Ijazahs of al-Fadani and Senegal
The honorable Shaykh Yasin bin Muhammad Esa al-Fadani was of Indonesian parentage but was born in Makkah in 1915. He sought knowledge from the great Ulama of the Hijaz at that time until he himself became a master. After that, he began teaching the Sacred Knowledge in the Haram of Makkah and one of the schools on Makkah, and he did so for many years. The Shaykh also authored quite few works of Hadith and other subjects.He passed away in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1990. It was the end of an Era.
The honorable Shaykh Yasin bin Muhammad Esa al-Fadani was of Indonesian parentage but was born in Makkah in 1915. He sought knowledge from the great Ulama of the Hijaz at that time until he himself became a master. After that, he began teaching the Sacred Knowledge in the Haram of Makkah and one of the schools on Makkah, and he did so for many years. The Shaykh also authored quite few works of Hadith and other subjects.He passed away in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1990. It was the end of an Era.
Among other things, Shaykh Yasin al-Fadani had distinguished himself by his pursuit of Ijazahs from various great Scholars, through personal meetings or correspondence. He continued doing so until he gathered Asanid from about 700 Shaykhs. This made his own Ijazah very prestigious and he became known as the Musnid of the Hijaz, or in fact the Musnid of the World.
Most of the great Ulama of the time made effort to acquire the Ijazah from him. In fact, unlike some other Shaykhs, he himself would gladly grant Ijazahs to those who were deserving, in order to spread the blessed chains of transmission of Knowledge.
On that note, my own Shaykh and Murshid, al-Imam al-Arif-Bi'Llah Shaykh Hassan Cisse of Senegal told me that Shaykh Yasin al-Fadani had personally send him an Ijazah after he heard of his reputation in West Africa. He said that Shaykh Yasin also wrote for him the Ijazah after their meeting in Makkah. In fact, Shaykh Hassan mentioned that he had the honor of making Umrah with Shaykh Yasin in the company of 70 Ulama from Makkah, all of whom had put on their Ihram at Hudaybiyyah!
Shaykh Hassan Cisse also mentioned that he had sought Ijazah from Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Abd-al-Jawwad, one of the Muhaddithin of the Haram al-Nabawi al-Sharif.
He said that the Shaykh told him, "Let me consult with the Prophet (S.A.W) first between Maghrib and Esha."
When Shaykh Hassan returned to the Shaykh in the Haram after Esha, Shaykh Abd-al-Jawwad said, "The Prophet (S.A.W.) says ' You are deserving of it' ". Then he granted him the Ijazah.
All together Mawlana Shaykh Hassan Cisse possesses about 600 Ijazahs in Shari'ah and Tariqah, from men and women, mostly from the Magharibah (Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Algeria, Tunis, Libya...etc) and the Mashariqah (Egypt, Syria, Hijaz...etc) as well. From the most important of these is from his grandfather the Musnid of West Africa Shaykh al-Islam al-Hajj Ibrahim Niass (R.A.).
The Ijazahs of Shaykh al-Islam Niass themselves fill up a whole volume. Among others, he personally received Ijazahs from the Musnid al-Dunya, al-Hafiz Abd-al-Hayy al-Kattani, (d. 1962) and Arif-Bi'Lallah Sidi Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij (d.1948).
Hafiz Abd-al-Hayy al-Kattani mentioned Shaykh Ibrahim Niass in his Ijazah thus:
"Hadrat al-Alim al-Fadil, al-Sufi al-Nabil al-Kamil, al-Murshid al-Jalil, al-Shaykh Ibrahim Niass bin al-Hajj Abd-Allah al-Tijani, may Allah preserve him…I grant the above mentioned Ijazah with al my chains…from 500 persons".
"Hadrat al-Alim al-Fadil, al-Sufi al-Nabil al-Kamil, al-Murshid al-Jalil, al-Shaykh Ibrahim Niass bin al-Hajj Abd-Allah al-Tijani, may Allah preserve him…I grant the above mentioned Ijazah with al my chains…from 500 persons".
Shayh Ahmad Sukayrij himself possessed more than 600 Ijazahs, which he
transcribed in his seminal work Qadam al-Rusukh fima li-Mu'allifihi min al-Shuyukh.
In the same book, Sidi Sukayrij wrote: "The first one to whom I gave authorization in all these chains of transmission was the Khalifah al-Hajj Ibrahim Niass…". He also said to him, "You are the Alim of the Sudan (Land of the Blacks i.e. Africa)".
Shaykh al-Islam Niass also received an Ijazah from Shaykh Salih bin al-Fudayl al-Tunisi, the teacher at the Haram al-Nabawi al-Sharif, and a senior student of Shaykh Badr-al-Din al-Hasani.
The honorable Sayyidi al-Shaykh Muhammad bin Ibrahim al-Ya'qubi was here in South Africa recently and mention was made of Shaykh al-Fadani, Shaykh Sukayrij, Shaykh Ibrahim Niass. Al-Humdulillah, I had the honor of hearing the Hadith al-Musalsal bi'l-Awwaliyyah from him with awwliyyah haqiqiyyah, as well as other musalsalat. He also granted me an Ijazah Ta'mma Mutlaqah after I did some readings of Hadith with him. The people of Cape Town were indeed honored to meet him.
May Allah be pleased with all the inheritors of the Prophets in this Ummah. Ameen.
Seeker of the Dust of the Ulama and Awliya
fakhruddin Owaisi al-Madani al-Tijani
