I begin by glorifying the name of the prince of the universe, the ocean of spiritual lights, symbol of divine gratitude, lord of the ornimists, purveyor of wealth, catalyst of powers, exclusive holder of divine and prophetic secrets, supreme leader of the elect, commander-in-chief of the hidden poles, the proud son of the Prophet of Islam, I would like to name his Excellency Mawlaya Cheikh Ahmad At-Tijani as Cherifoul Akbar (RTA).
For me, knowing Mawlaya Cheikh is above all, about knowing his Khalifs. And from what he taught me, no one can claim to know Allah the great without knowing his beloved Prophet Mouhamed, Peace be upon him.
So as I revisited his journey in this visible “Chahada” world during his younger age, which remains exemplary, I knew that Mawlaya Cheikh was perfected by the Prophet of Islam, as Allah shaped him. To understand this, let us look at the spiritual framework that accompanied his life. The Tijania Brotherhood is the first and last of the great Sufi orders, taking its birth in the “Tijaniyatoul Ouzna” of Al-Bast sphere. On earth, its appearance is due to Mawlaya Cheikh who was born in Jebel-AnNour in Ain-Mahdi, Algeria. As a young man, he was strongly inspired by the writings of the Holy Quran and the incomparable qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). From the age of seven (7) he perfectly mastered the 114 Surahs of the Holy Book of Islam and had his place in the narrow circle of elected officials by excellence.
Eager for lights and commitment, he undertook a long journey before settling his headquarters in the city of Fez in Morocco. There, he consolidated his training with his beloved father the Prophet Mouhamed (Pbuh). Mawlaya Cheikh led his active and spiritual life, which gave Fez all his splendour as a crossroads, endowed with great Islamic schools and universities. To spread it to the Muslim world, he embarked on a Mediterranean journey, travelled to Algeria his homeland, before going to Egypt and Tunisia.
This long journey took him to the holy land of Islam, in Madina where the best of beings rests, his spiritual father, the Prophet Mouhamed, before reaching Mecca. Each stage of his journey was marked by encounters with great saints of the Maghreb region, such as Abu Mouhamed At-Teib who was the Khawsou of the time, Moulay Idriss who was one of the 40 most senior elected saints and Mahmud Al Kourdiyou who was the leader of the Tarikha Khadriya (and Khoutbou Zamane at that time).
He met in Mecca one of the exegetical figures of the Muslim world: Aboul Abass Ahmad Ben Abdallah, who had the sole mission to give to Mawlaya Cheikh a letter that the Prophet Muhammad had ordered him to keep, 23 years earlier, and to give it to the great pole of all times. A letter that even the one who held it Aboul Abass, with his chief of protocol Al Hindi, ignored the content. He was invited as well to a conference by Cheikh Mouhamed Ben Abdul Karim who was one of the undisputed masters of Islam in Madina.
Mawlaya Cheikh, blessed by Allah the Almighty, raised by the Prophet Muhammad, could only fulfill a noble mission under his seal. Thus, for his efforts towards Allah, the Prophet Mouhammad and for the work done within the Islamic Ummah, he receives as reward the Tijania, following a mystical encounter between him and the Prophet Mouhammad. The peculiarity of this Sufi Order is that the Prophet taught to Mawlaya Cheikh in an awoke state a new spiritual path of Wird.
This path is characterized by rigour in learning, teaching and reciting verses from the Holy Quran and the practice of Zikroullah. Rigor is one of the strong demands of the Tijania. So it was up to me to reveal the contents of this meeting with the Prophet, to the faithful followers of Mawlaya Cheikh Ahmad At-Tijani Cherif (RTA).
A new spiritual order was born and won over the souls and hearts of the elect of Allah. And from the heights of the Sahara, Mawlaya Cheikh exclaimed, “I am the learder of the Saints as Seydi Ahmad is the leader of the Prophets.” This is why the scholars of Islam connect to it, to fill their needs in religious science. Today, the Tidjaniya is the first Sufi order in Africa and around the world.
There is enough to pay tribute to the natural son of the Prophet Muhammad who is the ruler of the souls, Mawlaya Cheikh Ahmada Tijani Cherif (RTA). For such a purpose, I, Seydi Mouhamed El Cheikh will multiply exchanges, contacts and conferences to radiate on earth, circles of knowledge that will distill the teachings of Mawlaya Cheikh Ahmad At-Tijani Cherif (RTA).
Written by Seydi Mouhamed El Cheikh, January 2nd, 2015.
Updated in 2019