A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF SHAYKH IBRAHIM
NIASSE:
AFRICA’S PREACHER IN THE TWENTIETH
CENTURY
Translated
by Adnan Wood-Smith (USA),
from
an Arabic article by al-Hadi b. Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Nahwi (Mauritania)
In
the name of Allah, the Most Widely and Most Deeply Merciful. May Allah send
prayers, peace, and blessings upon Our Master, our Beloved, our Intercessor
Muhammad, and upon his family, his companions, and all who follow them well
until the Last Day.
HIS BIRTH AND UPBRINGING
Shaykh
Ibrahim Niasse (RA—may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him) was
born on Thursday, Rajab 15, 1320 AH (October 1902), in Tayba, which is a small
village near Kaolack in Senegal.
He
grew up in the care of his father, the great scholar and warrior al-Hajj
Abdullahi b. Muhammad b. Mademba. He recited the Qur’an with him until he had memorized
it fluently in the recitation of Warsh, and then went on to learn different
sacred sciences. His high aspiration and consistent, wholehearted engagement in
seeking knowledge propelled him to become deeply versed in all branches of the
sacred sciences, manifest and hidden. His father was his only teacher.
His
superiority became clear while he was still young. As a youth, he gained
distinction in his knowledge of commentary on the Qur’an and all its related
sciences, as well as in hadith sciences, jurisprudence, the foundations of
jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh), linguistic sciences, and Sufism. He became an
authority in all of these sciences, and before he reached the age of 30 he was
giving benefit to many—people from all kinds of countries, Arab and non-Arab,
came to him to drink from his knowledge. Scholars came before the generality of
Muslims bending their knees in his presence, drinking from the pearls of his
knowledge, yearning for knowledge of the spiritual greats and of how to discipline
and purify the self. For them, he was an ocean without shore, a fountain of
sweet water that never tires, a locus of comprehension that made great ones
seem small in comparison.
HIS PREACHING
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) busied himself with guiding, teaching, and refining humanity, and the
village he founded, Medina Baye—located just outside of Kaolack—became a
lighthouse of knowledge and rectification.
But
Shaykh Ibrahim’s (RA) call did not stop here; he toured Africa, the Muslim lands,
and many other countries, promoting the religion of Allah, calling to Islam
with beautiful words, and spreading his knowledge amongst the masses, debating
with scholars in order to give and receive benefit.
He
visited different centers of knowledge and of Islam, including Mauritania, Morocco,
Tunisia, Al-Azhar in Egypt, the Hijaz in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, and China,
and he belonged to several global organizations dedicated to the promotion of
Islam. He was the vice president and later president of the World Muslim
Congress in Karachi, a founding member of the Muslim World League, a founding
president of the African Union’s Organization of Preachers of Islam, a founding
member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World in Rabat, a
member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Cairo, a member of the
Islamic Research Academy in Cairo, and a member of the Higher Islamic Council
in Algeria, as well as serving in other organizations.
THE GOALS OF CALLING TO ALLAH,
ACCORDING TO SHAYKH IBRAHIM
In
an interview he gave with the Saudi newspaper “Al-Bilad Daily” in the 1970s, Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) articulated the aims of his global efforts:
·
calling
non-Muslims to enter into the religion of Allah and leave polytheism and other
false religious practices
·
striving
to raise the consciousness of Muslims, advise them, guide them, and increase their
faith
·
enlisting
all possible energies in propagating the language of the Qur’an
·
calling
for deepening the feeling of Islamic fraternity
·
connecting
one’s preaching with global Islamic movements and organizations
·
counteracting
forces that aim to corrupt Muslims, such as Christian evangelical movements and
hidden Zionism
HIS ELEVATED STATUS IN THE MUSLIM
WORLD
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) was known as a person of his knowledge throughout the Muslim
world. He was honored and distinguished in all kinds of Muslim countries, and
visited almost all of them, as well as Muslim communities in other countries.
He met with the Muslim scholars of his time, and had mutually beneficial
relationships with them.
One
of the countries he visited the most was Saudi Arabia, where he made the
pilgrimage to Allah’s Sacred House dozens of times. He also visited Cairo ten
times. He had strong connections to the heads of Al-Azhar University, such as
Shaykh Mahmoud Shaltut and Shaykh Dr. Abd al-Halim Mahmud, both former
presidents of Al-Azhar. The scholars of Al-Azhar honored him by giving him the
title “Shaykh al-Islam.” It’s said that Shaykh Shaltut was the one who gave him
this title.
They
honored him another time by requesting him to lead the Jumu’ah prayer in Al-Azhar,
in the month of Safar, 1381 AH (July 21, 1961), and he was the first black
African to have this honor. After the prayer, Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
commented on Shaykh Ibrahim’s khutbah by saying, “We rest assured regarding the
future of the Muslim world as long as there are the likes of our eminent guest
Shaykh al-Islam Shaykh Ibrahim amongst the Muslims.”
STUDENTS OF SHAYKH IBRAHIM
The
number of Shaykh Ibrahim’s (RA) followers in different parts of Africa and
elsewhere has been estimated at around 30 million. This included a large number
of Mauritanians of noble and prophetic lineage, from families known for their
esteem, knowledge, and moral rectitude. At the forefront of them were: Shaykh
Muhammad al-Nahwi, Shaykh Shaykhani b. Muhammad b. al-Tulba, Shaykh al-Hadi b.
al-Sayyid b. Sidi Mawlud Fal, Shaykh Muhammad al-Mishri b. Abdullah b. al-Hajj,
Shaykh Abdullah al-Jayjabi, Shaykh Muhammaden b. Ahmad al-Tulba, Shaykh
Muhammad al-Amin al-Jakani, Shaykh Wijah b. al-Rabbani, Shaykh Abdullahi Sakho,
Shaykh Abdullahi Jah, and Shaykh Muhammad al-Hasan b. Ahmad al-Khadeem.
HIS ABILITY TO SPEAK TRUTH
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) had ties to the late president Gamal Abdel Nasser and met with him
several times. After the Arab defeat of June 1967, Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) sent a
letter to President Abdel Nasser in which he elucidated to him what to do next
and how to achieve victory.
He
said in the letter, “It’s upon us to follow the line of victory shown by ‘If
you help Allah, He will grant you victory’ (Qur’an 47:7) and ‘Hold fast to the
rope of Allah together and don’t split into factions’ (Qur’an 3:103). So fear
Allah, my brother…and follow the path of your commander-in-chief, Our Master
Muhammad (SAWS—may the peace and prayers of Allah be upon him), who says, ‘My
Lord gave me a lesson in good manners, and perfected my manners,’ and whose
character was the Qur’an. ‘Lower your wing to the believers who follow you’ (Qur’an
26:215). ‘Out of a mercy from Allah, you were gentle with them, and had you
been rough and hard-hearted they would have dispersed from around you, so pardon
them, seek forgiveness on their behalf, and seek their advice in your affairs’ (Qur’an
3:159). Journey upon this line upon which victory itself journeys…and you must
stand at the door of Allah in fervent need and supplication.”
SHAYKH IBRAHIM AND THE NOBLE QURAN
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) placed great importance on memorizing, studying, and explaining
the noble Qur’an, as well as raising generations upon it. He gave an
explanation of it several times in Arabic and in the local Senegalese language
of Wolof.
He
used to encourage his children and disciples to memorize the Qur’an at an early
age, and to be consistent in reciting it throughout the night and at the ends
of the day, as was his custom. He used to complete an entire reading of the Qur’an
at least twice every week—he read a seventh every day, then memorized in the
night what he had read during the day.
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) founded a number of schools for memorizing the Qur’an, in which Senegalese,
Mauritanian, and Azhari Egyptians taught.
He
said in this regard, in a line of poetry:
Make
memorization of Your Noble Book
My
miracle until the great meeting with You
SHAYKH IBRAHIM AND ARABIC
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) had much regard for Arabic. One of the most important signs of
this was his refusal to send his children to the French school during the
destructive French occupation, despite the pressures that were placed on him by
the French. He sent his children to the esteemed Al-Azhar University, from
where they graduated as preachers of Islam and teachers.
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) founded an institute for teaching Arabic and the sacred sciences
in his village, to which he summoned delegations of teachers from Al-Azhar. This
institute continued to give and spread knowledge of Arabic, with generations
after generations graduating from it. These days, Shaykh Ibrahim’s children and
grandchildren are in charge of it, and it has an educational delegation from
Mauritania, consisting of several teachers instructing different levels.
SHAYKH IBRAHIM AND THE LAW OF
PERSONAL STATUTES IN SENEGAL
Because
of his vast knowledge, the scholars of Senegal chose Shaykh Ibrahim to write a report
for the government in which he articulated his view regarding the law of
personal statutes, which the government had prepared and requested the scholars’
opinions regarding it.
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) wrote a report on the law in which he expounded a number of comments.
Most importantly, he noted that the law contained sections and subject matter
related to marriage, divorce, pregnancy, inheritance, and the determination of
lineage, which are issues that have been described in detail by Islamic sacred
law in a way in which no further detail could be given and that leaves no need
to develop it further—therefore, a Muslim is not allowed in these matters to
leave the four well-known sources of Islamic sacred law: the Book of Allah, the
Sunnah of the Prophet (SAWS), scholarly consensus, and legal analogy. The
article also requested the Senegalese government to translate the law in full
into Arabic so that the scholars could see it and study it.
SHAYKH IBRAHIM IN THE ARABIC NEWS
MEDIA
The
Arabic news media paid special attention to the life and missionary activity of
Shaykh Ibrahim (RA). Several newspapers ran interviews with him and prepared
articles and reports about him and about his school, his Sufism, and his status
amongst the Muslims in West Africa and beyond.
Some
of the publications that wrote about Shaykh Ibrahim (RA), his life, and his missionary
activity were Al-Azhar Magazine, Almussawar Magazine, Al-Ahram, Al-Messa, Akher
Saa, Al-Akhbar, and Rosa El-Youssef in Egypt, Al-Anba in Morocco, Al-Bilad in
Saudi Arabia, and El-Shaab in Mauritania.
The
last report on Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) was published by Al-Ahram in Egypt, on
December 27, 1999. Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) is the only black African religious
leader to have a special file at Al-Ahram.
Arabic
radio stations also paid attention to his work, and several interviews were
conducted with him, such as an interview that Egyptian Radio did with him on
March 16, 1961.
HIS WRITINGS
Shaykh
Ibrahim (RA) authored several beneficial books regarding Sufism, the spiritual
path, jurisprudence, and language, such as: The Removal of Confusion Concerning
the Flood of the Saintly Seal Ahmad Tijani (Kashif al-Ilbas), The Spirit
of Good Morals (Ruh al-Adab), The Path to Peace Regarding Keeping a
Spiritual Station, Gift for the City-Dwellers Regarding the Rites of Hajj—Particularly
by Plane, The Stars of Guidance Regarding Our Prophet Being the Best One to
Call to Allah and Guide, The Decisive Proof Regarding the Radio Broadcasting of
the Qur’an Being Permissible, The Removal of Blame From the One Who Raises His
Hands and Clasps Them in Prayer in Imitation of the Master of Beings, and The
Children’s Gift Regarding the Realities of Actions. He also wrote several
anthologies of poetry, most of which are in praise of the Prophet (SAWS).
WHAT PEOPLE OF KNOWLEDGE HAVE SAID
REGARDING HIM
As
quoted above, the great preacher Muhammad al-Ghazali said, “We rest assured
regarding the future of the Muslim world as long as there are the likes of our
eminent guest Shaykh al-Islam Shaykh Ibrahim amongst the Muslims.”
The
eminent Iraqi scholar Shaykh Muhammad Mahmud al-Sawwaf said, “Shaykh Ibrahim
Niasse is the greatest of this region’s scholars—indeed, he is the strong man
who stands firm in the face of all of the currents that go against Islam. He
has a great station and wide influence amongst the Senegalese and other Muslim populations,
and many have come to Islam at his hands.”
The
Egyptian hadith scholar Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafidh said, after mentioning
several descriptions of Shaykh Ibrahim (RA), “To put it concisely, he is the
light of this age.”
WHAT THEY HAVE SAID IN PRAISE OF HIM
The
lordly scholar Shaykhani b. Muhammad al-Tulba said in a poem in which he praises
Shaykh Ibrahim:
Has
a sun appeared in the night whose rising is good fortune
While
it is not the affair of the sun to appear in the night?
Or
do we receive water from rain clouds normally spurred on by lightning
While
we fear neither lightning from them, nor thunder?
Or
has the Shaykh of the age managed to guide everyone
All
people, white and black?
The great scholar
Muhammad Abd al-Rahman b. al-Salik b. Bab al-Alawi said:
You
are from a people who are the people on whom
Heights
are built, upon firm foundations
And
from those whose knowledge is too great for
Paper
and pen and breaths of men
It
suffices you that Allah clothed you with fear of Him
And
fear of Allah is the best of clothing
The leader of
gnostics, Shaykh Muhammad al-Mishri, said:
By
your life, neither the sun at its zenith at the afternoon’s beginning
Nor
the full moon on the brightest night of the month
Is
clearer, or higher, or has a more perfect station
Than
the Shaykh, whether in time or in place
In describing him in
another poem, he says:
Those
who describe cannot describe him
His
good qualities too exalted, to properly praise him is rare
The teacher of the
generation, the great scholar Shaykh Muhammad Fal “Bah” b. Abdullah said:
From Ibrahim, the Sacred
House, and the place of Sa’y I grazed
On gardens of gnosis, the sweetest
grazing place
He continues:
He
has a scrupulousness that rendered the recommended obligatory
As
he rendered disliked matters, out of scrupulousness, forbidden
His
exhortation, were it to touch a firm rock,
Out
of its force the firm rock would cry
O
reader of Qur’an, who perfects its art
And
reads it in tenths and reads it in sevenths
He continues:
And
you renewed the knowledge of sacred law after it was wiped out
When
the darkness of ignorance had almost eclipsed the sacred law
For
Allah has verses whose secrets were veiled
But
now have been uncovered for us in their glory
You
are a full moon, may we never lose your illumination
And
you stand out a single number to which we find no pair
HIS PASSING
He
passed on—may Allah have mercy on him— on Rajab 15, 1395 AH (July 1975), in
London, where he had sought treatment. Senegal and Africa trembled at his death.
He was buried in the town he founded, known as Medina Baye, outside of Kaolack
in southeastern Senegal, and his solemn funeral was attended by an innumerable
amount of people.
He
spent his life preaching, promoting Islam, spreading knowledge, guiding
humanity, and striving to bring victory to the causes of the Muslims, especially
the issue of Palestine, and he was a strong opponent of Israel’s penetration in
Africa. He left behind him a school of preaching that radiated the light of
Islam in all areas of the world.
Shaykh
Ibrahim was a Sufi who held fast to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His
Prophet (SAWS), and he was one of the most important spiritual masters of the
Tijani Tariqa in Africa in the twentieth century. If people complained to him about
the transgressions of some of those who claimed to be Sufis, he would repeat
the famous words of his shaykh, Shaykh Sidi Ahmad Tijani, founder of the Tijani
Tariqa: “If you hear something about me, weigh it on the scale of our sacred
law—if it is an accordance with it, then act on it, but if it goes against it,
then leave it.”
The
life goals of Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) could perhaps all be summarized by a line of
his poetry:
I
want to please the Creator by granting victory to His religion
And
set an example for the next generation
In
another line of poetry, he displayed his commitment to following the Prophet (SAWS)
and never deviating from his example:
When
the Best of Creation walks I walk behind him
And
if he stops, then I stop as well
May
Allah shower his vast mercy upon Shaykh al-Islam Ibrahim Niasse and grant him a
resting place in the widest of His gardens, with the prophets, the truthful, the
martyrs, and the righteous.
~ ~ ~
from
an Arabic article by al-Hadi b. Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Nahwi (Mauritania)
Translated by Adnan Wood-Smith (USA)
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Translated by Adnan Wood-Smith (USA)
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1. Majmū’at ad-Dawāwīn (Collection of Eulogy Works) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse’ (English translation) - Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq
2.Vessel of Spiritual Flood, Translation of Goran Faydah by Shaykh Balarabe Haroon Jega (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
3.Shariah and Haqeeqah: In the Light of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions(Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
4.The Icon of Mystics: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kawlakhy (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
5. Tahniat (Congratulatory Ode) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translation
& Transliteration of Majmuu' Qasaid al-Mawlid of Baye) - (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
6. Handbook for every Tijaniyyat (by Shaikh As-Sufi)
8. Risalat at-Tawbah (Epistle of Repentance) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niyass al-Kawlakhi" - (Translation & Commentary by Dr. Razaq Solagberu)
9. Katsina and Kaduna Conferences (Jadhbul ahbab ila hadrat Rabbil arbab) and Mecca Conference - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
10. Softcopy of Numerous Sufi Literature (Arabic & English) - (To be sent via CD & email/googledrive)
12. Sayyida Fatimat Zahara (The Rose): The Beloved Daughter of the Holy Prophet (SAW) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
13. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani and his Spiritual Path (Tariqat) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
14.Special Prayers from Kanzul Masun- (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
15.Facts about Sufism by Ismaheel Abdulrauf
16. Who is Shaykh Jamiu Bulala (by Ustaz Olanipekun Shittu Tunde)
17. Mawlud lectures of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
18. Practical Guide on the Wird(Litany) of the Tariqah Faydah Tijaniyyah (The Adherent Handbook) - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
19. Hizbu Sayfi & Hizbul Mughni (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
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1. Majmū’at ad-Dawāwīn (Collection of Eulogy Works) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse’ (English translation) - Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq
2.Vessel of Spiritual Flood, Translation of Goran Faydah by Shaykh Balarabe Haroon Jega (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
3.Shariah and Haqeeqah: In the Light of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions(Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
4.The Icon of Mystics: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kawlakhy (Translated by Dr. Awwal Baba Taofiq)
5. Tahniat (Congratulatory Ode) of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translation
& Transliteration of Majmuu' Qasaid al-Mawlid of Baye) - (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
6. Handbook for every Tijaniyyat (by Shaikh As-Sufi)
8. Risalat at-Tawbah (Epistle of Repentance) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niyass al-Kawlakhi" - (Translation & Commentary by Dr. Razaq Solagberu)
9. Katsina and Kaduna Conferences (Jadhbul ahbab ila hadrat Rabbil arbab) and Mecca Conference - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
10. Softcopy of Numerous Sufi Literature (Arabic & English) - (To be sent via CD & email/googledrive)
12. Sayyida Fatimat Zahara (The Rose): The Beloved Daughter of the Holy Prophet (SAW) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
13. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani and his Spiritual Path (Tariqat) - (by Sayyid Ahmad Bello As-Suufi Harazimi)
14.Special Prayers from Kanzul Masun- (Translated by Sayyid AbdulQadri Okeneye)
15.Facts about Sufism by Ismaheel Abdulrauf
16. Who is Shaykh Jamiu Bulala (by Ustaz Olanipekun Shittu Tunde)
17. Mawlud lectures of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
18. Practical Guide on the Wird(Litany) of the Tariqah Faydah Tijaniyyah (The Adherent Handbook) - (Translated by Sayyidah Bilqis Grillo)
19. Hizbu Sayfi & Hizbul Mughni (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
20. Hizbul Bahri (Arabic text, Translation, Transliteration by Imam Marooph Raji)
21. Sufi Tasbih/Prayer Beads/Rosary 📿
To place orders;
Call: +2348074393996
WhatsApp Link:
https://wa.me/2349078376281
#smilebakglobalemporium #sufibooks #tijanibooks #faydabooks #pristinesufism #pristinesufismbooks #sufitasbih #sufiliterature
Salat books available (over 13books by Sheikh Gibrima, Sheikh Aliyyu Harazim(Kano), Sheikh Atiqu, Nabahani and so on).
Call; +2348074393996
WhatsApp Link:
https://wa.me/2349078376281
SmileBak Global Emporium/Pristine Sufism Books{Online Shop for Footwears, Clothing, Automobiles, Sufi Novels & Rosaries/Prayer beads📿}
Call; +2348074393996
WhatsApp Link: https://wa.me/2349078376281
WhatsApp Link: https://wa.me/2349078376281