Darqawa

Shaikhuna

Pillars of this world. From right to left, Shaikh Ahmad Al-Habbal, Shaikh Muhammad Al-Hashimi and Shaikh AbdurRahman Ash-Shaghouri rahimahum Allah wa radi `anhum

Imam al-Qadi Yusuf bin (son of) Ismail bin Yusuf bin Ismail bin Muhammad Nâsir al-Dîn an-Nabhani (1849 - 1932) born in Ijzim in historical Palestine, now north of Haifa in Israel, died in Beirut. Yusuf was a Sunni Sufi Ottoman Palestinian Islamic Scholar, judge, prolific poet, and defender of the Ottoman Caliphate. His teachings have influenced much of Sufism's development in the 19th and 20th century.

"I am the slave of the Master of Prophets
And my fealty to him has no beginning.

I am a slave of his slave, and of his slave’s slave,
And so forth endlessly,

For I do not cease to approach the door
Of his good pleasure among the beginners.

I proclaim among people the teaching of his high attributes,
And sing his praises among the poets.

Perhaps he shall tell me: “You are a noted friend
Of mine, a truly excellent beautifier of my tribute.”

Yes, I would sacrifice my soul for the dust of his sanctuary.
His favor should be that he accept my sacrifice.

He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him!
- Not that he needs such following,

For he is not in need of creation at all,
While they all need him without exception.

He belongs to Allah alone, Whose purified servant he is,
As his attributes and names have made manifest;

And every single favor in creation comes from Allah
To him, and from him to everything else."

(Translated by Shaykh Gibril)

Books & Writings
Hadi al-Murid
Jâmi` Karamaat al-Awliya
Khulasat-al-Kalaam
Shawahid al-haqq
Hujjat-Allahi ala al-Alamin
Jawahir al-bihar
Sa'adat al-Darayn
Wasa'il al-Wusul ila Shama'il al-Rasul
Riyadh al-Jannah
Anwar al-Muhammadiyah
Fada'il al-Muhammadiyah

Allahumma salli wa salam wa baraka `ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa `ala Alihi wa Sahbihi wa Hizbihi wa salam.

Entrance to Shaikh Ahmad Ad-Daridr's Zawiya where he is buried in Cairo. Shaikh Ad-Dardir is known for his two famous works of Maliki fiqh al-Sharh al-Kabir and al-Sharh al-Sagir.

Concerning Ash-Shaikh Ad-Dardir, rahimahu Allah, Imam Suhaib Webb posted this on his website, Suhaibwebb.com;

Sidi Ahmed al-Dardir wrote:

“This grand text [is one which] I gathered from the condensed work of Imam Khalil, regarding the school of Imam Malik [may Allah have mercy on him]. I restricted myself [in this texts] to the soundest opinions; replacing the unreliable opinions [mentioned by Imam al-Khalil with them, while restricting what he [Imam al-Khalil] left universal or the opposite, in order to facilitate [learning the school’s opinions]. I named this work Aqrab al-Masalik li Madhab al-Imam Malik. I ask Allah to benefit with this work as He benefited with the original [Mukhtasar al-Khalil]. Indeed, He is the Most High the Wise, the Forgiver the Exerciser of Mercy.”

Commentary:

“This grand text”

Meaning its importance is grand due to the following:

It contains a massive amount of rulings related to Islamic law according to the Maliki school

It was written in a very assessable and simple style

“I gathered from the condensed work of Imam al-Khalil”

If translated verbatim the sentence would say, “Which I plucked from the fruit from the mukhtasar of Imam Khalil.” Here Sidi al-Dardir, who was considered an Imam in the Arabic language, is using a device in rhetoric that paints an image that what Imam al-Khalil left was a fruitful garden which Sidi al-Dardi picked from and composed his book with. This is a sign of humility on Sidi al-Dardi’s part and it shows the great respect he had for Khalil.

“Imam Khalil”

Abu al-Diya Khalil bin Ishaq D.767 A.H- 1366 C.E [May Allah have mercy upon him]

“[ This awesome text in which] I restricted myself to the soundest opinions, exchanging them for what was not relied upon [mentioned by Imam al-Khalil in his text]”

Meaning in this text the author restricted himself to the sounder opinions found in the school if there were differences mentioned by Imam Khalil. For that reason, as mentioned by the author in his commentary one will rarely find two opinions mentioned.

The Malikis terminology regarding opinions:

Arjah [the soundest opinion] it is recognized as what is the strongest based on proofs. Its opposite is rajih [sound].
Rajih [sound opinion] it is recognized as the M’utamad [relied upon opinion] in the school which means a majority spoke in favor of it. Its opposite is marjuh [weak].
Marjuh [a weak opinion]

“replacing the unreliable opinions [mentioned by Imam Khalil in his text] with the sounder opinions [of the school], while restricting what he [Khalil] left universal or the opposite, in order to facilitate [learning the school’s opinions].”

Meaning if Khalil mentioned opinions which were not relied upon, Sidi al-Dardi replaced them in his text with the sounder opinion according to the school. At the same time he, Sidi al-Dardi, would restrict those things that Khalil left open, and, he would universalize what Khalil left restricted. All of this was done…

“In order to facilitate [learning the school’s opinions]”

Meaning he wrote this in order to facilitate the learning process for the student of knowledge since mentioning all the things above [in detail] would prove difficult on the student.

Three level of students within the school
A beginner
Intermediate
One who has completed the school

What are the most important texts for a beginner in the school?

Sh. Bashir Dayif al-Jazairi wrote that the most important texts for a beginner in the school are: [here we only mention four although the author mentioned 21]

1. The Manzuma [didactic Poem] of al-Qurtubi Its composer was al-Sheikh Sabiq al-Din Abi Bakr Yahya bin ‘Umar al-Azadi al-Qurtubi. The most important print of this work is that of ‘Esa al-Baba al-Halabi in Egypt. It was printed in 1938.

2. The Manzuma [didactic poem] of Ibn Ashir

Its composer was ‘Abdul Wahid bin Ashir. This poem’s fame has spread from the East to the West especially in the Maghrib, and it is considered the second step after the memorization of the Qur’an. The number of explanations of this text has reached more than 60!

3. Matn al-‘Ishmawiyah of Abdu al-Bari al-‘Ishmawi al-Masri.

It is a text who enjoyed a large circulation and popularity. It is composed of around 30 pages beginning with the chapter on prayer.

4. Matn al-‘Iziyah of Imam al-‘Izi.

It is another one of the popular texts. It begins with the chapter on prayer.

[Comment Br. Suhaib] All praise is to Allah! All of these important texts are currently found at al ‘Esa al-Baba al-Halabi in Cairo. Although they are hard on the eyes, the texts, for the most part, are checked and reliable for one to memorize from.

Thoughts on the introduction:

I heard one of my teachers say that once he had a sheikh who would only teach him the introduction to scholar’s works. Reason being is that, in those introductions, one will find the keys and reasons why the author decided to compose the work and the thought processes of those who Allah has shined light upon their hearts and minds.

For that reason, I encourage all of you, who read this, to give time to it and think deeply on it. For, inshallah, very soon the goals outlined by Sidi al-Dardir are going to be presented.

This concludes the notes to part 2 of the Diminutive Explanation [Sharh al-Saghir] of Sidi Ahmed al-Dardi 1201 A.H- 1787 C.E May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Prophet, his family, companions and his nation.

Other texts for Malikis are:

Intermediate:
1. al-Risalah of Abi Zaid
2. al-Talqin of al-Qadi ‘Abdul al-Wahab
3. al-Ma’una of al-Qadi ‘Abdul al-Wahab
4. Jam’i al-Umuhat of Ibn al-Hajib al-Maliki
5. al-Mukhtasar of Ibn al-Hajib al-Maliki
6. al-Kahfi of Ibn ‘Abdul al-Barr
7. Sharh al-Tawdih of Khalil in which he explains the Mukhtasar of Ibn al-Hajib
8. Mukhtasar of Khalil
9. Muwahib al-Jalil min Adilat Khalil of Ahmed bin Muhammad bin al-Mukhtar al-Shanqiti
10. Matn Aqrab al-Masalik [the text used in these articles]

Advanced [lighter texts]
1. al-Muqadimat wa al-Mumhidat of Abi al-Walid Ahmad bin Rushd
2.al-Bayan wa al-Tahsil by the same author
3. al-Dakhira of al-Qarafi
4. al-Tanbihat al-Mustanbitah of al-Qadi ‘Iyad
5. al-M’iyar al-M’urab ‘an fatwa ‘Ulema Ifriqiya wa al-Andalus wa al-Maghrib
6. al-M’yar al-M’urab al-Jadid ‘an fatawa al-M’utakhirin min ‘Ulema al-Maghrib of al-Wazani
7. Sharh al-Jam’i of Abu Bakr al-Abhari al-Maliki

Advanced texts [heavy]

1. al-Mudawana of Abu Qasim al-Masri
2. al-Asadiya of Adad bin al-Farat
3. Kitab ray al-Fuqaha al-Sab’a wa Makhtalfu fihi of Abd al-Rahman ibn abi Zaid
3. Al-’Atabiyah of ‘Abdul al-Aziz al-’Atabi
4. al-Nawadir wa al-Ziyadat of Abu Zaid al-Qayrawani

This list is not complete but just a few of the more important texts within the school. Hope that helps? (Taken from SuhaibWebb.com)

Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan

Taken from Dar-Sirr.com. May Allah `aza wa jal reward the brother with the highest level of Paradise, Firdaws Al`Ala.

Sidi Abu Madyan al-Ghawt (d. 594/1179)

Sidi Abu Madyan Shuayb ibn al-Hussein al-Ansari was born into a lower-class family in the suburban town of Cantillana near Seville around the year 509/1115-16. According to the autobiographical traditions transmitted by at-Tadili, he was orphaned at a tender age and worked for his brothers as a shepherd until an overwhelmingly desire for religion drove him to study the Islamic sciences in Morocco. Stopping first in Marrakech, he enrolled himself in the regiment of the Andalusian soldiers assigned to guard the Almohad capital during the reign of Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin. After completing this contract, he took the money he had earned and travelled to Fez, where he joined the study circle of Sidi Ali ibn Harzihim (d. 559/1164). Here he received the patched cloak (khirqa) into the Ghazalian tradition of orthodox mysticism and spent a number of years studying the works of al-Ghazali, al-Muhasibi, and al-Qushayri,

So I turned toward Fez and attached myself to its mosque-university (the famous Jami’ Al Qarawiyyine), where I learned to make the ablution and the prayer and sat in the study circles of legists and hadith specialists. I retained nothing of their words, however, until I sat at the feet of a Shaykh whose words were retained firmly within my heart. I asked whom he was and was told, ‘Abul Hassan [Ali] ibn Harzihim’. I went to this Shaykh and told him that I could memorise only what I had learned from him alone and he said to me, ‘These [others] speak with parts of their tongues, but their words are not worthy [even] to call the prayer. Since I seek [only] God with my words, they come from the heart and enter the heart.

While in Fez, Abu Madyan also studied in the al-Qarawiyyine under Sidi Abul Hassan Ali ibn Ghalib al-Qurashi ( the noted "Sidi Ali Boughaleb" of Fez; a disciple of Sidi Ahmed ibn al-Arif ; d. 568/1153) and the most notorious of the Sufi activists of Almoravid Sijilmasa Sidi Abu Abdellah Daqqaq who like Sidi Abul Hassan Ali ibn Harzihim (d. 544/1129) appears to have followed the lifestyle of malamatiya, for his statements provoked criticism from official ulama and Sufis alike. Some of these statements, like Sidi Harzihim's, included the open proclamation of his holiness. Unlike, Ibn Harzihim, however, whose "path of blame" was based on a reputation for socio-political activism, Daqqaq's malamati behaviour more often recalls that of such familiar eastern figures as Sidi Abu Yazid Bastami (d. 261/846) and Sidi Hussein ibn Mansur al-Hallaj (d. 309/894). This impression is reinforced by the fact that Sidi Daqqaq's defenders judged his utterances as permissible only because they were made under the influence of ecstatic spiritual states (hal, pl. ahwal). Although he was supported by Sidi Ahmed Ibn al-Arif Tanji (d. 536/1121) and Sidi Abul Hakam ibn Barrajan Ishbili (d. 536/1121), Sidi Daqqaq was at times criticised by other mystics. This can be seen in the following satirical poem, which was written against Sidi Daqqaq by one of his Fasi Sufi contemporaries,

Say to the little man among the powerful,
"Poverty is the most excellent trait of the free."
Oh complainer to man about the poverty granted by his Lord,
Can you not complain about a [truly] heavy load?
Oh, what vestments of piety you profess to wear!
If your Lord had only wished, you would come before Him naked"
Despite this rebuke, which accuses Shaykh Sidi Au Abdellah Daqqaq of the very un-Sufi practice of denying poverty and piety-oriented style of Sufism, later hagiographers claimed that his status as a holy man was confirmed in repeated dreams of the Prophet Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). Although neither the date nor the circumstances of his death have been recorded, it is likely that Sidi Au Abdellah Daqqaq also met his end at the hands of the Almoravid authorities. Shaykh Sidi Au Abdellah Daqqaq took Sufism from Sidi Abi Amrou Tilimsani and Shaykh Sidi Abi Abdellah Mohammed ibn Omar al-Asam. His tomb outside of Bab al-Gisa on the Andalusian side of Fez was venerated for many centuries, partially because of the reputation of his most important disciple, Sidi Abu Madyan Shuayb al-Ghawt. Although Abu Madyan received his formal initiation into Sufism at the hands of Ibn Harzihim, there is a little doubt that the greatest influence of his spiritual development came from Sidi Abu Yaaza Yalnur (d. 572/1157)—whom he visited for few days only—unless Ibn Harzihim and the other masters of Abu Madyan paved for him the way to inherit the secrets of Sidi Abu Yaaza in a short period of time:

At the beginning of my spiritual journey, I attended the circles of several spiritual masters. When I heard the explanation of a Quranic verse or a saying of the Prophet, I used to immerse myself in it completely. I would flee to an uninhabited place [on Mount Zalagh] and apply myself to the exercises to Which God had inspired me following my absorption in what I had heard… And thus I lived for a certain time. Later I heard about the spiritual master Abu Yaaza and his miracles (karamat), about which the people were speaking. My heart was filled with love for him and I joined a party of fuqara (poor in spirit, e.g. those following a spiritual path), who were setting out on a journey in order to visit him. When we arrived at his place, he greeted everyone expect me, and when a mean was brought, he excluded me from it. Three days did I remain thus, tormented by hunger and assailed by doubts. Then I said to myself: when the master rises up, I will rub face on the spot he was sitting. When I raised myself up, I found that I was blind. Thus I remained; and I wept all night long. In the early morning the master called my name and came to me. ‘O my Lord’, I said to him, ‘I have become blind and can no longer see!’ He stroked my eyes with his hand and my sight immediately returned. The he stroked my breast with his hand, and all doubts departed from me. At the same time my pangs of hunger vanished, and I perceived many wonders that his blessing had worked for me. Later on I begged his leave to depart from him in order to fulfil the requirements of the pilgrimage. This he granted me, and said: ‘On the way you will meet a lion, pay no heed to it. If, however, fear overcomes you, say to it: “For the sake of the holiness of the men of light, depart from me!”’ And thus it came to pass.

By the time he founded his own centre for Sufi instruction, Rabitat az-Zayyat (Hermitage of the Oil Seller) in the city of Bujaya after returning from the Arab East and being introduced to the Qadiriya at the hand of Moulay Abdellqadir Jilani (d. 563/1148), Abu Madyan had assimilated all of the major traditions of Moroccan mysticism. Under Ali ibn Harzihim, he learned the ways of orthodox mysticism through the writings of al-Muhasibi, al-Qushayri, and al-Ghazali. The usul-based methodologies of juridical Sufism were also part of his training from Sidi Ali Boughaleb, via the latter's master, Ibn al-Arif. The rural Sufism of the ribats of Dukkala was made known to him through the doctrines of the Nuriyya tradition, which he learned from his master Abu Yaaza. The activism of the Moroccan Malammatiya was also part of his background, via both Ibn Harzihim and the enigmatic Abu Abdellah Daqqaq. Both the biographical and the doctrinal record reveal that no other Shaykh in this period had a more electric spiritual and intellectual formation than did Abu Madyan. More than any other mystic of his time, he stands as the axial figure of early Maghribi Sufism –an assertion proven by the popularity of his written works, the large number of his disciples, and a doctrinal influence that can be felt even today.

A factor contributing to Abu Madyan's fame was his accessibility to all types of people, from scholars to common labourers. This openness may have been a reason why the collective recollection of this saint become associated with the populism of Tariqa Qadiriya. Biographical sources reveal that during his lifetime, Abu Madyan, like Moulay Abdellqadir Jilani, was as well known for his public discourses as he was for his private teachings. During these public "sessions of admonition" (majalis al-wa'adh), petitioners would ask him questions about mysticism, the Shari'a, or the religious sciences in general. In answering these queries, he would tailor his response to his audience's needs, often coming up with aphoristic answers that were later assembled into a collection titled Uns al-wahid wa nuzhat al-murid (The Intimacy of the recluse and the pastime of the seeker). Abu Madyan was also renowned for comprising poetic odes on various aspects of Sufi doctrine. Many of these poems were recited in "audition" (sama') sessions attended by the Shaykh and his disciples. Several of his most famous odes, such as Al-Qasida an-nuniya (The Ode in [the letter] nun) are regarded as literary master pieces and are still recited in the Maghrib.

Abu Madyan's widespread notoriety and high level of social engagement did not sit well with the Almohad authorities in Bujaya, who viewed his activities with suspicion. When accusations of sedition by the Shaykh's enemies proved too strident to ignore, the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur summoned the now aged Sufi master to his capital for questioning. It was on this forced journey to Marrakech in 594/1179 that Abu Madyan died in the western Algerian city of Tlemcen and was buried in the nearby cemetery of Rabitat al-Ubbad. In the following generations, his tom became a major stop on the overland pilgrimage route from Morocco and was a symbolic bone of contention between the Marinid and Zayyanid states. The ornate mosque of Sidi Bu Madyan, constructed next to the tomb by the Marinid Sultan of Fez Abul Hassan in 739/1339, stands today as one of the finest examples of Hispano-Maghribi architecture in the Maghreb.

The way of Abu Madyan, as depicted in the Shaykh's extant writings, owes an unmistakeable debt to the mystical traditions of Moroccan Nuriyya and Ghazaliya in addition to the Amghariya of Abu Abdellah Amghar of Ribat Tit al-Firt. Particularly important was the ethical fraternalism of futuwwa which was central in Moroccan Sufism as it was in Sufi classics of Khurasan. Characters similar to the way of Abu Madyan can be found in Kitab al- futuwwa (Book of Sufi chivalry) by Sidi Abu Abderrahman as-Sulami, whose writings were well-known in the Maghrib by the Almoravid period. One cannot but recall the pastoral ethos of Moroccan Sufism when as-Sulami writes: "Futuwwa involves the movements toward God (al-hijra ila Allah) in one's heart and soul… [following the way of Lot]…who turned away from the his city and moved towards his Lord". Traces of the teaching of Abu Madyan can also be discerned in the following sayings: " Futuwwa is awareness of the rights of one who is above you, other than you, or alike to you; and that you do not turn away from your brothers because of a fault, a quarrel, or knowledge of a lie. He who loves his brother should see his [brother's] obstinacy as loyalty and his rejection as acceptance and must not hate him in any state or moral condition" (Sidi Abu Amr Dimashqi [d. 320/932) ). " Futuwwa means putting morality (akhlaq) into practice" (Shah ibn Shuja Kirmani [d. before 300/912-13]).

Bidayat al-murid (Basic principles of the Sufi path), a handbook for novices that reproduces Abu Madyan's teachings, contains numerous references to early masters of futuwwa such as al-Fudayl ibn Iyyad and Shah ibn Shuja Kirmani. Consistent with Abu Madyan's accent on fraternal ethics was his emphasis on social engagement. This outward orientation of ethico-religious expression is significant because it suggests that "the interiorisation" of the spiritual life, so often regarded as essential to the formal essential to formal definition of Sufism, comprised only part of the 'amal (work) of a Maghribi saint. For Abu Madyan, the distinction between the outer (dhahir) and inner (batin) aspects of reality was not understood to mean that interiority, being more "real" that quotidian concerns, was the sole criterion of meaningfulness. Instead, his way followed an Islamic "middle path" between the sacred and the profane: a spiritual method in which all aspects of person's life (outer and inner, public and private, wordly and spiritual) complemented each other as a part of a single reality. Abu Madyan regarded the dhahir/batin dichotomy as both a rhetorical device and a divine truth. If Sufism is the essence of Islam, and if Islam is a way of life, then outer practice, 'amal, must complement, and not oppose, inner knowledge, 'ilm. Giving too much weight to either outer practice or inner knowledge might upset the balance required for spiritual growth.

For Abu Madyan, the behavioural example of the Sufi Shaykh was a matter of paramount importance. The spiritual's masters relationship to his disciples was comparable to that of the Sultan among his subjects or a doctor among his patients. The value of the true "knower of God" was that such a person could intervene in human lives and teach others the way to eternal bliss (sa'ada). However, a false or misguided Shaykh might cause his followers to be lost in eternal sorrow (saqawa). Because of the Shaykh's potential to cause harm, Abu Madyan insisted that all who claim this rank be free of vanity and pretence. "Beware," he said, "of one whom you see advocating in the name of God a state which is not outwardly visible, " for "the most harmful of things is companionship with a heedless scholar, an ignorant Sufi, or an insincere preacher."

Like the ninth-century Sufi al-Muhasibi, Abu Madyan saw the ego (nafs) as the main obstacle to self-awareness. Because the nafs thrives on desire, the most effective weapon against it is hunger, for hunger weakens the desire for eternal existence that gives rise to the ego's stratagems. Essential to the systematic practice of hunger was fasting. Fasts performed by Abu Madyan and his followers included (in addition to the obligatory fast of Ramadan) abstaining from food during the months of Rajab and Sha'ban, the hadith-based Fast of David, and a supplementary fast of three days per month that was done at an individual seeker's discretion. The most distinctive regime practiced by Abu Madyan was the sawm al-wasil, the "fast of intimate union," a forty-day fast modelled on the austerities of Sidna Moses, peace be upon him, in the Egyptian desert and those of the Prophet Sidna Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) in the cave of Hira' prayer to revelation. The disciple who performed the sawm al-wasil would first repent all sins, take a bath, and pray two prostrations. The Sufi would then go into seclusion for forty days, abstaining from all food (including what was normally taken at night) and subsisting only on water. Constantly repeating the first part of profession of faith (La ilaha illa Allah "There is no God but Allah"), the disciple would leave the retreat only to answer the call to nature, attend Friday prayers, and sleep whenever forced by exhaustion to do so.

The purpose of the sawm al-wasil was to instil in the disciple a firm reliance on the will of God (tawakkul). In later generations, Abu Madyan was to be memorised by North African Sufis as the master tawakkul par excellence. Among the more than 160 of his aphorisms that have survived to the present day, those dealing with tawakkul are second in number only to those having to do with asceticism. Closely linked to tawakkul were the related concepts of quiescence (khumul) and acquiescence (sukun). Attaining complete quiescence meant the cessation of all-ego motivated thoughts and desires, so that the heart would open itself up to divine inspirations: "The heart has no more than one aspect at a time, such that when it is occupied with a certain thing, it is veiled from another. Take care that you are not attracted to anything but God, lest He deprive you of the delights of intimate converse with Him."

Abu Madyan's characterisation of his disciples as "sultans" and "amirs," and the "Party of God" (hizb Allah) firmly situates his doctrines within the tradition of futuwwa as practiced by Moroccan teachers and contemporaries. It also explains why his activities were viewed with suspicions by Almohads. Since Ibn Toumart also referred to his followers as the Party of God, the Mahdi's successors could hardly have been comfortable with a Sufi rival. Ironically, these fears may have been exacerbated because the social doctrines of Ibn Toumart and Abu Madyan were so much alike. For Abu Madyan, an aspirant's spiritual progress could never be separated from his social responsibility: "Sufism is not the [mere] observance of rules, nor does it consists of degrees or stages. Instead, Sufism consists of personal integrity, generosity of spirit, the emulation of what has been revealed, knowledge of the [divine] Message, and adhering to the way of the prophets. He who deviates from these sources finds himself grazing in the gardens of Satan, submerged in the ocean of lusts, and wandering in the darkness of ignorance."

The mystic who embarked on the way of Abu Madyan was no withdrawn ascetic, lost in the contemplation of God while ignoring the injustices that beset the Muslim community. Instead the mystic was a full participant in social life, who used discipline and detachment from the world to maintain a constant vigilance over oneself and one's neighbours: "The true Sufi must be neither jealous, egotistical, nor arrogant with his knowledge nor miserly with his money. Rather, he must act as a guide: not confused, but merciful of heart and companionate with all of creation. To him, every person is as [useful as] one of his hands. He is an ascetic: everything is equal to him, whether it be praise or blame, receiving or giving, acceptance or rejection, wealth or poverty. He is neither joyful about what comes to him nor sad about what has been lost.

Sidi Abu Madyan left many successors. Among the noted ones who spread his Sufi Tradition the names of Sidi Abderrazaq Jazouli (d. 592/1177), Sidi Abu Mohammed Salih al-Majiri (d. 631/1216), Sidi Malik Baqqiwi Rifa'i, Sidi Mohammed ibn Harazem ("Grandson of Sidi Ali ibn Harzihim" and teacher of Sidi Abul Hassan Shadhili; ; d. 633/1218). Unlike some Moroccan Sufis who preferred to stay home, others went abroad. One of these masters is the enigmatic Idrissid sharif, Sidi Ali ibn Maymun al-Fasi (d. 917/1502), the Madanite Shaykh who expanded the Way of Abu Madyan in Syria and Turkey. After he studied in Fez, Sidi Ali al-Fasi travelled to Tunisia where he met his master Sidi Ahmed Tibbasi (d. 929/1506). This latter was connected to Shaykh Abu Madyan through Sidi Ahmed ibn Makhlouf Shabbi (d. 888/1473), Sidi Abdelwahhab Hindi, Sidi Abu Moussa Sadrati and Sidi Ahmed Mawrawi. After the Shaykh's death, the Madanite al-Fasiya managed to penetrate Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine thanks to al-Fasi's outstanding disciple Sidi Mohammed Khawatiri (d. 932/1517) and his heirs Sidi Ali Ibn Arraq and Sidi Alwan Hamawi (d. 936/1530).

`Amal Ahl Madinah Al-Munawwara

GRAVE OF IMAM MALIK RADI ALLAHU TA'ALA `ANHU

From Abu Zahra's work as translated by Ustadha Aiesha Bewley

The Practice of the People of Madina

Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, considered the practice of the people of Madina to be a legal source on which he relied in his fatwas. That is why he often said, after mentioning the traditions and hadith, "the way of doing things generally agreed-on among us." Sometimes, when no text or other authority existed, Malik used the practice of the people of Madina as an evidence to be relied on absolutely. His previously mentioned letter to al-Layth ibn Sa'd shows the great extent to which he relied on it and his objection to those who followed anything other than the practice of the People of Madina.

"I have been informed that you give people fatwas which are contrary to what is done by our community and in our city. You are Imam and have importance and position with the people of your city and they need you and rely on what they get from you. Therefore you ought to fear for yourself and follow that whose pursuit you hope will bring you salvation. Allah Almighty says in His Mighty Book, 'The outstrippers, the first of the Muhajirun and the Ansar.' (9:100) Allah Almighty further says, 'So give good news to My slaves, those who listen well to what is said and then follow the best of it.' (39:18) It is essential to follow the People of Madina in which the Qur'an was revealed..."
In this he clearly stated that the Practice of the People of Madina cannot validly be opposed and that people should follow it. Then after that he clarifies the evidence which moved him to follow this course:

"The basis of this proof is that the Qur'an contains laws and the fiqh of Islam was revealed there and its people were the first who were made responsible for it, encharged with the command and prohibition and who answered the caller of Allah in what he commanded and established the buttress of the Deen. Then after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, among them lived the people of his community who most followed him: Abu Bakr, 'Umar and then 'Uthman. They implemented his Sunna after investigating it and studying it while it was still fresh. Then the Followers after them followed those paths and they followed those sunan. Madina had inherited the knowledge of the Sunna and the fiqh of Islam in the time of the Followers of the Followers. That is the time in which Malik saw it. The business there was clear and acted on it and no one is permitted to oppose it because of that inheritance in their hands which none is allowed to plagarise or lay claim to."
This is Malik's evidence regarding his use of the Practice of the People of Madina as proof and that in some cases he advanced the Practice of the People of Madina over single traditions for the reason which he mentioned. It is that the famous opinion which is acted upon in Madina in the famous transmitted sunna and the famous sunna is advanced over single traditions.

It is clear that Malik was not the first person to use the practice of the people of Madina as an authoritative evidence. Malik's shaykh, Rabi'a, mentioned the method and said, "A thousand from a thousand is better than one from one." Malik said, "The learned men among the Followers quoted hadiths which had been conveyed to them from others and they said, 'We are not ignorant of this, but the common practice is different.'"

He also said, "I saw Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn 'Amr ibn Hazm who was a qadi. His brother 'Abdullah knew many hadiths and was a truthful man. When Muhammad gave a judgement and there was a hadith contrary to it, I heard 'Abdullah criticise him, saying, 'Isn't there a hadith which says such and such? 'Yes,' he replied. 'Then what is the matter with you? Why don't you give judgement by it?' asked his brother. 'Where are the people in respect to it?' replied Muhammad, meaning 'what is the consensus of action on it in Madina?' He meant that the practice outweighs the hadith in that instance." (Madarik, p. 38)

So it can be seen that Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, did not originate that method. Rather he travelled a path which others among the Followers and the people of knowledge before him had followed. He became renowned for it, however, because of the great number of fatwas he was asked for and because some of his fatwas were contrary to hadiths which he also related. He became the most famous of those who accepted the practice of the people of Madina as an authoritative source and so the method was ascribed to him; but the truth is that in that respect he was a follower, not an originator.

We see that in the statements which were transmitted from him or the letters which Malik wrote, he stated that what the community of the people of knowledge had in Madina amounted to evidence which had to be accepted for the reasons which we mentioned, and that if a single tradition was contrary to the practice of Madina, he rejected the tradition and accepted their knowledge since it was transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in a more reliable transmission and truer account. The examples transmitted from Malik in general contain the practices of the people of Madina which cannot be known except by reliance, like the adhan, the mudd of the Prophet and other things. Included within the practice of the people of Madina is that which can derive from ijtihad and deduction whose method is like some decisions and the judgements of behaviour between people.

It is evident that the Malikis after Malik did not agree on that generalisation, but made a distinction between his method of reliance and transmission and his method of ijtihad and deduction. Their books state that the opinion of Malik was that their practice was only in that whose method is reliance. Al-Qarafi said, "Malik considered the consensus of the people of Madina as authoritative in that whose path was reliance as opposed to the rest. This is shown by the words of the Prophet: 'Madina expels people like the blacksmith's bellows expels the dross of iron.' Error is dross and so it must be expelled. That is also because their disagreement was transmitted from their ancestors and by sons from their fathers, and thus the tradition leaves the realm of uncertainty and supposition for certainty. Some of the Companions said that their consensus was absolutely authoritative and that it was evidence in their practice, not in a transmission which they transmitted. The first evidence indicates this generalisation rather than the second. They argued by the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 'My community will not agree on an error.' It is understood that some of the community are permitted to err and the people of Madina are part of the community. The response is that what is articulated by the positive hadith is stronger than what is understood from the negative hadith." (Tanqih, p. 146)

We see from this that Malik said that their consensus was authoritative in that on which he relies while some of his people said that their consensus was absolutely a proof, which is the literal meaning of the words of Malik. Then the proof of those who considered that their consensus is absolutely authoritative was the hadith, "Madina expels people like the blacksmith's bellows expels the dross of iron." Its wording conveys the expulsion of every dross, and error is dross and thus error is not joined to the people of Madina. The evidence of those who distinguished between that which comes by way of reliance and that which was by ijtihad, is that which comes by way of reliance is a a mutawatir transmission, and that which comes through ijtihad is deduction in which error is possible. Misguidance in ijtihad is only denied in the community as a whole. It is possible that some of them may agree on error. That is understood from his words, "My community will not agree on misguidance." Al-Qarafi preferred the opinion of those who considered the Practice of the People of Madina to be authoritative based on the wording in the hadith, "Madina expels its dross..." and others argued by the hadith, "My community will not agree..." and when the wording and the meaning conflict, it is agreed that the evidence of the wording is preferred.

It appears that the first part of the consensus of the people of Madina, which is that which has no path except that of reliance, must be taken as authoritative when there is consensus among the scholars because it is mutawatir transmission, or at least famous and exhaustive. Qadi Iyad clarified that and said about it:

The consensus of the people of Madina is of two types: one type by way of transmission, and this type is divided into four categories:
What is transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the form of words like the adhan, iqama and not saying the basmala aloud in the prayer. They transmitted these things from his words.
His action, like the description of the prayer, the number of its rak'ats, its sajdas and the like of that.

The transmission of his affirmation of what he saw from them when his disapproval was not transmitted from him.

The transmission of his leaving things which he saw them doing and judgements which he did not oblige on them although they were well-known among them, like his not taking zakat on vegetables although he knew that they were numerous among them. This type of their consensus in these aspects is a proof which must result, and whatever is contrary to it in the form of single tradition or analogy is abandoned since this transmission is verified and known and must therefore be definitive knowledge which is not abandoned for what probability demands. This is what Abu Yusuf and other opponents of those who debated with Malik and other people of Madina referred to in the question of waqfs, the mudd and sa' until he noted the transmission and verified it. It is not permitted for a fair person to debate such evidence, and this which Malik has from most of our shaykhs, and there is no disagreement about the validity of this method and that is proof among the intelligent. He was opposed in those questions by other than the people of Madina to whom that transmission had not reached. There is no disagreement in this. As-Sayrafi and other people of ash-Shafi'i agree with him as al-Ahmadi reported from him. Some of the Shafi'ites disagreed out of sheer obstinacy. (Madarik, p. 41)

The fact is that, even if the Malikis are famous for that opinion, others share with them in it or follow them in it, and we must examine those to discover their opinion. The first of them was ash-Shafi'i himself. He respected their consensus when they agreed because in his view they do not agree on something unless that is the subject of consensus. The place of disagreement between him and his shaykh and the Malikis was in one thing: the validity of those who claimed consensus. His opposition to it was about the validity of the claim.

We find that in I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in that Ibn al-Qayyim divides the Practice of the People of Madina whose basis is transmission into three categories: the first of them is transmission of Shari'a directly from the Prophet, the second is transmission connected to action, and the third is transmission of places, individuals and measures of things.

The first category is the transmission of the Shari'a directly. It is what Qadi 'Iyad mentioned the examples and categories he mentions. The second category is the transmission of continuous action, which is like the transmission of the waqf, sharecropping, the adhan from elevated places, making its phrases double and those of the iqama single.

As for the transmission of places and individuals, it is like their transmission of the sa' and the mudd, specification of the place of the minbar and its position for the prayer, and the specification of the Rawda, al-Baqi' and the Musalla. This is transmission, like places of practices, like Safa and Marwa and Mina, and the sites of the Jamrat and Muzdalifa, 'Arafa and the places for assuming ihram, like Dhu'l-Hulayfa and elsewhere. After mentioning and clarifying these categories, Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that such transmission is respected and used as evidence. He said, "This transmission and this action are a proof which must be followed and a sunna which is gladly accepted. When the scholar obtains that, he is happy and his soul at peace with it. (I'lam, pt. 2, p. 304)

It is clear from these words that Malik accepted the consensus of the people of Madina when the source of consensus was transmission which cannot be criticised. Indeed, scholars accept it: it is mutawatir transmission. So it is not rejected in favour of a single tradition or analogy, as we will make clear. As for the practice of the people of Madina whose basis is deduction, transmission in it varies from Malik. Some Malikis express three opinions about it:

1. It is not an authoritative proof at all. The proof is the consensus of the people of Madina is by way of transmission and no ijtihad is preferred over the other. This is the position of Abu Bakr al-Abhari. He and those who took that position said that arguing by it is a position of Malik or one of his reliable companions, i.e. that is far from the Maliki school. We indicated that opinion when we quoted from al-Qarafi.
2. It is not an authoritative proof, but their ijtihad is preferred over the ijtihad of others, and some Malikis and some Shafi'is accepted that.

3. Their consensus by way of ijtihad is an authoritative proof. This is the school of some Malikis. They said that it is the opinion of Malik and his expression in his letter to al-Layth which we quoted indicated this is the course followed by those who take this position, and most of the Maghribis among the followers of Malik accept this position and follow this method. The context of al-Qarafi, as we will make clear, indicates its preference or at least the absence of considering it weak.

This is the practice of the people of Madina and the strength of the evidence by it when it is transmission or ijtihad, and there is no disagreement between the Malikis that when the basis of their action is transmission, that it is an authoritative source. Indeed the method of others is the same in that. When its basis is ijtihad, they disagree about it. Most of the Malikis considered it evidence as al-Qarafi mentioned.

We have not discussed the details of the Practice of the People of Madina when it conflicts with a single tradition.

The details of the position in it is that if the basis of the consensus of the people of Madina is transmission, it is preferred over the single tradition because it is mutawatir transmission and the single report does not oppose the mutawatir because it is probable while the mutawatir is definitive. This is not disputed among the Malikis.

When the basis of the Practice of the People of Madina or their consensus is ijtihad, then the tradition is more appropriate according to most of the Malikis although some of them state that consensus can be by way of ijtihad and that the consensus of Madina, whatever its origin, is an authoritative proof which weakens the single tradition. However that statement must be examined if we admit that it is possible that consensus be transmitted when the basis of consensus is analogy or opinion because it is distinguished by contradiction and disparate different views. So all the views are one view without a text: something which is the place of investigation, indeed a place of doubt.

If we admit the existence of the consensus of the fuqaha' of Madina is based on deduction by opinion, and it is favoured over the text, how can deduction whose source is unknown be favoured over the text? This opinion, even if it is the consensus of a group of the community, does not stand before the tradition.

There is a distinction between this consensus whose existence is uncertain and their consensus on something transmitted. The first consensus is logically similar. If it occurs, tawatur transmission is advanced in deduction over the single report which is probable.

The difference is attested between the two types of consensus from the people of Madina when it conflicts with a tradition. Ibn al-Qayyim says:

"It is known that the practice after the end of the time of the Rightly-guided khalifs and Companions in Madina was according to the muftis, amirs and market inspectors among them. The rabble did not differ from those people. When the muftis gave fatwas on a matter, the governor and inspector carried it out and it became practice. This is that which is not considered when it opposes the sunan. It is not the action of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his khalifs and Companions: that is the Sunna. So one is not confused with the other. We are strongest in making this the arbiter, but when the other practice opposes the Sunna, we are stronger in leaving it, and success is by Allah. Rabi'a ibn Abi 'Abdu'r-Rahman used to give fatwa and Sulayman ibn Bilal the market-inspector carried out his fatwa and the rabble acted by the fatwa and the implementation, as practice appears in a town or region in which there is only the statement of Malik according to his position and fatwa and they do not permit action there by the position of other Imams of Islam. If anyone acts otherwise, they are severe in objecting to him." (I'lam, pt. 2, p. 307.)
He ends his statement about this with a clarification that every practice agreed-on whose basis was transmission is not opposed to sound sunna and every action whose basis is ijtihad is not preferred over a sunna at all. He says:

"It is affirmed that every action contrary to the sound sunna does not occur from the path of transmission at all. It occurs by way of ijtihad, and every action whose path is transmission is not opposed to a sound sunna at all." (I'lam, pt. 2, p. 308.)
We clarified the the practice of the people of Madina according to Malik, and we distinguished that practice and mentioned the position of that scholarly method in the principles of deduction of the Malikis and others. We clarified how the opponents were forced to agree with the Malikis in some of the consensus which the people of Madina especially possessed whose basis was transmission and we mentioned that when the practice of the People of Madina is based on ijtihad, it is a place of dispute even among the Malikis themselves and it is open to investigation.

We must state that when Malik used 'the matter agreed on' in his land as evidence, he did not confine himself to matters which were only known by reliance. He mentioned that regarding matters in which opinion has scope. He accepted their position in them because he avoided deviation as much as possible and his statement in his letter to al-Layth attests to that general application as we mentioned about that. Al-Layth's reply shows that they were questions in which opinion had scope. But did Malik give priority to the consensus of the people of Madina over the tradition when it was a single tradition?

You know that he analysed the hadiths with great penetration to seek out their sunan and that he compared them with the general principles and confirmed firm principles whose sources interconnect to establish them. Perhaps after this study of the hadiths and in the light of what he saw done and transmitted from the Followers and the Companions before them, he found some traditions weak and that the basis from the beginning was opinion and he accepted it because he disliked the gharib since he saw deviation in it.

Good advice from Ibn Al-`Uthaymeen

Important advice for the student of knowledge from Imām Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen

Praise be to Allah.

It is good if a person focuses on one shaikh and makes him his main source, especially if he is a young beginner, for if the young beginner seeks knowledge from a number of people he will be confused. For people are not all of one opinion, especially nowadays. In the past, here in the Kingdom (Saudi Arabia) people never deviated from [the books] al-Iqnā’ [Book of Hanbalī Fiqh by Al-Buhuti] and al-Muntahā [Book of Hanbalī fiqh by Mar`i bin Yusuf], so their fatāwā were all the same and the bases of their fatāwā were all the same; no one differed from another, except in his delivery and style. But now, everyone who has memorized a hadīth or two says, “I am the Imām to be followed. Imām Ahmad was a man and we are men.” So now there is chaos. Everyone is issuing fatāwā and sometimes you hear fatāwā from these people which make you weep and laugh at the same time. I was thinking of recording these fatāwā, but I was afraid that this might make me one of those who seek out their faults of their brothers, so I did not do it lest we transmit things that are as far from the truth as the earth is from the Pleiades.

I say: adhering to one scholar is very important when the seeker of knowledge is just starting out, so that he will not be confused. Hence our scholars forbade us to read al-Mughnī and Sharh al-Muhadhdhab and other books which contain numerous opinions when we were starting out. One of our scholars told us that Shaykh ‘AbdAllah ibn ‘AbdRahmān Bābiteen (May Allah have mercy on him), who was one of the great scholars of Najd, only read al-Rawd al-Murabba’ [Book of Hanbalī Fiqh by Al-Buhuti] and never read anything else. He read it repeatedly but he discussed it in great detail and in great depth.

If a person has gained a great deal of knowledge, then he should look at the views of the scholars so as to benefit from them in both academic and practical terms. But when one is just starting out, my advice is to focus on one particular scholar and not go to anyone else.

[From Fatāwā al-Shaikh Muhammad ibn Sālih al-‘Uthaymeen, Kitāb al-‘Ilm, page # 107]

الحمد لله
هذا جيد كون الإنسان يركز على شيخ من المشائخ يجعله هو الأصل لا سيما المبتدئ الصغير , المبتدئ الصغير إذا طلب العلم على عدة أناس تذبذب , لأن الناس ليسوا على رأي واحد خصوصاً في عصرنا الآن , كان فيما سبق أي قبل مدة كان الناس هنا في المملكة لا يخرجون أبداً عن الإقناع والمنتهى ؛ فتجد فتاواهم واحدة , وشروحهم واحدة , لا يختلف واحد عن آخر إلا في الإلقاء وحسن الأسلوب , لكن الآن لما كان كل واحد حافظاً حديثاً أو حديثين قال : أنا الإمام المقتدى به والإمام أحمد رجل ونحن رجال , فصارت المسألة فوضى , صار الإنسان يفتي , أحياناً تأتي الفتوى تبكي وتضحك وكنت أهمَّ أن أدوَّن مثل هذه الفتاوى لكن كنت أخشى أن أكون ممن تتبع عورات إخوانه فتركته تحاشيناً مني إلا نقلنا أشياء بعيدة عن الصواب بُعد الثريا عن الثرى .
فأقول : ملازمة عالم واحد مهمة جداً ما دام الطالب في أول الطريق لكي لا يتذبذب , ولهذا كان مشائخنا ينهوننا عن مطالعة المغني وشرح المهذب والكتب التي فيها أقوال متعددة عندما كنا في زمن الطلبة , وذكر لنا بعض مشائخنا أن الشيخ عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بابطين ـ رحمه الله ـ وهو من كبار مشائخ نجد ذكروا أنه كان مكبَّاً على الروض المربع لا يطالع إلا إياه ويكرره , كل ما خلص منه كرره لكن يأخذه بالمفهوم والمنطوق والإشارة والعبارة فحصل خير كثير .
أما إن توسعت مدارك الإنسان فهذا ينبغي له أن ينظر أقوال العلماء يستفيد منها فائدة علمية وفائدة تطبيقية , لكن في أول الطلب أنا أنصح الطالب أن يركز على شيخ معين لا يتعداه .

من فتاوى الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين , كتاب العلم , الصفحة # 107

A lesson in Futuwwah

Bismillahi Babuna,

Shaikh Nuh Keller, hafidhahu Allah, remembers an incident in which Shaikh Abd Ar-Rahman Ash-Shaghouri, radi Allahu `anh, gives a lesson in Futuwwah.

"Twenty-two years ago, we had come out of this mosque together after visiting the shrine of Sheikh Muhyiddin, and I watched for a moment as he stopped to buy some apples from a cart in front of the mosque. He took the plastic bag from the seller and filled it with the worst apples he could find — nicked, bruised, and worm-holed — which he chose as carefully as most people choose good ones, then paid for and with a smile shook hands with the man before we went up the hill to the sheikh’s home. Small and lithe, he had a light complexion, penetrating eyes, aquiline features with expressive lips, and a trimmed mustache and full beard. He dressed elegantly, wearing a few turns of white and gold cloth around a red fez on his head, a knee-length suit and vest over a shirt without a tie, and trousers tapering to the ankles. As we climbed higher and higher, I wanted to carry the bag, but he wouldn’t let me, saying that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) had said, “The one who needs a thing is the one who should carry it.” When I reflected on his strange “shopping,” I realized that it had been to save the apple man from having to throw any out. The incident summed up the sheikh’s personality and life, which was based on futuwwa or “putting others ahead of oneself.”

Taken from the obituary of Sidn Shaikh by Shaikh Nuh.

The Principles of Tasawwuf

By Sheikh Muhammad ibn al Ya`qubi al Hasani.

1.The definition:
Hundreds of definitions of Tasawwuf have been drawn.

The great scholar Sidi Ahmed Zarouq says: ”Tasawwuf has more than two thousand explanatorydefinitions; all ultimately refer to the following: True devotion to Allah from where He likes by the means He likes Some of the common definitions are:
Acting upon knowledge Noble character Acquiring the good characters andgetting rid of the bad.

2. The subject:The Divine Essence as how Allah can be known.
Another opinion says that the subject of this discipline is hearts and souls; because it works on their purification and cultivation.

Both opinions are correct as the latter looks at the goal and the former looks at the means; as it has been correctly said, ”He who knows himself will know his Lord”.

3. The fruit: The fruit or the benefit of this discipline is the purification of the heart and knowing the Master of the worlds.

4. The merit: Tasawwuf is a noble discipline of high merit. Its nobility stems from its subject. Al-Ihsan is one of the three levels of this deen and the highest.

5. The relation of this discipline to the other sciences: Tasawwuf is the base of the Sharia; without it all acts of worship would be imperfect. It is the core of the Quran and the Sunnah and the tissue of muslims spiritual life. Imam Malik (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) says: ”Whoever acquires tasawwuf without fiqh is a heretic and whoever studies fiqh without tasawwuf is unrighteous and who combines both has the reality”

6. The pioneer: The word al-wadi means the one that sets forth this branch of knowledge. It is of course the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace). Many ahadith highlight this fact, most famous of which is hadith Jibril (May Allah ta'ala bless him). The first one who made this knowledge known is Sayyiduna Ali (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) and then his son Sayyiduna al-Hasan (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) and al-Hasan al-Basri (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him).

7. The name: The name of this science is tasawwuf. The word is derrived from souf: wool;or from safa: purity; or from suffa: the special place of a group of the sahaba in the Holy Sanctuary of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).The discipline has been known by this name since the second century ofhijra, i.e. the time of the salaf (May Allah have mercy on them). It has been frequently called ilm as-Sulouk, ilm al-Ihsan, ilm at-Tarbiyah or ilmat-Tazkiyah.

8. The sources: Tasawwuf relies on al-Quran and as-Sunnah as the sources and proofs of its material. The sayings of the great scholars are a rich treasure for the seekers and the masters alike.

9. The legal ruling: The legal ruling of studying tasawwuf is fard i.e. obligatory. Since all human beings are susceptible to sins save for the Prophets. Imam Abul Hasan ash-Shadiliy (May Allah's Ta'ala mercy be with him) ”Who does not deeply study this discipline will die persisting on major sins without being aware of it”.

10. The issues discussed:Tasawwuf tackles some of the cardinal elements of the deen such as ikhlas: sincerity; sidq: truthfulness; wara: religious cautioness; tawakkul: reliance; zuhd: asceticism; mahabba: love; and similarly their opposites,wich are called the diseases of the hearts such as insincerity; hypocrisy;arrogance; greed. It also tackles some of the subtlest subjects such as the passing of thoughts; the states of the heart; inspiration. One of its most important subjects is dhikr, the remembrance of Allah and its virtues; another is the sheikh and his qualifications, the disciple murid and his adab.

(http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com)

Al-`Arif Bi Allah Sidna Ahmed Al-`Alawi Qadassa Allahu Sirahu

Good news to you, my friends!

News of nearness and drawing near!

You are gathered in security

As long as you are Allah’s party.

Good news to you, my masters!

Good news to you, my lovers!

Good news about what is coming —

You are in the mercy of Allah.

Your being joined is the source of mercy

Your being joined has a wisdom in it

Whoever loves you, rises —

The pleasure of Allah is yours.

The pleased is with good pleasure

And mercy as well as forgiveness.

You are the party of the Merciful

You are the awliya of Allah.

Your tariq does not seep away,

Your lover does not come to nothing.

By Allah! You have manifestation

In all of Allah’s creation.

You stood at His door

You were annihilated in His Dhikr

Good news to you of His nearness!

You are in the Presence of Allah!

Among you is the king and the majdhoub,

Among you is the lover and beloved —

The veils have departed from you —

Among you is the one who unifies Allah.

The suns of the tariq are among you

The Rijal of realization are among you,

The annihilated and the lover are among you,

The one with gnosis of Allah is among you.

The Rijal of the beginning are among you,

The lords of presence are among you —

The one from whom the veil has gone

Sees only Allah.

Good news for him! He has obtained his desire!

Good news for him.

He has gained possession of the meaning!

By Allah! He was accepted in Allah’s knowledge.

The full moon of full moons gave me good news

Of victory with manifestation —

Our lover in happiness,

Surrounded by the lutf of Allah.

By Allah, he spoke

The most eloquent word

We helped you in the Assembly

You are in the security of Allah.

The spirit of the Master gave me good news

Al-Buzidi, the one with help,

When he spoke to me with ijtihad

After taking an oath by Allah.

Your lover is secure.

Your murid is safeguarded.

You are the springs of the Merciful

The secret of Allah is in your hands.

The proclamation is in your hands

You can lift the veils!

You are the lords of presence —

You are the awliya of Allah.

We have permission to dispose freely

Of that subtle secret

Oh excellent obligation

For the pleased, may Allah reward him!

His secret is in our being joined together,

His wine is in our cup

His knowledge is in our speech.

By Allah! We are not other than Him.

Our overflowing is from His overflowing

Our secret is from His secret.

Our branch is from His root,

Oh the one who does not understand its meaning.

Secretly and openly

I addressed the people of the journey.

Whoever in my age

Comes to us, finds his desire.

I have counseled all the slaves,

Especially the people of the cities.

Whoever seeks in ijtihad

Desires Allah.

He comes, even if just to test it,

And he has a portion from us.

This is a near road

Which has come to us from Allah’s favor.

We give him counsel in the Path

And he makes me a companion in it

We show him the meaning of realization,

Pure for the face of Allah.

He agrees with me about the days

We do not seek years from him.

If he obtains the desire

He will be a slave of Allah.

I have a cure for creation

I have what will obliterate other

We do not mean to attack it with it

We are rich by Allah’s favor.

I am rich with the goal,

What do I have and what does denial have?

We do not see in existence

Any appearing in tajjali except Allah.

Sometimes we are annihilated in Him,

And we have that meaning.

Sometimes we are rich in Him,

Free from all of Allah’s creation.

Sometimes He appears away from me,

He makes me withdraw from my being.

Who am I and where am I

In the tajjali of the essence of Allah?

Had it not been for the witnessed Messenger,

Had it not been for the lover of the beloved,

We would have wandered from the limits

And divulged the secret of Allah.

May the Lord bless him

And give tajjali with good pleasure

On all the Companions
And the family and whoever follows him.

Adab At-Tariq

Adab of the Ţarīq

This is the poem of
Shaykh Abu Madyan Shu‘ayb al-Maghrabī

may Allah sanctify his secret

and

A poem around it in five-line verse

by Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyī al-Dīn ibn al-‘Arabī Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Ĥatimī al-Ţā’ī al-Andalusī born in Murcia on the 27^th of Ramađān, 638 ah

and

Its Commentary

The Model of Success in the Courtesies

of the Ţarīq

by the ‘Ārif bi Allah Tāj al-Dīn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ‘Abd al-Karīm ibn ‘Aţā’ Allah
al-Sakandarī, may Allah sanctify his secret

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

O you who seek the pleasure of drawing near, if you wish all good to be seen upon you, the one who is consulted is honest, so listen to the news.

The pleasure of life is only in the company of the fuqarā’ – they are the sultans, the masters, and the princes.

People who are content with the simplest clothing and diet, they never think about this world. Their chests are free of waswas.

Therefore, keep their company and have adab in their assemblies. Leave your portion behind you whenever they send you forward.

Take their ţarīq if you are following them. Leave your claims. Be careful, and avoid being critical of what they desire. Seek their benefit.

Seize the moment and always be present with them. Know that ridā is bestowed on those who are present.

Be pleased with them, by them you will rise and arrive. If they keep you, stay. If they ask you to vanish, disappear. If they don’t feed you, be hungry. If they feed you, eat.

Cling to silence unless you are questioned. Then say, “I have no knowledge,” and be concealed in ignorance.

Don’t criticize the faults of people, even if it is clear and seen. Look with the eye of perfection. Don’t find fault with anyone.

Do not look at faults unless you see a clear fault appear in you, but it is concealed.

You will get what you are seeking from adab. Humble yourself to them, without doubt. But that is modesty in place of adab.

Lower your head and ask forgiveness without cause. Stand apologizing in just treatment.

If you want from them a light for the way, avoid all the actions that they dislike. Keep yourself doing good actions.

If a fault appears from you, then apologize and lift the face of your apology for what has flowed in you from you.

Praise them with compliments and say, “Cure with your reconciliation using the ointment of your pardon the wounds you caused. I am the one at fault, give me your genuine advice.”

Say, “Your insignificant slave is more entitled to your pardon.” Act kindly in forgiveness and adhere to gentleness, O fuqara!

Don’t fear their himmah if you commit a sin. Higher and greater is their relationship to you than to cause you any harm. They are not tyrants that their power will harm you.

Take for granted their goodness for that is their nature. Fear neither overtaking nor harm from them.

If you wish to tread the path of guidance by means of them, work hard to immediately satisfy what they demand of you. Be careful not to put it off until tomorrow.

Always be generous in singing the praises of the brothers in the senses and the meaning. Lower the eye if someone slips.

Be truthful with them, avoid unclean ways, because they are the people of truth, they are the masters and leaders. Pardon everyone of them who harms you.

Watch the Shaykh carefully in his states, perhaps a trace of his approval will be seen on you.

Ask the shaykh to make du‘a for you. You may gain from this. By his barakah, you may obtain what you wish for. Keep a good opinion of him and realize his true inviolability.

Advance seriousness and leap to serve him. Perhaps he will be pleased, and beware lest you become irritated.

Keep his advice. Increase yourself by his guidance. If he calls you, answer him immediately. Lower your voice to gentleness in obedience to him.

The pleasure of the Creator is in his pleasure and his obedience. He will be pleased with you, so then beware of leaving it.

Be with him who is diplomatic with the nafs in this time, for surely the nafs despairs of them, for their trade with people is valueless.

Know that the Path of the People is obscure needing study, and the state of the one who claims it today is as you see.

It is my right to be sad if they leave me, because I am used to being with them. I will always be sad when I am cut off from their company.

When will I see them and where will I see them? When will my ear hear some news of them?

Separation stops me from being worthy of them. I came from them, so blame me. I am not blaming them. O my Lord, grant me righteousness so that I may spend the night in discourse with them.

Whom do I have to help me, and how is it possible for someone like me to compete with them in wells about which I do not recognize impurity?

Their glorious deeds are beyond description and number, the seen ones proving the existence of the unseen ones. Their glory in this world is by their obedience to Allah.

I love them and treat them gently and I offer them my heart’s blood – especially a party of them.

A people who are made leaders of all of creation by their acts of obedience; those who sit with them acquire their courtesies. He who absents himself from their company, his portion is misery.

A people of noble qualities – wherever they sit, a fragrance remains in the place after them.

Try to be with them, do not separate from them, and increase in love. If you absent yourself from them, cry with regret and sorrow. A group with whom a young man gains honor from being with them.

Taşawwuf is guided by their character in the Paths. Excellent harmony is theirs that delights my eye.

I pulled the tail of my robe being proud of my love for them when they accepted me as a small slave in their love. Their right is in their love, I am not their equal.

They are the people of my love and my lovers who are among those who trail the coat-tails of might in magnificence.

I cut my heart into pieces, making poetry about their love. I asked Allah earnestly through them, hoping that Allah would forgive me and all the Muslims together.

May I be reunited with them in Allah, and my wrong actions forgiven and pardoned in Him.

O everyone who has been in this circle with us, I ask Allah through them to erase our sins.

Then blessings be upon the Chosen, Sayyiduna Muhammad, the best of those who fulfilled and who vowed.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

The Shaykh, the Realized in Allah (‘ārif bi Allah), the Able, the Recognized, the Crown of the Realized, the Tongue of the Theologians (Mutakallimīn), the Imam of His Time, the Unique of His Era, Taj al-Dīn Abu al-Fađl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Karīm ibn ‘Aţā’ Allah al-Sakandarī, may Allah be pleased with him, and give us benefit through him, amīn, says the following:

The praise belongs to Allah who is alone in creating and organizing, the Unique (al-Wāĥid) in judgment and decree. He is the King (al-Malik) who has no minister in his kingdom, the Owner (al-Mālik) from whose dominion nothing is excluded large or small, the Sanctified (al-Mutaqaddis) in the perfection of His attributes from resemblance and similarity, in the perfection of His essence far above likeness and representation, and the Omniscient (al-‘Alīm) from whom nothing in consciousness can be hidden. “Does He not know, Who created? And He is the Knower of the subtleties, the Aware” (Qur’an: Surat al-Mulk, ayah 14). He is the Knowing (al-‘Ālim) whose knowledge surrounds the beginning and the end of matters, the All-Hearing (al-Samī‘) who in His hearing distinguishes between the apparent and the hidden sounds (i.e., He hears both what man can hear and what he cannot hear), the Provider (al-Razzāq) who conveys nourishment to the creation, the Self-Existing (al-Qayyūm) who takes responsibility for caring for created beings in all conditions, the Bestower (al-Wahhāb) who grants to the souls the existence of their lives, the All-Powerful (al-Qadīr) who brings them back after their death, and the Reckoner (al-Ĥasīb) who meets out reward or punishment according to mankind’s good or bad deeds on the day they return to Him. Glory be to Him who by His generosity provides for the servants even before their existence, provides them with their sustenance whether they accept or deny His existence. He supports everything in existence with His gift, maintaining the world by extending its continuance (baqā’). He is apparent by means of His wisdom on the earth and His decree in His heaven. I witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, as a servant of Allah who surrenders to His decree and accepts His judgment. I witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the Preferred One over all of His prophets, the Chosen by virtue of his great giving and generosity, the Opener and the Seal – titles given only to him, the Intercessor for all of mankind when the Real gathers them for judgment. May Allah bless him, his Family, and his Companions who held strongly to their loyalty to him, and grant them abundant peace.

O brother, may Allah place you among the people of His affection. May He present you with the existence of His nearness, and give you a taste from the drink of the people of His love. May He secure you from being turned away from Him by a continuous presence with Him. May He connect you to Him through His servants, those upon whom He has shown special favor by conferring upon them His messages. Know that He healed their broken hearts when they came to know that the eyes could not reach Him because of the light of His self-manifestations (tajaliyyāt). He opened the gardens of nearness then blew from them upon their hearts spiritual visions of His fragrant breezes. He showed them what He had already prepared for them, so they submitted to His command. He exposed the secret of His kindness (luţf), and thus they left argument and obstinacy, submitting to Him and relying upon Him.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said, “A man will be gathered on the Day of Gathering upon the Dīn of his intimate companion. So let each one of you look to whom he is keeping intimate company.” Dear brother, be intimate only with someone whose state raises you and whose speech shows you the way to Allah. Such a person is the faqīr, stripped of otherness, drawing close to the Master. There is no sweetness except in his intimacy; there is no happiness except in his service and company. Thus, the Shaykh, the Realized, Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

The pleasure of life is only in the company of the fuqarā’ – they are the sultans, the masters, and the princes.

That is, the spiritual traveler on the way to his Lord and Master has no sweetness in his life except in keeping the company of the fuqarā’ (those poor in their need for Allah). The word fuqarā’ is the plural of faqīr. The faqīr has stripped himself of attachments, turned away from them. He no longer has a direction (qiblah) or an intention except Allah the Most High. He denounces everything other than Him. He is realized in the reality of “There is no god except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Thus his companionship causes you to taste the sweetness of the path (Ţarīq). He pours into each of your hearts a most delicious nectar from the drink of the People. He acquaints you with the path, cuts short the infliction of punishment, and removes impediments from your heart. Through his spiritual aspiration (himmah), he lifts you to the highest of ranks. Whoever is like this is the sultan over the reality, the master over the people of the path, and the prince over the people of inner sight (başīrah).

So, O wayfarer (sālik), don’t diverge from his path. O diligent sālik, strive to reach this companion. Keep his company and be courteous when sitting in his gatherings. By the blessing (barakah) of his companionship, he will remove every impediment. As he (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

Therefore, keep their company and have adab in their assemblies. Leave your portion behind you whenever they send you forward.

That is, keep the company of the fuqarā’, maintain courtesy with them when attending their gatherings. Surely, the assembly is the apparent form (shabaĥ) and adab is its soul. If you unite them, you seize the benefit of keeping the shaykh’s company; otherwise, your companionship is but a corpse. Is there any hope of attaining benefit from the dead?

One of the most important courtesies of the gathering is leaving your portion behind you. Do not spend your himmah except in obedience to their orders. As a result, your efforts will be appreciated. If you take on this character, you will quickly seize the reward of presence. Being sincere in this, your degree will rise and your himmah be exalted. About this Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

Seize the moment and always be present with them. Know that ridā is bestowed on those who are present.

That is, utilize the time being in the company of the fuqarā’ and always be present with them in heart and body. As a result, their spiritual nourishment will easily enter you and their benefits flow over you. Your outwardness will be made healthy by their courtesies, and your inwardness illuminated by the adornment of their lights. Surely, by keeping company, qualities are acquired. If you sit with a sad person, you become sad, and if you sit with a happy person, you become happy. If you sit with the heedless, heedlessness comes to you. Surely, misery will not come to someone who keeps the company of these people. So how can those who serve them, love them, and hold intimate talk with them have any distress. The best that can be said about this is the following:

Because of their great rank and honor, my masters’ feet are on the heads;

Even if I am not one of them, just by loving them I get rank and honor.

Know that this is satisfaction (riđā). This station is bestowed upon those who are present with them by means of adab, excluding the nafs, and adorning oneself with humility and brokenness. So exclude yourself if you are among them. If you enter their gathering, be low and broken, then you will taste the sweetness of presence. Be aided by holding to silence. The lights of joy will dawn upon you. Gladness will flow over you. As Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

Cling to silence unless you are questioned. Then say, “I have no knowledge,” and be concealed in ignorance.

The state rises for the one who has the quality of being silent in the company of the people of tarīqah. According to them, silence is of two kinds: silence of the tongue and silence of the heart. Both of them must be present in the path. He who silences his heart while his tongue speaks, speaks with wisdom. He who silences his tongue and his heart, his secret is manifest to him, his Lord speaks with him. This is the goal of silence. The speech of the shaykh points to that. So cling to silence, O sālik, unless you are questioned. If you are questioned, return to your origin and connection and say, “I have no knowledge,” and cover yourself with ignorance. The lights of knowledge from God’s presence (al-‘ilm al-ladunī) will rise within you. Surely, whenever you acknowledge your ignorance and return to your origin, knowledge of the nafs dawns upon you. If you know it then you know your Lord, as it is related in the hadith: “He who knows himself knows his Lord.” All of this is from the benefits of silence and adhering to it adabs. So be silent and be courteous and cling to the door – you will be among His beloveds.

O brother, rise with high himmah to the door of your Master. Being realized in your slavehood, His resplendent lights will shine upon you. The Shaykh, Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him), indicates this when he says:

Do not look at faults unless you see a clear fault appear in you, but it is concealed.

That is, be realized in your attributes of poverty, inability, and lowliness. When you are realized in these, you will witness faults but they will be covered. You will gain the favor of the attributes of your Master appearing within you, as it has been said: “Glory be to He who conceals the secret of slavehood.” Now understand from this the secret meaning of Allah’s words: “Glory be to He who took His slave for a journey.” He didn’t say “His Messenger” or “His Prophet.”

O brother, be broken and abased by the Ţarīq. Don’t let other than this be seen in your state or speech. There is nothing you can say that will remove any hindrance from you. Ask for forgiveness from anything that comes into your heart concerning slavehood to Allah. Fully admit this and stand in fair and just judgment against yourself. By this, the highest stations will be reached and your humanity will be enriched. The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) says the following about this:

Lower your head and ask forgiveness without cause. Stand apologizing in just treatment.

That is, be humble and broken. Put the noblest of what you have – your head – on what is lowest – the earth – thereby achieving the station of nearness. It has been related in a hadith: “The closest the servant of Allah can get to Him is when he is in sajdah.” Because the servant of Allah approaches Him through humility, brokenness, and discarding human attributes, always see yourself as guilty of committing wrongs, even if there is nothing upon you to show this guilt. Surely, the servant of Allah is never free from fault. Stand in a state of just treatment for your sins, feeling shame for your evil actions and faults. If He deals with an ordinary human being in this manner, wherein His love for him makes his faults and evil actions seem as good deeds, then how will He treat a true friend, one who realizes Him and has no friend other than Him. This has been mentioned in the hadith: “O Allah, You are the companion of the traveler, the one who is left behind (khalīfah) to take care of family, possessions, and children.”

O brother, be ready for this treatment (transaction) with your brothers, the fuqarā’, so that it will be for you a mi‘rāj (night journey, referring to the mi‘raj of the Prophet) by which you gain access to a transaction with the Lord of heaven. You will gain acceptance among mankind and the Creator, and the transaction will be purified for you. The lights of realities will dawn upon you, as he (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

If a fault appears from you, then apologize and lift the face of your apology for what has flowed in you from you.

Say, “Your insignificant slave is more entitled to your pardon.” Act kindly in forgiveness and adhere to gentleness, O fuqara!

Take for granted their goodness for that is their nature. Fear neither overtaking nor harm from them.

That is, your state should always be humbleness, brokenness, seeking pardon, and asking for Allah’s forgiveness, whether you have committed a sin or not. If a fault is seen upon you, admit it and ask for forgiveness. When someone makes tawbah from a sin, it is as if he has not committed it at all. This doesn’t mean that you don’t make sins, rather, it means that you don’t persist in making them. It has been transmitted that “with Allah, the moaning (of regret) of the guilty is better than the humming of those who are glorifying Allah, but with self-admiration and pride.” I have said this in the Hikam: “Sometimes He opens the door of obedience for you but not the door of acceptance; or sometimes He condemns you to wrong action, and it turns out to be a cause of arriving at Him.” “A disobedience that bequeaths humiliation and extreme need is better than an obedience that bequeaths self-infatuation and pride.” With your admission and asking for forgiveness, apologize for what has preceded from you, so that will be the cause for erasing the sin and leading to acceptance.

Be humble, modest, and broken, and say, “Your slaves are more deserving of your pardon.” Certainly the slave has no other door than the door of his Master.

Then he says (may Allah be pleased with him) that the fuqarā’ are more deserving of pardon. It is their practice while always remaining kind and generous. This is their way with their friends and it is natural to them. How can it not be their disposition since they are taking on the character of their Master. It has been narrated: “Take on the attributes of Allah.”

Fear no harm from them, O sālik, the one in their company, and hold to their coat tails. “They are the people in whose company one will never feel unhappy or miserable.” If you know that, O sālik, take on their good qualities and be generous with your brothers. Ignore their mistakes. In this way you will take the best of their qualities. He says (may Allah be pleased with him):

Always be generous in singing the praises of the brothers in the senses and the meaning. Lower the eye if someone slips.

That is, be generous to your brothers materially, such as by giving money, or in meaning. Don’t be stingy with anything that you can give to them, for generosity is the heart of the Ţarīq. All obstacles will be removed from the heart of the one who takes on these qualities.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir says, “O brothers, I didn’t arrive to Allah by night prayers, day fasts, or acquiring knowledge. Rather, I reached Allah by generosity, humility, and purity of heart.” These words of the Shaykh prove that generosity is the foundation. And with the addition of humility, planting the seeds of success will be complete for the sālik. If he has these two qualities, his heart will be free of attachment. All hindrances will be removed from his way. It has been narrated in a hadith: “Surely there are rooms in Paradise whose outside is seen from the inside and whose inside is seen from the outside. Allah has prepared them for the one who is gentle in his speech, feeds others, and is consistant in standing in prayer at night while the people are asleep.”

Think deeply about this hadith, O brother, wherein the Prophet first mentions gentleness of speech, pointing to humility, then feeding others, indicating generosity, and finally prayer. Add to prayer, fasting, as indicated by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir. So, my brother, rise to these glorious deeds. Then add to them the best of good manners and ignoring the faults of brothers if you see them, looking only at their good actions. Abu Madyan says in one of his early wisdoms: “Seeing the good actions of the slaves of Allah and absenting oneself from their bad actions is one of the perfections of tawhīd.”

O brother, acquiring these honorable qualities make you eligible to be with the shaykh. So, get up and move to his door. Observe him with exalted himmah. The Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) indicates this, saying:

Watch the Shaykh carefully in his states, perhaps a trace of his approval will be seen on you.

That is, if you acquire the good manners which have been mentioned and arrive at the shaykh with your poverty and brokenness, holding fast to the traces leading to the steps (to his door), observe his states. Strive for the attainment of his pleasure. Be broken and submit to him at all times. For he is an antidote and a cure. Surely, the hearts of the shaykhs are the antidotes of the Ţarīqs. Anyone who has had the good fortune of reaching him, gets his desires fulfilled by him and is delivered from every obstacle. O brother, struggle in witnessing this meaning, for perhaps some traces of his appreciation of your state will be seen upon you. Some of those who have arrived have said, “Among the most difficult privations is being with the awliyā’ Allah without getting their acceptance.” If this happens to you, it is caused by nothing other than your impoliteness, not their meanness nor their deficiency. As I have said in the Hikam: “The matter is not making a request. What really matters is that it bequeaths good adab.”

A sultan who visited the tomb of Abu Yazīd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Is there anyone here who has met Abu Yazīd?” An old man was pointed out to the sultan. The sultan asked him, “Have you heard anything that he said?” The old man said, “Yes, Abu Yazīd said, ‘Whoever visits me will not be burned by the Fire of Hell.’” The sultan was amazed by this, and exclaimed, “How can Abu Yazīd say such a thing when Abu Jahl, who saw the Prophet, is burning in the Fire of Hell?” The old man answered the sultan, saying, “Abu Jahl did not see the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace); rather, he saw the orphan of Abu Talib. If he had seen him the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), he would not be burning in the Fire of Hell.” The sultan understood and admired what the old man said. This means that Abu Jahl never looked at the Prophet with respect and honor, believing him to be the Messenger of Allah. If he had seen him with this meaning, he would not be burned with fire. Abu Jahl looked at him with spite and contempt, believing that he was only the orphan of Abu Talib, so his seeing the Prophet did not benefit him. And if you, O brother, meet the qutb of the time without adab, this meeting will have no benefit for you. In fact, it may have more harm in it than benefit. So have adab in front of the shaykh and struggle to travel the best ways of conduct (sulūk). Apply what you know with seriousness and effort. With sincerity, rise to serve him in order to become one of the masters.

Advance seriousness and leap to serve him. Perhaps he will be pleased, and beware lest you become irritated.

The pleasure of the Creator is in his pleasure and his obedience. He will be pleased with you, so then beware of leaving it.

Meaning, rise to serve the shaykh with seriousness. Maybe you will gain his pleasure and become a master among the masters. Beware of showing displeasure or impatience, for this will spoil what you have gained. Cling to the steps leading to his door, morning and evening, in order to gain his friendship.

O sālik, if you gain his pleasure, Allah will be pleased with you, and you will gain more than what you hoped for. Being obedient to him leads you to being obedient to your Master and gaining His pleasure. In addition, you gain an abundance of his miracles.

Hold fast to service of the shaykh when you achieve arrival to him. Joy had engulfed you from all directions when Allah introduced you to him.

“Know that the Ţarīq of the People is obscure and needs to be studied. The state of the one who claims it today is as you see.” But, if divine concern helps you, you will win and smell the fragrant breeze from Madinah al-Munawwarah (ţaybah), more fragrant than the strongest scent of musk. Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

Know that the Path of the People is obscure needing study, and the state of the one who claims it today is as you see.

When will I see them and where will I see them? When will my ear hear some news of them?

Whom do I have to help me, and how is it possible for someone like me to compete with them in wells about which I do not recognize impurity?

I love them and treat them gently and I offer them my heart’s blood – especially a party of them.

The Shaykh starts by making the sālik look forward to the way of his people. He informs them that their Ţarīq is obscure, needing study, and the state of those who claim it today are as you see in this period. It is as if the himmah of people is weak, and therefore, they lose hope of reaching the Path because it is so obscure and precious, hard of access. It is as though the Path were from a vanishing age. The Ţarīq is only obtained by one individual at a time. This is the well-known sunnah (way). Like valuable jewelry, it is not easily found. Because of its scarcity, people often think it is nonexistent. The people of the Ţarīq are hidden in the world like laylat al-qadr is hidden in the month of Ramađān, or like the hour of jumu‘ah in its day until the seeker makes an effort to reach it. Surely, he who is serious finds what he is looking for, and he who knocks insistently on the door will go through it.

After he said there must be a shaykh in the Ţarīq, I asked, “How can you tell us to find him and serve him when it is said the presence of the shaykh is like red sulphur or a legendary bird. Who is going to find this bird while it is nonexistent. How can you order me to reach someone with such a state?” He said, “If you are true in your quest, like a child suffering from thirst, you will never be satisfied until you achieve your intention.” The Shaykh indicates that the shaykh exists. How can’t he exist while the building of the world is by means of those like him: the world is like a person and the awliya are its soul. Since the world exists, they exist. But, because of their hiddenness and lack of outwardness it is judged that they are missing.

So struggle and be truthful in your quest, you will find what you are seeking. Seek help for that quest from the One who knows the unseen. Surely, gaining what one seeks is not possible except through His generosity and kindness. If He leads you to the shaykh, He leads you to Himself, as I have said in the Hikam: “Glory be to Him who does not make the evidence leading to His awliya, except as an evidence leading to Himself, and Who does not lead to them except him whom He wants to arrive to Him.”

After the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions that the Ţarīq is precious and hard of access, and that its people have disappeared, he begins to feel regret for not having met them when he had the chance. However, his belief that he will not achieve this, and thereby be honored, is the result of his humility and brokenness – he sees himself as unworthy and lowly. This is the state of one who knows himself by himself. He is complete in his knowledge of his Lord. He is adorned with inrushs (wāridāt) of His sanctity into his heart because he does not see for himself any state or speech. He sees himself less than everything. This is the complete vision. The poet says:

The more knowledge one has, the humbler one becomes;

While the more one’s ignorance increases, the more one feels elevated.

Just as the green branch laden with ripe fruit is easily reached;

While the branch without fruit is out of reach.

Look at Shaykh Abu Madyan and his high status in the Ţarīq. Although twelve thousand murīds have arrived through his tarbiya (spiritual education), look at his humility and abasement. The branches from the tree of his ma‘rifah hang low, descending to the earth of humility and brokenness until he sees that he is not even worthy of meeting with the people of the Ţarīqah. This abasement increases his ascension, for the deeper the roots of a tree, the higher it grows.

So be humble in the Ţarīq. Take this great lineage from a fully realized ‘ārif, it will remove all obstacles from your way.

After this Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says, “I love them . . .” Meaning: “Even though I am not one of them, I love them.” He who loves a people is one of them, as stated in the hadith: “A person is with those whom he loves.” The poet also says:

I love the righteous people, although I am not one of them;

Maybe I get shafā‘ by being with them.

I hate him whose commodity is disobedience;

Even though we are together in this commodity of disobedience.

These are the qualities of the People and their attributes. Therefore their rank is elevated and their gifts increased, as he (may Allah be pleased with him) describes:

A people of noble qualities – wherever they sit, a fragrance remains in the place after them.

Taşawwuf is guided by their character in the Paths. Excellent harmony is theirs that delights my eye.

They are the people of my love and my lovers who are among those who trail the coat-tails of might in magnificence.

May I be reunited with them in Allah, and my wrong actions forgiven and pardoned in Him.

Then blessings be upon the Chosen, Sayyiduna Muhammad, the best of those who fulfilled and who vowed.

That is, they are a people of noble qualities and their himmah is great. Wherever they sit, they leave behind their beautiful fragrant scent. Wherever they go, the sun of their knowledge shines and hearts are illuminated. By them, the dunya and the ākhīrah are made good. By their character, Tasawwuf leads the eager sālik to the Ţarīq. There, he is able to carry on in his sulūk in a praiseworthy manner. Therefore, theirs is the best gathering. Everyone who looks, likes what he sees; they work hard to achieve every complete and subtle meaning until the lights of inner sight are adorned with their kohl.

The Shaykh also says, “They are the people of my affection and love . . .” One only loves one’s own kind, or one with whom there is a kinship. These words indicate that he is one of them, from the same special clay. What he has already mentioned of modesty and brokenness is an evidence of his realization of this glory and pride. So we ask Allah to lead us to the best of spiritual paths.

Then he makes du‘a and asks that he be included among them for Allah. He asks to be pardoned for his sins. We also ask Allah the complete blessing and peace upon Our Master Muhammad, the Chosen One, the Best of Those Who Fulfilled and Vowed, the Most Noble Neighbor, and upon his Family and Companions, the righteous masters, the Followers, and their followers to goodness until the last day. These are the best meanings we could get from this poem. But we admit that we have not fully obtained its meaning. Our intentions were good and deeds are fulfilled according to intentions. And Allah knows best.

Darqawa

Shaikhuna

Sidna Shaikh Yusuf An-Nabhani

Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan

`Amal Ahl Madinah Al-Munawwara

Good advice from Ibn Al-`Uthaymeen

A lesson in Futuwwah

The Principles of Tasawwuf

Al-`Arif Bi Allah Sidna Ahmed Al-`Alawi Qadassa Allahu Sirahu

Adab At-Tariq

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