The tariqa of the Prophet Muhammad is one. It is the same way as that of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. If you want to know the way to reach God, then pray five times a day and make adh-dhikr. This way of the Shadhdhuliyya is the straight way. You do not need many months or many years, but one hour is all that is necessary to know the tariqa and to know your God. All of you come as children to Him, and so I must give you the understanding of who you are. You are from the knowers (al-‘arifun). If you are not in knowing, then you are in the beginning of knowing, and this is a beginning which the ends of most of the ways have not yet reached. There is only one way, no more ways. All ways converge here.

This way is the way to know God. I knew this after a meeting of only one hour when I first met my shaykh, ‘Abd ar-Rahman as-Shadhuli. No way is faster than this way, and no way has more knowledge. The shaykh takes the hand of the student (al-murid) and says to him, “Now you are facing God, face to face.” And the shaykh says, “This is who you are (ha ant).” You see that your eye is really the eye of God. There is only one eye.

The tariqa Shadhdhuliyya is the way of the person who forgets all things and returns to the truth as in the beginning, a child in the presence of God. You cannot see more than Him or hear of any other place. You cannot speak without Him. You are with God, in God, to God in the origin of all things. You do not sleep, you are not tired, you watch everything. And so you meet your Love to the end which has no end. You are together. You are one thing only, without borders, without above or below, without right or left. You are in this station and this station is in you – fana’ al-mutlaq, the annihilation in the freedom of God, the start which has no start, then end which has no end.

The stations and steps begin in the first moments with your shaykh. Your good is the love of politeness and peace and agreement to all the orders, without saying why or what. You are always a witness in the garden and the garden is the truth of God. You say only what He gives you to say because you are near the King of kings. God cares for the people who seek the truth. He takes the hand of the lovers in knowing and always takes their hearts to Him forever, face to face.

(excerpts from Sidi’s book Music of the Soul)