Introduction

The erudite master, Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij al-Khazraji al-Tijani (God be pleased with him) wrote a beautiful short work on the physical appearance, clothing, character, and lifestyle of our Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (God be pleased with him), titled al-Shama’il al-Tijaniyya.

It consists of an opening on the virtues of the Shaykh and the preface on the purpose of the work, followed by fifteen chapters and a conclusion:

• Virtues of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani
• Preface on the objective behind the work
• Chapter 1: On his gray hair
• Chapter 2: On his use of dye
• Chapter 3: On his use of antimony (kohl)
• Chapter 4: On his clothing
• Chapter 5: On his turban
• Chapter 6: On his noble sandals
• Chapter 7: On his rosary (sibha)
• Chapter 8: On his food
• Chapter 9: On the harm of fever
• Chapter 10: On the question of music
• Chapter 11: Reverence for Divine Names and Quranic verses
• Chapter 12: The Shaykh’s lineage
• Chapter 13: The Shaykh’s children
• Chapter 14: The Shaykh’s servants and slaves
• Chapter 15: The account of the Shaykh’s passing
• Conclusion