Letter from Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani to all the brothers (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret)
In the Name of Allah. And peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah,
I advise you by the injunctions of Allah – may He be glorified and exalted – who says:
« […] And We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allah […] » (Surat 04 The Women, verse 131)
HE – may He be glorified and Exalted – said:
« He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided therein. Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite them […] » (Surat 42 The consultation, verse 13)
He – may He be glorified and Exalted – said:
« And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. […] » (Surat 3 Family of Imran, verse 103)
He – may He be glorified and Exalted – said:
« (2) […] And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out, (3) And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things. » (Surat 65 The Divorce, verses 2 and 3)
He – may He be glorified and Exalted – said:
« (4) […] and whosoever fears Allah, He will make his matter easy for him. (5) That is the command of Allah, which He has sent down to you; and whoever fears Allah – He will remove for him his misdeeds and make great for him his reward. » (Surat 65 The Divorce, verses 4 and 5).
Know that piety (taqwa) is difficult to attain because the bridle to grasp it is so far away that it discourages those who aspire to it. As a result, few succeed in acquiring and mastering it, with the exception of those endowed with particularity.
This is due to the fact that hearts and souls are imbued, in all things, with turning away from Allah and His commandments. They are therefore mired within the limits of human nature, from which they cannot hope to extricate themselves. Such is the situation of human beings in this day and age and everywhere, apart from rare cases that benefit from the preservation of Allah the Most High.
Thus, and for the reasons just mentioned, the sea of fears and troubles has become choppy, the sea of calamities and afflictions has overflowed and, inevitably, everyone comes to drown in it. Every time a person implores preservation and salvation from a misfortune, he finds himself surrounded by other calamities. This is what the following saying refers to: “There will come a time when people will endure wave after wave of oceans of afflictions and troubles. They will hardly be able to benefit from them, except through the intensity of supplication, like one who is about to drown.”
However, certain works, performed with consistency, enable safeguarding against what we have just mentioned, or at least attenuate the excess of its fires. These include abundantly asking for forgiveness and sending blessings upon the Prophet (salat ala Nabi) (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). There is also the invocation of the formula “There is no divinity but Allah.” Likewise, the invocation of His word (may He be glorified and exalted): “No divinity but You! Purity to You! I was truly among the unjust” (Sura 21 The Prophets, verse 87) and His words: “Allah is sufficient for us; He is our best guarantor” (Sura 3 The Family of Imran, verse 173). Thus, the servant will distance himself from these calamities, evils and impurities in proportion to the abundance of his invocations. The more he diminishes in this respect, the more he will be affected. However, it is up to each of you to perform these invocations to the best of your ability.
I enjoin you to implore and supplicate abundantly the One who is perfect in His glory and majesty. Surely, Allah is merciful and He loves His servants. Generous and bestower of grace, He cannot let the supplicant, who beseeches Him because of the misfortunes and afflictions that surround him, go back in vain, the same for the one who stretches out his hands to Him soliciting His blessings and hoping for His generosity and benevolence, just as He cannot let His mercy turn away from him. Certainly, the mediocre is he who is incapable of imploring and begging. Thus, with Allah, he ruins his own soul and cannot be redeemed.
Take time to stand before Allah’s door. Indeed, he who adopts this habit will be covered by Allah’s mercy and His breaths, which will dispel his misfortunes and distresses. He will find relief from hardships that have become too heavy to bear, because Allah – glorified and exalted – is rich and generous, and He would be ashamed, considering His generosity, to forsake those who regularly stand before His door, even for short moments, leaving them with no possibility of escaping misfortune, or imposing a peril from which it is impossible to escape.
So preserve this commitment and persevere, even a little, at certain times of the day and night. Thus, you will find ease in all your situations, and deliverance from many evils […].
Research and translation by Zawiya Tidjaniya El Kubra of Europe