A Gift on the Day of Arafah: the abundant outpouring of Ṣalāt al-Fātiḥ.
Translation of a post by his eminence Imam Salaheldin Al Tijany, may Allah be pleased with him, on June 28, 2023. Our dear beloved Imam is speaking about the prayer in the picture below which reads “O Allah, send blessings and peace on our master Muhammad, the opener of what was closed and the sealer of what has passed; the one who gives victory to the Truth with the Truth; and the one who guides to Your straight path — and on His family, in accordance with Your grandeur and esteem.”
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate
Ṣalāt al-Fātiḥ first emerged from the unseen realm on the tongue of Imam Ali, may Allah ennoble his blessed countenance, by way of spiritual inspiration and within a longer prayer for the Prophet ﷺ. Ibn Kathīr mentions it in detail in his famous exegesis of the Quran.
With the passage of time and the changes that occur in places, it was appropriate to refresh and renew this beautiful prayer. This occurred on the tongue of the pole, Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Bakri, may Allah be pleased with him, in the year 930 AH.
It was again renewed by the scholar Muhammad al-Samman al-Madani, may Allah be pleased with him, in the year 1130.
Then, in the year 1196, an eloquent and elegant abridgement of this prayer appeared on the tongue of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani, may Allah be pleased with him.
All these renewals were inspirations received from spiritual presences (ḥadarāt ghaybayyah) from the unseen realm as well as from stations of gnosis (maqāmāt maʿrifiyyah) which are governed by time and limited by place. All these great figures only shared the phrase “al-fātihi limā ughliqa wa l-khātami lima sabaqa,” while the rest of the prayer was different.
Now, we are on the threshold of a new era, one that is wide in scope, comprehensive in ramifications, and abundant in inspiration.
It was inevitable that this prayer would bring forth new openings and brilliant lights, in accordance with the age we live in, which is characterized by its unlimited vastness.
The name “The Prayer of the Opener” (Ṣalāt al-Fātiḥ) itself indicates the quality of always renewing the openings within it and that come from it.
Thus, there has come forth this renewal:
· The addition of the prayer of peace (taslīm) for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the beginning.
· The replacement of the 3rd-person pronoun (ه) at the end, referring to the Messenger of Allah with the 2nd-person pronoun (ك), referring to Allah the Exalted. *see grammatical note below.
The difference between Ṣalāt al-Fātiḥ with the 2nd-person pronoun and the 3rd-person pronoun is equal to the difference between the Creator and the created, or between the Lord and His the servant, or between the Divine and His subjects.
Furthermore, the 2nd-person pronoun, which indicates witnessing the one you are speaking to, is consistent with the address at the beginning: “O Allah…”
Thus, our sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is enriched with a renewed spiritual opening, infinite and unbounded.
Every man or woman with an expansive awareness and sound perception can now recite all these formulations of prayers for the Prophet ﷺ, according to whatever suits them:
• Ṣalāt al-Fātiḥ in its two forms.
• Ṣalāt al-Ḥubb (Prayer of Love) in its two forms.
• Ṣalāt al-Nūr (Prayer of Light).
• Ṣalāt Nūr al-Ḥubb (Prayer of the Light of Love) in its two forms.
• Jawharat al-Kamāl (The Jewel of Perfection).
Do not limit the bounty of Allah the Exalted, but rather “The bounty of Allah and His mercy, in that, let them rejoice.” [Quran]
This great outpouring came forth on the day of standing at Arafah in the year 1444, which corresponds to June
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