It is narrated that one day, the French colonial mayor passed through the city mounted on their horseback when they encountered Sidi Shaykh Muhammad Al-Hajouji. At the time, Sidi Shaykh was not only an academic scholar but also one of the great Saints of Allah renowned for their immense spiritual discipline and unveilings.

 

When Sidi Shaykh saw the French colonial mayor, they deliberately turned away to avoid meeting them. Confused, the mayor dismounted from his horse to greet the Shaykh personally, but Sidi Shaykh walked away quickly. Later, when questioned by their son about the potential danger this posed to their family, Sidi Shaykh replied,

 

“I could not shake hands with an unbeliever after I had shaken hands with Rasul Allah ﷺ.”

 

The reviver of the second generation awakening of the Tijani Sufi Order, the great gnostic of Allāh, the great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Sharīf, Al-Mashyakha Al-Kubra, Sīdī Shāykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Mahdi Al-Hajouji Al-Idrissi Al-Hassani Al-Fāsi. 

 

Al-Allāma Sīdī Shāykh Muhammad Al Hajouji was born in the city of Fez, which was founded by their great grandfather Moulay Idrīs (d/791) over a thousand years prior to their birth. They were born on the 27th of Ramadān in the year 1880 on the night of Laylatul Qadr. Just from their name alone, it shows the nisba (connection) and high status they carried even amongst the Sharīf and Sa’dāt. They held the lineage of Al-Idrisi Al-Hasani; an honourable lineage which goes through Moulay Idrīs to Imām Hassan to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

 

It is a lineage which is extremely revered in the entire region of Morocco, and was also an ancestral line shared by 4 other Pivots who shaped the outline of Tasawwuf in not just Morocco, but the entire world. They were;

Sīdī Abd Al-Salām Ibn Mashīsh (d/1227)

Sīdī Abdul Azīz Ad-Dabbāgh (d/1719) 

Sidi Ahmed Ibn Idrīs (d/1837)

Sidi Muhammad Ibn Al Habīb (d/1972).

 

It is likely that Sīdī Shaykh Muhammad Al-Hajouji and Sīdī Muhammad Ibn Al-Habīb had even crossed paths, as they shared several of the same teachers and were both present at the esteemed Al-Qarawiyyīn University in 1900 and 1901. However, while Sīdī Muhammad Ibn Al-Habīb concluded his studies in 1901 at the age of 25, Shaykh Muhammad Al-Hajouji had only recently began their academic journey.

 

What is interesting to note is that at around the same time, there was also another great Gnostic of the Tijani path present in the Al-Qarawiyyīn institute by the name of Sidi Shaykh Ahmad Al-Sukayrij (d/1944), so all 3 Shaykhs were contemporaries of each other and present in the institute at exactly the same time.

 

It is recounted from the son of Sidi Shaykh Al Hajouji that they would also frequently be visited by Sidi Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij, as well as Shaykh Abdul Hay Al Kattani in Fez. They recount how they and Sidi Shaykh would be taken into a private room whereby they would speak in secret with Shaykh Abdul Hay Al Kattani.

 

  Al Sukayrij     Al Hajouji       Al Kattani        Al Habib

 

What distinguishes the path of Sidi Muhammad Al Hajouji from other paths is that the founder of the Order, The Concealed Pole, Sidi Shaykh Ahmad Tijani, took the Tijani path directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ without any intermediary. The Tijani Tariqa therefore holds the shortest chain leading back to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as it was taken directly by Shaykh Ahmad Tijani from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a wakeful state. Regarding this meeting, The Prophet ﷺ would say to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani,

 

“No shaykh in creation has any authority over you; I am the one who will support you towards materialising your goal. Leave all that you have taken from others, and adhere to this Path (tariqa), without seclusion, nor isolation from creation, until you reach the station that you have been promised, without constriction or difficulty, nor overwhelming toil.”

 

The coming of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani is said to have been foretold 500 years prior to their birth in a Prophecy written by Shaykh Ul Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi in their Futuhat Al Makkiyya which reads;

 

 

In 1900, at the age of 18, Sīdī Muhammad Al Hajouji began attending the Al-Qarawiyyīn University to study the Islamic sciences receiving authorisation from a number of distinguished Ulama in the subjects of hadīth, exegesis, scholastic theology (ilm al-kalām), grammar (na’hw), and commentaries on notable works among the canon of Māliki Fiqh.

 

They compiled a book by the name of Kitāb Nayl Al-Murād Fi-Ma’rifat Rijāl Al-Isnād, which contains the sciences they had acquired and the scholars they had acquired them from. The most notable of these include:

• Sīdī Muhammad Ibn Abdessalām Genoun
• Shāykh Muhammad Ibn Tuhāmi Al-Wazzāni 
• Shāykh Tayyeb Ibn Abi Bakr Ibn Kirān 
• Shāykh Ahmed Ibn Al-Jīlāli Al-Amghari 
• Shāykh Moulay Abdellmālik Ad-Darīr Alawī 
• Shāykh Muhammad Ibn Qacem Al-Qādirī 
• Shāykh Ahmed Ibn Muhammad Al-Khayyāt
• Shāykh Muhammad Ibn Ja’far Al-Kattāni 
• Shāykh Ja’far Al-Kattāni

 

One of their teachers, Shāykh Muhammad Ibn Ja’far Al Kattāni (d/1927) was one of the greatest scholars of their time, who was given ijaza to guide and instruct in over 40 spiritual orders including the Kattāni, Darqawi, Shādhili & Tijāni Sufi Orders. They travelled all over the world in search of sacred knowledge, even having exchanged knowledge with the Qutb of Ash-Shām Al-Sharīf, Al-Muhaddith, Shāykh Badruddīn Al-Hassani (d/1935). Their knowledge encompassed all the religious sciences having taken hadith and ulūm from their father and over 30 different Shuyūkh. They were deeply immersed in the sciences of hadith, knowing their mutun and their isnād by heart.

 

This was the calibre of just one esteemed persona that Sīdī Shaykh Muhammad Al Hajouji took their knowledge from, so one can only imagine the knowledge they possessed having took from multiple teachers of sacred knowledge. 

 

Their heart was a repository of profound knowledge, encompassing the memorisation of all 30 chapters of the Holy Qur’ān and the entirety of Sahīh al-Bukhāri, a monumental collection of over 4,000 pages and 7,563 ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It is said that the Shaykh covered the entirety of Sahih Al Bukhari in only 50 sittings, meaning that in each sitting they would go through over 150 different ahadith.

  

Sidi Shāykh Muhammad Al Hajouji was a master of hadith, exegesis, theology, grammar, they also studied subjects among the sciences of arithmetic, geodesy, astronomy, physics, geography, algebra, music, geometry the calculation of spaces (taksir), judical astrology, and genealogy.

 

Not only this, but they were also a master of arcane sciences such as awfāq and sirr al-‘hurūf (secrets of the alphabet) and more which led them to acquire the status of Al-Mashyakha Al-Kubra, and thus consequently being appointed as a teacher at the Al-Qarawiyyīn University. it is to be noted that around 600 years prior to this, Shāykh Ul-Akbar, Muhyiddīn Ibn Arabī (d/1240) was also present in the institute, such was the calibre of Saints the university had received. 

 

After being firmly grounded in the legalistic subjects of islamic learning, Sidi Shaykh Muhammad Al Hajouji desired to further their understanding of the ‘divine secrets’ through the academic teachings of Tasawwuf (Sufism). During this time they studied the writings of; 

• Shāykh Abu Najīb As-Suhrawardi 
• Shāykh Ul-Akbar Muhyiddīn Ibn Arabi
• Imām Abu Hāmid Al Ghazāli
• Shāykh Ahmed Ibn Atā’allāh Al-Iskandari
• Shāykh Abd’ Al-Wahhāb Ash-Shārāni 
• Al-Ghawth Sīdī Abdul Aziz Dabbagh. 

 

During this time, its possible that the works they may have studied (alongside others) may have been; 

• Kitāb Al-Adab Al-Murīdīn
• The Awārif Ul-Ma’ārif 
• The Futuhāt Al-Makkīya 
• Fusūs Al-Hikām
• Ihyā Ulum Ad-Dīn 
• The Kitāb Al-Hikām 
• Al-Ibriz 

 

They were initiated into the Tariqa Muhammadiya Ibrāhīmīya Hanīfīya At-Tijāniya order at the hands of the great scholar, The Qutb, Sīdī Al-Ahsan Ibn Muhammad Al-Bāqili Al-Hassani. 

 

Remarkably, within just a few months of initiation, Sidī Shaykh Muhammad Al Hajouji began to have such profound mystical experiences; Allāh Almighty had stripped the veil from their sight (basira), the imperfection from their hearing and sense of smell, the flatness from their taste, the knots from their hands, and the weight from their feet and body. Their sight became sharp, seeing distant things as though they were near. Their hearing expanded, bringing distant sounds close. Their sense of smell was heightened, discerning the fragrance of worshippers a sweetness surpassing any earthly scent, and detecting the stench of sinfulness, more vile than the foulest of odors. 

 

Sīdī Abdul Azīz Dabbagh (d/1719) would mention regarding this that those endowed with deeper vision (basīra), the words of the Prophet ﷺ are not hidden from them. When a person speaks in the winter, steam emits from their mouth, and when a person speaks in the summer, steam does not emit from their mouth. Similarly, when a person repeats the words of the Prophet ﷺ, light emits from their mouth, and whoever utters words other than the Prophet ﷺ, the words come forth without light.

 

Regarding this, Sīdī Abdul Azīz Ad-Dabbagh would give the example of a lamp, and how if a lamp is fed, it’s light would grow brighter. If it was to be neglected, it would remain the way it was. This is how the knowers of Allāh are when they hear the words of the Prophet ﷺ; their lights grow brighter and their divine insights increase, and thus their states change. However, If they hear the words of anyone besides the Prophet ﷺ, their states remain exactly as they were.

  

A Hindu yogi once came to a Sufi Master and proclaimed that they were able to teleport wherever they wanted at the blink of an eye. They explained that upon closing their eyes, a guiding presence would materialize, transporting them to any destination they desired across the world. When questioned by the Sufi Master about their emotions towards this transporting presence, the yogi admitted to feeling fear but claimed dominance over it. The wise Sufi Master discerned that the presence responsible for teleportation was, in fact, a jinn. He cautioned the yogi, revealing the jinn’s cunning nature, which, under the guise of subservience, would ultimately seek to possess the yogi’s body.

 

Sultan Bahu (d/1691) would state that the folding of time and space can only occur once the seeker has completely transformed his soul through the various degrees of metamorphosis, into pure light (nūr). This transformation enables the soul to merge with the speed of light and transcend even that, effectively folding the dimensions of time and space. In Tasawwuf, this phenomenon, is known as Tay Al-Ard, the folding of the earth.

 

Sidi Shaykh Muhammad Al Hajouji was also amongst the great knowers of God who had access to the spiritual assembly of the Saints, otherwise known as The Diwan. An assembly of Awliya which occurs in the cave of Hira and is attended by some from amongst the friends of God, both those whom are alive and those whom have passed, though not all of them have access to this assembly.

 

In the Diwan are also present from amongst the women, though their number is small in comparison and only amounts to 3 rows. They are situated above the dawa’ir (circle) of the first row, in the space between the Ghawth and the three Aqtab (Pivots). The Angels, and the perfected ones from amongst the Jinn are also present in the assembly, though their number does not amount to even a single row and therefore they are situated at the back of the assembly.

 

The language spoken in the Diwan is known as Syriac, or Suryani, which is a language spoken in the celestial spheres and is a medium used by the angels to communicate with one another. Arabic is only spoken when the Prophet ﷺ is in attendance of the Diwan, otherwise the gatherings take place in Syriac. 

 

Sidi Shaykh would often speak about the uniqueness of the maqam (station) that they were gifted by Allah. While other Saints experienced limited access to the spiritual presence of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,  Sidi Shaykh would say their connection was constant and unbroken, an attribute reserved for the Ghawth, the highest spiritual pole.

 

Among their most extraordinary miracles was their ability to be present in two places at the same time, a testament to their spiritual rank and Divine favor.

 

When asked regarding the Ecstatic Dancing (raks) during the dhikr (remembrance of God) in the Tariqa Tijanniya, they replied;

 

“Our feet are so planted in the ground of Shariah (Islamic Law), we dont dance with our feet during Dhikr, rather we are like the trees, only swaying back and forth!”.

 

The morning before their veiling of this physical abode, they delivered their usual lecture of Sahih Al Bukhari at approximately 11am. Their second lecture began between the Maghrib & Isha prayers whereby they discussed the saying of the Prophet ﷺ,

 

"The death of a tribe is lighter upon Allah than the death of a Scholar.

 

Sidi Shaykh elaborated on this topic with great eloquence and clarity, emphasizing on the great loss caused by the passing of Scholars.

 

After concluding their lesson and leading the congregation in Isha prayer, they returned home. At around 2:30am, Sidi Shaykh woke up and asked his family to bring him water to make the ablution. However, as he prepared to perform the ablution, he felt weakness in his limbs. He sat on his bed, seeking Allah’s aid, and gathered his family around him, bidding them farewell with his final words:

 

“I testify to the oneness of Allah and to the Prophethood of our master Muhammad ﷺ.” 

 

Thus, he passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, near dawn on Sunday, the 3rd of Jumada al-Thani, 1370 AH, in the city of Demanat, where he was also laid to rest.

 

 

يا غافر الذنب إني
قد طال ما كنت أجني و قد أتيت ذليلا
أروم عفوك عني و الظن فيك جميل
و لن تخيب ظني يا رب يسر خلاصي
و أد عني ديني و استر بفضلك عيبي
و غط ما كان مني فأنت بر رحيم
و نفحة منك تغني وسيلتي و شفيعي
محمد نور عيني عليه أزكى صلاتي
ما دام فضلك يغني

"O Forgiver of sins, truly I have long been immersed in my misdeeds.
I come to You, humbled and seeking Your pardon for my soul.
My trust in You is boundless; You will not disappoint my hope.
O Lord, make my deliverance easy and help me repay my debts.
Cover my faults with Your grace, and veil all that has passed.
You are the Most Kind and Merciful; even a moment of Your grace suffices.
My intercessor and means is Muhammad, the light of my eyes.
Upon him, my purest prayers continue as long as Your bounty endures."

 

Al Fatiha