In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our master Muhammad, the guide to the Straight Path of Allah. All thanks and praise belongs to Allah, Who said in the Glorious Qur‟an--the book which no falsehood can come to it from before it or after it--and it is the Firm Rope of Allah and His Clear Guidance which He sent down as a mercy to the entire creation, to the people of the past and to the contemporaries: “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining AlMa‟ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. It is they who are the successful ones.”(3:104); “There is no good in most of their secret talks except him who orders Sadaqah, or Al-Ma‟ruf, or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good pleasure of Allah, We shall give him a great reward.”(4:114);
“Why do not the rabbis and the learned men forbid them from uttering sinful words and from eating illegal things? Evil indeed is that which they have been performing.”(5:63). May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah--the guide and the rightly guided, who said: “I and the entire host of Prophets have spoken to people according to their understanding.” and he said: “Speak to people according to their understanding! Do you intend to make them disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger?” May Allah be pleased with the Seal of the Saints, al-Khatm Ahmad alTijani(RA), who said: “Whosoever speaks to people without permission (Idhn) will be driven away and deprived!” We seek refuge in Allah from overstepping the boundaries of Allah or from underestimating His inviolability.
After this: From the poor, weak, and ignorant servant who is negligent in realizing the honor, majesty and exalted Essence (of Allah)--Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Al-Hajj Abdullahi al-Tijani--to all of my beloved Tijani brethren wherever they may be, especially to those who have smelled the fragrant scent of the Realities (man shama minhum ra‟ihatul haqiqa), with special reference to the people of “Taiba Bittien”--may Allah protect it & its inhabitants--As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah Ta‟ala wa Barakatuh!
I am advising myself and all of you to have conscious awareness of Allah (Taqwa)--in public and in private--and to occupy yourselves with Allah to the exclusion of everything other than Him! I am advising all of you to preserve the obligations of the Sacred Law and to not neglect the rights of the Lord. Most important among them is the five (5) daily Salat, along with safeguarding all of its prerequisite conditions--such as performing them on time and in congregation! Be careful to safeguard and maintain the obligatory Awrad of the Tariqa Tijaniyya, especially the daily Wazifa--along with its condition of performing it in Jama‟at, or congregation! Whosoever performs it by himself, having the ability to join the Jama‟at, or congregation, has not fulfilled the condition of its performance. By this is a person known to be a Tijani. Whosoever does not act in accordance with what we have said is not a Tijani! Whosoever is neglectful in this has not smelled the fragrant scent of Sufism and being a Faqir! I am advising everyone who has smelled the fragrant scent of the special Tawhid al-Khass to remain silent (& refrain from speaking of it to just anyone) and to avoid the gatherings of the common folk-those who do not gather in obedience to Allah Ta‟ala.
I am especially warning you against speaking of Tawhid al-Khass and its secrets in front of them. You should know that to unveil the secrets of Lordship (al-Asrar ar-Rububiyya) to those who remain veiled (al-Mahjubin) is more serious in the Presence of Allah than doing what is Haram! “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow, for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.” (33:21).
You also have a good example to follow in your Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani(RA) who used to conceal the secrets, and who used to frequently recite a poem which says: “With me, the secret is locked in a house whose key has been lost and whose doors are shut! Do not give the secret except to one who has your full confidence, for to most people the secret is not suitable!” He also used to say: “The unrestrained breast is the graveyard of the secrets! (Sudur al-Ahrar Qubur al-Asrar). You also have a good example to follow in the writer of this letter, the poor and despicable servant of Allah, who has possessed this knowledge (of Tawhid al-Khass) for a long time and you never heard any mention, or indication of it from me--which would single me out among my neighbors or loved ones--until the command of Allah Ta‟ala came to me! I thank and praise Allah for that, because we are the chiefs among the Malamatiyya and our way is to conceal our spiritual station and our miraculous feats! The Malamatiyya draw no special attention to themselves and each one is engaged in his trade or work. They make no claim of laudable advantage over the common folk, nor do they unveil their performance of miracles or their knowledge of the unseen, as that is considered the menstruation of men! We are concerned with the unveiling of light, not the unveiling of darkness (al-Kashif al-Nurani laa Zulmani). Our sign of miracles are to be found in our hearts and not on the horizons, as we are the inheritors of Muhammad(SAWS) and the Muhammadan inheritance are the miracles of the heart--which in the constant increase of knowledge, spiritual states, and experiential “tasting” with the passing of every breath! This is alluded to in the saying of the Most High, “We shall show them Our Signs in the horizons and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that He is the Absolute Reality!”(41:53). You should know that I am free & clear of every spiritually enraptured person (Majdhub) who does not continue to travel the path as a Salik! To speak to people before permission is your apparent and clear destruction (Halak Mubin) and it is the evidence of your false claim (to be spiritually illuminated). The servant who has witnessed the Real and His Oneness does not speak about it (without Idhn), nor does he point out his own annihilation. The spiritually enraptured person who speaks (about his state without permission) does not gain anything by way of increase, and I will not assist him in his disobedience of Allah Ta‟ala. The love of appearance (Hubb az-Zuhur) will only prevent you from coming before the people, and I am (only) the servant of the Divine Presence--alHamdulillah--and no one can take anything away from me, nor do I have a need for any reward or thanks from anyone! The reward I am seeking is that you become completely devoted to Allah, for Allah, and by Allah, without ever turning aside to follow your whims, fancies, and passions! Your speaking to others before receiving permission is (only) your following foul passions and ego. “So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves, that will be better for you with your Creator.”(2:54). I pray that Allah gather all of our hearts in the perfection of His Gnosis and that He guide and protect us all! Salaam.
Giwa Ibrahim Baye
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