Endowments Minister Receives in Rabat Khalifa General of Tariqa Tijaniyya in Nigeria
MAP – Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, received, Tuesday in Rabat, the Khalifa General of Tariqa Tijaniyya in Nigeria, Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, currently on a visit to Morocco.
In a statement to MAP at the end of this meeting, Toufiq said that this visit, which is part of the extension of relations between the Nigerian and Moroccan peoples, aims to consolidate religious, spiritual and cultural ties between the two countries. He recalled that Islam has spread in West Africa and Nigeria from Morocco, noting that many Nigerian and West African Ulema refer to their Moroccan counterparts in the Sunnah.
Toufiq noted that Morocco and Nigeria have in common the sunni ashaarite doctrine that rejects all forms of extremism and radicalization as well and they adopt the rules and teachings of the Maliki rite in all matters of cultural integration, in addition to their sharing of certain conducts, namely education in good morals and Sufism.
While indicating that the exchanges with the Muslims of West Africa go back to centuries, a heritage that must be preserved, he highlighted the failure of imperialist powers, political and religious orientations as well as ideologies to disintegrate this very strong link.
“Nigerians and the people of West Africa know very well that Sheikh Sidi Ahmed Tijani lived and distinguished himself in Morocco, while being surrounded especially by the high solicitude of Sultan Moulay Sulayman,” he recalled, before adding that ”the students and followers of the founder of the Tariqa Tijaniyya, deceased and buried in Fez, are in Morocco, which represents a legacy for all Muslims in the world that should be preserved”.
The Minister also called for a better understanding of Sufism, a spiritual current based on the deep meaning of life that advocates altruism and frees individuals from any selfish feeling, in support of the precepts of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. Values whose promotion is among the missions entrusted to the Prophet Sidna Muhammad (PBUH).
He added that the rejection of selfishness is a fundamental value in society, in the economy and also in the lives of people, and this in favor of a better life for believers.
For his part, the Khalifa General of Tariqa Tijaniyya in Nigeria told MAP that Islam, the Maliki rite and the ashaarite dogma as well as all the Sufi brotherhoods that are inspired by the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, have spread widely in West Africa thanks to Morocco.
While assuring that Muslims in Nigeria in general, and the Sheikhs of the Tariqa Tijaniyya in particular, support Morocco, he stressed that Nigerians highly commend and appreciate the spiritual stature of HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful.
On Monday morning, the Khalifa General of Tariqa Tijaniyya in Nigeria visited the Mohammed V Mausoleum in Rabat where he paid his respects at the graves of the late Sovereigns, the late HM Mohammed V and HM Hassan II. He also visited on the same day the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Mourchidines and Mourchidates and the General Secretariat of the Higher Council of Ulema.