Category Archives: A. Reality of Tasawwuf

The nature, definition, goals and principles of Tasawwuf

Hadith

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The greatest Imam our master Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him) wrote in his bequest (wasiyet) to his son Hammad that I have chosen five traditions (Hadith) from all the sayings of Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). These are enough for a person to practice the religion.

Our master Prophet Muhammed (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

1. Actions are according to intentions

2. It is from the excellence of a person’s Islam to abandon what does not concern him

3. A believer is not a believer until he is pleased for his brother with what he is pleased for himself

4. The lawful is clear and the forbidden is clear, but between the two are ambiguous matters. Whoever guards himself against ambivalent matters has gone to the utmost limit in seeking to be clear in his religion and honour.

5. The Muslim is one whom others are safe from their tongue and hands.    

(Reference 1,3,4&5 are in Bukhari & Muslim, 2 is in Tirmidhi)

Suhbat e ba awliya, malfuzaat of Sheikh al Hadith ( Allah have mercy on him)

Shariah & tariqat

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) said, 

‘The correction of the method a deed is  (supposed to be) done (appropriately as per Sunna) is (the primary objective of) Shariah. 

The correction of the intention (that is, it is done exclusively to please Allah) is (the sole purpose of) Tariqat.

Combination of these two, Shariah and Tariqat is the goal of  (real) religion (Deen).’

Waaz 7 February 2016, masjid Darul Uloom 

Reality of Deen: Concern for Hereafter

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لامخل

Musleh-al-Umma Maulana Wasiullah Allahabadi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

” Deen (religiosity) in reality is the name given to the life of the heart.

This life sprouts by having concern for the hereafter (akhira).

These days in spite of increasing outward acts of religiosity like prayers (salah), fasting,  religious gatherings and discourses, religious teachers and students, even more than before, the (religiously cognizant and) savvy (ahle ahsas) individuals realize that all these activities are lifeless.

Now only the (outer) form of Deen exists. The (inner form, the) spirit has become extinct.

The reason for this (calamity) is that in places where there are no spiritually cognizant and capable mentors then how would the people of that locality know about the spiritual and esoteric matters. If they are unaware of these matters then it will be impossible for them to practice them. Without practice a (spiritual) state (that is, concern for the hereafter) will not develop. In these areas only the outward form of (religious activities like) prayers and fasting will exist and the reality and spirit (of Deen) will be corrupted. This will lead to spread of (religious) deviance and corruption in that locality.’

Majalis e Musleh al ummat,  Wasiyet al Irfan Aug/Sept 2008 issue, page 18 (Translated originally by Shaikh Dr. Danish Ahmed sahib db UAE. Edited)

Islah: Betterment

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Islah is a life long journey.

I  need to assess my condition frequently to determine how am I progressing.

Have I abandoned the sinful activities I was into previously?

Has my involvement in useless decreased?

Are the  good actions being performed according to Sunna with sincerity, concentration and humility.

If yes then, are these increasing effectively?

Are my interaction with others as per the praise worthy morals and manners (sabr, shukr, tawadhu, etc)? 

If I am not able to answer these questions positively then I need to worry. 

I have to ask Allah for assistance in this matter, solemnly reaffirm my determination of islah, chalk out a plan to do so in consultation with my spiritual mentor and effectively implementing it.

A self reminder: I can fool others by sham piety. But if I fool myself with it then I am the most stupid individual indeed.

May Allah save me from this. Amin!

Shaikh & murid:Perfectness

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Shaikh Umar Birbalwi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘The perfect spiritual mentor (pir-e-kamil) is one who does not let the disciple to burnout ( tire or give up on this path due to his short comings).

Similarly, an adept disciple (kamil murid) never tires out (and gives away hope of achieving success. He is persistent in his effort to please Allah.)’

Anwar e Umar ra, malfuz 22

 

Tasawwuf: Its purpose

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Imam Rabbani Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote,

Tasawwuf is not intended to obtain things other than the faith of Ahl-as-Sunnah and (follow) the commands of the Shariah.

Tasawwuf is intended to make the faith of Ahl-as-sunnah secure, conscientious and firm, lest it should be undermined by things bringing doubt.

The faith which is strengthened through the intellect, through evidence and proofs cannot be so firm. Allah declares: “Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah” 13:28

The second purpose of Tasawwuf is to facilitate worshiping, to bring about enthusiasm, and to do away with the indolence, the reluctance inherent in the nafs-i ammara.

It ought to be realized well that clinging to Tasawwuf is not intended to acquire the ability to see what others do not know, to inform others with the unknown, to perceive lights (nur), spirits, or to enjoy exhilarating dreams. All these are in vain, useless things. What is not in the everyday light, in the various colors, in the natural beauties, that should coax man to leave these and look for other things at the cost of suffering so many inconveniences? After all, both this light and those effulgence, both these beautiful shapes and those other things are all the creations of Allah and bear witnesses to His existence and to the fact that He is the Almighty.’

Maktubaat Imam Rabbani ra, volume 1, letter 266

Confusing fiqh & sufi practices

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Imam Rabbani Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote,

‘No practice of any Sufi is an argument to decide that which is lawful or unlawful.

(If something is questionable reported about them) Instead of reproaching them we pass over their actions and leave them to the judgement of Allah.

This (determining of what is halal or haram) is a matter in which the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Abu Yousuf or Imam Muhammed should be considered authoritative rather than the practice of Abu Bakr Shibli or Abul Hasan Nuri (Allah have mercy on them all).’

Maktubaat Imam Rabbani ra, volume 1, letter 266

Mujahida e thania: The subsequent struggle

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A spiritual aspirant wrote,

In the previous condition the attention towards Allah was increased and desire to commit sinful was very subdued. Moreover, a sort of spiritual serenity,  calmness and attentiveness was present. However, the condition is not like this anymore. The desire to commit sinful activities becomes very strong sometimes. And the previous serenity is no more.

In this condition I feel miserable, please, pray for me to be steadfast on the right path.

Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,

‘This is the time of subsequent struggle (against desires of nafs) (mujahida e thania) after the completion of the initial struggle (at the onset of this path). The accomplished seeker (wasil) who in unaware of this suspects returning (to previous heedless state) (rij’at). Sometimes he is so dejected that he gives up (the good deeds and abandons the struggle to resist sinful). In reality, this is an regular essential stage of completion of this path (sulook).

The explanation of this is that in the initial (part of this path) there is excessive enthusiasm and the natural desires are subdued. Towards the middle or the end (of this path) the enthusiasm wanes and the desires resurface. This is because the (sinful) desires are not eradicated (by spiritual struggle) they are only subdued. At this resurfacing spiritual struggle is again required. However, the hardship and effort in this (subsequent) struggle is to a lesser extent. لرسوخ التھذیب فی النفس۔ ., but determination, diligence, willpower and self control are required (to do so).

Based on the signs a sort of perfection is felt in (your) nisbet. Relying on Allah, I give you permission to take allegiance (from spiritual aspirants) (ijazet e bia’yet) and expect from Allah that it will be beneficial for the people. ‘

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 1, page 467-8

Islah: Intention & action 

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An individual inquired, ‘I’m being told that going out in the path of Allah (with Tablighi jamat) is sufficient for islah. There is no need for contacting a musleh (Shaikh). Is this correct?’

Another individual told that many years back he made bayiah to a Shaikh. At that time he was instructed to make daily dhikr which he is still doing. However, he never consulted the  respected Shaykh for any islah related issue. Is dhikr sufficient for islah?
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As explained before islah and tazkiya are active processes. How can they be expected to occur passively?

Steps required for them are,

1. Intention,

2. Awareness of one’s deficiencies,

3. Consulting a spiritual physician,

4. Concurring with his diagnosis,

5. Meticulously following his instructions and then

6. Providing feedback on improvement of the condition

7. Being watchful for relapse

Accepted good actions, like going out in the path of Allah and remembering Allah (dhikr), provide illumination (nur). This illumination must reveal to us the real inner condition  of ourselves. This should provide us the insight to correct our deficiencies : Islah. However, if this is not happening then we should be very much concerned and look for the reason behind it.

Islah: Explained further

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An intelligent question was put foward by a reader,

Dear Sir, as salamu alaykum

I’m a middle class working male. I’m married and have 3 beautiful children. My life revolves around my work and family. All praise is for Allah! I stay away from the major sins. I pray puntually, mostly in mosque with congregation (jamah). I recite Quran, Hadith and Sunna adhkar daily. Also, I often fast the Sunna fasting days. I attend a dars regarding tazkia weekly.

Is this all not enough for my islah? Why do I need to consult a spiritual mentor (Shaykh)?

Reply:

Yes! For a spiritually healthy Muslim this is quite enough. However, for a spiritually ill Muslim  specific interventions are required.

For example, an individual can not keep his thoughts focused on the worship being done. Mentally he is absent from the physical effort being performed. The state that he is seeing Allah or Allah is seeing him is a brief intellectual thought. It is not long lasting and does not affect his demeanor. This is a form of  heedlessness (gaflah) and also lack of khushu. Both are spiritual maladies. They requires treatment. Or maybe there is a change in quantity  or quality of worship being done depending on the awareness that others are observing me. This is show-off (riya). Another spiritual malady. Or when upset one crosses the limits of permissibility in speech and action. Similarly there are many other things that require seeking help from an expert.

Once spiritual health is restored the actions you mentioned will be more beneficial.

An example maybe helpful in understanding this concept. For a healthy normal individual a well balanced daily diet, moderate amount physical exercise and daily multivitamin dose is enough for general well being.

However, for a diabetic or hypertensive person specific treatment will needed in addition to modification in diet and exercise. Similar is the case of psychological diseases, quite common these days. Mere, restoration of normal well balanced diet, sleeping habits and exercise is not sufficient. Psychological counselling or medication maybe necessary in addition to these things.

The general observation is that spiritual illnesses are quite rampant. Moreover, most of these individuals are themselves unaware of these afflictions.

A sick person who is unaware or does not acknowledge his illness is in great danger.

In addition, all of us have outstanding opinion about ourselves. We all consider ourselves to be better than others. This is the most severe spiritual malady, the source of multiple other blame-worthy morals (razail): Arrogance (takabbur). Consulting a spiritual physician is the first step towards its diagnosis and treatment.

I pray and hope that this is sufficient clarification of the issue. Please, do not hesitate to ask if there are further queries.

Take care.

Muhtaj e dua

Islah: What, Why & How?

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Islah translates as betterment, repair, rectification, reformation, improvement, renovation, optimization  and restoration.

Islah e nafs is the main topic of Tasawwuf.

It is a synonym of tazkia e nafs. That is, purification of nafs.  That is, one of the four basic Prophetic tasks as stated in Al-Jum’a : 2, “He is the One who raised amidst the unlettered people a messenger from among themselves who recites to them His verses, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the wisdom, while they were earlier in open error.”

It means improvement and purification of the moral characteristics of an individual. It includes development of good morals (fadhail), like repentance  (tawbah), patience  (sabr), gratitude (shukr), hopefulness (raja), fear of Allah (khauf), asceticism (zuhd), Oneness of Allah  (tawheed), love Allah and Prophet (muhabba), yearning (shauq), (uns), acceptance (raza), sincerity (ikhlas), felicity (sidq), contemplation (muraqaba), humility (raw ashy), accountability (muhasabah), (fikr) and riddance of bad moral characteristics (razail) like lust (shahwut), afflictions of speech  (afaat e lisan), anger (ghasb), hatred (keyna), envy (hasad), love of the worldly (hubb e dunya), stinginess (bukhul),greed (hirs), love of status (hubb e jah), showing off (riya), arrogance  (takabbur), narcissism (ujub), looking at the prohibited (bud-nazri), illicit love affairs  (dunyawi eshq).

It must be clear that these moral characteristics are the driving force for an individual’s action. If they have not been purified and rectified  following of the Shariah rules is not effectively possible. Moreover, even if one forces himself to act, the external forms of worship done remains deficient.

These unrefined morals lead one to get involved in the prohibited actions and omit the good actions.

Praying salah hastily is an example from our daily activities. It shows the lack of muhabba, shauq, uns, ikhlas, sidq, muraqaba, fikr and presence of hubb e dunya.

Seeing what is prohibited is due to presence of shahwut and lack of khauf, muraqaba, muhabba.

Discord, quarrelling and sarcasm, even within spouses is due to arrogance, envy, affliction of speech and lack of muhabba and self sacrifice.

In this same manner the reason of all sinful activities can be traced to the non purified morals.

The method of achieving  islah is via

1. Knowledge of these morals,

2. Consultation with a mentor to correctly diagnose their lack or presence in one’s self,

3.  Following the treatment prescribed and

4. Re-consultation to confirm effective cure or failure of therapy.

 These steps are repeated until a stable state is achieved. In this the seeker is constantly cognizant of his deficiencies and effectively strives to improve on them.

Wa ma tawfeeqi illa billah

Tasawwuf: Beware of pretenders and astray

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Shaykh Aḥmed al-Zarrūq (Allah have mercy on him) (d.899/1493) said,

There are many pretenders on this path because of its strangeness, and there is a lack of understanding because of its subtleties. There is a great deal of rejection of its followers because of its purity.

People giving advice have cautioned against pursuing the path due to the numerous errors therein.

Religious leaders compiled works to refute its followers because of what heretics have done to it and because of erroneous things attributed to people on the path.

Even ibn ‘Arabī al-Ḥātimī (God have mercy on him!) said, “Beware of this path, for most of those who deviate from it are of it. It is but a path of doom and a path of this world. He who actualized his knowledge, action, and spiritual state will gain the glory of eternity. He who abandons realization in the Path will be doomed and will come to an end.”

We ask God for well-being through His grace and generosity!

“The Principles of Sufism (Qawā‘id al-Taṣawwuf): An Annotated Translation with Introduction.” p. 203

Piri – muridi: The reality of Tasawwuf Part 1

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Shah Wasiullah Allahabadi writes in the preface of ‘Tarbiyet us Salik‘ of Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on them) ,

‘The task of being a Shaykh is a lofty responsibility.

This is, because calling people towards Allah is the Prophetic job and the Shaykh is delegated to do it. Therefore, there can not be any doubt in its immense significance.

It is for this reason the quote of pious predecessors is famous,
الشيخ فى قومه كاالنبى فى أمته

A Shaykh in a community is like a Prophet in his Ummah.

Respected (poet) Hafiz Shirazi (Allah have mercy on him) pointed towards this in,

na har

(Not anyone with a glowing face knows how to flirt

Not anyone who makes a mirror act like Alexander

There are thousands of points thinner than a hair in this way

Not anyone who shaves his head can be a qalander)

ٖFrom the essentials of performing this task are two things that differentiate between a righteous and charlatan Shaykh.

First is his expertise in recognizing the aptitude and specific characteristics of the seeker’s temperament.

Secondly, his technique of instruction and training (the seekers accordingly) is at its most perfect level.

The greatness of the (Sufi) Masters is determined by their exceptional level of instruction and training. And this is the cause of their popularity in the (religious) elite.

In an era the Shaykh who is superior to all the contemporary Shuyukh in this field is known as ‘Qutub ul Irshad‘. Like Leader of the group Junaid al Baghdadi and Shaykh Ghuas e azam (Abdul Qadit al Jilani, may Allah sanctify their secret) etc. etc..

To be contd.

 Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 1, page 2

Baiyah: Types & instruction

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve and protect him) accepted a seeker’s request for baiyah. This individual has a islahi relationship with one of the mojazeen of sayyidi for the previous few and was proceeding for Hajj this year.

Prior to the ceremony sayyidi wa sanadi clarified,

‘There are two types of baiyah. First is that in which an individual pledges to do his islah (under the supervision of this specific Shaykh). It is baiyah as sulook. The other is for barakah and blessing (of being included into the Sufi silsila/order). It is baiyah tabarruk. This is the one we are doing.’

After the spiritual ceremony sayyidi instructed,

‘Continue with the recitations (ma’moolat) as recommended by your mentor. However, it must be clear that the main task is rectification of morals (islah ikhlaq). Read about them and ask your mentor whenever there is a suspicion.’

Baiyet e Kaiser,  Study, Residence, Darul uloom Karachi, 23 Shawwal 1436/9 August 2015

Tasawwuf: Types

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Shaikh Wahba al Zuhayli (Allah have mercy on him) a senior Syrian scholar and one of the best friends of sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah protect and preserve him) recently passed away. May Allah forgive him, raise his status manifolds in hereafter and give sabr e jameel to all his admirers. Amin!

Shaikh Zuhayli (Allah have mercy on him) clarified:

“There are two types of Sufism: praiseworthy Sufism and blameworthy Sufism.

The praised is that which is in agreement with the Qur’an and sunnah. It means the healing of the soul and excellence in directing oneself to God as well as connecting with God which cannot happen without litanies based in the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

The blamed is that which is in excess of this with its formalities and exaggerations such as the drum and the horn – which fall under deviant innovations. This is what (classical) Islamic legal scholars such as al-Qurtubi stated and it is also my position.

With deep regret, drums and horns have entered into our mosques during mawlid ceremonies, and this is what many scholars had called deviant and without sound foundation (in Islamic law), and this is my position. I love the people of Sufism who are moderate, those who are committed to the Qur’an and sunnah; and I hate (the Sufism) of heretical innovations and that which is alien to Islam, this is my methodology.”

Fatwa on Sufism via Wikipedia