Shadhili Tariqah

Our brothers at Ma’rifah, may Allah continue to bless them with His immense Mercy, have just released a well translated biography of the khalifat of Abul-Hasan Ash-Shadhili, Abul-’Abbas Al-Mursi (radhiya Allahu ‘anhumaa). He was the Shaykh of the famous Ibn ‘Ataa’illah Al-Iskandari and a qutb of his time. Have a read!

In the audio file attached (mp3, part of the Lahore Suhba of 2007), Shaykh Nuh Keller is asked by new mureeds of the Shadhili Tariqah to demonstrate how the Shadhilis do dhikr of the Supreme name:الله Allah.

If you cannot listen to the lecture for whatever reason then here is the upshot:

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الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ

“The World is a Prison for the Mu’min and paradise for the Kafir.” 

In Lata’if Al-Minan (subtleties of the divine gifts) Ibn Ataa’illah said Abul-‘Abbas al Mursi said, Abul Hasan Ash-Shadhili said: ‘The believer in this world is a prisoner, and there is no release for a prisoner except by one of three ways:

1) Through trick and stratagem.

2) Fidya (ransom) - ransoming the self. Allah says, “Allah has bought their own selves so that they may have paradise.” One for The One, exchanging your lowly vile self for The One for whom there is no second. The goal being the presence of the Divine.

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 I have been asked several times and by many individuals what the Shadhili Tariqah is about. Firstly, I am not a spokesman for this tariqah, nor do I have any legitimacy teaching it. Secondly, because I am not authorized in teaching it, I will not do so. What I will do, however, is share with you the articles of Shaykh Nuh H.M. Keller, May Allah bless and keep him upright amin. The site Shadhili Tariqa, has some very good articles that were taken from a book that is now not published, though soon will be insha’allah. Their website is horridly unorganized; it seems due to their poor numbering system being used. So I have decided to organize it a little better for those interested in this Tariqah:

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By Abul Layth

The time arrives. “I’ll make it in a few minutes,” you say to yourself. One thing after another overcomes you. At first, time is measured in moments, then moments quickly, unknowingly, turn into hours. Before you realize your state, the time for it is nearly gone. Deceived you were! As your enemy crept upon you, so heedless, unaware, was your person. He took pride in his victory over you, boasting to his cohorts,  ‘how easy it was defeating this person, he was heedless of his state as it ever worsened!’

Or have we forgotten The Real’s words, “So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers), Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times…” Salah did you miss just as it missed you. In wise words spoken by Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan (radhiya allāhu ‘anhu), he warns us all of procrastination. He says,

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Compiled by Abul Layth

Our beloved brother Andalus posted a beautiful article from Shaykh Nuh on companionship. I would like to post some thoughts on Shaykh Nuh’s incredibly beneficial article, that you should all go read at the brother’s blog.

Shaykh Nuh instructs us thus,

“(1) One should not take for one’s companions those who are irreligious and do not pray. If one has such friends, then if there is not some other aim countenanced by Sacred Law in keeping their company such as maintaining family ties, one should taper off one’s dealings with them in a gentle yet effective way, such as by acting bored until they go and find other friends. “It might be that you are doing badly,” says Ibn ‘Ata’ Illah, “but keeping the company of someone even worse than you displays to you your merit.””

Sidi Ghawth Abu Madyan (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu) said, ‘Umar ibn al Khattab used to say, “Sit with the tawwabeen (those who oft-repent to Allah), for they avert misfortune!”

He also said, “The most harmful (adarr -ashyaa’) of things is suhbah (companionship) with a heedless ‘Aalim, an ignorant Sufi, and an insincere lecturer (waa’ith).”

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Thoughts Compiled by Abul Layth

To clarify the term “Faqir فقير “, Allah uses it to describe all of mankind. He says,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

“O ye men! It is ye that (Fuqaraa’) have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise.”

Allah ta’alaa, as Imam As-Suyuti says in his tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), is telling mankind that they are in need of Allah in every situation, in every state, and in every place. “Need” denotes dependence. Whereas Allah has no dependence or “need”, thus He is Al-Ghaniy - The Self-Subsisting, one free of all needs.

So the faqir is the one dependent, in utter and complete need of Allah ta’alaa. The faqir in the nomenclature of tasawwuf, however, has the same root meaning but expands on what the faqir should be. The following is the definition of the great Sufi Wali, Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan:

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Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan (radhiya allahu ‘Anhu wa Rahmatullah ‘Alayh - born 509 A.H) said,

“The Shuroot (conditions, preconditions, rules etc) of Tasawwuf are eight:

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 by Abul Layth

The next to the last thing we did at the Suhba in Virginia in June was the Latifiyyah. Prior to doing it, I had no idea what it was and or its purpose. Basically, the latifiyyah is a wird, or a litany of specific prayers/praises that a group of those seeking Allah ta’alaa do together. The main part, and what I like to call the “Woopin Stick”, is reciting “Ya Lateef (Oh Most Subtle Tender Mercy)” 1000 times! Yes, my wahhabi najdi brethren, a Bida’ah! A beautiful bida’ah at that too! Other minor litanies are recited, but nothing within the entire Latifiyyah is harder upon the nafs than calling upon Al-Lateef 1000 consecutive times with a group of individuals who only want to be in the Divine Presence.

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