Tariqa al Ahmadiyya al Muhammadiya al Ibrahimmiya al Hanifiyya at Tijaniyya

From the Rimah of Shaykh Umar Futi

Why this Spiritual Path of ours is called: al Tariqa al Ahmadiyya al Muhammadiya al Ibrahimiya al Hanifiya at Tijaniya

Succes is achieved with the help of Allah, for He is the Guide by His grace to the straight path! You should know that the full name of this Spiritual Path of ours comprises several (adjectival) names, arranged in this order al Ahmadiyya-al Muhammadiyya-al Ibrahimiyya- al Hanifiyya- at Tijaniyya. I If you wish, you may call it: al Tariqa al Ahmadiyya (the Ahmadi Spiritual Path) or: at Tariqa al Muhammadiyya (the Muhammadan Spiritual Path) or: at Tariqa al Ibrahimiyya al Hanifiyya (the Ibrahimi-Hanifi Spiritual Path) or: at Tariqa at Tijaniyya (the Tijani Spiritual Path)

Suppose you raise the question: "Why have you given it several names, while other Spiritual Paths have benn give a single name?" My answer will be: "It has been given many names because it is endowed with excellent merits and special qualities, with which others are not endowed, and the multipicity of names is indicative of the superiority of the object named.

As we are told in the as Siraj al Munir: 'It-meaning the Sura of Sincere Devotion (al Ihklas) has many names and the multiplicity of names is indicative of the honor of the object named..." According to Ibn Abi Jamra, in Bahjat an Nufus: "The probable reason why it-- meaning the Opening Sura of the Book (Fatiha al Kitab)- has been called by namy names, is the fact that it is endowed with excellent merits and special qualities, with which others are not endowed and the multiplitiy of names is indicative of the superiority of the object named, either absolutely or generically. That is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was called by five names.

According to one of the religous scholars: "The total number of his names is approximately one hundred, whereas the other Prophets (blessings and pleace be upon them) have only one name each. That is because he (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the Holder of the Furled Standard and the Praiseworthy Station (Sahib al Liwa al Ma qud wa l Maqam al Mahmud). The mulitiplicity of names is due to the magnitude of his worth. The same applies to the multiplicity of Allah's Names, for there is nothing Like Him, so nothing resembles His Names, because of their multiplicity and their magnitude..." In the case of our Spiritual Path, once you have understood the reason why its full name comprises several (adjectival) names, arranged in a particular sequence, you must realize that the significance of its being "Ahmadi" is still unclear to you. We must therefore describe and explain the Ahmadi reality (al Haqiqa al Ahmadiyya), to make it clear to you as quickly as possible. Every intelligent observer views its being called "Ahmadi" from a paricular standpoint, so let us quote what our Shaykh Tijani (may Allah be well pleased with him) had to say on the subject, in his commentary on the Invocation of Blessing (as Salat al Ghaibiyya): "

As for the Ahmadi Reality (al Haqiqa al Ahmadiyya), it is the subject previously discussed in connection with the statement 'Every giver of praise in the universe has praised Allah, but no one in the universe has praised Allah to the same extent as the Prophet has praised Him', Furthermore, the Ahmadi Reality is one of Allah's mysteries, so no one has discovered what it contains in the form of intuitions, knowledge, secrets, bountiful favors, manifestations, exalted spritual states and pure virtues, and no one has had any experience of it, not even any of the other Messengers and Prophets. Its station is peculiar to him alone (the Prophet Muhammad) who is also called Ahmad (Allah bless him and give him peace)

"As for all the attainments of the Prophets and the Envoys, all of the angels and those drawn near, all of the Qutbs and the Siddiqeen, and all of the saints and the gnostic sages, whatever they have achieved, as a whole and in detail, it has come from the gracious bounty of the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqa al Muhammadiyya). As for the Ahmad Reality (Haqiqa al Ahmadiyya) no one has obtained anything from it, for it is peculiar to him alone, because of the perfection of its glory and the extreme degree of its sublimity."

Once you have come to know the meaning of the Ahmadi Reality (al Haqiqa al Ahmadiyya) and the understanding of it has been grasped by your mind, you should know that our Spiritual Path is called "Ahmadi" for several reasons: 1. it is called "Ahmadi" because of its having originated from the Chieftan of Existance and the Sign of Witnessing, whom Allah has named Ahmad in His Book: Jesus said: "Iam also bringing good tidings of a Messenger who will come after me, whose name will be Ahmad." (61:6) -so the adjective "Ahmadi" has been applied to that which emanates from him 2. It is called "Ahmadi" because of its stemming from the gracious favor bestowed by our patron Allah's Messenger upon Ahmad ibn Muhammad at Tijani. 3. it is called "Ahmadi" in order to draw attention to the fact that he (May Allah be pleased with him) is the first of the saints and their supporter, even though his physical existance came later, for he already existed in reality.

As previously mentioned, (Ibn Arabi al Hatimi) said (May Allah be pleased with him): "the meaning of the Prophet's saying: I was a Prophet while Adam was between the water and the clay --is 'I was a Prophet in actual fact, aware of my Prophethood, while Adam was between the water and the clay." He then went on to say "None of the other Prophets was a Prophet, nor aware of his Prophethood, except when he was sent (on his mission) after his coming into existence with his material body and his complete fulfillment of the preconditions of Prophethood." Then he added: " the Seal of the Saints (Khatim al Awliya) was likewise actually a saint, aware of his sainthood, while was between the water and the clay, and none of the other saints was a saint in actual fact, nor aware of his sainthood, except after his acquisition of the Divine characteristics that are stipulated in the definition of sainthood..." Once this has been thoroughly understood, you will not be mystified by the previously mentioned statement: "Every giver of praise in the universe has praised Allah, but no one in the universe has praised Allah to the same extent as the Prophet has praised Him."

Once you have grasped this, you should know that the Seal of the Saints has surpassed ever other giver of praise in the giving of praise to Allah, for none of the saints has prasied Allah to the same extent as the Seal of the Saints has praised Him, because he is the heir who inherits from the source, and who recognizes the degrees. Ibn Arabi al Hatimi said: "The Seal of the Saints is the inheriting saint, who receives from the source, who recognizes the degrees and ascertains the entitlement of their holders, in order to give each creditor his rightful due, for that is one of the virtues of the Chieftan of the Envoys, the Captain of the Community..." My master said about the elite, just as ash Sha'rani said in Durar al Ghawwas "This comminty has two comprehensive Seals, and every degree and station has an inheritor... Every saint there has ever been, or will ever be, can only receive from these two Seals, one of whom is the Seal of the sainthood of th elite, while the other is the one by whom the common sainthood is sealed, for there will be no saint after him until the advent of the Final Hour..."

It is obvious, plain and clear, from the speech of these two masters, that the Seal of the Saints has surpassed every giver of praise in the giving of praise to Allah, for none of the saints has praised Allah to the same extent as the Seal of the Saints has praised Him. The one from whom something is received takes precedence ahead of the recipient, since it can never be correct to rand the provider of support behind the recipient of support.

That is why his Spiritual Path became the Spiritual Path of love and thankfulness, as previously explained in the Seventeenth Section of this blessed book, because of its having originated from the bountiful sphere, from which Allah removed the beneficence of anyone other that his ancester (The Prophet) who said to him (Shaykh Tijani) " No creature among the Shaykhs of the Spiritual Paths has any benefit to bestow upon you, for I am your intermediary and your supporter in actual fact. You must therefore abandon whatever you have received from the all the Spiritual Paths. " He also told him: "You must adhere to this Spiritual Path without secluded retreat or isolation from the people, so that you may reach your station which you have been promised. You will thus proceed without constraint and restriction, and without a great deal of strenuous exertion. You must also abandon all the saints, for Allah has mustered the people of the Spiritual Path by sheer grace, generosity, and munificence, and their Noble Lord does not put their business without constraint and restriction, and without a great deal of strenous exertion. They were appealing by giving praise for the tremendous favor that Allah had specially conferred upon them, and by giving thanks for the superabundance that He had generally bestowed upon them." Because of what has been mentioned, it came to be called the Ahmadi Spiritual path (tariqa al Ahmadiyya)

4. It is called "Ahmadi" because the spiritual station of its master, in relation to the spiritual stations of all the saints, is like the spiritual station of Ahmad in relation to the spiritual stations of all the Prophets, because the Shaykh said (may Allah be pleased with him): " I am the Chieftain of the Saints, just as Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was the Chieftain of the Prophets". He also said (may Allah be pleased with him): " A saint neither drinks nor quenches his thirst (spiritual gnosis), except from our ocean, from the origin of the universe until the blowing of the trumpet" He also said (may Allah be pleased with him), while pointing with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger. "His spirit (Allah bless him and give him peace) and my spirit are like this: His spirit (Allah bless him and give him peace) supports the Messengers and the Prophets(peace be upon them), and my spirit supports the Qutbs, the gnostic sages and the saints, from sempiternity to eterntiy (beginning to ending) everlasting. He also said (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) had informed him that his spiritual station was higher than all the spiritual stations.(except prophethood and the companions) He also said (may Allah be pleased with him): "The relationship of the Qutbs with me is like the relationship of the common folk with the Qutbs"