[Editors note: The
following article was taken from the Special 25 July 1992 issue of the Al
Faydatou Tijaniyya magazine. It was spoken and published by Shaykh
Muhamadul Maamoune Ibrahim Niasse on the anniversary of the Thirtieth year
since Shaykh Al Islam sent three of his first students: Macky, Maamoune, and
Hassan (Cisse), in July 1962, to pursue their studies at the Ain Shams
University in Cairo, Egypt. It has been re-edited,]
The 17th Anniversary of The Disappearance
of the Shaykh Al Islam
Al Hajj Ibrahim Niasse
1900- 1975
A Great Pioneer of African Integration
Seventeen years have already elapsed since the 26th
of July 1975, the date of the disappearance of Al Hajj Ibrahim Niasse. It was
like yesterday. Even if eyes have stopped shedding tears, the hearts of
millions of followers continue to mourn the loss of the one whom should be
considered to have caused one of the greatest peaks of contemporary Islam.
His friends in the Arab world loved to call him Sidi Ibrahim Niasse. Does he merit all of the devotion that his students avowed to him? Definitely yes, because Holy men such as he who have gathered so much “baraka” (blessing) during their spiritual course in life are very rare. He initiated programs in the areas of theological knowledge, pedagogical culture, tactical method of organization, and philanthropic education with an immeasurable amount of physical obligation and brightness, which did not take away from his Saintly countenance.
Contrary to former ideas, which have only presented Islamic Holy men as humbly dressed and effaced, the Shaykh knew how to reconcile the Truth, the Right, and the Lovable. He also knew what to do with the trilogy that his master Shaykh Ahmad Tijani loved so much to teach. In this anniversary of 1992, we have the opportunity to speak about the work of the Shaykh which has helped the expansion of Islam, and which has been conducted to the four comers of the globe making him a considerable Ambassador of Senegal. This is a fact that has enhanced brotherhood and religious work, and has brought honor to all of the people of our land and to the African continent.
The themes dedicated in this Seventeenth Anniversary will amply illustrate the amount of work achieved in 75 years by Baye Niasse. They will concern the three principal focal points of his mission: his eccentric science of Islamic initiation, which helped to bring relief from the previous chronic 30 years; his political expansion of Islam throughout the whole world (Africa, Asia, and America); and the effectiveness of his methods of education and his growing scholarly institutions.
The Initiative Science
His method of Initiative Science is a Way that leads more directly to
Divine knowledge. This is an initiative science that uses “Zikr” (incantation
of Allah’s Names, Highly Exalted is He) as the ultimate way by which believers
honor the Creator. Did not Allah (swt) tell us to know Him.....
,for if we don’t know Him then how do we worship Him? It is nearly impossible
to believe and have any amount of faith in Allah (swt), without at first deeply
implanting in oneself exact knowledge of His Existence. If it is true that
faith is a greenhouse plant that must regularly be maintained, it is also
obvious that it should before everything else, be solidly implanted.
Since understanding and spiritual growth depends on the master, and
masters are sometimes for themselves, it is important to note that the aimed
objectives, the methods used, and the facility to access their teachings
indicate their spiritual degree and flow from the depths of their understanding
of the sciences. Therefore we will first speak about the origin of the sciences
of the Shaykh Al Islam Al Hajj Ibrahim Niasse.
To speak about the work of the master amounts to
speaking about the master himself and his compassion. The history of Baye
Niasse (Baye, the title of ‘Father’ given to him early in life by the
Senegalese) began before his birth. His venerable mother had a dream one night
in which she saw the moon come down from the sky and disappear into her body.
She spoke about it to her husband Al Hajj Abdullahi Niasse, the father of the
future Shaykh, who in turn advised her to keep the secret. Some months after
that, on the 17th of October 1900 the baby was born. Several great
Saints of the time revealed their insights of the life of young Ibrahim while
others predicted that he would be charged with a Saintly Mission. Of those
visionaries, we cite the example of Walad ul Hajj. Walad ul Hajj left
Mauritania, his homeland, conducted by a Divine light and in search of the
‘Qutbu Zamani’, the selected master of the time. According to Islamic spiritual
science (Tasawwuf), in each time or age, the secret of Divine knowledge is
confided to a single master, (Qutub or Ghauth) who will be its ultimate
guardian. He will also be the light of his generation.
Walad ul Hajj, after having an unsuccessful search throughout
Mauritania, arrived in Dakar, Senegal. But there also he found nothing. The
Divine light continued to conduct him on to Kaolack. After visiting many
families, he was finally lead to the house of Al Hajj Abdullahi Niasse. There
he at last detected the prodigal child who was still very young. The Holy man
returned to Mauritania but would return regularly to contact Al Hajj Ibrahim
Niasse.
One day
the Holy man sent his elder son to Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse with a message saying:
“I bequeath to you all my secrets from the top to the bottom. You have inherited
the virtues of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani. By your splendor you have illuminated all
those whom have claimed the Fayda (flood)
before you. Your advent will convince them that primarily they have only
been preparing for your appearance. You will no doubt arouse unequaled jealousy
and hostility because you are at the top of Tijaniyya.”
During the Shaykh’s youth, he displayed a
remarkable memory and intellectual capacity, by memorizing the entire Holy
Qur’an by the age of ten. This consists of learning and reciting all 114 Sura’s
(chapters) of the Holy Book in the presence of scholars. At the age of 21, and a year after the disappearance of
his venerable father, his first book “Ruh ul Adab”, “The Spirit of Good Morals”
was published.
During
the first 20 to 30 years of his life young Sidi Ibrahim was a rising shining
star. His work was nearly perfect and it reached a very high peak. It was thus
in 1929, at a prime age of his life, that he was announced as the “Qutbu
Zamani” (the spiritual axis, or chief Saint of the current period). His ideas
and works spread like a trail of powder and covered all of the corners of the
country. Followers came to him from all parts of the nation. That was the
Appearance, a source (flood) of spiritual knowledge, which sprang up and poured
out all over.
During
this time, his first (brotherhood) disciples were initiated and received the
secret of divine knowledge. His commentaries were good and extensive while the
part of silence was also respected. To give one a reference to his thoughts,
the Shaykh surrounded himself with the works of his predecessors and published
a very important and popular book explaining all of the veils about the Fayda
of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani, the founder of the Tijaniyya Tariqa. The Fayda
constitutes the fundamental work of the initiative science of Al Hajj Ibrahim
Niasse.
The book, entitled “Kashful Albas An
Faydati Khatimi Abi-l-Abas”, treats in its first part the truth of Sufism
and the secret names of Allah. Several pages have been devoted to the importance
of “Zikr”. The two modes of “Upliftment” in the tariqa Tijaniyya that contain
the Mystic Way of “Spiritual Education” have been well spoken of. From 1930 to
1975, the year of his disappearance, the authenticity of Al Hajj Ibrahim
Niasse’ religious though and teaching has never lost its power. The source of
his teachings has never dried up. The flame of his order of religious
brotherhood still burns constantly because its teachings have been well
maintained by his Muqaddams. The effects of the appearance of Al hajj Ibrahim
Niasse and his teaching methods spread not only throughout Senegal, but across
its boundaries as well. An untiring Pioneer and a hardworking man tolerating
difficult test and long journeys, he was always between two airplanes carrying
the message of truth.
Islam is a religion for all people and all nations. Its target
being everyone on this planet, without distinction. Its field of action is all
countries of the world. During the time of the Prophet (pbuh) as well as after
his disappearance, Islam has experienced a continuous expansion.
Conveying the Divine message became therefore
a Mission. Baye Niasse understood this Mission which came to him as a
profession of faith. He frequently said that, “Senegal has adapted to Islam and
is well served in the fields of religious information and Qur`anic teaching. Many ‘Madrasas’ (schools) are
here and many Holy men live amongst them. Our duty now is to carry the light to
the people still living in the darkness”.
The Gambia, being the nearest country to Senegal, was the first to be
visited. Presently, the ‘Talibehs’ (students) of Shaykh Ibrahim constitute most
of the fringes of the Muslim community in that country, as well as Mali, Upper-Volta
(now called ‘Burkina Fasso’), Niger, Sierra-Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. One may
have the impression that it is in the last mentioned country, Nigeria, that the
mission of Shaykh was most accomplished. Nearly every time he came to Lagos
thousands of people ecstatically received him and gave him the greatest amount
of respect. This religious zest and spirit still persist in that country.
According to statistics, the Nigerian students of the
brotherhood (Tariqa) of the Senegalese religious leader are estimated as being
dozens of millions. The former Nigerian head of state General Yakubu Gowon on
an official trip to Senegal in 1972, in paying respect to Al Hajj Ibrahim
Niasse, announced that almost half of the Nigerian population during the seventies
were his followers.
Also,
during a conference on Tijani Sufism held at Fez, Morocco in 1985 which was
attended by delegates from seventeen Islamic countries, the Nigerian representative
said that the conference was mandated by 35 million Muslims who were all
followers of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse. There is also the estimation of Mr.
Histell, an Englishman and a professor based in London, who estimated the
number of Shaykh Al Islam’s followers in the religious brotherhood to be about
60 million. But the forging ahead of the great master did not stop at this
point. The Maghrib (Western world) and the Mashriq (Eastern world) also were on
the display board. Shaykh Ibrahim also became recognized and respected by great
and very famous Islamic dignitaries of the Arab world. He received honors from
Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Emirates, and others.
The Asian continent had also not been neglected. Asia has
always been very important for the propagation of the religion of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh). In this respect Al Hajj Ibrahim Niasse should also receive merit
He would
journey to China and stay for several months teaching and administering to
Muslims, and Muslim students of his brotherhood. According to statements of his
closest family members, the Chinese adherents also numbered in the millions.
The United States of America was the latest country to receive his
teaching and his methods, from his
grandson Shaykh Hassan `Aliyyu Cisse, who has also brought many Americans into
Islam and into the brotherhood (of Tijaniyya).
All of this has been said to call to mind his teaching methods and
programs, and in memory of Al Hajj Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (the Qutub of his
time) who appeared at an hour when the problem of integration of the African
people needed attention most. Does not he merit the title of the Great Pioneer
of the African Integration?
Let us remember that Sidi Ibrahim Niasse had received many decorations
in Senegal as well as in other countries. He participated in many Islamic conferences
throughout the world. He never had objections to leaving home to answer a call
from the Muslim world.
He was a founder member of
the Islamic Research Academy of the Al Azhar University in Egypt, of the World
Islamic League, and of the first Organization of Islamic Conference (whose seat
was in Pakistan and at which he accepted the functions of the vice-president).
Also, he was a member of the Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs in Cairo,
Egypt; and of the Association of the Islamic Universities Union whose seat was
at Fez, Morocco. He was the Guest of Honor at the first congress of the
Organization of Islamic Conference ‘O.I.C.’) held in Rabat, Morocco in 1969. He
was given an Honorary Degree from the Libyan Islamic University.
This has been a mission which has not left any areas untouched and
which utilized all of the energy of the great master who disappeared leaving to
his spiritual heirs a very precious legacy: prestigious teaching, a course well
designed, and well structured and organized educational institutions.
The last theme of this 17th Anniversary concerns
the teaching of scholars, and youth’s education. The importance that the Shaykh
Al Islam attached to these subjects can still be seen by a visitor who sets
foot for the first time in Medina Baye-Kaolack, Senegal, home of the Holy man.
The religious learning, by the teaching of the Holy Qur`an and by the respect
of his disciplines, is written in golden letters. The Shaykh established several
schools. Each of them with programs and methods designed according to the
subjects to be taught. He was a very thorough educator and innovator in the
field of instruction.
The Shaykh of Islam knew very well how to adapt the traditional methods
of teaching to the new demands of the modern world. He thus took advantage of
the available modern instruments and structures to create and improve teaching
methods. He made many trips to Islamic countries in order to establish
relationships with responsible persons in Institutes, Universities, and High
Schools.
For the Shaykh, two perspectives were already drawn: building
a real center for teaching; and for young students whom would be able to
continue their studies in foreign countries. This is how he created The
Institute of Al Hajj Abdullahi Niasse, inaugurated in 1970 at Kaolack, Senegal.
Its new structure had to replace his traditional schools and adapt to the
manner of the necessities of the time. This was done by gathering from Islamic
countries, Certified Scholars with diplomas, and integrating them into its
governmental organ, thereby aiding in the expansion of Islam.
Al Hajj
Ibrahim Niasse became of real importance to the younger generation. He knew how
to take advantage of technological progress for them, without diminishing his
faith in God or being at the mercy of the unbelievers.
The Institute of Al Hajj Abdullahi Niasse was
recognized by the Senegalese government in 1975 and by the governments of many
African and Arab countries. Because of the concern of offering the advantages
of this scholarly structure to people and followers in distant places, it was
decided to establish additional schools, either dependent or annexed. It was
because of this that many of the Institute’s scholars were placed in specific
villages of Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone, and The Gambia,
The
Institute of Al Haji Abdullahi Niasse with its annexes has at this time been
calculated to have more than 10,000 pupils at its various levels. (Until this April
1998 it was principled by an elder son of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse, Shaykh Muhammad Nasir Niasse, who has just passed.)
Speaking
about Shaykh Ibrahim’s work means to recall 75 years of achievements, (He Lived
75 years, wrote 75 books, and fathered 75 children.) He was a master who
sacrificed most, if not all of his energy in the service of Islam.
Seventeen years have elapsed without any need for change in the
teachings of the Shaykh, either in education or structure, which he left to his
heirs. Al Hajj Abdullahi Niasse, his eldest son (and Mayor of Medina-Baye) has
been able to maintain vivaciously the flame that shines, in Medina Baye, and
has been aided tremendously by his brother Shaykh Muhammad Nasir Niasse, Shaykh
`Aliyyu Cisse, his son Chief Imam Shaykh Hassan Cisse, and other scholarly
friends and relatives. To our present day many more sincere Muslims have the
possibility of receiving the initiative science.
This article, A Man Apart, and The Eternal Islam, were published in
Newsletters of The African American Islamic Institute, in 1998, but the newsletters
were not distributed. You may contact us by e:mail for copies. Insha-llah.