History of Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Part 1

Biography of Maulana Sheikh Ahmed Tijani رصي الله عنه 

Via: Anatomy of Sufism TV 📺 

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•HIS CHILDHOOD:

In Ain Madhi, a small village located a few kilometers from Laghouat, in the Algerian desert, there was a humble traditional earthen dwelling. In this humble dwelling, lived a young wife who, in a corner of this house and with all the courage for which the women of this region are known, gave birth to a son that she named Ahmed. It is thus that in 1150 of the hegira (1737/38 ad) came into this world Seyyidina Ahmed Ibn Mohammed Ibn Mokhtar Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret).

This isolated place, far from the turmoil of the cities, had already been reputed for many years for its great scholars and their piety. The renowned Sheikh Abdallah ibn Mohammed El Iyachi (dead in 1090 of the hegira) who passed through the village, mentioned it in his book Rihlata. He also met Sidi Ahmed, the great-grandfather and namesake of Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) who he described in laudatory terms as “great scolar”.

Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani’s father (may ALLAH be pleased with him), Sidi Mohammed ibn Mokhtar, was a scrupulous, loved and respected scholar. Firmly grounded in the Sunna, he practiced evocation a great deal and taught in the field of exegeses and the Hadith. He appealed to the people and urged them to do good, for the Sake of ALLAH (The Glorified, The Exalted), inciting them to practice the Sunna, combatting all innovation, without fearing harm from others. Sometimes he received the visits of Spiritual entities (Rouhani) who offered to satisfy his needs. He refused their offer and turned away from them saying: “Just leave me with ALLAH. I wish for no other tie than his. I have no need of you.” And so they left him. He was strongly attached to ALLAH and had in his home a room dedicated to evocation. He was also from a lineage of numerous scholars and realized saints.

 

We could mention, for instance, the great great grandfather of Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH be pleased with him), Sidi Muhammad who was the first to settle in Ain Madhi where he married a woman from the tribe of Banou Toujine. He was also a great scholar who had in his home a room dedicated to spiritual retreat in which no other than him had the right to enter.

He used to veil his face when he left his house to go to the mosque and remained veiled until his return to his place of seclusion. When Seyyidina (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) was asked for the reason why he used to veil his face in front of the people, he answered: “This may be because he had attained a certain degree of sainthood. Indeed, the consequence of this degree of sainthood was that all those who looked at him would not be able to look away for even a moment and would risk dying. He held this particularity for twenty-three years, that is to say, the characteristics of those who had acquired seventy-two categories of mohammedian knowledge. It is for all these reasons that he voluntarily veiled his face.

 

Seyyidina Ahmed (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) was brought into the world by the pious and pure lady Aicha (may ALLAH be pleased with her), daughter of Sidi Mohamed Senoussi Tidjani Madaoui. Furthermore, it is from his mother's family that he gets his name. She was a pious and devoted woman with rare and precious qualities. She spent most of her days and nights evoking ALLAH and praying upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). She was a caring mother overflowing with love and mercy. She also had several other children, both girls and boys, who died at a young age. She accepted these ordeals with resignation and faith in the divine reward. So, of all her children, only a girl named Roqaya, then Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) and finally a boy named Muhammad but nicknamed Ibn Omar, because he was learned in the domain of knowledge and Quran, survived.

Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) was of sherifian descent, that is to say, his genealogy went back as far as the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), through Seyyidina Ali and Fatima (may ALLAH be pleased with them) via their son Hassan (may ALLAH be pleased with him). However he did not rely on hearsay or on what was inscribed on his genealogical certificate, until he had himself the opportunity to question the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during a vision in an awakened state. Indeed, he said (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret): "I questioned the Master of Existence concerning my ancestry: "was I a Sherif or not? Regarding the tribe of the town where I was born and who claimed to be of sherifian descent, what was the truth?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) answered: "Certainly you are my son, certainly you are my son, certainly you are my son", he repeated it three times and added: "Your ancestry, through Hassan, son of Ali is authentic.""

It is only following this confirmation that he introduced himself in his letters by the name of “Ahmed ibn Mohammed Tidjani el Hassani”. As for the inhabitants of his village, Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said nothing concerning them and did not confirm the authenticity of their ancestry.”

In fact, Seyidina (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) did not share his origins with them, because his ancestor had only settled among them incidentally. Consequently, their only genealogical link is through the women. So he was linked to them because his ancestor had settled in this village. His grandfather, Sidi Salim, hails from the tribe of Abda near the town of Safi, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

Thus, it is in this atmosphere of faith, knowledge and sainthood that Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) was born. Admittedly, he grew up in a humble home but it was the crucible for a family that was very attached to the Quran and the Sunnah. 

The education of the holy child was entrusted to the prominent and prestigious Muhammad Ibn Hamu Tidjani (d. in 1162 of the hegira) under whose guidance he memorized the whole Quran at the age of seven. He was a pious man who taught children. He received his education from Sheikh Sidi Issa Buakaz el Madaui Tidjani who was himself a pious men well known for his sainthood and who also taught children. He revealed that he had seen The Lord, the Most High, in a dream, reciting the Quran to him from beginning to end, in the Warsh version, then The Lord said: “This is the way it was revealed.”

Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) learned islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) according to the school of Imam Malick (may ALLAH be pleased with him). He studied different treatises such as Khalil, the Risalat, the Muqaddima by Ibn Ruchd and Lakhadari with the Knower of ALLAH, the scholar sidi Mabruk Buafiya Madaui Tidjani. Sidi Mabruk died in 1166 of the hegira.

 

From an early age, Seyyidina (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) distinguished himself by his intelligence and piety, as well as his virtues and his modesty. He was diligent in his studies and had surprising willpower. He finished everything he began and completed everything he started. No task, however difficult, frightened him and no obstacle could turn him away from his objective, until he had attained the pinnacle. His awareness and understanding were divine and far surpassed what could be acquired by apprenticeship and learning. During his lessons, he outdid all the other students in the complex issues of jurisprudence, without ever having read books nor heard anything on these subjects. People of his village and those from the surrounding desert as well as the scholars came to benefit from his knowledge. Although, he was only a young man, he taught and gave fatwa in various fields. The aura of his personality fascinated all who contemplated him and portended an extraordinary destiny.

One day when he was still a child, arriving home, Seyyidina (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) found a meal called “Lafet” made from salted and cooked turnips that his mother had made for him. But, with the exception of one particular variety, he did not like turnips so annoyed he went out. He met his neighbor Sidi Gurid (may ALLAH be pleased with him), a man of virtue who possessed Knowledge. After questioning him on the reason for his irritation, he invited him home for food. Entering his home, he said to his wife: “We have an important guest, please prepare “rfiss” which was a dish served on special occasions in Ain Madhi. She prepared it but was curious to know the identity of this mysterious important guest. She peeked discreetly to see this remarkable person, but she saw only the young neighbor, Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH be pleased with him). So, she exclaimed: “What! Your important guest is only Ahmed?! He answered: “Keep quiet! You have no idea of the magnitude of his destiny”.

On another occasion during his childhood, when he came out from the classroom, he saw a great light which appeared in front of him and reached as high as the sky. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) suddenly appeared in front of him and encouraged him, saying “Persevere because you are on the right path”.

He was so terrified that he ran to seek refuge in the house of his maternal aunt which was close by. She covered and comforted him while preparing bread for him. Her name was Jurkhum. Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) loved her intensely and considered her like a mother. Later, he revealed that she was a saint and that all the requests expressed on her tomb whether good or bad, were inevitably granted, to such an extent it became necessary to hide the location of her grave to the common people. Until this day this place is unknown in Ain Madhi.

Often, the young child used to dream of his own destiny. Indeed, he saw himself on a throne administering and commanding to a multitude of creatures. He (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) said: “When I was still a child, I saw a royal throne that seems to have been prepared for me and on which I sat. I had a huge army that I commended to meet requirements just like a king.”

In another dream, He saw the well beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) riding a horse in Ain Madhi and Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) was close behind him. He wished to request something of him, but he preferred to wait for the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to dismount to be more comfortable.  

 

When the well beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dismounted, He went into a field and started to pray. Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) wanted to join him and pray with him but he only joined him in the second cycle of the prayer (rakat). He understood through this dream that he would only achieve his goal during the second part of his life which was represented by the second rakat.

He (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) related another dream: « I appeared as a king and people pledged allegiance to me. An uncountable crowd was with me. They prepared a Caliph throne and a royal robe for me on a rooftop. When the time came for Dhohr prayer, I wanted to ordain someone to lead the prayer for us as was my habit in reality, then I thought and said to myself: “Khalif should be the one who leads the prayer.” I stepped forward and led the prayer until the end. When I told this to one of my beloved, I said to him: “I believe that ALLAH The Exalted wants the station of Pole for me.”

At the age of puberty, his father arranged his marriage and Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) continued to live in the family home with his parents that he cherished tenderly.

However, a tragic event would link Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani’s destiny (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) to that of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In 1166 of the hegira (1752/53), when he was only 16 years old, his mother and father died on the same day during a plague, leaving him orphaned. He was taken in by his maternal aunt. Despite the suffering of the separation, this ordeal did not affect his morale. He continued his studies in the village with even more determination. After a year of marriage he freed his wife from the bond of marriage. Indeed, he was so absorbed in his search for knowledge that he could not pay her the attention that he considered necessary. He believed that his priority was to attain the genuine fear of ALLAH in conformity with the words of ALLAH: “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear ALLAH.” (Quran S35, V28).