Protocol concerning the pious visit (Ziarat) to Sidi Ahmed Tidjani in Fes (Morocco)

The wonderful story of the blessed Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret)

The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) to build the blessed Zawiya and for that, he had to choose the best and purest place. Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) chose the place where the Zawiya is currently built.

In the past, the neighborhood was called Dardas and it is known today as the Blida neighborhood. He bought this place with his pure and lawful money. It was a ruin where there was a big fig tree and it is in this very place that Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) is buried.

This ruin was so frightening that no one could enter it alone. It has been reported, according to a reliable source, that at times voices could be heard, as if a group was making Dhikr and it was the place of visit of the Majadhib (those attracted by God).

Before its construction, the famous majdhoub Sidi Lahbi (may Allah be pleased with him) used to put his ear on the door and say to the passers-by: “Come to this place to listen to Dhikr.” When the Zawiya was built, this majdhoub said: “Fez was strengthened and especially Dardas.” It should be known that this blessed place has merits that place it above any other Zawiya.

Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), speaking about its merits, said: “If the great knowers knew the merit that this Zawiya contains, they would come to install their tents there.” Often, Seydina (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) mentioned the value of the Zawiya. Inciting people to come and pray there, he would say: “The prayer in the Zawiya is accepted without any doubt.”

Among the merits contained in the blessed Zawiya, it is necessary to know that at the beginning of the construction, Seydina (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) forbade the access, and then, accompanied by a handful of the elite of his companions, he engraved on a stone, the greatest of the Supreme Names and afterwards he wrote:

“O my God, I ask you, O my Master, by the truth of the greatest of your Supreme Names, that you protect my companions from Qaf to Qaf.” Then he ordered to bury this in the foundations of one of the pillars which is still called, today, the golden pillar.

Method for the pious visit of our revered and beloved master Seydina Ahmed Tidjani -(may Allah sanctify his precious secret)

On the photo, the poor one, in servitude to Allah, Mohamed El Mansour El Mohiedine Tidjani (may Allah preserve him) in the Zawiya of Fes near the tomb of Sheikh Tidjani, (may Allah sanctify his precious secret)

Each disciple must know the rules relating to the mosque (Zawiya) and the rules relating to the behaviour during a pious visit. Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) said: “Good behaviour (Adeb) is the spirit of the Tariqa. “

It is on the basis of this apparent and hidden Adeb that one of his new disciples was educated from the very first time. A disciple who will count among the elite of his companions. His name is Sidi Hajj Abderahman Berada (may Allah be pleased with him).

This obese person found it difficult to bend his legs during his sitting. Also, during his first sitting with Seydina (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), after having taken the Tariqa, he stretched out a leg because of his corpulence. Seydina (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) educated him by saying to him: “Discipline yourself, oh my disciple.” Sidi Hajj Abderahman Berada (may Allah be pleased with him) answered: “My master, in truth, I am ashamed, because I cannot sit properly, as you can see, so I ask you to forgive me.” But Seydina (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) added: “One must discipline oneself in the presence of the Shuyukhs, because even if I forgive you, the station does not forgive the one who disrespects it.” Since that day, Sidi Hajj Abderahman Berada (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the strict discipline that is appropriate in the presence of great Shuyukhs, despite the inconvenience that he suffered, and then became holder of the Knowledge of Allah.

This is what is taught by the poor one, in servitude to ALLAH, Mohamed El Mansour El Mohiedine Tidjani (may Allah preserve him). The preparation for this pious visit to Fez is actually from a teaching of our beloved master Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret).

It is advised, when presenting oneself before our venerated master Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), to have, at that moment a pure intention; a pure intention to walk on a pure path and so not to have any covetousness towards our beloved master Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret). This must be done for the sake of God and his Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).  Indeed, the term “pious” in relation to this visit necessarily implies that it is done sincerely for Allah and His beloved Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only. Indeed, this is not a tourist monument.

Think of these words of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):

“Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended. Whoever migrates with an intention for Allah and His messenger, the migration will be for the sake of Allah and his Messenger. And whoever migrates for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his migration will be for the sake of whatever he migrated for.”

The visit is really for Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) only in the case of the first intention mentioned in this hadith, whereas for the other cases, the visit is not for him. Therefore, the only intention that the disciple should have is the one mentioned first. Think about this, if you are intelligent and have understanding.

On this subject, our most holy and revered master Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), in his very subtle and beautiful words, wanted to direct the hearts only towards the Unique God by saying: “He who loves me for the love of Allah and his Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is blessed, but as for the one who loves me for another reason, I am only a simple mortal.”

Imam Nadhifi (may Allah be pleased with him) said in a poem:

“Purify your intention regarding the beloved Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret). Pitch your tent in front of his door, your security is then assured. He is the intermediary of immense value. Through him is the healing of souls and bodies. Do not leave him, follow him well and beware of weariness. Thus you will find healing and your health will be restored.” He also said in the same poem: “Repent of your sins before God, of forgetfulness and carelessness towards His beloved Seal of Holiness in order to keep your esteem with The Truth.”

It is a prophetic tradition to perform two Rakat (cycle of prayer) to greet this pure and blessed Mosque (Zawiya), according to the time, if it is allowed to pray.

Sheikh Mohamed El Mansour El Mohiedine Tidjani (may Allah preserve him) advises, from his own experience and from a teaching of our beloved master Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) to turn towards God in order to repent, for a better profit in the direct relation with the purity of the spirit of our most venerated and beloved master Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret).

When entering this supreme blessed Zawiya, it is necessary to abandon all titles and positions and enter into it with all humility. In this place, there is no more Muqadem or representative. in this blessed place, Shaikh Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) is the only recognized representation; he is the Khalifa of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Everyone is considered a disciple, that’s why Sheikh Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) said about his position: “He who knows me, must know me alone.” These words were said to enlighten the Tidjani disciples. He is the only one who has reached this unique and privileged station, and this station cannot be shared with anyone else. Our beloved Master Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) serves as a blessed and unavoidable intermediary to direct hearts towards Allah.

How can we understand that the blessing comes from Allah, but that we must orient ourselves through Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) and the most holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is necessary to know that when ALLAH wants to send down His Help and His Blessings, he does it according to a conduit instituted by his Wisdom. That is to say that it descends on the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then on our beloved master Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), and from our beloved master Sidi Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) it descends on his closest disciples with the most truthful love. The one who recognizes this conduit, he recognizes the Wisdom instituted by ALLAH and draws the ‘blessing’ from it and the one who does not recognize this conduit denies the Wisdom instituted by ALLAH and cannot benefit from the ‘blessing’. But all in all, in reality everything comes only from ALLAH. Besides his universal irrigation, which is well known among the Tidjani and among certain categories of people, there is a particular irrigation by which the closest disciples with the most truthful love are touched. This subject has its secret which is too vast and too subtle to be revealed.

One should respectfully greet the noble descendants of our beloved master (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), if they are present; this is part of spiritual politeness. This is in order to solicit their benevolence, blessing and authorization for the pious visit in order to draw the maximum blessing, favor and grace, before putting oneself in the presence of the pure spirit of the hidden and sealed intermediary Pole, our most honorable and beloved master Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret).

Among the fundamental spiritual decorum that one has to adopt during his lifetime, and that one must always respect today in his presence, is that it is not appropriate in the presence of our beloved Sheikh (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) to have any intentions other than directing to God, such as worldly interests or covetousness of the hereafter. (CF The path by the most right way in the Tariqa Tidjaniya – Part 1)

It is enough as an eloquent example, the story that occurred between the beloved master and one of his most valorous companions, the one of whom the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself told Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) the particular merit by saying to him: “He is for you, in the rank of Abu Bakr for me”, the one whom our beloved master personally designated as his “Khalifa”, the one who served as an honorable intermediary between him and the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): we want to speak about Sidi Hajj ‘Ali Harazim (may Allah be pleased with him).

One day Ali Harazim (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to complain about his bad state to the beloved Sheikh Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret), so he went to see him.

The beloved Sheikh Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) told him:

“Do not say anything for the moment, but only execute what I order you to do”, he then beckoned him to join him by sitting in his noble, blessed presence.

It is necessary to know that the beloved master (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) knows the deepest secrets that are hidden in the hearts well.

When Ali Harazim (may ALLAH be pleased with him) found peace of mind, he asked him: “O my master, what is more preferable: meritorious deeds, zikr, or something other than that, or sitting in the presence of the masters (the chosen ones of Allah)? “

He said to me (may Allah sanctify his precious secret): “Sitting in the presence of the masters (the chosen ones of Allah) is preferable; nothing is equal to it.  Sitting in the presence of the chosen ones of ALLAH is preferable to this world and what it contains, according to what has been reported: “Sitting in the presence of a chosen one of ALLAH even the time it would take to milk a sheep.”

It is necessary to meditate on the way in which the beloved master (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) educated this valiant Khalif Ali Harazim (may ALLAH be pleased with him) about the good spiritual conduct, the one that one must have in front of his noble presence as well as in front of the chosen ones of ALLAH because of their respective degrees.

Here again is the teaching of the good spiritual conduct that the Tidjani disciple must have in front of the presence of the Majestic seal of the Mohammadian sanctity (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) during the pious visit to the Zawiya of Fez.

Sidi Al ‘Arbi ibn Sa-ih (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “Mohammad ibn Razi told me: “One day I felt a problem among the problems related to the affairs of this world. I was then seized with anguish and immense discomfort which awakened in me the painful and sad truth of the narrow situation of my poor life. I then resolved to go and complain to my Master Sidi Ahmad Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret). When I arrived, I went to present myself to him. At this precise moment, my heart wanted to complain about the matter that affected me, however at that very same moment the honorable Master Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) began to tell marvelous and dazzling stories concerning this world and that of the hereafter, until saying with exactitude the problem and the intention for which I had come to see him.  He thus revealed the secret that was hidden in the depths of my being. Then he turned his noble radiant face towards me, and he addressed me with subtle words, full of knowledge and wisdom, and he said to me: “He who knows us, must know us for God (ALLAH) and not for any covetousness, and know with certainty that no master has the power to repel the Fate and the Decree of God (ALLAH).” These blessed words were so fresh that my heart was soothed, and then I found peace and serenity, I left him and went out.  From that moment on, ALLAH opened doors for me that I could never have imagined or even suspected had existed.”

Among the specific teachings of our beloved master (may Allah sanctify his precious secret) on the orientation that the disciple should have towards Allah, he used to like to say, “Allah’s choice for his servant is much better than the choice the servant would have made for himself or for others.” Know that the best request we can make of Allah is what He requires of us.

If all these mentioned conditions are fulfilled, with a selfless heart and a truthful love, we guarantee you with firm conviction that you will be able to take the maximum advantage of this pious visit through the blessing, and be touched by the blessed and particular irrigation of our very dear and beloved Seydina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret).

The Tidjani disciple, whoever he may be, must not rely on the act itself, but on the acceptance of this act.

Formula to recite

The following formula, well known by the common people, comes from “Kashf El Hijab” written by Imam Sukeirj (may ALLAH be pleased with him):

1. Face the tomb and recite the following 7 times :

« Attahiyêtou lillêh wa zakiyatou lillêh wa taïbatou salawatou lillêh, Assalamou alaïka ayyouha nabi wa rahmatoullah »

Then the 8th time, recite the entire formula, up to « … wa barakatouh Assalamou ‘alaïna wa ‘ala ‘ibada llahou salihin, Ash-hadou an lê ilêha ila llah wahdahou lê sharika llah wa ash-hadou anna Mouhammadan ‘abdouhou wa rassoulouhou. »

2. Then say :

« Assalêmou ‘alaïka ya khalifatou-llah, Assalêmou ‘alaïka ya khalifatou rassouloullah, Assalêmou ‘alaïka ya ayyouhal qoutboul maktoum, Assalêmou ‘alaïka ya Seïdina wa Sheïkhina wa Maoulana Ahmed Tijani. »

Translation: Peace be upon you oh Caliph of Allah, peace be upon you oh caliph of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon you Oh hidden pole, peace be upon you oh Our Excellence, and most Precious Master Ahmed Tidjani.

3. Recite: Fatiha El Kitab 4 times and then Salat el Fatihi 11 times (or more, according to each person’s capacities) offering the reward to Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah sanctify his precious secret).

4: Then say: “« Allahouma bi haqqi ‘ibadika aladhina idha nadarta ilaïhim sakana ghadabouka wa bi haqqil hafina min haoulil ‘arsh wa bi haqqi Seïdina Mouhammedin wa bi haqqi Seïdina wa sheïkhina wa maoulana Ahmed Tijani if’al li… (make your request)”

Translation : « Oh Lord, by the right of your slaves who, when you look upon them, your anger ceases, and by the right of those who surround the Throne and the by the right of our Excellence Muhammad and by the right of our Excellence, our Sheikh and Master Ahmed Tidjani, I request of you…(make your request) »

Research, translation and summary by the Zawiya Tidjaniya El Kubra