[Excerpts from Zachary Wright, On the Path of
the Prophet: Shaykh Ahmad Tijani and the
Tariqa Muhammadiyya (Atlanta, 2005), p. 81-85.
Posted with permission of publisher.]
“Know that Sufism is compliance with
Allah’s command and avoidance of His
prohibitions, externally and internally,
with regard to what pleases Him, not what
pleases you.”
It is clear from the primary sources containing
Shaykh Ahmad Tijani’s ideas and behavior that
he possessed a profound respect for the legal
value of the Qur’an and Sunna of the Prophet
and his companions, as well as (though to a
lesser extent) for the inherited tradition of
scholarly interpretation of these sources. As
was shown earlier, he was trained in the
sciences of the Qur’an and Hadith and prior to
his becoming a shaykh al-tarbiya (of spiritual
instruction), he spent most of his time during
his travels teaching Qur’anic tafsir
(interpretation) and Hadith. The Jawahir al-
Ma’ani itself provides evidence of this
emphasis, with frequent reference to Qur’an
and Hadith throughout the work. Of the 246
pages in the Jawahir‘s 2001 Cairo edition, fifty-
four are concerned specifically with
explanation of certain verses of the Qur’an,
twenty comment only on Hadith, while another
ten are concerned with specific questions of
fiqh. It seems many of Shaykh Tijani’s students
were attracted to him for his knowledge of the
traditional Islamic sciences, even if they did not
always stay long enough to receive initiation
into his path. The celebrated Tariqa
Muhammadiyya shaykh Muhammad al-Sanusi
(1787-1859) testified,
I learned from him [Tijani], and I took the
Qur’an from him, and he told me that he
had taken it from the Prophet (may God
bless him and grant him peace), asleep
and awake. And he excelled in following
his, may God bless him and grant him
peace, example in all actions, and he
honored me by letting me take the Qur’an
from him, by this noble sanad, after he
had taken it from him [the Prophet].
In a work translated as, “Lumières sur la
Tijaniyya et les Tijan,” the Senegalese Shaykh
Ibrahim Niasse (d. 1975) quotes the statements
of several notable scholars from Morocco,
Tunisia and Egypt more or less contemporary to
Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (but who were not
known to have formerly entered the order)
attesting to the level of his erudition. As we
have seen, his early circle of followers
contained many distinguished faqihs, such as
Ibrahim Riyahi (later to become Tunisia’s head
Mufti and rector of Zaytuna), Muhammad al-
Hafiz of Mauritania and Ibn Mishry of Algeria.
Later Tijanis have been no less energetic in the
field of Islamic law, as evidenced by the
activities of such men as the Moroccan jurist
and traditionalist Muhammad al-‘Arabi al-Sa’ih
(d. 1892), the Mauritanian scholar Ahmad al-
Shinqiti (d. 1913), the Marakeshi Qadi Ahmad
Sukayrij (d. 1949), Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (who
in 1961 received, for his Islamic scholarship and
efforts to spread Islam, the title “Shaykh al-
Islam” from the Azhar), the Egyptian scholar
Muhammad al-Hafiz (d. 1978) and the former
Mufti of Albania, Hafiz Sabri Cocki. With the
spread of the Tijaniyya in places like West
Africa, the order has sometimes become more
famous for its Islamic scholarship than
anything else.
Shaykh Ahmad Tijani himself provides the
model for the respect for the Shari’a many of
his later followers would come to represent.
When asked if false statements would be
attributed to him after his death, he replied in
the affirmative and urged his followers to use
the criterion of the Shari’a to determine the
truth: “If you hear anything attributed to me,
weigh it on the scale of the Shari’a. If it
conforms, accept it, otherwise reject it.” Ali
Harazem al-Barada writes about his Shaykh,
“We find him stern (shadid) concerning the
religious obligations … and he often says, ‘The
best of remembrances (adhkar) is the
[servant's] remembrance of Allah at the
command of his Lord and His prohibition.’'
He demanded of his disciples that saintly
miracles be kept hidden and elaborated that
“An act of righteousness is better than a
thousand miraculous feats.”He was
reportedly particular about the performance of
the canonical prayer, emphasizing that it
should be made in congregation and at its
proper time, saying, “No work is better than
prayer (salat) in its proper time.”
According to the Jawahir, the Shaykh did not
neglect the external sciences and his
knowledge in this area included the theology of
God’s oneness (tawhid), Qur’anic interpretation
(tafsir), Prophetic traditions (Hadith) and
biography (sira), and other traditional sciences
such as grammar and poetry; in fact sharing
with the ‘ulama “the entirety of their
knowledge.”But, as is illustrated from al-
Sanusi’s statement about Shaykh Tijani’s
knowledge of the Qur’an, it seems that he did
not make a great distinction between esoteric
and external knowledge, holding that the
“external sciences return in their entirety” to
the reality of the esoteric sciences.
Specifically, the study of the Qur’an and Hadith,
which helps to instill the fear of Allah, serve to
separate the aspirant from the frivolity of the
material world (dunya), thereby allowing him
to behave “as if he is seeing the afterlife
between his hands.” The inner state of the
worshipper before his Lord should be one of
utmost sincerity and purity “in order to
accomplish an act of pure adoration and
satisfaction of Divine laws.”The
contemporary Senegalese Tijani Shaykh Hassan
Cisse explains in this regard the place of the
Shari’a within the real knowledge of God
(ma’rifa):
The importance of this knowledge
[Shari'a] is that it is used to service and
maintain the ma’rifa (reality, beauty and
magnificence) of Allah already acquired. It
is a means of revisiting Allah through
primary worship like prayer, fasting, alms
giving and pilgrimage, and secondary
worship like marriage/divorce, commerce/
economics, etc.
It is clear that Shaykh Tijani held the classic Sufi
opinion of the essential link between the
Shari’a and the esoteric reality (Haqiqa). “It is
incumbent on the truthful person,” he said, “to
immerse himself in the esoteric reality (Haqiqa)
while working with the external Shari’a,
keeping to the regulations, and that is the
straight path in following the Messenger.”
the Prophet: Shaykh Ahmad Tijani and the
Tariqa Muhammadiyya (Atlanta, 2005), p. 81-85.
Posted with permission of publisher.]
“Know that Sufism is compliance with
Allah’s command and avoidance of His
prohibitions, externally and internally,
with regard to what pleases Him, not what
pleases you.”
It is clear from the primary sources containing
Shaykh Ahmad Tijani’s ideas and behavior that
he possessed a profound respect for the legal
value of the Qur’an and Sunna of the Prophet
and his companions, as well as (though to a
lesser extent) for the inherited tradition of
scholarly interpretation of these sources. As
was shown earlier, he was trained in the
sciences of the Qur’an and Hadith and prior to
his becoming a shaykh al-tarbiya (of spiritual
instruction), he spent most of his time during
his travels teaching Qur’anic tafsir
(interpretation) and Hadith. The Jawahir al-
Ma’ani itself provides evidence of this
emphasis, with frequent reference to Qur’an
and Hadith throughout the work. Of the 246
pages in the Jawahir‘s 2001 Cairo edition, fifty-
four are concerned specifically with
explanation of certain verses of the Qur’an,
twenty comment only on Hadith, while another
ten are concerned with specific questions of
fiqh. It seems many of Shaykh Tijani’s students
were attracted to him for his knowledge of the
traditional Islamic sciences, even if they did not
always stay long enough to receive initiation
into his path. The celebrated Tariqa
Muhammadiyya shaykh Muhammad al-Sanusi
(1787-1859) testified,
I learned from him [Tijani], and I took the
Qur’an from him, and he told me that he
had taken it from the Prophet (may God
bless him and grant him peace), asleep
and awake. And he excelled in following
his, may God bless him and grant him
peace, example in all actions, and he
honored me by letting me take the Qur’an
from him, by this noble sanad, after he
had taken it from him [the Prophet].
In a work translated as, “Lumières sur la
Tijaniyya et les Tijan,” the Senegalese Shaykh
Ibrahim Niasse (d. 1975) quotes the statements
of several notable scholars from Morocco,
Tunisia and Egypt more or less contemporary to
Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (but who were not
known to have formerly entered the order)
attesting to the level of his erudition. As we
have seen, his early circle of followers
contained many distinguished faqihs, such as
Ibrahim Riyahi (later to become Tunisia’s head
Mufti and rector of Zaytuna), Muhammad al-
Hafiz of Mauritania and Ibn Mishry of Algeria.
Later Tijanis have been no less energetic in the
field of Islamic law, as evidenced by the
activities of such men as the Moroccan jurist
and traditionalist Muhammad al-‘Arabi al-Sa’ih
(d. 1892), the Mauritanian scholar Ahmad al-
Shinqiti (d. 1913), the Marakeshi Qadi Ahmad
Sukayrij (d. 1949), Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (who
in 1961 received, for his Islamic scholarship and
efforts to spread Islam, the title “Shaykh al-
Islam” from the Azhar), the Egyptian scholar
Muhammad al-Hafiz (d. 1978) and the former
Mufti of Albania, Hafiz Sabri Cocki. With the
spread of the Tijaniyya in places like West
Africa, the order has sometimes become more
famous for its Islamic scholarship than
anything else.
Shaykh Ahmad Tijani himself provides the
model for the respect for the Shari’a many of
his later followers would come to represent.
When asked if false statements would be
attributed to him after his death, he replied in
the affirmative and urged his followers to use
the criterion of the Shari’a to determine the
truth: “If you hear anything attributed to me,
weigh it on the scale of the Shari’a. If it
conforms, accept it, otherwise reject it.” Ali
Harazem al-Barada writes about his Shaykh,
“We find him stern (shadid) concerning the
religious obligations … and he often says, ‘The
best of remembrances (adhkar) is the
[servant's] remembrance of Allah at the
command of his Lord and His prohibition.’'
He demanded of his disciples that saintly
miracles be kept hidden and elaborated that
“An act of righteousness is better than a
thousand miraculous feats.”He was
reportedly particular about the performance of
the canonical prayer, emphasizing that it
should be made in congregation and at its
proper time, saying, “No work is better than
prayer (salat) in its proper time.”
According to the Jawahir, the Shaykh did not
neglect the external sciences and his
knowledge in this area included the theology of
God’s oneness (tawhid), Qur’anic interpretation
(tafsir), Prophetic traditions (Hadith) and
biography (sira), and other traditional sciences
such as grammar and poetry; in fact sharing
with the ‘ulama “the entirety of their
knowledge.”But, as is illustrated from al-
Sanusi’s statement about Shaykh Tijani’s
knowledge of the Qur’an, it seems that he did
not make a great distinction between esoteric
and external knowledge, holding that the
“external sciences return in their entirety” to
the reality of the esoteric sciences.
Specifically, the study of the Qur’an and Hadith,
which helps to instill the fear of Allah, serve to
separate the aspirant from the frivolity of the
material world (dunya), thereby allowing him
to behave “as if he is seeing the afterlife
between his hands.” The inner state of the
worshipper before his Lord should be one of
utmost sincerity and purity “in order to
accomplish an act of pure adoration and
satisfaction of Divine laws.”The
contemporary Senegalese Tijani Shaykh Hassan
Cisse explains in this regard the place of the
Shari’a within the real knowledge of God
(ma’rifa):
The importance of this knowledge
[Shari'a] is that it is used to service and
maintain the ma’rifa (reality, beauty and
magnificence) of Allah already acquired. It
is a means of revisiting Allah through
primary worship like prayer, fasting, alms
giving and pilgrimage, and secondary
worship like marriage/divorce, commerce/
economics, etc.
It is clear that Shaykh Tijani held the classic Sufi
opinion of the essential link between the
Shari’a and the esoteric reality (Haqiqa). “It is
incumbent on the truthful person,” he said, “to
immerse himself in the esoteric reality (Haqiqa)
while working with the external Shari’a,
keeping to the regulations, and that is the
straight path in following the Messenger.”
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