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The founder of the Tijâniyya order.
His full name was Abu'l-'Abbâs Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Mukhtâr b. Sâlim al-Tijânî. He was born in 1150 (1737) in the town of 'Ayn Mâdî in the region of Tlemcen in Algeria; his descent is traced to Hasan.
He studied the Qur'an, hadith, Mâlikî jurisprudence and the literary sciences at Tlemcen. In Morocco he took part in the circles of remembrance of the Qâdirî, Shâdhilî and Nâsirî orders.
In 1782, at Sîdî Abî Samghûn, he announced that he had attained a spiritual unveiling and that authority to guide had been given him by the Prophet, and he founded the Tijâniyya.
At the centre of the order stand two short prayers believed to have been taught directly by the Prophet: the Salât al-fâtih and the Jawharat al-kamâl.
He settled at Fez in 1789; Sultan Mawlây Sulaymân supported him.
He died at Fez in 1230 (1815).
His Circle of Influence — His teaching reached later generations through the texts compiled by his successor 'Alî Harâzim and through the written rules of the order. The order's chief growth came in West Africa: the army of al-Hâjj 'Umar, of 30.000 men, began in 1852 a jihad against French colonial rule. The Tijâniyya today has a wide following in the countries of West Africa, above all in Senegal, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.
His Works — His sayings and teaching were set down in the Jawâhir al-ma'ânî, compiled by his successor 'Alî Harâzim.
His Tomb and Complex — He died at Fez and was buried there.
Differing Scholarly Views
🔴 THE PRINCIPLES THAT SET THE TIJÂNIYYA APART, AND THE CRITICISMS MADE OF THEM. The atlas does not find for either party; it writes both sides as the source records them (rule #9, principles 3 and 5).
The order's own principles. ① Ahmad al-Tijânî announced that the stations of khâtam al-awliyâ' (the seal of the saints) and qutb al-aqtâb (the pole of poles) in Ibn al-'Arabî's spiritual hierarchy had passed to him. ② A disciple was forbidden to recite the litany of any other order. ③ Visiting the saints of other orders, whether living or dead, was likewise forbidden; this drew a sharp boundary between the Tijânîs and others.
The criticisms. The source records that scholars criticised these claims and that al-Tijânî gave sharp replies to their objections, particularly regarding the claim that Ibn al-'Arabî's stations had passed to him.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) — Zekeriya Kurşun · vol. 41, pp. 130-133, entry “TİCÂNÎ, Ahmed b. Muhammed”
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