31. Freedom, Poverty & Shaykh Jibril Madaha…… Its incredibly hard to describe the feeling of being released from imprisonment. It is one of the greatest feelings a Human-being can experience. But to be completely honest with you, I was a bit sad! I know it sounds crazy, especially with all that I had been through, but honestly, there was a sadness there. On one hand, the pressures and guilt of having to leave your family to fend for themselves and missing out on all of the things that a free man is accustomed to, can make a person extremely sad while in prison. But on the other hand, I had experienced such growth intellectually and spiritually! I had time to read dozens of books, I had time to recite and contemplate the Quran. I had time to study the history of my religion. I had time to dig deep into the sciences of Fiq (Islamic Jurispudence), Aqeeda (Islamic Intellectualized-Beliefs) and Tassawuf (Islamic Spirituality). I learned about the amazing intellectual history of our religion. My prior incarceration only proved to be an introduction to these things. This incarceration, afforded me the opportunity to dig deeper, it was a strengthening of my faith and conviction that God is 1 and Muhammad is definitely His Most Amazing Prophet and Messenger. It allowed me to appreciate my spiritual lineage also. I read every book I could get my hands on that had anything to do with Imam Ghazali, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani, Shaykh Ahmed Zaruq, Suhawardi, Imam Shadhili, Imam Qushayri and my favorite…Ibn al-Arabi (May Allah be pleased with them) I discovered these giants of Islamic spirituality. I learned to love and appreciate all of the Sufi Tariqas. I understood how each Tariqa was tailor-made to deal with the spiritual sicknesses of its time. On the beliefs side, I fell in love with Aqidatul-Tahawiyya (The Aqida of Imam Tahawi) and its simplification of the intellectual understanding of what a Muslim should believe and understand. I learned to respect deeply, the four Imams and their students and how they codified the ritualistic aspects of the dean in a way that actually made it easy for the average Muslim to perform all of the religious rites. I read everything written by the Imams. 3 books that really allowed me to look at the science of jurisprudence from a different perspective were Imam Shafis Risala, Muwatta of Imam Muhammad and Umdatul-Salik (Reliance of the Traveler) which is an extended commentary of an earlier book written by Imam Nawawi. I realized that the world of Islam was full of flavor! It was alive and vibrant! It had a history that was being forgotten and I was blessed to have been exposed to it. Im telling this because it all helped me to love and appreciate everything that my father had taught me about Islam in general and Tariqa in particular. Knowing the history of the religion allowed me to sit in awe, at the feet of the 2 greatest people, for me, after the Messenger of Allah….Shaykh Ahmed Tijani Sharriff and Mawlana Shaykh Ibrahim Niass- Owner of the Fayda (Flood) of experiential knowledge of God. I began to understand the enormity of what they had done for millions of people. I began to understand that they were to me, the representatives of Allahs Messenger. If I wanted to understand the Messenger of God, all I had to do was look towards them and their students. Shaykh Hassan was the student of his Grand Father (Shaykh Ibrahim Niass) and I was his student. That placed me within a chain of excellence that led back to the Prophet of God. I didnt and still dont deserve that honor. All of the stories of the Sahaba (companions) of the Prophet of God had suddenly come to life for me. I could relate my own, as well as others, experiences and better understand the type of reverence and love that was necessary to have for the beloved Messenger of God. I was being given a chance by God to enjoy a small taste of what it must have been like to be under the tutelage of Gods Prophet. Please understand that in no way am I comparing myself to the Sahaba or my Shaykh to the Prophet of God, Im simply trying to explain that the heirs of the Prophets are his representatives, and their students have a similar relationship. As foul as I was, Shaykh Hassan would never abandon me or shun me. As troublesome as I was, Shaykh would always welcome me into his embrace. As Hard-headed as I was, Shaykh Hassan would deal with me patiently. He would always point me towards my ‘better self’, he would always point me towards Allah. Shaykh Hassan, along with all of my Shaykhs and Teachers treated me with the utmost kindness and respect. I was and will forever be undeserving of their kindness and guidance. There is no way for a person to truly understand what loving another for the sake of God means unless he or she has a Shaykh. I say this because the Shaykh is not your family, not your spouse and not your child. The only thing that binds you to him is the fact that he directs your heart towards God. When you love him (or Her) it is for this reason alone, and that is the essence of loving a person for the sake of God…That, to me, is the best example of such love and was the example that we saw between the Messenger of God and his Sahaba (Companions). One of those Shaykhs that I am forever indebted to is Shaykh Jibril Madaha (Alhaji Madaha). Shaykh Hassan had commanded me to stay in his company and to help him in his time of illness and old age. It was so very hard for me at first. I had just gotten released from prison, I had no money and everywhere I turned, the streets were calling me back…. All I had to do was make a phone-call, and Id be back in the saddle lol! All of my old criminal associates were eagerly waiting to see if I would get back in the game. Alhamdulilah, my focus could not be swayed towards anything besides helping Alhaji Madaha go to his Doctors appointments and sitting with him daily in his home in New York, listening to him tell me about Islam and Shaykh Ibrahim Niass and the good ole days. I swear, being in his company for that entire first year after release served as a protection for me. I wasn’t allowed to succumb to the call of the streets. I had a duty to fulfill for my Shaykh. I got a job as a breakfast cook at the Applebees restaurant on 42nd street. Id work from 4 AM to 11:30 Am, go home to shower, change clothes and then off to go sit with Shaykh Jibril Madaha until after Isha (Last Prayer of the day) Before I continue, please allow me to share with you a few stories about Shaykh Jibril Madaha, better known as ‘Alhaji Madaha’… Alhaji Madaha was barely in his teens when he finished the memorization of the entire Holy-Quran. His father decided to allow him to travel with him to perform the Hajj (Pilgrimage). After settling all of his debts and providing for his family, father and son set off. They set off on FOOT from Togo, West Africa to Mecca Saudi Arabia!!! That’s right! No Airplanes or nice hotel packages lol!....They WALKED. They anticipated the trip to take them about 4 years to complete. On the way there, Alhaji Madahas Father fell ill and died. Alhaji Madaha was barely 14 at the time. So, he buried his father and continued to Mecca, by himself. He arrived to the holy house years later, performed the Hajj Rites and returned home to his family, now a young man. He is affectionately known to most people as Alhajji Madaha, not simply because he performed Hajj before, but because his Hajj was performed in the way of the old days. When Shaykh Ibrahim Niass received his Great Spiritual station, Alhaji Madaha was the second person in Ghana to be informed. He was the 6th person in the world to know about Baye Niass. He was informed by his own Shaykh, a man of God named Maalam Idris Sufi (Sufi Idris). When Shaykh Ibrahim Niass made his first visit to Ghana, he sat in his room as it was filled with crowds of students reciting Islamic poetry. At that time, the most famous poem that was being recited throughout West Africa was called al-Ishriniyyah by Shaykh Uthman bin Fodio. It was a poem in prose that was all about the greatness and beauty of the Prophet Muhammad. Everyone was reciting, as Shaykh Ibrahim listened. When Alhaji Madaha began his recitation, Shaykh Ibrahim lifted his head, took off his spectacles and looked directly at him. Then he pointed at Alhaji Madaha and told him to come to him. When Alhaji Madaha walked over to Shaykh Ibrahim, Shaykh Ibrahim handed him a book and told him that it was his own Diwan (Poems of love for the Prophet Muhammad), and told Alhaji Madaha…”From now on, recite my Diwan instead of Ishriniyyah” He was the first to begin memorizing and reciting the Diwan of Shaykh Ibrahim……This story is long and gets very deep, so Ill have to stop there. Just know that Alhaji Madaha was the man that Shaykh Ibrahim would say…….”Alhaji Madaha, come and recite the Diwan to me so that I can feel happy!” Shaykh Jibril was the senior of Shaykh Hassan Cisse by more than 20 years, but every time he would visit Kaolack, even in his old age and sickness, he would lead the crowds of zikr and jog in front of Shaykh Hassans car with loud Zikr, to the Masjid. Shaykh Hassan would get out and implore him to sit in the car with him, but he would always say…”Never can I sit next to my Shaykh, only at his feet or leading his students in Zikr!” It is a custom of the Ghanian Talibes of Shaykh Ibrahim, not to wear shoes in the holy lands of Mecca, Medina and never in Senegal. They did this because they consider these places as Holy and Sacred land, therefore making it impermissible to soil with their dirty shoes. They walk barefoot wherever they are in these 3 places. Alhaji Madaha continued this tradition for over 50 years. Alhaji Madaha had moved to the United States in the late 80’s. He lived in our household for a few years and I can honestly say that he was the most cheerful person Ive ever met. He was a complete scholar of the Islamic sciences. One of the greatest things Ive seen from him or any Shaykh of his calibre happened one day when I asked him a question related to a story in the Quran. His simple answer of “I don’t know the answer Ibrahim”, was so striking to me that, I stared at him and just blinked Lol….. This was one of the most knowledgeable and saintly people I had ever met and when posed with a religious question, he said…”I don’t know”…? That display of humility left a lasting impression on me. This was who Shaykh Hassan ordered me to assist and keep companionship with in his illness. I remained in his service for some time until the inevitable occurred…………..
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 14:20:22 +0000
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