39. Serving The Lion My brother and I loved serving our Shaykhs. We fully understood all of the blessings and spiritual benefits that came from Khidma (service). In the early days, Shaykh Tijani Cisse would stay at our house (721 Tinton Ave) whenever he was in the United States visiting. He and my father were extremely close. They had a very special relationship. Despite the friendship they enjoyed, my father regarded and treated him as the consummate Shaykh and Arif-Billah (Knower of God) that he was. My father was several years older than Shaykh Hassan Cisse and Shaykh Tijani Cisse, but he always taught us that age had nothing to do with the Shaykh/Murid relationship. Osman and I were like family to Shaykh Tijani, so he was totally comfortable with us being his Khadims. That day, a large group of people came to JFK Airport to receive Shaykh Tijani . It was such a great feeling. We began our Zikr (Praising God) as soon as we spotted him exit the arrivals gate. He was wearing a beautiful white Jalabiya (Islamic Male Dress), a red Moroccan head cap and a lovely white scarf. He walked swiftly over to the delegation awaiting him. At his side was his his wife, Fatou Samba. Shaykh Tijani walked straight up to us with not a hint of a smile! He simply looked at each of us as we shook his hand and continued the zikr, nodded his head and lead us to the exit. Brother Abdul Majid was waiting outside in the Car. Shaykh Tijani usually stayed at his apartment whenever he was visiting. Shaykh sat with his wife in the SUV as we packed their bags into his and other cars. The whole time, all he did was stare at Osman and I. The normal person would have felt intimidated but we simply looked at eachother and smiled. The Lion was in the Building, and we were going to be with him for 40 whole days!! It was a full time job. We had to cook, clean and meet the needs of Shaykh and his guests. Another function that we took on was that of training some of the guests that came to visit. Shaykh Tijani did not tolerate nonsense or foolishness in his presence. Anyone that brought their ego with them, into his presence, would get a taste of the illest kind of Tarbiyya! It was a training that most people could not handle. We witnessed countless people come and go, never to return. People came to do Khidma, but could not handle the lack of sleep and 4’Oclock in the morning missions to to find broccoli or any number of things. Shaykh Tijani slept very little. He would stay up until around 3’Oclock in the morning and be right back up at 5AM for prayer. Despite the lack of sleep, we were the recipients of a great deal of knowledge. You see, we realized that he was like a totally different person late at night. If a person could deal with his overwhelming presence for a whole day and not run away, he or she would be in for a treat late that night. There would only be a handful of us. Shaykh Khalil, Imam Abdus-Saami, Saydi Cisse Abdul Adl and Abdus-Samaad and one or two more people would always be around. It was in these late night knowledge sessions away from people, that we discovered the reality of Shaykh Tijani Cisse. Our bodies would often be at the point of exhaustion but our souls were yearning for a taste of the divine secrets he would freely impart on us…. It was if, the harder we worked and the more we suppressed our ego-selves the more Allah was teaching us through the Shaykh. When Shaykh Tijani would begin teaching, he would continue for hours with such happiness and enthusiasm! We’d all be in a state of spiritual intoxication when he was done. I sourly miss those days….. One day a delegation of Ghanians came to pay the Shaykh a visit. With them was my beloved teacher, Malaam Ibrahim Mudaris. When he saw Osman and I hard at work, he smiled and I could see the pride in his eyes. He called us over to him…… Mudaris….”Walahi, Im so proud of you both. I had a dream this morning that I was in the zawiyah with our brothers and we were reading Quran. All of a sudden, someone asked…’Where are Ibrahim and Osman Dimson? Why aren’t they here with us?’…then, a cloud entered the Zawiya, and in the cloud, we all could see the two of you doing your Tarrbiyya with Saydi Aliyu Cisse himself, in the house of brother Abdul Majid.” Me…..”Subhanalah…..” Osman………”What does that mean Maalam?” Mudaris……..” It means, this Khidma you are doing here for Shaykh Tijani Cisse, is in reality Tarrbiyya at the hands of Saydi Ali Cisse. Anyone that knows the two of them, understands that they are like the same person! The manifestation of Jalal is with them completely, and anyone that can serve the Lion, will no doubt be well prepared for any difficulty in life.” Mudaris words stuck with me for that whole day. I reflected on what he said, and understood immediately that it was indeed a training that we were undergoing. I realized that Shaykh Hassan was the ‘Jamal’ manifestation, with all of its beauty and mercy and loving kindness and nurturing. Shaykh Tijani Cisse in contrast was the ‘Jalal” manifestation, with all of its majesty and harshness and difficulty and heart-ache and hardness. It was Allah teaching us balance. It was Allah training us to accept the Jamal (Beauty & Ease) with the Jalal (Majesty & Hardship). Accepting these realities would eventually make the Murid ‘Kamal’ or (Perfected). This truth was later confirmed to me by Shaykh Hassan Cisse himself. He said…. ”Baye, know that the Murid must accept Allahs Jamal and his Jalal if he is to be Kamal. This is manifest everywhere in life…… Ease and Hardship. And, he manifests it among his servants when he favours them. He never leaves us without this. First, it was the Prophet Muhammad and Umar Ibn Khattab, Next it was Shaykh Tijani Sharriff and Saydi Ali Harazim. In that case, it was Shaykh Tijani Sharriff that was the Jalal. Next, with Shaykh Ibrahim and Saydi Aliyu Cisse……so forth and so on…..It will be like this until the end. Be a servant and submit to both manifestations when you find it and Inshallah, Allah will make you Kamal (Perfected). This is the essence of Ma’Arifa (Knowing God). Alhamdulilah, the events and miracles that I witnessed during this time with Shaykh Tijani are too many to recount, but I will relate one to you…… One night, a few days before Shaykh Tijani was to leave to go back to Senegal, I had a dream. I was sitting with a group of Muslims waiting for someone to come out of a door that we were all facing. As I looked around at the others, I noticed that their faces were shrouded in a haze of light. I wondered who they were, but soon forgot about that as Shaykh Tijani Cisse came out of the Room. Everyone stood up as he made his way to a platform in the middle of the group. He sat on a high chair that was on the platform and motioned for us to be seated. Everyone sat back on the ground. Shaykh Tijani was wearing a dazzling white Jalabiya with a gold cloak over it. His scarf was a maroon and gold colored velvety material and his head cap was similar in design and color. Shaykh looked over the crowd for a minute and focused his attention on me. He motioned for me to come closer. I got up and made my way through the crowd until I was standing at the foot of the platform. He smiled at me and told me to sit. I did as commanded. Then he began to give a lecture about Shaykh Ibrahim Niass and his love for the Prophet of Muhammad (PBUH). The talk lasted for over an hour it seems. Everyone was transfixed on the Shaykh as he spoke. I had never heard such knowledge expressed in such an open setting. I realized that all of the people sitting there with me were in fact not regular people…they were very different. As I listened, Shaykh Tijani said something that I desperately wanted to ask him to elaborate on, but I felt too shy to do so. I woke up only after my brother alerted me that it was time for the morning prayer. Shaykh Tijani lead us in the prayer and did his zikr for about 30 minutes. Then he laid sideways on some cushions we set out for him. He was halfway sitting and halfway laying on his side. My brother began to massage his legs and I immediately grabbed the laptop to check if the Shaykh had received any emails over night. This was our normal morning routine. There were others in the room doing there zikr also. As I logged onto the computer and began checking Shaykhs emails, I could feel Shaykhs gaze on me! I looked up and he was looking directly at me with a smile on his face. I averted my gaze out of respect. Then he spoke….. Shaykh Tijani Cisse……….”So, Ibrahim, did you understand what I was saying in the lecture?” Me…….”Huh?...What lecture Shaykh?” Shaykh……..”What were you dreaming about this morning lol??” All of a sudden, it hit me! I couldn’t believe what was happening!…….. He just laughed and said….. Shaykh……”I could tell that you wanted to ask a question. Well, let me continue and perhaps you will get the answer….” Shaykh Tijani Cisse literally continued the talk from where he left off in my dream. He indeed answered the question I wanted to ask. He spoke for about 1 hour. Nobody in the room, understood what was going on! What was Shaykh talking to Ibrahim about? When he was done with the lecture, he asked me….. Shaykh Tijani Cisse……….”By the way, did you like the gold cloak I was wearing? I really love that cloak Ibrahim” I sat there in complete shock. I was frozen. No movements besides my mouth wide open. All Shaykh did was laugh. He continued his zikr and fell asleep right there in front of us all. Our relationship was very different from then on. All I can say is, Shaykh Tijani Cisse is one of the greatest walis Ive ever met. He is now, the inheritor of the Imamship that Shaykh Ibrahim instituted in his will. Alhamdulilah, the Manifestations of Jamal and Jalal continue. Shaykh Tijani Cisse and Shaykh Mahy Cisse continue to train the Murids in these manifestations, and those that understand and revolve around this secret are truly blessed. The day before Shaykh Tijani Cisse was to leave the United States, he called Osman and I into his room and gave us several gifts. He expressed his love for our family and told us to continue the work of our father. He said, continue working for Allah and his Messenger. I did not know at that time, that it would be 5 years before Id see his blessed face again. I did not realize that my greatest test and challenge was about meet me on the road of destiny…….. Allah was preparing me for something……Something really big……..And it was all JALAL.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:01:59 +0000
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