A group of 16 Muslim students' efforts to draw closer to Allah were immensely rewarded when they were chosen to attend the three-day conference that took place on the two-hundredth anniversary of the death of Shaykh* Ahmad Tijani, founder of Tariqa Tijaniyyah, the largest sufi order in Africa and one of the largest in the world.
Organized by the Tijani Order of Morocco, the conference is part of an effort coordinated by Royal Air Maroc Airlines and the Fes Regional Tourism Board to facilitate the visit of the Shaykh’s disciples (estimated to be one hundred million) from across the world to his final resting place in Fes. Approximately six hundred individuals attended this year, representing an assorted following from a multitude of countries to include Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Cote de Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy as well as the US and Morocco.
At the invitation of Sherif Mohamed El Kebir Ben Ahmed Tijani and his sister Shareefah (descendants of Shaykh Tijani who was himself a descendant of Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him**), the US delegates were led by Shaykh Ahmed Sy, leader of the Islamic Tijaniya Foundation of America and grandson of the late Shaykh Malick Sy of Senegal who was recognized as a prominent scholar and leader of Tariqa Tijaniyyah throughout Africa.
The group of students included seven residents of the Washington, DC area along with four from Atlanta, three from Detroit and one from Winston Salem, North Carolina. Although most of the members of the group were traveling to Morocco for their first time, many of them had previously lived in or visited Medina Baye Kaolack in Senegal as students of the late Shaykh Hassan Ali Cisse, grandson of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse who is also regarded as a great scholar of the tariqa and largely responsible for its spread throughout West Africa.
An Exceptional Spirit of Fellowship
A sentiment that permeated the atmosphere at the conference was the incredible sense of brotherhood and sisterhood amongst participants. Particularly unforgettable was the congregational offering of wazifah, a spiritual exercise required once a day for those on the Tijani path, which was actually made three times daily at the Fes zawiya (place of worship). During wazifah, as well as during the tariqa’s special Friday evening worship (haila tul Jumaah), the voices of the many worshipers chimed together as “one voice” – despite their many tongues and distinct accents.
Along with the warm embraces and exchanges witnessed between attendees throughout the conference period, the congregational dhikr (remembrance of Allah) provided a truly powerful testimony to the extraordinary role that the tariqa has played in uniting Muslims of many different shades of color and backgrounds across the world.
Indeed, the conference experience was likened by several of the Fes pilgrims to the hajj, the journey to Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia by millions of Muslims each year to fulfill their fifth duty to Allah and pay their respects to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One American called it “a hajj of a lesser nature,” and marveled at the bonds that developed amidst the group, and at the opportunity for self-evaluation and increased humility that was fostered during the trip.
“And moreover, He has put affection between their hearts; not if you had spent all that is in the earth could you have produced that affection, but Allah has done it for He is Exalted in might, Wise” (Holy Qur’an, Surat’ul Anfal, 8:63).
A Path of Supererogatory Worship
Although the practices of Tariqa Tijaniyyah (and other sufi paths) are often misunderstood, it is simply a path of supererogatory worship for those Muslims who, according to Suratul Waqi’a (56) in the Holy Qur’an, are “seeking to be of those nearest to Allah.”
Emphasizing the establishment of a worshipper’s individual relationship with Allah (SWT), its observances comprise a set of litanies that allow followers to fully internalize the concept of “One God” (Tawhid) that is the foundation of Islam
*Shaykh refers to a highly-esteemed Islamic scholar.
**It is customary in Islam to invoke peace and blessings on Prophet Muhammad and all the prophets when mentioning their names.
Amina Cisse Muhammad - Amina is a writing instructor, a freelance writer and a facilitator for workshops on personal development and growth. She embraced the ...
Join the Conversation