A Letter From Shaykh Tijani

A Letter From Shaykh Tijani

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All Compassionate: blessings and peace be upon Allah's Messenger.

Let me counsel you to do what Allah has counseled you to do. He has said (Glory be to Him and Exalted is He):

"And We counseled those who received the Book before you, to practice true devotion to Allah". (4:131)

He has also said, (Glory be to Him and Exalted is He):

"He has decreed for you, as the (true) religion that which He counseled Noah to observe, and that which We have revealed to you, and that which We counseled Abraham and Moses and Jesus to observe,: 'Establish the religion, and do not become divided in relation to it' A serious challenge indeed, for those who attribute partners to Allah is that which you are calling upon them to accept." (42:13)

He has also said, (Glory be to Him and Exalted is He):

"And hold fast, all of you together, to the lifeline of Allah and do not separate". (3:103)

He has also said, (Glory be to Him and Exalted is He):

"And if someone practices true devotion to Allah, He will make his business easy for him and He will grant him a mighty reward." (65:4-5)

You should also know that the quest for true devotion (taqwa) has become a very difficult matter. It has become too far out of reach to be bridled and saddled by anyone, and aspirations have grown weary of pursuing it, so no one reaches its foundation and its confirmation, apart from the most extraordinary individual. That is because hearts and souls have become disposed to turn away from Allah and from His commandments, in every respect and regard, and they have sunk in the mire of material human concerns to a depth from which there is no hope of emancipation. This is the condition of the people of the era, in every region of every place on the face of the earth, apart from the most extraordinary individual whom Allah has rendered immune.

Because of what we have mentioned, the ocean of terrors and troubles has billowed, the ocean of misfortunes and trials has become thirsty and people have drowned in it completely, and it has come to the point where if the servant pleads for salvation and immunity from afflictions, afflictions will encircle him.

It has been said about this, “A time will come to the people when the oceans of trials and tribulations accumulate, so that nothing will avail them except supplications like the supplications of the person who is drowning.” The practice that will save you from what we have mentioned, however, and that will extinguish most of its fires, is frequent repetition of the plea for forgiveness, the invocation of blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and the remembrance that there is no god but Allah Alone!

La ilaha illa llahu mujarrad.

--the remembrance:
There is no god but You, Glory be to You
I have been among the evil doers
(La Illaha illa Anta, Subhanika inni Kuntu
Minal Zalimeen.)
--the declaration
Allah is sufficient for us, and Most Excellent
as the Custodian! (3:173
(Hasbunallahu wa Ni ma Wakil)

The greater the frequency of these remembrances, the more often will the servant be relieved of misfortunes and afflictions, and the less frequently he repeats them, the less often will he be relieved of misfortunes and afflictions.

Nevertheless each one of you will derive benefit from these remembrances according to his capability. You must also make a frequent practice of humble entreaty and supplication to the One who possesses the perfection of Might and Majesty, for Allah is All Compassionate, Ever Loving in relation to His servants. If He is humbly implored by a humble supplication, by one who is encompassed by misfortunes and sorrows, and who stretches his hands towards Him, beseeching His favor and hoping for His generosity and His benefaction, He is too nobly generous and too tremendously Gracious to send him away disappointed, or to deprive him of His mercy.

Incompetent indeed is someone who is incapable even of humble entreaty and supplication, and as for someone who deprives himself of Allah, (Exalted is He) he has no bone-setter to mend him.

You must therefore pay visits to Allah's door, through the passage of the hours and the succession of the moments, for if someone makes a habit of that in the succession of his moments, he will be covered, by the mercy of Allah and His fragrant perfumes with that which annihilates his afflictions and his worries, and eases the weight of the burdens heaped upon him by his misfortunes, because Allah is Infinitely Rich and Nobly Generous, and on account of His Generosity, if He sees that a servant has made a habit of standing at His door, even for just a few moments, He cannot bear to abandon him to the misfortunes from which he has no way out.

You must keep this promise, and race in this arena, even for the very smallest fraction of the passage of the day and the night, in order to find facilitation in all matters and deliverance from many evils.

(From the Jawahir al Ma'ani, of Mawlana ash-Shaikh Sidi Ahmed at-Tijani)