Sayyidi Shaykh Saleh al-Jaafari al- Husayni (ra)

One of the blogs that I look at every now and then is Riyadat an-Nafs. This usually has very interesting quotes from the writings of the awliya and especially the blogger’s shaykh Sayyidi Saleh al-Jafari (ra), a great wali of recent times. Recently as I was skimming recent posts I came across an unexpected jewel. It was the ijaza that Shaykh Saleh had given for the Salat Azeemiya, a famous darood of Sayyidi Ahmad Ibn Idris (ra). The backround to this ijaza is beautiful in itself and I wanted to share it with all friends who visit this blog. So here it is.

The shaykh says:

“I was travelling by sea on the boat from Jeddah to Libya, and I saw in my sleep that I was sitting in the room that I was in, on a bed, and next to me was another bed. I was sitting and reciting the First Salaat (of the Salawat of Shaykh Ahmad ibn Idris). So when I began reciting it, the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam entered the room and sat on the other bed and he said, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam: ‘I came to hear from you the salaat of Ibn Idris.’

Then he laid down on his right side, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, and the more I continued in reciting it, the more his light increased, and so did his visbility to me, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam. So I thought to myself, whilst in the middle of the recitation, to get up and greet him, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, so I stood up and kissed his noble hand and he wiped with it my face and my chest. Then he pointed to me with his hand to sit and finish the salaat. So I sat back and finished the First Salaat, and said after it: “Oh you of perfect body, of you of beautiful attributes,” until the end of the Seventh Salaat. Then I woke up from my sleep, rejoicing, happy, thanking Allah Most High.

And he, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, had already given me a general ijaza for all the salawat. And that is that I saw in my dream that I was doing salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, with salawat other than the ones from our Idrisi tariqa. But when I began with the Azeemiyya (of shaykh Ahmad ibn Idris), he appeared to me, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, sitting on a chair. So I got up and kissed his noble hand and said:

“Shall I do salaat on you, oh Messenger, with this formula?”

So he said: “With it and with other than it.” And he pointed with his noble head from top to bottom, and from bottom to up, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam tasleema.

And I give ijaza to all the brothers from the Idrisi tariqa and from others, from the East to the West of the world, in this Salaat Azeemiyya, in which the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam gave me ijaza. And likewise I give them ijaza in the First Salaat, which the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam heard from me, and like wise I give them ijaza with the rest of the salawat, which the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam gave me ijaza in by saying: “With it and with other than it.” And I make my sanad in that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam.

And I have great hope that everyone who hears these words of mine, and turns with his heart and body toward these salawat, and recites them regularly with love and belief, that he will see him, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, in sleep and in the waking. And nothing stands between me and the doubters except trying.

So oh you who is fond of himself, proud of his every action, heedless of the enclosures of sanctity, turning away from the causes of his uns, hurry to us! And then hurry to us! For in every age we have appearances… and pearls, and jewels!”