Shaykh Al Islam El Hajj Ibrahim Niass al Kawlakhi

I have seen with my eyes, the best of creation and that vision rid me of doubt, of malice and of all hypocrisy

It publicly made the writing paper, my ink and my tongue familiar to me. It inhabited with a cure the loneliness of my heart

The vision lighted the fire of my passion, of my heart and of my decline. It made me spend a night of Insomnia while other members of the tribe were sleeping.

I have only imitated the chosen one (Mustapha) I have merely sung his praises; oh crowds! Stop blaming me!

Is religion anything but faith in recitals and in the Sunna of the chosen one which is my antidote?

Oh men! stop this playfulness and walk in the footsteps of Muhammad or else you will distance me from yourselves

If you ask me whether my Wird (Tijani wird) is the chosen path of Muhammad, I will reply in the affirmative, because the ultimate goal of my Wird is the purity of faith.

Indeed the Wird is nothing but the recital of the name of God, alone with a prayer in the name of the chosen one, the best of men

It should not include the recital of the name of a saint or of some other man. Besides, my word is a remedy for the suffering of the worshipper!

My fine friend! Do not reject my word out of ignorance, out of rebelliousness, out of animosity, insolence or cruelty

The Shaykhs are guides who should imitate our Prophet so that others wanting to emulate him will do likewise

The spirit of the Chosen one paid me a brief visit and I nearly broke into flight from affection and ardent desire; my passion for him is my calvary at night

While the whole world sleeps peacefully, Ibrahim Niasse's love for Muhammad, the best of men and the fountain of splendor, is put to test

It is out of jealousy and envy that people behave unjustly towards me, when in my youth I surpassed all my rivals

It was in the cradle that I have a perfect success, thus all the elect of the invisible one admitted being under my law

They cross the deserts of the East or West in the direction of Mecca for no other reason but to come and savour my pleasant smell

Why not because my spring today is that of Muhammad and his secret flows through my body and over my face

All my contemporaries have own an elevated rank, except those who deplored my path because they were slaves of passion

I am not professing the truth under the influence of theopathy, or out of over weening pretension. I have offered my protection to all who crave felicity

It was because of me that the tyranny which was oppressing us vanished. It was because of my divine gnosis that religion raised aloft its banner

Thos who would come unto me, let them do so before the fatal expiry! Those who would not, let them flee from me in the manner of the chosen of damnation

Do we want to extinguish a divine light? God will resist it whosoever be determined the enemy.

It is wish the help of him who dissipated error that I shall plunge into the mire the noses of the malevolent people who accuse me of associationism

I cut to the ground the edifice of lies which they had constructed whilst my own edifice remains standing owing to the secret of my model......

By my Lord, he who never tells a lie can attest that all those who wanted to cling to my cable have done so

The same is true of my desert crossings which are yet unexplored by gnosis, so much so that the poles are unable to meet my mount

I solemnly swear that only the happiest man likes me and only the most miserable breathing fire and fury hates me

The people are certain that I am the servant of Muhammad and he who attaches himself to me will in the end join the Friend of God

I am not making these pronouncements in the manner of a Saint who falling prey to ecstasy poffers phrases and I am not under the effect of any drunkenness which might have captured my reason

My writings bring happiness to the human race and no one will ever be miserable who has seen me or my writing

If i have spoken, it is because I was given the directive and yet I am silent on one secret which has never been confide to someone else

All this privilege I owe to the love I have for the Prince of envoys (Muhammad). May God bless him and increase my degree as well

I lit this love so well that I myself am perplexed by it. It is the Majesty of the Apostle of God which has thrown my mind into confusion

My affection for him is flowing in hurried torrents. Glory be to the Lord who has nourished my mind on revelations

Because of this secret, I am dead with desire and passion and the more I approach the Prophet, the more I love him

Ah! may it please God for me to reach my beloved and for me to become his neighbour in the state of wakefulness as much as in the dream state! That is my wish

How could it be otherwise because my eyes have seen Him when in the state of wakefulness in the encampment, which I will love to the end of the centuries

Equally I saw his eyes the likes of which in beauty do not exist. Can anyone find Muhammad's equal?

May salvation of truth rest upon him as long as he whose heart burns with affection for him says: I remember and the memory has troubled my face.

Now the situation is clear. The Friend has accorded me special privileges. I am a special friend of Ta Ha

He wanted to enstrust the Secret to me before my birth and I am the devoted instructor of the gnostics

Although one day the poles were astonished to see me at their assembly, they ended up by obeying me and pledged me sincere friendship

I saw the Messenger of God who told me that I was one of his devoted ambassadors to the human race!.........

More to follow Inshallah

_________________
The students of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani are like swords, they sharpen each other when they meet-Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse

Nafahat al-Malik al-Ghani, which is a poem he wrote during his trip from Mali to Guinea, thus the poem is also called Rihla Konakriyya

By Bissikrima I passed during my outward journey
And then on my way back, as if I was carried by a river.
There I invoked Him by His greatest name,
Approaching Him and thanksgiving. Then burst
As a furnace my breast by the invocation
And it was filled with lights,
Essential Realities and spiritual knowledge,
The mystery of the mystery of the mystery, and divine gifts.
I carried the secret of the Seal of the Saints,
To me the tongue of my transitory state was singing hymns,
Expressing itself by the breath of the Creator
My stomach was full, while the waist was crying out:
`Stop it! gently! You've loaded the abdomen
He bestowed on me a special science and made of me His deputy
If I said "Be" it would instantly be.
But Him I had taken as trustee
[I had given myself] as an offering, and He had singled me out as
His friend.
I said: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad has been sent by God."
Then from me overflowed His secret
Nobody comes to me
And does not know God, the Eternal Sustainer
Young or old --
Since the Beloved, the Sanctuary, has come close --
Men or women
Tramp beggars or sovereigns
Had I wished, His effusion (fayda) would have permeated all the dry
lands
The oceans would have held His mysteries
Everybody would have known them
Each one, but to hear
Is not the same as to see
And next time you will see miracles
[Proceeding] from the fayda of the Seal, leader of the noble ones.
All this is al-Tijani's Fayda:
It is the assistance from the Elected of the world, al-`Adnani
All this is a favor from the Benefactor,
Whom I praise secretly and openly,
Who indeed created me to heal the fracture
I am the deputy of the Secret of the Secret.

Abal Kolbu ilaa an akuuna muta yamoo, haleefa graamii binabiyi muhayamo

(My) Heart refuse rest, save being enamored in love and my yearning with the Apostle has enraptured my essence

I kept vigil over the nights eulogizing and commemorating whose beginning and end is pure and holy

As I am recording (my eulogy) in my night vigil while my neighbors were asleep, my eyes are shedding tears like falling rains

I put the eulogy in proper order by commemorating his character, what can be better that celebrating the precious moon

Muhammad my master is the key of all openings and he is the seal of all prophets their most superior and leader

By his dignity all the apostles obtained their needs and by him the divine platform is adorned, extolled and magnified

He has been a messenger of Allah ever before the advent of Adam and he will remain messenger of Allah eternally and magnificently

He emerged as a unique treasure of the truth and for that he emerged as a divine distributor and the source of all things

Miracle of all apostles is an extract from Muhammad’s miracles and from him emerged regulation of all affairs

Muhammad is the bounties of the Lord of the throne, His mercy and grace, so let’s honor him

The giver of glad tidings, he warns against sin, he is equitable, just, magnificent and his boon permeates to all and sundry.

He is a role model, trustworthy and the most distinguished of all apostles, he is the affectionate of Lord of arsh from primordial to the last day.

The whites (Arabs) sought for rainfall by his dignity, and by his dignity light of ignorance was illuminated when it was darken.

The hearts of all creation was revived by his light, and their tongues became animated, flourished and learned.

I swear by Allah that Ahmad has no rival, for Ahmad is a unique indivisible gem.

Blessing and peace of Allah be upon him and his household and sublime companions.

If you ask me about my affectionate and my master, He is Taha, the affectionate of Allah, no more no less.

All my hours and times have been sacrificed for his remembrance, in seeking blessings for him and eulogizing him and through this I became exalted.

Whoever wants to compete with me in longing for our apostle has indeed conceived a notion unachievable.

Just like attempting to hold a day old moon in between fingers or trying to bring back the past days to the present.

Or it could be likened to those who attempted to envelope his (SAW) attribute as many as attempted but succeed not.

I chose the love of Mustapha at the expense of anyone else, not even Ummul khultuum or Maryam (Sheikh’s daughters).

By Allah, there is no space in my hearth except for his love, for my hearth knows no one else except the messenger of Allah.

He pointed to the rain cloud, and then it pulls out copiously and when he wanted it stop, immediately it devoured.

When quraesh condemned and disparaged him, (Allah) make the moon to cleft asunder for him as great miracle.

And (Allah) reflects sun for him after it has declined and when they falsified, He revealed the Quran to justify.

He pulled down the allies of enemies with handful of pebbles; it was wonderful when a handful of sand demolished (the enemies).

Allah guides league of people through light of miracles, and by the sword of the moon (SAW) guides the culprit.

As he is continuously spreads knowledge in abundance, so he annihilates numerous troops of enemies at the same time.

Then his message prevails on the earth unwillingly and willingly then Islam sproutly permeates the Arabs and non Arabs.

(He relents not) until religion came to us and we became knowledgeable and pious. To God be the glory for giving us this Prophet.

And indeed most of us became Muslims and we have virtuous and erudite scholars among us.

And we have among us the foremost, seal of sainthood (al-tijani) the conceal creature.

Blessing and peace of Allah be upon Taha-Ahmad, his household and companions, the path appraisers.

From the adab of our beloved Shaykh 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 Shaykh 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