“THE OBLIGATION TO REFRAIN FROM UNVEILING THE
SECRETS”
{Letter #6:
From The Discourses of Shaykh Al-Islam Alhajj Ibrahim Niasse(RA)}
From: Kitaab Jawaahir ar-Rasaa’il (The Book of Essential
Letters)
Compiled by: Shaykh Ahmad Abu’l Fat’hi (Maiduguri,
Nigeria)
Interpreted from the Arabic by:
Muhammad Abdullahi al-Tijani al-Ibrahimi (Georgia,
Atlanta [USA])
Email: m.abdullahi@live.com
In
The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
May the peace
and blessings of Allah be upon our master Muhammad, the guide to the Straight
Path of Allah. All thanks and praise belongs to Allah, Who said in the Glorious
Qur‟an--the book which no falsehood can come to it from before it or after
it--and it is the Firm Rope of Allah and His Clear Guidance which He sent down
as a mercy to the entire creation, to the people of the past and to the
contemporaries: “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all
that is good, enjoining Al-Ma‟ruf and forbidding
Al-Munkar. It is they who are the successful ones.”(3:104); “There is no good in most of their secret talks except him who orders
Sadaqah, or Al-Ma‟ruf, or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the
good pleasure of Allah, We shall give him a great reward.”(4:114); “Why do not
the rabbis and the learned men forbid them from uttering sinful words and from
eating illegal things? Evil indeed is that which they have been
performing.”(5:63).
May the
peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah--the guide and the
rightly guided, who said: “I and the entire host of Prophets have spoken to
people according to their understanding.” and he said: “Speak to people
according to their understanding! Do you intend to make them disbelieve in
Allah and His Messenger?”
May Allah
be pleased with the Seal of the Saints, al-Khatm Ahmad al-Tijani(RA), who said:
“Whosoever speaks to people without permission (Idhn) will be driven away and
deprived!” We seek refuge in Allah from overstepping the boundaries of Allah or
from underestimating His inviolability.
After
this: From the poor, weak, and ignorant servant who is negligent in realizing
the honor, majesty and exalted Essence (of Allah)--Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Al-Hajj
Abdullahi al-Tijani--to all of my beloved Tijani brethren wherever they may be,
especially to those who have smelled the fragrant scent of the Realities (man
shama minhum ra‟ihatul haqiqa), with special reference to the people of “Taiba
Bittien”--may Allah protect it & its inhabitants--As-Salaamu Alaykum wa
Rahmatullah Ta‟ala wa Barakatuh!
I am
advising myself and all of you to have conscious awareness of Allah (Taqwa)--in
public and in private--and to occupy yourselves with Allah to the exclusion of
everything other than Him!
I am advising
all of you to preserve the obligations of the Sacred Law and to not neglect the
rights of the Lord. Most important among them is the five (5) daily Salat,
along with safeguarding all of its prerequisite conditions--such as performing
them on time and in congregation! Be careful to safeguard and maintain the
obligatory Awrad of the Tariqa Tijaniyya, especially the daily Wazifa--along
with its condition of performing it in Jama‟at, or
congregation! Whosoever performs it by himself, having the ability to join the
Jama‟at, or congregation, has not fulfilled the condition of its
performance. By this is a person known to be a Tijani. Whosoever does not act
in accordance with what we have said is not a Tijani! Whosoever is neglectful
in this has not smelled the fragrant scent of Sufism and being a Faqir!
I am
advising everyone who has smelled the fragrant scent of the special Tawhid
al-Khass to remain silent (& refrain from speaking of it to just anyone)
and to avoid the gatherings of the common folk--those who do not gather in
obedience to Allah Ta‟ala. I am especially warning you against speaking of Tawhid al-Khass
and its secrets in front of them. You should know that to unveil the secrets of
Lordship (al-Asrar ar-Rububiyya) to those who remain veiled (al-Mahjubin) is
more serious in the Presence of Allah than doing what is Haram! “Indeed in the
Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow, for him who hopes for
(the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.” (33:21).
You also
have a good example to follow in your Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani(RA) who used to
conceal the secrets, and who used to frequently recite a poem which says: “With
me, the secret is locked in a house whose key has been lost and whose doors are
shut! Do not give the secret except to one who has your full confidence, for to
most people the secret is not suitable!” He also used to say: “The unrestrained
breast is the graveyard of the secrets! (Sudur al-Ahrar Qubur al-Asrar). You
also have a good example to follow in the writer of this letter, the poor and despicable
servant of Allah, who has possessed this knowledge (of Tawhid al-Khass) for a
long time and you never heard any mention, or indication of it from me--which
would single me out among my neighbors or loved ones--until the command of
Allah Ta‟ala came to me!
I thank
and praise Allah for that, because we are the chiefs among the Malamatiyya and
our way is to conceal our spiritual station and our miraculous feats! The
Malamatiyya draw no special attention to themselves and each one is engaged in
his trade or work. They make no claim of laudable advantage over the common
folk, nor do they unveil their performance of miracles or their knowledge of
the unseen, as that is considered the menstruation of men!
We are
concerned with the unveiling of light, not the unveiling of darkness (al-Kashif
al-Nurani laa Zulmani). Our sign of miracles are to be found in our hearts and
not on the horizons, as we are the inheritors of Muhammad(SAWS) and the
Muhammadan inheritance are the miracles of the heart--which in the constant
increase of knowledge, spiritual states, and experiential “tasting” with the
passing of every breath! This is alluded to in the saying of the Most High, “We
shall show them Our Signs in the horizons and in their own selves, until it
becomes manifest to them that He is the Absolute Reality!”(41:53).
You
should know that I am free & clear of every spiritually enraptured person
(Majdhub) who does not continue to travel the path as a Salik! To speak to
people before permission is your apparent and clear destruction (Halak Mubin)
and it is the evidence of your false claim (to be spiritually illuminated). The
servant who has witnessed the Real and His Oneness does not speak about it
(without Idhn), nor does he point out his own annihilation. The spiritually
enraptured person who speaks (about his state without permission) does not gain
anything by way of increase, and I will not assist him in his disobedience of
Allah Ta‟ala.
The love
of appearance (Hubb az-Zuhur) will only prevent you from coming before the
people, and I am (only) the servant of the Divine Presence--alHamdulillah--and
no one can take anything away from me, nor do I have a need for any reward or
thanks from anyone! The reward I am seeking is that you become completely
devoted to Allah, for Allah, and by Allah, without ever turning aside to follow
your whims, fancies, and passions! Your speaking to others before receiving
permission is (only) your following foul passions and ego. “So turn in
repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves, that will be better for you
with your Creator.”(2:54).
I pray
that Allah gather all of our hearts in the perfection of His Gnosis and that He
guide and protect us all! Salaam.
Shaykh
Ibrahim ibn Al-Hajj Abdullahi al-Tijani Kossi, Senegal 1349H/1930
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