Shaykh Sīdī Muḥammad al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Miṣrī, may Allah preserve him, said… — Tijani Faydah — TG.ME

Shaykh Sīdī Muḥammad al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Miṣrī, may Allah preserve him, said in his book Faṣl al-Maqāl: Our Master, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Three things sever the disciple from us: 1. Taking a wird in addition to our wird. 2. Visiting the awliyāʾ, whether they are living or deceased. 3. Completely abandoning the wird.” 1 — Taking Another Wird in Addition to the Tijani Wird It is not valid except to remain exclusively upon this path until death. Whoever already has a wird or belongs to another spiritual path is not to be initiated into the Tijani path unless he abandons his wird and his path, completely separates himself from it, and never returns to it. It is stated in al-Jawāhir: **“Know that this magnificent wird is not imparted to one who has a wird from among the awrād of the shaykhs unless he abandons it and never returns to it again. At that point, the one who possesses the specific authorization (al-idhn al-khāṣṣ) may impart it to him. Otherwise, let him leave it and his own wird, because the awrād of all the shaykhs, may Allah be pleased with them, are upon guidance and clear evidence, and all of them lead the seeker along the path and convey him to Allah.”** Thus, whoever, after taking the Tijani wird, recites one of the awrād of the shaykhs that are required for entering their spiritual paths, or adopts another spiritual path, has become severed from the Tijani path. 2 — Visiting the Awliyāʾ, Both the Living and the Deceased This may be either physical visitation, meaning that one goes to them—whether intending to seek benefit from them or without such an intention—or visitation of the heart, such as seeking benefit from them inwardly with one's heart, or with one's heart and tongue, without physically going to them. Among the things included in such visitation are: asking them to make supplication; gifting them the reward of acts of worship, such as Qur'an recitation, prayers, litanies (adhkār), vows, charity, and similar acts that people customarily perform for the awliyāʾ; seeking intercession (tawassul); seeking spiritual assistance (istimdād); seeking help or deliverance (istighāthah and istinjād); seeking blessings (tabarruk); seeking healing (istishfāʾ), whether through the person himself or through something connected to him; attributing whatever reaches a person of spiritual assistance, light, blessing, or karāmah to them; and likewise entering gatherings of dhikr belonging to those who are not among the Tijani masters, may Allah be pleased with them. The person who desires this path should suffice himself with visiting the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon them, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and our Shaykh, Sīdī Aḥmad al-Tijānī, and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them. As for the common people who are not awliyāʾ, it is permissible to visit them, whether living or deceased, for the sake of Allah Most High, without seeking any particular cause or purpose. Know that the Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him, initially permitted his companions to visit deceased awliyāʾ, provided that they did not intend to derive benefit from them through attachment or seeking blessings. This differed from visiting the living, which he categorically prohibited, whether the person intended to seek benefit from them or not. He subsequently also prohibited visiting the deceased, as a means of blocking the means (sadd al-dharāʾiʿ). All of this does not prevent the honoring of our noble awliyāʾ. Loving them, venerating them, and honoring them is one matter, while dispensing with them in favor of the Greatest Shaykh is another matter. We are required to respect them, honor them, and maintain affection for them in a manner that does not sever us from our Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him. 3 — Completely Abandoning the Wird