Pearls of Wisdom of the Tijani Scholars (3)

Advice, gratitude, patience, love of the Prophet, and the inner discipline of the Tijani path

The Tijani scholarly tradition does not only preserve doctrines and transmitted litanies. It also preserves counsel: practical advice for disciples, spiritual insights on gratitude and prayer, guidance on patience, family ethics, reverence for the Prophet, and the inner manners of the path.

In this third installment of Pearls of Wisdom of the Tijani Scholars, the teachings below are drawn from the words of major Tijani authorities, especially Sidi Ahmad Skiredj. The aim here is to remain as faithful as possible to the original meanings while presenting them in clear, readable English. Each pearl appears under its own subtitle for easier reflection and study.

Advice Addressed to the Tijanis

Sidi Ahmad ibn al-'Ayyashi Skiredj says that what he most strongly emphasizes to the disciple is the preservation of one’s awrad and the frequent recitation of Salat al-Fatih whenever one finds free time, whether traveling or at home. He says it should not be replaced by anything else, except for the recitation of the Qur'an with measured reading and reflection. These, he says, are sufficient for the good of both worlds.

He further advises the disciple not to become preoccupied with other forms of remembrance known for extraordinary secrets and lofty special properties. By God, he says, the regular litanies of the path are more beneficial for the disciple than even the recitation of the Supreme Name, because their recitation is free of ulterior motives.

It is also reported from Sīdī Aḥmad al-Tijānī that the minimum for one who has memorized the Noble Qur'an is two hizbs a day. This is why the Tijanis are described as among the people most attentive to reading two hizbs of the Qur'an daily. It is said that the door of the Tijani zawiya in Fez is open for anyone who wishes to witness this reality after the noon prayer, and even more so after the dawn prayer, where the reciters of the hizb may be found near its mihrab, reading aloud with noble bearing and beautiful composure.

In the ijaza of Sidi Muhammad al-Bashir to his son Sidi Mahmud, there is also a practical point of adab: whoever is authorized should not place his hand directly in the hand of a woman who is not a mahram during transmission. Rather, he should transmit to her through one of her mahrams, even if that mahram is not from the Tijani path.

The scholars also advise all Tijanis, and indeed all Muslims, to seek knowledge and act upon it. Reward is shaped by intention, and intention itself is born from knowledge. For example, if a person recites the tahlil while intending that it is also from the Qur'an, he receives both the reward of the remembrance and the reward connected to its Qur'anic dimension. Without such knowledge-based intention, he receives only the general merit of the remembrance. Many actions, they say, rise far above their basic merit through intention.

Finally, Skiredj says that one of the signs of a person who has inwardly cut himself off from the Shaykh is that he speaks about the Shaykh’s sciences, or mentions the Shaykh, before someone who does not know him or someone who does not love him.

The Greatness of God, Who Loves to Be Asked

A famous line quoted by the scholars says: God becomes angry if you leave off asking Him, while the children of Adam become angry when they are asked.

They then cite the hadith in which a servant sins and says, “My Lord, forgive me,” and God says that His servant knew he has a Lord who forgives sins and takes to account for sins. The servant sins again, asks forgiveness again, and the same divine response is repeated, until God says: “I have forgiven My servant, so let him do as he wishes,” meaning so long as he continues to return in repentance.

They also mention that when a righteous servant supplicates, Gabriel may say: “My Lord, Your servant so-and-so, fulfill his need,” and God answers: “Leave My servant, for I love to hear his voice.”

Another report says that nothing is more beloved to God than being asked for well-being. The scholars explain that supplication is itself one of the causes through which decreed calamities are repelled. Just as a shield is a cause of protection from a weapon, and water is a cause for vegetation to emerge from the earth, so too supplication is a cause for the repelling of affliction and the arrival of mercy.

Yet they add a subtle corrective: turning to God through dhikr should ultimately be for the sake of His good pleasure, not for a worldly purpose, nor even for an otherworldly one.

The Sign of One Firmly Rooted in Knowledge

Sidi 'Ali al-Khawwas says that one of the signs of a person firmly rooted in knowledge is that he becomes even more established when spiritual sweetness is taken away from him.

The reason is that such a person is with God according to what God loves, not with his own ego according to what the self loves. Whoever experiences delight during spiritual presence but loses himself when that delight is withdrawn is still with his own soul in both absence and presence.

This is a concise but penetrating criterion: the true knower is not measured by sweetness alone, but by stability when sweetness disappears.

Preparing for the Presences of Nearness

The scholars say that the servant prepares himself for divine presences in different ways according to the mode of divine manifestation. In majesty, he prepares through patience. In beauty, he prepares through gratitude. In perfection, he prepares through tranquility.

Sidi al-'Arabi ibn al-Sa'ih explains that the knower of God does not fear for himself during constriction, because constriction belongs to majesty, and majesty is safe. Rather, he fears for himself during expansion, because expansion belongs to beauty, and beauty is not always safe. The same applies to the disciple with his Shaykh: he does not fear for himself in moments of constriction, but he fears for himself in moments of expansion, because if he becomes over-familiar in a way unfitting for the station, that expansion may harm him according to the degree of impropriety. The Shaykh’s rank itself may not permit it, even if the Shaykh personally overlooks it, because the rank is intensely jealous.

Skiredj then gives a striking warning: beware, O beloved friend, of practicing any method intended to bring about a waking encounter with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The vessels of people in this age, he says, crack from even the slightest contact with what is sought in such a meeting in the sensory world. If you want safety for yourself, let it suffice you to increase in Salat al-Fatih. Praise be to God for the veil, he says, because the opening is difficult, even if within it is immense rest. He quotes the great master’s meaning: openings are all forms of rest, yet they are also a form of trial, so do not rejoice too quickly when they arrive.

He adds that one of the divine gentlenesses shown to us is precisely that we do not witness the noble Prophetic countenance in wakefulness during the recitation of Jawharat al-Kamal.

The Meaning of Praise and Prayer Upon the Prophet

A famous exchange is cited between al-Sari al-Saqati and his nephew al-Junayd. When al-Junayd was asked what gratitude is, he replied: it is not to disobey God by means of His blessings. Al-Sari responded: I fear that your only share from God is your tongue. The scholars then add, in humility, that they hope God will not take them to task for the lack of full sincerity.

They then unfold a larger meditation on gratitude. God has favored the human being by preserving him and by singling him out with prior grace and beneficence. By what deed did the servant deserve this blessing when the decrees were apportioned, at a time when he did not yet exist, had performed no act, and possessed no claim? It is pure generosity, grace, favor, and kindness.

If a human being were truly to become aware of this immense blessing, he would be overwhelmed with joy in God, seized by love for the Generous Giver, and conquered by delight in the One who created and guided, bestowed and gifted, selected from pre-eternity and continues to do so.

The scholars then say that all people are immersed in an ocean of blessings, but most do not give thanks. If God wants good for a servant and wishes to make him one of His elect, He makes him aware of the blessings resting upon him and inspires him to be grateful. That awareness itself is the distinction. Everyone is blessed, but the elect are those who witness the blessing.

For this reason, they call gratitude one of the greatest gates to God and His straightest road. Satan sits upon this road to turn believers away from it. In this age especially, they say, the gate of gratitude is among the nearest doors to God, because souls have become coarse. Many are no longer moved by spiritual discipline, obedience, self-accounting, or admonition. But when they become immersed in joy at the Bestower of blessings, they are carried across in a different way.

They point out that in the Qur'an, divine promises are usually linked to divine will, except gratitude. God says: “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you,” with emphatic language. They also note that God places gratitude before faith in the verse: “What would God do with your punishment if you are grateful and believe?” From this they infer that faith itself is tied to joy in the Bestower, and that the gratitude of the heart is inseparable from real faith.

They continue: when a person truly realizes that all blessings come from God, love of God necessarily follows, because hearts are naturally disposed to love the one who shows them goodness. And when love becomes established, the beloved’s actions are seen in a wholly different light.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stood in prayer until his noble feet swelled. When he was told that God had already forgiven his past and future, he replied: “Shall I not then be a grateful servant?”

They also note that even trials conceal blessings within them. 'Umar, may God be pleased with him, said that whenever a calamity befell him, he saw three blessings in it: first, that it was not in his religion; second, that it was not greater than it was; and third, that God had promised reward for it.

They quote several wise sayings on this theme, including the idea that even our gratitude is itself a blessing from God, so thanking Him for gratitude would require another gratitude, and so on without end.

From here they move to praise of the Prophet. Just as God knew the creation could never fulfill the full due of His praise, so He praised Himself in pre-eternity by saying “al-hamdu lillah.” Likewise, God Himself prayed upon His Prophet in pre-eternity. Therefore, when one recites Salat al-Fatih, one is asking God to pray upon His Prophet with that primordial prayer. The scholars clarify that the point is not merely the wording, but the meaning: the servant confesses his inability to fulfill the right of this noble Prophet except through what God Himself grants.

Still, they add that Salat al-Fatih has a specific property linked to this meaning. If the one authorized in it brings this meaning present in his heart and believes that it emerged from the unseen presence, he attains, God willing, the reward connected to it.

They then cite Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi, who said that if you wish to know that prayer upon the Prophet is superior to other acts of devotion, look at the verse in which God first says that He and His angels pray upon the Prophet, and only then commands the believers to do the same.

A hadith in Sahih Muslim is also cited: “Whoever prays upon me once, God prays upon him ten times.” The scholars explain that even if a person were to spend his whole life in acts of devotion, one prayer from God upon that servant would outweigh all of it, because the servant’s prayer is according to the measure of servanthood, while God’s prayer is according to the measure of lordship. And this is only one divine prayer, whereas the hadith promises ten.

The Rank of Surat al-Fatiha

The scholars present an immense doctrine regarding the rank of al-Fatiha. They say that in its outward rank, one recitation of al-Fatiha contains the reward of every glorification and remembrance by which God was remembered from the beginning of the Muhammadan reality until the moment the reciter utters al-Fatiha. Every remembrance in all worlds throughout that span is granted in reward to the one who recites al-Fatiha once.

They make one exception: the reward of the Supreme Name is not included under al-Fatiha unless the reciter intentionally reads al-Fatiha with the intention of the Supreme Name. In that case, the reward of the Supreme Name, as recited throughout existence, enters under it as well.

They also say that in its outward rank, al-Fatiha carries the reward of a complete Qur'anic ختمة, and that the number of its letters together with the letters of the Qur'an yields for its reciter, for every letter, seven virgin maidens of Paradise and seven palaces, and so on continually with every recitation.

Outside prayer, this reward is already immense. Within prayer, it is multiplied further: twice if one prays sitting, four times if standing, and for one praying alone. In congregation it is multiplied yet more. They then unfold very large numerical expansions to describe this reward across the daily cycle of obligatory prayers.

They also report the statement that one who recites al-Fatiha once in a year is not written among those burdened by sin during that year. Then they repeat that all of this concerns recitation without the specific intention of the Supreme Name. As for reciting al-Fatiha with the intention of the Supreme Name, its merit is known only to God, and one should not find that strange in relation to the generosity of the Most Generous.

A further report says that Gabriel told the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he used to fear punishment for the Prophet’s community, but when al-Fatiha was revealed he felt secure that God would not punish them, because Hell has seven gates and al-Fatiha has seven verses, and each verse becomes like a covering over one of those gates.

The scholars then add an important refinement: acting for reward is good and praiseworthy when it is done as a response to the way God Himself has invited His servant from absolute transcendence into promised reward. In that case, observing the promised reward is not a selfish motive in the blameworthy sense; it becomes itself another act of devotion. What remains blameworthy is self-centered attachment to one’s own lower aims.

A Call to Adorn Oneself With Patience

A wise saying states that eight conditions continually pass over the human being, and every person must encounter them: joy and sorrow, union and separation, hardship and ease, illness and health.

Skiredj then offers moving counsel on poverty. He says that the bitterness of poverty is more bitter than every other bitterness. If you are afflicted with it even once, then swallow what makes that bitterness easier through patience. Do not be shaken by the instability of your circumstances when it strikes. Meet the harshness, coldness, and changed behavior of those whose affection you once knew in times of ease with beautiful conduct. Do not blame them for what you see, because the poor person is looked at with an eye that is not the eye through which the rich person is seen, even if the poor man is the greatest scholar of his age and the rich man the most ignorant of people. This, he says, is simply how many souls are made.

For that reason, he advises the person to clothe himself in beauty, to care for his clothing with perfect cleanliness, to raise his aspiration above dependence on near and distant people alike, and to display independence from them even if he goes to bed hungry and remains unfed through the day. In this way, people will respect him and stand in awe of him.

He says one should complain to no one of one’s condition except to God, who sees all states, and one should never despair that God will remove what has burdened and saddened him.

He also advises gentleness with one’s family according to the level of their understanding. Give them hopeful promises concerning the things they look forward to and delight in. Often they are satisfied by a promise for a while. Bring them joy by whatever small means you can afford, for in doing so you spite the hypocrites. And if your household remains in goodness, you will not be distressed by the state of wealth whether it is little or much.

He warns against showing restlessness under such conditions. If you display agitation, you will neither possess the wealth that relieves longing nor the dignity that humbles your enemies and those who envy you.

He closes by praying that God spare the reader this bitterness and make him rich through Himself.

Parents Being Good to Their Children, and Children Being Good to Their Parents

Skiredj says that his father used to explain the hadith, “Among God’s servants are those who, if they swear an oath by God, He fulfills it for them,” by saying that such servants include parents: if they swear to God in relation to their children, He answers them.

He adds that God’s custom among His creatures is that the one who is dutiful to his parents will himself be treated with dutifulness, and that his supplication in hardship will be answered whatever his state may be.

But just as children must be dutiful to parents, parents too must show goodness to their children, especially in this age. Parents should pardon their children and ask God to guide them as much as possible, for children are the flowers in the garden of their parents’ lives. If that garden is neglected, the flowers wither and their petals fall.

His father used to compare children to a plant lovingly cultivated in a cherished garden. How could someone tend such a plant with longing to see it blossom beautifully, only then to uproot it and cast it away? And if later he regrets it and wishes to restore it to its former beauty, can it ever return exactly as it was after its blossoms have withered and its delicate leaves have perished?

So too with children: they are the flowers of one’s garden. A parent should not let his heart turn against them. Even if the heart is involuntarily disturbed by their behavior, he must restrain himself with the bridle of patience, pray for their guidance, and refrain from answering them with what they dislike.

His father also used to say that children who are kept under رضى become themselves people of pleasing state, and that from the children of رضى only good proceeds. He would tell people that praying for one’s children’s guidance is better than cursing them in moments of frustration, for childhood is a kind of madness. He would also say: a person’s children are his planting; he should not neglect his planting nor uproot it from its roots. And he would say: what children do to their parents will eventually be done to them by their own children.

Skiredj also records a dream from the end of Safar in the year 1343 AH, in which he saw himself in ihram for pilgrimage in Mecca, meeting his father and mother, falling upon their feet, kissing them, weeping, and asking them to pray that God save him from the Fire, for he could not bear its heat. Then he awoke.

The Importance of Love for the Prophet

One righteous man said that he had a neighbor who worked as a copyist. When the man died, he was seen in a dream and was asked what God had done with him. He replied: God forgave me. When asked why, he said: whenever I wrote the name of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in a book, I would pray upon him. So my Lord gave me what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what has never occurred to the heart of any human being.

Another report quoted by the scholars says: whoever dies loving the family of Muhammad dies as a martyr.

These reports underline the same truth found throughout the Tijani tradition: love of the Prophet is not secondary. It is central, transformative, and salvific.

Closing Reflection

These pearls present a deeply practical spirituality. They teach the Tijani disciple to preserve the awrad, honor the Qur'an, seek knowledge, guard adab, ask God constantly, remain stable in constriction and expansion, deepen gratitude, love the Prophet abundantly, endure hardship with dignity, and preserve family bonds with patience and mercy.

They also show something essential about the Tijani scholarly temperament: devotion is never separated from balance, and love is never separated from discipline. The path is made beautiful not only by its litanies, but by the character it seeks to produce.

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