Sidi Hajj Ali Tamacini (May ALLAH be satisfied with him)

The perfect Pole and excellent helper, the worker of so many wonders and holder of his community's common merits, the full moon of bliss that has illuminated darkness, the sun shedding light of guidance. Such was Aboul Hassan Seidina El Hajj 'Ali ibn Seidina Hajj 'Aissa Tamacini (may Allah be pleased with him).

He was one of the elite among the companions of Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him). He had reached immensely high grades that Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) certified. That majestic companion of Seidina Sheikh was a Hassanite Sharif. His family was from Yanbu, in Arabia, and it was one of his grandparents from the region of Sejelmassa (in the south of Morocco), who settled with his family in the oasis of Tamacine, in the south east of Algeria. He was born there in the year 1180 of the Hegira (1766 A.D.), and lived there with is family.

His first contact with Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) happened thanks to Sidi Muhammad ibn Mechri (may Allah be pleased with him), under the following circumstances:

Seidina (may Allah be pleased with him) entrusted Sidi Muhammad ibn Mechri (may Allah be pleased with him) with a deposit and ordered him to only give it to he who would claim it. He went to the people of his tribe with the hope that he would find among them the one who would get the deposit, but he did not meet the right person who was destined to receive it.

He therefore, headed for another region, and then for Tamacine where he met Sidi Hajj 'Ali on the gate of his farm. Sidi Hajj 'Ali greeted him and offered him accommodation during his stay in Tamacine. They agreed to meet at the mosque after the Isha prayer. So after prayer, they went to Sidi Hajj 'Ali's house and had dinner together. After that, Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked his guest for the deposit the great Sheikh Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him) entrusted him with. Sidi Muhammad ibn Mechri (may Allah be pleased with him), who had never met him before, hesitated somewhat to give it to him, thinking that he would not be able to withstand such a secret. But with the benevolence and insistence of Sidi Hajj 'Ali, he came to understand clearly enough that he was the right person to receive the deposit. So he gave it to him and told him: "There is no deprivation for he whom Allah provides". This happened in 1203 of the Hegira, when Sidi Hajj 'Ali was 23 years of age.

He later on met the companion Sidi Muhammad Sassi (may Allah be pleased with him) with a group of disciples from Guemar, heading for Ain Mahdi. They stopped near Tamacine. Sidi Hajj 'Ali met them and took care of them. He also told them he would accompany them on their trip to Ain Mahdi the following year. That year, he waited for the group of disciples from Guemar who were going to visit Seidina Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him) on the occasion of the Eid al Adha, and accompanied them, as promised.

When they got to Seidina Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him), Sidi Hajj (may Allah be pleased with him) leant on his shoulder and Seidina Sheikh made him sit next to him, then covered him with a part of his garment. That was in the year 1204 of the Hegira. Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was seized by such a strong love for Seidina Sheikh that he felt unable to leave his master and return home. And when his companion travelers reminded him of his family and children, he replied:"They are under his surveillance, and he is well aware of their situation".

He kept Seidina (may Allah be pleased with him) company for years and only went back to Tamacine as a guest for the harvest of dates. He then returned to Seidina and kept doing so until he reached the station Allah had chosen for him.

Finally Seidina Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered him to go back to Tamacine and told him:"When you get back to Tamacine in peace, engage in enlarging your house and prepare for yourself a place for prayers and dhikr. Also, allocate places for the reception of visitors and construct more buildings, for you will reach such a high status that people will come from everywhere to visit you. And do not fear any restriction from the Owner of the Throne, seek Allah's help thereby.

As for Seidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him), he went into exile to Fes with his family and Sidi Ali Harazim, through the village of Figuig.

While Seidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Fes, Si Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) went to se him fourteen times. Whenever he visited Seidina in Fes, he would have him stand in front of congregations to lead the prayers in spite of the presence of a great number of erudite and other people deserving such an honor.

Once during prayer, something troubled Sidi Hajj 'Ali and someone asked Seidina if, because of that, the prayer was valid according to Shariah. Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him) answered:"This man has reached the Fath (spiritual opening), and any prayer behind someone with the Fath is accepted". This is enough of a testimony from Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) that stresses the high value of Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Once, the servant of Seidina Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him), Sidi Taieb ibn Muhammad Sefiani (may Allah be pleased with him) who was responsible for the expenses and other needs of the house, was questioned about one of the female servants who was sick. Seidina asked him:"Have you bought her a medicament?" He answered:"Yes, We have bought her some, but they have had no effect on her, so it might be better to try the Roquiyya on her".

Then Seidina (may Allah be pleased with him) said:"Who could do that for her?", and added:"The only one I know capable of doing it is Sidi Hajj Ali Tamacini, if he is here".

Sidi Taieb (may Allah be pleased with him) told Seidina:"I wish you had allowed me to do the Roquiyya, O master! Indeed you only allow Sidi Hajj 'Ali Tamacini to do it". Seidina Sheikh refused and kept on repeating:"Who is like Sidi Hajj 'Ali, O Mr. So-and-so!" and he blamed him repeatedly until Sidi Taieb felt he should never have said that.

One of the habits of Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) after Seidina Sheikh settled in the city of Fes was to pay him visits using the prodigy of the "step" (i.e. with one step, he could reach any place he wished to go to). But Seidina Sheikh forbade him to do so, arguing:"If you come to me for the sake of Allah, you must act as common people do, with shoes, a cane and an escort, so you can experience all the hardships other people undergo, such as thirst, tiredness and fear".

Some of the particular companions of Seidina Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him) said one day he led the Asr prayer for a group of 80 companions. When he turned and faced them after they had finished praying, they noticed there was a bunch of dates, but were not aware when it landed there. They all looked at Seidina, stunned at the sudden and miraculous apparition of the dates. Seidina Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him), conscious of how they all felt, told them:"This is the deed of so-and-so", named him and called him foolish or something of the like.

Then, when Seidina met Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), he told him what had happened and asked him:"What urged you to do that?"

He replied:"O master! I apologize. I was in my farm at that time. It was while the workers were picking up dates that I saw that cluster of dates. I liked it and felt like sending it to you unaltered. This made me throw it and utter secret words so that they could land between your hands". Seidina reprimanded him for doing it and forbade him to do it again.

Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed the death of Seidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him). He paid him a last and farewell visit three days before his death, and received the status of Calif directly from him, with a notification written by Sheikh's blessed hand. He also made him recommendations about his children and the people of the Tariqa. The same day Seidina Sheikh assured him that he had to leave Fes without delay the following day (his destination would be mount Zabib where he would buy Seidina Sheikh a Fesi horse – but indeed, it was, as usual, a hidden allusion made by Seidina and Sidi Hajj 'Ali understood it). He felt very much touched and told him:" I am your servant, and have tied myself up to your company; so I can't bear being separated from you, for your words are imposing and terrible; they are breaking my heart".

He burst into tears before Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) who told him:"Why are you crying? This sentence is inevitable, it's impossible for creatures to escape from it. Be patient for the sake of Allah, and stay strong. I have appointed you as my lieutenant and substitute. I nominate you heir of my secret. I've given you recommendations concerning my children, my wives, my servants, my companions, and my beloved ones among the people of the Tariqa. Allah (Glory and Praise are due to Him) will be your support in taking on this responsibility. He also added:"Our Tariqa is handed over from a living being to another, and you are my lieutenant in it, after my death". Those who witnessed such recommendations were Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi, Sidi Ahmed ibn Suleiman Taghzouti, and Sidi Tahar ibn Abdelsaddaq (may Allah be pleased with them).

After Seidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani's death (may Allah be pleased with him), the signs of the Great Opening appeared on Sidi Hajj 'Ali Tamacini (may Allah be pleased with him), and there was nothing comparable to those signs.

People started coming from everywhere to have the Baraka of the Tariqa from Sidi Hajj "Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Once, two hundred people, all affiliated to the Tariqa through him, made their visit coincide to ask for Taqdim (a title of Muqadam that allows the bearer legal transmission of the Tariqa), so they could give orations.

Sidi Hajj 'Ali Tamacini (may Allah be pleased with him) held great knowledge of mukashafa which he managed as he liked. He often saw the Prophet (peace be upon him). In this regard, it is reported that he had once given a speech about the vision of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by the Wali.

One day, while he was recalling Allah (Glory and Praise are due to Him) before some of his brothers, he said:"O so-and-so!, those who are with you in our present time never do anything through revelation or vision, be it small or big, without prior permission from the Prophet (peace be upon him). They even go to bed after they have the permission of the Prophet "(peace be upon him). All those who heard Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) say these words understood the person he was alluding to was no one else but him.

Sidi Abdelaoui (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that once a traveler who had three pieces of luggage accompanied a caravan. At that time, the governor levied a tax of one riyal on each piece of luggage, but that traveler did not have money to pay for the tax. He then started thinking about Sidi Hajj 'Ali. He asked Allah (Glory and Praise are due to Him) for safety and peace against any hardship that might come his way, through the intercession of Sidi Hajj 'Ali, due to his rank beside Allah.

He left with the caravan. Everybody paid the tax except him. He crossed without paying and no one asked him anything, on the contrary, Allah (Glory and Praise are due to Him) disguised him from the sight of people.

When Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) heard about this, he asked:" O so-and-so! Did the people of the caravan pay riyals to the French?" He answered:"Yes, master, they all did, except me, for Allah veiled me before their eyes thanks to the Baraka of your value beside Him".

Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) never undertook anything without asking the opinion of Seidina Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him). He certified that he was the Pole after Seidina, and for this reason he was famous at that time.

Sidi Abdelaoui reported that once he was with Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), and he wanted to ask him the Taqdim in order to be able to transmit the noble wird. At the moment the intention of saying his request passed through his mind and before he even said it, Sidi Hajj 'Ali turned to him and told him:"You are authorized to give the Tariqa to whoever asks you for it". He thanked Allah for that immense grace. Thus, Sidi Hajj 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) unveiled what was hidden.

He passed away in 1260 of the Hegira, and was buried in his native town of Tamacine (south east of Algeria). His grave is unceasingly irrigated with blessings. Such was the life of a man full of grace.