Relationship with the Scholars 

His Relationship with the Scholars of His Time

Sheikh Sidi Al-Mufaddal Rusi El-Hassani was among the prominent scholars of his era. The esteemed scholars like Sheikh Sidi Abdelkabir bin Muhammad Al-Kettani and the scholar Sidi Muhammad bin Al-Tahami gounoun   acquired knowledge from him( See the book "Historical glimpses from Collective Memory)." As the days passed, he engaged in the struggle for piety and righteousness, in sincerity and tranquility, in remembrance and hope, in gratitude and asceticism, in reliance on God and vigilance, in love and longing, in servitude and certainty. Allah granted him victory and support with the word of majesty, and his reputation spread. Thanks to God, he became a prominent figure, with men and women from his hometown and beyond gathering in his corner for the remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Quran, teaching, and learning.

The favor of Allah upon him spread to all tribes, Sufi orders, and cities from Al-Qasr Al-Kabir to Rabat, from Fes to Meknes, and from the west to the Habbt(الهبط) region. The best that was said about him and what a letter addressed to him by the righteous saint, the knowledgeable, the successful in religion, the devout lover of God, and the eager seeker of the people of God and His saints, the servant of the people of God, Sheikh Sidi Abdelkabir bin Muhammad Al-Kettani (may Allah have mercy on them) indicates. This letter was directed to him, and here is the text of the letter:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family as befitting his perfection and the endlessness of his completeness. To the substitute for my noble and esteemed parents, the one who knows God, the guide to Him through his conditions, words, and deeds, the one who is sincere in God, himself, his state, and his soul, my dear Sheikh Sidi Al-Haj Al-Mufaddal Al-Idrisi El-Hassani. Peace and greetings be upon you, along with the blessings. Before anything else, it is certain that this humble one will never forget the sincere prayers of these noble people for you. This weak servant does not neglect the greatness of your attention, and this lowly one, from the nobility of your love, should not be left behind. We are accounted among you and attributed to you, so do not neglect us, and do not abandon us:

The honor of the Arabs protects graciously,

A guest, whether obedient or mischievous.

For we are the loyal dogs of the house,

Naturally, we love its residents and guard its door.

You are attributed to care, O generous ones,

As the honor of the Arabs protects their dogs.

Should the dogs be expelled from a tribe one day,

Honorable hearts, treat them kindly, don't dismay.

We have received your noble and blessed message, and we thank Allah for qualifying us to correspond with noble individuals like yourself and for your advice to us. May Allah reward you well, and we hold this positive opinion of you. The one who is saved will take his brother by the hand.

Through the grace of the one who informed us of your well-being, greetings to the greater knower, Abu Al-Hasan Sidi Ali Rusi. May Allah benefit us through him and through all our masters and poor followers. Please request righteous prayers for us, especially from all, and may Allah benefit us through the Wali of Allah, Sidi Mohamed Al-Baqali. Our son, Sidi Mohamed, and all the brothers send their regards. Everyone extends their hands and feet to you, seeking your righteous prayers. We are bound by the covenant and love of Allah until we meet Him. The lover of the people of Allah, Abdul Kabir ibn Mohamed Al-Kattani, may Allah grant him security.

It is evident from this message that the righteous Wali, Sheikh Sidi Abdul Kabir ibn Sidi Mohamed Al-Kattani, had deep affection for the Pole, Sidi Al-Haj Al-Mufaddal. He addressed him with great respect, referring to him as "to my honorable father." His allegiance was clear when he stated: "The lover of Allah, the knower of Allah, who guides towards Allah through his states, sayings, and deeds, Sidi Al-Haj Al-Mufaddal Al-Idrisi Al-Hassani."

We find the same sentiment expressed in other letters later, where prominent scholars, knowledgeable jurists, and righteous leaders, including the esteemed Sidi Mohamed ibn Al-Tahami Kanoun, who wrote an explanation of the closest paths on the Muwatta of Imam Malik, and Sheikh Al-Jamaa Sidi Fathallah ibn Sheikh Abu Bakr Al-Bannani, author of Rafd Al-Qari and I'tihaaf Ahl Al-'Inayah Al-Rabbaniyyah, among others, acknowledged and praised the greatness of the One and Only.

From this letter, and God knows best, we can also deduce that Sheikh Sidi Abdel Kabir Al-Kattani traces his lineage to Sheikh Sidi Al-Hajj Al-Mufaddal. This is evident when he says: “We are numbered among you and among you, so do not abandon us or neglect us. » He reinforced this with a poem:

Arab nobles gently protect,

To call and seek refuge, to come with obedience or disobedience.

He aimed to confirm his connection when he told the story of the poor man and the two kings, in denial and in denial, with Sheikh Abu Zaid al-Bistami. Then he highlighted this lineage by saying:

“We, by alliance, protect the blood,

The era of lovers never ends.

He concludes his insistence on this subject by saying:

If you discover sanctuary,

that's the state of the sheltered ones. 

It is also noteworthy that the son of Sheikh Sidi Abdul Kabir, the eminent scholar Abu Al-Fayd Sidi Muhammad bin Abdul Kabir, was well acquainted with the seriousness of knowledge, as mentioned in the letter. Perhaps he also traced his lineage back to his grandfather or his father, Sidi Abdul Kabir. In this way, his chain of transmission would not be disconnected from the chain of the knowers of Allah. If this is the case, we would have resolved the issue raised by Professor Sidi Al-Tahami Al-Wazani in his book "Al-Zawiya," even though he was satisfied with it and had a broad knowledge of the people of Allah (p. 52). He stated: "[When Ibn Al-Bashir presents what puzzles him in this matter with calmness, as if he is talking about an ordinary subject that he has studied extensively, he said: It is perplexing to Sidi Idris Al-Harrak in Sheikh Al-Katani because he insists that Al-Katani, despite his knowledge and leadership, was not a sheikh among the educators because his chain in the Qawm ( القوم) path is disconnected]." However, the grandson of Sheikh Sidi Muhammad bin Abdul Kabir Al-Katani, Professor Dr. Sidi Badr Al-Din bin Sidi Abdul Rahman Al-Katani, addressed the issue of the chain explicitly in his report on this book. He stated: "[As I learned more about the activities of the Darqawiyya Sufi order, I noticed the criticism directed at my grandfather, the esteemed Sheikh Sidi Abdul Kabir Al-Katani, who I heard from my father, the scholar Sidi Abdul Rahman Al-Katani, was originally affiliated with the Darqawiyya. This was confirmed to me by reading this book. However, I also heard from my father that he adopted the Katani Sufi order from his son, my grandfather, Sheikh Sidi Muhammad Al-Katani, the martyr, who received permission to establish the Katani Sufi order directly from the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, during a wakeful state. Claiming that someone has no chain of transmission indicates their lack of knowledge about the subject they are writing about, whether it comes from the author of the book "Al-Zawiya" or is quoted from others. The Darqawiyya did not take from the grandfather; rather, the opposite is true due to his young age]."

In any case, every era has its men. May Allah reward them on our behalf for preserving the Prophetic tradition and the teachings of our noble religion, and for upholding the testimony of faith, embracing its principles. Indeed, He is All-Powerful over everything, and He is compassionate and merciful to the believers.

While Sidi Abdullah was overseeing the affairs of the Zawiya in Al-Qasr Al-Kabir, caring for its poor and welcoming visitors from all directions, his father, Sheikh Sidi Al-Haj Al-Mufaddal in Az-Zowwa, was receiving delegations to seek blessings from him, to gather around him, to receive his advice, invocations, and to take their spiritual share from him. He would guide them to his son in Al-Qasr, repeating: "Whoever wishes to seek the way of our Shadhiliyya order should go to my righteous son, Sidi Abdullah."

The majority of people heading to the pole of Moulay Abdessalam bin Mashish would stop by Al-Qasr Al-Kabir and visit the Zawiya, seeking blessings from both of these esteemed sheikhs. This text is from the letter of the sheikh of the Sufi order, the grandson of the scholar Sidi Muhammad Al-Harraq, providing information and indicating what we have mentioned about the friendship and brotherly relationship between the two sheikhs and the esteemed, generous, kind, and revered Sidi Muhammad, the son of Hassan ( see the book "Historical Glimpses from Collective Memory").

Letter from Sheikh Sidi Mohammed bin Al-Hussein Al-Harraq, the Sheikh of Al-Harraqiya Zawiya in Tetouan.

Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings be upon Muhammad and his family.

May Allah perpetuate the happiness of our beloved in Allah, the venerable, the inkwell of the best religion, Sidi Al-Haj Al-Mufaddal Rusi El-Hassani. May Allah extend His grace to us all and make us among the people of His party and followers. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.

After that, may it be known in your generous knowledge that those coming to you are the children of Mr. Omar bin... Al-Fassi... now in the port of Larache, intending to visit the people of Allah and the prominent sheikh, Moulay Abdessalam, and to visit Tetouan. They have requested from us, the trustworthy ones, to stay at your Zawiya. Three of them are from the lineage of Allah and His love. We hope that you, for the sake of Allah, will accommodate them in the Zawiya on this night, and in the morning, they will continue their journey to Moulay Abdessalam. May Allah bless you and reward you well on my behalf, Muslims, your children, your people, and all the brothers.

Sidi Mohammed bin Al-Hassan, we love you, and we kindly ask you to be kind to Tetouan, out of love and peace. On the 22nd of Dhu al-Hijjah, 1313 H. Your brother in Allah, Mohammed bin Al-Hussein Al-Harraq, the knowledgeable one, with Allah's understanding.

Return...

Source: "Historical Insights from Collective Memory." by Sheikh Sidi Al Amine Rusi El Hassani.