In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

O Allah send blessings and peace upon our Master, Muhammad,
and his family and companions

Introducing the Tariqat al-Qadariyat al-Kamilah
(Complete Qadari Tariqah)

The Tariqat al-Qadariyat al-Kamilah is a branch of the Jilani Qadari Tariqah, established upon the Qur’an and the Sunnah with its center in Madinat al-Munawwarah. Shaykh Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahi (may Allah be pleased with him), also known as Shaykh al-Bukhari, is its founder.

Shaykh Muhammad was the son of Shaykh Ahmad, the son of al-Mahi, the son of Usūl, the sharīf from Sayyidna Husayn. His adopted city was Madani and was given the nickname “Son of Bukhari”. By madhhab he was Maliki; by tariqah, Qadri; and by ‘aqīdah (belief), Ash‘ari. He traveled the Qadari Tariqah at the hand of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Baqi son of ‘Umar son of Ahmad al-Mukashafi (may Allah be pleased with him).

Shaykh Muhammad was born in al-Daym, one of the villages of the Jazirah district in Sudan. It is most probable that he was born around the beginning of the 14th hijri century. His father was Shaykh Ahmad al-Mahi, a teacher who dedicated himself to the religious sciences and memorization of the Qur’an. He traveled throughout the land in the performance of this great task. His mother was Sayyidah Fatimah, daughter of Buhari from Kananah. His brother was Shaykh Mirghani who was, by Allah, wealthy without need of others. His sisters were Sayyida Nafisa, Sayyida Zaynab, Sayyida ‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with all of them).

The Shaykh grew up in a house of knowledge and goodness where he learned the religious sciences, writing, and Arabic. He memorized the Qur’an at the hand of his father from his early childhood. Describing his family, he said, “Our fathers and grandfathers were always busy with knowledge, worship, and zuhd (doing without).” So from this deep-rooted, shaded garden he drank (may Allah be pleased with him).

His teachers and spiritual guides (shaykhs)

The Shaykh spent a great part of his life traveling and meeting the scholars of the dīn, the people of tasawwuf, and the distinguished of the ummah. We might assume then that many of these were his shaykhs; however, very little is known about them. But of two we are most certain.

The first was his father, Shaykh Ahmad. From him he took the sciences of Arabic, hadith, tafsīr, fiqh, and the memorization of the Qur’an along with his ijazas (permission) to teach them to others.

His second teacher, about whom there is no doubt, was Shaykh ‘Abd al-Baqi son of Ahmad al-Mukashafi (may Allah be pleased with him), related to the Prophet through al-Husayn. By tariqah he was Qadari; by madhhab, Maliki; and in belief, Ash‘ari. He was the unique of his time; without any need of praise. There is nothing more astonishing than his life. He gave Shaykh Muhammad ijazah in the tariqah and often praised him. Once, he said, “If only one day remained in this world, Son of al-Bukhari would be the Qawth (Spiritual Pole).” On another occasion, when all the outstanding students of Shaykh al-Mukashafi were mentioned in front of Shaykh al-Mukashafi except Shaykh Muhammad, the Shaykh added, “Son of al-Bukhari.” And then said, “All of those you mentioned were in need of my help, but the Son of al-Bukhari carried his own weight.”

His travels

His first trip was in his childhood. When he was only eight years old he went to Madinat al-Munawwarah where he grew up and studied. There he continued to study the Qur’an and the madhhab of Imam Malik, taking knowledge from the scholars at the Prophet’s mosque. The Shaykh loved being alone and was proud of living in poverty. He began his traveling with the hajj and from there remained in Madinah. After Madinah, and for a great portion of his life, he traveled widely. Throughout his travels he remained hidden and unknown. He went to Egypt, Syria-Jordan-Lebanon (Sham), Jerusalem (Palestine), Iraq and many other countries, often accompanied by Sufis and men of knowledge. Allah willed that his journeys, which continued for a long period of time—about 30 years, remain unrecorded.

Many wonderful and subtle events happened during his travels. This is obvious from what others have said. One of the shaykhs described Shaykh al-Bukhari when he met him in Madinah and learned Qu’ran from him, saying, “He arrived from Sinnar (from the middle of Sudan) and from his appearance he looked like a holy and respected man. He stayed just outside the Haram. From his face one could see he was religious and pious. He always wore traveling clothes and avoided people, preferring to be alone. In the Haram, he preferred the Rawdah Sharifah. This caused me to think that he was among the great scholars and I tried to approach him, doing things he liked and avoiding things he disliked. I found him to be among those whom you can learn and narrate from. He his name was Muhammad al-Bukhari. I asked him to teach me Qur’an and he did.”

After traveling widely, he settled in Kinanah, one of the villages of the Jazīrah near the town of Manāgil. Here he started to make his family, dug a hafīr (water reservoir) and built a masīd (building containing a school for learning Qur’an and a hostel for travelers) which still exist today. After the death of Shaykh al-Mukashafi in 1960, the Shaykh moved to the city of Wad Madani, settling in the neighborhood of Upper Shandi. From Upper Shandi he then moved to the neighborhood of Darajah where he built his house and mosque. He stayed there until he eventually moved to Madinat al-Munawwara to be near the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). As you see from his sīrah (biography) the events of his life are covered in mystery. Allah threw a veil over his life. Shaykh al-Mukashafi mentioned that though he had asked to be hidden Allah did not grant him this gift, instead, Allah gave it to his student Shaykh al-Bukhari. Shaykh al-Bukhari said, “O Allah, I limp behind the people like a cripple. If I don’t keep up with the People (al-qawm—often used to refer to the masters of the way of spiritual attainment, i.e., the Sufis), there is no blame on him.” This simple isharah (indication, sign, or glimpse) expresses a great deal.

His hijrah to Madinah, the Master of Mankind

The Shaykh did hijrah to Madinah in 1973 with his family along with many of his students and their families. The merchant left his money, the real estate owner left his house and the person of prominent standing left his position. They left everything to go to their Lord, in the hope of gaining the ākhirah. In Madinah, they were privileged with the opportunity to serve in and around the Haram of the Prophet. Many of them were later buried in al-Baqi (by the grace of the Most Generous and Giving), the cemetery next to the Prophet’s mosque. Shaykh al-Bukhari’s hijrah was purely for the sake of Allah and to be near Mustafa (the Chosen One). Many of the students have related strange and wonder events about the hijrah. In Madinah, the Shaykh continued his work: teaching his students (i.e., providing tarbiyah) and giving the people da‘wah (calling the people to the Lord of the Worlds). At the Haram, he held a daily majlis of knowledge (a gathering for the sake of imparting knowledge of the dīn of Allah) that attracted many. Gathered around him were people of different races from all over the world. By the grace of Allah, this exalted tariqah spread from its source in Madinah to all parts of the world. Thus, the Shaykh returned the branch to its source, extending a connecting bridge between Sudan and the Hijaz—physically and metaphorically.

His family

He had four wives. They are Sayyidah Dar al-Salam, Sayyidah Fatima, Sayyidah Amina, and Sayyidah Alawiya—the Mothers of the Fuqara (may Allah bless them). His sons are Sayyid ‘Abd al-Qādar al-Jayli, Sayyid ‘Abd al-Bāqi, Sayyid al-Bāqir, Sayyid Jalāl Dīn, Sayyid Ahmad al-Mustafa, Sayyid ‘Umar, Sayyid Muhyi al-Dīn, Sayyid ‘Alā al-Dīn, Sayyid Ahmad Fakhr al-Dīn, Sayyid Ja‘far, Sayyid Mūsa, and Sayyid Mus‘ab. He also has 14 daughters. May Allah be pleased with them all.

His miracles

First, we must say that when we talk about the Shaykh’s miracles we mean how Allah honored his righteous slave with either a condition bestowed upon him or with an action that Allah caused to be done through him. The doer is Allah, first and last. The Shaykh’s miracles are more than can be counted and greater than can be reported. His greatest miracle has to be his adherence to the Qur’an and sunnah from the time of his childhood until he died—the greatest of all merits. In addition, Allah honored him with the miracle of making him one of the neighbors of the Intercessor for Mankind, Sayyiduna Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in Madina—the best place. Allah placed him there in childhood and he returned him there in old age. We ask Allah to make our condition and our fate like that, amīn.

Another miracle was reported by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Karim al-Talaq. The Shaykh was at his school in Kinanah. For two or three days there was nothing to eat—similar to what had happened to the Prophet. Just when a guest appeared, the Shaykh reached for a piece of paper that was lying nearby and gave it to his student, Mustafa bin Ibrahim. When Mustafa turned it over in his hand he found it be money. He then went out and returned with enough food for two days.

They enter the world, poor

            By their modesty, a fragrance spreads;

In it they are annihilated from its beauty

            And as they enter they leave.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Karīm related that they used to read the Mawlid Nabawi with Shaykh al-Bukhari in Kinanah followed by a feast. When they finished they used to travel to Shaykh al-Mukashafi in Shikanibah where they were also reading the Mawlid. Astonishingly, they would arrive before the people had begun, even though they would start the Mawlid at the same time and it would normally take three or more hours to travel from Kinanah to Shikaniba in those days. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Karīm then added, “This is clearly an example of the folding up of time (shorting of time and distance) without need of proof.”

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Karīm also said that Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Na‘īm related that Shaykh Bakheet wad Hasan, Shaykh al-Mukashafi’s madih singer, said that he had visited Shaykh al-Bukhari in Kinanah and spent the night singing madih with Shaykh Ballah and Shaykh al-Hasan. In the early morning Shaykh al-Bukhari brought him tea with hot bread. When Shaykh Ballah and Shaykh al-Hasan came in the morning, Shaykh Bakheet asked them if there were a bakery in their village or in the villages surrounding Kinanah. They said no, there wasn’t. They asked him why he had asked. He told them about the hot bread. Shaykh Ballah said, “This is easy for him. If he had wanted, he could have gotten it for you from Makkah.”

These are but a few examples of his karamat (miracles). If you were to ask any of his murids you would discover many more. His karamat will exist until the Day of Judgment. May Allah benefit us by him and may Allah protect us from the bad deeds of the disbelievers.

His Death

He died on Wednesday, the 17th of Ramadan Mubarak, the day of the Ghazwa of Badr, 1421 (the 13th of December, 2000) in Madinat al-Munawwarah, at the age of more than 120, after Allah had blessed him with the opportunity of living near the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). He was buried near his grandfather, the Intercessor (Allah bless him and grant him peace), in Jannat al-Baqi‘, near Sayyidna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). Every year on this day there is a large gathering in Madinah, celebrating these two great occasions.

His Khalifah

His khalifah is Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jayli, his eldest son, who took the banner of da‘wa’ after his father. Shaykh al-Bukhari used to give Shaykh al-Jayli assignments. Since his youth, he has been traveling throughout the East calling people to Allah: calling them to unity and turning them from separation. In these times of great restrictions and closed borders, traveling is very difficult. Today, money has taken possession of people’s hearts: people have forgotten the akhirah. May Allah support him and give him strength and victory. Due to his travels, zawiyahs have opened all over the world: in Madinat al-Munawarah, Makkat al-Mukaramah, Jeddah, Yanbu, Egypt, Syria, America, Indonesia, France, Algeria, Jordan, Ethiopia and Sudan. These places were given the name Zawiya Qadariya (Qadari Zawiya). Zawiya Qadariya has also published many books and pamphlets. Among them is Anwar al-Kamal (Lights of the Complete) by Sayyid Umar, another son of Shaykh al-Bukhari, which contains many precious things about the Shaykh. In addition there is also Haqā’iq al-Tasawwūf (Realities of Sufism) and Kalam Safwat al-Qurra (Words of the Chosen Readers) and others. Zawiya Qadariya also has a site on the internet called www.abunashaykh.com.

We ask Allah, the Exalted, to make this work the core for writing a booklet about this famous knowledge without the strength from us but rather from Allah, the best Lord and Helper.

Awrad of the Tariqat al-Qadariyat al-Kāmilah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (200times by tajrīd or 25 times one by one)

استغفر الله العظيم  (200times by tajrīd or 25 times one by one)

اللهم صلي على سيدنا محمد وآله وسلم  (200times by tajrīd or 25 times one by one)

لا إله إلا الله (200times by tajrīd or 25 times one by one)  

الله الله (200times by tajrīd or 25 times one by one)

يا لطيف (200times by tajrīd or 25 times one by one)

The above is to be done after every obligatory prayer. In addition, every day the Qur’an should be read in the amount that is easy for one. And finally, the prayer upon the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) should be done as much as one is able.