In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Ever Merciful

A meditation by

Mohamed Jedoui

Mohamed Jedoui is a disciple of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari. He is currently a PharmD Research Scientist at Stanford University. Jedoui holds a Certificate in Biotechnology, University of California Santa Cruz and a Doctor of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babès.

ATTRIBUTES, ALLAH, WALI

The Chosen One: The Face of God in the Universes

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

In the name of Allāh, Who is far removed from the attributes of coming into existence and the qualities of deficiency. Glory be to Him, He is not bound by obligation, nor is He limited by possibility. He is the One and Only in His Essence; there is no other with Him, nor is there anyone like Him. Peace and blessings be upon the outpouring of absolute beauty, concealed within the seed of the Muḥammadan reality, manifested through the blessed olive tree, illuminating the dawn of the ḥaqīqa at the core of the Karkariyya Faouzawiyya spiritual presence (ḥaḍra).

Indeed, Allāh, the Almighty, has chosen from humanity messengers and prophets to guide people away from the most severe and heinous of sins, that is, associating partners with Him (shirk) and worshiping others outwardly. And He has chosen the awliyāʾ (saints) and the ʿārifīn (knowers of Allāh) to guide the believers out of the darkness of associating partners with Him and worshiping others inwardly.

The people of Allāh have always followed the righteous Shaykhs (al-awliyāʾ al-ṣāliḥīn), the inheritors of the ḥaḍra (spiritual presence) of the Greatest Prophet, to emerge from the darkness of fleeting worldly desires into the eternal light of permanence (baqāʾ). They have made the realization of the permanence (baqāʾ) of the People of Spiritual Distinction (ahl al-iṣṭifāʾ), the Prophet's progeny (ahl al-bayt), their guiding compass in the journey toward annihilation (fanāʾ). So why do the people of Allāh continually remind both the general public and the elite that everything is perishable except for the Chosen One (al-Muṣṭafā), peace and blessings be upon him, and his spiritual progeny?

The light of our master, the Shaykh, may Allāh sanctify his secret, offers an answer to this question directly from the Holy Qurʾān, clarifying a matter that has sparked controversy among Muslims. On one side are the Sufis, who openly declare that al-Muṣṭafā and his progeny are alive and do not die; on the other side are those with hardened hearts who claim, God forbid, that al-Muṣṭafā is merely a servant like any other, neither bringing benefit nor causing harm, and that the words of the people of Allāh are acts of blasphemy (kufr) and shirk.

Allāh, the Exalted, says in His Wise Book, in Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ: And do not invoke with Allāh another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything is in a state of destruction (hālik) except His Face. His is the Judgment, and to Him you will be returned.[1]

Indeed, Allāh, the Almighty, is Alive and never dies. He exists independently, exalted above intermediaries that do not rise above causes and decrees. He exists, and nothing exists alongside Him. He is the One without any partner in His dominion. Thus, everything that appears to the limited eye as multiplicity is merely an illusion of imagination, shaped by the constraints of a perception inclined toward associating others with Him. Whenever a servant perceives benefit (nafʿ) in something other than Allāh, it is as though they have associated it with Allāh. This is why He said: “And do not invoke with Allāh another deity. There is no deity except Him.”

Allāh, the Almighty, has annihilated all things before their emergence; they are eternally perishable. He says, “Everything is in a state of destruction,” not “Everything will be destroyed” or “Everything was destroyed.” Therefore, all things have no true existence, even within the construct of time. They did not exist in the past to say, “The thing was destroyed,” nor do they have existence in the future to say, “The thing will be destroyed.” All things are destroyed and annihilated in every time and place, meaning they exist only as illusions within the perishing mind (al-ʿaql al-hālik).

However, Allāh has excluded His Face from that destruction. He said, “Everything is in a state of destruction except His Face.” This means that everything is an illusion except for one reality: His Face. Thus, there must be a manifest “thing” within the realm of nothingness, revealing the Face of the Creator, distinct from all else in that it does not perish. This eternal entity, free from perishing, acts as a signifier (dāl) pointing toward the Essence of Allāh, the signified (madlūl).

Allāh uses the term wajh (“Face”), which in Arabic denotes a facade or representative. For instance, we say, “This person is the face of the institution,” meaning they are its representative or its highest example. Therefore, there is no doubt or difficulty in saying that the Sacred Face of Allāh is embodied by our master al-Muṣṭafā, peace and blessings be upon him.

For those who find this concept strange, let them consider the words of our master Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allāh be pleased with him, in the ḥadīth: “The Black Stone is the Right Hand of Allāh on Earth. Whoever touches it and kisses it, it is as if they have touched and kissed the Right Hand of Allāh.”[2]

If the Black Stone, suspended in the corner of the Kaʿba, is considered the Right Hand of Allāh on His Earth, then what can be said about our master, the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings be upon him? His honor is unparalleled among all creation. Furthermore, Allāh did not specify in the verse, “The Face of Allāh on Earth,” but rather made a general statement regarding His Face, indicating that it permeates all universes and realms. This is a reality without limit, imperishable, and transcending the constraints of time and space, even if it appears confined to human perception due to its merciful manifestation within time and space. It is a reality chosen, drawn near, and given life by the Lord, followed by those who emerge from its light: the awliyāʾ, the Prophets, the Messengers, and the believers, peace be upon them.

Thus, it has been narrated in the ḥadīth, reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim on the authority of Abū Qatāda, may Allāh be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever sees me has seen the Real.”[3] Whoever sees him has seen the Real, the Almighty, with all His Names and Attributes, and knows that he is the unique and greatest guide to His Essence.

This chosen status (iṣṭifāʾ) was passed down to the Prophet’s progeny, peace be upon them. It was narrated from our master Zayd ibn Thābit, may Allāh be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “I am leaving among you that which, if you hold firmly to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allāh and the elite of my progeny, the people of my household.”[4]

Therefore, whoever clings to them clings to the Everlasting. Through this attachment, they come to recognize the Everlasting itself. The chosen ones neither perish as the hardened hearts assume, nor do they die. Whoever holds fast to them will be liberated from death.

If the shuhadāʾ (martyrs) are alive and sustained, then what can be said of the elite among the chosen ones from the Prophet’s group and his pure family? The truly perishing ones (hālikīn) are those who doubted the life of this exalted group. These Chosen Ones existed even before creation, as they literally are the primordial light—the very same light as that of their grandfather, peace and blessings be upon him—preceding all creation, from which all things were brought into existence. Numerous ḥadīth support this truth

Allāh, the Almighty, has entrusted al-Muṣṭafā and his progeny, peace and blessings be upon them, with dominion over all. Thus, when it is stated in the verse, “His is the Judgment,” it signifies that this judgment is delegated (wakāla) to His Face. Therefore, whoever represents the Face of Allāh in any era is granted the authority over the division (qisma) in the universes. It has been narrated in the ḥadīth: “Allāh is the Giver, and I am the Distributor.”[5] Hence, judgment belongs exclusively to the People of the Tree (ahl al-shajara). Those who follow them are destined for happiness, while those who oppose them are destined for misery.

Our master, the Shaykh, may Allāh sanctify his secret, says in one of his poems: “I distributed happiness and misery…”

The minds of the common people become bewildered by this saying, and their chests tighten, yet the matter is not difficult to grasp. The truly miserable one is the one who opposes wilāya (sainthood) in its various forms. Allāh declares war on such a person, as narrated in the ḥadīth qudsī: “Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I declare war upon them.”[6] This, indeed, is the essence of misery.

And the truly happy one is the person who clings to wilāya. Such a person will never go astray, and whoever never goes astray remains in eternal guidance, having been purified and restored to their original reality—a light emanating from the light of al-Muṣṭafā and his progeny, peace and blessings be upon them. They have thus become a façade, a face (wajh) of the Face of Allāh, the Almighty.

Returning to purity (ṭahāra), that is the walī from the Prophet’s progeny, peace and blessings be upon him, is what is alluded to in the noble verse: “and to Him you will be returned…” No one returns to the Face of Allāh except those who clung to the Prophet and his elite progeny, supporting and comforting them, for they are, as mentioned earlier, the Face of Allāh, the Almighty.

But how does this return to the Origin occur? The first return of those devoted to the Prophet’s progeny, peace and blessings be upon him, is by returning their own images (ṣuwar) in the physical world to that of the walī. In truth, in the reading of the divine name "Allāh," this archetypal image is the only door to reading the letter hāʾ.

Furthermore, the verse we are interpreting reveals that Allāh has specified this return for a distinct group of believers who cling to the Prophet’s progeny, peace and blessings be upon them, above other Muslims. This group has been honored by Allāh with a living and luminous reading of the Qurʾān, ascending through its levels—not a dry and rigid one. The address was directed specifically to those engaged in the process of reading the verse, as He said: “and to Him you will be returned,” not “and to Him they will be returned.” This means that you, O you who are actively flowing through the subtle realities of this verse, O you who are present in the now and not absent from this process—you are the ones destined to return to the Face of Allāh.

The Sufi is one who continuously engages with the reading of His Book, living without past or future. Such a person is the child of the moment, anchored in the present, bearing the station of faith. For them, life begins in the very instant they behold the divine light. The believer is truly the one whose reading of the Qurʾān’s verses serves as a healing (shifāʾ), a blessing meant solely for them.

This reading is a journey across the path drawn from His Face at its various levels, with self-realization (taḥaqqquq) as the ultimate goal. This is the group that constantly returns toward the eternal, unsatisfied with merely reading the outward text. Instead, they engage with the Book on all levels, ascending from the written to the concealed (maknūn). In doing so, they return to the Owner of the Book, or His complete manifestation—al-Muṣṭafā, peace and blessings be upon him, who was described by our mother ʿĀʾisha, may Allāh be pleased with her, as a walking Qurʾān.[7] He, peace be upon him, is the master of it, endowed with the privilege of distributing its share to whom he chooses in the eternity of his light, a role he entrusted to his progeny in the times that followed.

Thus, this reader escapes from the darkness of perishable things (halak) toward the entity that does not perish: “His Face”—al-Muṣṭafā, peace and blessings be upon him, and his progeny, the bearers of his secret.

If kissing the Black Stone and shaking its hand is as if you were kissing and shaking the Hand of Allāh, then how much greater is the gaze upon the progeny of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him? The Face of Allāh is revealed through them, so gaze upon the walī from the Prophet’s progeny with an awakened eye, and you will witness the Truth manifest…

Unfortunately, you often see the people of the veil (ahl al-ḥijāb) rushing to condemn what comes from the people of Allāh, particularly when the latter say, “Looking at the face of the walī is better than seventy years of worship…” They forget what our master, the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the “dot” of the Qurʾān. It is narrated on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, may Allāh be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Looking at the face of ʿAlī is an act of worship.”[8]

Therefore, when you gaze upon the face of the walī, understand that you are beholding the Face of Allāh. Remain steadfast in the station of servitude (ʿubūdiyya) until the divine secret within this is revealed to you, and do not contest this truth until you return to Him...

O Allāh, send Your prayers, blessings, and grant peace to the Light of Lights, the Secret of Secrets, the kāf of Veils, the Eraser of misery, the Illuminator of hearts, and the Spirit of Decrees, our master Muḥammad, the pure and trustworthy Prophet, and upon his pure family and righteous companions, with a prayer that is everlasting, limitless, and unending, and a peace that is abundant and never-ceasing.

[1] Qurʾān 28:88.

[2] ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī, al-Muṣannaf. This work serves as the primary source, attributing the ḥadīth to Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allāh be pleased with him). Additionally, Ibn ʿAsākir’s Tārīkh Dimashq also attributes the ḥadīth to Ibn ʿAbbās, though with a different chain of transmission, mentioning Jābir as the source.

[3] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6502; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2359.

[4] Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 2682.

[5] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 3116.

[6] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6502.

[7] Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 3640.

[8] Al-Suyūṭī, Tārīkh al-Khulafā.

A meditation by

Mohamed Jedoui

Mohamed Jedoui is a disciple of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari. He is currently a PharmD Research Scientist at Stanford University. Jedoui holds a Certificate in Biotechnology, University of California Santa Cruz and a Doctor of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babès.

Publication Date

October 19, 2024

Translators:

Marouen Jedoui

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The Al-Karkari Institute welcomes your scholarly contributions exploring Islamic mysticism across various disciplines and perspectives.


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Contribute

The Al-Karkari Institute welcomes your scholarly contributions exploring Islamic mysticism across various disciplines and perspectives.


Read our General Submissions page to learn more.

The Al-Karkari Institute

For Sufi Studies is a 501(C)(3)

Non-Profit Organization. #5807904.

DIGITAL BY MULTIPLICITY

The Al-Karkari Institute

For Sufi Studies is a 501(C)(3)

Non-Profit Organization. #5807904.

DIGITAL BY MULTIPLICITY

The Al-Karkari Institute For Sufi Studies is a 501(C)(3) Non-Profit Organization. #5807904.

DIGITAL BY MULTIPLICITY