Upon the request of a dear beloved brother I would
like to relate a part of
an answer mawlana abu al abass Ahmed al Tijani gave
when asked about the
real sheikh which should be sought after and obeyed in
sayings and actions
therefore I wont start from the beginning but only
relate the part that may
be on interest, after that our sheikh described the
nature of the guide that
one should seek and how to behave towards once found
mawlana abu al Abass
Ahmed al Tijani then says:

As for how to discover and find the guide whose nature
we described then the
answer is that such guides are plenty and most will be
in major cities/towns
as it is their residence as for discovering and
knowing so one can be
connected to them then that is more arduous than
finding al (Kibrit al
Ahmar) Red Sulfur reason being is that they have mixed
and confused their
image within the general public and they would repel
and send away any one
who may inquire about them and swear an oath that they
have nothing of what
the seeker is searching for. The purpose that
necessities them to act this
way is because of the world wide corruption of the
universal system which
occurred by the will of the most high and mighty a
will that nothing else
can appose - and it is that each person only strives
for his/her own
vain-desires and needs turning away from the divine
presence and what it
dictates from devotion, rights and manners, in today's
world - generally - a
person would not seek the awliya except for corrupt
purposes ranging from
wanting to enjoy this world and its pleasures,
desires, be rescued from
ordeals and hardships during which they insist on
living in greatly sinful
deeds leading to disastrous situations, sins so
obscene their results would
be no other than ending up in hell, they do not exit
this sphere nor return
to enter the divine presence - So as these awliya and
Gnostics have known
this situation that befits most people they veiled
their selves and expelled
people away from them in every way and manner, the
wilderness and far away
lands would be proper for these awliya to live in
because of this situation
how ever it is the divine desire that imposed on them
that they stay in the
cities and amongst people for certain purposes the
almighty wanted of them
and decreed and nothing stands in the way of what he
decrees, their
situation is that they can not break away from being
with people and go to
the wilderness because of this divine decree nor can
they find a way to
reform people and turn them back to the divine
presence So they are like
some one who has been made to stay with a group of
foolish people who stone
him how ever he has to be patient and carry on living
amongst them that is
why their are in pain and suffering and veiled
themselves and expelled
people in all possible ways.

Now it happens at times that people may notice some
signs despite these
veils, signs that make them comprehend who these
people really are or may be
therefore they rise to be with them but only for
worldly purposes and needs
at which these awliya will confuse these people to
veil themselves by
displaying things like fornication, obscene
dishonesty, drinking alcohol,
killing and other disastrous actions that decrees on
one nothing else than
divine resentment and anger - these sins which they
seem to be doing are in
reality images these awliya bring into existence from
the world of the
unknown so in reality they did not exist and are
merely imagined images
others see as if they really happened - by these
images they display what in
Shari'a are indecencies but in reality they did not do
non of these actions
and this is how they veil themselves to protect their
maqam's.

Now since you know this now know also that in this
domain the true ones and
false ones have become mixed up and one wouldn't know
this one from that one
and there is no poly to discover the accomplished
Arifu bi Allahi - Waliyu
Allah except in one very rare situation which is a
perfect guide who may
appear in a perfect Shari'a form So if one appears in
that form and claims
to be a guide and source of knowledge and teaches the
way to Allah almighty
and how to turn back to him and be an ascetic and be
less interested in this
world and its people plus you can see the signs of
spiritual openings on his
followers then the murid should surrender completely
to such a person upon
meeting him and what is compulsory on the murid to do
is not surrender to
some one until receiving many accounts from people he
trusts about this
person people who have been with that sheikh and close
to him if this is so
then one should accompany such a sheikh other wise no.

If any one in these times seeks to be connected to a
perfect guide however
could not find one and may fear falling victim in the
hands of liars and
imposters he/she should turn his/her heart towards
Allah with the necessary
sincerity with continuous supplications and
imploration that he almighty
uncovers for him/her the perfect guide fit to take
him/her out of this
calamity and that the almighty guides him/her toward
this guide and help one
surrender and be obedient to such a guide when
uncovered and met. There is
no other way this is the only way how ever a better
and more beneficial and
recommended and helpful method in achieving this goal
is to dedicate every
possible time for - Salatu ala Naby - hand in hand
with full respect and a
present heart while reciting Salatu ala Naby
picturing the presence of the
prophet as if he was seated in front of the person -
If one continues doing
this method with his mind set to reach the divine
presence as firm as one is
so firm in finding water when thirsty - Allah almighty
will take that
person's hand and attracts that person towards him
either by making
available for him a perfect guide to take the person's
hand or make his
beloved prophet available to train that person OR may
open the gates for
this person and lifts all veils due to his continuous
effort of making
Salatu ala Naby, Salatu ala Naby is the greatest of
means that enables one
to reach to Allah almighty and NEVER ever one held the
method of Salatu ala
Naby firm so to reach the almighty and ever failed.

Jwahirul Ma'ani
Part One
Page 136 - 138