Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (May ALLAH be satisfied with him)

The well-known Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him) was a perfect wali, a man contact with Allah, a man granted with the Great Opening and divine grace. That majestic man was one of the elite among the companions of Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him), one of the close relations who were distinguished by his concern for them.

Sidi Mahmoud (may Allah be pleased with him) felt strong love for Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him), and was perfectly sincere in whatever action he undertook for him, whether he was in a journey or in his presence. He used to pay a great deal of attention executing all that Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered him to do.

The Muqadam Sidi Taïeb Sefiani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him) was immensely rich. Whenever he heard that Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) was in a region, he would go there in order to meet him. When he finally found him, he asked him to invoke Allah (Praise and Glory are due to Him) on his behalf, which Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) did. After that, he asked him to teach him the science of alchemy. This was a surprise to Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him) who rejected the request and told him:"Leave the region immediately and beware of spending the night here, otherwise such and such things will happen to you..."

Sidi Mahmoud (may Allah be pleased with him) obeyed and left quite ashamed. He came back to Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him) the following day, apologizing to him, totally submissive to his will like a corpse in the hands of a mortician. Then Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him) took care of him and taught him the Tariqa Muhammadiya.

Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him), the erudite full of knowledge about Allah, was one of the distinctive companions of Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him), one of those whose status as saints and beneficiaries of the great opening (fath) was known.

It has been reported that he was one of those who inherited some secrets from Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him). When Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away, Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him) fell in deep trance (hal) which resulted in an extraordinary overheating of his body. People thought this was due to the secrets he knew. He remained in this state until he himself passed away one month and eighteen days after Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him).

He was among Seidina Ahmed Tidjani's (may Allah be pleased with him) treasurers and he testified on this issue:"Whoever has been responsible for keeping my money has either proven irresponsibility or been accused of mismanagement, except Sidi Mahmoud" (may Allah be pleased with him).

It has also been reported that Sidi Mahmoud worked for Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with them). He was in charge of the management of his property in the Sahara area. Whenever Sidi Mahmoud came to see Seidina Ahmed (may Allah be pleased with them), he brought him money and all the other goods he had collected, such as wool, butter, fruits, poultry, sheep and cattle. Although he was in charge of all this wealth, Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him) has never been tempted by it and Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) testified that he was worthy of the responsibilities given to him and that he was full of virtues.

Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away around midnight on Tuesday Dhul Hijjah 5, the last month of the year 1230. He was buried in the Bab El Ftouh cemetery which is one of the famous gates of Fes. His grave is well known and is often visited by people seeking Baraka.

Both the majestic Sherif, the Muqadem of Seidina Ahmed Tidjani, Sidi Abdelwahid Abou Ghalib and the majestic master, the ascetic, the Wali of Allah, Sidi El Hajj Abdelwahhab Ben Taouadi, known as Ibn Ahmar El Fési were buried near Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah bless them and be pleased with them all).

The following is a letter Seidina Ahmed Tidjani sent to Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with them):

"In the Name Of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May the prayers of Allah and His blessing be upon our Master Muhammad, upon his family and companions.

After praising Allah, the Magnificent in His Majesty, the Ever—Exalted in His Greatness, the Highest in His Might, we are writing this letter to our beloved and sincere friend Sidi Mahmoud Tounsi (may Allah be pleased with him). May the Peace of Allah as well as His Mercy and Blessing be upon you. Here are the answers to the questions you asked me, read them carefully.

Concerning the wadhifa, I strongly warn you against neglecting it. Those among my companions who neglected it lost a big profit they will never be able to recover. For he who can perform the wadhifa in congregation with other disciples, it is better and more highly rewarded. If he cannot, he may recite it alone, but must never neglect it. He recites it once between the day and the night. You may as well know that whoever can do it in an assembly but chooses to recite it alone is mistaken.

Regarding your question about the Chafr and Witr prayers, if someone sleeps and wakes up only after sunrise, he leaves the Chafr, the Witr and the Fajr in order to perform the compulsory prayer (Subh). Then he performs the Fajr prayer before zenith. The Chafr and Witr become worthless after sunrise, and it is not possible to redo or make them up.

To make up for a prayer or some prayers (mandatory and/or surerogatory) pending between the heavens and the earth due to neglect, it can be done by a four-rak'as prayer after the Friday prayer. This is an act of expiation* (kaffara) during the period from the age of maturity to the day of the achievement of these four rak'as. So let us conclude on this point, for these rak'as are known.

As for the patient who was in a loss of consciousness or in a coma, all the prayers - compulsory or surerogatory - that he missed do not have to be compensated for after his awakening. That patient only compensates for the compulsory prayers he missed while being conscious, but not for the surerogatory ones. If he comes back to consciousness before nafila time (surerogatory prayer), he should perform that nafila. May you have peace.

May the prayers of Allah and His blessing be upon our Master Muhammad, upon his family and companions."

Note: Seidina Ahmed Tidjani (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the obligation to do mandatory actions that have been neglected. The four rak'as he talks about are an act of expiation (kaffara) for neglect, but they do not replace the mandatory actions (qada) which must be done.