التصوف والطرق الصوفية في حمص ١٢_a .. كتاب حمص

We have the document of the endowment that Sheikh Ahmed granted to his four wives, which states: As for what follows, the honorable and pure Sharia Council was attended by Fakhr al-Sulha’a and the Honorable Sheikh Muhammad bin the late Sayyed Abed Shamsham, the legal agent for Fakhr al-Ulama and the mayor of the pure and righteous, the distinguished Mr. Sheikh Ahmad al-Tawzaqli, Sheikh of the Naqshbandi Order in Homs immediately. ...The document bears the date / 25 / of Dhul-Hijjah Al-Haram 1267 AH = October 22, 1854 AD. Therefore, he was alive at the date of this document, but at the end of his life. Then he handed the endowment over to his student and successor, Sheikh Salim bin Khalaf Al-Wazzan, and made him a partner with his agent, Sh. Dr. Abed Shamsham passed away from this life and did not give birth to sons, but rather four daughters: Mrs. Khadija, Mrs. Zainab, Mrs. Amna, and Mrs. Ruqaya.

In the year 1250 AH - 1834 AD, Hajj Ahmad Al-Tawzaqli authorized his student, Sheikh = Salim bin Khalaf Al-Wazzan, to teach dhikr, guidance and guidance in the Aliyah Naqshbandi order (1), so he became his successor. Then he succeeded his sheikh on its carpet after his death, so who is Sheikh Salim Khalaf??

Sheikh Salim bin Khalaf Al-Wazzan: This is his name without any addition, as stated in the endowment argument referred to above. He was born in Homs in 1232 AH = 1816 AD. He took knowledge from many of the eminent scholars in Homs, then his father gave him to Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tawzaqli, who was the best guide and educator for him. His sheikh recognized him as qualified to guide him, so he approved him. Then he succeeded him as the sheikh of the order and sat on its carpet after his death, assisted in this by a number of sheikhs who arrived. To the rank of / caliph / in the order, such as Sheikh Salim Safi and Sheikh Abdul Latif Al-Talawi. He remained a sheikh of the order until his death in the middle of Muharram in the year 1328 AH = 2/28/1910 AD, extending his life to ninety-six years. He spent more than fifty years on the carpet of the Naqshbandi order, and he made a living from his job as imam and teacher of the Grand Al-Nuri Mosque. At the same time, he was in charge of the endowment of the Seven Mill (according to the documents preserved with us).

Muhammad Abu Al-Nasr Khalaf: 1292 - 5 Ramadan 1368 AH = 1875 - 1 July 1949 AD He was born in Homs and grew up in the house of his father, Sheikh Salim. He grew up loving, from his father, the knowledge of monotheism, jurisprudence, and Sufism. He also read Shafi’i jurisprudence, taking it for knowledge, from Sheikh Abdul-Ghani Al-Saadi, and Sheikh Abd al-Sattar al-Anasi and Sheikh Abd al-Qadir al-Sheikha, and this devotion to knowledge made his father, after he had reached the dream, grant him a full leave of absence for guidance. When he assumed the leadership of the order after the death of his father, his talents appeared in guiding the disciples, and he is credited with spreading the Naqshbandi order in Hama at the hands of his disciple and student/sheikh. Muhammad Al-Hamid / (1) His activity also included Aleppo Governorate, and he became followers there.

It is noteworthy that he allocated a room in his house located in the Dhahr al-Mughara neighborhood for women who wanted to perform dhikr and prayers according to the Naqshbandi method, and this circle of dhikr was held every Monday after the afternoon prayer in the thirties of this century.

He obtained an authorization for the Sanusi Ahmadiyya Idrisiya order from its sheikh, Mr. Ahmed Al-Sharif Al-Sanussi, with the date 1365 AH = 1946 AD. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Kaka from Homs approved of it.

Among the men of the Naqshbandi order in Homs is the historian Abd al-Hadi al-Wafa, the author of the manuscript “The History of Homs,” which is still under preparation until now. He composed a poem praising the men of the Naqshbandi order, including:
He also composed a portion of the sikah melody that was sung in dhikr circles and at nights of rejoicing until the sixties of this century, and its beginning is: Leave the ways of falsehood, for the world is eternal. The universe is nothing but the eternal and living.

He died in the same year in which his sheikh, Sayyed Salim Khalaf, died in 1328 AH. He was buried next to him in the cemetery located at the end of Al-Midan Street where it meets the Damascus Road. We cannot fail to mention the famous Naqshbandi Sufis (Umm Muhammad al-Talawiyah and al-Mutawfilah 1335 AH in the village of Talbiseh).

Umm Muhammad al-Talawiyah: 1335 AH = 17/1916 AD.
She was the most famous Sufi woman throughout the country in her time. Her examples, chants, poems, and loyalty spread from Damascus to Aleppo. Our first contact with her Sufi heritage was when we found a book entitled (A Collection of Sufi Prophetic Poems and Hymns) by her collector (Rashid bin Mustafa Al-Rashid Al-Tadfi).

4- The Qadiri method:

This method is attributed to Sheikh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani al-Din, whose nickname was Abu Muhammad. He was born in the year 470 AH = 1077 AD. Then two generations left for Baghdad, 488 AH and joined the regular school, where he took part of Hanbali jurisprudence. Then he left the school and wandered in the desert of Iraq, asceticizing in this world for a period. Twenty-five full years. In the year 521 AH. He returned to Baghdad when he was over fifty years old, and his fame began to spread as a Hanbali ascetic and not as a Sufi. He maintained the uniform of scholars and did not wear the uniform of Sufis, and his children after him worked to spread his teachings, diligently and sincerely, and his students also taught his doctrine in the Islamic world, relying on his blessing to spread it. Sheikh Abdul Qadir, and they attributed miracles and supernatural things to him, and made him one of the four poles. Who divided the world among themselves on the roof of the Kaaba. They narrated from him that he said while he was in Baghdad, “My feet are on the neck of every guardian.” Then he heard Ahmed Al-Rifai say while he was in Umm Ubaidah (and on my neck as well). Al-Rifa’is responded to that by making Abdul Qadir one of those who saw him in Mecca in the year 000 AH. The Prophet’s unique miracle was taking his hand out of (2) the grave so that Al-Rifai could kiss it.

Method of taking the pledge of allegiance: It is carried out as follows:

1 - The aspirant performs a new ablution, then prays two voluntary rak’ahs to God Almighty, then sits 1) in reference to / Gilan / in the Egyptian gym... an area located at the southwestern corner of the Caspian Sea, its base is the town of / Rasht / which produces rice, fruit and silk.

2) Muhammad Abu Al-Huda Al-Sayyadi Al-Rifai in his book: The Only History of Al-Ghawth Al-Rifai Al-Amjad (p. 51).