The Truth of "SUFISM"

i read many 'thanks to ALLAH', and saw many sufis also, that does'nt matter anyway

Now, i want to ask you another question ' note, my primary language isn't English ! ',
Do i've to be on the way to join the SUFISM for you be able to answer my questions ?
i know that before to decide anythings , Right or not ?
or, i order you to be on the way to be a SUNNI ( real muslim ) to answer your questions posted on the first replies ..

and what is the relation between age and questions ?

 

my brother, i am insisting on your reading the following text...they are written to answer the questions about sufism such like yours. they are very definite and thorough. if u really search the answers to your questions, please have the patience to read them. its for YOUR benefit. and they are better and MORE satisfactory then my own replies. what else, your questions are so important that, they can not be answered shortly...so please, at least read the text about the origins of tasawwuf.
please HAVE PATIENCE ANDREAD THEM!!!





MUTASAWWIFS BOOKS DO NOT CONTAIN POLYTHEISM




1 - On page 75 of the Wahhabite book Fat'h al-majid, it is written:


"Abd al-Wahhab ash-Sharani's books and 'Abd al-'Aziz Dabbagh's book Ibreez and Ahmad at-Tijani's books are full of shirk [polytheism] that Abu Jahl and the like could not have conceived."


Ahmad at-Tijani (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih, may Allahu ta'ala bless him), who was born in Algeria in 1150 A.H. (1737) and died in Morocco in 1230 (1815), was the rehber (guide, leader) of the Tijaniyya way, which was a branch of Khalwatiyya. The book Jawahir al-ma'ani fi faid-i Shaikh Tijani written about this way is famous.


The Wahhabi, too, writes that the superior ones among men, that is, the prophets (salawat-Allahi ta'ala wa taslimatuhu 'Alaihim ajmain) are higher than the superior angels and believes in angels' power and effect, but does not believe that Allahu ta'ala has given the power of disposition and effectiveness to His awliya' (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) as a karama, and calls the people who believe so "mushriks" (polytheists). The scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala), as a karama, realizing even then, refuted them years beforehand. Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi, Sadr ad-din al-Qonawi, Jalal ad-din Rumi and Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi and the aforementioned awliya (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) were the leading ones who, as a karama, foretold these things. This is the reason why the Wahhabis do not like these awliya'.


Hadrat al-Imam ar-Rabbani Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi (quddisa sirruh) wrote in the fiftieth letter of the second volume of his Maktubat:


"Islam has a surface and a real, inner essence. The surface of Islam is firstly to believe and then to obey the orders and prohibitions of Allahu ta'ala. The nafs al-ammara (the headstrong, unregenerate self) of a person who has attained the surface of Islam is in denial and disobedience. The belief (iman) of this person is on the surface of belief. The salat he performs is the appearance of salat. His fast and other kinds of worship ('ibada) are also of that grade. The reason is that the basis of the existence of man is the nafs al-ammara. When he says 'I,' he refers to his nafs. So his nafs has not attained iman, has not believed. Could the belief and worship of such people be real and right? Since Allahu ta'ala is very merciful, He accepts the attainment of the facade. He announces the good news that He will put into Paradise those with whom He is pleased. It is a great benevolence of His that He accepts the belief of the heart and does not lay down a condition that the nafs also should believe. However, there are the surface and also the real essence of the blessings of Paradise. Those who attain the surface of Islam will get a share from what is the facade of Paradise, and those who attain the reality of Islam in this world will get the reality of Paradise. Both the one who attains the facade and the one who attains the reality of Islam will eat the same fruit of Paradise, but each will get a different taste. Rasulullah's (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) blessed wives (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhunna) will be with him in Paradise and eat the same fruit, but the taste they will get will be different. If it would not be different, then these blessed wives should have necessarily been higher than all human beings, and, since a wife will be with her husband in Paradise, the wife of every superior person should have been superior like him.


"The one who attains the surface of Islam, if he obeys it, will be saved in the next world. In other words, he has attained the status of common wilaya, that is, the pleasure and love of Allahu ta'ala. The one who has been honored with this status is the one who can join the way of tasawwuf and reach the special wilaya called "Wilayat khassa." He can make his nafs ammara develop into an-nafs al-mutmainna (the tranquil self). It should be known for certain that, in order to make progress in this wilaya, or in the reality of Islam, the surface of Islam should not be abandoned.


"It is the very frequent dhikr of Allahu ta'ala's Name that makes one progress on the way of tasawwuf. The dhikr, too, is an 'ibada ordered in the religion of Islam. It is commended and ordered in ayats and hadiths. It is essential to avoid the prohibitions of Islam to make progress on the way of tasawwuf. Performing the fard (those kinds of worship ordered in the Qur'an al-karim) enables one to make progress on this way. It is an order of Islam, too, that one should look for a rehber who knows tasawwuf and who is able to guide the salik (wayfarer). It is declared in the thirty-eighth ayat of Surat al-Ma'ida, 'look for a wasila [In the 18th article it is clearly explained that a perfect guide is a wasila] to approach Him.' Both the surface and the real essence of Islam are necessary for winning the approval of Allahu ta'ala, because all the excellences of wilaya can be attained by obeying the surface of Islam. And the excellences of prophethood (nubuwwa) are the fruits of the reality of Islam.


"The way leading to wilaya is tasawwuf. It is necessary to extract from the heart the love for everything except Allahu ta'ala to make progress on the way of tasawwuf. If the heart becomes oblivious of everything by the benevolence of Allahu ta'ala, fana' results, and the sair-i ila'llah is completed. Then the journey called 'sair-i fi 'illah' begins, at the end of which occurs the desired status of baqa'. Thus the reality of Islam is attained. The noble person who attains this status is called 'wali,' which means the person whom Allahu ta'ala is pleased with and loves. An-nafs al-ammara becomes mutmainna (tranquil, subdued) at this stage. The nafs gives up kufr and resigns itself to the qada' and qadar of Allahu ta'ala and pleases Him. It begins to comprehend itself. It gets redeemed from the illness of haughtiness and arrogance. Most of the superiors of tasawwuf said that the nafs could not become free of disobedience to Allahu ta'ala even after attaining tranquillity. Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) said on his return from a ghaza, 'We return from the small jihad. We begin the great jihad.' The 'great jihad' has been interpreted as jihad against an-nafs al-ammara. This faqir, myself [al-Imam ar-Rabbani], does not take it in that sense. I say no disobedience or evil is left when the nafs attains tranquillity. The nafs, too, like the heart, forgets everything, sees nothing but Allahu ta'ala. It becomes indifferent to position, rank, property and even to their sweet and sour tastes. It has been crushed and has become sort of nonexistent. It has sacrificed itself for Allahu ta'ala. The 'great jihad' mentioned in the hadith ash-Sharif is probably the jihad against the physical, chemical and biological desires of the substances constituting the body. Both shahwa, that is, lust or violent desire, and ghadab, that is, fright or scruple, are material passions. Animals do not have nafs, but these malignant inclinations exist in animals, too. It is due to the properties of substances in the body that animals have lust, anger and inordinate inclinations [all called natural inclinations or instincts]. Human beings should perform jihad against these inclinations. The tranquillity of the nafs does not rescue man from these evils. Jihad against them is very beneficial. It helps the purification of the body.


"Al-Islam al-haqiqi (the Real Islam) falls to one's lot when one's nafs gets subdued. Then real iman is attained. Any kind of worship performed is real: salat, fast and hajj are all in their real value.


"As it is seen, tasawwuf (or 'way') or haqiqa (reality) is the passage between the surface and the inner part of Islam. The one who has not attained Wilayat khassa cannot get redeemed from being a metaphoric Muslim, cannot attain the Real Islam.


"The one who has attained the reality of Islam and has been honored with the Real Islam begins to take shares from the excellences of prophethood. He becomes an object of the good news declared in the hadith, 'The Ulama' are the Prophets' heirs.' The excellences of prophethood are the fruits of the reality of Islam as the excellences of wilaya are the fruits of the surface of Islam. The excellences of wilaya are the appearances of the excellences of prophethood.


"The difference between the surface and the reality of Islam, consequently, arises from the nafs. And the difference between the excellences of wilaya and those of prophethood comes from the substances in the body. In the excellences of wilaya, substances obey what their physical, chemical and biological properties dictate; extra energy causes excessiveness, and substances long for food. For obtaining these needs, insolent absurdities are committed. In the excellences of prophethood, such absurdities come to an end. In the hadith ash-Sharif, 'My devil became Muslim,' probably this state of consciousness is expressed, for there is a devil in man as there is one outside of him. Excess energy leads man astray and makes him arrogant, and this is the worst of the bad habits. By getting rid of these evils, nafs becomes Muslim. In the excellences of prophethood, there is belief both by heart and by nafs, and also regularity and equilibrium of the substances present in the body. It is after the establishment of the equilibrium of matter and energy in the body that nafs gets subdued completely. After tranquillity, it cannot return to malignity. All these superior qualities are based on Islam. A tree cannot be without roots no matter how much it branches out or how fruitful it is. Obedience to Allahu ta'ala's orders and prohibitions is essential in every excellence."


It is seen that the author of the book, because he knows nothing of tasawwuf, maligns the awliya' (qaddas-Allahu ta'ala asrarahum al-'aziz) and thinks that they are outside of Islam.





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DO MUSLIMS WORSHIP AWLIYA? (AL USUL AL-ARBA'A)



4 - It is written on page 108:


"Men of tasawwuf are in polytheism and disbelief. The murid (disciple) worships his shaikh (guide). Ash-Sharani's books are full of this kind of disbelief. They deify and worship the tombs of Husain, his father, his children and of ash-Shafi'i, Abu Hanifa and 'Abd al-Qadir al-Geilani ."


In the third part of the Persian book Al-usul al-arba'a fi tardidi 'l-Wahhabiyya, [Written in Persian in India in 1346 (1928) and published in Pakistan. The author, Hakim al-Ummat Khwaja Muhammad Hasan Jan Sahib, was a descendant of al-Imam ar-Rabbani (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala). Second edition was produced in Istanbul, in 1395 (1975). The book Tariq an-najat by the same author answers the bid'a groups. It is in Arabic and was published with its Urdu translation in Pakistan in 1350 and reproduced by photo-offset in Istanbul in 1396 (1976 A.D..] it is written:


"Those who believe so claim that it is grave polytheism to call by name someone who is absent (gha'ib). In this context, they mean that if one calls even Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), thinking that his blessed soul is present (hadir), one becomes a polytheists. Ash-Shawkani of Yaman, too, wrote in his Durr an-nadid, 'It is kufr to esteem graves and to ask help [of the dead] by visiting graves.' And in his Tathir al-itiqad, he said, 'He who calls to the dead or the living absentees, whether they be angels, prophets or walis, becomes a polytheist.' The la-madhhabi assert two different opinions on this subject: if one, without thinking that he [the Prophet] would hear but because he loves him, says, 'Ya Rasul-Allah!' he does not become a polytheist; if he says so with the belief that he will hear him, he becomes a disbeliever. We should ask these people who regard the actions of the Salaf as-salihin (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) as polytheism and Muslims as polytheists: what do you mean by 'gha'ib'? If you mean 'Anything we do not see is gha'ib,' it would be polytheism for you, too, to say 'Ya Allah!' In fact, you do not believe even the fact that Allahu ta'ala will be seen in Paradise. If you mean 'Gha'ib means nonexistent,' how can you say 'nonexistent' for the souls of prophets ('alaihimu 's-salawatu wa 't-taslimat) and awliya' (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala)? We have already proven in the second part of our book that souls do exist. If you say, 'We believe in the existence, perception and consciousness of souls [that they hear and understand], but we do not believe that they posses tasarruf (ability to do, to act),' Allahu ta'ala refutes these words in the fifth ayat of the Surat an-Nazi'at, 'I take an oath on those who do hard work.' Many 'ulama' of tafsir, for example, al-Baidawi in his Tafsir [and in its commentary by Shaikhzada, in Tafsir-i 'Azizi, in the tafsir Ruh al-bayan and in Tafsir-i Husaini], wrote that this ayat declared that the souls of angels and walis did work. The soul (ruh) is not material and, therefore, like angels and by the order and permission of Allahu ta'ala, does work in this world. In various ayats of the Qur'an al-karim, angels are reported to be doing work, annihilating or acting as means in killing or bringing back to life. Satans and genies, too, do hard work easily. The Qur'an al-karim narrates the help done by genies to the Prophet Sulaiman ('alaihi 's-salam), for example, in the thirteenth ayat of the Surat Saba', 'The genies did whatever he wanted - made a fortress, picture, large cauldrons and [earthenware] pots [so heavy] that could not be lifted up.' Genies, though they are not as perfect and as strong as angels and souls, can then do great work. There are many invisible things in this world which do work that cannot be managed by human power. For example, the air, which is very light and invisible, when it blows as a gale or whirlwind, uproots trees and demolishes building. [Electricity, atoms, laser rays and electromagnetic waves are able to produce tremendous work even though they are invisible to the eye even through the most powerful microscope.] We do not see the powers of the evil eye and magic or witchcraft and the like, but everybody has heard of their bewildering results. Allahu ta'ala is no doubt the only doer of all that is done. But, because all these are the causes or means for Allahu ta'ala's doing or creating, we think that they do and say that they do. Since it is not polytheism or disbelief to say 'they do', why should it be polytheism to say, 'The souls of awliya' do'? As 'they' do work by Allahu ta'ala's permission and with His creating, the souls of awliya', also do things by Allahu ta'ala's permission and creating. If one says that it is polytheism to say 'they do', he, in fact, will have contradicted the Qur'an al-karim.


"If this person claims that the Qur'an al-karim says that the genies, Satans, the hair and magic are effective, and therefore it is permissible to say 'these do,' and that since the Qur'an al-karim does not say that the souls of awliya' do such and such work, it is polytheism to ask anything from souls, we remind him of the above-quoted ayat karima of the Surat an-Nazi'at. We have already told about the prayer said in a hadith ash-Sharif to the blind Muslim who wanted to gain his sight, and the prayer which is to be read when alone in the desert, and the command, 'While visiting graves, greet the dead!' and the event narrated by 'Uthman ibn Hunain (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) in the preceding article. All these and many other similar documents evidence that it is permissible to ask help of an absentee. But this person puts the stamp of daif or mawdu' to these mashhur and sahih hadiths, and does not even listen to the words of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat and prominent leaders of tasawwuf, for he says that following any of the four madhhabs is polytheism and disbelief. For example, Ghulam 'Ali Qusuri wrote in his Tahqiq al-kalam: 'Those who follow one of the four madhhabs or belong to the Qadariyya, Chishtiyya or Suhrawardiyya Tariqa are disbelievers, polytheists and ahl al-bidat.' " [Please see the 8th and 35th articles for further discussion.]





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DO MUSLIMS WORSHIP TOMBS?



5 - He quotes the hadith ash-Sharif, "The lives and property of those who say, 'La ilaha illa'llah,' and do not worship anything other than Allahu ta'ala are haram," and says on page 111:


"Saying only the kalimat at-tawhid cannot save one's blood and possessions. Those who worship tombs and the dead are in this group. They are worse than the pre-Islamic polytheists mentioned in the Qur'an al-karim."


Some people, putting forward the ayat, "Kill polytheists wherever you find them," as a reason, want to kill Muslims and plunder their possessions. They quote the words of disbelief and polytheism of the Khurufis and of the ignoramuses and attack tasawwuf and the superior authorities on tasawwuf. Quoting the hadiths condemning those who worship trees, stones or graves, they say that it is polytheism or disbelief to build tombs on graves and to visit graves.


It is certainly polytheism to regard a stone, a tree or an unknown grave as a means of blessing. But it is stupidity and ignorance to liken to it visiting the graves of the prophets ('alaihimu 's-salawatu wa 't-taslimat) and awliya' (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) with the intention of getting enlightenment and blessings through their baraka (holiness) from Allahu ta'ala. Moreover, it is to set disunion among Muslims to accuse millions of Muslims -because of this- of disbelief and polytheism.


The profound scholar Sulaiman ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab an-Najdi (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), the author of As-sawa'iq al-ilahiyya fi 'r-raddi 'ala 'l-Wahhabiyya, [First published by Nukhbat al-Akbar press in Baghdad in 1306 A.H.. Second edition was produced by photo-offset in Istanbul, 1395 (1975).] was the brother of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism. He proved with documents that the path opened in the name of Wahhabism by his brother was heretical. He wrote on page 44 of his book:


"One of the documents showing that your path is heretical is the hadith ash-Sharif written in Sahihain, the two genuine hadith books, one by al-Bukhari and the other by Muslim. 'Uqba ibn Amir (radi-Allahu 'anh), the relater of the hadith ash-Sharif, said, 'Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), ascended the minbar. It was the last time I saw him on the minbar. He declared: "I do not fear whether you will become polytheists after I die. I fear that you, because of worldly interests, will kill one another and thus be destroyed like ancient tribes." ' Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) foretold all that would happen to his umma till the Resurrection. This sahih hadith states that his umma will never worship idols, that he was assured of it. This hadith ash-Sharif demolishes Wahhabism by the roots, for the Wahhabite book claims that the Ummat al-Muhammadiyya worship idols, that Muslim countries are full of idols, that tombs are idol-houses. It says that one also becomes a disbeliever by not believing that he who expects help or intercession at shrines is a disbeliever. However, Muslims have visited graves and asked the mediation and intercession of awliya' for centuries. No Islamic scholars have called such Muslims polytheists; they regarded them as Muslims.


"Question: A hadith ash-Sharif says, "Of all that will befall you, polytheism is the one I fear most." What would you say about that?'


"Answer: It is inferred from other hadiths that this hadith ash-Sharif alludes to shirk asghar (venial polytheism, see below). All similar hadiths related by Shaddan ibn Aws, Abu Huraira and Mahmud ibn LAbid (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum) state that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) feared that shirk asghar would be committed by his umma. It has happened as it was told in the hadiths, and many Muslims have fallen into shirk asghar. You confuse shirk asghar with shirk akbar (the greatest polytheism), thus accuse Muslims of disbelief and regard those believers who do not call Muslim 'disbelievers' as disbelievers."


On page 451 of the book Al-Hadiqa, the hadith ash-Sharif, "Oh Mankind! Avoid that very occult polytheism!" is explained and remarked: "This kind of polytheism is to see the causes (sababs) only and not to think that Allahu ta'ala creates. To believe that the causes create the work is to attribute them as partners to Allahu ta'ala. It is called shirk jali (open, apparent polytheism) to attribute things seen or thought as partners of Him. And it is shirk khafi (occult polytheism) to believe that things considered as causes by Islam, reason or customs create." Hadrat 'Abd al-Haqq ad-Dahlawi says on page fifty of his work AShiat al-lama'at, "It is shirk akbar to worship idols. This is the kind of polytheism that causes kufr (disbelief). Shirk asghar is to perform rites and do goodness hypocritically. This minor polytheism does not make one a disbeliever." These two kinds of polytheism are of shirk jali.


The above hadith ash-Sharif quoted from Al-Hadiqa does not say that it is polytheism to ask something from souls and the dead. It means that it is polytheism to believe, while making use of the causes, that is, while asking something from human beings or using visible or invisible things, that the resultant work is done by the causes. It is polytheism, or the attribution of it as a partner to Allahu ta'ala, to believe that a living or lifeless cause is able to create or do whatever he or it wishes; with such a belief in mind, to ask something from the cause means to worship it. To make use of a cause with the belief that not the cause but Allahu ta'ala will create is not to worship it but to hold to it as a means. When Muslims want something from the living or the dead, from the present or the absent, they do not believe that their wish will be granted by these things themselves. Holding to the causes, they expect their wish from Allahu ta'ala and believe that He will create. Therefore, Muslims' asking something from souls and the dead does not mean that they worship them or regard them as beings to be worshiped. Allahu ta'ala creates everything through a cause or means and commands us to hold fast to using causes. For this reason, we hold to the associated cause for attaining what we wish. Holding to the causes is neither polytheism nor a sin. Expecting from the causes is polytheism. It is shirk akbar to expect from them with the belief that they can create whatever wished, and it is shirk khafi to expect from them with the belief that they will create with the power given by Allahu ta'ala. It is conformable to Islam to expect a wish not from the causes but from Allahu ta'ala and to believe that not they but only Allahu ta'ala will create. This is how Muslims request something of the dead and souls. Such lawful requesting is called tawassul or istighatha.


To know whether a person who requests something from a dead or living person worships him or makes tawassul of him, we examine whether he does something unconformable to Islam when he requests. If he does, that is, if he commits a haram or omits a fard with a view to pleasing him, it can be concluded that he worships him. As it is seen, the Wahhabis who, while requesting something from living people, act unconformably to Islam to please them become polytheists. However, those Muslims who make tawassul without doing anything unconformable to Islam carry out Allahu ta'ala's command; that is, they hold to the causes. Of those who call these Muslims polytheists, the ones who do so without a tawil become polytheists. If one does something unconformable to Islam to satisfy the desires of his nafs, he will have worshiped his nafs. However, our religion does not define worshiping one's nafs as polytheism; that is, it makes one not a disbeliever but a sinner.










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THE ORIGIN OF TASAWWUF



7 - On page 126, he says,


"It is seen that tasawwuf, at its early stage, was planned by Indian Jews. It was adopted from the ancient Greeks. For this reason, they [mutasawwifs] disunited and broke Muslims into groups."


Also Mawdudi, a Pakistani la-madhhabi, disseminates the above-quoted words in his book The Revivalist Movement in Islam. Heretical people, in order to attain their desires and selfish advantages, put on attire which is deemed valuable and virtuous in the society. It is not difficult for wise, learned people to recognize such corrupt men and to distinguish them from the good. But an ignorant person believes them and, regarding those who have put on the attire of mutasawwif as real sufists, thinks that the superiors of tasawwuf were also like these "false sufists" and attempts to blame the great authorities of tasawwuf. Muslims should be able to distinguish the truth from falsehood and should not blame the great men of tasawwuf.


Imam Muhammad Mathum al-Faruqi (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih), who was a specialist in tasawwuf, great alim and leader of the awliya' of his time, wrote in the fifty-ninth letter of the second volume of his Maktubat:


"All the outward and spiritual perfections have been attained through Muhammad Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). The orders and prohibitions, which are outward, have been transmitted to us through the books written by our aimmat al-madhhahib. And the hidden knowledge pertaining to the heart and soul have been conducted through the great men of tasawwuf. It is written in the Sahih of al-Bukhari that Abu Huraira (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) said, 'I filled two cups from Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). I have explained the contents of one of them. You would kill me if I disclosed the other.' It is also written in the Sahih of al-Bukhari that when 'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) died, his son 'Abdullah (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) said that nine-tenths of knowledge had died and, seeing that the listeners were confused, added that he meant not the knowledge of fiqh but the knowledge of knowing Allahu ta'ala. All the paths of tasawwuf come from Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). The superiors of tasawwuf have attained the ma'arif emanating from the blessed heart of Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) through their rehbers in every century. Tasawwuf was not made up by Jews or mutasawwifs. Indeed the terms fana', baqa', jadhba, suluk and sair-i ila'llah, which were used for attainments on the way of tasawwuf, were first used by the great leaders of tasawwuf. It is written in Nafakhat that Abu Said al-Harraz (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) was the first one who used the terms fana' and baqa'. Then ma'arif of tasawwuf came from Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). The names for these ma'arif were given later. It is written in many books that, before he was notified of his prophethood, he had performed dhikr by heart. Tawajjuh (thinking deeply) towards Allahu ta'ala, the dhikrs of nafi (negation) and ithbat (affirmation) and muraqaba (mediation) existed during the time of Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) and the as-Sahabat al-kiram (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum ajmain), too. Although the above terms had not been heard from Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), his frequent reticencies showed that he had those ahwal (pl. of hal, spiritual state). He declared, 'A little tafakkur is more beneficial than the 'ibadat of a thousand years.' 'Tafakkur' means '(exercise of) discarding absurd thoughts and meditating on the Reality.' Khidir ('alaihi 's-salam) taught 'Abd al-Khaliq al-Ghunjdawani (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih) that mutasawwifs should perform dhikr by repeating the kalimat at-tawhid.


"Question: If the ma'arif of tasawwuf had come from Rasulullah, there should not have been any differentiation. Contrarily, there are various branches of tasawwuf. Why are the ahwal and ma'arif in each of them different?"


"Answer: This difference is due to the difference in men's abilities and the conditions they are in. For example, though there may be a specific remedy for a disease, the prognosis and medical treatment varies with the patient. It is like the difference between photographs of a person taken by different photographers. Every perfection has been taken from Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). There have been small differences due to power and manner of reception. Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) taught the ma'arif, secret sciences, to his companions in different degrees. As a matter of fact, he declared in a hadith ash-Sharif, 'Tell each person as much as he can understand!' One day while he was imparting some subtle knowledge to Hadrat Abu Bakr, Hadrat 'Umar came in and Rasulullah changed his way of expression. When Hadrat 'Uthman joined in, he did the same again. When Hadrat 'Ali came, he changed the way of his expression again. He spoke in different ways suitably with their talent and nature (radi-Allahu ta'ala anhum ajmain).


"All paths of tasawwuf originated from Hadrat Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh), who was joined to Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) with two lineages, one of which was his paternal way, which reached Rasulullah through Hadrat 'Ali (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh). The second line was his maternal grandfather's pedigree, which was related to Rasulullah through Hadrat Abu Bakr (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh). Because he descended maternally from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and also received faid from Rasulullah through him, Hadrat Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said, 'Abu Bakr as-Siddiq gave me two lives.' These two ways of faid and marifa that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq had did not commingle or intersect. Faid has been flowing through Hadrat Imam to the great Akhrariyya guides from Hadrat Abu Bakr, and to the other silsilas (chains) from Hadrat 'Ali."


[On page 122 of the book, it is written:


"Rasulullah had told Huzaifat ibn al-Yaman the names of munafiqs on their way back from the Tabuk Battle. Huzaifa did not tell these names to anyone lest disunity should arise. As it is obvious, there was no secret knowledge of Huzaifa, as the sufi heretics claim. For, Islam is unhidden and has no secret knowledge."


In this passage, he alleges that the knowledge of tasawwuf was invented by Jews. However, on page 30, it has been said:


"Most of the Sahabis did not know the knowledge Rasulullah had intimated to Muaz ibn Jabal. Rasulullah had told Muaz not to tell it to anybody. Then, it is permitted to conceal knowledge for good and advantageous reasons."


It is obvious that the Wahhabite book lacks coherence. Every part of this book of five hundred pages is full of such similar incongruous, foolish lines. Quoting hundreds of ayats and hadiths, the writer throws dust into eyes and, because he does not know anything about the sciences of tafsir and hadith, goes astray by making up meanings with a swift pen and tries to mislead readers.]


Muhammad Mathum (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih) wrote in his sixty-first letter of the second volume:


"The most valuable and most beneficial thing in this world is to attain the marifa of Allahu ta'ala, that is, to know Him. Allahu ta'ala can be known in two ways. In the first one, one can know Him as the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) communicated. The second one is the understanding of the great men of tasawwuf. The former knowledge can be gained as a result of study and meditation. The second one is attained through kashf and shuhud of the heart. The first one pertains to knowledge ('ilm), which originates from wisdom ('aql) and intelligence, while the second one pertains to a spiritual state (hal) which originates from the origin, the reality. In the first one, there exists an alim as a mediator. In the second, mediation of the 'arif comes to an end, because becoming an 'arif of something means being lost in that thing. This is expressed well in the verse,


Descending and ascending does not make you closer,


To get closer to Haqq means to cease existing!


The former is related to the 'ilm al-khusuli (knowledge attained by studying), and the latter to the 'ilm al-khuduree (knowledge attained through revelation). In the former the nafs has not given up disobedience, while in the latter the nafs has perished and is always with al-Haqq. In the former, iman and 'ibadat are in a superficial form, because the nafs has not become a believer yet. A hadith qudsi declares, 'Be at enmity with your nafs! It bears enmity against Me.' Iman of the heart mentioned above is called the 'iman al-majazi' (metaphoric belief), which may go away. In the latter, because there is no quality of being human left and because the nafs itself has become a believer, iman is protected from being lost, so it is called the 'iman al-haqiqi' (real belief). In this stage 'ibadat are real. The metaphor may be lost, but the reality will not cease existing. This real belief is referred to in the hadith ash-Sharif, 'Oh my Rabb! From You, I want iman the end of which is not disbelief,' and in the 136th ayat of the Surat an-Nisa, 'Oh believers! Believe in Allah and His Rasul.' Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), in order to attain this marifa, although he was at a high degree in knowledge and ijtihad, ran to be in the service of Hadrat Bishr al-Hafi (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala). When he was asked why he kept close to Bishr al-Hafi, he answered, 'He knows Allah better than I do.' [The Wahhabite book, on page 109, writes, "Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal's pedigree links on to that of Rasulullah's at Nizar ibn Mu'adh. He was the most superior scholar of his time in fiqh and hadith. He was at a very high level in wara and in following the Sunna. He was born in Baghdad in 164 and died there in 241 A.H." It is written in Farid ad-din al-Attar's (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) Persian Tadhkirat al-awliya that Ahmad ibn Hanbal attended the lectures of many mashayikhs, for example, Dhu'n-Nun al-Misri's and Bishr al-Hafi's (150-277). A crippled woman sent her son to Imam Ahmad and asked him to pray for her. The Imam performed an ablution (wudu) and salat and prayed. The son found his mother welcoming him at the gate when he returned home. She recovered her health through the blessing of Imam Ahmad's prayer.]


"Al-Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) gave up the work of ijtihad in his last years. He attended Hadrat Jafar as-Sadiq's (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) sohbat for two years. When he was asked why he had done so, he answered, 'Numan [Hadrat al-Imam al-Azam's name was Numan.] would have perished if it weren't for those two years.' Although both the imams [Abu Hanifa and Ahmad ibn Hanbal] were at ultimately high grades in knowledge and 'ibadat, they went to the superiors of tasawwuf and attained marifa and its fruit, iman al-haqiqi. Was there another 'ibada more valuable than ijtihad? Was there a deed superior to teaching and disseminating Islam? Leaving these aside, they clung to, embraced the service of the superiors of tasawwuf, and thus attained marifa.


"The value of a'mal (deeds) and 'ibadat is measured with the degree of iman. The brilliance of 'ibadat depends on the amount of ikhlas. The more perfect iman becomes, the more ikhlas is attained, and deeds become all the more glorious and acceptable. The perfection of iman and completion of ikhlas depends on marifa. Since marifa and real belief depend on the attainment of fana' and death-before-death, the perfection of iman is as much as one's fana'. It must be for this reason that it was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif that Hadrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq's (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) iman was superior to all other Muslims' iman: ' 'Abu Bakr's iman, if weighed against the iman of all my umma, would weigh more,' for he was the most advanced of all the Umma in fana'. The hadith ash-Sharif, 'The one who wants to see a walking corpse must look at Abu Quhafa's son,' confirms this. All the Sahabat al-kiram (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum ajmain) had attained to the degree of fana'. The preference of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq's fana' in this hadith shows that his degree of fana' was very high."


Imam Muhammad Mathum (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) declares in the 106th letter of the second volume:


"Repeat the beautiful word 'La ilaha illa'llah' many, many times! Perform this dhikr with your heart! This blessed word is very beneficial in clearing the heart. Everything but Allahu ta'ala is annihilated when half of this beautiful word is uttered, and the existence of the true mabud (who is worshiped) is announced when the remaining half is said. And sair and suluk, that is, advance on the way of tasawwuf, are for attaining these two. It was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif, 'The most valuable word is La ilaha illa'llah.' Do not be in the company of many people! Worship much! Cling tightly to Rasulullah's Sunnat! Avoid bidat' and men of bidat' very much! Both the good and the wicked can do good deeds, but solely the Siddiqs abstain from bad things.


"You question whether it is malign for the wayfarer on the way of tasawwuf to wear very expensive clothes obtained in a halal way. The things in the hands or on the body of the one whose heart has attained to the degree of fana' and has no interest in anything except Allahu ta'ala do not prevent his heart from the dhikr. His heart has no relation with his exterior organs. Even his sleep is not an obstacle to his heart's work. It is not so with the one who has not been able to attain to the degree of fana', and his exterior, visible organs, do have a connection with his heart. However, it cannot be said that his wearing new, expensive clothes is an obstacle to his heart's work. Great guides of Islam, the imams of Ahl al-Bait, al-Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa and 'Abd al-Qadir al-Geilani (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) wore very expensive clothes. The books Khazanat ar-riwaya, Matalib al-Muminin and Dhahira report that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) wore a jubba (long gown with full sleeves) which was worth a thousand dirhams of silver. He was seen performing salat wearing a jubba worth four thousand dirhams. Al-Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) advised his disciples to wear new and valuable clothes. Hadrat Abu Said al-khudri was asked what his opinion about changes and new practices in eating, drinking and dressing was. He said that all were means to show Allahu ta'ala's favor when they were done with halal money and not for ostentation or with hypocrisy.




"Love for anything other than Allahu ta'ala is of two kinds. The first kind is the love for a creature through the heart and body and the desire to obtain it. Such is the love of the ignorant. It is for the purpose of redeeming the heart from this love that one endeavors on the way of tasawwuf. Thus, solely the love for Allahu ta'ala remains in the heart and one gets redeemed from occult polytheism. It is thus seen that tasawwuf is necessary for a person to get rid of occult polytheism. It is a means to attain the iman ordered in the ayat, 'O believers! Do believe!' The divine order in the 120th ayat of the Surat al-Anam, 'Give up the sins which are performed overtly with the organs or with the heart!' shows that it is necessary to unfasten the heart from its interest in everything but Allahu ta'ala. What kind of goodness could be expected of a heart in love with something other than Him? In Allahu ta'ala's sight, there is no value or importance in a soul that yearns for someone other than Him.


"The second kind of love is that in which solely the organs' love or wish is involved. The heart and soul, having already been devoted to Allahu ta'ala, know none but Him. This sort of love is called the 'mail tabii' (instinct). This love is only of the body. It does not smear the heart or soul. It arises from the properties and needs of substances and energy in the body. Love of this kind for creatures might exist in those who have attained fana' and baqa' and in the awliya' (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) of high status. In fact, it exists in all of them. Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) liked cool and sweet sherbets. The hadith ash-Sharif, 'I was allowed to like three things of your world,' is widely known. The books of Shama'il write that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) liked clothes called 'al-burd al-yamani ' that were made of cotton and linen.


"When the nafs is honored with fana' and attains itminan (tranquillity), it becomes similar to the five latifas, namely the qalb (heart), ruh (soul), sirr (mystery), khafi (the secret) and akhfa (the most secret). And at this state of the nafs, jihad is made only against the evil desires of the substances and thermal and kinetic energy of the body. A hadith ash-Sharif declares, 'What is perceived through the sense organs affects [those who have] clean hearts and also cleansed nafses.' The effect on other people can be inferred accordingly.


"You ask whether it is permissible to eat what the following people might offer or to go to their houses: bidat-committer, bribe-taker, cheater (fraud), sinner. It is better not to eat and not to go. In fact, it is necessary for those who are on the way of tasawwuf to avoid them. It is permissible in case of necessity. It is haram to eat something which is known to be haram. It is halal to eat anything known to be halal. If it is not known whether it is halal or haram, it will be better not to eat it.


"Question: 'Is tasawwuf a bidat? Was it invented by Jews?'


"Answer: It is one of the orders of Islam to try to know Allahu ta'ala and, for this purpose, to look for and obey a rehber who knows and teaches the way of tasawwuf. Allahu ta'ala declared, 'look for a wasila to attain to Him!' The disciples' receiving faid and marifa from the rehber has been done and known by every Muslim since the time of Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). It is not something introduced later by leaders of tasawwuf. Every rehber has held on to the rehber who has guided him. This chain of attachment goes back up to Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam). The chain of connection of the superiors of the Akhrariyya reaches him through Hadrat Abu Bakr (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh). And chains of other branches reach through Hadrat 'Ali (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh). Can this be called a bidat? Although such terms as murshid and murid were introduced later, names or words are of no particular importance. Even if these words did not exist, their meanings and the hearts' attachment would exist. [The Wahhabite book, too, says that not words but meanings should be taken into account.] The common fundamental job of all branches of tasawwuf is to teach how to do the dhikr, which is a command of our religion. The silent performance of a dhikr is more valuable than the vocal. 'The dhikr that the hafaza angels cannot hear is seventy times as valuable as that which the hafaza hear,' was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif. The dhikr commended in the hadith ash-Sharif is that performed by the qalb (heart) and the other latifas. It is written in valuable books that Rasulullah performed dhikr by the qalb before he was notified of the prophethood. Saying that tasawwuf is a bidat and that it was made up by Jews is like saying that it is a bidat to read the hadith book of al-Bukhari or the fiqh book Al-hidaya."

 

Muhammad Mathum al-Faruqi (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) wrote in the 36th letter of the second volume of his Maktubat:



The leader of the tasawwuf way (school) named Khwajaghan is 'Abd al-Khaliq al-Ghunjdawani (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala). The jadhba (attraction) of qayyumiyya peculiar to this way came to him from Hadrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh). And he taught the way of obtaining this jadhba. This way is called wuquf-i 'adadi and consists in the dihkr khafi, which again comes from Hadrat Abu Bakr. The second way, named jadhba ma'iyya, begun with Baha' ad-din al-Bukhari (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala). 'Ala ad-din al-'Attar (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), the qutb of his time, established the conditions for the attainment of this jadhba. These conditions were called the Tariqa-i 'Ala'iyya. It has been reported that the shortest way [that makes one attain in the least time] is 'Ala'iyya." [It is also called the Ahrariyye because Ubaid-Allah al-Ahrari (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), who passed away in Samarkand in 895 (1490 A.D.), disseminated the way of his master Ala ad-din al-Attar.]



Muhammad Mathum (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) wrote in the 158th letter of the second volume:



"For attaining saada (salvation), two things should be achieved. Firstly, the batin, that is, the heart, should be rescued from being fond of creatures. Secondly, the zahir, that is, the body, should be embellished by holding fast to the al-Ah'kam al-Islamiyya (the Rules of Islam). These two blessings are easily attained in the sohbat of the masters of tasawwuf. It is difficult to attain them by other means. In order to be able to hold fast to Islam, to carry out 'ibadat easily and to keep away from the prohibitions, the nafs has to become fani (resign itself). The nafs has been created as ferocious, disobedient and arrogant. Unless is saved from these evils, the reality (haqiqa) of Islam does not occur. Before resignation or tranquility, there is the surface or appearance of Islam. After the tranquility of the nafs, the reality of Islam occurs. The difference between the appearance and the reality is similar to that between the earth and the sky. The followers of the appearance attain to the appearance of Islam while those of the reality attain to the reality of Islam. The belief of the 'awam (the laity, ignoramuses) is called iman majazi (figurative belief). This belief may be defiled and vanish. The belief of the khawas (scholars, the people of the reality) is protected from fading away and from being spoilt. This real belief is indicated in the order, 'Oh the believers! Believe in Allah and His Prophet!' in the 135th ayat of the Surat an-Nisa."



Muhammad Mathum (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) wrote in the 16th letter of the third volume:



"Statements such as, 'Everything is Him. The word Allah is the name of everything. It is like the name Zaid indicating human being; whereas, each of his organs has a different name. Then, where is Zaid? He is nowhere. And Allahu ta'ala is seen in every being. Therefore, it is permissible to call everything Allah. Beings are all appearances. Their annihilation is also a kind of appearance. In reality, there is nothing that becomes non-existent,' express not believing in the One Being but in many beings, and this is not compatible with what the superiors of tasawwuf have said. By such statements, Allahu ta'ala is claimed to be in the material world, meaning that He is not a distinct being and needs His creatures for His existence and for the existence of His attributes. He is likened to the existence of compounds which are in need of the existence of elements. And this is disbelief in Allahu ta'ala and is frank kufr (unbelief). It is necessary to believe that the existence of Allahu ta'ala is distinct from the existence of the material and spiritual worlds. In other words, the Wajib (the Indispensable Being, the Creator) and the mumkin (the dispensable, the creation) are two distinct beings. There is distinction in every case where there is dichotomy. If someone argues, saying, 'If the 'alam (everything other than Allahu ta'ala) existed in reality, then there would be no dichotomy. The existence of the 'alam is in appearance,' we answer that the Really Existent Being does not unite with the imaginary one. That is, one cannot say, 'Everything is Him.' If, by saying so, one means to say, 'Everything is non-existent; He is the only One who exists,' then it is correct. Yet, it would have been expressed not plainly but figuratively. It is similar to one's saying, 'I saw Zaid,' upon seeing Zaid's image in the mirror [or on the television screen]. Saying these not in the figurative sense but in the plain sense is like saying 'lion' to a donkey. [Similarly, it is incorrect to say that the sound from a radio or a loudspeaker is the voice of the speaker.] A lion is different from a donkey. It cannot be written in words that the two are the same one. The superiors of tasawwuf who taught Wahdat al-wujud did not say, 'The Real Being is in the creatures. He does not exist separately'; they said, 'The creatures are His manifestations, appearances.' Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi and his followers (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) said 'Hama-ust,' that is, 'everything is Him,' in this sense.



"The statement, 'The 'alam has come as such, and so it will go on,' implies that the world is Qadim (eternal). Believing such is kufr and is a denial of the fact that the 'alam will become non-existent. The Qur'an al-karim openly declares that everything will be annihilated. Among those who say that they believe in the annihilation and resurrection of human beings, there are some who say. '[The bodies of] human beings are made of earthen material. They transform into earth [water and gas] after death. These materials are transferred to plants, and then to animals, and, by being eaten by human beings, are transformed into flesh, bone and semen; thus other human beings come about. This is how the resurrection or re-creation of human beings takes place.' [Of course, the transformation of substances as mentioned here is true. Such is Allahu ta'ala's Divine Rule. But] saying that this is how human beings are re-created means a denial of Qiyama (Doomsday), Nashr (Resurrection) and Hashr (assembling for the Judgement). It has been openly stated in the Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif that the Last Day will come, that he dead will rise from their graves, that all living beings will be assembled in a large square, that the deed-books will be brought forward, that there will be reckoning, that the Balance will be set up, and that the believers will pass the Sirat Bridge and go into Paradise while the unbelievers will fall into Hell to remain in eternal torture. The denial of that day is unbelief, apostasy and atheism.



"Statements such as, 'The well-known salat (ritual prayers) has been ordered for ignorant people. The worship for the pure, exalted human beings is dhikr and tefekkur (contemplating Allahu ta'ala). All particles of the human body and everything are always busy with dhikr and worship. This is the way it is, even if man does not comprehend it. Islam has been sent for those with little wisdom. Thus, their mischief-making has been prevented,' are the words of the very ignorant with little wisdom. Our Prophet (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) declared that salat is a pillar of Islam. He said, 'He who performs salat has constructed the building of his faith. He who does not perform salat has demolished his faith. Salat is the miraj of the believer.' He felt at ease and peace in salat. The closeness in salat cannot be found in anything else; it was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif: 'The curtain between Allah and man is removed only during salat.' Every perfection can be reached by following al-Ah'kam al-Islamiyya (The Rules of Islam). He who departs from these rules, that is, the orders and prohibitions, deviates off the right track. He cannot attain to happiness. The Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif order that these rules should be followed. The right path is that shown by the Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif. Other paths are the paths of devils. 'Abdullah ibn Masud said, 'Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) drew a straight line. He said, "This is the only right path that leads man to the pleasure of Allahu ta'ala." Then, drawing slanting lines to the right and left of this line [like branches of a fishbone], he said, "And these are the paths of devils. The devil one each path calls one to it." Then he recited the ayat al-karima, "This is My right path. Come to [follow] it!" '



"The teachings revealed unanimously by prophets ('alaihimu 's-salam) and conveyed to us by the 'ulama' of Islam cannot be destroyed by the imagination of any one. It is unbelief and atheistic to say that the Rules of Islam are intended for the retrogressive. May Allahu ta'ala protect both us and you from believing such words! Amin."



Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih), who was the mujaddid of the fourteenth century of the Hegira, the refuge of the lovers of al-Haqq, the treasure of the Zahiri and batini knowledge, the indisputable proof of awliya', the master of 'arifin, the leader of muhaqqiqin, the elect of 'ubbad, the guide of rasikhin, the apple of Muslims' eyes, the expert in tasawwuf, the heir of Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), and whose books are documents and whose speeches were full of wisdom, wrote very concisely the definition, history, subject and terminology of tasawwuf in his Turkish work Ar-riyadu 't-tasawwufiyya. [Published by the Harbiyye Mektebi Matbaasi in Istanbul in 1341 (1923 A.D.).] He wrote in the preface:



"Since there is no superiority more honorable and more valuable than having attended the sohbat of our Prophet (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), those who had attained to that honor were called the Sahaba. Those who came after them were called the Tabiin because they followed (tabi') them in practice, and those who followed them were called Atba' at-Tabiin. After them, those who excelled in religious affairs were called zuhhad and 'ubbad. Thereafter, bidat' increased and every group called their leader zahid and 'abid. Those who were in the group of Ahl as-Sunnat protected their hearts from ghafla (forgetfulness of Allahu ta'ala) and secured the obedience of their nafses to Allahu ta'ala. This state of theirs was called tasawwuf while such a Muslim was called a sufi (Persian Sufi). These terms were first used at the end of the second century of the Hegira. The first one who was called a sufi was Abu Hashim Sufi of Kufa (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala). He was engaged in irshad (enlightenment, initiation) in Damascus and passed away in 115. He was the ustadh (master) of Sufyan ath-Thawri (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), who passed away in Basra in 161 (778 A.D.). Sufyan said, 'If Abu Hashim Sufi had not been, I would not have known the Rabbani (Divine) realities. I had not known what tasawwuf was before I saw him.' The first tekke was constructed for Abu Hashim in Ramlah city. The saying, 'Breaking mountains into dust using a needle is easier than removing haughtiness from the heart,' belongs to him. He frequently said, 'I take refuge in Allah from useless knowledge.'



"The men of tasawwuf have been honored with a branch of knowledge in addition to that of the other scholars of Islam. This knowledge of theirs is the expression of the dhawq resulting from their combating with their nafses. When the branches of knowledge were begun to be transferred from the heart to written form, the superiors of the men of tasawwuf also began writing on this branch of knowledge. Haris ibn Asad al-Muhasibee (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), who passed away in Basra in 241 (855 A.D.), gave extensive information on wara' and taqwa in his book Kitab ar-Ri'aya. Imam 'Abd al-Karim al-Quishayri (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), who passed away in Nishapur in 376 (987 A.D. ), in his well-known Ar-risala, and Shihab ad-din 'Umar as-Suhrawardi (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), who passed away in 632 (1234), in his 'Awarif al-Ma'arif, have given information on the rules of Tariqa and the wajd (ecstasy) and ahwal (states). Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih) explained in detail these two groups of teachings in his book Ihya'.



"As it is seen, the beginning of tasawwuf goes back to the beginning of the prophethood (nubuwwa, risala). The knowledge of tasawwuf is the product of understanding the realities of the heavenly religions. The marifas of Wahdat al-Wujud, which is a part of tasawwuf, should not be confused with the wahda which was deduced by the Buddhists and the Jews through reason and austerities. The former consists of the marifas comprehended through dhawq while the latter consists of the fancies produced by the mind. The heedless who have not tasted this dhawq think that the two are the same."



[Allahu ta'ala declares in the Surat adh-Dhariyat, "I have created genies and men so that they should perform 'ibada [for Me]." And 'ibadat, in its turn, will cause qurb and marifa. This means to say that men are commanded to become awliya', which is possible by observing the nafila (supererogatory) 'ibadat together with the fard ones and keeping away from the holders of bidat. The duties practiced on the way of tasawwuf are the 'ibadat which are nafila. Ikhlas, which is a condition for the acceptance of the fards, is attainable by doing these duties. The above-given information clearly shows that the Wahhabis' statement, "Tasawwuf has been adapted from Jews and ancient Greeks," is an atrocious lie and slander.]

http://www.hizmetbooks.org/Advice_for_the_Muslim/

 

if you have read the last texts carefully, then there must be no doubt about the matter... if u havent read them, pls dont ask me any more questions... its a waste of time then.
selamaleykum...

 

i can't find the replies for my questions in your replies !

for example, i asked about how you say that Muhammed peace be upon him is the reason for creating worlds ??, Where the answer for that question ?

 

except for that one, all your questions have the answers in the text. the origin of tasawwuf, the reason of the love to the murshid, etc...
i will also give a definite explanation for the love of Muhammed(pbuh) very soon. but as ý say before, if your purpose is to beat me and contradict the sufi sayings, then pls dont tire me... you are not worth trying then...pls....we sufis dont have the time to go on useless arguments...
slemaaleykum...may Allah love you and make u meet the lovers of him...

 

ah, one thing more...if you are trying to say that, you dont believe in the tariqats because none of them were ever mentioned by our prophet or by Koran, then i will ask you a question...if you are of ehl-i sunnah vel cemaat, you must probably be following the fýqh of one of the four scholars: hanefiyye, malikiyye, maturidiyye, shafiyye. so let me ask you, will u say they are fake because our prophet and koran never mentioned the name of the four mazhabs..? do u also deny the mazhabs because there were no mazhabs in the time of my prophet. ? if u also deny the four haqq mazhabs, ý really wont continiue with you!!!
while in prayer, ppl make their sajda towards kabe. whats there in kabe? is Allah in kabe? do ppl make sajde to a buýlding, to the walls of a building? of course not...!!! if you think in such a simple way, you can say, who is muhammed, he is merely a messenger.who is the murshid. he is merely a human...no noo....of course they are humans but what they have within makes muslims love them. does this great love mean worshipping? can u say this? didnt the prophet say : one can not be a perfect muslim unless he loves me more than even himself and anything in the world...
sufis love their murshids so much because they feel that he is very close to Allah. thats why they love them so much. but this is not a worshipping hasha... there are much to say but i must be sure that u are sincere... as ý said before if you dont follow the fýqh of any four scholars also, i wont continue. so answer this first. if you dont follow any of them or if u even deny the mazhabs, you are of the 72 heretics as my prophet mentioned in the hadith.
slamaleykum for the time...

 

first, Why "except for that one" ?
second, Where i said that all i want to beat you ??
third, Why you would talk about the love of Muhammed Peace be upon him? did i say that i don't love him ??

Again, i'm waiting for your answers for my questions.

 

Not like you, We ( Ahlu El Sunna ) answer any questions regards Islam.

First, the Four Schools of Feqh, is totally different from the tareeqat
And, the tareeqat are wrong not because their "names" not in quran, but because their "contents" not in quran or Muhammed's Hadiths.

So, As you see .. the Four Schools of Feqh, is only ejtihad from some islam scientists just like "Shafe3i, Ibn Hanbal, Maleki, Hanafi", and these Schools are not regard the believe of muslim, only regard the Feqh, meaning regard the way you woship ALLAH, How to pray, How to fast, .. and so on.

but all of that totally differs from Sufi's tareeqat, as that tareeqat's are regard the believe of the Sufi.

For Example, in many tareeqats Sufi's believe In "Itihad and Hollool", i don't know the translation of that in English.
And the "Refa3eya" tareeqat, doesn't believe in that thing, Sheikh "El Sayed El Refa3ey" [ <- Sheikh of Refa3eya's tareeqat. ] Said.
And, he said that in his last debate with one of the Ahlul Sunnah's Scientists.

i think that the view is clear now about that problem, mean the "Four Schools of Feqh and, Tareeqat".

 

Note: I'm On the Mazhab Of "Shafe3i"

Question: What is your proof about "if you dont follow any of them or if u even deny the mazhabs, you are of the 72 heretics as my prophet mentioned in the hadith." ??

 

first of all i am highly pleased that u follow a haqq mazhab. i am hanefi.
secondly,there is a hadith: "my ummah will seperate into 73 sects. only one sect will be on the right path.they follow my way and my ashab's way."Tirmizi, Ýman,18; Ýbnu Mace, Fiten, 17; Ebu Davud, Sünne, 1
you see , our prophet have stated that the ones who will win are the ones who follow his sunnah. the four haqq mazhab strictly follow the sunnah...so its clear that they are not included in those 72 heretics.if one does not follow the true fýqh school, how will he follow sunnah, how will he be on the true path? fýqh is the basic of every type of prayers...every type of daily religious activities...how can one guarantee going to cenneh without following the haqq fýqh schools...hadith and the sunnah are as important as Koran for us.because they are the explanations and performance of the heavenly orders.didn't the prophet say " i leave you two things. you wont lose way if you keep them tightly. one is Koran and the other is my sunnah "( camiussagir2923 , on the farewell hajj)
imam shafii says: " ý have heard this of someone whose knowledge of koran i appreciated.Hikmah is the sunnah of rasulullah"( risale:78)
also in koran Allah says:"So take what the Messenger gives you, and refrain from what he prohibits you. And fear Allah: for Allah is strict in Punishment. "(hashr-7)now, its clear that the true path is the path of ehl-i sunnah welcemaat...and those four mazhabs follow the sunnah.and the ones who dont follow them, who dont follow sunnah are heretics.i can give you many more "sanads" if this is what u mean...

as for the name "sufi", there are some explanations about it. as to some sources, the word comes from ashab-ý suffa ( i hope you know about them)who were some poor ppl with extreme taqwa.according to some other sources, the word comes from the word "sof" which meant a garment made of wool. people who fullfilled their times by prayers and zikrullah used to wear woolen garments as a sign of being away from the luxary of life, being plain, humble, soon they were called sofi, meaning "one wearing a sof"...
another idea is that the word comes from "saf" which means pure in ARABÝC. (By the way, where are you from?)

it will be a pleasure to go on with u, if u are interested...now its late here and i must put an end. selamunaleykum for the time.

 

oops
i havent read your former reply
so let me read it now

 

i am going step by step...first of all my telling about the love of prophet was to explain you why sufis loved their murshids so much. because many ppl reject that sufis love their murshids so much and this is like putting some other loves instead of Allahs love and prophets love...i only wanted to explain that their love is because they believe the murshid to be very close to Allah and to prophet by heart.

 

i did not say you said you wanted to beat me...i only want to be sure of your sincerety. many ppl only like to quarrel and be the winner and feed their egos, their nafs. i dont know you. so its my right to try to know you.you may be one of those ones who know themselves to know muchonly by reading...

 

aah and i did not mean our loves for him, i meant Allah's love for him when saying the love of mUhammed. i am trying to find satisfactory answers for the minds like yours. thats why i havent answered that alreadily

 

hey, how are the contents of fýqhs totally different from tariqat?!!! what do u understand from the word tariqat! tell me what u see in naqshbandiyye which is different from the fýqh.? oooh thats a great shame... you must be talking about some spoilt sects who call themselves tariqat!!!
when i was accepted to the tariqat, first ý was told to learn fýqh!!!i was told to read the explanation of koran then a hadith book, (ýve read Navavi first) then fethurrabbani, which is the sohbets of Abdul Qadir Geylani, then mesnewi of Hadret- e Mewlana Jalaleddin Rumi,
even ý was told to read the bible and torah so as to know about them how dare you say that its totally different.? man! you havent seen a real tariqat then. i pray regularly just in the way that imam hanefi told. i fast in the same way. i've married according to the advices of my prophet.i refer to koran in every matters. i train my children according to islamic orders. how can u say that its totally different.i do nothing different than you do but also i do more by doing zýkrullah in the morning. whats wrong with doing zikrullah? saying allah by heart. saying lailahe illallah by heart? whats wrog with them? how can you say these are different from fýqh books? man we never eat haram, we never look at haram, we dont eat much, we dont sleep much, what we do is to follow koran and sunnah!!! what do you think we do? i dont know what kind of sufis u talk about but now i am sure that they are spoilt ways , fake tariqats. hasha the haqq tariqats have nothing contrary to koran and fýqh . oh my Allah... i cant believe my eyes... you are wallah sinning... !!! you dont know us. yours is Su- e Zann!!!tell me what difference we have from the fýqh books and koran?we perform 40 reqats of salat! even we perform the nafilah! we fast on mondays and on thursdays so as to follow sunnah. we give importance to the three holy months, racab, shaaban, ramadan...we also fast 6 days in shevval. we listen to edhan because our prophet ordered us...we dont eat with left hand etc etc...oh my Allah i cant believe that!!! in the other world ý will complain you to Allah that you think so bad about us although we arent so...ooh gOD!