Citing misconceptions of pseudo-sufis Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“Another misconception is a belief that there comes a stage in the path of tasawwuf where the Shariah rulings are annulled and the sufi is exempted from their observation. This thinking is unbelief (kufr) without any doubt.

The Shariah rulings are never ever lifted from a conscious and oriented individual. However, loss of consciousness (and orientation) are a genuine reason for excuse.

A person informed Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him) that there are individuals who say that we have reached the goal (wasil). It is not necessary for us to observe the Shariah rulings anymore.

Hadhrat Junaid (may Allah have mecy on him) replied, “Yes! They have reached, indeed. But it is at the Hell they have reached and not (the ma’rifa of) Allah. A person who fornicates and steals is better then the individual who holds this belief. If I were to live for thousand years, I would not even miss my daily recitations (wird) without a genuine excuse.”

Ta’lim ud-deen, page 123