The Removal of Confusion Concerning the Flood of the Saintly Seal Ahmad al-Tijani: A Translation of Kashif al-ilbas an fayda al-khatm abi' abbas by ... al-Hajj Ibrahim - b. 'Abd-Allah Niasse

Shaykh Ibrahim had unparalleled success in propagating the Tijaniyya, and those owing their initiation into the order to Shaykh Ibrahim currently number around one hundred million and make up more than half of all the Tijanis in the world. The distinguishing practice of Shaykh Ibrahim’s movement was tarbiya, or spiritual training. Through tarbiya, aspirants transcended the confines of their ego-selves and “tasted” the directly-experienced knowledge, or gnosis (ma’rifa), of God. The Kashif al-Ilbas, written early on in the Shaykh’s career in 1931-1932, is primarily a guide for the teaching and learning of the experiential knowledge (ma’rifa) of God on a widespread scale. Drawing on the concept of the spiritual “flood,” gnosis for all who desired it, Shaykh Ibrahim demonstrates in the Kashif that no believing man or woman should deprive him or herself of spiritual illumination. With an overview of the theory and practice of Sufism, this important reference provides insight into West African Islamic history. Read more