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786 Concerning Tasawwuf, Tareeka
and Discipleship. By MFRahman. 1988. (Edited Praise belongs to Allah Alone,
Who is Beneficent and Merciful even though He has no obligation to be so, being
Creator and Owner of all that exists in the past, present and future eternally,
in all the worlds. Allah is He Who has decreed and will bring to pass the Day
of Judgement when His Kingship and sole Ownership of Power shall be manifestly
undisputed. It is only He Allah, Whom the Believers worship, and it is only He
of Whom we should seek help. May He guide us safely along the path which He has
prepared for those who please Him and upon whom His Kindnesses are showered and
may He save us from straying into His Wrath. The necessity to write the
following has been occasioned and prescribed by the natural extension of my
family which, from a core of children who have all been born into the Tasawwuf
which their parents practiced, has grown to include children-in law to whom
this practice is alien and mystifying. Compounding the problem is the
attempts of well-intentioned people to explain Tasawwuf in emotive terms and
their inability to divorce the mysterious aspects of Sufi experience from hard
fact. It is entirely reasonable for
an intelligent, educated and practicing Muslim to ask: “What is the need
for Tasawwuf when the Qur’an is here for our complete guidance, and the
Shariah Mubarak is complete? What more guidance is necessary?” And no one
should attempt to answer this question with anything but Quranic foundation and
Sunnah Authority (Not Spurious
Ahadith Literature Authority). Insha Allah, in the following
pages it is hoped to demonstrate the very clear necessity for knowledge
additional to that contained in the External
Shariah Mubarak,
itself fraught with many interpolations and deviances inserted by false Ulemaic
mis-interpretations, and the rewards for implementing that
knowledge, evidence of possessors of that knowledge in Al Qur’an, the
status of those who are successful in practicing this knowledge, and the
identifying of that Tareeka or Path of knowledge as Tasawwuf. Before proceeding further, the
reader’s attention is drawn to Sura
67:10 of the Holy Qur’an which is translated as: “ They will further say: ‘Had we but listened or
used our intelligence, we should not (now) be among the companions of the
Blazing Fire’.” This verse is quoted here to
underline the absolute need to use the intelligence, with which Allah Taala has
endowed us, and not merely to echo phrases and accept and reject matters on the
say-so of others whether Ulema or
Mashaikh. Now, it is very clear to every
Muslim and Believer that Al Qur’an is the Final Message to Mankind from
Allah, Lord of the Worlds. But by the Quran’s own Words, it is an
exposition on all things and the detail of its injunctions must be sought in
the Sunnah and the Traditions of the Holy Messenger of Allah, Hazrath Muhammad
Mustapha SAS, who was not only the perfect exemplar, but also the Best Teacher. Great care must be taken to understand that
Ahadith Literature is not a Divinely protected work
and contains many interpolated falsehoods of which The Messenger warned. The “approved”
body of Ahadith literature itself rejects ten times more that it contains and
there is no Divine authorization to obey reports against which the Quran instead
warns. The absolute necessity to examine
everything against the touchstones of reason and conscience cannot be over emphasized.
Only Quran may be followed blindly and even so with employment of intellect. The result of the teaching and
examples of our Prophet SAS are covered in the Shariah Mubarak of which volumes
have been prepared and codified for our guidance. These deal with all of the external
acts of commission and omission required of Muslims for individual as well as
community welfare and discipline, and penal legislation in the event of breach. Errors in this body of Law have become
manifest and each of us is responsible for verifying our practices Quranically.
The re-introduction of the abrogated law of Rajm given to the Jews is major
evidence against blind following. The codified Shariah is subject to review
against Quranic Text. Full details are available on
the method of Prayer, Alms, Fasting and Pilgrimage and the clearest
instructions have been given to everyone so that observation of the Shariah Mubarak
is universally established. These details
have come to us through common universal practice and exemplification
generationally through the centuries. Neither the Quran nor the Ahadith contain
detailed recitation of all practices and Madhaaib differ in various ways. And yet there are several
subjects in Al Qur’an which are not elucidated upon in the books of Shariah Mubarak, but
which nevertheless are extremely important, not merely for the proper discharge
of compulsory duties, but to validate their acceptance and ensure success in
the Hereafter, Insha Allah. Such commands as to fear
Allah, to be patient and steadfast, to remember Allah standing, sitting and on
our sides, to remember Allah in our hearts, how to love Allah and fellow-man,
how to love at all - none of these matters are dealt with in respect of their
methodology in any of the books of jurisprudence. And yet it is well known that Allah
looks to the heart and not to the external acts of worship even though these
are compulsory, for worship without fear of Allah or Love of Allah is only to
be seen of men. While one may think that love,
fear, patience and the like come naturally, Allah has specifically mentioned in
respect of patience, that Man was created impatient (21:37). Thus we are
required to cultivate patience even as we are to cultivate love, fear, and
especially Iman. So that since it is imperative
for these matters to be perfected in us for the embellishment and perfection of
our external worship, it is necessary that guidance must have been given on
these matters through the very Teacher and Prophet who was sent for us with
Islam. All branches of learning such
as medicine, law, sciences etc., are meant for all men. Yet in reality, all men
are not meant for every branch of learning. And one does not suffer any loss if
he does not become a doctor or a lawyer or scientist. The branches of learning
are beneficial but optional. However, if one wishes the rewards of medicine, he
may not enjoy these except he pursues that branch of learning. He therefore
determines the rewards of medicine and upon choosing these as his goal,
proceeds to pursue that course. Similarly, if one is content
with Paradise as his goal, it is enough to observe the Shariah Mubarak
sincerely, and by staying on the path of Islam, and following the way of our
Prophet SAS clearly laid out in the Shariah Mubarak, and repenting for sins,
since man shall have naught but that for which he strives (53:39), Insha Allah, Paradise shall be
yours among the Companions of the Right (56:8). However, if the goal is Allah
Himself, that is to say – to win His Pleasure and to exist in His
Presence among the Foremost (56:10),
then the spiritual path of Tasawwuf is necessary, but Seekers on this Path need
the help of a Guiding Friend (Walian Murshid-18:17)
along the Way, as one may easily be lost. The benefit of Tasawwuf was
obtained by every Believing Companion of Holy Prophet SAS, through his
pervading Nur upon their hearts, but to some Companions he gave its secrets and
the Authority to perpetuate its knowledge and practice. We see in Al Qur’an, in
the time of Hazrath Sulaiman AS, how one man who had knowledge of the Book was
permitted to transport the Throne of Bilquis instantaneously over great
distance (27:40). We also see how Hazrath Musa
AS, the Prophet of his time, had to go at Allah’s Command to one, not a
Prophet, who had been given knowledge from Allah’s Presence, to learn
special secrets and be instructed (18:65-82). We see again in Sura Ya Seen (36:20), a man coming running from the
furthest part of the city who was not a Prophet to bear testimony to the
Prophethood of the three Messengers of Allah who had simultaneously been sent
to that city, obviously possessing knowledge which ordinary men did not
possess. (36:26-27). Just as every Prophet before Hazrath
Muhammad SAS was a Muslim, submitting to Allah, even though Islam was only
perfected in the Mission of Muhammad SAS, so there existed Gnostics and
possessors of higher realization before the advent of Tasawwuf as a spiritual
science. In much the same way, one may
practice the Dhikr of Allah as best he can, but Allah Taala’s advice is
to seek out a Waseela to Him to facilitate approaching Him. ( When our Holy Prophet SAS said
to seek knowledge even though it be in The condition of the heart is
of special importance in Tasawwuf. Its purification is the immediate goal, for
Allah Taala clearly states in Al Qur’an that only he who brings a purified
heart on the Last Day, would prosper then. (26:88-89).
This science of the purification of the heart is not
dealt with anywhere but in Tasawwuf. The refinement of the soul
which progresses from nafs ammara (12:53) through the stage of nafs lawwama (75:2), and finally arrives at the station of nafs mutmainna (89:27), before Allah’s Personal Invitation is given to
it to enter His Paradise, is a science unattended by all except the devotees
along the path of Tasawwuf. Unless one is prepared to
disregard the Ayahs of Qur’an which reveal the science of Tasawwuf, one
may not deny the reality if Tasawwuf, nor disregard its benefits. One may
decline Tasawwuf and have perfect faith, just as one may decline any branch of
learning and yet have faith. But one may not negate, deny or condemn it. The incidence of miracles
connected to Tasawwuf has no bearing upon the reality. Simple Yogis and others
who do not even practice Islam, perform “miracles” through their
physical austerities, Indeed, Science has its own claim to miracles. So it
matters not whether Islamic Mystics and Saints have or have not performed
miracles. And the performance of miracles must never be the goal of the
devotee. The occupation of the devotee
in the Path of Tasawwuf, generally known as Tareeka, is Dhikr-Allah (4:103), (remembrance of Allah) which is
greater than all else (29:45). Even
in danger, if one misses Prayer, he must engage in Dhikr-Allah (4:103). The importance of Dhikr-Allah
is clear in Sura 57:16, which
explains that it protects against hardening of the hearts and preserves the
Qur’anic Message thereby. The Words of the Ayah are striking: “Has
not the time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah
and of the Truth which has been revealed (to them) and that they should not
become like those to whom was given Revelation afore time, but long ages passed
over them and their hearts grew hard. And many of them are rebellious
transgressors.” (57:16) The livening of the dead heart
through Dhikr-Allah is best described in Sura
6:123: - “Is he who was dead and We have raised him unto life,
and set for him a light wherein he walketh among men, as him whose similitude
is in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge?” Nevertheless, upon embarking
upon the Path of Tareeka or Tasawwuf, one hears of wondrous things. But Allah
Taala has told us that those who are slain in His Way are Alive, though we
perceive not (2:154), so one
should not be surprised to hear of Awlia Allah (Friends of Allah- 10:62-64) who are unfettered by having died
in the eyes of the world, or who perform wondrous miracles. Our Prophet SAS had promised
that in his Ummah, there would be men greater than the Prophets of the
Israelites, and our Prophet SAS always spoke the truth. But one should concern oneself
with one’s own affairs and achieving his own goal and our True Goal
should be Allah Himself, and miracles should be left to others. When one desires to love Allah
instead of the creation, he must first observe all the requirement of
compulsory duties, and pay absolute regard to Shariah Mubarak as Quranically given, for he cannot claim to
love Allah and be disobedient to His Commands. Then wishing sincerely for a
Waseela, he seeks out a Walian Murshid or Guiding Friend, one adept in the ways
of Tareeka. Such a person may agree to become his Pir or Murshid or Shaikh, and
enter him into his Silsilah or spiritual lineage in the Tareeka of his own
Shaikh, or in his own Tareeka if he is a Khalifa of his deceased Shaikh. While any pious looking person
may appear a likely candidate to be Shaikh, his Silsilah should be traceable
through his line of Mashaikh right back up to the Holy Prophet SAS himself,
either through Hazrath Ali RA or through Hazrath Abu Bakr Siddique RA. The
Shaikh must not be in breach of the Shariah Mubarak himself nor can he command
anything in its violation. The devotee should place his
spiritual welfare in the hands of his Shaikh willingly performing any
supererogatory Ibadat he prescribes. Observation of the Shariah Mubarak and
love of the Shaikh is responsible for connecting the heart of the devotee to
Allah Taala. Our Prophet SAS has said that
Allah said: “My servant approaches me with the discharge of the duties I
have placed upon him, then with supererogatory Ibadat, until I become the eyes
with which he sees, and the hands with which he holds, and the feet with which
he walks, until all he needs to say of a thing is ‘Be’ and it
is.” To enter into Tasawwuf is to
make a declaration of love for Allah Taala, and thereafter to love anything
else for other than His Sake is to prove oneself a
liar. It is the Path of spiritual refinement, and elevation, where all duties
become pleasure because they have been imposed by the Beloved, and all pain and
trials are viewed as examinations by the Beloved and therefore are borne with
love. Death is then looked forward to as it brings meeting with the Beloved,
and the self becomes humble, loving and kind. One does not enter Tareeka with
any desire for eminence or rank, but only to become drowned in the love of
Allah. May Allah Taala grant that the
foregoing may have shed some little light on Tasawwuf, to those who may have
viewed it darkly or with suspicion before. May Allah Taala perfect our
light (66:8), and grant us all to
be among the Foremost and the Nearest to Him (56:10-11),
on the Day when neither wealth nor children shall avail aught, but only he who
brings to Allah on that Day a Purified Heart shall prosper (26:88-89) being one with whom Allah is
well pleased (89:27). Ameen. *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
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