Written by: Sīdī Muhammad ibn Sheikh Abdullah al-Jayjūbī
Translated by: AbdulAzeez Sadeeq
Sheriff Abdulmajid bn Muhammad bn Ahmad bn Ibrahim al-Hasaniy RTA is from the offspring of our master, Muhammad Zhul Nafs al-Zakiyyah. He is originally an Arab from Sudan and then became a Nigerian Hausa by place he lived and language he spoke.
Sheriff Abdulmajid was born when his mother was visiting her people in the town of Fashir at the turn of the 20th Century. He studied the knowledge of the fundamentals and branches from many Sheikhs, the most prominent of whom is Allamah al-Faqih Yusuf al-Sudaniy and Sayyid Allamah Sheriff al-Idrisiy Muhammad bn Abdullah al-Wadawiy al-Tijaniy who was an uncle to Sheriff Abdulmajid.
He took the Tariqa Tijaniya after he saw our master Sheikh Ahmad Tijani RTA in a dream. After that, he encountered some difficulties until he chose to emigrate for the sake of his religion and he settled in Lagos Nigeria.
He met Sheikh Ibrahim Inyas RTA in 1950. The Sheikh went out with the intention to perform hajj on behalf of the creation and the plane had a stopover at Lagos. Sheikh Ibrahim RTA stayed with Sheriff Abdulmajid before anyone else. In this respect, the Sheikh RTA says in his Rihla (Travelogue):
We flew to Lagos reciting the zikr. Glory be to He who took his servant
At night from the haram to the al-Aqsa mosque in wakefulness
My heart was full of delight when I met Abdulmajid and my state was purified
The people of Agege are indeed our reality. They were continuously honouring and loving us
Allah has distinguished Sheriff Abdulmajid with respect to Sheikh Ibrahim Inyas RTA with numerous and uncountable specialties in general, but for this particular meeting, the following are some of them;
1. He was the first to meet Sheikh among his senior companions
2. He was fortunate that Sheikh lodged with him in his house to the exclusion of any other. The leaders, elders and the wealthy people would have chosen another place for Sheikh had they any choice in the matter.
3. He was fortunate that Sheikh stayed a very long time with him and during that period, Sheikh said to him, you are my beloved, my khalifa, I lodged with you out of my free will and your house is my house.
Then Sheikh did Tajdid (Renewal) for him and attested to the fact that Sheriff Abdulmajid undertook the spiritual path (suluk) and attained the greatest Spiritual Opening (Fath al-Akbar). Sheikh RTA gave him guarantee that he shall attain all his heart desires concerning himself, family and companion. Sheikh RTA bestowed on him several gifts and granted him the Absolute or Unrestricted Permission (Ijaza al-Mutlaq).
Sheriff Abdulmajid RTA once visited Sheikh RTA in his Madina and attended the ceremony that Sheikh invited him to. Sheikh RTA gave him a special residence and there was a special meeting between the two of them. Sheikh RTA ordered the brothers to visit and salute him saying to them ‘if not for the faydah, it would not have been easy for you to see the type of this companion of mine, Sheriff Abdulmajid.
In the last visit of Sheikh RTA to Nigeria, Sheriff Abdulmajid came to visit him in the house of Alhaji Labaran together with some senior Sheikhs. After Sheriff returned to his house and immediately he entered, a messenger came to him from Sheikh with a message that Sheikh wants to see him. He returned quickly and Sheikh RTA said to him, ‘I wrote a praise for your grandfather (SAW) and I want you to listen to it. He ordered one of the young men with him to stand up and recite the eulogy from the Diwan Sayr al-Qalb. When he got to the saying of Sheikh “Verily, the One who returned Musa to his mother will return me to Munhaminnah and I shall be pleased”, Sheriff cried profusely to the extent that the gathering had to end.
A pointer to the special concern that the Sheikh RTA has for Sheriff Abdulmajid and his family, is what his son Sheriff Aliyu Abdulmajid told me which was related to him by his brother Ahmad Sukayrij on the authority of their pious mother. She said Sheriff Abdulmajid once spoke to Sheikh RTA during one of his visits expressing his concern over his wife and family. Sheikh ordered that a white cloak be brought. He held one side of it and asked Sheriff Abdulmajid to hold the other side and then he gathered the family of Sheriff Abdulmajid and covered their head with it. It was as if he imitated the action of the Messenger of Allah SAW with his household on whom the verse “Allah intends to take away filth from you oh! People of the household and purify you…” was revealed. Then Sheikh gave Sheriff Abdulmajid glad tidings of achieving his heart desires.
Sheriff Abdulmajid lived for over 90 years with sound health, in sight, hearing and body. He died on Monday 5-8-1406 Hijra equivalent to 2/18/1986. The Janazah was led by his beloved, the Chief Imam of Agege Central Mosque, Alhaj Aliyu Sufi. He was buried in a place in his house where he used to perform much worship. Moulana Sheikh Khalifa Ahmad Tijjani Inyass came for the condolence on behalf of the family of Sheikh. Sayyid Muhammad Habib became the Khalifa of his father by the choice of the family and companions of Sheriff.
In his investiture of Sheriff Abdulmajid as a Muqaddam, after listing his chains in the Tariqa, Sheikh Ibrahim RTA, wrote;
“And from Sheikh (Tijjani) RTA without intermediary and such is the favour of Allah that He bestows on whomsoever he wishes and Allah is the possessor of great favours. These chains are authentic and connected to him RTA, I make muqaddam and grant izn and ijaza to Sheriff al-Hajj Abdulmajid Agege, Allah protect him, ameen. I enjoin him and myself to fear Allah in secret and open and also to be truthful in worship. He should not forget me in his pious prayers in secret and open. I beseech Allah to benefit all of us and grant us congruence to what He loves and is pleased with. May He benefit whoever connects to this chain and grant everyone his heart desires and may HE grant us an end with iman for He loves and is able to do so.”
Sheikh of Tariqa and Islam in Africa, Ibrahim bn al-hajj Abdullah al-Kaulakhiy. May Allah be subtle with him. Ameen. 1373 Hijra.
NB: Today marks the 47th year of the transition of Moulana Sahibu al-Fayda, Sheikh al-Islaam wa Sa’adatu al-Anam, Sheikh Ibrahim Inyas RTA. May the rain of the love and remembrance of this great master and succor endlessly pour on our souls by virtue of his beloved, SAW....Ameen!
Source;
Majmū'at at-Ta'areef bi-sh Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse [An Encyclopedic Biographical Collection of (the Life & Times of) Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse] (Collected by Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Abdullah al-Jayjūbī)
May Allah be pleased with Sheriff Abdulmajid RTA and grant our heart desires by virtue of his love for Sahib al-Faydah RTA, Ameen!
