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Position
of Sufi-ism (Tasawwuf) in
Islam:
by Dr. Basharat Ahmad
Sahib
Misconceptions
about Islamic Sufi-ism:
There are many misconceptions
about Islamic Sufi-ism. Some people mistakenly believe that
it is some sort of inherent knowledge that has been
transmitted from generation to generation, and runs parallel
with the recognised laws of the shariat (Islamic
law). They hold that it was originally secretly taught by
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Hazrat Ali,
the fourth Caliph, and then passed on through him to the
rest of the Muslim community. Hazrat Ali's name is most
often associated with sufism because the leading sufis in
many of the sufi orders trace their genealogy to Hazrat Ali.
However, it is incorrect to ascribe the origin of Islamic
Sufism to Hazrat Ali solely on this ground because the
genealogy of sufis from some other orders leads to Hazrat
Abu Bakr, the first Caliph.
A Wrong
Belief:
The belief that Hazrat Ali was
vouchsafed by the Holy Prophet some secret spiritual
knowledge quite distinct from the shariat is not
tenable. The Quranic injunction to the Holy Prophet on this
matter is clear:
"O Messenger deliver that
which has been revealed to thee from thy Lord."
(5:67)
If the Holy Prophet had kept any of
the revelation to himself and secretly conveyed it to one of
his relatives (Hazrat Ali), it would be in clear violation
of his duty as a messenger.
This belief in the secret transmission
of knowledge, however, provided an opportunity to some
people for trickery and deceit. In the name of
tariqat (way) they innovated hundreds of false
beliefs, and laid down the basis of another shariat
besides the Islamic shariat. They justified these
innovations on the grounds that it was the spiritual
knowledge which had been transmitted by word of mouth from
generation to generation and constituted a much more
efficacious way of communion with God as compared to the
known shariat.
Given these misunderstandings, my
objective, in this essay, is to clarify the correct position
of Sufi-ism in Islam. The best way to do this is to search
for the answers from the Holy Quran, the repository of all
spiritual knowledge.
Three
Duties of a Prophet:
The Holy Quran states
:
"He it is Who raised among
the illiterates, a Messenger from among themselves, who
recites to them His messages and purifies them, and
teaches them the Book and the wisdom, although they were
before, certainly in manifest error." (62:2)
This verse gives the
three duties
assigned to the Holy Prophet for guiding mankind and
delivering it from error.
Firstly, he was to recite the Quranic verses to the
people so that the messages of Allah were conveyed to every
one. Secondly, he was to purify them, i.e., to
cleanse their souls from impurities through his spiritual
example and nurturing, thus enabling the development of
their spiritual faculties. This would eventually lead to
strengthening of their faith in Divine messages, enabling
them to act upon them with fervour. Thirdly, the
Messenger was to be a teacher, by his words and actions, of
the great wisdom in God's revealed verses which he recited
to the people so that they could act in accordance with the
Divine commands. These verses are called a Book by God.
Thus, in summary, a prophet of God who is appointed for the
guidance of humanity has a threefold task: (1) Recite
revealed verses. (2) Purify humanity. (3) Teach the Book and
wisdom.
Certainly, the Holy Prophet Muhammad
accomplished this task in an excellent manner. He recited
the verses to the people of his time, purified them and
taught them the Book and wisdom. As a result of this, these
people abandoned their ignorant and evil practices and
became true Muslims. They crossed all hurdles on the journey
towards nearness to God and completed all stages of
spiritual development towards this goal. The religion they
practised was in its entirety called the Islamic
shariat. It was composed of all the guidelines
essential for mankind to achieve communion with Allah and
His pleasure. In short, the Holy Prophet conveyed all
guidance in open and public announcements.
After the Holy Prophet, his followers
became the vicegerents of his prophethood and inherited
these three essential duties:
(1) Recitation of the Holy Quran fell
to the lot of every Muslim. They all recited the Holy Quran
during prayer. Whether an intellectual or a common man,
every Muslim considered it his primary duty to recite the
Holy Quran and the first education imparted to a child was
the recitation of the Holy Quran.
(2) The inheritance of the task of
spiritual purification required deeds and
devotion.
(3) The inheritance of the task of
teaching the Book and wisdom required knowledge of
religion.
Therefore, these last two duties fell
to the lot of those who had knowledge of religion,
worshipped with humility, and followed their beliefs with
actions.
Example of
the Rightly Directed Caliphs and the Companions:
In the early period of Islam,
the people who had benefited spiritually from the company of
the Holy Prophet performed all of these three tasks. Thus,
the first four caliphs, known as the rightly directed
caliphs, and the venerable Companions of the Holy Prophet
recited the Holy Quran and also purified the people who came
in contact with them by their chaste companionship,
exemplary lifestyle, and spiritual nurturing. They also
taught them the Book and wisdom. This continued for a couple
of generations after the generation of the
Companions.
Lack of
Practical Example in the Men of Learning During the Period
of Material Advancement:
As time lapsed, the trappings
of kingdom, power and wealth diminished the religious zeal
of the Muslims and materialism gripped their souls.
Extravagances and displays of vanity replaced the simplicity
of Islamic teachings. Although the superficial structure of
religion was maintained, the true spirit of faith was lost
from their daily actions. The pursuit of worldly life made
them forget God. The doctors of religion, who used to teach
the Book and wisdom and were responsible for the spiritual
purification and guidance of the people, became ineffective
in performing these tasks because their deeds belied their
words. In this crisis, they failed to live up to the great
expectation from them to restore the departed spirituality
and resuscitate the Muslim nation. Their teachings became
mere verbiage and showmanship, devoid of the real essence of
spiritual nurturing and purification. Although the
recitation of the verses and knowledge of the Book and
wisdom was still available through the doctors of religion,
the real spirit of this education, the purification of the
soul, was no longer obtainable from them.
Islamic
Sufi-ism is Nothing Different from Islamic Shariat:
With the erosion of the real
essence of spiritual learning among the institutional
custodians of religious education, it became necessary for
Allah, the Guardian of this Faith, to ordain such persons
who were true vicegerents of the Holy Prophet. These
persons, along with recitation and teaching of the Book,
could also accomplish the task of spiritual purification.
The people could sit in their goodly company and cleanse
their souls of all dross and impurities by following their
practical example. These persons were called auliya
Allah (friends of Allah) and
mujaddideen (reformers of religion), by the
Holy Prophet. However, because of their Islamic simplicity,
high morals and purity of heart, in comparison with
prevailing materialism and its false display, they were
given the title of those belonging to sufaya' (the
pure group), or 'sufia' (the pure). Their
striving in the way of Allah and the acts of worship they
performed, which were exactly in accordance with the
shariat law, became known as tasawwuf
(the way of the sufis). In fact, tasawwuf
(sufi-ism) was no different from the Islamic
shariat.
The basis of Islamic Sufi-ism is
purification of the soul, which is part of the duties of a
Prophet or a Reformer. Prophets and Reformers not only
purify themselves, but also those who benefit from their
company. Every prophet who came to this world, taught and
demonstrated with his practical example all the necessary
ways of purification of the soul, the acts of devotion and
means of striving in the way of Allah, whether by the mind,
body, words or wealth. However, to obtain complete
purification of the self, mere knowledge and demonstration
is not enough, because the attractions of the world and the
pursuit of one's desires and emotions detract from spiritual
progress. These activities cover the human intellect with a
veil of ignorance and tardiness so that a lifetime passes
away without a person accomplishing anything spiritually.
Therefore, whether it be a Prophet or one of his
vicegerents, i.e., an auliya Allah, a mujaddid
or a sufi saint, besides their teaching and
education, the benefit of their company and spiritual
nurturing also serves to accomplish the goal of
purification. By these means, the God-ordained persons
breathe a new spirit that cleanses the soul of all dirt,
impurities, and love of worldly life and fills it with the
love of Allah. This creates great eagerness and
enthusiasm in their devotion, selflessness in their actions,
and develops the spirit to strive against their own self
with an intensity that is difficult to generate under
ordinary circumstances. The higher the spiritual prowess
of the purifier, the more intense is the desire for
spiritual progress, stronger the struggle generated and
greater the spiritual progress achieved in those who keep
company with him and benefit from his spiritual nurturing.
Correspondingly, faster is the speed with which spiritual
depression and rancour is replaced by God consciousness and
inner purification. By thus achieving purification of self,
mankind inherits the external and internal excellences of
the prophetic order. The speed with which the venerable
Companions of the Holy Prophet traversed the stages of
purification of the soul, is unique in the history of
mankind. In the span of a few years, a nation involved in
all kinds of polytheism and vile practices, far-astray from
God, became radiant with the light of monotheism, God
consciousness and inner purification, and became near and
dear to God. This incomparable spiritual purification
testifies to the unique spiritual excellences of the Holy
Prophet, of which this is but a minor miracle.
Similarly, the speed and ease with
which the stages of spiritual purification can be achieved
under the blessings and spirituality of a mujaddid or
a reformer, who is a perfect follower of the Holy Prophet,
cannot be achieved in any other era. The endeavours and acts
of worship necessary for purification are known, but the
motivating force to put them into practice with great
eagerness and enthusiasm has frequently to come from a
person of spiritual eminence and possessor of spiritual
blessings. The same acts of worship, which in any other
time, are performed only ceremoniously and with great effort
become easy and are accomplished with great fervour and
enthusiasm by keeping company with these men of God. The
soul becomes restless without these acts of devotion, and
spiritual progress is achieved with great momentum. Thus the
level of spiritual purification that the Holy Quran desires
all mankind to achieve becomes easy to accomplish for a
Muslim. The hazards and hardships of this spiritual journey
turn into a labour of love and a source of pleasure for the
spiritual wayfarer.
Islamic
Sufi-ism as a Struggle for Self-purification:
Thus Islamic Sufi-ism was
another name for the struggle of self-purification. As long
as there was conformity between the beliefs and actions of a
Muslim, he was truly a momin (believer) and
wali (friend of God), just as the Holy Quran
states that, "Allah is the friend of Believers." However,
when the men of learning lost the ability of righteous
action, and those who claimed to be the teachers of the Book
and wisdom, did not practice what they professed, they lost
their closeness with Allah. A clear distinction then became
evident between them and the class of men who, along with
knowledge and purity of soul, were excellent exemplars of
their beliefs and were radiant with spirituality. These
people came to be called Ulama-e-Rabbani (the Learned
of God), Auliya Allah (Friends of Allah) and
Sufiya (the Pure). They were the true successors of
the Holy Prophet, because they possessed all three assets of
prophetic inheritance, that is recitation of the verses of
Allah, spiritual purification and teaching of the Book and
wisdom. All their words and actions were in accordance with
the Book and traditions of the Holy Prophet, and they were
its best exponents. The men of the religious
establishment who were only superficially learned and devoid
of the real understanding of religion, opposed these
truthful souls and labelled them as heretics. However,
like the fragrance of musk, the respect and acceptance of
these saints spread far and wide in the world and everywhere
men of understanding acknowledged their piety and spiritual
grandeur. These saints had rejected the trappings of worldly
life, but the world at large revered, honoured and respected
them. They did not have a desire for such respect, because
whatever they did was in answer to the call of duty.
However, God created esteem for them in the minds and
hearts of the people, because of the service they did to
humanity.
Religious
Traders:
There is no dearth of people
in this world who are seekers of fame and fortune. Besides
the hundreds of ways of acquiring wealth and fame, some
selfish people saw an opportunity of setting up shop in
religion. Capitalising on the respect for the sufiya
that existed in the minds of the people, these exploiters
popularised acts of worship and exercises in the name of
religion that were totally deceptive, misleading and devoid
of any spirituality. Many of these fraudulent and morally
depraved people disguised themselves as sufis and set
up their businesses in the shrines of the true sufis
and auliya Allah. They started cheating the people
out of their money under false pretences. They realised that
in order to deceive the people they needed to resort to
cunningness and disguise. The true sufiya were
distinguished in their outward appearance only by simplicity
of their dress and living, but these charlatans started
wearing special robes and coverings, made of thick cloth,
dyed green or black and sometimes with patches on them. They
also adopted special postures to impress the people and sat
with their eyes closed, with a rosary called tasbih
in their hands whose beads they would be pushing
constantly. When they opened their eyes to cast a glance at
a visitor, their eyes were bloodshot, giving the impression
of great anger and strong sentiments. This was a carefully
rehearsed play to dupe the unwary visitor. However, these
tricksters soon realised that their guises were not durable
enough to fool the people for a long time.
The
Influence of Magian and Hindu Ascetics:
The Muslim conquests brought
them in contact with the cultures of Iran and India. Amongst
the Magians and Hindus there was no dearth of ascetics and
mendicants called jogis and faqirs, who had
strengthened their inner faculties by appropriate exercises.
Through the use of mind concentration and will power, they
had learned to perform unusual and extraordinary acts, much
like hypnotists and psychics of modern age. These techniques
had no relationship to spiritual purification and these
people had no concern for closeness to God, His love, good
morals and civility of soul. In fact, some of them took
undue advantage of their powers to commit acts of moral
depravity. The urge for acquisition of knowledge had made
the Muslims ardent learners of new disciplines, which they
quickly and completely incorporated in their system. They,
thus, also became familiar with some of the techniques of
the jogis and faqirs. When the knowledge of
these techniques became popular among the Muslims, the true
sufiya, who were recipient of Divine communion, saw
that these experiences had nothing in common with the real
objective of religion. They, therefore, did not approve of
these techniques and shunned them. However, the charlatan,
false Sufis who were seekers of fame and fortune saw a great
opportunity to exploit these techniques for furthering their
business. They mastered some of these techniques and
exploited the poor Muslims to their hearts content. They
propagated these techniques of showmanship to such a degree
that in the eyes of worldly people these techniques became
synonymous with Sufi-ism. In fact, true Islamic Sufi-ism did
not have even a distant relationship with this. How could
purification of the self have any connection with this self
aggrandisement?
The Great
Service of the Reformer of this Age:
The Reformers of every age and
the great auliya Allah have been forthright in
exposing the practices of these deceptors and warning the
Muslim public of their danger. In recent times, a debt of
gratitude is owed to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian,
the Reformer of the present age and the Promised Messiah. On
the one hand, he exposed the narrow-mindedness and
illogical literal interpretations of the so-called
maulvis (religious scholars) and other men of
superficial knowledge. On the other, he took the lid off the
strange sacrilegious acts and the newly innovated techniques
of worship of the false sufiya that were
totally opposed to the sunnat (way of the Prophet).
He identified the true way leading to Divine communion for
the seekers of truth.
There is no other path of guidance
besides the Quran and sunnat. In short, what is
misrepresented today as Sufi-ism is not, in fact, true
Islamic Sufi-ism. Islamic Sufi-ism means striving in
the way of Allah in pursuit of spiritual purification, and
is inseparable from the shariat. In fact, it is the
substance of the shariat. It is certainly not
secretive knowledge that is transmitted from one generation
to another. It is the same knowledge that the Holy Quran and
our Holy Prophet has taught.
The honoured Companions of the Holy
Prophet and those that followed them, all auliya
Allah, reformers, the true men of learning and all
righteous persons have benefited from and are still taking
advantage of this knowledge. There is no path outside the
Quran and sunnat, everything is included within it.
The Holy Quran clearly states:
"This day have I perfected
for you your religion." (5:3)
Also it states:
"Say, If you love Allah
follow me, Allah will love you and grant you protection
from your sins." (3:30)
Top
Books
Section
> Essays
in Islamic Sufi-ism
> Position of Sufi-ism (Tasawwuf) in Islam by Dr.
Basharat Ahmad Sahib
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