Sufi background of Hasan al-Banna-the founder of Ikhwan ul Muslimoon

From Imam Hasan al-Banna’s Memoirs, as quoted by Zakariya al-Siddiqi in his Prologue to the English translation of Hasan al-Banna’s book 'al-Ma’thurat': 

‘I used to recite the wazifa [litany] of Ahmad Zarruq every morning and evening. I was very much impressed by the wazifa as my father had written a beautiful commentary on it. He provided the evidences for almost all the expressions (used in the wazifa) from authentic ahadith.’ 

Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq was a famous Maliki jurist, as well as Sufi; thus we see the Sufic influence on both the father Ahmad and son Hasan – a facet of the latter’s personal being that remained with him for life, and which he attempted to impart to his movement.

-- 

Tasawwuf terms and misconceptions-Shaikh Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi

There are two very difficult unavoidable stages encountered in all doctrines, be they ethics, education and training, reformation or the sciences. The one stage where the means become the object, and the other where technical terms obscure realities. Both the means and the technical terms are imperative and absolutely inborn and natural, without which the propagation and expansion, teaching and explanation of these high objects is practically impossible. However, be they the means or technical terms, for the purpose of achieving the aims and realities, their function is that of attendants and assistants. They are adopted temporarily for the completion of a necessity.

At times they are overemphasized and deemed to be the objects and realities themselves. When an expert in any skill deems it necessary, he gives instruction to do without, or completely drop both the means and technical terms. Here the expert governs the means and technical terms instead of being controlled by them. He simultaneously considers that it does not exceed the limits and so becomes detrimental instead of beneficial, and instead of conveying him to his goal, it becomes an obstacle.

A historical fact which has to be acknowledged is that time and again this misfortune befalls lofty ideals, where means become the object and technical terms obscure realities with a thick veil. Not only were they obscured, but moreover the bitter experiments and grave errors of the flag bearers of these technical terms gave rise to such grievous misunderstandings that a great number of true and upright people have learned to dread and dislike these aims and realities. It has now become a very difficult task to make them recognize and value these realities and make an effort to attain these goals.

If a discourse to denote the importance of acquiring these aims is delivered, or an effort to satisfy them is made, then they are confronted with the enormous mountain of “means”, about which the immature and unauthorized reformers exaggerated and also unnecessarily compelled them to do. These reformers themselves became so confused that the actual aim was totally forgotten and disregarded.

Similarly, when the call for these self-evident and undisputed realities was made, it was obscured by technical terms. These technical words could also be interpreted differently. Generally, because of the span of time, technical terms had to be formed to explain such realities and to draw people towards understanding them. This was done for particular reasons, because of the demand of the social structure and special situations that prevailed.

The forerunners of these realities, whose lives were a true reflection of these facts, were unacquainted with these technical terms.

They used different words, expressions and ways to explain these realities. If a study is made of the history of any science from etymology, syntax, rules, dialect, rhetoric (balaghah) to realities, recognition, spiritual reformation, it will be found, when a comparison is made, that the earlier ones were in full control of the means, whereas the latter ones were, in contrast, controlled by the means.

The authorized experts were propagators and inviters while the novices were captives of their mentors and technical terms. This became an agonizing factor in the path of the exalted aims of religion, ethics, skills and sciences. Students throughout the ages were always confronted by this difficult test.

The matter of tasawwuf is very similar. As far as the aims and objects are concerned, they are self-evident and unanimously accepted. Tasawwuf has been adversely affected by the following two factors. The means were exaggerated and the technical terms were over-emphasized and insisted upon.

If a person is questioned: “Are loyalty and ethics important or not?” “Is it necessary to develop firm belief or not?” “Is it commendable to be adorned with virtues and be free from vice, such as jealousy, kibr (to degrade another arrogantly), to show off, bear malice and hatred, have love for wealth and honor or not?” “Is it desirable to liberate the low nafs from these evil tendencies?” “Humility and humbleness in salat, the state of modesty and entreatment whilst weeping in du‘a, the habit of taking stock of one’s soul, and above all, the love for Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), achievement of a feeling of satisfaction and sweetness or at least to be eager and punctual to attain it, clean dealings, truth and trust, having regard for the rights of humanity, control over one’s self, especially in times of anger, are all these desirable or not?” Every sane person, especially the Muslim who is not blindfolded by prejudice, will definitely answer that these are not only virtuous but also necessary according to the shari‘ah, and these are the exhortations of the entire Qur’an and volumes of Hadith literature.

If it is said that the method of acquiring these qualities is what the latter generations named ‘tasawwuf’, they react with a frown because of their dread for the term. Others would disapprove because of their bitter experiences with the forerunners and false claimants. They would recall unpleasant incidents and observations that they encountered with them.

This is not the case with tasawwuf alone. It is the problem with all other skills and reformations, where there will be found amongst their propagators, administrators, missionaries and claimants those who are genuine and the false, the authorized and unauthorized, the mature and immature, and even the faithful and the faithless. In spite both of these opposing types, any just person will not deny the necessity of the profession nor object to it.

In worldly professions too, whether it is business, agriculture, industry or craftsmanship, both types are present, the expert and the novice, the guide and the deceiver. Yet, the affairs of the world and religion go on as such. One must attend to one’s own affairs and neither deprive himself of this treasure because of inexperienced claimants, nor cast aside the actual reality because of disagreement with any technical term.

A poet has appropriately said,

“Wise men do not get involved in words,
Is the diver’s interest in shells or pearls ? “

There are two groups who are opposed to tasawwuf. One comprises those who accept its constituents separately, but deny it if it is referred to as a whole. The majority of the people applaud the aforementioned aim and qualities separately, but if it be said to them that, ‘Some people have for some reasons given all these qualities a common name,’ then their colors change instantly and they say, ‘We don’t believe in tasawwuf; it has caused great harm’.

The other group consists of those to whom it is acceptable if it is proposed under a different name. For example if it is said, “The Noble Qur’an has termed it tazkiyah. The Hadith names it ihsan. The latter jurists termed it fiqh al-batin (spiritual jurisprudence)”, they would then reply that there is no contradiction and that all of these are declarations of Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Verily, neither can alterations be made to all the books written, nor can the tongues of men be withheld. Otherwise, if we were given the option, we should have referred to it by the words ‘tazkiyah’ and ‘ihsan’, and not use the word ‘tasawwuf’. Now this is the popular name. This designation is not exclusive to this science alone.

The history of the arts and sciences is full of such common technical terms. Authorities on sciences have all along laid stress on the aims and kept the means within their limits. With great courage and strong wills they have not only refuted that which was foreign to its soul, essence, and real goal but they have also refuted that which proved harmful and irrelevant.

There is no such period in the history of Islam in which the experts, tutors and propagators of this subject did not differentiate between its body and soul, reality and form, aims and customs. All of them, from the leader of all spiritual guides, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani and Shaykh Shihab ad-Deen as-Suharwardi to Mujaddid al-Alf ath-Thani, Hadrat Shah Wali-Allah ad-Dihlawi, Hadrat Sayyid Ahmad ash-Shaheed, Hadrat Mawlana Rashid Ahmad al-Gangohi, and Hakim al-Ummah Hadrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali at-Thanawi, all have emphatically made a clear distinction between the kernel and shell, the correct object and incorrect interpretation. They have vehemently rejected all those customs and ways which were introduced into and regarded as part of tasawwuf and tariqah by association with non-Muslims and immature sufis who were unaware.

Such discussions are found in many places in the following books: the Futuh al-Ghayb and Ghunyat at-Talibin of Hadrat Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah have mercy on him), the ‘Awarif al-Ma‘arif of Hadrat Shaykh Shihab ad-Deen as-Suharwardi (may Allah have mercy on him), the Maktubat Imam Rabbani of Hadrat Mujaddid al-Alf ath-Thani (may Allah have mercy on him), the works of Hadrat Shah Wali-Allah (may Allah have mercy on him), the Sirat Mustaqim of Hadrat Sayyid Ahmad al-Shahid (may Allah have mercy on him), the letters written by Hadrat al-Gangohi (may Allah have mercy on him), and the Tarbiyat al-Salik and Qasd al-Sabil of Hadrat Mawlana Thanwi (may Allah have mercy on him). They have separated the true from the false while showing absolute impartiality.

Hadrat Shah Wali-Allah (may Allah have mercy on him) has written thus:

“The spiritual connection of the sufis is a great blessing and an alchemy, but their customs (those for which there is no proof in the shari’ah) are worthless. Likewise all these men, without exception, have earnestly stressed the importance of proper ethics, transactions and civil rights and stipulated this as a condition of reformation and approach (to Allah). Their writings elaborate extensively on this topic and their congregations always consisted of advice and propagation in this respect.”

We have been blessed to be able to stay in the company of the saints of our times. Upon seeing them alone were we convinced of tasawwuf. We not only found tasawwuf and tariqah in these personalities but also the essence of the religion and the shari‘ah. Their characters were a reflection of the character of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Their lives, actions and dealings were weighed and molded according to the shari’ah. We noticed that they always separated the aims from the means and laid stress on realities by staying away from and disregarding technical terms.

They did not attach any importance to customs and were staunch opponents and denouncers of innovations. Their obedience to the sunnah was not confined to devotions but also enveloped their habits and dealings as well. They were not followers of this science, but were in fact true reformers. With their divine insight and lengthy experience, they accomplished their task, sometimes with brevity and selection and at other times with omissions and amendments.

Treatment and advice were dispensed to suit each one’s individual nature. In the remedy and diet, full consideration was given to conditions, occupations, and temperaments. Their status in this field is similar to that of a discoverer of medicine or an inventor of a skill. They were masters and not slaves of their profession.

Their actual concern was the health and benefit of the (spiritually) sick and not to tread the beaten track (i.e. to be a slave of old customs and rites). Their concept of the actual purpose of tasawwuf is the sincerity of desiring Allah’s pleasure, be it reformation of character, honest dealings, development of a moderate nature, self-control, giving preference to others, submission, recitations, strivings, staying in the company of a Shaykh, and even bay‘ah. If these are not achieved then all this effort is synonymous to a person who works all day long trying to move a mountain with a piece of straw.

 (from 'Tazkiya aur Ihsan ya Tasawwuf o Sulook')

Courtesy- ilmgate.org

Muhiyyudin Ibn Arabi, What do classical scholars say about him?

Muhiyyudin Ibn Arabi, What do classical scholars say about him and is it advisable to stay away from his books?

Answer In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most MercifulAssalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Shaykh Muhyiddīn Ibn Arabi was a scholar of the seventh century. He hailed from Spain and was a leading scholar of his era. He excelled in all sciences of Islāmic knowledge. He had authored hundreds books on different topics. He was recognized for his piety and profound knowledge in Tasawwuf. He is counted amongst the great Sufis and was given the title ‘Shaykhul Akbar’ (the great Saint) and‘Muhyiddīn’ (the reviver of dīn). Allāmah Sha’rāni in his Al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā, ‘Izzuddīn ibnus Sallām, Safiyyuddīn bin Abil Mansūr, Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yāfi’ī and other Scholars, have praised him.

 

Imam Ibn Hajar Al-Makki says regarding him:

 

“There is unanimity that Ibn Arabi was the most knowledgeable Scholar of his era, as he mastered every science of Islāmic knowledge….And there is unanimity that he was the most pious in his era, most staunch on the Sunna and the greatest in self-sacrifice”.

(Al-Fatāwā al-Hadīthiyya, pg 210, Al-Fikr)

 

 Ibn Arabi held a high rank in Ilm (knowledge) and Tasawwuf. However, some Scholars expressed doubts concerning his Aqīda (belief), especially concerning the concept ‘Wahdah Al-Wujūd’. Amongst them were Imām Ibn Taymiyya Al-Harrāni, Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhāb and Imām Dhahabi. Ibn Taymiyya Al-Harrāni was amongst the first that expressed doubt. In fact, some labelled him as Kāfir (wana ‘ūzubillāh).

 

However, it is important to point out that these doubts concerning Ibn Arabi were due to misunderstanding the writings and terminologies used by Ibn Arabi. The writings of Ibn Arabi are profound, intense and philosophical. Many terminologies used by Ibn Arabi were not understood by all. It was mainly the Sufis and those involved in spiritual exercises that really understood his writings. Therefore, it was the misunderstanding of these scholars that lead them to doubt the legitimacy of Ibn Arabi.

 

Ibn Arabi stated:

 

“It is not permissible for those that do not understand our terminologies to study our books” (Al-Fatāwā al-Hadīthiyya, pg 211, Al-Fikr)

 

The late Grand Mufti of Deoband, Mufti Mahmūd Al-Hasan Ganghohi had stated that there is a lot of misunderstanding regarding Ibn Arabi.

 

Allāmah Sha’rāni and Mawlāna Ashraf Ali Thānwi had written 'Al-Yawāqīt wal Jawāhir' and 'Al-Tanbih al-Turba' respectively, to clear the doubts and reservations held against Ibn Arabi. Many other books have been authored in support of Ibn Arabi. Therefore, Ibn Arabi was an accepted Scholar. 

 

 

The books of Ibn Arabi are of two types:

1.      Basic books:

These are straight forward and simple books to understand. For example, books that discuss Akhlāq (character), Tarbiya (upbringing) etc. It is advisable to read these books.

 

2.      Complex books:

Those that discuss the concepts of Tasawwuf and other intricate issues. These books should not be studied alone. The tutelage and guidance of a competent Scholar should be sought. Ibn Hajar Makki has warned against studying these books alone.

 

Refer to:

Al- Fatāwā al-Hadīthiyya, pg 210, 211, Dar Al-Fikr)

Al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā of Sha’rāni, vol 1, pg 260, Dar Al-Fikr)

Fatāwā Al-Mahmūdiyya, vol 4, pg 469, Fārūqiyya)

 

And Allah knows best
Wassalamu Alaikum
Ml. Talha Desai,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah

Why genuine Tasawwuf is prone to misrepresentation

 Maulana ‘Abd al-Bāri Nadwi, a spiritual successor (khalifa) of Hakeemul Ummah Ashraf Ali Thānawi RA, points out that tasawwuf has been perceived in two ways throughout Islamic history. 

First, there is the tasawwuf of the Qur’ān and hadīth, which was practiced by the pious predecessors of Islam and their true followers. Then, there is the pseudo-tasawwuf, an imprudent syncretism of Islam and other religious and spiritual systems of the world. 

‘Abd al-Bāri Nadwi explains that the reason why genuine tasawwuf is prone to misrepresentation is because the “degree of misguidance and mistakes caused by a subject are proportionate to the degree of depth, subtlety, and intricacy found in that subject. Tasawwuf is the most subtle and intricate, and in many ways enigmatic, of the Islamic sciences, because it not only reforms the exoteric self, but it lays greater stress on purifying the esoteric self, which encompasses spiritual dimensions unseen by the physical eye. .” 

[Mawlana ‘Abd al-Bāri Nadwi, Tajdid-e suluk-o tasawwuf (Lucknow: Bari Publications, 1993), 4.]

SHARI'AH AND TARIQAH (Tasawwuf)- Khurram Murad

SHARI'AH AND TARIQAH (Tasawwuf)-Khurram Murad RA
(Taken from his book 'SHARI'AH - THE WAY TO GOD' published by The Islamic Foundation, Leicester)

Some in Islam, naturally enough, have concentrated more on developing ways and means of purifying the inner self and of strengthening the relationship between man and God. Leading exponents of this approach-known as Tariqah-have been the Sufis. Much has been said about the conflict between the Shari'ah and the Tariqah. But what we have said above gives the lie to the often propagated idea of any inherent or continuing dichotomy and tension between the two terms-both of which interestingly enough, are of latter-day origin. (Early Islam used only Islam or Din which encompassed every aspect of man's self.) Special circumstances may have led this or that person to lay more emphasis on a certain aspect: a few may have even been sufficiently misled to try to generate tension and conflict between the two or extol one at the expense of the other. But there were never two different paths or two different expressions of man's relationship to God. Interestingly, both Shari'ah and Tariqah have exactly the same meaning-the way. According to Ibn Tamiya, a person observing only the law, without its inner truth, cannot be called truly a believer; and, similarly, a person claiming to possess 'truth' which is at odds with the Shari'ah cannot even be a Muslim.

Even, historically speaking, in early Islam, the two streams, of Sufis and the jurists (Fuqaha) never flowed separately. Hasan Basri, the doyen of Sufis, is a major pillar of fiqh and tafsir (jurisprudence and exegesis); whereas Ja'fer Sadiq, Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmad - the founders of the main schools of Muslim jurisprudence - find pride of place in Fariduddin 'Attar's classical Tadhkira-al-Awliya (The Book of Saints).

In the Qur'an and the ahadith both inward and outward are inseparably intertwined. For example, when the Qur'an says, 'who in their prayers are humble' (al-Muminun 23: 1), then prayer is what one is likely to categorise as the Shari'ah, humility as the Tariqah. Or, when it says, 'those who believe, love God most' (al-Baqarah 2: 165), love is likely to be taken to belong to Tariqah; but, at the same time, the Qur'an emphasises: 'Say: If you love God, follow me'. Thus prayer and humility, love and obedience are inseparable, two sides of the same coin.

Tasawwuf Essentials- From Teachings of Mufti Taqi Usmani

Tasawwuf

Bismillah

The purpose of a Muslim’s life is to attain Allah swt’s pleasure.

To do this successfully, he has to act on the shariah completely.

 

The part of the shariah dealing with external acts of worship has been classified as fiqh. While the part dealing with internal states, character and actions is the subject of discussion in tasawwuf.

 

In summary, acquisition and rectification of internal moral states (iklaq e batini) with adherence to external commands of Shariah is tasawwuf.

 

These internal moral states form the basis of worship performed by our body. They include,

A. Acquisition of:

 

Repentance (taubah)
Sincerity (ikhlas)
Slavehood (abdeyat)
Love of Allah swt (muhabbat)
Awe (khashoo)
Fear (khauf)
Hopefulness (raja’)
Humility (tawaduh)
Thankfulness (shukur)
Patience (saber)
Reliance (tawakul)
Dependence (tafweedh)
Acceptance (raz(dh)a)
Abstinence (zuhud) , etc. and

 

B. Elimination or rectification:

Love of the worldly (hubb e dunyah)
Love of fame (hubb e jah)
Arrogance (kibr)
Showing off (riya)
Backbiting (ghibah)
Calamities of Tongue: Lying (kazb), carrying tales (namemah), humiliating others, talking harshly & rudly, talking unnecessarilry.
Anger (gazab)
Envy and Hatred (hasad wa bugz wa keana)
Being stingy (bukhl)
Being spend-thrift (israf)
Greed (hirs), etc.

 

These basic concepts should be very clear in regards to tasawwuf.

 

1. The Methodology of Tasawwuf

2. What is NOT Tasawwuf?

3. How internal moral states form the basis of external worship?

4. The Sheikh & Revisited

5. Sheikh Mureed Relationship

6. Sheikh Mureed Relationship: Practicality
7. Bayait/ahed

 

What is NOT Tasawwuf?

Various misconceptions exist regarding tasawwuf.

It is of utmost importance that these misconceptions must be cleared upfront.

This mental re-conditioning is necessary otherwise, ages will pass without success & salvation.

 

Some of them are:

 

Becoming aware of future or hidden affairs (khasf e kuni) or performance of supernatural phenomenon (karamat) is not necessary for tasawwuf.

1. Salvation is not guananteed in hereafter by itself for any one who claims to be in tasawwuf (one has to strife and follow shariah for it).
2. Success in wordly affairs or increase in one’s income or cure from some illness or fortelling of future events is not promised.
3. Neither does it entail that by sheikh’s spiritual powers (tasarrufat) mureed’s condition will improve itself, without his detemination to strife for good works and abstain from sins. [common error].
4. Nor does it assure that his intelligence & memory may increase for hifz of Quran or religious knowledge.
5. Nor is there a time limit that such a spiritual state is reached that one finds pleasure in worship, does not get distrubbing thoughts, cries a lot (either from love or fear of Allah swt), or reaches a state where he in unaware of everything else except Allah swt. [This is the most common error].
6. It is not necessary that one sees lights (anwar) etc. or hears voices during dhikr or shugal (special rememberace techniques)
7. Nor seeing good and spiritual dreams is necessary.

BUT The real objective of Tasawwuf  is to attain Allah swt’s pleasure.

Example: How the internal moral states form the basis of our bodily worship?

As mentioned earlier the purpose of Tasawwuf is to develop and cultivate the praise worthy(PWMS) and remove the blame worthy internal moral states(BWMS) (iklaq e batini).

Why is this important?
Isn’t practicing shariah commands itself sufficient?

This is a very intelligent question and if one understands the answer he will not have any doubts regarding the necessity of Tasawwuf.

Try to understand this by means of an example;

Shariah commands that each and every Muslim should pray five times daily on appropriate time, with the method according to Sunnah.

A Muslim, who is unaware of the importance of rectifying the internal moral states and has not worked to develop and refine them in his every day life, may fall into following traps;

1. Some times he may skip the prayer all together, maybe out of laziness or being busy in worldly affairs. This is reflective that he does not have the love of Allah swt (PWMS) and instead has love of this world (hubb e dunya)(BWMS).
2. Sometimes he prays to show his fellow Muslims that he is regular in his prayer or a pious person. At other times he thinks that his praying will make him outstand in his community. These are showing off (riya) (BWMS) and mark the absence of sincerity(ikhlas) (PWMS) .
3. Even if he prays, he does so hastily, without the proper demeanor. This is reflective of absence of love of Allah swt (PWMS) and occupation in worldly affairs (BWMS) .
4. Sometimes the demeanor of his prayer changes if he notices that someone is watching him. This is show off (riya)(BWMS) .
5. And when he prays on time and in proper manner, his inner self is absent from that prayer. He is busy thinking about some worldly affair. This is reflective of absence of khashoo (awe/internal quiteness) (PWMS).
6. At other times he demeanor does not reflect humility before his Lord. This is arrogance (kibir)(BWMS).
7. Sometimes when he prays he feels he is superior to the other fellow mussalis. This is self praise (ujub)(BWMS) .
8. At other times he is thinking of his own superiority plus the inferiority of others which is arrogance (kibr)(BWMS).
9. At times when he see someone better than himself, he thinks that he himself was more deserving of this better trait and whishes that this may go away from that person. This is envy (hasad) (BWMS) .
10. During his prayer he can not comtemplate that he is standing before his Lord and He is watching him. This is absence of slavehood (ihsan & uboodiyah).
11. After praying he may boast to others that he prayed or feel superior to them. This is a arogance (kibr)(BWMS) .
12. Or he may feel dejected by the poor concenteration he had during salah and become disappointed. This is disappointment (yaas)(BWMS) .

This is just a quick list of deficiencies.

 

We should take a moment and think, where do we stand?

If we do not have these qualities, then is our worship up to the mark of being accepted by Shariah’s standards?

Indeed, these internal moral states are the very soul of bodily or physical form of worship making it capable of being accepted and rewarded.

Two units of an A’rif (a Muslim who has realized and mastered these internal moral states) is better than 100,000 units of an ordinary Muslim.

wa ma taufiqi ilabillah

 

Methodology of Tasawwuf

Having acknowledged the significance of Tasawwuf in Islam, the endeavor is to practice and live it in our every day life.

At this stage two things are essential;

A. Repentance (taubah)

B. Need of the sheikh/guide/spiritual mentor.

A. Repentance:

It has 2 components;

1. General Repentance:
Here the individual acknowleges all his past sins, mistakes & shortcomings and repents. He leaves these transgressions all together, feels ashamed of disobeying his Lord and makes a solemn determination of not committing them ever again.

2. Comprehensive Repentance:
In here he takes account of his life in details.
If he has missed any salah, fasts, zakah or hajj, he starts remaking them.
If he has financial dues pending, loans, material or money he was not legally entitled to recieve, he repays them. Or acknowleges his mistake and ask forgiveness from the concerned authority.
If he had hurt others by his speech or actions he ask their forgiveness.

This repentance is very, very essential to gain Allah swt’s pleasure and acceptance.
If it is not completed thoroughly all other future efforts are wasted.

One needs the determination for this repentance.
It requires having the resolution to bear all the difficulties (physical or financial) or worldly loss or public disregard that may come in doing so. If he does not have this determination it is evident that he is not looking for Allah swt’s pleasure. Hence, he is not a genuine Seeker.
Allahuma hafizna (we seek Allah swt’s refuge from this).

 

The Sheikh

A person starting on the path of Tasawwuf is like ill person seeking treatment.

His spirit is afflicted with the diseases of blame worthy internal moral states and is deficient of the healthy praise worthy moral traits.

This requires the services of a qualified physician. A physician who can diagnose, treat and follow the course of these spiritual illnesses/deficiencies to prevent relapse and ensure perfect health.

This spiritual physician is the SHEIKH. He can be called a pir, mentor or spiritual advisor.

He is indispensable.

There is agreement between all the various schools of tasawwuf regarding this reality.

P.S. No sick person who takes his illness seriously will ever dare to treat himself, especially by just reading books.

 

How does one find a Sheikh?

 

Islam is the religion of Allah swt till the end of time. Means and methods of keeping this religion till that time will always persist.
The changes in our socioeconomic & moral conditions, perception of piety and the influence of the worldly environment may make recognition of a true sheikh difficult. But he is here. You just have to look for him. And most importantly ask Allah swt’s guidance in this feat.

Scholars have described certain characteristics to look for, in facilitating this search. They are:

1. He should possess the necessary knowledge of the religion (fiqh).

2. His believes (aqaid) must be that of Ahle Sunnah & the demeanor of his actions and habits must be reflective of Sunnah.

3. He must be God-fearing (muttaqi), conscientious and pious in following shariah in his every day life. It is essential that he abstains from all major sins (kabair) and does not persist on any minor sin (saghair).

4. He must have traversed the path of tasawwuf under the guidance of a sheikh himself and have received explicit permission (verbal or written) to teach and treat others.

5. He must be attached to an authentic Silsilah (chain of authority). Their lineage tracing back to Holy Prophet sallalaho alehey wa alehey wasalam without gaps and omissions.

6. The contemporary scholars and unprejudiced sheikhs should hold a good opinion about him and encourage people to benefit from him.

7. The effect of his companionship (suhba) must be a decrease in love of the worldly & an increase in the Love of Allah swt. This is evident by performing good deeds, abstaining from sins and preparing for hereafter.

8. He must be more venerated by intellectual religious folks than by common lay public.

9. The majority of his pupils (mureed) must be following Shariah. Their outward condition conforms to the demands of the Shariah and their behavior is reflective of the inward progress of getting rid of blame worthy traits, especially love of the worldly.

10. He must be sincere in training his disciples (mureed). Working for their spiritual improvement & progress. Not leaving them on their own but correcting them in timely fashion, by words and deeds. Reprimanding them when the need arises.

11. He must not consider himself to be perfect and be satisfied with his present state. He must engage in extra-worship, dhikr, fikr and other devotional practices to keep progressing.

12. He must not be boastful of his piety and faultlessness. For making such declaration is a sign of the blame worthy state: Love of fame and authority.

 

Following qualities are not essential to be present in a Sheikh;

1. Performance of supernatural acts (karamat).
2. Telling in advance about the hidden and upcoming matters.
3. Immediate acceptance of all his prayers (dua).
4. Performing extraordinary actions by his spiritual powers, for example, mind reading, creating an overwhelming emotional condition in mureed, etc.
5. Abandonment of means of earning.

If one keeps looking hard enough, he will, inshaAllah, finds such a Sheikh with Allah swt’s guidance and help.

 

Until then, he must make it a habit to pray(dua) after each salah:

 

“O Allah! I want to live by Shariah.

My nafs and satan have overtaken me.

Please, remove these obstacles

and make it easy for me to do so.

Give me the determination & strength for this and

provide me with a Sheikh who can help me in this effort.”

Ameen.

 

The Sheikh: Revisited

The selection of the sheikh is the most important event in practicing tasawwuf.

Due to this importance some concepts needed further discussion;

1. Haste in selecting the sheikh, is a fundamental mistake in Tasawwuf.

2. The sheikh should be visited repeatedly both in private and public to assess the above mentioned characteristics.

3. Taking an oath of allegiance (ba’yaih/ahd) is not essential to confirm the selection of sheikh (at this point in time). After the selection informing him, asking his guidance and following the advice is quite enough. (InshaAllah, we will discuss the concept of ba’yaih/ahd later in detail.)

4. It is more beneficial that even if the sheikh fulfils all of the above mentioned criteria, there exists a natural mutual congeniality (bahemi munasbet) between the mureed and sheikh. This can be described as having a intuitive general acceptance of, and no significant doubts about, the sheikh’s personality, words and deeds.

5. The facts regarding accessibility, language/barrier, ethnic background and madhahib(fiqh) differences should be genuinely considered.

6. It best to avoid the sheikh who places extraordinary importance to customary rituals, like mawlid, hawl, dhikr halaqas in comparison to the obligatory (salah, abstaining from sins and avoiding hurting others, etc). Considering these rituals to be an essential component of Tasawwuf is wrong.

7. It is inappropriate to compare present shuyukh with Sayyedna Junaid or Sayyedna Shibli rehmatulllah alehey. There is hidden arrogance(kibr) in this. That is, I am of such a stature that only someone like Sayyedna Junaid rehmatulllah alehey can be my sheikh. There are shuyukh present at all times that can take care of individuals like us.

8. One should be very cautious of familial sheikhs (customary father-son inheritance of being a sheikh), customary sajjada nasheins (person in charge of mausoleums/khanqah ) and wandering marabouts/spiritually overwhelmed (majzoubs).

9. Importance of consultation with pious elders (istishara) and praying repeatedly for Allah swt’s guidance (istikhara) can not be over emphasized.

10. If by mistake, one gets attached to an unqualified sheikh, it is obligatory to abandon him. Allah swt’s pleasure is the goal; it can not be attained with this sort of sheikh. However, proper Islamic adab (etiquette) should be observed even in this case. A more cautious search should be restarted again.

Allah swt guide us all. Ameen!

 

Sheikh-Mureed Relationship

As mentioned earlier, this is a physician-patient relationship.

The mureed tells/writes about his spiritual ailments seeking remedy. He has to be explicit and candid about his condition. Hiding vital information leads to nowhere and eventually mureed himself is the looser.

The Sheikh reviews mureed’s condition, taking into account his spiritual ailments/deficiencies, physical and working requirements and environment. He then prescribes a treatment plan. There may be multiple components of this plan.

The mureed has to follow this plan unconditionally.
If he faces difficulties in doing so he has to inform the Sheikh. And then follow the next advice.

The doctor may be the best in the whole world.
His diagnosis may be 100% accurate.
The treatment prescribed and made available may be the finest.
With all this in place,
if Mr. Mureed decides not to use it or use it partially, (using his brains)
how can a cure be imagined, less achieved?

A sincere mureed’s duty is to inform the Sheikh of his present condition.
That is, he reviews his daily activities, dealings and intentional thoughts. He analyzes them. He looks for any blame worthy traits that may be active in his intentions and actions or any praise worthy states that are deficient. He describes the actual case scenarios and asks assistance from Sheikh for diagnosis and treatment. He follows the recommendations of Sheikh and reports back. Adjustment may be made, treatment fined tuned and tailored accordingly. This process continues for a considerable period of time till a healthy spiritual state is reached, that is, achievement of nisbat-e-batini(a sustainable mutual relationship with Allah swt).

 

As every patient’s condition is different so is the treatment plan.

It is this individual attention and instruction which gives Tasawwuf a unique effectiveness in bringing about a permanent, durable and wholesome change for a complete Islamic life in its fullest sense.

 

Sheikh-Mureed Relationship: Practicality

This effort of self-reformation appears to be long, tedious, and exhausting. It seems to require real motivation and determination.

This is very true in ordinary situations.

How many of us have felt frustrated by our failed hard work in following the injunctions of Shariah, repeatedly?

However, this is not the case for those involved in Tasawwuf.

Once the Mureed starts the sincere effort of this self reformation Sheikh instructs and tries to develop love of Allah swt (mauhabbat/ta’aluq ma’aAllah) in him.

Love of Allah swt becomes the driving force in all this seemingly strenuous effort. It makes it easy and pleasurable.

Following example may make this more understandable:

Imagine I have to travel from Mycity to Makkah e mukkarramah. The distance between these two cities is 2000 miles. This is a long journey. It requires extraordinary effort. May be months of travel. In addition to this imagine the hostile weather and unfamiliar geography. This will be certainly true if I travel by foot or on a donkey, horse, camel, car or even bus. However, if I board a jet airliner, being flown by an expert pilot, I can traverse this distance in 2-4 hours.

Amazing!

The point of origin and destination remains the same, the distance between the two cities remains the same, the only thing that has changed is the transport.

By creating and nurturing the love of Allah swt, Tasawwuf does the same.

Just to remind: The goal is the attainment of Allah swt’s pleasure. Its means (distance) are by rectifying the external actions and inner moral states, i.e. by following Shariah completely. Love of Allah swt developed by Tasawwuf adds momentum to it.

 

Beware! This love has to be acquired and developed under the close supervision of the Sheikh. Excess of it is sometimes equally detrimental as is the lack of it.

 

Love alone without the guidance of a perfect Sheikh is like a stray jet which may crash anywhere and lead to destruction.

 

While excess of it may cause such an overwhelming state that the individual looses his corporeal senses and is permanently adsorbed in spiritual realm ( becomes a majzoub). This will lead to abandoning of physical worship and neglect of family/dependent rights. Eventually leading to Allah swt’s displeasure. Allah huma hafizna.

 

But True Love, is as Moalana Rumi ra says;
Az muhabat talakh ha shereen shawad

The love is the elixir, which makes unpalatable things sweet & tasty

May Allah swt gives us all some tiny fraction of His true love. Ameen

 

Ba’yit/Ahed

Ba’yit or Ahed is a solemn pledge. It hallmarks an agreement between the Sheikh and a spiritual aspirant. That is, in order to gain Allah swt’s pleasure the aspirant agrees to receive and obey the guidance and instruction from the Sheikh. And the Sheikh kindly accepts to direct him accordingly.

This is the reality of ba’yit.

 

Outwardly it takes the form of holding the hand of the Sheikh, who recites some Quranic verses, hadith and ask the mureed to repent for all previous sins and make a solemn affirmation of not committing them ever again. Also he announces that the aspirant is now a member of xyz Sufi order. Then he instructs him accordingly.

 

Indeed, this outwardly form of ba’yit is filled with barakah. Being a Sunnah (ghair muakkidah) and the practice of saintly elders it has its own benefits. It is not an ordinary thing.

However, without the above mentioned reality it is a form devoid of soul.

 

History of religions is evident of the fact that with passage of time and spiritual decline means become goals by themselves and realities are ignored. Rituals and ceremonies eclipse the real meaning intended.

 

Same has happened with Tasawwuf. Ba’yit has become a ceremony. It is considered to be a goal by itself. This is not the correct teaching of Tasawwuf. Essential thing is continuously receiving instructions and acting on them as guided.

 

For this reason, in our tariq, ba’yit is deferred initially. The instruction and guidance starts immediately. However, the ba’yit is as a principle is delayed till the Sheikh is satisfied that the individual is sincere to follow the path and is doing so to the best of his ability. And, moreover, the potential mureed understands and agrees with the methodology of the Sheikh and himself acknowledges increasing benefit from these instructions.

This time period may be days or years.

The best deal is: Try before you buy.

 

Once the potential mureed sees himself grow spiritually, the real importance of ba’yit will become evident to him. However, if such is not the case, he will be free to try his luck somewhere else.

 

Taken from Ashrafiya.com

 

Origins of the science and terminology of "Tasawwuf /Sufism"

Some ignorant or biased people say that Tasawwuf or Sufism came from Buddhist-hindu-christian traditions in to Islamic society. Well, the actual fact is that the Sufiya took inspiration from Quran and Sunnah and the lives of the sahaba and the salaf. 

It is mentioned in Siyar A`lam al-Nubala by Imam Dhahabi ra, the famous Muhaddith and student of Imam Ibn Taymiya, that Hadrat Hasan Al-Basri (r.a) (who was a Tabaie) used to conduct an open class in which he used to teach tafsir etc. in the masjid during the day. At night he had a 'special class' where he used to speak about 'ridding oneself from the base qualities' It is mentioned that if anybody were to ask a question of tafsir, hadith etc. during this class he would reprimand them saying that 'such a question should be asked during the day in the tafsir class.' 

This was the origination of a khanqah.

As for the origin of the term Tasawwuf, like many other Islamic discliplines, its name was not known to the first generation of Muslims.The historian Ibn Khaldun notes in his Muqaddima:  “This knowledge (Tasawwuf) is a branch of the sciences of Sacred Law that originated within the Umma. From the first, the way of such people had also been considered the path of truth and guidance by the early Muslim community and its notables, of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), those who were taught by them, and those who came after them.

It basically consists of dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah Most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone. This was the general rule among the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the early Muslims, but when involvement in this-worldly things became widespread from the second Islamic century onwards and people became absorbed in worldliness,those devoted to worship came to be called Sufiyya or People of Tasawwuf” (Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddima [N.d. Reprint. Mecca: Dar al-Baz, 1397/1978], 467).

In Ibn Khaldun’s words, the content of Sufism, “total dedication to Allah Most High,” was, “the general rule among the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the early Muslims.” So if the word did not exist in earliest times, we should not forget that this is also the case with many other Islamic disciplines, such as tafsir or “Qur’anic exegesis,” ‘ilm al-jarh wa ta‘dil or “the science of the positive and negative factors that affect hadith-narrators acceptability,” ‘ilm al-hadith or “the science of the prophetic traditions,” or even Islamic tenets of faith, the name for which, ‘aqida, is not mentioned even once in the entire corpus of the Qur’an or hadith. All of these sciences proved to be of the utmost importance to the correct preservation and transmission of the religion, yet none were known by name in earliest Islam, well illustrating why traditional scholars have said, La qadh fi al-istilah, or “There is no objection to terminology.”

As for the origin of the word Tasawwuf, it may well be from Sufi, the person who does Tasawwuf, which seems to be etymologically prior to it, for the earliest mention of either term was by the famous Tabaie imam Hasan al-Basri, who died 110 years after the Hijra, personally knew many of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), and who said, “I saw a Sufi circumambulating the Kaaba, and offered him something, but he would not take it, saying, ‘I have four daniqs; what I have suffices me’” (al-Tusi: al-Luma‘, 42). 

And the early Sufi masters were none other than Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi, Fudhayl bin Ayaz, Rabia Basri RA etc. The close connection between Shari‘a and Tasawwuf is expressed by the statement of Imam Malik, founder of the Maliki school, that "he who practices Tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who learns Sacred Law without practicing Tasawwuf corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true."

And regarding the objection that the word "Sufi" is not found in Quran or Hadith, it doesn't prove anything as even the words" Tawhid" and "Aqeedah" and a lot of other terms we use now in Islamic studies are not found in the Quran and Hadeeth!