By Seydi Mouhamed El Cheikh
I begin by glorifying the name of the Prince of the Universe, the ocean of lights, symbol of divine gratitude, lord of the Ornimists*, provider of wealth, catalyst of powers, exclusive holder of divine and prophetic secrets.
He is the supreme leader of the elect, commander of the hidden poles, happy son of the Prophet of Islam, I would like to name His Excellency Mawlaaya Cheikh Ahmad At-Tijani Cherif (RTA). To me, knowing Mawlaya Cheikh is primarily to know his Khalif. And from what he taught me, no one can claim to know Allah the Almighty, without having to know his most beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him).
So revisiting his past during his youth in this world of “Chahada” which remains exemplary, I knew Mawlaya Cheikh was perfected by the prophet of Islam, as Allah fashioned him. To understand this, look at the spiritual guidance that accompanied his life full of wisdom. The Tijani path is the first and last among the great orders that appeared, taking birth within the “Tijaniyatoul Ouzna” (umbrella of light) at Al-Bast, the ultimate location of God. For this world of “Chahada” its appearance is due to Mawlaaya Cheikh who was born in Jabal Anour, Ain Mahdi in Algeria. Young, he was greatly inspired by the writings of the Holy Quran and the incomparable qualities of Prophet Muhammad.
At the age of 7, he perfectly mastered the 114 chapters of the Holy Quran and had his place in the elite circle of those elected par excellence. Eager for spiritual lights and commitment, the young Cherif undertook a long journey before establishing his headquarters in the city of Fez in Morocco. It is in Fez that he consolidated his spiritual training with his beloved spiritual father, the Prophet Muhammad.
Mawlaya Cheikh led his active and spiritual life, which gave to Fez its entire splendor of crossroads of lights, with high schools and Islamic universities. To feed all Muslims around the world with his light, he started a Mediterranean journey, visiting his homeland of Algeria, before traveling to Egypt and Tunisia. This long journey led him to the holy land of Islam in Medina, where lies the best among the creation, his spiritual father the Prophet Muhammad, and then to Mecca.
Each step of this journey was marked by important meetings, with the great saints of the Maghreb as Abu Mouhamed At-Teib who was the “Khawsou” saint of the time, Moulay Idriss who was among the 40 highest-ranking saints and Mahmud Al-Kourdiyou, who was the head of the Khadriya Tarikha (Khoutbou Zamane of the time).
In Mecca, he met an exegetical figure of the Muslim world at the time: Aboul Abass Ahmad Ben Abdallah who’s only mission was to deliver to Mawlaya Cheikh a letter that the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) commanded him 23 years earlier, to keep jealously and give it to the Great Pole rescuer of all times. A letter that even Aboul Abbas and his chief of protocol were unaware of the content. He was also invited to a conference by Cheikh Mouhamed Ben Abdoul Karim, who was one of the undisputed masters of Islam in Medina.
Mawlaya Cheikh blessed by Allah the Almighty, also cradled and raised by the Prophet Muhammad, could fill a noble mission under his seal. Thus for his efforts towards Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, and for the work done within the Islamic Ummah, he received as a reward the Tijania order following a spiritual meeting with the Prophet Muhammad. The specificity of this path is that the Prophet taught Mawlaya Cheikh a new spiritual path of “wird” while he was physically awake.
This path is characterized by rigor in learning, teaching and reciting the verses of the Holy Quran and the practice of “zikr”. Rigor is one of the strong requirements of the Tijani path. So it was up to me to reveal the contents of this meeting with the Prophet to the faithful followers of Mawlaaya Cheikh Ahmad At-Tijani Cherif.
A new spiritual order was born and won all the souls and hearts of the elect of Allah. Later, on top of the Sahara, Mawlaaya Cheikh declared, “I am the Seal of the Saints, as Seydi Ahmed is the Seal of the Prophets!” This is why the scholars of Islam got closer to him to fulfill their needs in religious sciences. Today, the Tijania order is the leading path in Senegal, Africa and around the world.
Thus, there are plenty of reasons to pay tribute to the natural son of Prophet Muhammad, the sovereign of the souls: Mawlaaya Cheikh. This is why, I, Seydi Mouhamed El Cheikh will multiply exchanges, contacts and conferences, to irradiate throughout Senegal and abroad, circles of knowledge that will distill the teachings of Mawlaya Cheikh Ahmad At-Tijani Cherif (RTA). Peace be upon you.
* Ornimists refers to the Aristocrats of heavens
Seydi Mouhamed El Cheikh, January 2nd, 2015.
Translated by MedinaCheikh Digital