The role of the Sheikh and following him
Know my child, may ALLAH (swt) lead you on the path of submission and realization. May He guide you, including us, on the path of success, and may He steer you on the path of his beloved. I beseech ALLAH (swt) to prolong your life in true servitude to Him, for the sole aim of worshipping Him, for His sublime countenance and His satisfaction, because He is the Magnificent.
I wish to shed the light of the torch of truth upon you, so that you may know that when you progress on the Sufi path, there are reliable supports all the way up to the Prophet Muhammad (May the prayers and the peace of ALLAH be upon him). First and foremost, you should know that we cannot travel this path – above all if we aspire to true realization – without beforehand steadfastly and entirely obeying and submitting to “the gateway”: a realized Sheikh (Muhaqiq), a spiritual guide (Murshid) who brings together the exoteric Law (Sharia) and the spiritual path (El Haqiqa), for the spiritual way is perilous and the slightest divergence from the indicated path leads to the utmost deviation from the intended aim.
Abu Al Hassan Al Sustari (may ALLAH be satisfied with him) expressed himself thus: “He (that is to say the aspirant) cannot dispense with confiding his case to someone who will ordain good, and forbid evil and who will watch over him, because the path is dangerous: few are the travelers and numerous are the hindrances. The traveler often thinks that he is in the middle of the roadway whereas he is already turning his back on his target. He would only need to stray one fingers’ distance away to deviate from the path and get lost.
In truth, the path is narrow for he who follows a soul permeated with bestial and immoral habits. The demon of this path is perfectly aware of its stations and steps.
The author of Awarif Sheikh ‘Omar Al Suhrawardi (may ALLAH be pleased with him) said “The overall objective is companionship (Suhba). If the aspirant has found the companionship of a Sheikh, it can be expected that he will achieve excellence.”
The following words of Abou Yazid (may ALLAH be pleased with him) are related: “For he who has no master, the master is Satan.”
Al Daqqaq (may ALLAH be pleased with him) said: “The tree which grows wild, without having been planted, bears leaves but no fruit. If it does bear fruit, they are not like those of the trees which have been cultivated.”
Abou ‘Amr Al Zaggagi, disciple of Junayd (may ALLAH be pleased with him) said: “Nothing will come from a man who has no master, even if he has received visions of the invisible”.
Concerning His servants, Ibrahim Ibn Shayban (may ALLAH be pleased with him), who, according to some Shouyoukh, was a master in his time, said that ALLAH is Omniscient: “Even if a man has gathered all knowledge and attended all the circles, he will only achieve spiritual maturity if he follows the discipline of a Sheikh or a mentor who provides reliable advice. We should not entrust self-reformation (Tashih Al Mou’amalatte) to any person who has not been trained by a master and censor who has shown him the mistakes of his behavior and the defects of his soul.”
Sheikh Abû El Abbas Al Mursi (may ALLAH be pleased with him) said: “He who has not had a Sheikh on the Sufi path will not be able to bring happiness to others (to his fellow men), even if he is endowed with great intelligence and a devout soul. Such a man, content with what a Sheikh of learning (Sheikh Al Ta’lim) teaches him, will not attain the level of perfection of he who relies on a mentor (educator) (Sheikh Al Murabi). Indeed, the soul is shrouded in thick veils and heavily inclined to associate delusional realities with ALLAH. As such, it remains inevitably ingrained with trivialities (Mu’ûnat). This state can only be totally eradicated if we rely on a Sheikh and place ourselves under his spiritual authority and influence. It is even thus for those for whom ALLAH has set aside special favors, those that he has seized and drawn into His Presence; people like this do not reach the role of spiritual guide (Machyiakha) despite their achievements.
As it is written in the Lata-if al minan : “Whoever has no master to link him to the chain of disciples and to remove the veil that shrouds his heart is, in this respect, like an illegitimate child deprived of a father, a misbegotten child deprived of his lineage. If he is given a light, he is completely overwhelmed by the power of the spiritual state (hal) and the only thing that matters to him is to dwell in the divine inspiration: neither education nor instruction has been given to him and he is not guided by the bridle of training and discipline.”
Sheikh Al Buzidi (May ALLAH be pleased with him) said: « He who does not have great men (al fuhul) as companions remains mired in delusion.”
Thus by the grace of the Magnificent and the worthiness of the Prophet Muhammad (may the prayer and the blessings be upon him), ALLAH has orientated me and lead me onto the path of the elected amongst prophets (may the prayer and the blessings be upon him) and the chosen of the knowers of ALLAH (arifine) and the shouyoukh, the seal of the saints, the barzakh, el kibrite el ahmar, the lord of the initiates, the imam of the truthful, the purveyor of fluxes of the poles, the hidden pole, the sealed barzakh, the barzakh of the barzakh, the khatim of el maqamat, he surpasses all the degrees of sainthood, he is unique at this stage. Only the prophets and our very holy prophet Mohammed (may prayers and blessings be upon him) and the meritorious companions of the very holy Prophet Mohammed (may the prayer and the blessings be upon him) are above him, the perfect Sheikh, the student, the direct disciple of the Prophet (may the prayer and the blessings be upon him) with no intermediary and possessing authentic vision, that is to say Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret). He said: “All the paths are encompassed in the path of Imam Shadili (may ALLAH be pleased with him) except our path because it has an intrinsic characteristic in that it is Mohammediya, Ibrahimiya, and Hanifiya. The Prophet (May the prayer and the blessings be upon him) has directly conveyed it to us saying to me that I am the only one who can clarify it. He (May the prayer and the blessings be upon him) has educated and guided me until I reach my goal, praise and thanks to ALLAH.”
The Prophet (may the prayer and the blessings be upon him) said: “If you wish, by He who holds the soul of Mohammed in his hands, , I can testify that ALLAH’s most beloved servants are the ones who urge ALLAH’s servants to love Him and who move in selfless exhortation (al nassiha). These words define the role of the Sheikh precisely, which is to breathe the real love of ALLAH into the disciple and render them deserving of the love of ALLAH. Indeed, the Sheikh guides the disciple (murid) on the path of emulation of ALLAH’s Emissary (peace and blessings be upon him) and whoever follows in the Prophet’s footsteps (peace and blessings be upon him) with meticulousness and exactitude is loved by ALLAH.
“If you really love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Coran Sourat 3, verse 31)
Here this verse accurately defines the word “follow” as indicating, with exactitude, the love of ALLAH. Thus, in one of his sublime utterances, the very holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reminds us: “You will only be a true believer when your passions are in accordance with mine”, whereas we know precisely that the Prophet’s desires (peace and blessings be upon him) are none other than the Knowledge in the love of the divine essence.
The true Sheikh is he who impels ALLAH’s servants to love Him; it is he that leads the disciple on the path of purification (Tazkia). Now, we know that when the soul is purified, the mirror of the heart becomes enlightened and the lights of the Divine Magnificence are reflected in it, the beauties of the Oneness (Ajmal Al Tawhid) appear in it and the eyes of clairvoyance are drawn towards the luminous vision of The Eternal Perfection. Then the servant knows his Lord and loves Him irrefutably. Such are the fruits of purification. ALLAH The Most High says: “He has succeeded who purifies it (the soul)” (Coran Sourat 91, verse 9) and the soul’s bliss is to reach Gnosis (Ma’rifat ALLAH).
Youssouf el Fasi, from whom the previous passage was borrowed, adds: “Regarding the Shouyoukh, given that they are on the right path due to Divine grace and favor, they are worthy of being emulated and taken as an example by the devotees.”
Speaking on behalf of his Lord, the Prophet said: « If what most preoccupies my servant is to devote himself to Me, I will make that invocation his aspiration and delight, and when I have made his aspiration and delight arise through invoking Me, he will desire me ardently and I will desire him ardently and I will lift the veil on that which is between Me and him, he will not be inattentive whereas others will be. The words of such people are the words of Prophets, those are the true heroes. When I want to punish or chastise the inhabitants of the world, the remembrance of such people causes Me to relinquish the chastisement.”
According to Sheikh Zarruq (may ALLAH pleased with him): “The Sheikh must meet four conditions: “accurate knowledge (‘Ilm), an experience with authentic taste (Dhawq), an exalted aspiration (Himma), and a situation (Hala) that is satisfying to ALLAH.”
What we mean by knowledge is the amount of exoteric science that the Sheikh is required to hold without needing to know the ramifications (furu’), as well as esoteric science, of which he should have a deeper knowledge, because it will help him to lead his disciples through experience, that is to say that which the Sheikh has acquired through the path of spiritual heritage (wiratha) and education (tarbiya), and not through textbook transmission. The “elevated aspiration” is not to tie oneself to the world. As for the situation (hala) that is satisfactory to ALLAH, this means uprightness (istiqima), both in outside behavior and inward thoughts: it is identical to the situation in which ALLAH’s messenger found himself (peace and blessings be upon him).
There are four conditions to which the disciple has to comply: proper purpose (qasd), genuine sincerity (Sidq), an approved sense of propriety and a pure spiritual state (ahwal). Propriety towards the Sheikh includes eight obligations of which four are outer and four are inner.
From the outer point of view, the disciple must (outer adeb):
1. Obey the orders of the Sheikh, even if the order may seem to be senseless or incomprehensible. Here we could mention the example of Zanoun, great companion of Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH be pleased with him).
Sidi Zanoun, before entering the Tariqa, was a highway bandit notorious for his misdeeds. One day, an official of Sheikh Ahmed Tijani’s Zaouiya (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) passed away. The disciples conferred and went to find Seyyidina Sheikh in order to request him to designate (nominate) a new muqaddem. To their great surprise, he said to them: “I appoint Zanoun as Muqaddem to you.”
Astonished, they left and went to meet the famous outlaw, who they found in the company of a gang of thugs. They said to him: “Our Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani has nominated you in charge of our Zaouiya. At the simple uttering of these words, Zanoun was overwhelmed by an immense spiritual state (hal) and began to cry. At that very moment, through the intention and spiritual power of Seyydina Sheikh (may ALLAH be pleased with him), he received the spiritual opening.
The disciple must also avoid what the Sheikh forbids, even if the forbidden thing appears to him to be good. A mistake made by the Sheikh is more beneficial to the disciple than his own opinion, even if he thinks he is right. The Sheikh prevails over fathers and mothers because that which he ordains or forbids is for the purpose of eternal spirituality, whereas parents’ directives are concerned with perishable human nature. The spiritual father takes precedence over the physical father: he sees with the eye of clairvoyance (basira) and not, as do the parents, with the physical eye (basar). Al Bilali has spoken on this in Ihtisar Al Ihya.
2. He owes his Sheikh signs of respect and veneration. In his presence, he should neither raise his voice nor speak before his Sheikh has spoken to him and even then he should not speak more than necessary, nor laugh, because laughing in the presence of the Sheikh is improper. He should be content with smiling, he should sit in front of him as we sit in the final position of Salat, or cross-legged with the hands resting on the knees. He should not spread his cloth or the mat on which he is sitting towards the Sheikh. He should not look elsewhere when the Sheikh is pronouncing an exhortation. He should concentrate all his attention on him. In short, he should be like the man who is sitting by the side of the sea waiting for the sustenance that ALLAH dispenses.
On this subject, what happened to Sidi Abdelrahman Berada (may ALLAH be pleased with him), companion of Sidi Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) may be given as an example: “He was obese to such an extent that he could not cross his legs when he was sitting. On the occasion of his first sitting with Seyyidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) after having taken Tariqa, due to his obesity he stretched out one leg. So Seyyidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) said to him: “Discipline yourself, my poor thing.” He replied: “O my Master, in truth, I am ashamed because as you see I cannot manage to sit suitably, so I beg your forgiveness. Seyyidina (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) said: “we have to be disciplined in the presence of the Shouyoukh because even if I forgive you, the station does not pardon whosoever shows it a lack of respect.” Since that day, he followed the discipline scrupulously.
He should entrust all his affairs to the Sheikh and undertake nothing important without having obtained his authorization, unless it is a question of obligation or necessity. Given that he has relinquished his own free will (tadbir) to the Sheikh, he will be able to surrender it to ALLAH when the Sheikh brings him close to ALLAH. This propriety is a training which prepares the disciple to receive the Divine Presence (Hadrat el Iliayah), for the entire mystical path is respect for properness (Al Tariq Kulluha Adab). Sheikh Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) said that adab is the spirit, the quintessence of the Tariqa. He who breaches propriety with regards to the friends of ALLAH is sent back to the gateway and he who lacks properness to the gateway is sent back to company of beasts.
4. He should stay close to the Sheikh and sit in his presence in order to be guided, except if the Sheikh ordains him to go elsewhere. A close contact (mouwassala) with the Sheikh is indispensable, because the help brought by the master is comparable to the water which flows from the cups of a water wheel, or an irrigation canal. The longer it lasts, the more water will flow. But if, through negligence, we turn away from the master, our water would become scarce and ultimately dry up. We can only reach the highest station by drinking of the beneficial spring of the Sheikh. We drink in proportion to our sincerity, we are sincere to the extent that we love, and the sign that we love is that we follow and revere our master.
From the inner point of view (interior adab):
1. The first approach is the love (mahaba) and the reverence (haiba) that one feels towards the Sheikh. To the same extent that the disciple is extinguished in the Sheikh, he is extinguished in the true God. The more the disciple sees the virtues, the most beautiful qualities and rectitude (Istiqama) of his Master, the greater will be his love for him.
2. The disciple should not go against his master internally, because this kind of opposition is even worse than external opposition. It is said that he who questions his Sheikh will not attain happiness. Take for example what happened between Al Khidr and Moussa (peace be upon them), because this is the foundation of the Sufi path.
The author of Ayniyya refers to this in the following verses: “If destiny favors you and providence leads you to a Sheikh who has an authentic knowledge of reality, seek always to satisfy him, comply with his will and forsake everything that previously preoccupied you. Be with him like a corpse in the hands of the washer who turns it over as he sees fit and finds it docile. Do not oppose an instruction that you do not understand, because opposition is already a conflict. Trust him for each and every thing that you see, even if it seems unusual: there are traps that must be avoided. The story of the noble Khidr contains adequate teaching: it is up to you, my children, to refer to it and to meditate, in view of complete success.”
3. The disciple must be convinced of the Sheikh’s perfection since he brings together esoteric truth (haqiqa) and exoteric law (shari’a) and that he possesses perfect rectitude, as has been stated above. It is not necessary for the Sheikh to be infallible (‘Isma).
Junayd was asked (may ALLAH be pleased with him): “Can the gnostic commit fornication?” He replied: “And the Command of Allah is a decree determined.” (Coran S33 v38)
Certainly, the saint (wali) can commit one or more faults, but does not persevere.
Moreover, we should seek the spiritual sense of the Sheikh’s actions, because the purpose is often to test the disciple. Because of this misunderstanding, some have been rejected from the path whereas others have succeeded. Hold firm o my son, o my preoccupation, and beware of judging.
One day, Sidi Ali said to his disciple: « As for you, cover your ears, close your eyes, clench your teeth, tighten your fist, otherwise I will fly away and forsake you!”
4. The disciple must not want to meet any other than his master or want to change master. On this topic, we can refer to the story of Sidi Tayeb Sefiani (may ALLAH be pleased with him).
One day, when he went to the blessed zaouiya of Fez to perform one of the five prayers, he met a friend of his, hailing from the Wazan region. He talked with him at length when Sidi Mussa ibn Ma’zouz (may ALLAH be pleased with him) passed by. He powerfully caught Sidi Tayeb’s hand (may ALLAH be pleased with him) and said to him: “You missed the prayer with Seyyidina (may ALLAH be pleased with him)!” He took him to the Zawiya and found Seyyidina Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) praying. When the prayer was over Seyyidina said to him: “Forget the people of Wazan, they bring you nothing but harm. Then he repeated it. What Seyyidina (may ALLAH be satisfied with him) meant by this exhortation is that you must not meet another Sheikh among the Shouyoukh without permission, nor forsake the Sheikh for another one, because it leads to loss.
We consider that such a desire is the ugliest and most improper thing to eat away at the will from the germ. In order for the precept “Stand firm and you will believe!” to be realized by the disciple, the primary condition is that the seed should be able to germinate.
If a man feels contempt towards his master but remains in his company, this disdain will only increase and he will turn away from him more and more with every passing day. Al Fasi said in his Sharh Al Rai’yya: “Such an attitude is ungrateful with regards to the blessings received and can only end in total ruin (May ALLAH protect us from that).” One Sheikh said: “he who drinks at the fountain should not leave it.”
One day, one of Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani’s (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) companions was reading a book by Cha’rani, and felt such admiration for him that he almost put an end to the relationship between himself and his Sheikh. He did not realize this until the moment when Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret) appeared miraculously beside him saying: “What’s going on, are you Cha’rani or Tidjani?” He answered him: “My Master, I turn to ALLAH into repentance”.
In this regard, Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may ALLAH sanctify his precious secret), clarified: “Know that there are four things that cause the exclusion of the disciple from his Sheikh’s presence:
A. The first one is seeking worldly goods.
B. The second is opposition from the heart and by speech.
C. The third is the disciple’s distaste with regards to the human weaknesses of the Sheikh that are in contradiction with the Knowledge.
D. The fourth is the permanent loss of the sacred character of the Sheikh in the heart of the disciple.
A. Concerning the search for personal interests, whether worldly goods or assets of the hereafter, we should be aware that the Sheikh’s company should be sought after for ALLAH alone and not for anything else. This has two conditions:
-The first condition is that the disciple allies himself with the Sheikh for ALLAH, saying to himself: « He is ALLAH’s ally and so I should become his ally.” The secret of this is to be found in the words of God as relayed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “I will declare war on he who harms one of my allies (wali)”. This means: “He who becomes the ally of my ally, as he is my protege (wali), I will chose him and also make him one of my wali.” This is the great secret which draws the disciple into ALLAH’s presence.
-The second condition is that the disciple should be aware that the Sheikh is the servant of the Presence (hadrat) and that consequently he knows the necessary propriety before the Presence and the different kinds of greed and intentions that corrupt this. So, if the disciple is aware of this, he will go with his Sheikh in order that he guides him all the way to ALLAH and towards all that will enable him to draw near to Him.
The disciple should frequent his Sheikh in accordance with these two conditions only and not for any other reason. He who has any other reason has already lost both this world and the hereafter. ALLAH is not worshipped for any particular reason other than because He is God, who is worthy of his divine character and worthy of adoration because of His essence, His elevated and praiseworthy qualities, and His glorious names. Noble adoration is to be found in this way.
Similarly, we should not keep company with the Sheikh with a view to material benefits, but in order that, through his alliance with him, the disciple may be attracted to sainthood, and that he may know, through him, the adequate and approved propriety as well as all that could pose problem in the Divine Presence.
Shouyoukh are ordained to scold their disciples and punish them for following their passions, even just a little, for at the very moment the disciple follows his passions, he is without any doubt unfaithful to ALLAH (kafir billah) because he has disobeyed ALLAH’s command and diverged from Him. In truth, he worships one other than ALLAH and he has nothing whatsoever to do with ALLAH. If ever he pronounces: “There is no god but ALLAH”, the word of Truth replies: “You have lied, for you are idolater”. On this subject, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) revealed, in the sense of his words: “In the entire celestial sphere, other than ALLAH, there is no divinity more worshiped than a passion pursued.
If the disciple knows all this, then he should not resent his Sheikh nor give free reign to his anger when his wishes, such as desiring for material goods, are not satisfied.
Thus, the Sheikh knows what is in the best interest of his disciple and what is not, whereas the disciple is unaware of that.
Therefore if the disciple asks any favor of him and the Sheikh does not grant it, then he should know that it has been forbidden in his own interest, in order to push away from him that which would have corrupted him. If, because of this, he turns away from his Sheikh, then he is rejected from the Divine Presence, and finds himself separated from his Sheikh. Moreover, if, in addition to turning away, the disciple becomes angry with him, then he has brought about a total rupture which does not make any allowance for any return.
B. As for the opposition through the heart and by the word, this is the sharp sword that cuts the rope between the Sheikh and the disciple.
He must not criticize the Sheikh’s actions when it does not conform to his own understanding of apparent and hidden knowledge.
He should know that there are subtleties between the Sheikh and his Lord of which he is unaware, whereas the Sheikh is following the path of these subtleties; therefore, although perhaps from the outside he seems to contradict the law, in reality, he has not turned away from it, even if others are unaware of this.
C. As for the disciples’ reticence when confronted with the Sheikh’s manifestations of human weakness, this is because the disciple does not know ALLAH and all the behavioral stations. Indeed, ALLAH manifests through theophanies at each degree of his creatures’ degrees according to an order and a modality which is different in each degree. However these theophanies sometimes have the aspect of perfection, due to Divine wisdom, and at other times that of imperfection.
We cannot avoid or deviate from their imperfect aspect the theophanies that derive from Divine wisdom, because this is the result of divine will, and it is impossible to deflect) anything whatsoever that is linked to this will.
Every knower has necessarily his human weaknesses, then due to subtitles between him and ALLAH, this imperfection is merged with the image of perfection, but sometimes it is clearly perceived by the disciple to be imperfection. This perception of weakness is in reality the prevailing realization of Divine Will, such that it is impossible to escape it. If, therefore, the disciple notices that the human nature of his Sheikh has an imperfect quality either regarding the Law or by apparently imperfect behavior, he should take into account all that we have explained heretofore. The disciple should know that this conduct does not in any way drive the Sheikh away from the Presence of his Lord and does not hinder him in his station of proximity, nor depreciate the perfection of his adeb. If the disciple knows this, he has no justification for rejecting his Sheikh for having manifested human weaknesses. But every disciple in search of a degree with ALLAH, binding himself to him in view of proximity and culmination, wants him to have no imperfection.
At this point, the words of Truth call him and say: “It is useless to covet your entrance into the Divine presence, because all the degrees inevitably have their manifestations of imperfection.”
Perfection can only be perceived freed from the ego in all its aspects and situations at three degrees which are:
– For he who has entered its Presence, the stage of Divine message
– For he who has entered its Presence, the stage of Prophecy
– For he who has entered its Presence, the stage of the station of the Pole (El Qutbaniya)
At these degrees, there is no appearance of imperfection, whereas at the others, imperfection often manifests.
As for the three degrees mentioned above, even if we see an apparition of imperfection, this is because of ignorance, for this is the summum of Perfection.
The following words of the Prophet allude to this “Why would anybody judge what I do? By ALLAH, I am the one who knows best ALLAH and fears Him the most.”
D. As for the apparent deterioration of the sacred character of the Sheikh, it’s the greatest cause for severance from ALLAH. The deterioration of this vision means not paying attention to what he ordains or forbids.
The main thing that joins the Sheikh and his disciple is that neither does he associate anyone with him regarding the love and respect he bears towards him, nor the irrigation that he receives from him, or in the fact of devoting his heart to him. This can be found in the prophetic legislation. He who places the degree of the Prophet and the degree of an another among the Prophets or messengers (peace be upon them) at the same level, regarding the love, the worth, the irrigation and the fact of devoting his heart to him, as well as in the legislation, this is a sign that he should die as a nonbeliever unless he is protected by the love that ALLAH has for him.
Knowing this, you should know that the disciple must behave with his Sheikh as he would conduct himself with regard to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), concerning the love, the worth, the irrigation and the fact of devoting his heart to him, without placing anyone at the same level as him, associating nobody with him.
Among the greatest reasons provoking the rupture with ALLAH is the fact that the disciple attributes the origin of his openings and secrets to someone else than his Sheikh.
We should know that the Divine lights which are showered upon the servant, unveiling secrets and spiritual states, knowledge and comprehension and allowing for elevation in the degrees, each of these lights is nostalgic for its source of emanation and for the Divine Presence from where it appears and grows.
Thus, for each Sheikh of the people of ALLAH, there is a special Presence which we cannot associate with any other.
If the light emanated, taking into account the elements previously mentioned – such as the secrets and the knowledge – and in spite of this the disciple attributes it to another Divine presence than the one to which it really belongs, this would be a lack of properness and cause the lights to return to their place of origin.
In the Divine wisdom, this affiliation is comparable to the affiliation that links the son to his father. ALLAH said: “Call them by (the names of) their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah…” (S33, V5)
Thus, he who attributes a light to another Divine Presence than its own has misbehaved towards the Presence of Truth and he has lied with regard to ALLAH, but the Presence does not tolerate falsehood and this is why he is rejected and dispossessed and why we seek protection with ALLAH.” (End of quote)
Oh my child! Be careful, place your trust in a true master to educate and guide you on the path of ALLAH. He who has the privilege and the favor of ALLAH and who has the joy to find a master to educate and guide him, should ceaselessly give thanks to ALLAH, above all if He satisfied with him.
That is all, my child. O you my permanent preoccupation.
Zawiya Tidjaniya el Kubra, Lyon, France