Tariqa
Tijaniyyah, as revived by the honourable Shaykh al-Islam Ibrahim Niass (may
Allah sanctify his secret), in whose hands the promised fayda (spiritual flow)
appeared, is, in my eyes the tariqa for the end of time.
This short paper
discusses the value of following a tariqa, a spiritual path. At the end, there
is a reference list to valuable sources in both Danish and English to learn
about this noble Tariqa Tijaniyyah.
Every Muslim,
or actually every human being, is in dire need of purifying his or her heart
and soul and work for a closer relationship to God, Allah the Majestic. We live
in a time where we are challenged with tribulation and ethical dilemmas almost
on a daily basis. We live in a society characterised by relative ethics – where
right and wrong differ according to the will of the masses. Deviations form
traditional ethical norms, whether Islamic or Christian moral teachings, have
become normal. From traditional Islamic teaching we know that when the society
accepts and defines moral deviations as normality, the community as a whole
will be affected by tribulation and sorrow.
In such a
situation we all need to work on our self. I’m talking to Muslims as well as
non-Muslims. As Muslims, we need to adhere to the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna of
our beloved prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) according to one
of the four rightly guided schools of Islam.
The non-Muslims should protest against the bad form of secularism, look
into them their hearths and consider their ethical values and return to the
ethical teachings of Christendom. Or
even better, they should explore the true nature of Islam, the normative, Sunni
tradition. If one does so, the person will most probably experience a living,
vibrant tradition, which is applicable to day and to the end of time. As well,
one will experience a belief system that in and of it self is a transforming
factor in a persons life.
In order to
purify oneself, one needs to practice Tasawwuf or Sufism, two words for the
same thing. Sufism is the science of the heart and a method to purify one's
heart, inner self and outward action. There are numerous Sufi orders/tariqas,
each leading to the same goal: Allah Most High, but differ in the methods and
rules for obtaining this valuable goal.
To reach
realization of the Divine Existence in this life, one needs to do a lot of
spiritual work in addition to guarding ones five daily prayers. This works,
mainly the regular performance of dhikr at specific times of the day, which
consists of prayers for forgiveness, prayers upon the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) and remembrance of Allah, the Lord of all creation.
Effective performance of dhikr – remembrance, requires a spiritual guide,
technically called a murshid or Shaykh al-tarbiyyah. By connecting to a tariqa
and a spiritual guide, the permission to perform the dhikr is transferred to
you, in a chain back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and
consequently by the permission of God.
One may
ask, “Why can’t I just perform dhikr and practise Sufism without being involved
in a tariqa?” Yes, you can. But the chance of failure is high, very high. There
is a secret in the heart to heart transmission of the dhikr. As I said, the
transmission from a Shaykh or his representative, a muqaddam, includes
permission from our Lord Most High, which is both a blessing and a great help
for success in travelling the spiritual path. Travelling the path alone,
without a guide requires a very special and determined personality and I have
only met one or two people who have been able to do this. In a tariqa there are obligatory litanies to
be performed on a daily basis. As well, the guide will know you and your
weaknesses and therefore he or she can assign to you extra adkar (plural of
dhikr) to overcome your particular weaknesses and protect you from failure in
the spiritual work.
Dear
reader, if you have questions, comments or need some advice, you are very
welcome to contact me at shahid.ossum<at>gmail.com or
info<at>tijani.dk, so do not hesitate.
Recommended readings:
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