Shaykh Salih Al-Ja'Fari۔ PDF

8/10/2019 Shaykh Salih Al-Ja'Fari PDF

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Compiled by: Sayyid Saqib Khatam Sharif Date:30/10/14 Page 1of 8

In the name of Allah, most Gracious most Merciful

Khatam Sharif

in honour of the most venerable

Introduction

They will abandon you if you abandon their litanies, so rise to perform your litanies,

do not stay away!

Every pious person who is in tariqacontains a special power which is passed down

to his followers. This is known as a wird(litany). This can only be prescribed by the

Shaykh to his followers and it is something which cannot be self-diagnosed. Like a

doctor only knows the medicine for the patient, likewise the Shaykh knows which

litany to prescribe for his murids.

A litany is something which is done through repetition whether it is daily, weekly,monthly or even annually; as long as it is a consistent action it can be classified as a

litany. The five daily prayers, adhan, iqama and regular readings can be seen as

litanies. There are two types of litanies; those that are universal and those that have

been specifically prescribed by a spiritual master for the individual murid and

therefore cannot be given to another, unless with the permission of the Shaykh.

Each wird has its optimum time to be carried out, whether it would be in the morning,

afternoon or evening and some have to be carried out on a certain day of the week

for it to have the most beneficial effect on the murid. This is also a transmission

between the master and the disciple which takes place both on a physical level andalso a spiritual one.


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One pious individual who maximised this transmission was none other than the

blessed Shaykh Salih al-Jafari from the Idrisiyyah order. He had regarded the

importance of the litanies so highly that he compiled a poem emphasising its value

and importance.

And you left a litany but you had known its status, you would have cried for neglecting it!

'Gift to God'

My Lord send blessings upon the beloved: Muhammad , and his grandsons,

the chiefs, the champions.

Shaykh Salih is a descendant from the noble family of the Prophet , tracing his

lineage to the great Imam Jafar as-Sadiq , hence why he was given the surname

Jafari. His family had originally migrated from Hijaz to North Africa, Morocco and

then eventually into Sudan where Shaykh Salih was born in the year 1910 in thetown of Dongola.

Shaykh Muhammad who was the father of Shaykh Salih wanted to name his

son after his father, he was very persistent about this matter and would not take no

for an answer. Shaykh Muhammads father was called Shaykh Salih , he

informed his son, If you name him after me, then you will be giving him as a gift to

God; his life will be in complete devotion to God, therefore he will be of no use to you

in cultivating crops and agriculture.Shaykh Muhammad accepted this outcome

and named his son Salih al Jafari .

Our Master

Shaykh Salihs father would teach him about farming and agriculture and would

emphasise the importance of the land but he would have no particular interest and

would often not give his full focus to his duty. This at times would anger his father,

Shaykh Muhammad and ultimately led to him complaining to a local teacher,

Shaykh Muhammad as-Sharif . Upon hearing the complaint, Shaykh Muhammad

as-Sharif remarked, Do you not remember the promise? The promise you made

to your father!' That you had given him as a gift to God. Forget about his duties that

you have given him; he is of no use to you.

From an early age Shaykh Salih had no desire for worldly titles or affairs and

would keep himself busy in religious studies. He was particularly keen studying and

learning the Holy Quranand his dedication was such that he had kept a copy next to

his bed and would recite from it every morning without fail. He had an excellent

education and learned from local teachers and scholars within his area. At the tender

age of 14 he had finished the Holy Quranand therefore got married not long after.

Shaykh Muhammad as-Sharif was not just his teacher but was also the third

Shaykh in line of the IdrisiyyahSufi order which was founded Shaykh Ahmed binIdris . Shaykh Muhammad as-Sharif found the young boy to be so impressive


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that they would often refer to him as our master and by this statement Shaykh Salih

would feel embarrassed as he was much younger than them and felt he did not

deserve such a title.

As time passed so did his knowledge and wisdom. At the young age of 19 he had

decided to take baya in the Idrisiyyahorder with his teacher, Shaykh Muhammad

as-Sharif , who also became his spiritual master. This was when he was given the

wird.

Not long after his initiation into the tariqa, he started to have and experience dreams

and visions where he would begin to see some of the grandmasters in the Idrisiyyah

order and was told by Shaykh Ahmed bin Idris personally that God is with you, go

study the jurisprudence of the four schools of law.He had this dream interpreted

and he discovered it meant that he must go to the centre of knowledge and learning

which was known as Al Azhar Sharif. His teacher would often mention this to his

father that Shaykh Salih has great potential and it would benefit him if he was to

travel toAl Azhar Sharif,so he could gain benefit and understanding from the great

personalities that makeAl Azharthe centre of learning.

Shaykh Salih narrates, I had borrowed the commentary of Sahih Muslimwhich

was composed by Imam Nawawi and I was reading it. As I continued I saw

Shaykh Abdul Ali Idrisi (son of Shaykh Ahmed ibn Idris ). He was sitting on a

chair with his bags packed. I heard someone say Shaykh wants to travel to al-

Azhar. I felt this was an indication and an approval of my journey. I went to greet

and kiss the hands of the Shaykh and he said to me sharply 'knowledge is takenfrom chest of men and not from books;' he kept repeating this statement several

times.

I awoke from my sleep and was inspired to sit in the company of my local scholars.

One day I was sitting and it came to my heart that it is possible that the Prophet is

present in this gathering, as the Shaykh was speaking and he seemed very inspired.

As this thought entered my heart, the Shaykh looked at me and said Yes boy, yes

boy.

Wird (litany)

Hold firmly to our path and you will get what you seek; come to us and we will come to you!

The holy Prophet would tell certain Companions to recite certain chapters of the

Quran and certain supplications, they were known as Hizbs. As they would

recommend Companions to recite Surah Yasin in the morning, to recite Surah

Waqiahafter Maghriband to recite the verse of the throne when entering, leaving

your home and before sleeping. These are just a few examples of litanies set by

Rasul Allah . The saints use the same principles and apply that to their followers

and the litanies act as an antidote which helps in suppressing bad characteristics

and blossoms the good character in people. The Shaykh gives out litanies according


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Imam Husayn . Here he came across Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim Samalooti

who had caught his eye; he realised he was not an ordinary person. He would later

learn that he was a prominent scholar ofAl Azhar.

Shaykh Samalooti said to him, Do not think the friends of God only live in caves

and are secluded away; separate from society. The true friend of God is he who lives

among the scorpions and yet they are not able to sting him. Remain here and

struggle against yourself and with the people.Hearing these words, Shaykh Salih

said to himself, This is a knower of God. I have not said anything yet and he has

read my mind. Shaykh Salih made a firm intention to remain in Cairo and not

leave as long as he lived.

Shaykh Samalooti taught the science of Hadith and Shaykh Salih began to

attend his lectures. With each session he began to feel a surge of spirituality from his

teacher and he commented, When the Shaykh mentioned a Hadith, it felt as though

Rasul Allah was directly speaking himself.

Teachers

For in this path there are Shaykhs who have perfected the good counselling of men;

and Allah has clothed them in majesty

Along with Shaykh Samalooti , Shaykh Salih had many other noble teachers

over the course of his Al Azharstudies. After spending some time in the vicinity of

the university he realised that these teachers were not ordinary scholars but they

wereAwliya Allah. They had the upmost piety and were the most God fearing peoplehe had ever come across, possessing a strong connection with God and the Prophet

.

Shaykh Salih narrates, When I came toAl AzharI discovered a Shaykh teaching

at every pillar. They were so connected with teaching that tears used to flow from

their eyes. When we sat in their presence, we were humbled and would cry because

their words touched us; such was their sincerity and connection with God. These

people were not mere scholars that had memorised books, they possessed much

more.

One night I saw the Prophet in my sleep and he referred to me as a boy. I was

angered by this and thought to myself what have I done wrong. When I woke up, I

went to my lesson and I sat in misery at having being called a boy by the Prophet

as it felt as though Im not mature enough. As I was thinking this , the Shaykh in the

class turned to me and said, 'It is not in that context, we only call you boy because it

is the custom of the Arabs. It is because you are young.These people are saints;

they are the people that receive direct knowledge into the heart in the form of divine

inspiration.

Shaykh Habibullah was another notable teacher of Shaykh Salih . He had

taught for many years in Makkahand was a distinguished scholar. He would have a


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set reciter in his class to read the Holy Quranand Hadith; this role was reserved for

the most intelligent and smartest student.

One day Shaykh Salih wished to recite in the lessons and went over to the house

of his teacher and knocked on the door, whilst waiting in anticipation. As they

opened the door they said to him You are the one Insha Allah. Without Shaykh

Salih uttering a single letter, he had gained approval and been given permission

to recite.

Shaykh Salih at times would lead the lesson when his teacher was ill, hence this

meant that he would be delivering the class to his fellow brothers. They would often

make life difficult for him and would mock him at times. With this concern in mind

Shaykh Salih approached his teacher and informed him of the situation with the

class. Shaykh Habibullah would sympathise with him and say, They only mock

you because they are jealous of you; dont be disheartened by them.

At times Shaykh Habibullah would correct him from the lesson he had delivered,

this would be done without Shaykh Salih telling his teacher what he had even

spoke about. This indicated the level of the firasa(insight) of Shaykh Habibullah .

Shaykh Salih had immense love and loyalty toward his teacher and stated

Alhamdulillah I stayed with Shaykh Habibulllah until his death, remaining his

student for 15 years. I was involved in the burial and after this I began to teach in the

mosque of Imam Husayn . Shaykh Habibullah would often say during his

lessons, Shaykh Salih is the blessing of the lesson and he has the authority to

teach and give permission to anyone from what I have received.

Shaykh Salih had completed his studies and gained the highest honour in 1942.

He then travelled back to Sudan to celebrate this achievement with his family. He

was then offered a job at Al Azharin 1947 and was given the rank of grand Shaykh.

He did not give up his studies and continued to strive and was given a PhD

certificate in many other Islamic sciences.

Once there was an incident where his old teacher, Shaykh Muhammad as-Sharif

came to Cairo for medical treatment. Later, after his visit from the hospital he saw a

big gathering of people surrounding a person. The voice of the person sounded

familiar, and as he drew closer to the congregation of people, he looked up and saw

his student Salih as-Jafari .

Shaykh Muhammad as-Sharif smiled and sat down amongst the group of

students. Shaykh Salih saw his old teacher from Dongola and continued the

lesson as this was the correct etiquette to show a teacher in class; by finishing the

teachings of Rasul Allah and then by meeting the teacher after the lesson had

finished. Once the class was adjourned, Shaykh Salih said to all his students to

meet his teacher and they all greeted Shaykh Muhammad and kissed his hand.

When Shaykh Salih went to meet his teacher, Shaykh Muhammad said to him,


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Welcome our master. Shaykh Salih was embarrassed like before and just

humbly kissed the hands of his master and welcomed him with great love and

affection.

The Yellow one

In between his studies, Shaykh Salih had the privilege of performing the sacred

pilgrimage of Hajj; he performed Hajj27 times in total. However, one particular Hajj

was quiet special as he had an encounter with a special someone. This took place in

Minawhere he came across an absorbed mystic in worship; he could feel this was

no ordinary person as he could feel the vibrations spiking from him. After a while he

approached this mystic and asked, Where can I find Khidr ? referring to the

Green one.

The mystic looked at him and after a moment responded, You will find him in the

Rouda in Madinah.So after the Hajjwas completed, he went to Madinahand wassat there when he noticed a beautiful man who stood out from the rest of the crowd.

The man was wearing a yellow turban and approached Shaykh Salih and sought

permission to ask him a question.

Having received permission, he asked Shaykh Salih , We have come here to offer

and give our greetings to the Prophet . Does he hear us when we come here to

pay respect to him?

Shaykh Salih replied, Yes indeed he hears us, no doubt. The man said thank

you and then asked another question; When we go back to our homes, thousandsof miles away, we offer greetings to the Prophet by send salutations upon him and

hold many gatherings in his honour. Does he hear us then, from thousands of miles

away?

Shaykh Salih replied with conviction, Definitely! Without doubt. As he hears you

from here, he can hear you from there. There is no doubt.The man said, May Allah

put your heart at rest as you have put my heart at rest. Saying these words, he

departed and disappeared amongst the crowd.

Shaykh Salih later on saw a dream. In the dream he was on a boat which seemedto match the description of the boat of Musa which was mentioned in the Holy

Quranwhen Musa had made the intention to find a special mystic. Shaykh Salih

looked into the horizon and saw a handsome man waving at him at from a

distance. As he got closer he realised he recognised the person; it was that same

person who was wearing the yellow turban and had asked him questions. He

realised the man with the yellow turban was Khidr .

So look at yourself: did you recite their litanies? Or are you tied down by weights?

Sayyiduna Khidr plays a major role in all the tariqaswithin Sufism as he has beengiven permission by God to pass on certain litanies to the masters in the chains of


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Sufism. The masters then transmit these litanies to the disciples in that particular

tariqa. So when they read a particular wird, it is attaining the focus of the Green

one,upon the reader.

Conclusion

Shaykh Salih was not just a teacher but he also kept his own readings and

remained steadfast on it, till he passed away. It was his practice to roam the

courtyards ofAl Azhar Sharifwith a 1000 bead tasbih(rosary bead) and recite 2000

Durud Azeemiya before going to sleep every night. This was done whilst he was

checking on the other students to see if they needed any assistance or aid.

Shaykh Salih knew the importance of the litanies and he emphasised the

importance of keeping to these as if you are biting something with you canine teeth;

that you dont let go of this opportunity as this could be detrimental to you physical

and spiritual health if you were to stop. This was the habit of Mawlana Shaykh Nazimnot just when he was at home but during his travels. It was commented that when

he had travelled to the United States he kept to his normal readings like he did when

he was at home. He would always pray the extra optional prays and would not miss

prayers such as Salat ul Dohaand Ishraqregardless of where he was travelling.

There was once a particular person who used to recite a particular wirdin the forest

and one day he was being attacked by a group of people and he was struggling to

hold them off. Then moments later, all these soldiers dressed in full armour but

without helmets appeared from nowhere and defended him. He arrived at his

destination safe and secure and informed his Shaykh about this incident. The

Shaykh mentioned, These soldiers that came to your aid were your litanies.

However as you mentioned they were without helmets. This was because you

missed out the opening bismillah. That is the crown of all the litanies and is just as

important as the wirditself.

Whatever is given by your spiritual master is something that was given to all the

masters in your chain of the tariqathat you belong to and which has ultimately been

given from Rasul Allah to Shah-e-Mardan Sayyiduna Ali who then filters the

message to all the living saints and pious people. So to neglect the litanies out ofheedlessness will mean you are turning your back away from Rasul Allah and all

theAwliya Allahthat belong in that tariqa.

May we have the ability and strength to carry out the litanies and grow closer to

Rasul Allah and those personalities like Shaykh Salih that love him.

My Lord send blessings upon the beloved: Muhammad , and his grandsons, the chiefs,

the champions

Al- Fatiha

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Shaykh Salih Al-Ja'Fari۔ PDF