turkey alone.

The Tijaniya has also flourished in Central Asia as far as India. However it did not reach Indonesia until the late 1920s thanks of the efforts of the Medina-born wandering scholar, Sidi Ali b. Abdellah b. Mustapha Tayyeb al-Azhari, who had been himself initiated in 1324/1909 at the hands of the Nigerian Sidi Adam b. Mohammed Shaib al-Barnawi, student of Sidi Mohammed b. Abdelwahid Bannani al-Misri. He had also received an open ijaza from the Senegalese Sidi Alfa Hachim al-Futi (d. 1349/1934). In the following years, several Indonesians studying in Mecca received initiations into the Tijaniya from teachers still active there after the second Wahhabi conquest of Mecca in 1339/1924. Shaykh al-Azhari's most important students are Sidi al-Haj Abbas b. Abdeljamil (“Head of Buntet Islamic School, Cirebon; d. 1359/1944), Sidi Nuh b. Idriss (“Head of al-I'anah Islamic School, Cianjur; d. 1376/1966), Sidi Mohammed Sujai, (Head of Gudang Islamic School, Tasikmalaya), Sidi Ahmed Sanusi (Head of al-Ittihad Islamic School, Sukabumi), Sidi Usman Dhomiri al-Jawi (Head of a Tijaniya lodge in Cimahi), Sidi Muhammad Badr Zaman (“Head of Al-Falah Islamic School in Garut. He was a principal leader of the Hizbullah Liberation Army during the Indonesian war of independence; d. 1387/1972), the great muhaddith of his age Sidi Mohammed Yasin al-Fadani al-Makki (“Head of Darul Uluum School of Mecca; d. 1405/1990). Under the activity of these masters hundreds of thousands of people entered the Tijani fold in West Java. During the 1980s the Tijaniya experienced a period of rapid growth in East Java by two local leaders connected to Sidi Alfa through Sidi Abdelhamid al-Futi. The Tariqa is led today in Indonesia by various venerated muqaddams such as the veteran Sidi Abul Abass Shiddiq. The living cadres organize around 300,000 Tijanis in Indonesia.

Under the banner of Tariqa-t al-ulama (Path of the Scholars), the Ahmediya-Mohammediya-Ibrahimiya-Hanifiya-Tijaniya Sufi order continues to expand Islam and mysticism around the world. Nearly 300 million disciples follow this elevated path of Sidna Shaykh with complete adherence to the Shari'a law. The majority of this number is based in the Muslim world. However, Imam Abu Zayd Sidi Hassan b. Ali Cisse undertook a vigorous expansion of the order in the United States. The Shaykh made his first visit to the States in 1980, and, in response to the requests of an increasing number of American disciples, in 1985, he established the first Tijani zawiya in New York. This was followed by a number of other centres in Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, California, and other states by several muqaddams. During the past decade, the number of the zawiyas has continued to increase in the USA and important headquarters in Paris and London have become the centres of the order in Europe.

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