Our beloved master Ahmed al Tijani said: Allah
almighty sorrounded man when created him with weakness
and incapability in movements, tranquility and in all
the rest of his states for when man is seated for a
long time he will tire from being seated and when he
is standing he will tire from long time standing and
if he was to sleep for a long time will be fed up from
sleeping and if he was to stay awake will then have to
sleep and if he was leaning for a long time he will be
exhausted from leaning and when he eats he is burdened
by being full with food and if he were to quit eating
he would go hungry and so on you may compare the rest
of his states to this, this is so - so that man is
always in a state of need to his lord and so that he
knows and confesses that the lord is powerful and is
absolutely independent, this way man will not rely on
anyone or anything just like one dusting off his hand
and turn to his lord alone, this is the lord’s way so
that man may know him and turn to him,

Praise to Allah the all wise and all knowing the one
whose knowledge has encircled every thing and the one
whose decree and desire is above all and everything.

The sheikh may Allah be pleased with him would point
out to people how to know one’s lord by learning from
these states that man continuously experiences
hardship and comfort, happy life to trouble and
unrest, fear and safety, sickness and health, the
hearts changing states such as constriction to
openness, determination to despair, the sheikh would
recite: ((We shall show them Our portents on the
horizons and within themselves until it will be
manifest unto them that it is the Truth)) and then the
sheikh would say: If people knew better they would
have appreciated that to be in hardship is better than
being in comfort because it is the nature of man when
in beneficence and grace to forget the lord, turn
aside and withdraw but when distress and trouble hits,
it forces man to turn back towards his lord seeking
help and safety, when man is in need and in fear there
is no room or time to be forgetful and negligent as
he was when in good health and happiness - therefore
People/Man in that situation is better because at that
stage he/she is at the door of their lord begging his
help to relief them of hardship, the sheikh would then
mention Allah Almighty’s saying: ((When We show favour
unto man, he withdraweth and turneth aside, but when
ill toucheth him then he aboundeth in prayer)) and he
would teach people Yaqeen (certainty) and show them
the way to know and reach the almighty he would say:
Will not Allah suffice His slave? Is not Allah the
most merciful? Was he not kind to us through out our
lives? So how can we doubt him?

If you were to swear by the greatest most great name
of Allah to not give you what has been destined for
you to have he will still give it to you and if you
were to ask for that which he has not destined for you
to have, you shall never attain it [The pen has dried
up you will face what has been written for you] (1)

He would say: Allah almighty puts his servant through
a poverty test then he makes it a bit easy on him with
something which is not purely halal, if one is a
little bit patient the almighty opens for that servant
a kind of opening after which he will never again
experience any poverty.

Jawahiru al Ma'ani
Part One
Page 95/96

(1) - Rufi'at al aqlamu wa jafati al Suhufu - 'Pens
have dried up and papers has been lifted' a proverb
used by Arabs and used by the prophet peace and
blessings upon him in many traditions - This proverb
is used when the speaker wishes to inform the listener
that the matter has been decreed and ordained

From the adab of our beloved sheikh Ahmed al Tijani with his lord,

I have extracted this paragraph from the book of Jawahiru al Ma'ani
where seidna Ali Harazim mentions a great adab [etiquette] of mawlana
al sheikh Ahmed al Tijani that is well worth knowing and practising,
Sidi Ali Harazim says:

it was amongst our sheikh's etiquettes as demonstrated by his words
and actions to abandon his will and leaves it to Allah almighty's
will and arrangements to the extent where if he was to ask somehting
of Allah almighty for him self or another person he would do it
asking guidence and advice about that matter, he would tell us time
and time again 'I never make dua except with my tounge while my heart
is completely surrendered to Allah almighty's will' and he would
say 'I do not want anything I do not ask anything, you do what you
desire and decree what you want' and he would also say 'It is only
that I do it with my tounge in order not to break people's hearts'
(1) and on occastions when asked by someone to make dua for him he
would say 'I do not make dua out of adab [etiquette] with Allah
almighty' he would say that because of his awarness and knowladge
that what Allah almighty chooses for his servant is better than what
one may chose/ask for.

As for making the prophetic dua's reported from the prophet peace and
blessings upon him such as dua's when desiring somehting, fearing
something, desiring nearness to Allah almighty or dua's by which one
declares his servanthood and needyness and offer supplicattion humbly
with total submisiveness to Allah almighty also dua's by which one
declares repentance and asks for forgivness and mercy and acceptance
then our master always kept his tounge and hearts busy with those and
he would say 'there isn't the element of associating one's desire,
will or choise with that of Allah's when making these types of dua's
because we are ordered to do them by shari'ia' (2)

(1) The sheikh is refering to making dua for people who may have
asked him to do so for them.
(2) Reason being that these dua's where done by the prophet him self
peace and blessings upon him and in us doing them we would be
following the prophet as ordered by shari'ia ((O ye who believe! Obey
Allah, and obey the messenger)) , ((Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If
ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your
sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful))

Jawahiru al Ma'ani
part 1,
page 74

Everything set forth above is indicated by the speech of our Shaykh Ahmad Tijani(RA) as recorded in Jawahir al Ma'ani, where he said:
"In the wise counsel that I have to offer you, the second matter is abstinence from material things forbidden by the Sacred Law, meaning unlawful food, drink, clothing, and dwellings... The next matter is absulutely indispensable, for it is the beginning and the end of all matters: namely, the attachment of the heart to Allah, racing to Him and abandoning everything apart from Him, in general and in particular. If the servant is capable of letting the heart go towards Allah, in every respect and in every condition, by sensing the movement of the heart, that is the ultimate goal...." As he has also said: "It is necessary for the spiritual traveler to enter the evening and the morning, and to spend the day and the night, without having any wish except for two things:
"The first is the wish for Allah, in preference to all existing beings, needing nothing from them because of Him, disdainful of their regard and scornful of choosing anything apart from Him. Allah must be the starting point of his pursuit and its ultimate destination, the beginning of his pursuit and its end, its inception and its conclusion. He must be totally engrossed in all of that, so that not a single instant remains in which he seeks anything else, because the desire of something else is either greed or folly.
"Secondly, the wishes of the spiritual traveler must also include his becoming entirely devoted to Allah, uninfluenced by the opinion of others, completely attached to Him in terms o fthe innermost being, the spirit, the mind, the soul, the heart and the outer being, so that no one single atom of him will be at odds with Allah and he will be in conformity with His wish(Almighty and Glorious is He), stripped of all desires, choices, plans, favors, lustful appetites, and selfish interests. In all of that, he will be in harmony with Allah, having no personal motive, no personal means and no personal involvement. That must be an act of servitude to Allah for His sake, and a fulfillment of what is due to His Divinity, so that something may return to him from HIM. He must not prefer Allah in order to satsify his wish, but purely because of his Lord's Divinity, not in despair of His blessing, so that he will not be subject to disapproval, and He will hold him in high regard because of the perfection of his praisworthy qualities...."
The meaning of everything set forth is also indicated by a passage from a speech that was dictated by the Chieftan of Existance and the Emblem of Witnessing, our master and our patron Muhammad(Allah bless him and give him peace), to one of the companions of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani(RA) in a state of wakefulness, not of sleep. The companion was intructed to take it to the Shaykh(RA) for he was told:
"Allah's Messenger has said: Tell him,' meaning Shaykh Ahmad Tijani: "Here is the explanation of worship, which is subdivided into four parts: The first consists of detachment (from the world) and dedication to Allah with perfect deeds and complet sincerity. This dedication must be spontaneous, and what he inteds by this dedication must be to extol Allah, magnify Him, glorify Him and sanctify Him, and to prais Allah according to the condition he is in. He must not intend to gain anything by his worship, nor except anything from it, so that his actions will ascend to Allah, enter the opened door, and become preoccupied with transformation in the manner we have mentioned at the beginning. There must be no pause in the study of His saying (in Quran)
Those who believe, and do righteous deeds,
they are the best of creatures. (98:7)
--for the people of righteous conduct are those who do not intend to gain anything by their deeds, in the form of benefit or profit. He must ask in his worship for nothing except the assistance and perfect well being that he requests for his Afterlife. Tell him the best request! If one of them asks, let him ask for pardon and well being. If his intention in his detachment and dedication is attainment to a station, or if he is seeking knowledge or a secret, his deeds will ascend until they arrive at a door that is locked, so they will sit there, expecting it to be opened in a while, and hoping that their owner will return and say: "My worship is for Allah. I do not seek any object of need." Then, if he is inspired and says this, they will go back and enter the opened door, but if he does not say what has been beentioned, those deeds will go back scattered, like the gusting of the wind in the air. They will wander about until they come to rest, in the sense what they will return again him in desperation, until the Prophet says(May Allah bless him and give him peace): "Tell my beloved at-Tijani that all of these meanings are in the Glorious Qur'an, and say to him: "This book will guide you to what I have commanded you to do. I have told you not to aim at anything, nor strive in greedy pursuit of anything. You must exert yourself in worship and opposition to the lower self, for greedy desire for what the human being aims at in worship cause the postponement of illumination(fath)." You must tell him: "It cause the postponement of illumination(fath)," and tell him "It is the impediment to illumination," up to three times......"

Allah is the Enabling Guide, by His grace, to the straight path and to Him is the return and the homeward journey!

Taken from the Rimah al Hizb al Raheem of Shaykh Umar Futi(RA)

and from the letters he wrote was this one addressed
to one of the scholars of the zawiya of Zarhoun may
Allah keep it high and arise with his remembrance)) We
ask Allah glorified in his greatness and sanctified in
his names to make you seek the paths of his fearful
awliya now and at the end and that he almighty grants
you the position of his beloved Gnostics in his
presence in this life and the next for he is the one
who is able and all powerful, you have asked me to
permit you to increase your load of azkar on top of
the wird then know that I have granted you permission
to recite what you desire of the azkar, holy names,
verses and dua's wherever and however way you like
except those awrad that belong to other sheikh's and
to their (turuq) ways for those I do not grant you
permission to do.

Know that all the azkar you may recite and forms of
praising the prophet and dua's if you were to recite
them all 100000 times a day every day for 100000 years
then they wouldn’t amount to the thawab of one time of
Salatu'l Fatihi li ma uglika so if you wanted to
benefit yourself in the hereafter make it your all
time task as much as your effort allows for it is the
(kansu Allah al'tham) great treasure of Allah almighty
to those who recite it, every time you feel you need
to increase your load of zikr on top of the daily
wird then use salatu'l Fatihi, I have advised for the
sake of Allah.

As for what you have mentioned of the difficulties you
have in controlling your Nafss keeping to the commands
of Allah and its constant deviation towards what dose
not please the almighty then know that Allah almighty
has established this on-going habit in the existence
on every one who neglects his nafss and left it to
stray in its vain-desires and that he almighty has
decreed that such a person will not find it easy to
return to the path of establishing the divine commands
and what more such a person will encounter more
wickedness, sins and deviation from abiding to the
divine commands.

If such a person wanted to straighten the crookedness
of his nafss he must start oppressing the nafss from
following its vain-desires hand in hand with
(Uzla) secluding one self from people,
(Somt) constant silence,
Lessen one's daily food intake,
Gradually increasing zikru Allah,
(Huthoru'l Qalb) being conscious during Zikr/Wird,

Controlling one's thoughts from straying towards
desiring to do habits one has been accustomed to do
and from astray ting into thoughts about worldly
matters, worldly love, worldly desires, worldly hopes
and from news about others and things that do not
concern the person.

To rebuke one self from rebelling against the divine
commands, it is by the continuation of these practices
that the Nafss may start to improve and exit out of
its wickedness towards coinciding with the divine
commands, OTHERWISE there is no other way ((That was
the way of Allah in the case of those who passed away
of old; thou wilt not find for the way of Allah aught
of power to change 33:62)) and the sheikh in this
situation is but a guide and helper and not a creator
nor a doer for creation and action doing belongs to
Allah almighty and guidance belongs to the Sheikh's
wal Salam.

Let Praise and blessings be upon our master Muhammad
and his family and companions.

Written by the poor and needy servant of his lord
Allah almighty Ahmed son of Muhammad al Tijani may
Allah treat him with gentleness.

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

You should know that femininity does not prevent inclusion among the best of Allah's chosen servants, for Allah has not referred to the men in any of the spiritual stations without combining the reference to them with reference to the women as in His saying

Men who surrender and women who surrender
and men who believe and women who believe
and men who obey and women who obey
and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth
and men who are patient and women who are patient
and men who are humble and women who are humble
and men who give in charity and women who give in charity
and men who keep the fast and women who keep the fast
and men who guard their private parts and women who guard theirs
and men who remember Allah frequently and women who remember--
Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward (33:35)

Of all the spiritual stations attained by men, other than Messengership (Risala), Prophethood (Nubuwwa) and Cardinal Poleship (Qutbaniyya), ther is not one that is not teeming with good women who are true believers, devoutly pious, righteous and obedient. Consider what is related in the Mighty Qur'an of which we are told

Falsehood cannot apporoach it from before it or behind it (41:42)

-about Mary and her condition. She is mentioned in the Quran in thirty places, and this has resulted in difference of opinion as to whether or not she was endowed with Prophethood. The fact is that she was a Champion of the Truth (Siddiqa) since Prophethood is peculiar to men, as indicated by Allah's saying:
The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger....,
and his mother was a Champion of the Truth...

-so it has been made known that women are not denied access to Championship of the Truth (Siddiqiyya) nor to any of the spiritual stations below it, down to the lowest of them. There have been many woment who attained to spiritual stations to which very few men have attained.

The following text is taken from the Jawahir al Ma'ani:

I (Sidi Ali Harazim) asked our Shaykh (Shaykh Tijani) about the meaning of Allah's saying in Quran:

And when the angels said"O Mary, Allah has chosen you and made you pure, and has preferred you above the women of all the worlds...(3:42)

And We inspired the mother of Moses, saying:
"Suckle him, and when you fear for him , then cast him into the river and do not be afraid, and do not grieve, for We shall bring him back to you, and We shall make him on of the Messengers (28:7)

I asked him: "Does the speech fo the angels necessarily imply her Prophethod, and does the inspiration given to the mother of Moses likewise necessarily impler her Prophethood or not? As for the Lady Mary and our Lady Fatima, which of them is superior? What about the women of all the worlds? What about Asiya bint Muzahim, then Khadija, then Aisha, then Fatima (May Allah be pleased with them all ) Shaykh Tijani gave me the following response

"Allah is the Enabling Guide, by His grace and His noble generosity, to the straight path! You should know that the Prophethood attributed to the Lady Mary, and the argument of those who maintain it is based on ALlahs saying:
And when the angels said" O Mary ALlah has chosen you and made you pure, and has preferred you above the women of all the worlds (3:42)

-and the attribution of Prophethood to the mother of Moses is likewise related to His saying:
And We inspired the mother of Moses (28:7)

"These assertions are invalid, however and no reliance can be placed upon them. The true assertion, which must be regarded as definitive, is that Prophethood is impossible for women, who have no means of access to it

"As for Mary and Asiya, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said about them

Many of the men have achieved perfection, but none of the women have achieved perfection other than Asiya, the daughter of Mazahim, and Mary the daughter of Imran

-and the meaning thereof is that they attained to the degree of Championship of the Truth (Siddiqiya), which is the highest degree of Knowledge of ALlah, familiarity with Him and thorough grasp of knowledge, with the exception of Cardinal Poleship (Qutbaniyya) and Prophethood (Nubuwwa). This is the farthest point to which they attained...

"As for Khadija, the Prophet spoke frankly about her superior merit, until Aisha said "I was never jealous of any woman among his women, with the exception of Khadija, because he so often mentioned her and venerated her". Ibn Sabu has reported in his Shifa that the Prophet told the people one day:
My favorite among my women would surely be A'isha,
the daughter of Abu Bakr the Champion of Truth, were it not for the superior merit that Allah bestowed upon Khadija, the daughter of Khuwailid!

--so he thereby proclaimed Khadija's superiority over Aisha.
"In another Porphetic tradition reported by Ibn Sabu in his Shifa, he said the Prophet said (peace and prayers be upon him) said to Fatima

You are the mistress of the women of all the worlds!

-so she placed her hand upon her head in bashful modesty, and she said to him: "But what about Asiya the daughter of Muzahim, Mary the daughter of Imran, and Khadija the daughter of Khuwailid?" He told her:

Asiya the daughter of Muzahim is the mistress of the women of her world, Mary is the mistress of the women of her world, Khadija is the mistress of the women of her world, adn you are the mistress of the women of your world.

"He said one day to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), after he had contracted his marriage to Fatima:
I have given to you in marriage the mistress of the women of all the worlds!
"As for Aisha, he once said (Allah bless him and give him peace):
The superiority of Aisha over all other women
is like the superiority of meat and broth over all other food"

The scholars have adopted conflicting opinions with regard to the assignment of precedence to Fatima or Aisha. Each school has inclined to favor the preferment of one of the two, basing the argument on these two Prophetic traditions. Malik said " As for myself I do not consider anyone superior to Fatima, whom he described as a part of him(the Prophet)

As for the gnostics(arifin),they have generally reached the conclusion, by means of mystical revelation, not by means of listening to reports, that Fatima atained after her father to the loftiest degree of Cardinal Poleship (Qutbaniyya) and since that is the case, there is no camparibility between Fatima and Aisha. Allah has said:
Surely the noblest of you in the sight of Allah
is the one of you who is most truly devout (49:13)

--and in the whole of Allah's creation, absolutely and without exception there is no one among humankind and the angels after the Prophets, who could possibly attain to as much as one thousandth part of the true devotion of he Cardinal Pole of the Cardinal Poles (Qutb al Aqtab), however much he might achieve. He is the most excellent of al the Muslims in every era, apart from any Keys of the Treasures (Maftuh Kunuz) that may exist, for he is superior to them in some respects,, and they are superior to him in some respects.
If you have comprehended this fully, you must acknowledge that Fatima is absolutely superior to Aisha and to Mary and Asiya. The fact that she attained to Cardinal Poleship (Qutbaniyya) from which all other women are excluded, is due to the fact that she did not menstruate, and to the fact that she received from her father a degree of perfection to which other women could not aspire.
That explains why she attained to Cardinal Poleship, The Cardinal Pole (Qutb) is the chieftan of existence in every era, apart from the Keys of the Treasures (Miftah Kunuz) that may exist. As for the fact that she did not menstruate, it was due to the formation of her genital fluid, which originated from the Prophet eating one of the apples of the Garden of Paradise. That is why the Prophet said about her "She is a human houri". Her being a houri was due to the fact that she was not created from the specks of dust transmitted from the body of Adam (peace be upon him) to the rest of his offspring, for the substance of her genital fluid was formed from the mysteries and secrets of the Garden, from which Allah created the houris. This resulted in the perfection of her purity, for she was unsullied by wearing he condiions of human nature that oher women wear. She thus became a human houri, and she thereby attained to the highest degree in the presence of the Lord of Truth, above which there is no degree except Prophethood. Aisha and the others could never aspire to this, so it must be clear to you that Fatima is more excellent than all excellent women.
As for the attribution to Prophethood to Mary, we have said that it is invalid, and its invalildation is based on the nature of the Cardinal Pole (Qutb). In ever era, the Qutb brings an influence to bear on every atom among the existing entities, assisting and improving everything in existence, atom by atom, Whenever a worshipper prostrates himself for the sake of Allah or bows for the sake of Allah or stands erect for the sake of Allah or remembers Allah with any remembrance, the Cardinal Pole is he one who directs his performance. Because of him the Shaykh performs his glorification, because of him the worshipper performs his worship, because of him the one who prostrates himself performs his act of prostration and because of him the other influence, which cannot be described is brought to bear.
To put the matter in a nutshell, his relationship to the whole of existence is that of the spirit to the body. The body has no vitality and no intelligence without the spirit, nor any movement without the spirit, for all the faculties of the physical body, external and internal, are motivated by he animal spirit that is attached to it. If the spirit departs from the physical body, all of its faculties cease to function, and it becomes an extinct corpse.
The same applies to all he elements in existence, with regard to their relationship to the Qutb, for he is for them like the spirit for the physical body. If his spirituality departed from them, the whole of existence would become extinct, for he is the spirit fo existence and of all the properties of existence in their entirety, responsible for their combination and their seperation, their commonality and their peculiarity, their liberation and their confinement. Since the elements of existence cannot survive unless the spirituality of the Qutb exists within them, if the Qutb removed his spirituality from them, the whole of existence would cease and it would become a useless corpse.

This power of his comes from his bearing the burden of the supreme secret, and his traveling in the entirety of it domains. By means of the secret of the Supreme Name, he has come to be steadfast in the presence of Allah, perfectly observing the modes of conduct prescribed by the Divine presence, and perfectly fulfilling His rightful dues in all of the manifestations pertaining to His Names, His Attributes, His Essence at all times and in every instant measured by the blink of an eye. There is no limit to the ways in which our Lord is constantly manifesting Himself in every instant measured by the blink of an eye, through His Names, His Attributes, His Essence and the variation of His affairs. In all of that, the Qutb remains steadfast in the presence of Allah, according all those manifestations what they rightfully deserve in the form of proper modes of conduct, dutiful tasks, adn service, in every instant measured by he blink of an eye. Even if the manifestations keep multiplying endlessly, he fulfills all their rightful dues and their proper modes of conduct, so there is no one in existence who can bear the burden of everything by which the Lord of Truth manifest Himself apart from him, for he is engaged in this throughout his life, in every instant measured by he blink of an eye. if all the Champions of Truth (Siddiqin) stood in Allah's presence on these terms they would become extinct in less time than it takes to blink an eye, yet this is his regular habit (the Qutb)

If you have understood this well, you must realize that women are incapable of bearing this burden, because of their frailty, and because of menstruation distracts them from the performance of the Divine duties. If a woman assumed the station of Cardinal Poleship (Qutbaniya), she would surelly neglect the fulfillment of the rightful duties of Allah's rightful duties in His manifestations on certain days of her life, they being the days of menstruation.
Then, when she neglected the fulfillment fo obligations rightfully due to Allah, the office would be annihilated--I mean the office of Qutbaniyya--and its annihilation would result in the extinction of existence.

If you have understood this well, therefore, you must realize that women are not qualified to assume the office of Qutbaniyya. While this is true of Cardinal Poleship, the abandonment of their aspiration to Prophethood is even more appropiate and more logical because Prophethood is even more appropriate and more logical, because Prophethood is weightier thank Qutbaniyya. As for Fatima(may Allah be pleased with her) she attained to the degree of Qutbaniyya because she acquired the Divine perfections that make it possible to bear the burden of he secret of the Supreme Name.

end of quote from Jawahir al Ma'ani

In the Jawahir al Ma'ani Sidi Ali Harazim speaks of the knowledge and spiritual states of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (May Allah be pleased with him)

Among the evidence fo the completeness of his insight, the strenght of his light and the perfection of his intimate knowledge, one element is the nature of his reporting about the saints of the past, including the most distinguished figures, for he(may Allah be pleased with him) would seem to have been the contemporary of each one of those concered. He provided information about several of them, and described them in a manner indictive of their spiritual station and of the special quality bestowed on each one by Allah.

If someone asked him about one of the walis, he would tell him about his spirital state, his station, and his attainment, and whether or not he was among those invested with full power of disposal, as if he could see the quality of his spiritual state, with his own eyes. Sometimes, however, if someone asked hm about that, he would fall silent and turn away.

One example is the account he gave of the special quality of our master Idris al Asghar, who lived in Fez (may Allah be pleased with him). He was remarkable for his dignity, his majesty, his authority, and his perfection, and the power of disposal conferred on him by Allah in his lifetime and after his death. Our master used to extol his worth and glorify his character and he would urge people to visit him, receive training from him, and treat him with reverence. What we have mentioned is corroborated by the fact that our Shaykh never let a single day go by without visiting him and approaching him, from the time he entered Fez, except on account of a sickness tha prevented him.

Another example is the account he gave of the perfect Cardinal Pole (Qutb) and the comprehensive Succor (Ghawth) our master Sidi Abd as Salaam Ibn Mashish (may Allah be pleased with him), mentioning his blessings and the marvels attributed to him, because he was the source of help for those who traveled to meet him, and his station was worthy of veneration.

Yet another example is the accout he gave of the famous wali and the great Cardinal Pole Sidi Abu Ya'za (may Allah be pleased with him) describing the perfection of his intimate knowledge of Allah,his fulfillment of the needs of those who traveled to meet him, and the special gifts conferred on him by Allah, including the power of disposal and strong support for the old, the young, and the weak. Everyone who came to him in need would obtain satisfaction, whatever that need might be. Our master used to urge people to visit him, treat him with reverence and befriend him.

He gave similar accounts of the spiritual states of other great walis, like the Sultan of the Saints, our master Sidi Abd al Qadir Jilani, Sidi Ibn Arabi al Hatimi, Sidi Ibn Hasan ash Shadhili, Sidi Ibn al Abass al Mursi, Sidi Abu Madyan al Ghawth, Sidi Ahmad ibn Yusuf, and others (may Allah be pleased with them all), but we will not discuss them at length.

I heard our master mention most of those who were entruste with the Qutbaniyya after the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) until our own time. He described the condition of each one he mentioned including the lofty stations and splendid spiritual states that he acquired, each in accordance with the extent to which his Master favoured him, preferred him and approved of him. I heard this from him before the present time. As for now his usual custom is silence. May ALllah be well pleased with him and make him well pleased and may He grant us His good pleasure.

As for his perfection and his consumate wisdom, one element is his knowledge of the Supreme Name of Allah the Almighty, according to what he told us about that, as we shall explain in due course if Allah wills.

More to follow on what Shaykh Tijani said of the Supreme Name of Allah and its variations Inshallah...............

One questioned Sidina Shaykh Tijani on what was revealed of the Quran to the Prophet first.

He answered: "What was revealed of the Quran first was the verse:
"Recite! with the name of your Lord who created" (Sura96verse1)

"Nothing was revealed of the Quran before that, and this revelation was the revelation of Prophecy (Nubuwwa), without the command to transmit a message (Risaala)"


The next revelation was a revelation of (Risaala) which to transmit the revelation and message to others which was for his clan, tribe, and close ones, nobody else. which is the verse
"And warn your nearest kinship" (Sura 26 verse 214)

therefore this verse was the first revelation revealed in a sense of transmitting the message to others (Risalaa). But not in a worldwide sense as of yet.


Then after that it was revealed to him

"O you one who is covered, rise and inform!" (Sura74verse1-2)

This verse was the first revelation in the framwork of transmitting the message on an universal stage and to all of creation.

As for the Prophet (Allah grant him peace and blessings always), He always had a perfect knowledge of Allah and he was never restricted by veils nor ignorance even while he was in his mother's womb.

As it is so about all of the Prophets since they were in their mother's wombs. May Allah's peace and blessing always be upon them.

Extract from the Jawahir al Ma'ani

This short passage from the Jawahir al Ma'ani explains the question on why is Monday the day particular to the Prophet. why on this day was he born, received revelation, and so forth. why not any other day, why Monday?


THE SPECIALTY OF MONDAY (YAWM AL ITHNAIN) 'the second day'

Among the remarks of Sidina Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (may Allah be well pleased with him):

"I meditated on the reason of the specialty of Monday (yawm al ithnain-the second day) with its relationship with the Chieftan of Existance Salla Allahu Alaihi wa Salim and it appeared to me clearly that just like He the Prophet was the 'second' in existance which was preceded only by the existance of Allah the eternal.

In the same way this day is the second of the days and was preceded only by the "ALONE day" which is Yawm al AHAD (thus Sunday in Arabic is named). For this reason he had his highlights in this day of Yawm al Ithnain (Monday) since it is on this day he was born, the day of Hijra, and the day he entered Medina, the day he became a Messenger.

This is the same way for Sidina Adam (alaihi Salaam) which for him was particularized by Friday. He had his highlights in life on Friday, which was the last day of the creations. As the language of the Arifeen say he was given 'the last robe of creation'.

However this day Friday was the last day of when Allah created his creation. Allah as is known said:

"It is He which in six days created the skies and the earth and all that there is between them" (Surat 25 Furqan, verse 59). And for the seventh day He said "Then he established himself on the Throne". As he wanted, and as He knows and He created no creature that day.

It is on this day of Friday that Adam was created, His entry into Paradise, and His exit, and also His day of Repentace..."

Shaykh Ahmad Tijani was then asked. "by this analogy can one affirm that Monday is more preferable than Friday owing to the fact that Monday is the day particular to the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alaihi wa Salim)

Sidina Shaykh Tijani answered "No, the preference (of Friday) is a Divine Decree, with neither cause, nor analogy intervening in this subject. It is only the Divine Grace of Allah which is according to what HE wants, by what HE wants, for what HE wants. What one hears about the case of superiority about a creature is effective only by the means of information coming from Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) IF NOT then there is no superiority if they havent said so.
,

FOR THE LOVE OF ALLAH



Seïdina Ahmed Tidjani (may God be satisfied with him) said: « If you want the love of Allah*, follow these three points »:



1 - Loving Allah

ALLAH says:
« … whom He loves and who love Him » (The table spread, chapter 5, verse 54 )

2 - Follow the Prophet (peace be up on him) in movement, immobilisation, action and state.

ALLAH says:
« If you love God, follow me, [and] God will love you…» (The Family of Imran, chapter 03, verse 31)

3 - The total purity (El Tahara kamila) of anything displayed or hidden that exists, apart from God.

ALLAH says:
« …for God loves all who purify themselves. » (The Repentance, chapter 09, verse 108)

Seïdina Ahmed Tidjani (may God be satisfied with him) also said:

«Anyone who wants to improve its actions and its rectitude towards ALLAH must fear God and purify its deeds by speaking only out of necessity and only in what concerns him.

ALLAH says:
« O you who have attained to faith! Remain conscious of God, and [always] speak with a will to bring out [only] what is just and true.“ “He will cause your deeds to be virtuous…» (The Confederates, chapter 33, verses 70 and 71)

Know that the renouncement in this world below gives science without the need of learning, the guidance without being guided, and honour without the help of (social) relationships and wealth without money.

The Prophet (peace be up on him) said:
« Anyone who would like to receive science from ALLAH without needing to learn and guidance without being guided should turn his back from this world below».

The Prophet (peace be up on him) said:
« If a servant turns his back from this world below, ALLAH will grant him three things: honour without the help of (social) relationships, wealth without money and science without learning ».

Among the benefits of renouncing this world below is the love of ALLAH for those who practice it. The prophet (PBOH) responded to the person who asked him to be informed of the action that will make him to be loved by ALLAH and men:
« Abandon this world below and ALLAH will love you. Abandon people’s goods and the people will love you ».

Anyone who wants ALLAH to be with him in any case should follow these points:

ALLAH says:
«…God is with those who are conscious of Him. » (The Cow, chapter 02, verse 194)

ALLAH says:
« …God is with those who are conscious of Him and are doers of good withal. » (The Bee, chapter 16, verse 128)

ALLAH says:
« …God is with those who are patient in adversity. » (The Cow, chapter 02, verse 153)