The Prayer of Salat al-Fatih The Matchless Sapphire al-Yaquta al-Farida "The lives of all the people have been spent in futility, except the lives of the practisers of Salat al Fatih, for they have gained both worldly and otherworldly profit." - Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani may Allah be pleased with him In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious the Ever Merciful. Praise be to Allah who said in His Glorious Book, "Allah and His angels call down blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Call down blessings on him and ask for complete peace and safety for him." Quran 3356 Oh Allah send benedictions upon our Lord Mohammad, the opening of what had been closed, the Seal of what had gone before, the Helper of the Truth by the Truth, and the guide to Your Straight Path, Allah's blessings be upon him and upon his Family; may this prayer be equal to his immense position and grandeur. IntroductionA genuine Hadith reported by the companion Sidna Abu Hurayra, which says that he learnt from the prophet two series of Hadiths, therefore he is authorized to disclose the first series, but not the second one, as it may cost him his life, because common people would not understand them. The commentators of such Hadith underlined that the execution of common use second specifications and ordinary concepts of the Shari’a and Sunna will be enough to the good believer, except those well built introspectively, and capable to transcend towards the maximum. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him had inculcated in to his companion Sidna Hudyfa some secret teachings, the latter was not allowed to disclose. The Caliph Sidna Omar Ibn al-Khattab came sometimes to find out about what companion Sidna Hudyfa would have eventually got from the mouth of the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him, among other variant prayers upon the prophet usually recited by believers, and the one called “salat al-Ibrahimiya”. Yet the son-in law and Caliph of the Prophet Sidna Ali ibn Abi Talib recited another prayer on the Prophet. The Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him qualified him as the guardian of “the science Mohammedian city”, saying “I am the forum of the science and Ali is the means to access”. Sidna Ali recited a prayer which includes terms of the Salat al-Fatih. This prayer on the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him is partially thus worded, “Al-Fatihi lima oughliq wal khatimi lima sabaqa, nasiri al-haqqi bil haqq” the opening of what had been closed, the Seal of what had gone before, the helper of the Truth by the Truth refer to the works of Ibn al-Atir, Ibn Qutayba in his Moushkil al-hadith and Ibn al-Faris. In fact the companions of the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him often recited litanies which they have not learned from him peace and blessing be upon him, without any denigration of the God’s messenger. The latter have heard one day from the mouth of another companion a special prayer. He had expressly the agreement of the messenger of God- other Hadiths are cited by at-Tabarani and other genuine commentators. Among others the successors of the companions Tabi’in, Sidna Omar Ibn Abdellaziz who recited prayers which are not at all part of the Mohammedian nomenclature. The list is a long one, according to Ibn Majah, in his “Sunan”, the companion Abdellah Ibn Masoud to recite a special salat “O my Lord, reserve your blessings and your mercies to the most sublime of your messengers, the Imam of pious our Lord Mohammed”. The Imam Shafi’i, promoter of the judicial rite which takes his name, had his own prayer. This prayer is commonly recited nowadays in all Moroccan mosques "O my god bless our Lord Mohammed as many times as the number of his community who had recited, or even omitted to recite it". Salat al-Fatih Basis of the Tijani Path Sidna Shaykh said "The lives of all the people have been spent in futility, except the lives of the practisers of Salat al Fatih, for they have gained both worldly and otherworldly profit." When some of his companions were seeking another prayer, Sidna Shaykh used to say “Set many prayers upon the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him with Salat al-Fatih because in it is the good of this world and the Hereafter, and by Salat al-Fatih one obtains all his desires and reaches all his wishes. From the letters he wrote was this one addressed to one of the scholars of the zawiya of Zarhoun may Allah keep it high and arise with his remembrance "We ask Allah glorified in his greatness and sanctified in his names to make you seek the paths of his fearful awliya now and at the end and that he almighty grants you the position of his beloved Gnostics in his presence in this life and the next for he is the one who is able and all powerful, you have asked me to permit you to increase your load of invocations on top of the Wird then know that I have granted you permission to recite what you desire of the invocations, Holy Names, verses and supplications wherever and however way you like except those litanies that belong to other Shaykh’s and to their Sufi Paths ways for those I do not grant you permission to do. Know that all the invocations you may recite and forms of praising the Prophet and supplications if you were to recite them all 100,000 times a day every day for 100,000 years then they wouldn’t amount to the reward of one time of Salat al-Fatih so if you wanted to benefit yourself in the hereafter make it your all time task as much as your effort allows for it is the great treasure of Allah Almighty Kanzu Allah al al-A'adham to those who recite it, every time you feel you need to increase your load of invocation on top of the daily Wird then use Salat al-Fatih, I have advised for the sake of Allah." "اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الفَاتِحِ لِمَا أُغْلِقَ والخَاتِمِ لِمَا سَبَقَ نَاصِرِ الحَقِّ بِالحَقِّ والهَادِي إِلَى صِرَاطِكَ المُسْتَقِيمِ وعَلَى آلِهِ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ ومِقْدَارِهِ العَظِيمِ" According to the great Qutb Sidi Abul Mawahib al-Arabi ibn Sayeh Sharqi may Allah be pleased with him "The secret of our Path is based on twofold the Sura of Fatiha and Salat al-Fatih". This precious indication corresponds perfectly with the vision of the Shaykh Sidi Mohyiddin ibn al-Arabi al-Hatimi may Allah be satisfied with him who mentioned in one of his epistles that the Seal of Mohammedian Sainthood shall bring forth with him a great prayer on the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him that frees from sins and gives access to Heaven to whoever recites it once. In the words of Sidna Shaykh as read in the Jawahir al-Maani "After I studied the prayer of Salat al-Fatih I realized that it excels the worship of all jinns, humans, and angles". And he said may Allah be pleased with him "The Apostle of Allah peace and blessing be upon him told me 'No one has ever prayed on me with a prayer better than the one of Salat al-Fatih’ .” He said may Allah be pleased with him "That the residents of the Seven Skys and the Seven Earths congregate to describe the rewards of Salat al-Fatih they would have failed." And he said may Allah be pleased with him "What you have heard on the bounty of Salat al-Fatih is a drop in the sea compared to what is concealed." The Salat al-Fatih praises the prophets with four great traits opening al-Fath, sealhood al-Khatm, victory al-Nasr, and guidance al-Hady. As such he is qualified as the promoter of the opening of everything that is concealed and blocked for all previous messengers. He is also described as director of law by law, attributed to him by God, and also, he is the guide of believers to Allah’s path. Some have explained this opening by the first emergence of the Holy Prophet Sidna Mohammed peace and blessing be upon him, being the first human being emerged from the big void, even before the genesis or the creation of the world. Audio Salat al-Fatih “O Allah send benediction upon Sidna Mohammad Allah-umma Salli 'ala Sayyidina Mohammadin "Allah and His angels call down blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Call down blessings on him and ask for complete peace and safety for him." Quran 3356 The opening of what had been closed Al-Fati'hi limaa ughliqa "I am the first of those who bow to His Will. Quran 6163 "And I am commanded to be the first of those who bow to Allah." Quran 3912 And the Seal of what had gone before Wal khatimi limaa sabaqa "Mohammed is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the Prophets." Quran 3340 And the helper of the Truth by the Truth Naasiri-l-'Haqqi bil-'Haqqi "O you who believe. If you help the cause of Allah, He will help you and make firm your feet." Quran 477 "So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them" Quran 817 And the guide to Your Straight Path Wal Hadi ilaa Siratiqa-l-Mustaqim "And most surely you guide to the straight path;" Quran "He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion." Quran 4828 Allah's blessings be upon his Family Wa 'ala aalihi "Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a thorough purifying." Quran 3333 “ May this prayer be equal to his immense position and grandeur.” 'Haqqa Qadrihi wa Miqdaarihi-l-'Adhim "And they measured not Allah its true measure;” Quran 691 "And there is a measure with Him of everything" Quran 138 The Salat al-Fatih is not Sidna Shaykh’s own. It had been inspired to another previous Shaykh, the great pole Sidi Abu Abdullah Mohammed al-Bakri Siddiqi of Egypt d. 994/1585, who stated that one prayer of the prayer is worth the reward of six hundred thousand ordinary prayers. Al-Khalifa al-Akbar Sidi Ali Harazem Berrada d. 1212/1797 said in Kitab Jawahir al-Ma'ani, "Sidna Shaykh said I have asked the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him on the reward of Salat al-Fatih to which he peace and blessing be upon him responded, "it is worth six thousand 6000 recitation of the Holy Quran'". Verily, Salat al-Fatih is a divine matter which has no room for the mind intellect. If we were to estimate there are 100,000 nations each nation is made of 100,000 tribes each tribe is made of 100,000 men each one of those men lived for 100,000 years and recited 1,000 prayer upon the Prophet other than Salat al-Fatih every day of their lives then the reward thawab for all of these nations along all these years would not catch up with the reward of one times of reciting Salat al-Fatih." جاء في تأليف المشاهد المسماة "بالكنز المطلسم في حقيقة سر الإسم الأعظم" للخليفة الواسطة المعظم سيدي الحاج علي حرازم برادة وهو تأليف يحتوي ما يقارب الثلاثين مشهدا بما ضمنه من الكلام على الإسم الأعظم والفاتحة وصلاة الفاتح "وهذا من السر المكتوم الذي لا اطلاع لأحد عليه وخصصتَ به دون سائر الخلق ولكل من أذنته فمن لم يعلم هذه المرتبة من المصلين بصلاة الفاتح لا يصل إليه هذا الفضل العظيم... ولو صلَّى بها طول الدهر العميم". يقول العلامة سيدي أحمد سكيرج رضي الله عنه ﻔﻲالجواهر المنتشرة في الجواب عن الأسئلة الإحدى عشرة صلاة الفاتح ضامنة لخير الدنيا و الآخرة لمن التزم دوامها لكن بالإذن الصحيح و مرتبتها الظاهرة هي لكل من ظفر بها حاصل بالإذن و بلا إذن، لأن صاحبها سيدي البكري أخبر عن نفسه بأن من ذكرها مرة و دخل النار فليقبضه بين يدي الله، و ذكر من فضلها أن المرة الواحدة منها بستمائة ألف صلاة من غيرها. و قد بين الشيخ رضي الله عنه من هذه المرتبة ما لم يبينه غيره، و هو يحصل بحسب نية الذاكر، و قد لا يكون لذاكرها نية في تحصيل شيء من فضلها، فلا يكون صاحب خاصية، لأن الخاصية لا تدرك إلا بنية صادقة مصدقة، و إلا كان العمل كعمل مطلق الناس في نيل مطلق الثواب، أما المرتبة الباطنة و باطنة الباطنة فلا بد من الإذن في كل واحدة منهما ومعرفة الفضل المنوط بها، لأنه بعلم الفضل تحصل المرتبة الفضيلة، و بهذا تميزت فضيلة العالم في العبادة... و لا ينبغي أن يتصدر لتلقين هذه الصلاة من لا إذن له في مرتبة من مراتبها. و ليس له أيضا إذن في تلقينها بنية ذلك، و إلا فقد خاطر بنفسه في ادعاء مالا إذن له فيه، فيكون من المحرومين." و يقول العلامة ﻔﻲ الرسائل "هذا و إن الحق تعالى لما علم عجز خلقه عن أداء حق حمده حمد نفسه بنفسه في سابق أزله، فقال الحمدلله، فكذلك يقال في الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم، فإن الحق تعالى صلى على نبيه بنفسه في سابق أزله، فالمصلي بصلاة الفاتح يطلب منه أن يصلي على نبيه بتلك الصلاة، لأنها هي الفاتح التي لم تتقدم قبلها الصلاة عليه، و ليس المقصود بها لفظ صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق، بل حتى أن المصلي إذا صلى بغير هذه الصلاة واستحضر هذا المعنى فإنه يحصل على فضل عظيم، بما يستفاد منه إظهار العجز الحقيقي في أداء حق هذا النبي الكريم عليه السلام إلا أن صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق فيها خاصية مرتبطة بهذا المعنى، بحيث إذا استحضره المأذون له فيها واعتقد أنها برزت من حضرة الغيب فاز بالثواب المنوط بها إن شاء الله تعالى." Al-Khalifa al-Akbar Sidi Abul Hassan Ali Harazem may Allah be pleased with him reports the following in Risalat al-Fadl wa al-Imtinan The prayer has come as it is from the World of Unseen al-Ghayb and what has come from the unseen is confirmed and is beyond the upper basis and does not stand to the rules of a compiler, the characteristics of this Prayer is that it does not also stand to analogy. Let’s suppose 100,000 nations each nation is made of 100,000 tribes each tribe is made of 100,000 men each one of those men lived for 100,000 years and recited 1,000 prayer upon the Prophet other than Salat al-Fatih every day of their lives then the reward thawab for all of these nations along all these years would not catch up with the reward of one times of reciting Salat al-Fatih. So disregard those who spread calumny as merit is within the hands of Almighty Allah and he give it to those he likes, sufficient and convincingly are the terms of the Holy Quran “And He creates what you knew not”. … Frankly, the one who yearns for this happiness and is earnestly trying to reach this unique jewel will surely be drawn by Allah’s merits to believe what has been said without taking into account analogy and making only the unicity tawhid of Almighty Allah his safe and happy road, and for those doubtful people who do often ask such question, “From where did you get such information?”, so be careful not to enter into sterile conversation with those people as you are well aware from what corner our sources were another letter Sidna Shaykh illustrated that whoever has greeted the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him through Salat al-Fatih once, he will bear the rewards of all Prayers that have occurred across the universe by mankind, Angels and Jinns, in a number of six hundred thousand from the first creation of the universe until the recitation has been completed, and each prayer with a reward of six hundred thousand 600,000 from all faithful from mankind, angels and Jinns. And each prayer with a reward of four hundred 400 conquests and each conquest with a reward of four hundred 400 Hajj pilgrimage, and each prayer from all these with a bird as mentioned in the Hadith that has seventy thousand wings 70,000, and each prayer with a Houri wife and ten 10 virtues and the erasure of ten 10 sins and for each prayer, the Exalted Allah and his Angels salute the Prophet ten times. And in another letter, a unique Prayer with a reward of six thousand folds from each Dhikr emanating from each person in this globe to the sole exception of the Holy Quran which is of six folds. Sidna Shaykh may Allah be satisfied with him told me "That’s what I have orally heard from the Beloved Prophet peace and blessing be upon him". And all his declarations may Allah be satisfied with him are on daylight. Furthermore, be informed O brother that the inherency on the Prayers on the Prophet has a blessed dividend on men, his children and his grand children, whereas the Prayer of Salat al-Fatih it is a genuine guarantee for the bounties of this world and that of the hereafter to the one who is inherent to this tradition and has abided through the right permission. And be informed O brother nothing is better than the means wassila in Allah’s realm and much more acceptable to you in reaching the pleasure of Almighty Allah than these great prayers and greetings upon the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him as all scholars and despite their different views on the issue have all agreed upon the total acceptance of this highly respected deed in accordance with the Hadith of the Beloved Prophet peace and blessing be upon him when Almighty Allah said “ O Mohammed whoever has saluted you, I will salute him”, and it is crystal clear that this truthful promise is certainly both a Divine attention and deserved reward those humble venerated Shaykh, Sidi Abul Fadl al-Haj Omar ibn Said al-Futi Tall d. 1279/1864 informs in the book entitled the "Rimah al Hizb al Raheem ala Nuhur al Hizb al Rajeem" The spears of the league of the Merciful thrown at the necks of the league of the accursed,As for the invocation of Salat al-Fatih it has three degrees an external degree, an internal degree and the degree of the inmost batin al-batin. I had intended to provide a complete explanation of it at this point, and to describe its marvels and its wonders. I was prevented from that, however by the fact that most people lack the maturity required for the acquisition of that kind of knowledge. I shall therefore content myself with mentioning some of what is available in Kitab Jawahir al Ma’ani concerning the external degree. Sidna Shaykh has said "As for Salat al-Fatih when I asked the Prophet about it, he informed me first of all, that it is worth six hundred thousand invocation of blessing 600,000. I also asked him, For each invocation of blessing does one bird fly up toward heaven-that being the bird which has seventy thousand wings, as described in the Hadith, or do six hundred thousand 600,000 birds of that kind fly up each time, and is the reward of their glorification assigned to the invoker of blessing upon the Prophet?’ The Prophet replied "Six hundred thousand 600,000 birds of that kind fly up each time." As for the number of each bird’s tongues, the Shaykh said, "The total number of its tongues is 1,780,000,700,000,000,000,000,000. Each tongue glorifies Allah in seventy thousand languages in a split second, and all of is reward is assigned each time to the invoker of blessing upon the Prophet. This applies to every prayer on the Prophet than Salat al-Fatih. As for the latter, it gives rise, each time, to six hundred thousand 600,000 birds of the kind described, as previously mentioned." Sidna Shaykh then went on to say, "When I asked the Prophet about the authenticity of the Hadith, 'The invocation of showering a prayer upon him peace and blessing be upon him one time, is worth the reward of four hundred 400 military campaigns ghazwa and every campaign is worth four hundred 400 pilgrimages 'hajja.' The Prophet replied "It is indeed authentic". I then asked the Prophet about the number of these campaigns Are four hundred 400 campaigns equivalent to a single offering of Salat al-Fatih, or are four hundred 400 campaigns equivalent to each of the six hundred thousand 600,000 invocations of blessing?’ The Prophet answered Salat al-Fatih is worth six hundred thousand 600,000 invocations of showering a prayer upon him one, and each of the six hundred thousand 600,000 invocations of blessing is worth four hundred campaigns’! Then he went on to say If someone invokes it Salat al-Fatih; one time, he will receive the reward he would receive if he offered every invocation of salat upon the Prophet ever offered in the universe, by all the jinn, human beings and angels, six hundred thousand times 600,000, from the beginning of time until the moment when he utters its invocation. In other words, it is as if he has offered six hundred thousand times 600,000 all the invocations ever invoked by all the invokers of salat, angels, jinn and human beings, every one of those invocations being worth a spouse among the houries al-'hur al-'in, and ten good deeds 'hasanat, and the erasure of ten bad deeds sayyiat, and promotion by ten degrees darajat. Allah and his angels will also bless him ten times for every invocation of blessing. Sidna Shaykh then said Once you have contemplated this with your heart, you will know that no act of worship is equal to a single offering of the salat upon the Prophet, so how about someone who offers it many times?" What gracious favor he enjoys in the presence of Allah, and this is received each time the invocation is offered! From the Outward Rewards of Salat al-Fatih Rewards of 1 recitationReciting Salat al-Fatih to achieve its outward bounty does not necessarily need any permission from any Muqaddam. In numerical terms, one recitation of the prayer is worth 600,000 ordinary prayer on the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him; the rewards thawab of every tasbi’h made in the universe, and every dhikr, and supplication ex. The 'Sayfi', 'Ya man adhhara al-jamil', and "Hizb al-Bahr” multiplied by 600,000. This excludes the Greatest Name of Allah for it is worth 6000 of Salat al-Fatih. the recitation of the Holy Quran 6000 times; the rewards of 240,000,000 ghazwa jihad in Allah’s cause and 96,000,000,000 'hajja pilgrimage to Makkah; 600,000 palaces in Heaven and 600,000 houries each houri has 70,000 servants; 600,000 birds fly up toward heaven -that being the bird which has 70,000 wings, as described in the Hadith. According to Jawahir al-Maani, one bird has 1,780,000,700,000,000,000,000,000 tongues and each tongue speaks 70 languages in every instant. The total reward of the birds’ prayers are granted to the reciter; the rewards of each and every prayer made in the universe by jinnis, humans and angles, multiplied by 600,000, from the creation of existence to the time of invocation. 6,000,000 h'asana good deed and wipes 6,000,000 sayyi'a sins and raises 6,000,000 daraja degrees and Allah and His angles pray upon the reciter 60,000,000 times 6,000,000 *10; the rewards of the prayers of animals and plants and inanimate multiplied by 6,000; the worship of 128 years only for those who recites it 10,000 a day These numbers are also multiplied by 600,000, then one fold, for the secret of multiplication tad’if, 600,000*600,000*600,000= 216,000,000,000,000,000. The numbers are also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har time one hour after the Icha prayer till the Subh prayer. من رسائل الفقيه سيدي محمد أكنسوس رضي الله عنه وبعثها للعارف بالله ذي الأحوال الخطيرة المقدم الكبير مولانا الحاج سعيد الدراركي المسكيني السوسي "إلا أنك إذا أردت الفوز الأكبر وقبلت النصيحة فكل ما تفعل زيادة على ذلك من الأوراد لأجل الثواب والتقرب إلى الله تعالى وطلب رضاه فليكن من صلاة الفاتح فإنها لا تقوم لها عبادة ، وليس فوقها إلا الإسم الأعظم لمن أطلعه الله عليه ، فعليك بها ثم عليك بها فإنها الكنز الذي أظهر الله في هذا الزمان رحمة بالضعفاء أمثالنا ، فلو سمعت ما أعد الله لأهلها من الفضل العظيم لما اشتغلت بغيرها وذلك مذكور في جواهر المعاني في مناقب الشيخ التجاني رضي الله عنه وأرضاه". ويقول في رسالة أخرى "وجماع الأمر في الإكثار الفاتح لما أغلق إلى آخرها فذلك الكنز الأكبر الذي ما ظفر به أحد إلا هذه الطائفة السعيدة." قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه "لو ذكرت ما تفضل الله به علينا وعلى أصحابنا من فضل صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق لأفتى أكابر العارفين بقتلي". قلتُ أي الفقيه أكنسوس ومعنى هذا الكرم ليس لأنه مخالف لشيء من الشريعة كما تفهمه السامعون. ولكن معناه هو ما أشار إليه القطب الجامع بين الشريعة والحقيقة. سيدي عبد الوهاب الشعراني رضي الله عنه في الفصل الرابع من مقدمة كتابه اليواقيت والجواهر. وهو ما نصه. قال في الباب لأنه من المفتوحات التي يتأكد على كل عارف ستر ما تعطف الحق تعالى به على قلبه من علوم الأسرار ولا يظهره فيقع عليه النكير. ومن هنا قال أبو القاسم الجنيد سيد هذه الطائفة لا يبلغ أحد درجة الحقيقة حتى يشهد فيه ألف صديق بأنه زنديق. ومن هذا قول أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أفضى إلي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بعلم لو ذكرته لكم لقطعتم مني هذا البلعوم. وقال الإمام مولانا علي رضي الله عنه يارب جواهر علم لو أبوح به **** لقيل لي أنت ممن يعبد الوثنا / ولا استحل رجال مسلمون دمي **** يرون أقبح ما يأتونه حسنا Rewards of 100 That Salat al-Fatih is recited 100 times in daytime, then the mathematical result of its bounty is the following While the 1st prayer equals 600,000 ordinary prayers on the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him; the second one worth 600,000 in addition to the reward of the initial one; 600,000+600,000 = 1,200,000. The bounty of 100 of Salat al-Fatih equals then 60,000,000 ordinary prayers on the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him; In total, reciting 100 of Salat al-Fatih in daytime equals 1 360,000 full recitation of the Holy Quran 2 the rewards of 24,000,000,000 ghazwas 3 the rewards of 96,000,000,000,000 'hajja, 4 60,000,000 palaces and 60,000,000, 5 the rewards of 60,000,000,000 'hasana and the wipe of 60,000,000,000 sins and increase of 60,000,000,000 degrees, and Allah and His angles pray upon him 60,000,000,000 times, 6 the rewards of every tasbi'h and dhikr and supplications, 7 the rewards of the prayers of 60,000,000 birds that are born from the prayers on the Holy Prophet; each bird speaks 70 languages with 1,780,000,700,000,000,000,000,000 tongues; 8 the rewards of each and every tasbih and tahmid and tahlil and istighfar and salat 'ala Nabi made the universe by jinns, humans and angles, multiplied by 60,000,000 from the creation of the universe till the time of the prayer; 9 the rewards of the worship of 7,680,000,000 years only for those who recite the prayer 10,000 a day; 10. better than the rewards of the prayers of 60,000,000,000 nations; in every nation there are 60,000,000,000 residents, and each resident of them pray on the Holy Prophet with 60,000,000,000 with a prayer different from the Salat al-Fatih. These numbers are also multiplied by 600,000, then one fold, for the secret of multiplication tad’if, 600,000*600,000= 36,000,000,0000. The numbers are also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har time. قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه كما هو في جواهر المعاني "كنت مشتغلا بذكر صلاة الفاتح حين رجعت من الحج الى تلمسان لما رأيت من فضلها, وهو أن المرة الواحدة منها بستمائة صلاة كما هو في وردة الجيوب, وقد ذكر صاحب الوردة أن صاحبها سيدي محمد البكري الصديقي نزيل مصر وكان قطبا رضي الله عنه قال ان من ذكرها مرة واحدة ولم يدخل الجنة فليقبض صاحبها عند الله, وبقيت أذكرها الى أن رحلت من تلمسان الى أبي سمغون, فلما رأيت التي فيها المرة الواحدة بسبعين ألف ختمة من دلائل الخيرات تركت الفاتح لما أغلق واشتغلت بها وهي اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله صلاة تعدل جميع صلوات أهل محبتك, وسلم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله سلاما يعدل سلامهم لما رأيت فيها من كثرة الفضل, ثم أمرني صلى الله عليه وسلم بالرجوع الى صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق, فلما أمرني بالرجوع اليها سألته صلى الله عليه وسلم عن فضلها, فأخبرني أولا بأن المرة الواحدة منها تعدل من القرآن ست مرات, ثم أخبرني ثانيا بأن المرة الواحدة منها تعدل من كل تسبيح وقع في الكون من كل ذكر ومن كل دعاء كبير أو صغير ومن القرآن ستة آلاف مرة لأنه من الأذكار." قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه "وأخبرني صلى الله عليه وسلم أنها لم تكن من تأليف البكري أي صلاة الفاتح لم أغلق ولكنه توجه الى الله مدة طويلة أن يمنحه صلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فيها ثواب جميع الصلوات وسر جميع الصلوات وطال طلبه مدة ثم أجاب الله دعوته فأتاه الملك بهذه الصلاة مكتوبة في صحيفة من النور ثم قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه فلما تأملت هذه الصلاة وجدتها لا تزنها عبادة جميع الجن والانس والملائكة...وخاصية الفاتح لما أغلق أمر الهي لا مدخل فيه للعقول فلو قدرت مائة ألف أمة في كل أمة مائة ألف قبيلة في كل قبيلة مائة ألف رجل وعاش كل واحد منهم مائة ألف عام يذكر كل واحد منهم في كل يوم مائة ألف صلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من غير الفاتح لما أغلق وجمع ثواب هذه الأمم كلها في مدة هذه السنين كلها في هذه الأذكار كلها ما لحقوا كلهم ثواب مرة واحدة من صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق, فلا تلتفت لتكذيب مكذب ولا لقدح قادح فيها ، فان الفضل بيد الله يؤتيه من يشاء, فان لله سبحانه وتعالى فضلا خارجا عن دائرة القياس, ويكفيك قوله سبحانه وتعالى وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ، فما توجه متوجه الى الله تعالي بعمل يبلغها وان كان ما كان, ولا توجه متوجه الى الله بعمل أحب إليه منها ولا أعظم عند الله منها الا مرتبة واحدة, وهي من توجه الى الله تعالى باسمه العظيم الأعظم لا غير وهو التوجهات والدرجة العليا من جميع التعبدات, ليس لفضله غاية ولا فوقه نهاية, وهذه الصلاة تليه في المرتبة والتوجه والثواب والفوز بمحبة الله لصاحبها وحسن المآب, فمن توجه الى الله مصدقا بهذا الحال فاز برضا الله وثوابه في دنياه وآخراه بما لا تبلغه جميع الأعمال, يشهد بها الفيض الالهي الذي لا تبلغه الآمال ولا يحصل هذا الفضل المذكور الا مع التسليم, ومن أراد المناقشة في في هذا الباب وهذا المحل فليترك, فانه لا يفيده استقصاء حجج المقال, واترك عنك محاججة من يطلب منك الحجج, فان القول في ذلك ردا وجوابا كالبحر لا تنقطع منه الأمواج, والقلوب في يد الله هو المتصرف فيها والمقبل بها والمدبر بها, فمن أراد سعادته والفوز بثواب هذه الياقوتة الفريدة جذب قلبه الى التصديق بما سمعه فيها وعرفه التسليم لفضل الله سبحانه بأنه لا يأخذه الحد والقياس فصرف همته الى التوجه الى الله تعالى بها والاقبال على الله بشأنها فلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاء بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ، ومن أراد الله حرمانه من خيرها صرف قلبه بالوسوسة وبقوله من أين يأتي خبرها, واشتغل بما قلناه لك ومن أطاعك في ذلك وأعرض عن مناقشتك في البحث بتحقيق ذلك فانا أخذناه من الوجه الذي تعلمه وكفى." Rewards of 101 The reward of 101 is calculated in a unique mathematical form. According to Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani may Allah be pleased with him, the bounty of 100 of Salat al-Fatih equals 60,000,000 ordinary prayers on the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him. But when the reciter prays the 101st one, this equals 60,000,000 + 60,000,000 + 600,000= 120,600,000. And the number is multiplied by 500 during the The Sa’har time 60,300,000,000. These numbers are also multiplied by 600,000, then one fold, for the secret of multiplication tad’if, 600,000*600,000= 36,000,000,0000. The numbers are also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har time. Rewards of 1001 The reward of 1001 is calculated in the same manner. If the bounty of 1000 of Salat al-Fatih equals 12,060,000,000 ordinary prayers on the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him, then the bounty of 1001 equal 12,060,000,000 + 12,060,000,000 + 600,000= 24,120,600,000. The number is then multiplied by 600,000 and again by 600,000 for the secret of multiplication tad’if. The number is also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har time. Multiplication Beginning of Existence The rewards of ONE time of reciting Salat al-Fatih is worth the rewards of each and every prayer made in the universe by jinnis, humans and angles, multiplied by 600,000 then threefold from the creation of existence to the time of invocation. The very beginning of existence is unknown. Sidna Shaykh Abul Abbas Tijani may Allah be pleased with him said as read in the Jawahir “Beginning of the existence az-zaman al-madhi is unknown. But when Allah Almighty created the spirit of men, He placed it in the corner of His care, bestowing upon it all kinds of goddesses ma'hasin and gratifications takrim and glorification i'azaz, for more than years.” And he said may Allah be pleased with him "I had perceived a time of 80,000,308,000,070,000 years in the ghayb.” It is also mentioned in the Jawahir that Sidna Shaykh informed that the blessed Mohammedian Corpse has been created in 370,881,000,000 years. Hence, one prayer upon the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him with Salat al-Fatih equals the rewards of all prayers, multiplied by 600,000, then twofold, from the very beginning of existence to the time of invocation of Salat al-Fatih! !! يقول العلامة العارف بالله أحمد بن العياشي سكيرج رضي الله عنه و الذي أؤكد عليكم أيها الأخ هو المحافظة على أورادك و الإكثار من صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق كلما تفرغت في أوقاتك سفرا و حضرا، و لا تستبدلها بغير تلاوة القرآن بترتيل و تدبر فهي كفيلة بخير الدارين، و لا تهتم بغيرهما من الأذكار ذات الأسرار و الخواص العالية فهي و الله أنفع للمريد من تلاوة الاسم الأعظم لخلو تلاوتها عن الأغراض. من الرسائل. ويقول العلامة في بلوغ الأماني بالإجازة لمريد الورد التجاني لا يشتغل المريد بالبحث عن الإسم الأعظم ولا طلب خواص الأسماء، لأن ذلك من شيم البطالين الذين ليس لهم من ذلك إلا مجرد التعب. ويتعين على المريد أن يترك التخليط في الأذكار، ولا يشتغل بطلب الإذن له في الأسرار المنوطة بها، فإن في ذلك تشتيت الفكرة عن جمع الهمة. والأفضل للمريد هو الإكثار من صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق، والهيللة والاستغفار بقدر الإمكان. Figure The Cycle of Life The numbers of years are extracted from the Jawahir al-Maani and Chapter 7 of the Futuhat al-Makkiya Multiplication Tongues of Angles The exact number of angles is unknown save to Allah and His Messenger peace and blessing be upon him. But, according to the book of Rimah, it is said that there are 70,000 lines of angles surrounding the Throne of Allah in the Jabarout World. Behind them exist as well another 70,000 lines and 100,000 lines respectively. It is said that 600,000 Suradiqa exist in the Throne. The Earth and the Seven Skys are nothing compared to one Suradiqa. Between two Suradiqas is the distance of 80,000 years. In addition, the Throne itself has 366 Pillars qaima. One Pillar is bigger than our World 1000 times. Between two Pillars exist the distance of 60,000 deserts. In every desert the distance of 60,000 years. Above the Throne lie, moreover, the World of 70 Covers al-'Hujub as-Sab’in. Between two Covers the distance of 70,000 years. And above all lie the World of Raqqa and the line of at-Tawq al-Akhdar. Angles fill these worlds and pray ten times upon the one who prays upon the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him one prayer. The huge numbers of angles that fill the Throne, however, are but a drop of water in a wide, deep sea, if they are placed in the Worlds of Simsima and Law'h. Angles have different number of tongues. Some have one tongue, but others may have more than 100,000,000,000 tongues. That the one recites the Salat al-Fatih, then he/she receives the rewards of every tasbi’h and tahlil and tamjid and taqdis and salat ala an-Nabi made in the universe by angles from the creation of existence to the time of the reciter’s prayer, multiplied by 600,000, and then multiplied by itself threefold, and then multiplied by the tongues of angles that fill the 800 universes and the presences of an-Nasut World Earh, al-Malakut World from the 1st to the 7th Sky, al-Jabarut World from the 7th Sky to the Throne, and al-Lahut World Alam al-Raqqa. Multiplication Tongues of Prophets and Poles and Saints Prophets and messengers, companions of the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him and the poles of Islam differentiate in degrees and numbers of essences and tongues. According to Sidi al-Haj Omar al-Futi may Allah be pleased with him, our Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him has 124,000 tongues. The so-called Ghawt or "Qutb al-Aqtab has, on the other hand, 366 tongues. That the rewards of ONE time of reciting Salat al-Fatih is worth the rewards of each and every prayer made in the universe by prophets and messengers and poles etc is multiplied by 600,000 then threefold from the creation of existence to the time of invocation, then the bounty of Salat al-Fatih is also multiplied by the congregation of the tongues of prophets and messengers as well as the tongues of the aghwat, aqtab, afrad, Siddiqin, awtad, etc. Multiplied by the congregation of the tongues of the Holy Prophet 124,000 * 600,000 = 74,400,000,000 Multiplied by the congregation of the tongues of the Qutb 366 * 600,000 = 219,600,000 The number is then multiplied by 600,000 and again by 600,000 for the secret of multiplication tad’if. The number is also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har Rewards of the deeds of the hearts of Prophets and Poles Part of the outward bounty of Salat al-Fatih is the containment of the rewards thawab of prophets and poles from the degree of the deeds of their hearts martabat a’amal qulubihim. It is well established in Sufi doctrine that a blink-of-the-eye deed of the pole surpasses the total worship of jinns, humans, and angles made in the universe from the creation of existence to the time of Judgment. Add to this the threefold multiplication of Salat al-Fatih. The number is multiplied by 600,000 and again by 600,000 for the secret of multiplication tad’if. The number is also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har time. Multiplication The Greatest Name Rewards of ONE time of reciting Salat al-Fatih is worth the rewards of every tasbi’h made in the universe, and every dhikr, and supplication excluding the Greatest Name of Allah that specially reserved for the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him al-Ism al-A'adham al-Kabir al-Khass bi-Rasulillah, that is the Fatiha with the known intention, and which the Holy Prophet peace and blessing be upon him shared it with Sidna Shaykh Tijani may Allah be pleased with him. The Big Name is codified with complicated talisman. Even the Big Aqtab cannot reach it because it is part of secrets of the 'Hadra al-Ahmediya al-Mohammediya. And as said, no one has any share in its content save the Mohammedian Seal because of his sublimity. Abu Yazid al-Bistami may Allah be pleased with him said "I underwent the depths of gnosises in search of place at the essence of the Mohammedian Reality to where I found between me and it a thousand veils of light. If I approached the first veil I would be burned just as a hair is burned when cast into the fire, and so I merely delayed the retreat." According to Jawahir al-Maani, the Fatiha with the known intention is worth 6000 of Salat al-Fatih. Having said that, the small Greatest Name of Allah al-Ism al-A'adham al-Saghir is included in the letters of Salat al-Fatih. Sidna Shaykh Tijani may Allah be pleased with him authorized few of his close companions to invoke the Salat al-Fatih with the intention of al-Ism. Nevertheless, the common Tijani companion who reads Salat al-Fatih without any intention gains in the process the rewards of the invocation of al-Ism al-A'adham al-Saghir. This is however regarded from the “inward” bounty of Salat al-Fatih. The same conclusion is applied to the supplications of the 'Sayfi', 'Ya man adhhara al-jamil', and "Hizb al-Bahr” because al-Ism al-A'adham al-Saghir is held in their letters. Multiplication The Holy Quran Rewards of ONE time of reciting Salat al-Fatih is worth the rewards of 6000 full recitation of the Holy Quran and all the other Holy Books such as the Torah, the Bible, and the Psalms. Moreover, multiplication of the bounties of the verses of "al-Fatiha” “al-Qadr” Ch. 97 and al-Ikhlas chapter Ch. 112 are calculated separately. Accordingly, Sidi Abul Hassan Harazem d. 1218/1803 shows in the Jawahir that ONE ordinary recitation of the Fatiha Ch. 1 is worth the following, the rewards of every recitation of the Quran and every tasbi'h and invocation and supplication made in earth save the Greatest Name from the creation of existence to the time of recitation. 1 full recitation khatma of the Holy Quran; 1,000,147,525 palaces and houries in Heaven each houri has 70,000 servants when read once a day; 4,787,415,900 palaces and houries in Heaven when read during the five obligatory rituals in congregation jama’a; the complete worship qiyam of Laylat al-Qadr, which contain the rewards of casting the fast of Ramadan 12,000 palaces and houries a day *30= 360,000; the bounty of the recitation of al-Qadr chapter Ch. 97 360,000 palaces and houries. The latter also equals 1 full recitation of Hizb Sayfi if the chapter is recited 40 times with the proper intention. the bounty of the recitation of al-Ikhlas chapter Ch. 112, which equals 3 full recitation khatma of the Holy Quran; freedom from sin in the year it is read. Sidna Shaykh Abil Abbas Tijani may Allah be pleased with him informs that ONE recitation of the Fatiha frees from sin for a year. ” Multiplication Dalail al-Khayrat Salat al-Fatih equals 600,000 ordinary prayers upon the Chieftain of the Universe peace and blessing be upon him including the great prayer of "Salat al-Bakriya". According to Jawahir al-Maani and Kitab "Ward al-Juyub", the bounty of the Salat al-Bakriya worth full recitations of Dalail al-Khayrat. The prayer is the product of al-Qutb Sidi Mohammed al-Bakri as-Siddiqi al-Misri d. 994/1585 and it goes “Allahumma salli 'ala Sayyidina Mohammedin wa 'ala alihi, salaatan ta'adilu jamii'a salawaati ahli ma'habbatika, wa sallim 'ala Sayyidina Mohammedin wa 'ala alihi salaaman ya'adilu salamahum.” The Prophet peace and blessing be upon him said, "There is no slave who prays for blessing for me but that the prayer issues quickly from his mouth, and there is no land or sea nor east nor west but that it passes by them and says, 'I am the prayer of such-and-such a person, which he prayed for the Mohammed, the Chosen, the best of Allah's creation,' and there is nothing which does not bless him. From that prayer a bird is created for him which has 70,000 wings, and on every wing are 70,000 feathers, and in every feather are 70,000 faces, and in every face are 70,000 mouths, and in every mouth are 70,000 tongues, and every tongue glorifies Allah Most High in 70,000 languages, and Allah writes for him the reward of all of that." Mathematically speaking, the rewards of ONE time of reciting Salat al-Fatih equals the full recitations of 600,000 invocations of the Salat al-Bakriya, 42,000,000,000 invocations of Dalail al-Khayrat. As such 42,000,000,000 birds fly up toward heaven each bird has 1,780,000,700,000,000,000,000,000 tongues and each tongue speaks 70 languages in every instant, 1,780,000,700,000,000,000,000,000 * 42,000,000,000 = 7,476,002,940,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 . The rewards of 100 times of reciting Salat al-Fatih equals the full recitations of 42,000,000,000,000 invocations of Dalail al-Khayrat. 101 times of Salat al-Fatih, on the other hand, is worth 84,042,000,000,000 of Dalail al-Khayrat. The number is then multiplied by 600,000 and again by 600,000 for the secret of multiplication tad’if. The number is also multiplied by 500 during The Sa’har time. Multiplication Degree of the Iliyyine Paradise For the companion of the Hidden Pole Mawlana Abul Abbas Tijani may Allah be pleased with him, Salat al-Fatih equals the rewards of 600,000 palaces and 600,000 houries in the Paradise of 'Illiyyine Highest Heaven. As stated in Jawahir al-Maani, Sidna Shaykh said "If someone receives from me the well-known wird, which is essential to the Tariqa, or he receives it from someone I have authorized to teach it, he will enter the Paradise of 'Illiyyine.” And in Risalat al-fadl wal imtinan we read, “All those who have taken our wird will enter paradise without any deeds accountancy as well as their children, wives except the grandsons unless they are faithful and have not transgressed the companionship, all these followers will reach the Iliyyine status in heaven and are neighbours to the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him.” Sidna Ali ibn al-Husayn Sibt may Allah be pleased with both of them said “Allah has created the Apostles from the clay of the 'Illiyyine, both their hearts and bodies. The hearts of the faithful are also created from the same matter however their bodies are made from a clay lower than that of the 'Illiyyine.” The Shaykh Sidi Abdellaziz Dabbagh may Allah be pleased with him said in the Ibriz "That a grape made in the 'Illiyyine appears to residents of al-Firdaws Paradise their whole light shall be extracted." Let alone a paradise and/or a houri. Let alone 600,000 palaces and/or 600,000 houries gained from once single recitation of Salat al-Fatih. So know and do not of sins Sidna Shaykh may Allah be pleased with him teaches us various acts of worship that are effective in wiping one’s acquired sins with the goodwill of seeking Allah’s forgiveness. He advises his companions and confidants to constantly persist in wiping sins using all the available methods. The strongest of these wipers is to set prayers upon the Chieftain of the Universe, the Spout of Divine Compassion, the Spring of Divine Mercy, the Seal of Messengers, the Holy Prophet Mawlana Mohammed ibn Abdellah peace and blessing be upon him. Sidna Shaykh may Allah be satisfied with him prompted his companions and confidants to use the great prayer of Salat al-Fatih, which is incomprehensibly much greater compared to others. "Be aware that in our lifetime nobody can escape from committing sins because they fall on people like a heavy rain, so, keep on repeating what enables you to atone sins here is Salat al-Fatih, for no sin can escape it; may it be committed in solitude or in a group," he said may Allah be pleased with him. The prayer is very effective in wiping acquired sins. Sidna Shaykh Tijani has said, “The lives of all the people have been spent in futility, except the lives of the practisers of Salat al Fatih, for they have gained both worldly and otherworldly profit.” He clarified that a single recitation of Salat al-Fatih wipes the sins of all human beings from creation to trumpet. Thus he recommended his companions and confidants to rehearse Salat al-Fatih as much possible especially on Fridays. He said may Allah be pleased with him “If it is recited 100 times on Thursday night before Friday, will wipe out the sins of 400 years.” قال سيدنا رضي الله تعالى عنه ذكر ليلة الجمعة مائة من صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق إلخ بعد نوم الناس يكفر أربعمائة سنة. لجبر كل الصلوات على النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم من تطهر و صلى على النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم مرة مستحضرا للشروط المطلوبة منه كما ذكرنا فيما تقدم ينجبر له جميع ما صدر منه من الصلاة و غيرها من أذكاره التي لم تقبل منه التي كانت عليه وبالا و ترجع بفضل الله حسنات و ترفع حينئذ كما ترفع المقبولة و هذا فضل عظيم لمن وفقه الله له من غير تعب يحصل بسبب الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم و المحبة فيه لتكفير ذنب الغيبة و مما وقفت عليه أن سيدنا رضي الله عنه كتب لسيدي الدمراوي رضي الله عنه حين سئل عن الغيبة و ما في معناها من حقوق الخلق تصلي صلاة الفاتح لما أغلق ثم تقول ثواب هذه الصلاة أهديه لكل من له علي تباعة أو مظلمة أو حق أو دين يطالبني به يوم القيامة بين يديك من خروجي من بطن أمي إلى مستقري في التراب. اللهم تقبل مني و بلغ الثواب إليهم يقتسمون ذلك على قدر أنصبائهم و حصصهم في التبعات و الظلامات و الديون و الحقوق ج أحمد بن العياشي سكيرج، كشف الحجاب عمن تلاقى مع الشيخ التجاني من الاصحاب ، بتصرف، ص 122 Salat al-Fatih & the Quran Sidna Shaykh Sidi Ahmed Tijani may Allah be pleased with him argues as read in the Jawahir al-Ma’ani that the recitation of the Glorious Quran by a believer, who understands the meaning and applies the high directives of the Quran, is the best invocations. In the same category, we have those who read and do not understand, but apply the concept. The third type is those who recite the Koran to knowingly act against its principles and, according to a Hadith, is cursed by his sublime author ALLAH. As to Sidna Shaykh and other Muslim authorities, it would be better for this sinner to read any invocation instead of the Quran to avoid being cursed by Allah. Among these great authorities, there is the grand Ibn Hajar al-Haytami. Here of course, it is not a matter of 6000, which is a symbolic figure, because the serious sin suffered by such heretical figure is out numbered. But, for a true Tijani, Sidna Shaykh, at least two hizbs must be read per day, 1/30 of the Quran. It is regarded as an essential element in the wird and the wadhifa. Therefore, and despite the great value of Salat al-Fatih, Sidna Shaykh Mawlana Abul Abbas Tijani may Allah be pleased with him makes clear it is not meant to take the place of reading the Quran. Offering prayer on the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him is a supererogatory act, while the reading of the Quran is obligatory. To leave reading of the Quran, being the basis of the Shari’a, is to incur the wrath of God, while Salat al-Fatih can be left or taken as the person desires. The relationship is further contextualized by Sidna Shaykh’s description of the benefit of saying Allah’s Greatest Name al-Ism al-A’adham. Reciting this Name once is equal to one recital of the Quran’s opening chapter al-Fatiha, one whole reading of the Quran or saying Salat al-Fatih 6,000 times. By implication, as many later Tijanis have pointed out, reciting the Fatiha or the entirety of the Quran is 6,000 times greater than Salat al-Fatih. We read in Risalat al-Fadl wa al-Imtinan, However, it is extremely important to note that nothing is better and closer to Almighty Allah than the dhikr through the “Greatest Name” as this way of Dhikr is the aim of all destinations and the sublime rank from all kinds of worship, then comes the Prayers of “Our master Mohammed the Opener” engendering both merit and success of its reciter in this life and in the hereafter, and for the one who had followed this Divine exuberance, no matter what the claimants talk about, obviously their final fate is a gloomy one and dialogue in terms of questions and replies is to no avail as it is like a sea with no end to its waves, and hearts are within its Almighty Creator and it is him who administers them. Imam Abu Zayd Sidi Hassan ibn Ali Cisse asserts that it is true there is nothing better than the Quran, but in terms of the fault-filled servant of God, it is sometimes better for him to say any form of prayer on the Prophet than to read the Quran. This is because the Quran, according to Hadith, can be cursing its reader if he is not obeying its dictates not to fornicate, steal, lie, back-bite, etc., whereas there is no such Hadith that a person can be sending a prayer on the Prophet and it cursing him. To the contrary, one Hadith states that Allah is sending ten prayers on the person for every one he is sending on the Prophet. A similar opinion was in fact expressed by Sidna Shaykh Tijani himself, who described two classes of readers of the Quran, one who acted upon what they read and another who did not. For the former, the Quran was the best for them, for the latter, prayer upon the Prophet was more beneficial. Abul Fayd Sidi Ibrahim b. Abdellah Niass d. 1390/1975 says in Ruh al-Adab, The critics of Sufism, and particularly the critics of the Tijaniya Order, have heavily criticized this particular formula Salat al-Fatih because of the claim that the formula is divinely inspired, and not based on a mental construction like most other formulas. To understand the position of inspiration in Islam, we start by looking at the statement of Allah in the Quran, “It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills for He is Most High, Most Wise” [4251]. The popularly accepted English translation of the Holy Quran makes a comment on the above verses in commentary No. 4598 thus “God is Most High, Most Wise. Man, despite of his high destiny, is often the lowest of the low. Yet God, out of His infinite Mercy and Grace, has bestowed His Revelation on man. How does it come about? Three ways are mentioned 1 Inspiration wahy; 2 from behind a veil, and 3 by the sending of a Messenger.” Inspiration is interpreted as being of two kinds; a a suggestion thrown by Allah into the heart or mind of man, by which he understands the substance of the message, whether it is a command or prohibition, or an explanation of a great truth; and b Verbal or literal inspiration by which the actual words of God are conveyed in human language. Sunni opinion admits the existence of both kinds, although the latter “al-matlu”; the recited is held to be of a superior degree, only vouchsafed to the Greater Prophets. While the former "ghair al-matlu” may be given not only to Greater Prophets, but also to other men of spiritual insight who have not attained the degree of Prophethood. If we accept the theory of verbal inspiration, it would also cover the messages brought by the angel Gabriel peace upon him. The translator Yusuf Ali clarified further in commentaries 4599 and 4600 thus “Behind a veil not of course, a material veil or screen or purdah, but the mystic veil of light 70,000 veils of light. … From the above commentary of the Quran by an internationally accepted translation, we conclude that inspiration wahy, other than recited ghairi al-matlu, can be received by men of spiritual insight who have not attained Prophethood. Allah says, “Fear Allah and Allah shall teach you.” [2282] and, “O ye who believe! When ye deal with each other, in transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time, reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught him, so let him write. Let him who incurs the liability dictate, but let him fear His Lord Allah, and not diminish aught of what he owes. If they party liable is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable Himself to dictate, Let his guardian dictate faithfully, and get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her. The witnesses should not refuse when they are called on For evidence. Disdain not to reduce to writing your contract for a future period, whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah, More suitable as evidence, and more convenient to prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye carry out on the spot among yourselves, there is no blame on you if ye reduce it not to writing. But take witness whenever ye make a commercial contract; and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm. If ye do such harm, it would be wickedness in you. So fear Allah; For it is Good that teaches you. And Allah is well acquainted with all things. If ye are on a journey, and cannot find a scribe, a pledge with possession may serve the purpose. And if one of you deposits a thing on trust with another, let the trustee faithfully discharge his trust, and let him Fear his Lord conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it, - his heart is tainted with sin. And Allah knoweth all that ye do. Also in the Quran, “We taught man that which he knew not”. [965] We can also conclude that God fearing pious servants are blessed with this type of spiritual inspiration. The above conclusions are supported in various places in the Quran, as people like the mother may Allah be satisfied with him of Moses peace upon him who was not a prophet, received an inspiration directly from Allah as in the Chapter of Ta-Ha Ch. 18, “Behold! We sent to thy mother, by inspiration, the message. Throw the child into the chest, and throw the chest into the river the river will cast him up on the bank, and he will be taken up by one who is an enemy to Me and an enemy to him' But I cast the garment of love over thee from Me and this in order that thou mayest be reared under Mine eye”. [2039] Another example of an inspiration, being in the form of a suggestion thrown into a pious Heart by Allah, was shown in the case of the encounter by Hadrat Khidhr may Allah be satisfied with him and Prophet Moses peace upon him when Hadrat Khidr may Allah be satisfied with him concluded his action by saying, as in the Quran, “I did it not of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of those things over which thou wast unable to hold with patience. As for the wall, it belonged to two youths, orphans, in the Town; there was, beneath it, a buried treasure, to which they were entitled their father had been a righteous man So thy Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out their treasure - a mercy and favour from thy Lord. I did it not of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of those things over which thou wast unable to hold patience.” [1882] Here the statement simply implies that he too was inspired, to carry out such action. The story of Jesus' peace upon him mother may Allah be satisfied with him was another glaring example. Allah Almighty says, “Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She placed a screen to screen herself from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said “I seek refuge from thee to Allah Most Gracious come not near if thou dost fear Allah.” He said “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, to announce to thee the gift of a holy son”. [1917-9] Such was also the case of the Companions of the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him whom the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him told that their guest or stranger, was no other than angel Gabriel peace upon him who came to teach them their religion, as contained in a Hadith related by Omar ibn Khattab may Allah be satisfied with him the second Caliph. Furthermore in the Quran, Allah says “And out of His Allah's signs is your sleeping during the night and day” [3023]. And among His Signs is the sleep that ye take by night and by day, and the quest that ye make for livelihood out of His Bounty verily in that are signs for those who hearken. One of the important happenings in sleeping, during the day or night, is a dream. The Prophet peace and blessing be upon him used to ask his companions if they saw a dream in their sleep. The most authoritative and most authentic of narrations of the Hadith of the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him is the Sahih Bukhari. His collection has a section of 48 chapters in volume 9, devoted to the interpretation of dreams as reported from the most knowledgeable Prophet peace and blessing be upon him. Chapter 3 starts with a heading “Dreams are from Allah” He then narrated the Hadith of Abu Qatada which narrates from the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him that “A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan” Chapter 4 of the same section has a heading “A righteous good dream that comes true is one of the forty-six parts of Prophethood” Here a Hadith from Abu Huraira may Allah be satisfied with him says “For sure the Messenger of Allah says; the dream of a faithful believer is a part of the forty-six parts of Prophethood.” In the book of Imam Nawawi, an acknowledged narrator of Hadith, he narrated under a similar chapter in Hadith no. 839 on the authority of Abu Huraira may Allah be satisfied with him that, “I heard the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him saying that 'Nothing is remaining of my Prophethood except Al-Mubashirah.' The companions asked, what is Al-Mubashirah? He replied, 'Good dreams of righteous people'”. The above Hadith was also reported by Bukhari in Chapter 5 of the sections on dreams. Bukhari and Muslim also reported in the books of narration on the authority of Abu Huraira that “Whoever sees me the Prophet in a dream, will soon see me when awake, and Satan cannot imitate my form.” “When the time draws near, the dream of a Muslim can hardly be faked. The more truthful in dream is the more truthful in discussion. The dream of a Muslim is a part of forty-six parts of Prophethood. And dreams are of three types There is the righteous dream, which is a glad tiding from Allah. There is also the bad dream, from the Satan. And finally, there is a dream that is a conversation with oneself. If, therefore, any of you sees what he hates, he should stand and pray and do not discuss it with people.” The above quotation is that of Muslim. In another narration, the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him advises the one that sees a bad dream to seek refuge from Allah, to spit to his left hand side, and to avoid mentioning it, and that the dream shall not affect or harm him. But, for a good dream, he should only mention it to his loved ones. Salat al-Fatih is a special invocation of blessings on the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him, which came about by the righteous dream of a pious servant of Allah called Mohammed Bakri, who is a grandson of the closest and most pious companion of the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him, Abu Bakr may Allah be satisfied with him. This servant of Allah spent years in the Holy Shrine of Mecca Kaaba fully absorbed in worship, after which during a sleep, he saw this prayer in a sheet of light. He shared this dream with his loved ones. This prayer represents Allah's description of the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him as contained in various parts of the Quran. The text of the Salat al-Fatih is shown below with proofs that it does not contradict the Quran, but rather follows it. “O God, Send Benediction upon Sidna Mohammad, the Opener of What Has Been Closed” “We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures” [Quran 21107]; “The seal of what has passed” “Mohammed is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets and Allah has full knowledge of all things”. [Quran 3340]; “The helper of truth with truth” “But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their lives in the path of Allah for them are all good things and it is they who will prosper” [Quran 988]; “The guide to Your Straight Path” “And for sure, you guide to the path that is perfectly straight. And thus have We, by Our Command, sent inspiration to thee thou knewest not before what was Revelation, and what was Faith; but We have made the Quran a Light, wherewith We guide such of Our servants as We will; and verily thou dost guide men to the Straight Way” [Quran 4252]; “And upon his Household. The Extent of His Great Degree and Grandeur “And thou standest on an exalted standard of character” [Quran 684]. From the above, it is clear that the dream of Mohammed Bakri is a good dream that does not contradict the Quran but rather follows it. The Shaykh of this Tariqa, the pious and great scholar of his time Sidna Shaykh Ahmed Tijani, also saw the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him in a dream and broad daylight and got good news concerning the reward of reciting the litanies of this Tariqa. The Salat al-Fatih is incomprehensibly much greater when compared to the recitation of other formulas. The accusation against the Tijaniya in this regard suffers from the common polemicist tendency to quote one’s rivals out of context instead of examining the ideas and actions of Tijani scholars themselves. Tijanis have been some of the foremost advocates of Quran memorization, recitation and exegesis wherever they have come to live. Sidna Shaykh himself urged his disciples to read two hizbs 1/30th of the Quran every day. Sidna Shaykh’s companion, Sidi Ibrahim Riyahi Tunsi d. 1266/1851, reportedly used to require Tijanis to read a similar amount. Sidi Ibrahim Niass d. 1390/1975 also used to ask his disciples to also read two hizbs of the Quran a day, and he himself used to recite the whole Quran twice every week, once reading and once from memo. Sidi Ibrahim concludes in his Ruh al-Adab Spirit of Good Morals, The Tijani Path is an ocean of jewels and a treasure spot of satisfaction that puts Muslims on the path of the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him. First by cleansing them of their faulty deeds using istighfar seeking forgiveness, then by acquiring for them love with the Creator by setting prayers upon the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him, and finally entering them into paradise by the Dhikr of La ilaha illa-llah There is no divinity save Allah. … Salat al-Fatih is a prayer on the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him with special intentions that recognizes that only Allah can make prayer and only the one in the purest of state can ask Allah to help him to do the duty. The prayer is therefore made with all its outward and inward meaning and levels known to Allah. … But enemies of Islam have claimed that the Tijani Path mentions names of their leaders in their litanies or make Salat al-Fatih on other persons other than the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him. These are calculated-lies and evil-plan against Islam and its revivers. Wal Hamdulillah Rabbi al-Alamin.

sholawat al fatih at tijani