Q| Would you be able to teach me how to make alh in accordance to what our Master, Shaykhul-Islm Ibrhm Nisse, may

Allh be well-pleased with him, taught? A| Indeed, alh is the most important pillar of Islm. It is the foundation of Shara, basis of arqa, the protection of aqqa, and the sign of Marifa. There is no faith without prayer. ibul-Faya Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, says in his poem entitled Mansik ahlul-widad:

Likewise we pray! For we do not know of any Religion that has no prayer in it. For the matter is greater! Our Muammadan alh [Sub, uhr, Ar, Maghrib and sh] are the best form of worship ever prescribed for mankind. Shaykh Ibrhm says in his last written Dwn entitled Sayrul-qalb:

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And is there any food for the Soul like the prayer? And is there anything that can match the wu and the fast in purifying you? I advise you to perform that prayer and bow down in humility. Indeed, you shall achieve the proximity and purity (from Allh) There, you shall see Him, or He shall see you, so do not exist! And keep quiet! Beware! Do not speak! Beware and desist from speaking! alh is nothing but Muammad ;the complete gnostic [rif] sees the manifestation of Allhs realms [Hhut, Lhut, Jabart, Malakt and Nst] in the Secret [sirr], Spirit [r], Mind [aql], Heart [qalb] and Soul [nafs] of Muammad taking place in the five daily prayers. And this is reflected in us through the mirror of Presence of the Hidden Seal [artul-khatm al-katm]. Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, says in his Dwn called Tibbul-anfs, counting Allh's blessings on him, considering performing the alh as one of those blessings:

And from it is my gaining of the Five (realms) and the Five (stations), and performing the Five (pillars) and the Five (prayers)! How blessed is this writer! If nothing else, the prayer is the platform in which we recite the sacred Words of Allh. Shaykh Ibrhm would recite the entire Qurn just in the night prayers.

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He, may Allh be well-pleased with him, says in his Dwn entitled Taysrul-wul:

For I am the Slave of Allh, reciting His Book And praising His Prophet always. So I thank my Lord for the Truthful Prophet and his love Indeed, I will serve him with praises, remembered forever. For the Men of Allh have submitted to me in obedience And the Prophet in my solid shield. Allh Almighty orders us to perform alh in more than 300 places in the Qurn. This blessed five-time prayer was granted to us through the blessed Prophet Muammad on the Night Journey and the Ascension [laylatul-isr wal-mirj] from the Divine Presence. When we pray, we reach those heights as well. Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, clearly states in his Dwn entitled ulwatus-shujn:
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The Chosen One travelled in the Night and returned with Five (Prayers) Through them we were elevated too, and the credit is for the first one . And he emphatically advised us to ascend through them (the Prayers) For through them, the slave gains all progress! So, for Him and by Him, stand and bow down in humility You will witness the coolness of your eyes from the Best of Givers; And when you stand reciting (the Qurn) after making wu, And when you make sujd (prostrate) after the noble ruk (bow), All distances are openly removed from you (and Allh). You have arrived to the Beloved! Make takbr and honor Him!
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As the beloved Prophet is reported to have said:

"The prayer is the Ascension of the believers." Therefore, it is a non-negotiable condition of the noble arqa Tijniyya to uphold the five daily prayers, at their prescribed times and in congregation, whenever possible. As Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, says in the ulwatus-shujn:

For the habit of great people, during the night time is bowing (in prayer) and reciting the awrd (litanies) sincerely. Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, says in his Kibrtul-amar:

I prostrate, praying for the effacement of ingratitude in all lands, so that I may be most grateful. In the Rul-adab, Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, advises the seekers:

And (make) two rakat secretly, and walk to the mosques (to pray); all of that purifies you from your sins.
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In fact, this was one of the things that impressed me greatly and attracted me to the Tijn Path: the punctuality of the Tijn shuykh and muridn in performing prayer, anywhere and everywhere. This was important for me. I have seen followers and even leaders of some Paths not giving importance to the blessed prayer... very disturbing indeed! al-amdulillh! Our Master, Shaykh assan Ciss , may Allh be well-pleased with him, spent his whole life performing the alh in congregation [jama], even on his last day, where he led all five prayers at the Grand Mosque of Medina-Bye, before going home where he passed away. In that act alone, he, may Allh be well-pleased with him, followed the footsteps of Raslullh ,Shaykh Amad at-Tijn, and his grandfather Shaykhul-Islm Ibrhm Nisse, may Allh be well-pleased with them. As Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, said in his Dwn entitled Nrul-aqq:

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I am satisfied with my Rabb (Allh) and the anifiyya (Islm) is my way; My Imm is Raslullh ,I will never turn away from that. My guide is Raslullh ,and the Bayt [Kaba] is my Qibla; We fast and we make awf (circumambulate) around the Holy House. We pray, making ruk (bowing) and sujd (prostrating); On this we have always lived and practiced, and will not be tired. Indeed, the first thing Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, did in his Medina was establish the Mosque facing Makka, and appointed its imm, Shaykh Sayyid Al Ciss, may Allh be well-pleased with him. Besides the Friday congregational prayers [altul-jumua] and the dayn [Fitr and A], Shaykh Ibrhm Nisse, may Allh be well-pleased with him, would perform all five prayers behind Shaykh Sayyid Al Ciss, may Allh be well-pleased with him! Our ustdh, Shaykh Bye ayba of Mauritania, told me that his father told him that on one occasion they were sitting in the Mosque with Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, waiting for Shaykh Sayyid Al Ciss to come and lead the prayer. However, something was delaying him for a long time. Sitting in the gathering was Shaykh Sayyid Als son, the young Shaykh assan, may Allh be well-pleased with him, who had just come from the UK, wearing a suit and a tie. So Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, pointed to him to come forward and lead the prayer.

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When they saw this, some of the other muqaddamn sitting with Shaykh Ibrhm were noticeably surprised that a man wearing a suit and tie should lead them in prayer. So Shaykh Ibrhm , may Allh be well-pleased with him, looked at them and recited the following couplet by Imm as-Shfi, may Allh be well-pleased with him:

If a person does not tarnish his reputation with foul behaviour then every dress he wears is beautiful! Mawln as-Shaykh Amad at-Tijn, may Allh be well-pleased with him, would also seldom lead the prayer himself and usually assigned Sd Muammad al-Mishr or Mawli Muammad bin AbnNr, may Allh be well-pleased with them both, to lead the prayer for him. Sometimes he, may Allh be well-pleased with him, would also ask his Khalfa, al-Qub Sd Al at-Tamsn, may Allh be well-pleased with him, to lead the prayer whenever the latter visited from Algeria. Shaykh Amad Sukayrij, may Allh be pleased with him, mentions in his book Kashful-ijb that on another occasion, when some seekers from Fez complained to Sayyidin as-Shaykh, may Allh be well-pleased with him, that Sd Al at-Tamsn does not pronounce certain Words from the Qurn very accurately during his recitation, as-Shaykh at-Tijn replied to them:

"(He) is a spiritually-Opened [maft] man! And prayer behind a man of fat is always accepted." Just like Sayyidun Raslullh ,the last prayer of Sayyidin as-Shaykh at-Tijn, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was Fajr. The last prayer of Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was Ar. The last prayer of Shaykh assan, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was Ish. Shaykh assan informed us that when Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was bedridden in the St. Thomas hospital in London during his last days, he still fulfilled his alt with his eyes and fingers. When Shaykh Hassan, may Allh be well-pleased with him, saw him in this condition, he reminded Shaykh Ibrhm
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about the Mlik opinion that if a person is so sick that he cannot sit up anymore, then one is excused from prayer and can be made up later. Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, said, "Yes, I am very much aware of that Mlik opinion. But we are (also) Tijn, and that puts extra responsibility on us." So he, may Allh be well-pleased with him, made the prayers and litanies on his hospital bed until his last breath. Establishing mosques and prayer therein is a consistent Tijn practise. In fact, it is a sign of faith [mn]; as the Master of Existence stated (narrated by Imm at-Tirmidh):

"If you see a man frequenting the mosques, then testify to his faith." The Prophet also informed us that such a person will be from the few who will be shaded by Allh on the Day in which there will be no other Shade but His Shade.

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We should pray in the mosques regardless of who leads the prayer, as long as they do not openly slander as-Shaykh at-Tijn, may Allh be well-pleased with him. If they do, then we cannot pray behind them. I recall once in the sitting room [majlis] of Shaykh assan Ciss, a Mauritanian shaykh was telling him of a personal incident where it was time for alh and the people appointed a denier [munkir] lead the Prayers, so he refused to pray behind him, and prayed on his own. Upon hearing the story, Shaykh assan, may Allh be well-pleased with him, told the Mauritanian, "You could have prayed behind him. Prayer is prayer." It is also narrated that a scholar from Mauritania was visiting Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, in Kaolack. When the time for prayer came, Bye asked him to lead the prayer. However, the Mauritanian talibs became a bit unhappy with this, saying, "Back in Mauritania, this lim is an enemy of the (Tijn) Faya." Upon hearing that, Shaykh Sayyid Al Ciss, may Allh be wellpleased with him, said to them, "For me it is enough that Bye put him forward." And then he proceeded to join the prayer, and they all followed! THE ALH
of

SHAYKH IBRHM NISSE

So you asked how Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, prayed? Inwardly, he was the complete Slave of Allh [abd], and his whole being was enslaved by the Being of Allh. He said in one of his letters (found in the Jawhir ar-Rasil collection):

"And I am the Slave of the Divine Presence, and was never enslaved by anyone but it." This complete enslavement is only possible when one's being is non-existent, and none is witnessed but the Truly Existent and His Actions. Prayer then is nothing but an implementation of His Eternal Command. We own nothing of it. It is but His Mercy. Bye, may Allh be well-pleased with him, says in his Dwn entitled Nrul-aqq:

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I do not rely on my fasting and pilgrimages (though I practice them); My Reliance is on the Grace of the Generous One on the Day of Resurrection. I pray and praise Him, in obedience of His Command; And there is really Nothing (but Him), in the eyes of the Knower who has tasted. Know that in the outward aspects of the prayer, Shaykh Ibrhm Nisse , may Allh be well-pleased with him, was generally Mlik, as almost all Senegalese Muslims and most African Muslims follow. However in certain matters, he exercised scholarly opinion [ijtihad], and practiced that which was the most preferred practice of the Rasl ,even if it seemed contrary to the generalities of the Mlik opinion. Some of these preferred Sunna practices were: According to the unpublished biography of Bye by Jibrl Gueye, Bye would repeat the words qad qmati-alh twice in the iqma, as opposed to the Mlik practice of saying it once. This change came about when the talibs were once reading from a al-Bukhr to Bye, and they read that the iqma was made like that in front of the Prophet .Bye was laying on his side when they read this, so he stood up and immediately told his muaddhin, Seri Jallo, to recite the iqma like that. Folding the hands across the chest, right atop left, instead of leaving them by the sides

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 Putting the hand on the on the chest, just below the sternum (but not too high like the salafis) Reciting the Basmala aloud before al-Ftia Joining the Basmala with al-Ftia without any break Saying amn aloud Raising the hands [raf al-yadayn] before going to ruk. Raising the hands [raf al-yadayn] after rising up from ruk. Bye would raise his hands like when starting the third and fourth rakaat in a four-rakaat prayer Raising the finger to recite the tashhahd during the final sitting, and keeping it raised until the end of the alh (without wiggling it senselessly like the salafis) Making salamt to both sides instead of the standard one salm (to the right) of the Mliks. Most of this is mentioned in Bye's book on the fiqh of prayer called Raf al-malm an man rafaa wa qabada iqtidan biSayyidil-Anm ( Lifting the blame from the one who raised and folded his arms in imitation of the Best of People .)Raf almalm was first published by Bye in 1940 (1359 )in Morocco, then again by Emir Abd al-Mlik of Okene State (Nigeria) in 1969. The most recent editions were the annotated ones of Shaykh Tijn Ciss and that of Shaykh Muammad Mamn Nisse.

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The ninth point about the tashhahd was also mentioned by Bye, may Allh be well-pleased with him, to his beloved Mauritanian khalfa, Sd as-Shaykhn wuld a-ulba, may Allh be wellpleased with him, who had asked him, "How did the Prophet keep his finger in the tashahhd?" So Bye, may Allh be well-pleased with him, answered him with the aforementioned point and said, "I am so happy that you asked me this, as everyone else just asks me for money." Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, mentioned clearly that he prays the way his beloved Prophet Muammad prayed. He states in his Dwn entitled Mansik ahlul-widd:

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For it is that Ibrhm passionately loves Muammad from a time when the Universe was not yet in existence. We pray the way the Prophet used to pray; We fast in the same manner following the way of the Master. And we spend (in Charity) and leave behind nothing, seeking his Path; We make the pilgrimage as the Hshim made it. And he, may Allh be well-pleased with him, stated also in the same Dwn:

You will see all my actions are per the actions of Muammad , And my state and awareness point to him, as well. For my gathering and my authority are for the Love of Muammad And my dealings are in him only; so will I be at loss? I see everything but Allh as false; And victory is only from Him, and He is the Granter of victory.
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Before Bye, Mawln Shaykh Amad at-Tijn, may Allh be wellpleased with him, had also went against certain Mlik practices in preference of the most perfect Muammadan Sunna. The great Nigerian muqaddam, Shaykh Ab Bakr Atq, may Allh be wellpleased with him, mentioned that as-Shaykh at-Tijn had even prayed with folded hands [qabd] in Algeria. On the whole, Shaykh Amad at-Tijn and Shaykh Ibrhm Nisse, may Allh be well-pleased with them both, were Mliks, as all Sunni Muslims must belong to one of the four jurisprudential schools [madhhib]. They did not break this rule.

As for us talibs; we are not all required to become Mliks in order to be good Tijniyyn. Our shuykh have stated the opposite of that. There are hundreds of thousands of Tijniyyn in Indonesia and Singapore who are Shfi. I myself am a anaf in most matters. Yet I must stress that we Tijniyyn should indeed follow our masters in their unique choices, even if it goes against our selected madhhib. For example, Shaykh at-Tijn, may Allh be well-pleased with him, strongly recommended us to recite the Basmala loudly before and connected to Sratul-Ftia. This is against the Mlik and anaf norm, but we have to follow it. Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, ordered his (mostly Mlik) talibs to pray with folded hands; so we have to do it, even if it goes against the Mlik or any other madhhab.
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Indeed, when he was ordered by Allh, the Rasl and Shaykh atTijn, may Allh be well-pleased with him, to order the people to pray with folded hands, many people in West Africa fought him. They said to him: "But your father, may Allh be well-pleased with him, prayed with open arms?" He replied, "al-amdulillh! Allh has not ordered us to follow anyone absolutely but the Prophet . When someone retorted, "But Shaykh at-Tijn, may Allh be wellpleased with him, is noted to have prayed with open arms, too?" Bye, may Allh be well-pleased with him, replied, "We take the arqa from as-Shaykh (at-Tijn) and we do not go an inch against him. But we take the Shara from Raslullh ". As Shaykh My Ciss told me, Shaykh at-Tijn, may Allh be wellpleased with him, also wished to pray qabd, but was not given the permission then as he had other affairs to see to, as well as the fact that his following in Fez and the rest Morocco was not big enough to bring about such a major change. Everything has a time, and as-Shaykh at-Tijn ordered Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be wellpleased with them, to revive this Sunna among the Mlikiyya. Other Mlik saints and scholars who also folded their hands (in opposition to the madhhab) include Imm Ibn Abd al-Barr, Sd Amad bin Idrs, Sd Muammad bin Al al-Sans, the Kattn Ulam, the Ghumr Ulam, and many others. Know here that Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was an accomplished and consummate scholar of Qurn and Sunna with all their derived sciences [mujtahid]. He himself stated:

"And know that I have two shuykh: My Shaykh in the hir (outward sciences of the Dn) is the Qurn and Sunna, and there is none who understands them better than me (today). And my Shaykh in the bin (inward sciences of the Dn) is asShaykh at-Tijn, and he is not absent from me for a moment." The Ulam of the esteemed al-Azhar University of Cairo granted Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, the title "Shaykhul-Islm", and made him the first black African scholar to lead the prayers at the esteemed al-Azhar University.

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Without doubt, Shaykh Ibrhm had reached the highest level of Qubaniyya; he was the Succor of his Era [ghawthuz-zamn]. And the Ghawth is not obligated to stick to any madhhab in all its details. As Sd Abd al-Azz ad-Dabbgh, may Allh be wellpleased with him, cleared stated in the Ibrz. He states:

And know - may Allh guide you to goodness -- that the saint who has achieved Complete Opening knows what is the truth and correct, and (therefore) does not stick to one [jurisprudential] School only. In fact, if all the madhhib were finished, he would (still) be able to revive the Shara. And how [is this] not [the case] when the Prophet is not absent from him, even for the blink of an eye, and he is not absent from witnessing Allh, even for a moment? Therefore, he would know the intent of the Prophet and the intent of Allh in the prescribed duties (of the Shara) and other matters. Subsequently, if he is like that, then he has authority over others, and not vice-versa; as he is much closer to the truth than the one with no [spiritual] Opening. Consequently, how can it be correct to criticize such a (saintly) person saying: He went against the School in this issue or that? Shaykh Umar al-Ft, may Allh be well-pleased with him, also discusses this issue in detail in his celebrated Rimah. As for the status of Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, in Sainthood, it is clear from his statement:

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For even the (saintly) Poles have fallen short of comprehending my status. Therefore, both on the Shara and aqqa levels, Shaykh Ibrhm Nisse, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was not obligated to stick to the Mlik or any other madhhab in every detail. As he, may Allh be well-pleased with him, said:

"We are Mlikiyya but we are not slaves [mamlk] of (Imm) Mlik." A person of his stature had to choose from between the madhhib that which was the closest practice to the quintessential Sunna of the Prophet . As he, may Allh be well-pleased with him, stated in the poem Mansik ahlul-widd:

And if they ask me about my preferred beloved and my madhhab My answer will be Raslullh ! Nevertheless, Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, never formally left the Mlik madhhab, and most of his Islamic practices remained according to the Mlik interpretation. He believed in fixing the system from within, rather than destroy the whole system (like the misguided wahhabi-salafis who do not follow any madhhab). In his Dwn, Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, showers high praise on the four Imms of the Sunni madhhib. He, may Allh be well-pleased with him, states in the Shif al-asqam:

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So how can we love anyone but Muammad ? For loving other than him is blindness and corruption. Except for loving the Family of the Prophet and his Companions, And whoever is their friend, for the sake of the Truth. And (loving) people who followed their way always; For their matters are True, and their love is True. So (Imm) Mlik, al-Numn (Imm Ab anfa) and (Imm) Amad (bin Hanbal) As well as (Imm) as-Shfi; without them the horizons would be dark. As well as Abl-Abbs Amad (at-Tijn) my Master! And Junayd the Wayfarer (in the f Way), the noble one. O my Lord! Grant me to love and follow them, And remove me from my slavery (to other than You). And grant me complete inheritance of all of them By actions and character the same as theirs. The goal of Shaykhul-Islm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, was to practice Islm to the fullest and give victory to this Dn. He states in his Mansik addressing the Christians:

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We were blessed with this (Islmic) Faith while you were cursed with your Trinity! My Faith will inherit (this earth) despite you! (My Faith is) prayer and fasting, and the obligation of almsgiving, and the Pilgrimage and marriage, for this Dn will survive forever. This Dn was established by aha the Hshim, Muammad , And I will forever remain devoted to this Dn. Finally, let us listen to this warning of Shaykh Ibrhm Nisse, may Allh be well-pleased with him, from one of his letter in Jawhir ar-rasil:

And the most emphasized of duties is to perform the five prayers, in congregation, on their appropriate times, with proper purification with water. And I am most shocked at the person who attributes himself to Allh and as-Shaykh at-Tijn, may Allh be well-pleased with him, and then neglects his prayers or its purification! So turn back to your Lord (in repentance) and kill yourselves, that is better for you!

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We conclude with the supplication of Shaykh Ibrhm, may Allh be well-pleased with him, in his Dwn named Miftul-aiyya:

O my Lord! Make me from those who stand up for You and bow down thereafter. And with the supplication of Prophet Ibrhm, may Allh grant his peace:

O my Lord and Sustainer! Make me and my progeny from those who establish the Prayer! O our Lord! Accept my plea! (Qurn 14:40) Amn! Amn! Amn!
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Wallhu Alam. _________________________________________ Imm Fakhruddn Owais al-Madan al-Fayaw Senior Correspondent [Cape Town, RSA] 2011 FLOODPLAINS |

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