Letter from Sheikh Sidi Abdullah to his father

Letter from Sheikh Sidi Abdullah to his father, Sheikh Sidi Al-Hajj Al-Mufaddal.

As for the letters directed from Abu Al-Fayd Sidi Abdullah to his father, Sheikh, We have obtained only one letter. Despite its singularity, it eloquently expresses the paternal bonds that unite every child with their father on one hand. On the other hand, it clarifies the practical relationship between them in the path of Allah. The father seeks assistance for his corner, and the son fulfills the request by granting him his share of the inheritance from his mother. Asceticism in the world was inherent in both, and guarding the radiance of the Shadhiliyya Darqawiya path was their mutual pursuit. Here is the text of the letter:"

"Praise be to Allah alone, and may Allah bless our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his family and companions.

The great, courageous, well-known saint, bestowed upon us entirely by Allah, our esteemed father, may Allah bless your days and increase our love and well-being through your generosity, benevolence, and honor. That is, my esteemed father, Hajj, may Allah bless you. Your presence brings peace and complete greetings with the existence of the light of our Master, the Messenger of Allah, the best of mankind. May Allah's finest blessings, peace, and purest greetings be upon him continually.

After receiving your noble letter on the 26th of last month, you inquired about us and praised us therein. May Allah reward you for it and elevate you in honor and dignity in this world and the Hereafter, and inform us in it about some of the recent developments with you, as is customary for you. Know, my master, that every mention of you in it brought joy to my heart, even though I have been troubled, and by Allah, I did not know about your confinement and your inability to do anything due to the abundance of trials. There is no power nor strength except with Allah. Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him, we shall return.

This matter, in reality, is beyond anyone's control to avert except Him, glorified be He, there is no god but Him. As for us, if you inquire about us, thanks and praise be to Allah for the blessings He has bestowed upon us, which are countless. All of this is through your mediation, and expressing gratitude for the means is obligatory. Allah fulfills His rights over us, Amen, by the virtue of the Master of Messengers.

Furthermore, my master, be aware that I fell out of my shared share with my sisters, my brothers, Hajj Muhammad, and Hajj Mufaddal at the wedding in “Bouriya”.So sell it to them, take its price from them, and use it for some of your interests for the sake of God and seeking God’s satisfaction. This is what I have, and I have no ability for anything else after conveying our greetings to the brother, my dear brother Hajj Muhammad, Hajj Mufaddal, Hajj Abdelaziz, and Hajj Jalali, and all the people of the house, males and females, each one by name.

As for your greetings to all the brothers and especially their Moqadem, Hajj Abdel Salam ben Al-Gilani, he sends you many special greetings. Also, the brother, Hajj, and his daughter Fatima send their regards. If you inquire about us, thanks to Allah, and all praise is due to Him. We inform you that after my wife's greeting and her request for your approval and prayers for good, her sister informed her that she had suffered a certain incident. She miscarried two babies, a male and a female, and this occurred on the day of Eid at dawn. Thanks be to Allah for that.

We accepted, then accepted, and are content with what our Master has accepted for us. And we thank Allah for everything He has chosen for us. Moreover, our greetings to our brother in Allah... For his sake, the wise judge, our Master Abdel Qader Al-Zinati, indeed he has treated us kindly and sent to us time after time.

Likewise, he conveys his regards to you and to those who belong to you, my Master, the honorable Sharif Al-Alawi. Many greetings. Here he is residing with us today, having visited our brothers in Allah, the noble leaders, the humble, and they mentioned that they gathered for the remembrance of Allah, as is customary for them. All praise be to Allah for that. A wall incident occurred with them before Eid, but thanks to your gaze and enthusiasm, the grace of Allah was present, and that is because they were sleeping in the corner, and they were with the group of my Master Al-Makki and his son Ahmed, my Master Al-Makki, Wahboul, and another man, a guest. They did not feel it until the wall fell on them, especially when our Master mentioned that our Master Ahmed ben Bouazza was about to come, and perhaps nothing prevented him except the abundance of rain. 

May God relieve us and all His servants, as the poor have been afflicted with severe hardship, and there is no power nor strength except in God. As for your inquiry about the matter of the War, they are still heading towards Beni Zeroual with Fashtala. The poor and others hear the sound of gunfire at sunset, evening, and dawn, and this is certain and beyond doubt. This is what we have, and the matter belongs to God, not to anyone else. As for the topic of the cotton robe for my brother Hajj Muhammad, it was addressed to everyone before Eid by Bin Kalal due to the heavy rain.

We ask God Almighty to be kind to us and all His servants. We also inform you that the wall of the planting collapsed and a quarter of it remained because water seeped in with it, and we are still confused about its matter, especially since our hands are short on all matters, as you know very well the situation at this time.

Pray for us, my Master, that Allah strengthens and stabilizes us in life and at the time of death. Regarding the books you mentioned, I do not have the ones you did not specify in the letter. Then, we love you also. May Allah bless you. Inform us about the state of cultivation, whether you planted 'Radah' or not. I had requested this from you before, if Allah wills, during 'Twiza' with corn. In any case, inform us of this matter and other conditions of that area and hasten with the answer. There must be reassurance, and we are in the care of Allah and sincere love, after the greetings of the jurist, my Master Muhammad Al-Tahami, and his request from you, what we asked for in your righteous prayers and peace.

On Monday morning, the first day of the year 1322 A.H.

Your son, Abdullah, Allah is his guardian."

Message directed to his son, Abu Al-Fayd Sidi Abdullah.

All praise is due to Allah alone, and may Allah's blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.

From the servant of His Lord, the honored, your father, Al-Hajj Al-Mufaddal, to my beloved son Abdullah, who is devoted to Allah for us. Our intention for him is to love the people of Allah and follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. Amen. May Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you and extend to you. Through the passage of days and nights, in the name of my master, the best of mankind, and upon your fellow students among our honorable seekers. May they all be under their Imam with perfection, following the best of our master, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.

Afterward, my son, it has been a while since I intended to visit you happily. I convey greetings to our brothers in Allah among the people of Seraif, and to those in Qasr and Qadra, as the contracts are broken for us due to the abundant rain, as you are well aware. Today is Wednesday, and we were preparing and directing towards you. Those with us, whom Allah has empowered among the brothers, informed us. The learned one, my master Ahmed Al-Zayan, from the village of Khashabish, who is associated with the Tawajna region, informed us about the situation with the mixture and the people of Seraif. Therefore, we delayed the journey until we drink water, Allah willing, and come to you. On the 22nd of Ramadan in the honorable year 1309 Hijri.

On the back of the letter, it is written: 'May it reach, Allah willing, into the hands of my son Abdullah, at the residence of Al-Hira Al-Jarfatia, may Allah protect him from every trial and affliction, in the name of the best of creation. Amen.

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