Tarikha Tijaniya
Tarikha Tijaniya
Tarikha Tijaniya
TARIKHA TIJANIYA
This means the call to the path of the Prophet (SAWS) by Shaykh Ahmad
Tijani (RA). This call enjoins the Muslims to hearken to the path of the
Prophet (SAWS) by holding strongly to three articles, without which, the
Islamic practices can never be properly established. These three articles
are:
(1) Seeking forgiveness from Allah of our sins (Astaghfirullah)
(2) Offering prayers (salat) upon our beloved Prophet (SAWS)
(3) Remembering Allah (SWT) - ZIKR, - LA ILAHA ILALLAH. - There is no
God besides ALLAH.
The practice of these three articles have been emphasized in the Qur`an
and Hadith as explained below:
In a sound tradition (hadith), the Prophet (SAWS) said: Any work not
started with Bismillah is devoid of blessing. He also said similarly for
Alhamdu lillah. While Bismillah signifies that everything can only
begin and occur with the will of Allah, Alhamdu lillah recognizes that
all praises as a result of any work goes back to the Creator Allah.
However, there are four kinds of praises:
1.The praise with which Allah glorifies Himself as in the Qur`an
(23:14)
Indeed Blessed be Allah, the best of all Creators.
2. The second form is the praise with which Allah glorifies His servant
as with the case of Prophet Sulayman (AS) where Allah said in the
Qur`an (38:30)
What an excellent servant, he was always returning (to us in
obedience)
3. The third form is the praise with which a servant of Allah praise
Allah as related by Allah in the Qur`an (7:43)
And they say: praise be to Allah that has guided us to this (path),
never could we have been guided if not that Allah guided us.
4. The last form of praise is the praise with which a servant of Allah
praises another servant of Allah. An example is as directed by Allah
regarding parents. Quran (31:14)
And show gratitude to Me and your parents, but to Me is the final
journey.
1.ISTIGHFARR
Seeking forgiveness from Allah. In the Qur`an (110:3)
Allah commands:
And seek for His forgiveness for He is always forgiving.
Concerning the above command, the Mother of the Faithful Ayesha
(RA)Said, the Prophet (SAW) never offered prayer after this verse
was revealed except, he says: My Lord, I glorify and praise you, Oh
Allah forgive me.
Allah also said in the Qur`an (3:135)
And those who, when they commit shameful acts and wrong their
souls, and then remember Allah quickly seek forgiveness of their
sins. And who can forgive sins except Allah? And after this they dont
obstinately persist in the act knowingly.
Allah (SWT) gave glad tidings to the Prophet (SAW) in the Qur`an
(48:1-2)
Verily We have granted you (Oh Prophet) a manifest victory, that
Allah may forgive your past and future sins.
The above statement of Allah is enough to put the Prophet preeminent over all the other prophets. The prophet (SAW) has
declared:
I seek forgiveness from Allah seventy times a day and in another
narration one hundred times.
The Prophet (SAW) has also said: Your sickness is your sins and its
remedy is to always seek for forgiveness. Allah has said in the
Qur`an (8:33)
And it is not for Allah to punish them as long as you are within them
nor will Allah punish them as long as they continuously seek
forgiveness.
The above verse shows that the Muslim community has assurance of
safety from the wrath of Allah in two ways. One is; if the Prophet
(SAW) is in their midst and the second is; if they continuously seek
forgiveness. If we then look carefully, only the second option is open
to the Muslim community in the present circumstance. In a Divine
Hadith which is pure, Allah (SWT) Says: All of you commit sins
always, but I forgive all sins.
Since none are infallible but Allah (SWT) and His Apostle (SAW), the
first act enjoined by Sheikh Ahmad Tijani as he calls to the path of the
Prophet (SAW) is that the Muslim should return to Allah by realizing
his wrong doings and saying the forgiveness formula
, Astaghfirullah. This is the first thing enjoined by the Tijaniya tarikha
on his disciples.
Verily Allah and His angels are sending blessings on the Prophet, Oh
you believers, send salats on him and salutations with all respect.
The second article of the Tarikha Tijaniyya is therefore a work in
which Allah (SWT) and His angels are participating, and for a poor
servant of Allah this makes it a finished affair.
hadith: Such was the Prophet (SAW) who used to remember Allah
(Zikr) at all his entire time.
The Prophet (SAW) has declared in a good hadith reported by Anas
(RA). For me to remember Allah by making Zikr with a group of
people after the early morning prayers (Fajr) until the sunrise is more
lovable to me than the whole world and its content. And for me to
remember Allah by making Zikr with a group of people after the
latenoon prayer (Asr) until sunset is more lovable to me than the
whole world and what it contains.
Allah (SWT) has also warned that we should not be among those that
forget Allah, as in the Qur`an (59:19)
And do not be like those who forget Allah and He made them forget
their own souls. Those are indeed the transgressors.
Thus only the hypocrite and transgressor forgets Allah, and in this
case Allah also forgets them. Because of their forgetfulness, it is
doom after doom for them, day-in and day-out in this world. In the
hereafter, their rightful place shall be hell. May Allah (SWT) save us
from this (Ameen).
If you remember Allah, Allah remembers you, which means He will
help you, assist you, and give you victory in both your spiritual and
mundane (worldly) affairs.
There are many ways of remembering Allah, but the best way is what
Sheikh Ahmad Tijani has enjoined in calling muslims to the path of
the Prophet (SAW).
The Prophet (SAW) himself has said: The best that has been said, by
myself and the previous Prophets before me, is `La ilaha ilallah`
there is no deity besides Allah.
In the Holy Hadith, Allah (SWT) told the Prophet (SAW) La ilaha illa
llah is My fortress (protection), whoever enters My fortress is saved
from My punishment.
It is therefore hateful and disgusting for any Muslim to advise a fellow
Muslim not to say La ilaha ilallah. Thus, the Tarikha that advises
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The Tarikhas are neither sects nor madhabs. If the above articles are
the basis for calling the Tarikha Tijaniya a sect, a sect of what? One
should ask? If it is a sect of seeking forgiveness from Allah (SWT),
making prayers (salat) upon the Prophet (SAW) and proclaiming the
kalima La ilaha ilallah, then one wonders what sect the critics are of
and it becomes puzzling what Islam is other than these.
Sheikh Ahmad Tijani himself was asked; will false statements be
attributed to you after you? He replied, yes and to this reply he was
asked, what is the way out? He then remarked thus: If you hear
anything attributed to me, then weigh it with the scale of Shari`at. If it
conforms to the Shari`at accept it, otherwise reject it.
Unfortunately, people making judgement about the Tijaniya these
days neither have a scale to weigh nor have the knowledge of
weighing.
They therefore make conclusions based on their whims and caprices
rather than the Qur`an and the Sharit .
Allah (SWT) Says in the Holy Qur`an (28:50)
Who is more lost than the one that follows wishful (heart) desires
without any guidance from Allah (SWT).For Allah guides not people
given to wrong-doing.
In a similar respect, the excellent student of Sheikh Ahmad Tijani, in
person of the author, Sheikh Ibrahim Abdullahi Niasse of Kaolack reechoes this call and advises his followers to uphold the shari`at and
the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). The doing of all that has been
enjoined by the Tarikha is ordered by Allah (SWT). Thus the Tarikha
is based on the Qur`an and Sunnah. The people of the Tarikha are
true followers of the Qur`an and the Sunnah.
Conditions of Taking Tarikha Tijaniyya
The first and most important of the conditions is that one must commit himself
to it until death. Allah says in the Qur`an 15:99
{99}
[15:99] And serve thy Lord until there come unto thee the Hour that is Certain.
The Prophet (SAWS) says in a Hadith: "And indeed, a little that is continuous is
better than a lot that is intermittent." In another hadith the Prophet (SAWS) said:
"The best of worship is the constant one even if it is little."
The second of the conditions is that one must not combine this tarikha with
another. There are about three hundred and thirteen (313) tarikhas in Islam,
each of which is linked through the Companions of the Battle of Badr to the
Prophet (SAWS). While any of these tariqas will guide one to the Prophet's
(SAWS) path, the principles of all of them are combined in the Tariqa of
Tijaniyya, in the same way that all principles of the past religions (of the Book)
are combined in Islam. Allah is One. The final and overall Prophethood is one,
and the guiding Shaykh of the last tarikha must certainly be one.
The third of the conditions is that a person who has taken the Tariqa (i.e.
Tijaniyya) should not pay homage (seek spiritual guidance) to any other
Wali (Saint) that is not from the Tijaniya for the purpose of any spiritual
gain. He must however, respect all the Waliys (Saints) of Allah. The reason for
this is that Tijaniyya, being the fountain-head of all the tariqas, is their summation
and therefore nothing is in any other tariqa that is not found within the Tijaniyya.
Why then will one go out to beg for what he has in excess in his house?
The fourth of the conditions is that one must at all times establish the five
daily prayers in congregation, except for excusable reasons. It has been
related from the Prophet (SAWS) that prayers offered in congregation are twenty
seven times better than those said singularly. In another narration, twenty five
times better. Ibn Abbas (RA) also narrated from the Prophet (SAWS) that: "There
are no prayers for the neighbors of the mosque, except they offer the prayers in
the mosque." When the Prophet (SAWS) was asked who is considered
neighbors of the mosque, he replied "forty neighbors away from the mosque."
The fifth and the final condition is that a disciple must respect his parents to
the utmost possible. Allah always brings together the command to worship with
dutifulness to parents. Allah says in the Qur`an 2:83
"...Don't worship other than Allah, and with parents be nice"
{83}
[2:83] And remember We took a covenant from the Children of Israel (to this
effect): Worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred,
and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer;
and practise regular charity. Then did ye turn back, except a few among you, and
ye backslide (even now).
Qur`an 4:36 "And worship Allah without joining Him with anything.
And with parents be nice...."
{36}
[4:36] Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents,
kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are
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strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your
right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;{14}
[31:14] And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon
travail did his mother (during pregnancy) bear him, and in years twain/toil was his
weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is
(thy final) Goal / return.
Anyone who accepts these conditions is accepted and initiated into the
Tijaniyyahood!!
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undoubtedly certain that there is enough time before dawn for the Wird (AdDurrah Al-Kharidah p.2, pp.14)
2. Evening Wird
First: advancing it at Daytime
It is NOT permissible to advance the evening Wird during daytime, with or
without excuse, whether before the time of Asr prayer or after the time but before
the performance of Asr prayer. This is an authentic and continuously recurrent
practice of the Sheikh.
Second: Advancing it at Night
It is permissible to advance the evening Wird at night under two condition: (1) A
valid excuse is expected to occur during the optional time of the Wird; (2) its
advancing takes place after the advancing of the morning Wird, for order, as it is
invalid, with the presence of the excuse, to advance the evening Wird except
after advancing the morning Wird.
It has been narrated in Jawahir Al-Ma'ani that the Sheikh said that night
acts of worship multiply five hundred manifolds over daytime deeds.
Remedy of Deficiency in Wird
If a person forgetfully exceeds the limit in some or all of the pillars of the Wird, he
should, after finishing his Wird or Wazifa, remedy that deficiency by reciting
Istighfar (astaghfirulah) 100 times, with intent to remedy.
If a person is in doubt as to whether he exceeds or falls short of the limit, he
should build on certainty (the lower number) and complete the Wird, then remedy
his doubt by reciting Istighfar 100 times, after finishing his Wird or Wazifa.
If a person, forgetfully, reverses the order of the pillars e.g. recites prayers
upon the Prophet before the Istighfar, he shall cancel what he reverses
(prayers upon the Prophet in this case), redo the pillars in order, and then
make Istighfar 100 times with intent to remedy that deficiency, after
finishing his Wird or Wazifa.
If a person is in doubt, or forgetfulness occurs to him during the remedy, he
should not repeat the remedy to avoid getting in circle.
The remedy is for the individual who performs alone. In a group, the imam bears
the deficiencies, similar to congregational prayers.
Intentional increase, decrease, or reversal of the pillars invalidates the zikr, and it
is misconduct.
If a person misses his Wird, he must make up for it. The vow makes the Wird
obligatory.
It is also mandatory to make-up for the Wazifa if missed even once in a lifetime.
Sidi Al-Arabi ibn Al-Saih said in Bughia, No doubt, in the beginning, the Wazifa
was not as emphasized as the Wird, but it had been confirmed during the life of
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the Sheikh. Consequently the author of Jawahir Al-Ma-ani amended his own
copy and added a clear statement that it is imperative to make-up for the Wazifa,
similar to the Wird. Therefore any statement suggesting that the making-up for a
missed Wazifa is not obligatory should be disregarded because it is contrary to
the settled practice of the Sheikh and his Companions".
Late Arrival in Wazifa
If a person arrives late in Wazifa, he performs with the group what he attends,
and then completes what he misses after the group finishes recitation: that is to
say, he starts the Wazifa from the beginning until the point where he catches up
with the group. All the actions of the late-arriver are making-up, because they are
all words not actions.
Menstruation, illness and the Wird
It is authentically narrated from the Sheikh that the menstruous woman, and the
patient, are free to perform or not to perform the Wird. It is alright if they do it,
otherwise there is nothing against them, and no making-up is required of them
afterwards.
The choice here is for the patient who cannot perform the Wird properly with all
its conditions and counts without great difficulty. And the choice of the
menstruating woman is analogous to her reading of Quran.
Dust Ablution and the Wird
If a person performs dust ablution for a prescribed prayer, he must also perform
another dust ablution for the Wird, otherwise the Wird will invalidate. This is
because the Wird became obligatory by the vow, and it is not permissible to do
two obligatory acts of worship with one dust ablution. Accordingly, he must redo
all the Wirds that he has done with dust ablutions of prescribed prayers.
Prayers during the Wird
If a prayer starts while a person is performing his Wird or Wazifa, he stops, prays
with the group, and then immediately after the prayer is over and before he utters
any word resumes his Wird, building on what he has performed before the
prayer, instead of starting it all over. This is analogous to starting of a prayer
while one performs Tawaf (circumambulating the Ka'aba) as stated in Ad-Durrah
Al-Kharidah. The author of Al-Ifadah, May Allah bless him, said, "This is a
continuously recurrent tradition from the Sheikh and unanimously agreed upon
between his Companions, thus, it is neither rejectable nor questionable".
THINGS TO AVOID:
Reciting aloud in the case of Lazim
Smiling,
Looking here and there,
Thinking of worldly things,
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PERMISSIBLE THINGS:
1.Pointing or guiding another person with a hint,
2.Handing over something,
3.Reclining for rest without sleeping (heavy sleep invalidates the
Wird), if the sleep is light then one can continue the Wird from where
he or she is sure you left off before dozing. One should then rectify
the doubt by reading Istighfarr (Astagfirullah):100 times
THE BEST RECOMMENDED TIME FOR THE MORNING WIRD:
It is from dawn prayer (Subh prayer) up to one hour and a half after
sunrise. Its imperative time extends until sunset, after which it is
considered as repayment.
It is also permissible to make Wird before dawn, in the night without
an excuse, because of the high multitude of rewards for worshiping in
the night. It can be started one hour after Isha prayer and continues
to the break of dawn, if dawn finds you still reciting, you must
complete the Wird and repeat it after the Subh prayer.
THE BEST RECOMMENDED TIME FOR THE EVENING WIRD:
Starts after the Asar Prayers, and its imperative time extends up to
dawn (Fajr).
It can be made up if missed in the specified imperative time. It is not
permissible to recite the evening Wird in advance in the daytime,
even if there is an excuse.
It is permissible to recite the Wird for the coming day in advance in
the night, if you are expecting difficulties in making it during its
prescribed time but it must be recited in its proper order e.g., morning
Wird. (If there are no expected difficulties or excuse you can also
recite the Wird at the night in advance because of the rewards of
praying at night.)
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If the Ikhamah for prayer is called, you must stop the Wird and pray,
after the prayer, continue the Wird from where you stopped.
(prayers always have preference over Wird and Wazifah)
THE WAZIFAH consists of:
1.Take refuge in Allah (Awuzu billahi mina saitani rajim)
2.Al Fatiha ------------------------------------Once
3.Astaghfirulah al azimallazi laa ilaha ila huwal hayyul khayum-------------(30 times)
4.Salatul Fatihi--------------------------(50 times) then say ; subhana
rabbika rabbil hizzati amayasifun wa salaamun alal mursalina
wal hamdulillahi rabbil alamin
5.La ilaha ilallah---------------------(100 times) then say: saidina
muhamadur rasulullah alaihi salaamullah
6.Jawharatul Kamal---------------------(12 times) and close it saying:
Innalaha wa malaa-ikatahu yusaluna ala Nabbi
Yaa ayuhallazina aamanu sallu alaihi wa salimu taslima
Salallaahu alaihi wa alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallama taslima
Subhaana rabbika rabbil hizzati ammaa yasifun
Wa salaamun alal mursalin wal hamdu lillahi rabbil aalamin
JAWHARATUL KAMAAL
Allahuma salli wa sallim alaa ainir-rahmati rabbaaniyati
Wal yakhutatil mutahaakhikhati al haa-itati bi markazil fuhomi
wal ma- haanee
Wa nuuril akwaanil mutakawinatil aadamiyee saahibil hakhi
rabbaanee
Al barkhi lasta-e bimuzuni larbahi maali-ati likuli mutaaridin
minal buhuuri wa lawaani
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people, are conditions for reciting the Jawharatul Kamaal, even once! The
Jawharatul Kamaal must not be recited on the back of an animal or on a ship. If
one uses stones for cleaning private parts, performs dust ablution, or carries filth
on his body or cloth that he is unable to remove, then he may read, instead of the
Jawharatul Kamaal, twenty times of Salatul Fatiha in the Wazifa, as a substitute;
and so does anyone who can not fulfill the conditions of Jawharatul kamaal.
If one does not comply with one of these conditions, he must redo the Wird.
Zikrul Jumah
Hailalah or Zikrul Jumah is strickly instructed to be performed after
Asar prayers on Friday.
First perform the Hailalah/Zikrul Jumah then Wazifah after salaat al
Maghrib (sunset prayers).
The congregation of brothers and sisters is a necessary condition, if
possible it should be performed individually. If business allows, Zikr
should begin one hour before the sunset. If the individual prefers,
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DUAUL WAZIFA
Allaahumma anta al awalu falaisa khablaka sai-un
Wa antal akhiru falaisa badaka sai-un
Wa antal zaahiru falaisa fawkhaka sai-un
Wa antal baatinu falaisa dunaka sai-un
Fakun lanaa yaa awalu yaa aakhiru yaa zaahiru
yaa baatinu waliiyan wa nashiyran anta mawlaanaa
fanimal mawlaa nimal nasiru
Allaahumma innaa nasaluka bi faatihiyatil faatihi al fat-ha taamma wa
bikhaatimiyatil khaatimi husni al khitaami
Allahumma innaa nasaluka minal khayri kullihi aajilihi
wa haajilihi maa alimnaa minhu wa maa lam nalam
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