Wazifa Ritual
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The Wazifa is a devotional ritual exclusive to adherents of the Tijaniyya Sufi order, a brotherhood primarily concentrated across the African continent. Performed collectively within the zawiya (centre), the rite consists of structured litanies intended to earn Allah's favour. These include thirty repetitions of Istighfar (supplication for forgiveness), fifty iterations of Salat al-Fatih (a specific benediction upon the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.), one hundred declarations of the Tahlil (La ilaha illa Allah), and twelve recitations of the Jawharat al-Kamal (the Jewel of Perfection). Within Tijaniyya orthopraxis, communal participation in the Wazifa is paramount: attendance is obligatory for male initiates, whereas female practitioners are permitted to observe the rite individually in private spaces. The order strictly enforces institutional cohesion through congregational discipline; an initiate who misses three consecutive collective services forfeits active standing and must seek formal reinstatement through a presiding spiritual guide (muqaddam).
Author: Muhammad, Bilyaminu
Institution: Umaru Musa Yar'adua University
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225819174
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