Skiredj Library of Tijani Studies
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful. May Allah bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Among the practical questions discussed in Tijani jurisprudence is the recitation of the Wazifa for the deceased. This subject has occasionally raised confusion, especially when some readers come across brief statements without their wider scholarly context. Yet when the writings of the major authorities of the Tijani path are read carefully, a clear picture emerges: the recognized scholars of the path did not treat this practice as forbidden. Rather, their statements revolve around its permissibility, its actual practice, or their approval of those who performed it.
This article clarifies the issue in a simple and structured way, while remaining faithful to the transmitted understanding of the great Tijani authorities.
The issue in brief
The specific question here is the recitation of the Tijani Wazifa for a deceased person, especially before burial, so that its blessing may reach the deceased.
According to the major scholars of the path, this practice was known, accepted, and acted upon in important Tijani circles. The discussion is not whether it is absolutely invalid, but rather how it should be understood, under what intention it is done, and how certain later confusions arose.
Why some readers get confused
Part of the confusion comes from a well-known statement by the scholar Sidi Ahmad Skiredj in al-Yawaqit al-Ahmadiyya al-Irfaniyya. When asked about the legitimacy of reciting the Wazifa at a funeral, he begins by saying that the Wazifa at banquets and funerals was a later development in the path, not something known in that form during the lifetime of Sīdī Aḥmad al-Tijānī, may Allah be pleased with him.
If that sentence is read alone, it may seem to imply a rejection. But that is not the full answer. Immediately after, he explains that the practice of Fez had become to recite it in such cases by gathering the brethren, and he adds that the intention was for its blessing to be present for the deceased and for the hosts of the gathering.
This second part is essential. It shows that the issue was never treated as a simple prohibition. Rather, it was recognized as an established practice in the Tijani environment of Fez.
What “the practice of Fez” really means
When scholars of the path refer to the practice of Fez, this is not a casual social habit with no authority behind it. In the Tijani context, it points above all to the practice of the Great Zawiya of Fez, whose living tradition was shaped by eminent scholars, close disciples, and inheritors of the path.
Those scholars were not ordinary men. They were among those who lived near the Shaykh, learned from him, benefited from his guidance, and transmitted his teachings with precision. Their practical rulings carried real weight in Tijani jurisprudence.
So when Sidi Ahmad Skiredj refers to the established practice of Fez, he is referring to a practice grounded in the scholarly life of the Tijani center itself.
A key distinction: funerals are not the same as banquets
One of the reasons this subject can seem confusing is that some scholars discussed the Wazifa at banquets and funerals together. But these two settings are not identical.
The recitation of the Wazifa for the deceased before burial is one matter. The recitation of the Wazifa during a meal gathering after burial is another. A banquet, a wedding feast, an aqiqa, and a funeral meal do not all carry the same ruling, intention, or potential for misuse.
That is why some scholars objected not to the principle of reciting the Wazifa for a deceased person, but to certain social or performative uses of the Wazifa in public gatherings.
What some scholars objected to
A crucial clarification appears in the writings of Tijani scholars: the objection of some authorities was not directed at the simple act of reciting the Wazifa for a deceased lover of the path. The real objection was to turning the Wazifa into something resembling the public ceremonial practices of other orders, especially when it was done for display, reputation, or worldly motives.
This point was recorded by Sidi Muhammad ibn Yahya Balaminu al-Ribati, who explained that the great scholar Sidi Muhammad al-Arabi ibn al-Sa’ih did indeed approve the recitation of the Wazifa for one who had died while loving the Shaykh and his path. What he disliked was another form entirely: gatherings where the Wazifa was treated as a public occasion linked to social influence, prestige, or worldly interests.
That is a major distinction. The question is not simply whether the Wazifa was recited, but why and how.
Another source of confusion: adding the Haylala after the Wazifa
There is also another important detail. In some gatherings, people did not stop with the Wazifa. After finishing it, they would continue with the Haylala in its full collective form, with its circle, rhythm, and gathering structure.
This appears to be one of the main reasons behind the strong reaction of certain scholars, including Sidi Ahmad al-Abdalawi, who is mentioned by Sidi Ahmad Skiredj. The discomfort was not merely about the Wazifa itself, but about extending the occasion into another collective form of remembrance in a way that did not belong to the proper discipline of the moment.
So again, the issue is more nuanced than a simple yes-or-no formula. The criticism often concerned the shape of the gathering, not the principle of seeking blessing for the deceased through the Wazifa.
The practice of reciting the Wazifa for the deceased before burial
When the question is specifically about the recitation of the Wazifa for the deceased before burial, the position becomes clearer. The scholars of the path accepted this practice, and major authorities acted upon it.
Sidi Ahmad Skiredj himself ultimately supported its permissibility on the basis of the established practice of Fez. And later scholars discussed the matter in even more explicit terms.
The testimony of Sidi Idris al-Iraqi
Among the strongest references on this issue is the scholar Sidi Idris ibn Muhammad ibn al-Abid al-Iraqi, who treated the matter at length in his book al-Risala al-Shafiya fi Fiqh al-Tariqa al-Ahmadiyya al-Tijaniyya. He affirmed the permissibility of reciting the Wazifa for the deceased and explained its basis in the teachings and transmitted understanding of the path.
His treatment is important because it shows that this was not an isolated local custom. It was a subject of jurisprudential reflection within the Tijani tradition itself.
The position of Sidi Muhammad al-Arabi ibn al-Sa’ih
The great Tijani authority Sidi Muhammad al-Arabi ibn al-Sa’ih is also cited in support of this practice. A report transmitted through respected Tijani sources mentions that when Sidi Qasim ibn Abd al-Salam Jassus died, Ibn al-Sa’ih instructed the brethren present with him to go quickly to the home of the deceased and recite the Wazifa in full there.
This is a significant report because it is not just theoretical approval. It is a concrete example of a leading scholar of the path ordering the recitation of the Wazifa for a deceased person.
Practice in Rabat and Salé
The matter was not limited to Fez. In the notes of the jurist Sidi Hasan al-Tadili, it is mentioned that the custom in Rabat and Salé was also to recite the Wazifa upon the death of certain brethren or lovers of the path. Sometimes it was recited in a lighter form, with fewer repetitions of Jawharat al-Kamal, but the underlying principle remained the same: the Wazifa was recited so that its blessing would attend the deceased.
This shows that the practice was known beyond one city and had become part of the lived devotional culture of important Tijani communities.
The purpose behind the practice
The purpose behind reciting the Wazifa for the deceased was clearly stated by the scholars: to seek the blessing of the Wazifa for the deceased, and also for those gathered in the house.
This intention matters. The practice was not treated as an empty social custom. It was tied to baraka, mercy, love for the deceased, and loyalty to the path.
That is why the scholars who accepted it did so within a devotional framework, not as a public performance or a social display.
Did the major scholars disagree?
When one surveys the statements of the major relied-upon scholars of the path, one does not find a sharp doctrinal dispute over the legitimacy of reciting the Wazifa for the deceased in the proper sense. Their positions fall within a narrow and coherent range: either they clearly allowed it, practiced it, or approved those who did it.
The real differences concern related details: whether it was mixed with other forms of gathering, whether it was done in settings of ostentation, or whether it was recited in a full or shortened form.
That is very different from saying the practice itself was rejected by the masters of the path.
A balanced conclusion
The careful reading of the major Tijani authorities leads to a balanced conclusion:
Reciting the Wazifa for the deceased was known among major scholars of the path.
It was practiced in important Tijani centers such as Fez, and also known in places like Rabat and Salé.
Great authorities such as Sidi Ahmad Skiredj, Sidi Idris al-Iraqi, and reports concerning Sidi Muhammad al-Arabi ibn al-Sa’ih support its legitimacy.
The real objections raised by some scholars were directed at misuses, especially when the Wazifa was turned into a social display, mixed with other collective rites inappropriately, or used for worldly intentions.
In other words, the question is not whether the Wazifa may be recited for the deceased in principle. The answer from the major authorities of the path is yes. The real concern is that it be done with the right intention, the right adab, and in a manner faithful to the spirit of the Tijani way.
Final word
The recitation of the Wazifa for the deceased is not a marginal or baseless custom in Tijani practice. It stands on the testimony of recognized scholars, the inherited practice of major Tijani centers, and the devotional aim of seeking blessing for those who died in love of the Shaykh and his path.
That is enough to establish the matter with clarity.
May Allah grant mercy to the deceased, accept the prayers of the living, and keep the people of the path firm upon knowledge, adab, and sincerity.
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