Shaykh li slam Ibrahim Niass travelled to Cairo in the early 1960s, a trip that was later to become famous on account of his being the first black man to be selected to lead the Friday prayer at the prestigious al"Shaykh alAzhar mosque, and the conferral on him of the title Islam". Also of significance during his trips to Cairo were his meetings with prominent leaders and Muslim scholars of the day. Somewhat obscured in these high profile accounts was another important occurrence, documented in the Essential Letters (Jawahir al Risa'il): Shaykh Ibrahim's meeting with the erudite Tijani scholar in Cairo, Muhammad al-- Hafiz (d. 1979). The Tijani zawiya of Muhammad alHafiz is located in the heart of the old city of Cairo, and still draws large groups of Tijanis, among them many students at al as far away Azhar from as Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as Egyptians. Shaykh Ibrahim's visit to the Cairo zawiya is significant as it evidences the friendship and mutual respect between Tijani scholars, the unity of the tariqa, and Shaykh Ibrahim's own personal humility and adab, and his pronounced oratory abilities and mastery of Arabic. It is difficult not to be touched by the force, rhythm and style of the speech reading it in Arabic: it must have made quite an impression on those who were actually present. I have included he re a translation of the Shaykh's transcribed speech at the Cairo zawiya. *****
Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse, Jawahir alRisa’il, vol. II, p. 3 Oration in the Tijani Zawiya of Cairo, 1961 (translated by Zakariya Wright)
My distinguished brothers: Peace be to you and the mercy and blessing of Allah the Most High. I am happy to be in this house, especially in this blessed evening and in this night, and I praise Allah, who by His beautiful veil, you see in me your own good and beautiful attributes, and it is not I who possess them. "They think good of me, and there is no good in me But I am as offensive a slave as you imagine, Glory to you my Lord, All of my defects have been hidden from their eyes. A complete grace from You, Your bestowal of the veil" Indeed, you have seen your (own) beautiful characteristics, and they are nothing but the veil of Allah, the Beautiful.
So I praise Allah for that, and I praise you for the excellence of your thoughts. As it has come to us: "There are two traits nothing i s better than: to think well of Allah and to think well of Allah's servants." And I came to you as a visitor, not with the attribute of one of Allah’s chiefs, confirming his word (SAW), "Each one of you is a shepherd, and each shepherd is responsible for his flock." Being that each of us is a shepherd, each of us is then a chief. And as for myself, I am a model for nothing except that I love Islam, and I love my Muslim brothers wherever they are. And it is to this love that all of the preachers have pointe d as an important issue before Allah, may He be praised and exalted. Because a man is with whom he loves, and he who loves a people gathers with them. "Two people who love each other for the sake of Allah will be under His shade on a day when there will be no shade except His shade." I bear witness to you that I love all of you for the sake of Allah, as I witness that you love me for the sake of Allah, and that is what I hope for myself and for you, as a man is many with his brother. The truth is that our religion is a religion of congregation, in pursuit of all of the good things of this world and the next, and it is a religion of unity. The religion of Islam is a religion of struggle (kafaah), (but also) a religion of brotherhood, a religion of freedom, a religion of equality. And Allah, may He be praised and exalted, says (it) in his Book, which is the constitution for every time and place. As for the constitutions the orators are pointing to, all of these constitutions are deficient, limited by a particular time. The Qur’an is the lasting and inclusive constitution for the entire world. "We have left out nothing in the Book" (6:3 . And it is a religion of unity, by His exalted word: "And hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah, and do not separate" (3:103). And it is a religion of submission: "And Allah is calling to an abode of peace" (10:25). The Prophet (SAW) said to the mighty ones of the land, "Submit! You will be safe, and Allah with give you double reward." Islam is derived from peace. "A Muslim is he who safeguards the Muslims from his tongue and his hand." So if that is the religion, it is a religion of peace. And it is a religion of equality: "there is no preference for an Arab over a non Arab except by piety (taqwa)." We, then, love you for the sake of Allah, and you love us for the sake of Allah. And I say that I am advising myself and you with the awe (taqwa) of Allah in secret and public, and the observance of Him with (every) breath. So if the servant works with these two traits, he will gain by two goodnesses. Taqwa is the obedience to His command, as well as the avoiding of abomination externally and internally. (The external taqwa entails) taking account of the limbs (of the body). (The hidden taqwa entails) taking account of the hidden and the secret. We hear from many of the saints, and from our Shaykh Tijani, (the working of) miracles, and as well (we hear about) miracles from the scholars. And they have done nothing except possess these two traits: the awe of Allah and observation of Him. For if each of us feared Allah and observed Him with (each of) his breaths, nothing would remain with him except Allah. "And Allah is victorious over his affair" and nothing incapacitates Him in the earth or in heaven. And if you are created with these two traits, they are the warrantors of all that is loved in this world and the next. And (as for) the people [...], Allah has said in His mighty book: "And when your Lord said to the angels, I am placing on the earth a representative (khalifa)" (2:30). This was Adam, father of humanity. The angels said, "Will you place (on the earth) one who spreads corruption and spills blood? While we glorify and praise You and sanctify You? He said, I know what you do not know" (2:30). Know the attribute of humanity, and the attribute of the angels. For the angels looked upon the nature of Adam, and found in it anger and lust, as well as intellect ('aql); but (knew that) He had not ordained anything of good except (in) his intellect. And they perceived that the two forces would dominate the intellect (of Adam). Anger carries him to the shedding of blood, while lust carries him to corruption. But the intellect is stronger than the to (passions). And (as for) man, Allah placed in him lust and the force of anger, and connivance and deception the same as the devils. But He placed in him the propensity for clarity with the use of the intellect the same as the angels. So him who becomes mired in his lusts until he becomes (interested) in nothing but food, clothes and comfort of the lusts, the destruction becomes realized on him. "Indeed, they are like cattle, nay, but they are even further astray" (25:44).
And if he obeys the force of anger until he comes to give (himself) free reign an d (thereby) does harm, he has left the limit of humanity. And it is the same for him who has obeyed his lust. Such men have lost their humanity, whatever that was, until they have become a type of beast, indeed they have lost their humanity until they have become a type of devil. The trait (of the intellect) has remained if he makes use of the worship of Allah, and the clarity and the drawing near to Allah, until he arrives at the gnosis of Allah and becomes of the species of the angels, or better that some of the angels. And with this Allah has described (the two types of) man with His word, "They are the worst of creation" (98:6), and "They are the best of creation" (98:7). The man of His (first) description is certainly the worst of creation, and the man of the(second) description is certainly the best of creation, if he has inclined to the good, and thus does nothing but good, and He turns him to advantage and adds from Himself until he becomes from among the best of creation. And if he is from the other side, He capitalizes on (his depravity) and adds (misguidance) to him until he becomes from among the worst of creation. And our religion calls for the revival of the interminable, eternal spiritual existence, (achieved through) the proper use of the limbs internally and externally in following the command and avoiding the abominations, and the drowning of the heart in the remembrance of Allah.
The creation is of three categories: a complete, unlimited category that will never touch insufficiency; a category that will never attain completion; and a category sometimes complete and sometimes lacking. As for the first category, (these are) the angels. There is nothing lacking in them of any state among the states. And the category that will never touch perfection, it is the animals and plants. And mankind (he is the one who) is sometimes complete and sometimes lacking, for completion is not in his essence, because if it was in his essence, he would continue to be complete, (but it is only) so long as he remembers Allah in his heart and with his tongue that he is complete. And whenever he becomes heedless of the remembrance of Allah, he is incomplete. So it is always incumbent on the servant to remember Allah. We have been commanded to pray because it constitutes the remembrance of Allah. "Establish the prayer for (the sake of) My remembrance" (20:14). And fasting, almsgiving and pilgrimage, all of these acts of worship call the servant (back) to the remembrance of Allah. The remembrance of Allah is the highest degree in the religion. (And in the verse of the Qur’an beginning with) "Indeed the men and women who submit" to "the men and women who remember Allah much" (33:35), Allah has mentioned those who remember in the last (highest) of the degrees because the remembrance of Allah is the opening up of sainthood. So whoever remembers Allah, he is among the saints of Allah, and who is heedless of the Truth is with the devils. And for this, we praise Allah for w hat is from and with Him: the blessing of faith; and sufficient a blessing it is. And praise be to Allah for the blessing of the Qur’an. And praise be to Allah on account of our master Muhammad (SAW), and praise be to Allah who gave us in this end of time the path of those who remember, and the path of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani (RA). Surely we see all of those who hold to it guarding the rules of Islam and the Sunnah of the Messenger (SAW), and asking for knowledge and goodness, and (guarding) the remembrance of Allah. The awe of Allah is the guarantee for the servant for the entirety of his needs in this world and the next. If the servant wants knowledge, let him fear Allah. The Most High has said, "Fear Allah and Allah will teach you" (2:282). And if h e wants sainthood, Allah may He be exalted has said, "Indeed, His saints are none but those who are in awe (of Him)" (8:34). And if he wants Paradise, Allah, may he be praised and exalted, says, "a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, (prepared) for those who are in awe (of Him)" (3:133). And those that want the love of Allah, Allah says, "Allah surely loves those who are in awe (of Him)" (9:4). And those that want the (good) end, Allah says, "The (good) end is for the those who are in awe (of Him)" (28:38?). And those who want safety from the plot of the connivers, Allah says, "If you are patient and in awe (of Me), their plotting will in no way harm you" (3:120). And if he wants safety from hardships or wants provision, Allah says, "Whoever i s in awe of Allah, He will provide a way out and provide for him from where he never imagined" (65:2,3). And if he wants ease in his affairs, Allah says, "Whoever is in awe of Allah, He makes ease in his affairs" (65:4). And if he wants safety from the Fire, Allah says, “Then we save those who are in awe (of Allah)” (19:72). And if he wants honor before Allah, Allah says, "Surely the most honorable among you with Allah are those who are in awe (of Him)" (49:13). All the needs of the servant are included in taqwa. And (so) I advise you with taqwa, and it is the obedience of the commands and the avoidance of the abominations. I am praising Allah, a right of His praise, which permits me the opportunity for visiting a (man, Muhammad al Hafiz, who is) without doubt an inheritor (khalifa) of the Shaykh, my master Ahmad Tijani, whose description matches his and as I myself know him to be. Indeed, when I look at him, it is as if I am looking at my master Ahmad Tijani. And by his presence, I found the opportunity of meeting with these brothers, the companions of the Shaykh, and all of the companions of the Shaykh are saints. Indeed the saints of God are the ones working with Allah, and their love is a guarantee of happiness in this world and the next. The Messenger (SAW) has guaranteed for the Shaykh that all of his companions will be saints, so it is incumbent, if Allah wills, that you realize this guarantee. We look to those who remember Allah, those who guard the Law, for they are the community of saints. They are a people whose companionship will never bring unhappiness. And I thank you all for this reception and for the love for the sake of Allah. And I am hoping for this love for me and for you, that we may be among those about whom the hadith narrates: " Allah has servants who are not prophets or martyrs, but whom the prophets and martyrs envy for their proximity to the Truth on the Day of Judgment, and they are those that gather for the sake of Allah." I ask Allah to make us among the special companions of the Shaykh, and that He awaken in us the pure desire for His grace and pleasure. Peace upon you all and the mercy of Allah.
Translated by: Zachary Wright
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