06/03/2024
From my experience with Shaykh Mahy Cisse and Medina Baye:
I would call Shaykh Mahy to ask various questions or for advice on things in my personal life. [Also note, it is
common for things to change radically in your life upon accepting the Tijani tariqa. Be patient.] Often I would expect
Shaykh Mahy to give some deep spiritual answer or to give me an order. Instead, following the example of the
Prophet ﷺ he gives simple advice, that turns matters back to one’s own responsibility, taqwa, and relationship withﷻ Allah
I have never heard Shaykh Mahy make a claim about himself, or his spiritual station. Nor have I heard a disciple
attribute any such claim to him. Out of respect for him and his modesty and humility. I will also refrain from making any
such claims. It suffices to say he is a scholar of hadith, the Shariah, and a Knower of Allah ﷻ to the deepest extent. He is a
graduate of Al-Azhar with a Master’s degree, an author of several books, and the director of several schools.
He does not speak in lofty words or about things that are hard to understand, but he leads you to understand
things yourself. He gives you the tools to walk the path and asks you what you’ve understood with certainty. He guides
you by showing you the way and by his spiritual state, rather than telling you what he knows or teaching you with words.
Any person who spends time with him will notice a few things. His life revolves completely around Allah ﷻ and
helping others to love Allah ﷻ. His humility is evident in his schedule. He says “my time is for my disciples” and he lives
his life serving those who seek Allah ﷻ by making himself accessible to them, and hosting them in his home.
His Schedule
Every day he attends Fajr and all other salah in the masjid. If there is a janaza after a salah, he attends it. After fajr,
he does not move from his spot until sunrise, engaging in dhikr. He does dhikr until roughly 20 minutes after sunrise.
During this time he will receive greetings and make dua for those who come to him unless he is engaged in the wird of the
tariqa. Which is not interrupted by speech. After sunrise he prays two brief rakas of Duha. He is always careful to perform
the sunnah prayers connected to the salah.
After sunrise, he visits Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse r.a and the other great saints buried near the masjid in Medina Baye,
many of whom are his own family. He would make dhikr on their behalf, facing them, followed by silent dua for them. He
would not touch any of the resting places and would stand in humility and reverence. He would first visit Shaykh Ibrahim
r.a, then his father Sayyid Ali r.a followed by the other great saints, always in the same order.
He then walks back to his house, where he will receive disciples individually and in groups. During these meetings,
he would never be in unlawful seclusion with a woman. On the contrary, he models appropriate decorum. He receives
disciples in this manner for hours before taking a few hours for rest and time with his family before dhuhr. He allows this
every day except on Fridays when he does not receive the public in his living room after sunrise.
After dhuhr, we would follow him from the masjid to his house to have lunch with him. We would remain with
him till Asr. He would meet disciples individually at this time, would take phone calls and respond to messages through-
out, and would also occasionally read in his spare moments between answering questions and receiving disciples. For
lunch and dinner there would be about 20-30 people in his room, after the meal, maybe 15 would leave and another 15
would enter and it would continue on like this.
Anytime people are visiting him, and whenever he leaves his house, he is surrounded by people and asked for mon-
ey, and dua. He gives both generously.
If he receives money from a guest, often he does not even put it in his pocket but
sets it beside himself to give it when another guest inevitably asks for it. He attends Asr at the masjid and often remains
and does his wird, then goes to attend other business, after which he rests and receives disciples for individual meetings.
He then attends maghrib at the masjid, except on Fridays when he arrives early to the masjid to attend the dhikr
Jummah before Maghrib. After Maghrib, he stays and attends the wazifa in congregation. He will often stay after the wa-
zifa until Isha unless he has other business to attend to, in which case he leaves and returns for Isha at the masjid.
After Isha, his disciples follow him to his home to spend time with him and have dinner. He allows them to remain
there for quite some time. I often excused myself before many others left (around 10-11 pm), so I am unsure how long
they stay. It is not an exaggeration to say he meets personally, and in groups with dozens if not hundreds of people each
day, giving all who ask for it his time and attention, at almost all hours. At night he spends his time in worship. From what
I witnessed Shaykh Mahy uses every moment of his time diligently, engaged in dhikr, serving people, teaching, reading,
caring for his family, and resting only as needed. May Allah ﷻ bless and preserve him.
Medina Baye
I arrived in Medina Baye after close to 30 hours of travel. However, as soon as
I saw Shaykh Mahy, I was filled with a deeply tranquil state of wakefulness that remained with me throughout
my visit. Life in Medina Baye revolves around two things: Dhikr, and companionship with the saints and seek-
ers. You constantly hear the recitation of the Quran, either by worshipers or students. And almost anyone you
see is either engaged in dhikr, serving the saints and scholars, studying, or memorizing Quran. The two plac-
es of meetings are the houses of saints and the masjid. Many people, even humble shop owners speak Arabic andﷻ have significant portions of the Quran memorized. It is a place devoted to learning Islam and seeking Allah
You will find people from all over the world there. People who are extremely rich, or influential,
share the same space with the extremely poor, sick, and disabled. The energy and light of the city feels simi-
lar to Medina Munwarah for those who know it. However, the city is relatively primitive and gives a sense of
life at the time of the Prophet ﷺ. It is sandy and hot, animals are in the streets, and many people live on very little.
The sunnah is embodied there in a way that is difficult to explain. It is a lived sunnah that can only be known
through learning the descriptions of the gatherings of the Prophet ﷺ and reading his seerah, followed by visiting this place
and being in the company of the pious. May Allah ﷻ allow us and all those who desire it, a chance to visit and bring us back
there again and again.
-Adam Stadheim
