General advice from Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) – Part 1

Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) wrote the following:

In the name of ALLAH, The Beneficient, The Merciful,

May the peace and the blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, his family and his Companions.

Here is some general advice addressed to all brothers, from the poor servant in Allah the Most High, Ahmed ibn Muhammad Tidjani el Hassani, may Allah grant him His gentleness and grace in the two abodes.

May Allah’s peace be upon you, as well as His mercy.

Know, may Allah have mercy on you, that mankind was created in this world only for the worship of Allah the Most High, the fulfillment of His commandments and the abandonment of His prohibitions. Certainly, the scrupulous accomplishment of the commandments of Allah the Most High and respect for His law are among the most essential duties and the greatest orientations towards Him. This is how it was decreed by the Divine Station and the Prophetic Law.

Indeed, Allah said – may He be glorified and exalted: “I have not created jinn and men except that they may worship Me.” (Sura 51 Dariyat, verse 56)

And He said – may He be glorified and exalted: “Have I not enjoined you, children of Adam, not to worship the Devil? For he is indeed an open enemy to you, [60] and [did I not urge you] to worship Me? That is a straight path. [61]” (Sura 36 Yasin, verses 60 and 61)

And He said – may He be glorified and exalted: “Surely, this community of yours is a unique community, and I am your Lord. So worship Me.” (Sura 21 The Prophets, verse 92)

And He said – may He be glorified and exalted: “And obey Allah and the Messenger, so that mercy may be shown on you” (Sura 3 The Family of Imran, verse 132).   

And He said – may He be glorified and exalted: “These are Allah’s orders. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him to the Gardens beneath which the streams flow, to dwell there forever. And this is the great success. [13] And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, and transgresses His commands, He will make him enter the Fire, to dwell therein forever. And he will have a degrading punishment. [14]” (Sura 4 The Women, verses 13 and 14) 

And any other verse that follows this incitement in this area.  

Next, the most essential of Allah’s commandments that we must preserve are the five prayers, with all their rules, requirements and duties, as detailed in the books of the Imams. What is necessary is the preservation of the known conditions and the perfection of the notorious obligations. As well as giving due weight to the correct posture, in bowing and prostration, as specified by the Prophet (may prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), in the hadith (khabar sahih), saying: “[…] Then you bow until you stand still quietly in your bow; then you straighten up; then you prostrate until you stand still quietly in your prostration; then you straighten up in your sitting position; then you prostrate until you stand still quietly in your prostration […]” Then he said to him (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him): “And act in the same way in the rest of your prayer. ” 

Take extreme care not to fall into the perdition into which people fall because of their inattention to perfecting their prayer. Indeed, they peck as the cock pecks the grain; and this invalidates it, as proven by the authentic words of the Prophet (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) about the man who did so, and to whom he said (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him): “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man prayed three times with the same attitude, i.e. haste in performing his bowing and prostration. Only on the fourth time did the Prophet (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) teach him the way of proceeding described above.

And surely the Prophet (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Pray as you have seen me pray. And yet, he (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) adopted an attitude of perfect tranquility in bowing and prostration. The reality of this peacefulness, in the Law, is defined by the fact of not being agitated and remaining motionless. Indeed, the person who bows or prostrates must then relax during each of these positions, for the time it takes to recite three formulas of glorification, recited distinctively, and no less than that.

This is the minimum required for this attitude of tranquility. As for the one who decreases in this measure, then he has corrupted his prayer. This is what his saying (khabar) refers to (may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) which states that when the author of this prayer finishes it, then an angel seizes it, rolls it up as one rolls up a person’s clothes and then strikes his face with it.

What the Law requires is that one should act for one’s prayer as one would for one’s sleep. Indeed, when he is overcome by sleep, he rushes into it and abandons all his other activities. Then he plunges quietly into his sleep, without being in a hurry and without wanting to end it or shorten it. This is the attitude of the person who performs his prayer. He must act towards it by weighing up all the weight of its execution, devoting himself to it totally, forsaking anything that might distract him. Then he performs it by fulfilling all the conditions mentioned.

As for the one who performs it with haste, without taking care to maintain a tranquil immobility during his bowing and prostration, according to the measure we have mentioned, then this prayer will not be accepted. This is what is referred to in the prophetic saying that the first thing that Allah will observe among the works of the servant is his prayer. If it is accepted, then all the other deeds will be taken into account; and if it is not accepted, then Allah will not consider any of his deeds.

Secondly, it is essential to perfect one’s state of ritual purification, that of the body, clothes and place. The servant must learn the rules relating to purification by washing his limbs perfectly for minor ablution, and the whole body for major ablution. Certainly, most people today neglect the washing of the limbs for purification, without seeking to perfect it; consequently, their prayer is invalid. This can be seen by observing them during the minor ablution. Surely, he who corrupts his purification has then corrupted his prayer. 

Similarly, anyone who does not perfect his stillness during his bowing and prostration, who does not perfect his upright posture after his straightening from the bow, or who does not perfect his sitting posture between the two prostrations, has invalidated his prayer. So take extreme care not to fall into that which invalidates prayer, for certainly prayer is for faith and the deeds of faith what the spirit is for the body; thus, if there is a spirit there is life in the body, but if the spirit disappears, then the life disappears.

Then, after the prayers, we must preserve the fulfillment of the fast in the month of Ramadan, completing all the conditions of the fast and taking care not to break our fast with illicit food, because this is a breach of religion. 

I recommend that you keep your five prayers in assembly, but on condition that the imam perfects his bowing and prostration as mentioned above; otherwise, it is not permitted to pray behind him. I also enjoin you to perfect your learning of the Fatiha el Kiteb, reciting it properly during the prayer as it was revealed, without alteration. And certainly, the Fatiha is for the prayer what the supporting pillar is for the house: if it falls, the house collapses, so take care of it.

You must take extreme care in paying the legal alms (zakat) of money. You must respect its regulation as well as the meeting of all its conditions, conforming to the rate defined in the detailed books of jurisprudence […]  

End of part one. To be continued…

Zawiya Tidjaniya El Kubra of Europe