Sufism

Allah, Most High, gave us His Book and Sunnah of His Messenger (pbuh) as a sufficient source of His Sharee'ah. He revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) during the farewell Hajj, on Arafat, "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion." Alma'ida

Therefore, the Quran and authentic Sunnah regulate the life of individuals as well as societies, guaranteeing happiness in this world and the next, whether one turns away from them by replacing them with fabricated narrations, stories and authored verses of poetry.

All that brings one closer to Allah, Most High, must be within the limits of legislation. This is a fundamental principle in the Deen of Islam, and a rule set by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in his saying, "Whoever does an action which is not in accordance with our matter (Deen), he will have it rejected." (Muslim and Bukhari)

It is related from Ibn Abbas that he said, "While the Prophet, (pbuh) was speaking, there was a man standing, so he asked about him and they said, "He is abu Israil. He vowed to stand, not to sit, not to seek shade, not to speak and to fast." So the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Order him to speak, to seek shade and to sit, and let him complete his fast." (Bukhari and abu Dawud) Therefore, the Prophet acknowledged what is legislated, that is fasting, and renounced what is not legislated, that is leaving of speech and standing in the sun.

So it is not permissible for one to seek closeness to Allah, Most High, by worship which Allah, Most High, has not legislated, just like it is not permissible to exaggerated and overstep the limits set by Allah. The guidance of the Prophet (pbuh) is the best example in this regard. It is not permissible for anyone from his Ummah to add to it, or to think that his worship is more complete than that of the Messenger.

Many people have turned to books of sufism, looking for ways to soften their hearts. While they do cure some diseases of the heart-due to what they contain of evidences from the Book and authentic Sunnah, they also include weak and fabricated elements, unbelievable movements in ecstasy, and exaggerated admiration of some creatures, which makes their harm greater than their benefit.

"Take away love and our earth is a tomb".

~Please dont frown! For you never know who may be falling in love with your smile!~
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Anon,
you might want to check this page out but I don't think you are interested, you seem to have your ideas set :-)

http://www.geocities.com/faizee/sufism.htm


Angel.

Below is a quote taken from site that our non-Muslim guest suggested:

"Yes, the thought of self, which some say as the ego or nafs, is our first enemy. And nafs always gives us our thought. Allah wants us to think of Him. Sufism is the way, which teaches us to think of Allah, so much that we should forget ourselves. Our Prophet (Peace be upon Him), who is Habib of Allah, asked us to remember Allah, so much that others would start to call us insane people."

Quoting weak and fabricated ahaadeeth, without any limit or restrain. We seek refuge with Allah.

Assalamu alaikum,

Anon, you wrote:

>It is not permissible for anyone from his Ummah to add to it, or to think that his worship is more complete than that of the Messenger.<

This one sentence carries more weight than all the thousands of pages written against bida.

Allah Hafiz,
Yusuf

Assalaamo Alaikum.

I read this article by Mr. Jay Kinney just today. Indeed it is a well written piece and the author must be commended for his insight. Then I saw that two groups of Muslims have filled pages and pages in a seemingly unending dual. Sure it has generated a lot of light with some heat that is unavoidable.

I have a few words on Mr. Kinney's early paragraphs.

>>While religions have failed to live up to their own ideals, the same charge can be levelled against Democracy, Communism, Humanism, Monarchy, Science, and every other means of human self-organisation and inquiry. Of this we can be sure: no sooner will a model for social benefit be formulated than a dozen uses will be found to employ it for social ill. Social institutions � by their very nature � become arenas for the exercise of power and greed: the forces of the reptilian brain which take us back to Step One, over and over again.<<

Mukhlis: How to solve this problem � not just for one section but for the whole of the society ?
******

>>Fortunately, there is clear testimony that some individuals and groups have been able to fully realise the kernel of truth that too often lies slumbering within the religious husk. � This consciousness, as a direct and authentic experience, does not depend for its existence on theological or religious doctrine. Indeed, mystics say that this consciousness itself clarifies and illuminates doctrine.<<

Mukhlis: This is certainly possible for some individuals.

*********
>>As stated at the beginning, ironies abound. The very virtue that enables millions of Muslims to feel a brotherhood across national and racial divides � the sense of an Umma (community) of believers � also fuels the presumption of extremist Islamic terrorists to represent the whole of Islam in their assault on the West. In truth, bin Laden and Co. (or Islamic Jihad or Hezbollah) no more represent Islam than the judicially-selected Bush regime represents the whole of Western democracy. Behind each camp�s stated purposes and PR, loom the reptilian brain�s Will to Power � the opposite of the mystic�s realisation and of the stated goal of most religions: surrender to the will of God.<<

Mukhlis: This is true not only of Muslims or Arabs / Afghans but of other religions & races too. Please consider all the atrocities that have taken place in different parts of the world in recent times.

*****
Religion, devoid of the mystic�s link to the Real, may not save us � in fact when religion is used as a rationale to wage political warfare, it may condemn us to a hell on earth of its own creation. But that doesn�t mean that we should turn our backs on the spiritual impulse toward realisation and human perfection that lies at the root of religion. The survival of Sufism within the broader confines of Islam is a significant case in point.

Mukhlis: �If a hell is to come on the earth, it will be brought by American, British & Israeli forces, not by stone throwing, stick wielding or self immolating under dogs. What suggestion Mr. Kinney has for those who are commanders-in-Chief of these weapons of Mass Destruction ? Do we also need some Sufi�s among Americans, Israelis & the British ?
****
May Allah show us light.

Wassalaam,

Br. Mukhlis

As Salamu Alaykum,

Unfortunately, this topic is misunderstood by some, and others go to excesses in it. The truth is in moderation and in the middle way. "Sufism" and "Tasawwuf", these are both words. We can use these words in whatever way we like. Firstly, there have been groups and people who call themselves as "Sufis" or followers of Tasawwuf and have misused it and gone to excesses. What is it? Basically, tasawwuf or sufism is referring to the science of the purification of the heart, to have Ihsan, and to be sincere in worship (ibada). To deny this science and understanding of Islam, would be to deny an important part of Islam. Just like the Muslim scholars have developed the sciences of Jurisprudence, Ahadith, Qur'an and so on, the scholars of Islam have also written on the subject of purification of the heart. We, as Muslims, accept that which is according to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and sources, and only reject that which is complete innovation or has no basis within Islamic principles. The following of a certain Tariqah (way, group or methodology) is not the subject we are talking about. No one is demanding that or considering that obligatory on Muslims. If you use the word "Sufism" or "Tasawwuf", that does not immediately mean that you are talking about a certain group or tariqah. Unfortunately, this is a misunderstanding that seems to be advanced by some people today in order to belittle the word, anyone associated with the word, and the vast meaning it contains.

Ahl ul-Suffa, were the people and group of companions, among them the poor, who are briefly described in a Hadith by Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih al-Bukhari. Essentially, the true people of Tasawwuf were they, and those who followed in their path by renouncing the excessive love of this Dunya (world) and followed Allah and His messenger strictly. For those people who strictly use the word Tasawwuf or Sufism as a derogatory term, they should know that this was neither the understanding of the Salaf or the righteous scholars of Islam. Imam al-Hakim al-Nisaburi (one of the teachers of Imam al-Bayhaqi) was one of the great Muslim scholar of Ahadith and wrote his collection al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn following the methodology and conditions of Imam Bukhari and Muslim, he died in 405 AH. He wrote in his collection and stated:

"I have pondered these narrations concerning the People of the Veranda (Ahl ul-Suffa), and I have found them to be among the greatest of companions in scrupulousness (wara) and reliance upon Allah, and in constant service of Allah and His Messenger. For them, Allah chose what He chose for His Prophet by way of poverty, indigence, and humbleness in worship of Allah, and leaving the Dunya to its people. They are the group to which the Sufis (people of Tasawwuf) belong, generation after generation; so that whoever follows their sunna (way), and their patient endurance of renouncing the things of this world, and their familiar intimacy with poverty, and their refusal to beg, are in every age the followers of the ahl al-suffa and the people of reliance upon their Creator."

al-Hakim al-Nisaburi, also added that: "Allah's Messenger (SalAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) has described this group (Ahl ul-Suffa) in terms of the qualities by which Allah has singled them out from among the other groups; so whoever possesses these qualities, rightly possesses the name of Tasawwuf." (al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn, v.3, published in Hyderabad and elsewhere)

The scholars of Islam have written on the subject of purification, and this is what we understand to be Tasawwuf. Anyone who reads their works, will understand what is truly meant by Tasawwuf. From the works of Imam al-Nawawi, Ibn Hajr, Imam al-Ghazzali, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn al-Jawzi, and the list goes on, we see that they understood and wrote about the science of purification and even used the word Tasawwuf in their writings. If you look in the most well-known and authoritative commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari (in Kitab ul-Raqaiq, Book on Words that soften the Heart, for example) titled Fath ul-Bari by Imam Ibn Hajr, you will find quotes from the early scholars on purification. For example, he quotes from Abul Qasim al-Qushayri (in Kitab al-Raqaiq), a Shafi'i scholar who wrote a treatise (Risala) on the foundations of the path of Tasawwuf. At another point he makes use from the words of wisdom from Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari, or Imam Junayd, and the list goes on. Imam al-Shafi�i�s (one of greatest Imams and one of the Salaf) attitude towards Tasawwuf was as strict as with the science known as Kalam (Dialectics, debating about tenets of belief), and he both praised it and denigrated its abuse at the hands of its corrupters. In criticism of the latter he said: "No-one becomes a Sufi in the morning except he ends up a dolt by noon" while on the other hand he declared in his well known Diwan (a book of his Arabic sayings and Poetry): "Be at the same time a faq�h (dealing with Islamic Law) and a Sufi." The meaning understood here is to follow the middle path and not to go to excesses in following wrong or innovated practice, yet at the same time not to deny the spirit of this Deen in struggling against and purifying the inner self. This is because those who only deal with matters of Jurisprudence and rules become rigid and are without the true spirit and understanding of this Deen, while those who only devote time to learn Tasawwuf lack knowledge of the proper methods of worship and fall into innovation. Therefore, the true and correct way is in the middle, virtue is a mean in between excesses. Imam al-Nawawi (the well known Shafi� scholar) also wrote a book called Bustan al-`Arifin fi al-Zuhd wa al-Tasawwuf ("The Garden of the Gnostics in Asceticism and Tasawwuf", the book is well known). It is clearly understood, from the understanding of the greatest scholars of the Quran and Sunnah, that there is a praiseworthy science known as Tasawwuf which deals with specific beneficial topics.

No one is stating here that we need to abandon Islamic law, our principles, or to innovate actions, but the truth is that from the Qur�an and Sunnah the scholars had the understanding and development of the science that deals with purification. No one is asking anyone to read any odd or unknown works, or to follow some unknown path. Read the works of Imam Ibn Hajr and his commentary, read the works of Imam al-Nawawi, Imam al-Ghazali, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (Jami� al-Ulum wa al-Hikam), Ibn al-Jawzi, Ibn al-Qayyim, Shaykh Ahmad al-Zarruq (from North Africa), and the list goes on and on. And then the question arises, what if we can�t read these, or do not have the means or access to such works. Then the answer is, learn from the righteous scholars of our time who have studied this science and learned the works of our scholars. Not only do we read and acquire knowledge about this science, but to take it to heart and have an awareness that Allah is All-Seeing and All-knowing, and to have Taqwa, Ihsan, to acquire good character (of the Prophet), and to struggle for all that is good. To learn, and then implement the knowledge that is gained (upon ourselves), and spread the knowledge to others by enjoining that which is good and forbidding that which is evil. If you do this without resorting to odd or unknown practices, then you are on the path of Tasawwuf. This is why when you come across the biographies of the scholars of the past, you will notice them often being described as those who had mastered the inward (Tasawwuf) and outward (Fiqh, Hadith, Arabic, etc) sciences.

The most appropriate definition given to us about Tasawwuf is the following one written by Shaykh Ahmad al-Zarruq (846-899 A.H.) of Fez. The following is translated and written by a brother of knowledge, Faraz Rabbani:

A complete definition of Tasawwuf was given by Ahmad Zarruq, who defined it as �Sincerity in turning to Allah�. He explained that "The necessary condition of sincerity of approach is that it be what the Truth (Allah) Most High accepts, and by the means He accepts. Now, something lacking this necessary condition cannot exist, "And He does not accept unbelief for His servants." (Qur'an, 39: 7), so one must realize true faith (iman), "and if you show gratitude, He will accept it of you."(Qur'an, 39: 7), which entails applying Islam. So there is no Sufism except through comprehension of Sacred Law, for the outward rules of Allah Most High are not known save through it, and there is no comprehension of Sacred Law without Sufism, for works are nothing without sincerity of approach, as expressed by the words of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him):

"He who practices Sufism without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who leans Sacred Law without practicing Sufism corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true." (Iqaz al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam, 5-6 from The Reliance of the Traveller, w9.3, 862)

Similarly, Shaykh Muftafa Naja explained that basis of the spiritual way is,

"Absolute uprightness (al-istiqma al-tamma), being with Allah, having presence of heart in one's slavehood (�ubudiyya), and conforming to the Qur'an and Sunna in every breath, step, spiritual experience, and state. Its Pillar is keeping the company of the people divine knowledge and Sacred Law, and making much remembrance, with presence of heart." (Kitab Kashf al-Asrar li Tanwir al-Afkar, 41)


Lastly, the understanding of Shaykh Taqi ul-Deen Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim (Allah's Mercy be upon them), who were most strict on the subject, is different than those who today make claims to be their strict followers and at the same time denigrate Tasawwuf. This can be seen from what Ibn al-Qayyim wrote in one of his writings on the subject of Tasawwuf (Madarij ul-Saalikeen, 2:307) :

Religion is all moral character (khuluq), and whoever bests you in moral character, bests you in Religion. It is the same with tasawwuf. Al-Kattani said: Tasawwuf is moral character, and whoever bests you in moral character, bests you in Religion�. Truly, the hardest thing for human nature is the modification of the moral qualities and traits with which the selves have been stamped. Those who earnestly enga­ged in harsh discipline and arduous strivings worked on nothing else. Most of them did not succeed in changing the self, but the latter became fully employed in those exercises and thus unable to wield its influence�. One day I asked Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya � may Allah have mercy on him! � about this matter and how to eliminate defects and occupy oneself with the cleansing of one�s path. The gist of his reply was that the self is like a garbage pile: the more you dig in it, the more of it comes out to the surface; if you can pave a pathway over it and go past it, do so, and do not preoccupy yourself with digging into it for you shall never reach its bottom!�. Tasawwuf is one of the cornerstones (zaw�y�) of true wayfaring (al-sul�k al-haq�q�) and the purification and disciplining of the self (tazkiya al-nafs wa tahdh�buh�) so that it may prepare itself for its journey to the company of the Highest Assembly and for being together with its beloved. For �One is with the one he loves� as Sumnun stated: �The lovers of Allah have gained the honor of both the world and the hereafter, for �he is with the one he loves.�

[from an article by G.F Haddad]

I hope that there was benefit in this post (insha Allah) and that we take away a proper understanding of the subject. Forgive me if I have said something wrong or made some mistake. Perfection belongs to Allah, whatever was correct and good is from Allah and the mistakes are mine alone. And Allah Most High knows best.

34:48-50"Verily my Lord doth cast the (mantle of) Truth (over His servants),- He that has full knowledge of (all) that is hidden."
"The Truth has arrived, and Falsehood neither creates anything new, nor restores anything."
"If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: but if I receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: it is He Who hears all things, and is (ever) near."

Allah (SWT) says in the book that 'the state of purity' is of highest excellence, and that He draws His servants near to Him according to the level of purity in their hearts. It is said several times in the Quran that to seek allahﾕs countenance or His nearness is the best of all things saught!

91:1-9 By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;
By the Moon as she follows him;
By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory;
By the Night as it conceals it;
By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure;
By the Earth and its (wide) expanse:
By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;-
Truly he succeeds that purifies it,

Here allah is clearly mentioning the importance of the purification of oneﾕs soul. He says that ﾔtrue successﾕ lies in this purification.

92:18-21 Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification, And have in their minds no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return, But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their Lord Most High; And soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.

20:75-27. But such as come to Him as Believers who have worked righteous deeds,- for them are ranks exalted,-Gardens of Eternity, beneath which flow rivers: they will dwell therein for aye: such is the reward of those who purify themselves (from evil).

Further, He says that on the day of sorting out, he will divide His servants into 3 categories:-

56:1-7. When the Event inevitable cometh to pass,
Then will no (soul) entertain falsehood concerning its coming.
(Many) will it bring low; (many) will it exalt;
When the earth shall be shaken to its depths,
And the mountains shall be crumbled to atoms,
Becoming dust scattered abroad,
And ye shall be sorted out into three classes.

out of these three categories, allah says that the best of all will be the people foremost in faith, and these are those who are ﾔnearest to allahﾕ - the muqarrabun

56: 8-11Then (there will be) the Companions of the Right Hand;- What will be the Companions of the Right Hand?
And the Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand?
And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter).
These will be those Nearest to Allah.

Who are the �Muqarrabun?� They are just not the companions of the Right Hand only - otherwise they would have not been placed in the separate category. The Sufis believe that it is just another name for those who are not only on the right path guided by their Lord, but also know the right relation between the �Haqq� and �Khalq� or between the Creator and the created, between God and man.

To be more explicit, those who regard their Creator as their �Ilah� or Deity and worship Him alone and ask for His help alone and believe that there is none other than He [Him Who is] worthy of our devotion and able to help us, are called in Qur'an the Companions of the Right Hand. And those who regard some created beings as their Deities and worship them and seek their aid, thus rejecting the faith which lays down that God alone is our Cherisher and Sustainer, are termed the Companions of the left. The Muqarrabun are those who not only believe their Creator as their only Deity and worship Him alone and seek for His help alone, but also know the true relationship that exists between them and their Creator. They have been promised �Rest and Peace and a Garden of Bliss.�

Thus the great Sufi Sheikh Shahabuddin Suharwardi in his famous Sufi Compendium �Awarif-al-Maarif� (Chapter I) holds that though the term 'Sufi' is not used in the Holy Qur'an, the word �Muqarrab� connotes the same meaning, which is expressed by the term Sufi.

A little later, once again he makes explicit: �know that by the word Sufis we imply �Muqqarabun� only, those whom God draws nearer to Himself.�

To achieve this special status ie to get into this special catergory (the muqarrabun), and to purify oneﾕs soul demands extra efforts than just believing in allah and his prophet(saw). It takes more efforts to remain on the straight path in such a way that one NEVER forgets his duties and NEVER forgets that he is supposed to be in a state of submission. This in itself is a mercy from allah, as allah himself says in the book that He purifies those whom He wills.

24:21 ... and were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah doth purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things).

37: 57 "Had it not been for the Grace of my Lord, I should certainly have been among those brought (there)!

6:83 We raise whom We will, degree after degree: for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge.

All the great Ulema in islam have acknowledged that purification of soul is a tedious path, that has grades and levels. It begins with tahara , and is accomplished with the illumination of the inner being (the sirr).

In a definition formulated by Shaykh-al-Islam Zakariyah Ansari, which is as follows.
�Sufism teaches how to purify one's self, improve one's morals, and build up ones inner and outer life in order to attain perpetual bliss. Its subject matter is the purification of the soul and its end or aim is the attainment of eternal felicity and blessedness.�
Imam Qushayri, the author of the great Sufi compendium Rasa�il, takes Sufism in the sense of the purity of inner and outer life and says that �purity is something praiseworthy in whatever language it may be expressed and its opposite, impurity (kadar) is to be eschewed.�
In support of it he cites a tradition, which explains the meaning of Sufism and affords proof for it:
�Abu Hujaifa told us that once the Holy Prophet Muhammad visited us and his face showed us that he was deeply perturbed. He said: �The Safw (pure part i.e. the best) of this world is gone and only its kadar (impurity) remains.� Consequently death is now a boon for every Muslim.�

Imam Ghazzali, under the heading "On the way of the Sufis� in his book entitled Al-Munqidh min-al-Dalal (Rescuer from Error) states:
�When after acquiring proficiency in these sciences, I turned my attention to the methods of the Sufis, I came to know that their method attains perfection by means of theory and practice The gist of their knowledge is to mortify the self and acquire freedom from baser passions and evil attributes so that the heart may get rid of the thought of any thing save God and to embellish it with Divine remembrance.�

In praise of Sufism Abu�l Hasan Nuri says: �Sufism is the renunciation of all selfish pleasures.� In other words it is giving up of unlawful carnal pleasures. A Sufi is usually free from greed and lust and knows that, �so long as he is a victim of lust he is, as it were, in a prison.� He makes his self subservient to God's will, thus his greed and lusts are annihilated. He is well aware that following the dictates of desires and lusts is misleading and is destructive. As the Qur'an Says:
6:19�And follow not the lusts (of thy heart), for they will mislead thee from the Path of God.�

It is clear, then, that according to these great Sufis, sufism is nothing but the purification of the senses and the will. It is the effacement of one's desires in the will of God. It is the building up of a solid wall between the pure self and the Gog and Magog of passions and desires. It is, in a word, 'self-discipline', the avoidance of what is forbidden and the performance of what is ordained.

Alkalabadhi thus sums up their �doctrine of the duties imposed by God on adults, [the Sufis] are agreed that all the ordinances imposed by God on His servants in His Holy Book and all the duties laid down by the Prophet (in the Traditions) are a necessary obligation and a binding imposition for adults of mature intelligence; that they may not be abandoned or forsaken in any way by the man, whether he be a veracious believer (Siddiq), or a saint or a gnostic, even though he may have attained the furthest rank, the highest degree, the noblest station, or the most exalted stage. They hold that there is no station in which a man may dispense with the prescriptions of the religious law, by holding permissible what God has prohibited, or making illegal what God has declared legal, or legal what God has pronounced illegal, or omitting to perform any religious duty without due excuse or reason, which excuse or reason is defined by the agreed judgement of all Muslims and approved by the prescriptions of the religious law. The more inwardly pure a man is, the higher his rank and the nobler his station, so much the more arduously he labours with sincerer performance and a greater fear of God.�

In this sense Sufism is a purely Islamic discipline, which builds up the character and inner life of the Muslims by imposing certain ordinances and duties, obligations and impositions, which may not be abandoned in any way by any man. The Prophet Muhammad was sent to �instruct� mankind �in Scripture and Wisdom and to sanctify them.� The Sufis keep these �instructions� before their eyes; strive their utmost to perform what has been prescribed for them to do and to discharge what they have been called upon to do, subsequent to that prescription. God says; �And those who fight strenuously for us We will surely guide them into Our way.� And again: �Oh ye who believe! Do your duty to God, seek the means of approach unto Him and strive with might and main in His cause: that ye may prosper.�
Believing in these exhortations the great Sufi Yahya has said; �the spirit of gnosis will never reach thy heart, so long as there is a duty owing to God which thou hast not discharged!� Thus Sufism, in the words of Abu� Ali al Rudhbari is �giving one's lust the taste of tyranny� and �journeying in the pathway of the Holy Prophet.�

Thus a sufi is not an innovator or mushrikh, as so many wrongfully accuse him of but is one who yearns and endeavours hard to purify himself in the most excellent manner because he has this desire for nearness and countenance of His Lord.

Junayd has defined a Sufi as �dead to his self and alive in God.� He passes away from what belongs to himself and persists through what belongs to God. When he is dead in relation to his own self, he becomes alive in his relation to the self of God.

Husayn b. Mansur al Hallaj thinks that a Sufi is, �singular in his being, he neither accepts anybody nor does anybody accept him.� He feels the immediate Presence of God alone within and senses the Presence of God without and his mental faculty gets rid of the thought of anything save God and is totally captivated by God:
The eye does not see anything except God!
Predication of everything is of Him only.

When �Amr b. �Uthman-Makki was asked the meaning of Sufism he replied: �A Sufi is alive to the value of time and is given every moment to what that moment demands.�

(Jami) When Abu Muhammad Ruwaym was asked to defines Sufism he said: �Sufism is nothing else save submitting one's own self to the will of God. A Sufi becomes dead to his self-will and God Almighty�s will alone enters in him and as a consequence of it, he has no wish of his own, neither does he want, desire or yearn for anything.

In the words of Shaykh Jilani now becomes: �At rest in body, contented in mind, broad chested, his face beaming with the light of God, with an enlightened heart and oblivious of all things due to his nearness with God.�

Ma' aruf Karkhi defines Sufism as: �The grasping of realities and disappointment from what is in the hands of people.� When the truth is revealed to the Sufi that really God Almighty alone can inflict pain and bestow blessing, He alone can resuscitate and deal death to us, He alone is the Creator, the Cherisher, he becomes blind to every other thing except Him. In calamity and in affluence, he considers God Almighty alone to be the real agent, the real doer, and does not accept any other being as cause or instrument.

Shibli says: �A Sufi is severed from the world (Khalq) and connected with God (Haqq) alone, as God Almighty had said to Moses, �I have chosen thee for Myself (for service) and have disconnected thee from others." Later addressing Moses He said: �By no means canst thou see Me.�

The same meaning is conveyed by what Dhu�l-Nun said: �Sufis are those who preferred God Almighty to all things and liked Him, God Almighty, too, then, preferred them to all things and liked them.�
The end and aim of a Sufi�s life is God alone; he loves God alone; his thinking, meditation and prayer are for God alone. He is ever ignorant of everything save God and when he thinks of God alone his mind is purified, and in this sense he finds himself attached to God and disconnected with everything save God. He is totally captivated by God alone!

To be continued...


Be not heedless of thy Lord
for even the blink of an eye,
Lest He directs His attention towards you,
and finds you unawares.

Hi Angel,

I am glad to have secured at least one 'positive' attention on this thread :-)

Since I got an audience, am glad it would be easy to focus. So, far the feedback i got was that i have not explained tasawwuf adequately, so if you feel so, I think i should make more effort to explain the essence before moving further, however, i do plan to explain when addressing some of the points listed in category B.

To begin with, I want to say that at no point I claim ALL sufis are blameless. Just like in any other religion, islam has its bad followers and the sphere of tasawwuf in islam is also not kept pure from this disease.

The whole idea here however is that the bad followers had indeed succeeded in corrupting their souls, but their corruptions cannot negate the validity of tasawwuf in general.

To represent Islam thru the actions, intentions and speeches of the worst representative (muslim), is I think not a very intelligent or sensible approach. So if someone says that so n so sufi claims it is not important to observe the time of salat while one is involved in zikr, and this is the basis of tasawwuf, obviously his approach is wrong. The question is do the great scholars preach the same thing? or is it one of the bad sufi, who said so.

That is why for all the aspects, i would like to quote only those scholars who are widely accepted, by all the sufi tariqas. And if in their teachings any discrepancy is not found, the blames pasted on the scholars of tasawwuf in general is a misunderstanding.

For now i would like to begin with the first allegation.

On the tariqa...

To begin with, one should know what tariqa is. Literally it means 'the way' and in the science of purification of soul, it is the way that leads to the creator, through love and devotion.

The methods of achieving the goal may differ in detail, but essentially they are all same.

First of all it should be understood that to search allah and to reach allah thru good deeds is not a concept out of the realms of Islam.

As the Quran says:
6:32 What is the life of this world but play and amusement? But best is the home in the hereafter, for those who are righteous. Will ye not then understand?

The concept of not treating this life of any consequence but a means to gain the hereafter is repeated many times in the quran. The path of tasaawwuf focuses on this and instructs the followers to seek allah and His good pleasure, alone.

Next comes the method thru which this goal is sought. In any tariqa, the method is according to the quran and sunnah of the prophet.

There is no concept of bypassing the obligatory duties, and doing only the supererogatory ones.

Below is a quote from a book of supererogatory prayers from the Qadiri Tariqa:

A REMINDER CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF (A) FULFILLING ONE'S OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID] BEFORE ENGAGING IN THE PERFORMANCE OF SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL], AND (B) PERFORMING SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL] WITH THE INTENTION OF MAKING UP FOR PREVIOUS OMISSIONS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID].

The worshipper's first priority must be the complete and proper performance of all obligatory religious duties [fara'id] and customary observances [sunan]. After these have been discharged, and only then, he may engage in supererogatory devotions [nawafil], whether these be connected with ritual prayer [salat], fasting [siyam], charitable donation [sadaqa], or any of the various forms of worshipful service ['ibadat].

In all his acts of worshipful service ['ibadat], of whatever type they may be, his conscious intention should be to fulfill the strict obligations [fara'id] that are incumbent upon him. Thus, with respect to all these [voluntary] ritual prayers [salawat] we have mentioned, as being appropriate to the various nights and days of the week, the worshipper should perform them with the intention of making up [qada'] for previous omissions. He will thereby acquit himself of outstanding duty [fard], and he will also obtain additional merit [fadl]. Allah (Exalted is He) will combine the two, through His grace, His mercy, and His noble generosity.

Finally, once he has really and truly acquitted himself of strictly obligatory duties [fara'id], the worshipper may legitimately intend [yanwi] his performance of all that [additional worship] to be a purely supererogatory devotion [nafila].

If a tariqa does not acknowledge that the five pillars of islam is the foundation of the religion, and 'the way' should begin from here, then ofcourse that tariqa is not correct. However, if they differ only in the supererogatory prayers, as to how many cycles of prayers in the third quarter of the night or how many times one should say astaghfar in a day or recite la ilaha illallah, these are only minor details, and there is nothing wrong in differing in them. As there are no prescribed numbers for the voluntary actions in Quran and traditional reports:

73:2-4 Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night,- Half of it,-or a little less, Or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.

Riyadus saliheen: chapter 11 On striving (mujahada)

106. Abu Firas Rabi'a ibn Ka'b al-Aslami, the servant of the Messenger of Allah and one of the People of the Suffa, who said, "I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I would bring him his wudu' water and whatever he needed. He said, 'Ask of me.' I said, 'I ask you for your friendship in the Garden.' He said, 'Something else as well?' I said, 'I only want that.' He said, 'Help me against your self by means of a lot of prostration.'" [Muslim]

107. Abu 'Abdullah (or it is said Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman) Thawban, the client of the Messenger of Allah, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'You must do a lot of prostration. For you do not do a single prostration to Allah without Allah raising you up a degree by it and shedding a wrong action from you.'" [Muslim]

As to what the sufis say about the different tariqas, here are some quotes from the sufis:

Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi in one of his discources on 'the Path':
You can talk about its extraordinary exterior, turuqs: Naqshbandiyya, Shadhiliyya, Darwaqiyya, Chistiyya; about shuyukh: this shaykh and that shaykh; about karamat, about the maqam of this one and the maqam of that one; about Aqtab, Awtad, Salihun � all these different ways you can talk about Tasawwuf. Or you can make up your own story and still talk about it, no one will contradict you. Shaykh al-Fayturi said, "We're not interested in wirds; we're not interested in wazifas, this shaykh and that shaykh, the sadiqun are only interested in one thing: ma'rifa. Recognition of Allah tabaraka wa ta'ala. Nothing else matters. One of the Sufis of the east in Pakistan has said, "Shuyukh do not fly; their murids make them seem to fly. The shuyukh do not fight each other, their murids make them seem to fight each other." In other words, the ahl al-haqiqat, the people of reality, are in complete agreement, in complete harmony, there is no debate between them.

In the foreward by Sayed Abdul Latif for 'the Quranic Sufism' by mir vali-ud-din he says:

Mysticism as practised by the followers of Islam has had a chequered history. In its earliest manifestation, it meant nothing but living from moment to moment, so to say, in the eyes of God, implicitly following the lines of thought and conduct as the Prophet had laid both for himself and his followers. The primary aim was to transform every spiritual flight in the realm of self perfection into an urge for the spiritual perfection of human society at large. But as Islam expanded into a widening political power, drawing into its fold people born to other modes of life and thought, the mystic tendency among Muslims underwent a kaleidoscopic change. The change was marked by the rise of a bewildering variety of mystic schools influenced chiefly by the Neo-platonism of Alexandria and the Vedantism of India, promoting in the mystic mind the mood for self-negation. A feeling of alarm was therefore felt in serious minds. As a way out, attempts were made at important stages in the history of Sufism to reconcile the early approach to the new forces at work. But the purists among the Sufis, though resolved into several orders themselves by the pressure of time and factors of geography, and though unable to dispense altogether with the terminology of the innovating heterodox schools, have struggled hard to keep to the original way of thought and living.

I hope this is explains that the different tariqa are not practises advocating to deviate from Islam, and also that the different tariqas are not at par with eachother.

Peace,
Nausheen



Be not heedless of thy Lord
for even the blink of an eye,
Lest He directs His attention towards you,
and finds you unawares.

The Tariqa:

Sufism presumes a fundamental link between the shaikh, head of the Sufi tareeqah (order), and the murid (novice), extending throughout their lifetime and continuing after their death. The murid takes an 'ahd (oath) of loyalty and swears obedience to the shaikh, who in turn promises to solve the murid's problems and deliver him from every dilema whenever he calls on his shaikh for help. The shaikh also promises to interced for him with Allah so that he may be admitted to Jannah.

The murid pledges to be conscientious in practicing the set of dthikr (chants) assigned to him by his shaikh, to adhere to the rules of the order and to accept its claim on his loyalty for life over a wide range of behaviour affecting the well-being of the order. The quality and extent of the shaikh's hold over the murid is therefore almost total.

The murid's behavior even outside the order's group setting is expected to conform to rules laid down by the order. And where conflict with outside obligations arises, the murid must resolve it by acting as a Sufi and following his order's rules. The Tijaniyyeh Order makes every candidate for initiation pledge not to visit the grave of pious personality or visit any living scholar. This is one of the major factors in widening the rift between one order and another, causing an order to enter into conflict against his others in an attempt to convert, conquer or annihilate them.

The mechanism of the order structure in Sufism leads to many evil results:

Division of the Muslim ummah into fractions and orders ruled by deviant and ignorant shaikhs, thus making the ummah an easy prey for conquest by non-Muslims.

Enmity among the adherents of different orders, to the point that they will not marry into one another's families or cooperate with one another.

Deception on the part of the shaikh, who falsely claims the ability to deliver the murid from difficulties and deadly problems the befall him. The shaikh even claims he will be present at the murid's death, regardless of time or place, and ridiculously enough, will instruct him in his grave on what to tell the two angels of the grave, and will argue with them on his behalf. Finally, the shaikh promises to intercede for him with Allah on the Day of Judgment, and to help cross over as-Siraat (the bridge over Hell) on that Day, and accompany him to Jannah.

This kind of deception, offering security in the grave as well as in the Hereafter, is a flagrant lie, not permissible under any circumstance. Sufi shaikhs lead simple-minded Muslims to believe in such claims, and the result is shirk (polytheism). Deceiving Muslims is one of the major sins.
Insulating the murid as far as possible from the world outside the order as to exploit and manipulate him.

Salam,
Just wish to share this Hadith Qudsi.
No. 25

""Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.""

And i wish to thank Nausheen for taking the time and effort to answer Anonymous.
JazakAllah
Allah Hafiz
Habib

Bismillah

Asalamu Alaikum

The following is mainly for the Br who misquoted the great imams of Islam.

here are the great scholars opinions on the matter with references.

Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H)
"If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a gnostic in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]

Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.)
"whoever studies Jurisprudence [tafaqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwafa] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and
didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will be reach the Truth." [the scholar 'Ali al-Adawi , vol.2, p 195.]

Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.)
"I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three knowledges: ...how to speak; .. how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 - 241 AH.)
"O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of
Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power." [Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]

Imam Ghazzali (450 - 505 AH.)
"I knew verily that Sufis are the seekers in Allah's Way, and their conduct is the best conduct, and their way is the best way, and their
manners are the most sanctified. They have cleaned their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers
to run receiving knowledge of the Divine Presence." [al-Munqidh, p. 131].

Fakhr ad-Din ar-Razi (544 - 606 AH)
"the way of Sufis for seeking Knowledge, is to disconnect themselves from this worldly life, and they keep themselves constantly busy....with Dhikrullah, in all their actions and behaviors. " ['Itiqadaat Furaq al-Muslimeen, p. 72, 73]

Ibn Qayyim (691 - 751 AH.)
"We can witness the greatness of the People of Sufism, in the eyes of the earliest generations of Muslims by what has been mentioned
by Sufyan ath-Thawri (d. 161 AH), one of the greatest imams of the second century and one of the foremost legal scholars. He said, "If
it had not been for Abu Hisham as-Sufi (d. 115) I would never have perceived the action of the subtlest forms of hypocrisy in the self...
Among the best of people is the Sufi learned in jurisprudence." [Manazil as-Sa'ireen.]

Ibn Taymiyya is quoted by Yusuf ibn 'Abd al-Hadi, affirming his Sufi affiliation in more than one Sufi order:

"have worn the Sufi cloak [khirqata at-Tasawwuf] of a number of shaikhs belonging to various tariqas [min turuqi jama'atin min
ash-shuyukhi] , among them the Shaikh 'Abdul Qadir al-Jili, whose tariqa is the greatest of the well-known ones."

Further on he continues: "The greatest tariqa [ajallu-t-turuqi] is that of my master [sayyidi], 'Abdul Qadir al-Jili, may Allah have
mercy on him."

[found in "Al-Hadi" manuscript in Princeton Library, Collection fol. 154a, 169b, 171b-172a and Damascus University, copy of original
Arabic manuscript, 985H.; also mentioned in "at-Talyani", manuscript Chester Beatty 3296 (8) in Dublin, fol. 67a.]

I can also provide you quotes from the following great imams.

al-Harith al-Muhasibi (d. 243)

Imam al-Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. 297)

al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. 320)

Imam Abu Mansur `Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 429)

Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri (d. 465)

Shaykh Abu Isma`il `Abd Allah al-Harawi al-Ansari (d. 481)

Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani (d. 561)

Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597)

Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (d. 656)

Imam Nawawi (d. 676)

Ibn `Ata' Allah al-Iskandari (d. 709)

Ibn Khaldun (d. 808)

Imam al-Sakhawi (d. 902)

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911)

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974)

Ibn `Abidin (d. 1252)

Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi

and many many more.

How can some one say tazkiyah an nafs taharah is inovated in islam when rasul allah (Pbuh) said jihad an nafs is the greater jihad.

The fact is tasawuuf and tazkiyah an nafs was tought in all the schools of islam up until the colapse of the otoman empire, we are in a time of ignorance not enlightenment.

>>>Knowledge of the diseases of the heart, what causes them, and how to remove them is an obligation incumbent upon every human being: it is a binding obligation on every adult Muslim. According to the scholars of Islam, you must have some knowledge of the diseases in order to be able to free yourself from them. This ruling is based on the Quranic verse: "Qad aflaha man zakaha wa qad khaba man dasaha: the one who nurtures his soul is the one who has success, and the one who stunts its growth is destroyed"(91:9-10). Thus, the Quran is talking about tazkiya of the nafs. Allah also says, "Yawma la yanfa'u malun wa la banuna illa man ata Allaha bi qalban salim: on that day, neither wealth nor children will benefit, only the one who comes to Allah with a pure heart" (26:88-89). Thus, according to the Quran, the only people saved on the Day of Judgment are people with qulub salima (sound hearts). "Salim" (sound) is related to the word ! "aslama" because "Islam" is moving towards that state of soundness

From Alchemy of the Heart
by Shaykh Muhammad Maulud<<<

"God does not change the condition of a people until they change the condition of their own selves."

the Prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, says that

"Verily in the body there is a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the body is all sound. If it is corrupt, the body is all corrupt. Verily, it is the heart."

"It is He who sent to an illiterate people a messenger from amongst themselves, reciting to them His signs and purifying them and teaching them the Book and the wisdom even though before they were clearly in error." [Soorah al-Jumu`ah (62):2

>>>Although the words �Taharah� and �Tazkiyah� can sometimes be used as synonymous, yet there is a slight difference in the connotation of the two. The word �Taharah� is used primarily for cleansing and purification of from any undesired effects or qualities, while the word �Tazkiyah�, in addition to cleansing and purification, from the undesired effects and qualities, also entails the promotion, development and elevation of any desired qualities. In other words, �Tazkiyah�, in contrast to �Taharah� is not merely to remove the undesired effects and qualities, but actually to replace such undesired effects and qualities with positive or desired qualities.

When used together, as is the case in Al-Taubah 9: 103, the word �Taharah� implies cleansing from the undesired, while �Tazkiyah� implies the development and the development and the elevation of the desired.

In the referred verse, the Prophet (pbuh) is directed to be kind toward those people, who, even though are true in their faith � as against the hypocrites � yet, due to their weaknesses, keep getting involved in sin. The verse directs the Prophet (pbuh) to accept their contributions. This acceptance and kindness of the Prophet (pbuh) and his prayers for their forgiveness, would not only help them overcome their weaknesses (taharah) but would also replace these weaknesses by spiritual and moral strengths (Tazkiyah).

By Moiz Amjad<<<

9:103
Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst "PURIFY" them and mayst "MAKE THEM GROW", and pray for them. Lo! thy prayer is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah,

When I started posting on this thread, I knew, I was going to learn a few things, but was not sure what all knowledge and signs will I be presented with.

First of all, I thank my brothers in Islam and tasawwuf for coming forward with such insightful posts. Please bear with me when I say this -. Our anonymous is not to be blamed too much for his postings, as he is only copying from a book which is written by an 'anti-sufi' brother. The book is said to be written by some AA Tabari in arabic first and then is translated by M.M. Saleem in english. It is called 'the other side of sufism'. It is put out by the "Revival of Islamic Heritage Society", as they call themselves, to which no address or location is given. This book was distributed by the Saudi backed mosques to spread ill-will about sufis among the masses, and allah knows best. May allah forgive all his servants for the mistakes they commit in ignorance, animosity and hate. May allah "purify" the ummah from the evils that our lower selves and our temptation to satan's misguidance happens to make our judgements clouded. Ameen.

Going back to the tariqa - in this booklet there are objections to 'obedience' towards the murshid or shaykh.

It should be noted that a murshid has to be a very pious and learned muslim. He cannot be just anybody.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

You must not sit at the feet of a religious scholar ['alim], unless he summons you away from five toward five, namely:
(1) away from indulgence [raghba], in the direction of abstinence [zuhd];
(2)away from hypocritical display [riya'], in the direction of sincere devotion [ikhlas];
(3)away from arrogant pride [kibr], in the direction of modest humility [tawadu'];
(4) away from fawning flattery [mudahana], in the direction of honest advice [munasaha]; and
(5) away from ignorance [jahl], in the direction of knowledge ['ilm].

A scholar who has the above qualities in him, if ask a person to obey in religious matters, should we expect him to make us commit acts unislamic? By force? When a sufi pledges obedience, he pledges obedience to the messenger of allah and the laws of allah, under the instructions and guidance of his shaykh. The pledge, that the shaykh takes is to be steadfast on the way of allah - the concept of this pledge is coming from the pledge that the sahabas took at the hand of our holy prophet which is mentioned in the Quran as 'baytul ridwan'. And allah says one who holds the hand of the prophet actually holds My hand. Why does allah say that? Are the sahabas holding allah's hand in a literal sense? NO, they pledged 'obedience' to the holy prophet who instructs and guides them on the way of allah! Pledge of obedience is what one does when he says his shahada. - This obedience is towards the laws of allah and ways of of our holy prophet. This obedience is not for some material wordly, short term gains of the shaykh taken by his mureed.

Second point: NOBODY IS FORCED TO TAKE THIS OATH. A sufi - salik, who WISHES to 'purify' himself and WISHES to remain in discipline and receive instructions to exercise his religious (supererogatory) duties enters into the tariqa. I donﾕt remember exactly, may allah forgive me if I am wrong, but as far as can recall, it was Yazid Bastami, who changed 11 shaykhs in his life time, before he settled into a tariqa and pledged his obedience to a shaykh 'forever'!

Thrid point: There have been sufi saints who had NO MURSHID, NO TARIQA. Therefore it is not an absolute necessity to enter into a tariqa and receive guidance from a learned shaykh. One example is that of the great woman saint Rabia al Adawia, who is also popularly known as Rabia Basri - she had no guide, no tariqa and no mureed. Yet she is respected and known for her piety and scholarliness till today, alhamdulillah. Yet Hadrath Abdal Qadir Jilani (RAA) who is known as the greatest sufi saint of all times, whom people have acknowledged as a personality that if any other person supersedes him in piety, it is only our holy prophet (SAW) and nobody else (well, some hard facts, probably the anti-sufi campaigners will not be able to digest :p), he had a shaykh and he entered into tariqa and accepted the cloak from him.

Fourth point: The fight between people of tariqa. It is too hard for me to accept the concept. I am a mureed in TWO TARIQA. Which means I can practice the supererogatory duties in two different ways, yet I have no problem, no clash, no fight within myself :-) What Mr Tabari is claiming that people fight because of the difference in their tariqa, is probably his misunderstanding, if his intentions are not to paint the sufis as those who divide the ummah and propagate hatred.

Fifth point: Intercession of the prophet is guaranteed to those who are obedient to Allah and his messenger. As we have known through several hadith.

The Quran says:
On that day no intercession avail EXCEPT FOR THOSE WHOM PERMISSION HAS BEEN GRANTED by (Allah) most gracious and WHOS WORD IS ACCEPTED TO HIM (20:109)

It should be understood that Allah WILL GRANT PERSMISSION to some to intercede on the day of judgement. However who it will be, is not known. No shaykh can guarantee his intercession to his mureed, unless he has knowledge of the future and ghaib. And SHAYKHS DO NOT GIVE AWAY THESE FALSE PROMISES TO THEIR MUREEDS.




I would now like to move on to the second allegation, which I listed in category A.

It has been claimed that sufis worship people besides Allah. Further it is being said that that the Sufis bypass the authority of the prophet in their practices.
I find the claims self-contradictory and to some extent laudable. If a person is being worshiped - astaghfirula, then is it logical that his authority is also being bypassed?
Well, may be according to Mr Tabari the sufis are guilty of such 'laudable' sins ;)

As the sufis have already been accused of 'ardently' obeying their shaykhs, I would like to quote some of the teachings of my grand shaykh, Hadrath Abdal Qadir Jilani (RAA). Readers are requested to find the 'instructions' of shirk if there are any in the following excerpts.

Taken from: Twenty-third Discourse from Futuh al-Ghaib
On contentment with one's lot from Allah


Be very wary of associating anything with Allah; do not come anywhere near it. Avoid it in all your behavior, both active and passive, by night and day, in private and in public. Beware of disobedience altogether, in your limbs and organs as well as in your heart. Abandon all sin, both outwardly and inwardly. Do not run away from Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He will overtake you. Do not quarrel with Him over His decision; He will demolish you. Do not question the wisdom of His judgment; He will put you to shame. Do not treat Him negligently; He will bring you to your senses and put you to the test. Do not start innovations in His house; He will destroy you. Do not speak of His religion to suit your own whim; He will ruin you and darken your heart, rob you of your faith and understanding, and make you subject to your devil, your lower self, your passions and desires, your family, your neighbors, your companions, your friends and all the rest of His creatures, even your domestic scorpions, snakes, jinn and other vermin. Thus He will upset your life in this world and prolong your punishment in the hereafter.


Seventh Discourse from Futuh al-Ghaib
On removing the cares of the heart [qalb]


Polytheism [shirk] is not merely the worship of idols. It is also polytheism to yield to your own passionate desire, and to equate with your Lord anything whatsoever besides Him, be it of this world and its contents or of the Hereafter and what is contained therein. What is besides Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) is other than He, so when you rely on anything other than Him you are associating something else with Him (Almighty and Glorious is He). Therefore be wary and do not relax your guard, be fearful and do not develop a sense of security, and keep your wits about you so that you do not become careless and complacent.

Step out of your own self and keep your distance from it. Practice detachment from your possessiveness, and surrender everything to Allah. Become His doorman at the door of your heart, obeying His command by admitting those He instructs you to admit, and respecting His prohibition by shutting out those He instructs you to turn away, so that you do not let passion back into your heart once it has been evicted. Passion is expelled from the heart by resistance to it and refusal to follow its urges, whatever the circumstances, while compliance and acquiescence allow it to gain entry. So do not exert any will apart from His will, for anything else is your own desire, and that is the Vale of Folly, where death and destruction await you, and falling from His sight and becoming secluded from Him. Always keep His commandments, always respect His prohibitions, and always submit to what He has decreed. Do not associate Him with any part of His creation. Your will, your passions and your carnal appetites all belong to His creation, so refrain from indulging any of them lest you become a polytheist. Allah (Exalted is He) has said:

Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer in the worship due unto his Lord. (18:110)

Faith al Rabbani - 11
It was in the schoolhouse, in the early morning of Friday, the 29th of Shawwal, A.H. 545, that the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) said:

O my people! Be aware of Allah and do not be ignorant of Him. Obey Allah and do not rebel against Him. Comply with His wishes and do not oppose Him. Accept His decision gladly and do not quarrel with Him. Recognize the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) by His handiwork. He is the Creator [al-Khaliq], the Sustainer [ar-Razzaq], the First [al-Awwal], the Last [al-Akhir], and the Outer [az-Zahir] and the Inner [al-Batin]. He is the First from All Eternity [al-Qadim al-Awwal], the Endlessly Everlasting [ad-Da'im al-Abadi], the Doer [al-Fa''al] of whatever He will.

He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be questioned. (21:23)

O young man! Act in conformity with His ordinance [hukm] and His knowledge, and do not go beyond what is prudent. Do not forget the covenant ['ahd]. Struggle with your lower self, your passions, your devils, your natural impulses and your [attachment to] this world. Never despair of the helpful support [nusra] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), because it will come to you with your steady perseverance. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:

Surely Allah is with those who are patient. (2:153)

The party [hizb] of Allah, surely they will be the victors. (5:56)

As for those who strive in Our cause, surely We shall guide them to Our paths. (29:69)

O my people! Respect the Book of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and take it as the guide to your behavior. It is the link between you and Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do not consider it to be a thing created [makhluq]. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says: "This is My speech [kalam]," and you are saying "No!" Anyone who contradicts Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and maintains that the Qur'an is a created object, is guilty of unbelief [kufr] in Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and this Qur'an is quit of him. This Qur'an which is recited, which is read, which is heard, which is seen, which is written down in copied texts [masahif], this is His speech (Almighty and Glorious is He). Imam ash-Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad [ibn Hanbal] (may Allah be well pleased with them both) maintain that the pen [al-qalam] is created, but what is written with it is uncreated, and that the heart [qalb] is created, but what is learned by heart is uncreated [ghayr makhluq].

O my people! Prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur'an by putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it. Firm belief [i'tiqad] is a matter of few words and many deeds. You must have faith in it. Accept its truth in your hearts, and act upon it with your physical limbs and organs. Concentrate on what is beneficial to you. Pay no attention to defective and inferior intellects.

O my people! That which is handed down by tradition [manqul] cannot be arrived at by mental deduction, and the received text [nass] cannot be superseded by analogical reasoning [qiyas]. Do not pass over the clear evidence [bayyina] and settle for the unsubstantiated claim. People's property is not confiscated on the strength of a claim for which there is no proof. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said:

If people had only to make their claims to have them accepted, one group would claim the blood and property of another. But the burden of proof rests on the plaintiff, and the oath on the one who denies [the claim].

It is useless to have a learned tongue but an ignorant heart. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:

There is nothing I am more afraid of for my Community [umma] than a hypocrite with a learned tongue.

O learned ones! O ignoramuses! O you who are present and you who are absent! Feel a sense of shame before Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Pay attention to Him with your hearts. Humbly submit to Him. Let yourselves be forged beneath the hammers of His decree. Be constantly thankful for His blessings. Shed light on the darkness in obedience to Him. Then, when this has become real as far as you are concerned, you will receive the grace [karama] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), His honor and His Paradise in this world and the hereafter.

Al Fath ar Rabbani - 15 It was in the guesthouse, on Sunday the 9th of Dhu'l-Qa'da, A.H. 545, that the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) said:

What benefit can you derive from knowledge without sincere belief [sidq], since Allah may allow you to go knowingly astray? You acquire learning and do the salat-prayers and keep the fast, all for the sake of people, to get them to be well disposed toward you, to lavish their goods on you, and to sing your praises in their homes and their social gatherings. Suppose you do get all this from them; when death comes to you, and torment and anguish and terror, you will be cut off from them and they will do nothing to help you. The goods you got from them will be consumed by others, while you must suffer punishment and face the final reckoning. O deserter! O outcast! You are one of those who are "toiling, weary" (88:3) in this world, and weary tomorrow in the Fire [of Hell].

Worshipful service ['ibada] is a skilled craft, and its experts are the saints [al-awliya'] and the sincere Abdal [spiritual deputies] who are brought close to the presence of the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He). Those scholars who put their knowledge into practice are the deputies [nuwwab] of Allah upon His earth, and of His Envoys [rusul]; they are the heirs of the Prophets [al-anbiya'] and the Messenger [al-mursalun]. Not you, O deluded fools, O you who are preoccupied with tongue-wagging and legalistic knowledge [fiqh] of the outer [az-zahir], accompanied by ignorance of the inner [al-batin].

O young man! You do not amount to anything. Islam [submission to the will of Allah] has not become a fact for you. Islam is the foundation upon which everything is built. The profession of faith [ash-shahada] has not become completely real for you. You say: "There is no god but Allah [la ilaha illa'llah]," but you are lying. In your heart there is a whole collection of gods [aliha]. Your fears of your ruler [sultan] and of your local governor [wali] are gods. Your reliance on your earned income and your profit, on your power and your strength, on your hearing and your sight and your energy, all these are gods. Your ways of viewing creatures as the source of injury and benefit, of giving and withholding, are also gods. Many people talk about these things with their hearts, while making it appear that they are talking about the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He). Their mentioning the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He) has become a habit for their tongues, not for their hearts. When they are challenged on this score, they fly into a rage and say: "How can such things be said of us? Are we not Muslims?" Tomorrow the shameful facts will be disclosed, and things kept hidden will be revealed.

I request those who quote from Mr Tabari, to sight ONE LINE from this grand shaykh that stands as an evidence in support of their allegations, against the the great sufis of Islam.

Jazak allah khair,
Nausheen


Be not heedless of thy Lord
for even the blink of an eye,
Lest He directs His attention towards you,
and finds you unawares.

Praise be to Allaah.

Al-Ghazzaali was Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Toosi, who was known as al-Ghazzaali. He was born in Toos in 450 AH. His father used to spin wool and sell it in his shop in Toos.

The life of al-Ghazzaali needs to be discussed at length because he went through a number of stages. He indulged in philosophy, then he recanted and rejected that. After that he indulged in what is known as �ilm al-kalaam (Islamic philosophy) and gained a sound grasp of its basic principles; then he rejected that after it became clear to him that it was corrupt and filled with contradictions. He was focusing on �ilm al-kalaam during the period when he refuted philosophy, and at that time he was given the title of Hujjat al-Islam, after he had refuted the arguments of the philosophers. Then he recanted �ilm al-kalaam and turned away from it. He followed the path of the Baatiniyyah (esotericists) and learned their knowledge, but then he rejected that and showed the beliefs of the Baatiniyyah to be false, and exposed the manner in which they tamper with the texts and rulings. Then he followed the path of Sufism. These are the four stages that al-Ghazzaali went through. Shaykh Abu �Umar ibn al-Salaah (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke well of him when he said: �A lot has been said about Abu Haamid and a lot has been narrated from him. As for these books � meaning al-Ghazzaali�s books which contradict the truth � no attention should be paid to them. As for the man himself, we should keep quiet about him, and refer his case to Allaah.� See Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali wa�l-Tasawwuf by �Abd al-Rahmaan Dimashqiyyah.

No fair-minded person would deny the rare level of intelligence, ingenuity and cleverness that Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali attained. Al-Dhahabi said of him: �Al-Ghazzaali, the imaam and shaykh, the prominent scholar, Hujjat al-Islam, the wonder of his time, Zayn al-Deem Abu Haamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Toosi al-Shaafa�i al-Ghazzaali, the author of many books and one possessed of utter intelligence. He studied fiqh in his own town, then he moved to Nisapur in the company of a group of students. He stayed with the Imaam al-Haramayn and gained a deep knowledge of fiqh within a short period. He became well-versed in �ilm al-kalaam and debate, until he became the best of debaters�� (Siyar A�laam al-Nubala�, part 9, p. 323)

You will find that even though Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali had such a deep knowledge of fiqh, Sufism, �ilm al-kalaam, usool al-fiqh, etc., and even though he was such an ascetic and devoted worshipper, and had such a good intention and vast knowledge of Islamic sciences, he still had an inclination towards philosophy. But his philosophy emerged in the form of Sufism and was expressed through Islamic ideas. Hence the Muslim scholars, including his closest companion Abu Bakr ibn al-�Arabi, refuted his ideas. Abu Bakr ibn al-�Arabi said: Our shaykh Abu Haamid went deep into philosophy, then he wanted to come out of it but he was unable to. There were narrated from him opinions which sound like the Baatini way of speaking, and that may be verified by looking in al-Ghazzaali�s books. See Majmoo� al-Fataawa, part 4, p. 66.

Even though al-Ghazzaali was very advanced in knowledge, he had little knowledge of hadeeth and its sciences, and he could not distinguish between sound ahaadeeth and weak ones. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: �If we assume that someone narrated the view of the salaf but what he narrated is far removed from what the view of the salaf actually is, then he has little knowledge of the view of the salaf, such as Abu�l-Ma�aali, Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali, Ibn al-Khateeb and the like, who did not have enough knowledge of hadeeth to qualify them as ordinary scholars of hadeeth, let alone as prominent scholars in that field. For none of these people had any knowledge of al-Bukhaari and Muslim and their ahaadeeth, apart from what they heard, which is similar to the situation of the ordinary Muslim, who cannot distinguish between a hadeeth which is regarded as saheeh and mutawaatir according to the scholars of hadeeth, and a hadeeth which is fabricated and false. Their books bear witness to that, for they contain strange things and most of these scholars of �ilm al-kalaam and Sufis who have drifted away from the path of the salaf admit that, either at the time of death or before death. There are many such well-known stories. This Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali, despite his brilliance, his devotion to Allaah, his knowledge of kalaam and philosophy, his asceticism and spiritual practices and his Sufism, ended up in a state of confusion and resorted to the path of those who claim to find out things through dreams and spiritual methods. (Majmoo� al-Fataawa, part 4, p. 71).

He also said: Hence, even though Abu Haamid refuted the philosophers and classed them as kaafirs, and expressed veneration of Prophethood [as opposed to philosophy], etc., and even though some of what he says is true and good, and indeed of great benefit, nevertheless some of his writings contain philosophical material and matters where he followed the corrupt principles of philosophy that contradict Prophethood and even contradict sound common sense. Hence a group of scholars from Khurasaan, Iraq and the Maghreb criticized him, such as his friend Abu Ishaaq al-Margheenaani, Abu�l-Wafa� ibn �Aqeel, al-Qushayri, al-Tartooshi, Ibn Rushd, al-Maaziri and a group of earlier scholars. This was even mentioned by Shaykh Abu �Amr ibn al-Salaah in his book Tabaqaat Ashaab al-Shaafa�i, and was confirmed by Shaykh Abu Zakariya al-Nawawi, who said in his book: �Chapter explaining some important things for which Imaam al-Ghazzaali was denounced in his books which were unacceptable to the scholars of his madhhab and others, namely his odd statements such as what he said in Muqaddimat al-Mantiq at the beginning of al-Mustasfa: �This is the introduction to all knowledge, and whoever does not learn this, his knowledge cannot be trusted at all.��

Shaykh Abu �Amr said: �I heard Shaykh al-�Imaad ibn Yoonus narrating from Yoosuf al-Dimashqi, the teacher of al-Nizaamiyyah in Baghdad, who was one of the famous deans of the school, that he used to denounce these words and say, �Abu Bakr and �Umar and So-and-so and So-and-so�� meaning that these great leaders had a great deal of certainty and faith even though they had no knowledge of this Muqaddimah and of any of the ideas contained in it.� (al-�Aqeedah al-Isfahaaniyyah, part 1, p. 169).

Al-Dhahabi narrated in his book Siyar A�laam al-Nubala� that Muhammad ibn al-Waleed al-Tartooshi said in a letter which he sent to Ibn Muzaffar: As for what you mentioned about Abu Haamid, I have seen him and spoken to him, and I think that he is a man of great knowledge, he is intelligent and capable, and has been studying all of his life, spending most of his time in study, but then he drifted away from the path of the scholars and entered the crowd of worshippers. Then he became a Sufi and forsook knowledge and its people, then he got involved with �inspiration�, those who claim to have spiritual knowledge, and the insinuating whispers of the Shaytaan. Then he mixed that with the views of the philosophers and the symbolic phrases of al-Hallaaj, and he started to criticize the fuqaha� and the scholars of �ilm al-kalaam. He almost went astray from the religion altogether. When he wrote al-Ihya� [i.e., Ihya� �Uloom al-Deen], he started to speak of the inspiration and symbolic words of the Sufis, although he was not qualified to do that and had no deep knowledge of such matters. Hence he failed, and filled his book with fabricated reports.

I (al-Dhahabi) say: as for al-Ihya�, it contains many false ahaadeeth, and it contains much that is good. I wish that it did not contain etiquette, rituals and asceticism that are in accordance with the ways of the philosophers and deviant Sufis. We ask Allaah for beneficial knowledge. Do you know what is beneficial knowledge? It is that which Allaah revealed in the Qur�aan, which was explained by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in word and deed, and the type of knowledge which we are not forbidden to acquire. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me.� So, my brother, you must ponder the words of Allaah and persist in studying al-Saheehayn, Sunan al-Nasaa�i, Riyaadh al-Nawawi and al-Adhkaar by al-Nawawi, then you will succeed and prosper.

Beware of the opinions of the philosophers, the practice of spiritual exercises, the starvation of monks, and the nonsense talk of those who stay alone for long periods in their monasteries. All goodness is to be found in following the pure and tolerant way of the haneefs. And seek the help of Allaah. O Allaah, guide us to Your straight path.

Al-Maaziri praised Abu Haamid with regard to fiqh, and said that he had more knowledge of fiqh than of usool al-fiqh (the basic principles of fiqh). With regard to �ilm al-kalaam which is usool al-deen, he wrote books in this field, but he did not have deep knowledge of it. I realized that he was lacking in experience in this field, because he studied the branches of philosophy before he studied usool al-fiqh, so philosophy made him audacious in criticizing ideas and attacking facts, because philosophy goes along with one�s train of thought, without any shar�i guidelines.

A friend of his told me that he spent a lot of time studying Rasaa�il Ikhwaan al-Safa, which contains fifty-one essays. It was written by someone who has studied sharee�ah and philosophy, then had mixed the two. He was a man who was known as Ibn Seena, who filled the world with his books. He had a good knowledge of philosophy, which led him to try to refer all the basic principles of �aqeedah to philosophy. He strove hard and achieved what others had failed to do. I have seen some of his books and I noticed that Abu Haamid quotes him a great deal when he speaks of philosophy. With regard to Sufi views, I do not know where he got them from, but I have seen that some of his companions mention the books of Ibn Seena and their contents, and he also mentioned the books of Abu Hayyaan al-Tawheedi. As far as I am concerned, he picked up his Sufi ideas from him. I was told that Abu Hayyaan wrote a huge book about these Sufi ideas, and al-Ihya� contains a lot of baseless ideas� then he said: In al-Ihya� he mentioned ideas that have no basis, such as starting with the index finger when cutting the nails because it is superior to the other fingers, as it is the finger used in tasbeeh; then moving on to the middle finger because it is to the right of the index finger, and ending with the thumb of the right hand. He narrated a report concerning that.

I (al-Dhahabi) say: this is a fabricated report. Abu�l-Faraj al-Jawzi said: Abu Haamid wrote al-Ihya� and filled it with fabricated ahaadeeth which he did not know were fabricated. He spoke of inspiration and deviated from the framework of fiqh. He said that what is meant by the stars, moon and sun that Ibraaheem saw was the barriers of light that keep a person from Allaah, not the things that are well known. This is like the words of the Baatiniyyah.

(Siyar A�laam al-Nubala�, part 19, p. 340).

Then at the end of his life, al-Ghazzaali (may Allaah have mercy on him) came back to the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa�l-Jamaa�ah. He focused on the Qur�aan and Sunnah and condemned �ilm al-kalaam and its proponents. He advised the ummah to come back to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and to act in accordance with them, as was the way of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Judgement). Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: After that he came back to the path of the scholars of hadeeth, and wrote Iljaam al-�Awwaam �an �Ilm al-Kalaam.

(Majmoo Fataawa, part 4, p. 72)

A glance at Iljaam al-�Awwaam �an �Ilm al-Kalaam will prove to us that he had indeed changed in many ways:

1 � In this book he advocated the belief of the salaf, and pointed out that the way of the salaf was the truth, and that whoever went against them was an innovator or follower of bid�ah.

2 � He emphatically denounced ta�weel (interpretation of the attributes of Allaah in a manner that differs from their apparent meaning). He advocated affirming the attributes of Allaah and not misinterpreting them in a manner that would lead to denying the attributes of Allaah.

3 � He emphatically denounced the scholars of �ilm al-kalaam and described all their principles and standards as �reprehensible innovations� which had harmed a great number of people and created trouble for the Muslims. He said: �The harm caused to a great number of people is something that has been seen, witnessed and experienced. The evil that has resulted since �ilm al-kalaam began has become widespread even though people at the time of the Sahaabah forbade that. This is also indicated by the fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sahaabah, by consensus, did not follow the way of the scholars of �ilm al-kalaam when they produced arguments and evidence and analysis. That was not because they were incapable of doing so; if they had thought that was something good, they would have done it in the best manner, and they would have studied the matter hard, more than they did with regard to the division of the estate among the heirs (al-faraa�id).�

He also said: �The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) needed to prove the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the Jews and Christians, but they did not add anything to the evidence of the Qur�aan; they did not resort to arguments or lay down philosophical principles. That was because they knew that doing so would provoke trouble and cause confusion. Whoever is not convinced by the evidence of the Qur�aan will not be convinced by anything other than the sword, for there is no proof after the proof of Allaah.�

See Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali wa�l-Tasawwuf.

These are a few of the comments that trustworthy scholars have made about al-Ghazzaali (may Allaah have mercy on him). Perhaps this is enough for those who wish to be guided. And Allaah is the Guide to the straight path.

Assalamualaikum wa rahamtulalh wa barkatuhu,

I apologize for not responding to each and every claim that anonymous is bringing forth, as i said in the beginning, I have chalked out a plan for myself, which I wrote in the post 'sufism in Islam -2' but, I plan to go back on this thread once I am done, and see if there is anything left unanswered, but needs a response. Like this hadith post.

So according to this plan next comes the issue of tawassul.

well, actually inchronology, there is another claim, but its too absurd to be addressed. i think after talking so much about the type of polytheism that I quoted from my grand shaikh hadrath abdal qadir jilani(RAA) I dont think there is room to address such a baseless allegation, so I am skipping it.

On tawassul, much has already been said on these boards, so please allow me to take a short cut :-)

I quote two old threads:

1. Permissibility of Tawassul in Islam
2. Tawassul. Verdict of Al Azhar scholars

N

Be not heedless of thy Lord
for even the blink of an eye,
Lest He directs His attention towards you,
and finds you unawares.

as Salamu Alaykum,

Brother Anonymous,

Unfortunately, since you are anonymous I cannot say this to you personally (by paging you). But, nevertheless, it is still necessary to do so. Could you please always mention the author of the works or article you are posting. The post that you have made titled "Sufism and Weak Hadith" is attributed to Shaykh Taqi ul-Deen Ibn Taymiyya (Rahimahu Allah) on another website. The least that the scholars and people of the past deserve is for us to give them respect and acknowledge them for what they have written or produced, although differences in opinion may exist. For this reason, it is part of our adab (etiquette), and I'm sure you will agree, to state the source from where information or knowledge is coming from. It can cause confusion among readers when they see a post that contains grading of Ahadith, but yet the name of the scholar who is grading the Ahadith is not mentioned. Perhaps it was simply a mistake on your part, I hope you take note and change the post in order to show the author, insha Allah.