SUFISM: The Deviated Path

[Abu Ilyas]

SUFISM: The Deviated Path

By Br. Yusuf Hijazi
Although many sects have appeared throughout the ages, none have outlasted as long and spread their effects into the homes of so many as Sufism has. The emotional attachment that a countless number of Muslims have towards this sect is so powerful that any analysis should be purely from an objective perspective; thus this article takes an objective approach, and tries to be conservative rather than extreme in its analysis of Sufism. Its conclusions however leave no doubt as to the alien nature of Sufi teachings that have infiltrated into the religion that our beloved Prophet (s.a.w) left us upon. Sufism: Its Origins
The word Sufi is most likely to be derived from the Arabic word "soof", meaning wool. This is because of the Sufi habit of wearing woolen coats, a designation of their initiation into the Sufi order. The early Sufi orders considered the wearing of this coat as an imitation of Isa bin Maryam (Jesus). In reply to this, Ibn Taymiyyah said: "There are a people who have chosen and preferred the wearing of woolen clothes, claiming that they want to resemble al-Maseeh ibn Maryam. But the way of our Prophet is more beloved to us, and the Prophet (s.a.w) used to wear cotton and other garments."1
Sufism is known as "Islamic Mysticism," in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God2. Mysticism is defined as the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality, and the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)3
Both the terms Sufi and Sufism and Sufi beliefs have no basis from the traditional Islamic sources of the Qur'an and Sunnah, a fact even admitted by themselves. Rather, Sufism is in essence a conglomerate consisting of extracts from a multitude of other religions with which Sufi's interacted.
During the primary stages of Sufism, Sufis were characterised by their particular attachment to zikr (remembrance of Allah) and asceticism (seclusion), as well as the beginning of innovated practices to 'aid' in the religious practices. Yet even at the early stage of Sufism, before their involvement in innovated rituals and structured orders, the scholars warned the masses of the extremity of Sufi practices. Imam Al-Shafi' had the opinion that "If a person exercised Sufism (Tasawafa) at the beginning of the day, he doesn't come at Zuhur except an idiot". Imam Malik and Ahmad bin Hanbal also shared similar ideas on this new movement which emanated from Basrah, Iraq.
Although it began as a move towards excessive Ibaadah, such practices were doomed to lead to corruption, since their basis did not come from authentic religious doctrines, but rather from exaggerated human emotions.
Sufism as an organised movement arose among pious Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad period (AD 661-750)4. The Sufis exploited the chaotic state of affairs that existed during the fifth and sixth centuries A.H. and invited people to follow their way, alleging that the remedy to this chaos was conformity to the guidance of their order's Sheikhs. Dar al-Majnoon was established during the reign of Khalifah Ma'moon, where he invited the scholars of the Romans and Greeks to meet with the Muslims and 'discuss' their respective positions. This provided the perfect breeding ground for the synthesis between Islam and Pagan theology, to produce the Sufism of the likeof Ibn Arabi.
The Mixing Pot

With the demise of the Companions and their successors, the door became open for the distortion of Islamic Principles. The enemies of Islam had already burrowed deep into the ranks of Muslims and rapidly caused Fitnah through their spreading of forged hadith and subsequently created new sects such as the Khawaarij and Mu'tazilah.
Sufism gained its breeding ground during this period, whereby it gained its support from the Dynastic Rulers, who had deviated from Islam to the extent whereby magic was used as entertainment in their courts, even though magic is considered as Kufr in Islam.5 During this period, Sufism developed its Shi'a flavour, indeed the roots of contemporary Sufism have been traced back to Shi'a origins (see later).
Sufi ideology and thinking flourished during the times of the likes of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, Jalal Ad Din Rumi, and Imam Ghazali. Their translation of Greek philosophical works into Arabic during the third Islamic century left an indelible mark on many aspects of Sufism, resulting in Greek pantheism becoming an integral part of Sufi doctrine. Pagan practices such as Saint worshipping, the use of magic and holding venerance towards their Sheikh overtook the Orthodox practices of Islam and had little resemblance to the Islam left by our Prophet (s.a.w).
By examining the mystic doctrines of Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism and other religions, it becomes clear how closer Sufism is to these religions than to Islam. In fact, Sufism is never characterised under "Islam" in any system of catalogue, but rather under 'Mysticism'.
Sharda highlights these unsurprising similarities by stating that: "After the fall of Muslim orthodoxy from power at the centre of India for about a century, due to the invasion of Timur, the Sufi became free from the control of the Muslim orthodoxy and consorted with Hindu saints, who influenced them to an amazing extent. The Sufi adopted Monism and wifely devotion from the Vaishnava Vedantic school and Bhakti and Yogic practices from the Vaishnava Vedantic school. By that time, the popularity of the Vedantic pantheism among the Sufis had reached its zenith."6
The following comparison demonstrates the non-coincidental similarity that Sufism shares with other religions:
Concept of validity of all religions

The Sufi doctrine of all religions being acceptable before Allah is derived from the Mystical beliefs of other religions, and not Islam, for Allah says: "Truly, the religion in the Sight of Allah is Islam..." [2: 19].
Take for example the Buddhists:
"No Buddhist who understands the Buddha's teaching thinks that other religions are wrong... All religions acknowledge that man's present state is unsatisfactory. All teach an ethics that includes love, kindness, patience, generosity and social responsibility and all accept the existence of some form of Absolute."
The Sufis also believe the same: "Allah does not distinguish between the non-believer and the Faasiq (wrong doer) or between a believer and a Muslim. In fact they are all equal to Him... Allah does not distinguish between a Kaffir or a hypocrite or between a saint and a Prophet."7
In al-Fusoos, Ibn Arabi leaves no doubt as to his conviction in the unity of all religions: "Beware of restricting yourself to one particular religion and disbelieving in everything else, so that great good would be missed by you, indeed you would miss attainment of knowledge of the affair in the form he is following. Rather be ready to accept all forms of belief. This is because Allah is higher and greater than to be comprehended by one belief to the exclusion of others. Rather all are correct, and everyone who is correct receives award, and everyone who is rewarded is fortunate, and everyone who is fortunate is one with Whom He is pleased."8
Union with the Creator

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala is completely distinct from His Creation. He neither resembles His Creation, nor is He enclosed by it. Sufis however, with their deviant doctrine of Wahdat ul Wujood, believe contrary to this. Ibn Arabi, the Sufi scholar with whom which the concept of Wahdat ul Wujood is rightly attributed, asserted that since Allah's Attributes were manifested in His creation, to worship His creation is similar to worshipping Him: "So the person with complete understanding is he who sees every object of worship to be a manifestation of the truth contained therein, for which it is worshipped. Therefore they call it a god, along with its particular name, whether it is a rock, or a tree, or an animal, or a person, or a star, or an angel."9
This is how far the Sufis deviated because of their reliance on Greek and Eastern philosophy, rather than the Qur'an and Sunnah. To them God is not Allah Alone with whom no one else shares in His Dominion, but rather everything we see around us, and ultimately our own selves! Glory to Allah, who Stated "There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer" [42: 11]. Looking at where Sufism derived its understanding from, we find the same ingrained beliefs:
"When you live in the wisdom home, you'll no longer find a barrier between "I" and "you," "this" and "that," "inside" and "outside;" you'll have come, finally, to your true home, the state of non-duality."10
"Finally, the experience of realisation matures sufficiently that the [spiritual aspirant] may rightly utter the startling assertion, 'I am Shiva' (a Hindu deity)".11
"When I am in that darkness I do not remember anything about anything human, or the God-man.. I see all and I see nothing. As what I have spoken of withdraws and stays with me, I see the God-man.. and he sometimes says to me: 'You are I and I am you'".12
Corruption of Tawheed in Allah's Attributes

Sufis totally deny all of Allah's Attributes, such as His Face, His Hands, His Istawaa etc, using metaphorical meanings to explain His Attributes. Although the Companions and Tabi'een believed in them without any resemblance to His creation, the Sufi's deem His Attributes to be a part of His creation.
Ibn Arabi went as far as to say that he saw Allah during one of his ecstatic trances, in the shape of a young blond boy sitting on a Throne! (see Bezels of Wisdom, London 1980). Other Sufi Gnostics followed suit in Ibn Arabi's trail: "In the writings of Ibn al-Arabi and Ibn al-Farid, eternal beauty is symbolised through female beauty; in Indo-Muslim popular mystical songs the soul is the loving wife, God the longed-for husband." 13
Incorporation of Music in Rituals

Music of all forms is forbidden by the majority of scholars, and remains attached to forbidden practices such as drinking, fornication and parties. However, after the Muslim conquest of the Deccan under Malik Kafur (c. 1310), a large number of Hindu musicians were taken with the royal armies and settled in the North. The acceptance of the Sufi doctrines, in which music was an accepted means to the realisation of God, enabled Muslim rulers and noblemen to extend their patronage to this art.14 At the courts of the Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan, music flourished on a grand scale, and Sufi Dervishes used music as a means to enter ecstatic trances.
Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) said in a lengthy hadith concerning the appearance of vile acts, "...when singing-girls and stringed instruments make their appearance, wines are drunk, and the last members of this people curse the first ones, look at that time for a violent wind, an earthquake, being swallowed up by the earth, metamorphosis, pelting rain, and signs following one another like bits of a necklace falling one after the other when its string is cut." [Tirmidhi ].
The deception of Sufism is brought to full light by looking at the lives of their esteemed leaders, the Sheikhs of whom which they place full trust in heir knowledge and obey their every command, and by contrasting the Orthodox Islamic teachings against the Sufi alternative.
Sufi Sheikhs: Role Models or Deviants?

Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami

Bayazid is considered to be "of the six bright stars in the firmament of the Prophet (s.a.w)"15, and a link in the Golden Chain of the Naqshibandi Tariqah. Yet his life reeks of Shirin all aspects.
Bayazid al-Bistami was the first one to spread the reality of Annihilation (Fana'), whereby the Mystic becomes fully absorbed to the point of becoming unaware of himself or the objects around him. Every existing thing seems to vanish, and he feels free of every barrier that could stand in the way of his viewing the Remembered One. In one of these states, Bayazid cried out: "Praise to Me, for My greatest Glory!"
Yet this concept is to be found nowhere in the Qur'an, nor Sunnah, nor in the behaviour in the Salaf us Saalih.
Bistami's belief in the Unity of all religions became apparent when asked the question: "How does Islam view other religions?" His reply was "All are vehicles and a path to God's Divine Presence." Was this the Message of Tawheed which the Prophet (s.a.w) practised and was followed by the Sahaabah? He attributed the believers to be the same as the disbelievers themselves, who Allah describes as being worse than cattle (Surah 7, verse 179) and dogs; the same disbelievers who the Prophet (s.a.w) stated he had been commanded to fight till they testified that there was no deity but Allah.
The whole life of Bayazid is rife with such contradiction to Eeman. From a young age, he left his mother stating to her that he could not serve Allah and his mother at the same time.16 When walking through the streets, he once called out "I am God; why do you not worship me?" He spent his time sitting with his head resting between his knees, one of his companions stating he did so for thirty years. But strangest of all was his obedience to a dog he once came across. The dog had apparently become upset at Bayazid's attempt to avoid him, to which the dog spoke to him and scolded him. So Bayazid pleaded "O dog, you are so enlightened, live with me for some time."17
Ibn Arabi

During the late 12th and early 13th centuries, under the influence of speculative mysticism, Ibn al-Arabi produced a system that created a complete chasm between the law and Sufism. In societies, such as Islamic India, that had a strong pre-Islamic heritage of mysticism, this chasm became much wider.18
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi holds perhaps the highest position amongst all Sufi Schools, and was pivotal in the permanent split between Islam and Sufism. He claimed to have received direct orders from the Prophet (s.a.w) himself, including a book of completely new hadith never seen or heard of before.
Prior to his receiving 'revelation', Ibn Arabi was well known to attend nightly parties in Seville. During one of these nights, he heard a voice (his drunk inner self?) calling to him, "O Muhammad, it was not for this that you were created". He fled in fear to a cemetery, where he claims to have met, and received instruction from, Jesus, Moses and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. From his books, innumerable forged sayings attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w) have been used, to the extent that countless of Muslims consider these to be real.
The following are quotes from Ibn Arabi:
"The man of wisdom will never allow himself to be caught up in any one form or belief, because he is wise unto himself".19
"All that is left to us by tradition (Hadith) is mere words. It is up to us to find out what they mean"20. (This reflects his alliance with Baatini (inner) meanings and interpretations)
"He (Ibn Rushd) thanked God that in his own time he had seen someone (Ibn Arabi) who had entered into the retreat ignorant and had come out like this (knowledge of inner meanings)- without study, discussion, investigation or reading"21
Junaid

Junaid was the fourth head of the Safavid order who sought to transform the spiritual strength of the order into political power. What may be unknown to his followers however was his policies of military adventurism combined with Shi'a and Sufi piety.22 His son, Haydar, himself established the Safavid dynasty and the Twelver Shi'a Islam in Iran came under his grandson, Isma'il I.
He was said to have blown a fatal breath at his slave-girl, to which he argued that she was ruining his forty years of spiritual practices.23
This so-called 'Saint', a supposed friend of Allah, made the following remarks:
"I saw a thief who was being gibbeted. I bowed to him... for being true to the profession he followed."
" He who fears Allah never smiles".
"One moments forgetfulness of the Lord ruins a thousands years worship".
Mansur al-Hallaj

Mansur is renowned for his claim "Ana-l-Haq" (I am the Truth), for which he was executed for apostasy. Yet he is still revered by Sufis even though he abandoned all the laws governing Tawheed.
He was said to have lived in one cloak for a full twenty years, along with a scorpion inside. He stood bare-footed and bare-headed for one year at the same spot in Makkah. During his prayers, he would say "O Lord! You are the guide of those who are passing through the Valley of Bewilderment. If I am a heretic, enlarge my heresy." He also said "I denied your religion (Islam) and denial is obligatory on me, although that is hideous to Muslims."24
Abu Yazid

Abu Yazid once prayed one Juma'a prayer in 24,000 different places. He told the religious authorities in one place: "I was praying in 12,000 different houses of worship today." They asked: "How?" He said, "By the power of the Lord Almighty. If you don't believe me, send people around to ask." They sat and waited until messengers returned saying that he was seen in so many places. Abu Yazid said later: "I was afraid to say 24,000, so I only said 12,000." So Abu Yazid clearly lied, when he could have simply not mentioned anything in the first place.
Are these truly the ones who we are told to receive the knowledge of our religion from? Do these men reflect the teachings of Islam? A man who left obedience to his mother, to the obedience of a dog? Are we supposed to follow men who receive revelation in a cemetery after spending the night at a party? Or a man who kills his slave girl for 'disturbing' his worship? To us, Islam calls smiling a charity, not a deviation from Allah's Pleasure. Islam forbids prostration to anyone but Allah. The Prophet (s.a.w) used to make du'a seeking Allah's guidance, not begging for heresy. And Islam teaches us truthfulness, not lies.
Evidence Against their teachings: their beliefs and practices

Position of the Sheikh and Wali

The Sheikh or Wali is given a similar standing as that of a Catholic Saint, or the Dalai Lama himself. Complete obedience is enforced on his followers, and any questions are deemed as a betrayal of trust: "The seeker must submit to the will of the Sheikh and to obey him in all his orders and advice, because the Sheikh has more experience and more knowledge in Haqiqat, in Tariqat and in Shari'ah," and "he must agree with the opinion of his Sheikh completely, as the patient agrees with the physician".25
Yet Muslims believe that any single act of worship must be substantiated by the Qur'an and Sunnah only. Allah the Exalted says: "Say (to them), 'Produce your proof if you are truthful'." [2: 111], and the Prophet (s.a.w) said "The created is not to be obeyed over the Creator."
The Sheikh is given the standing of a deity in Sufism. Attributes which belong to Allah, are also assigned to their Sheikhs. They seek help from them, whether they are dead or 10,000km away. They believe that their sheikhs know everything their students are thinking, and that they converse with the Prophet (s.a.w) on a regular basis (in reality).
Distortion of the concepts of zikr, hadith, Qur'an

Since the Qur'an and Saheeh Hadith cannot be changed, the Sufi's have reverted to Ta'weel, a method of changing the apparent meaning of the verse or hadith to have a hidden one. This provided them with sufficient lee-way to support any concept they desired, by simply stating that the verse/hadith had an inner meaning which only the Sheikh himself could know.
In the Bezels of Wisdom, Ibn Arabi presents certain aspects of what he terms "Divine Wisdom," as he conceives it. But Ibn al-Arabi interprets the relevant verses of Surat Noah in the most outrageous fashion, since he suggests meanings diametrically opposed to those accepted by all Muslim scholars. He interprets the "wrongdoe," "infidels," and "sinners" in Surat Noah as 'saints and Gnostics' drowning and burning not in the torment of Hell, but rather in the flames and water of knowledge of God. Ibn Arabi regarded the idols worshipped by Noah's people as divine deities. Allah condemned their deed saying: "And they (Noah's people) said, 'Do not abandon your gods, neither Wad, Suwa', Yaghooth, Ya'ooq nor Nasr'. " [71: 23]
On which Ibn Arabi commented:
"If they (Noah's people) had abandoned them, they would have become ignorant of the Reality ... for in every object of worship there is a reflection of Reality, whether it be recognised or not."
The act of making Zikr in circles and jumping/moving frantically is also totally unfounded. Zikr in the true Arabic sense means "Remembrance of Allah." The Prophet's (s.a.w) method, which Muslims agree to be the best and only acceptable one, of zikr consisted in reciting Qur'an, discussing religion with his companions, and making Tasbeeh on his hands. Yet the act of sitting in circles and loudly or silently chanting "Allah, Allah" was never practised by the Prophet (s.a.w) nor the Salaf, and all hadith which state that the Prophet (s.a.w) did so (such as when he supposedly went into a room, told the companions to lift up their hands and chant "La Ilaha Illa Allah" ) are unanimously agreed upon to be forged. Ibn Taymiyyah stated that this practice opened the door to Shaytaan, whereby the Shaytaan would enter the gathering (since they were involved in innovation) and take the form of a pious person. He also stated that the recital of "Allah, Allah" was forbidden, as it was never declared to be a form of zikr, and has no attached word to complete it (such as Allahu Akbar, Subhaan Allah).26
The stories also of Khidr and his meeting with the 'Awliyaa', the 40 Abdaal's who are always on the Earth and can be at any place in the wink of an eye, are derived from Jewish and Christian legends, not Islamic traditions.
Innovation

Imam Malik remarked: "That which was not religion at the time of the Messenger and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, is never to be religion today. He who introduces a Bid'ah (innovation) in the religion of Islam and deems it a good thing, claims by so doing that Muhammad (s.a.w) betrayed the Message."
The Sufis are to be found indulging in and spending an enormous amount of resources defending innovated practices, declaring them to be "good innovations." These include celebrating the death of the Prophet (s.a.w) (a practice adopted from the reign of Fatamids, who began this innovation in order to seek the pleasure of the masses), reading Qur'an over the dead and seeking blessings form them, and the building of extravagant mosques (even though our Prophet (s.a.w) forbade this. Anas reports that the Messenger of Allah said: "The Hour will not come to pass until the people vie with each other in (building) the mosques." [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, anNasa'i, Ibn Majah] ).
Emotional attachment

The Sufi's have become such an integral part of the lives of so many Muslims that Muslims are finding it difficult to accept that the Sufi path is wrong, and accuse anyone who pinpoints the errors of Sufism as an extremist or a follower of some 'deviant' sect.
Sufism calls to human emotions rather than intellect and Islamic evidence. For example, poetry and music were the most popular form during the past hundreds of years, whereby "Sufi ideas permeated the hearts of all those who hearkened to poetry."27 Today, Sufism is followed by masses of people who desire to leave behind the complexities of this world, instead of building the ability to challenge it. Sufism provides the perfect escape, where its followers can meditate instead of thinking about the other Muslims who are suffering, let alone help them.
Similarity with pagan beliefs

Sufism is so similar to other religions, and as we noted earlier very tolerant of them, that a change to Sufism does not involve a complete change of life, as Islam requires. So Buddhists, Sikhs, Taoists and mystic Jews and Christians looking for an easy alternative find solace in Sufism which perhaps only adds another dimension to their previous way of life, rather than uprooting it and starting afresh.
Simplicity

Ibnul-Jawzee says in Talbees Iblees: "Sufism is a way whose beginning was complete avoidance of the affairs of worldly life, then those who attached themselves to it became lax in allowing singing and dancing. Therefore the seekers of the hereafter from the common people became attracted to them due to the avoidance of the worldly life which they manifested, and the seekers after this world were also attracted to them due to the life of ease and frivolity which they were seen to live."
Sufism offers its followers a life carefree from fighting (Jihad), politics, the initiative to seek knowledge and teach it, the work of Da'wah, and allows a person to indulge in worldly activities such as music, magic, and other prohibited acts.
The leader of the Naqshibandi Tareeqa in America, was quoted in the media as saying the following: "You have to be both material and spiritual. Sufis can give people joy in their spiritual life. Well, Madonna is giving people a kind of joy in their material life... You cannot say she is wrong. Sufis don't object and criticise - they are accepting everything. That's why, when my children are looking at Madonna on MTV, I say, 'Let me come and look also!'"
Support from the governments

Any group which manages to gain the support of an anti-Islamic Government must be suspicious. During the reign of the tyrant Mustafa Kemal, under whose leadership thousands of scholars were executed and Islamic practices banned, special permission was granted by the Turkish government in 1954 allowing the Mawlawi dervishes of Konya to perform their ritual dances. In fact, they have become a regular attraction nowadays, performing around the world along with their Turkish Mystical Music State Ensemble. 28
The Sheikh of the Naqshibandi's of America has greeted and received praises from the President of America Bill Clinton himself. And why shouldn't he, since the 'Islam' he portrays is one of pacifism and unity with the Kuffar. Twisting of evidence
Since the Qur'an and Hadith are readily available, and cannot be changed, the Sufis have resorted to another trick used by other Mystics: Ta'weel, or changing the apparent meaning of a verse or hadith to a secret inner one which only a certified Sheikh could explain!
They also rely on providing the mass with forged hadith, such as the one stating the beseeching of Adam (a.s) in the name of Muhammad when he sinned; the stories of Khidr; the rising of the Prophet (s.a.w) from his grave so a person could kiss his hand and so on.
Because of the lack of knowledge the general mass possess on the knowledge of Hadith and Aqeedah, they believe what they are told, and pass on the stories to other generations, becoming distorted even more along the way.
Another smart tactic is to attribute forged sayings in support of the Sufi's from the righteous scholars. For example, Ibn Taymiyyah is attributed to have been a member of the Qadiri order and had been initiated, and spoken great words on Bistami and his likes. Yet Ibn Taymiyyah spent the majority of his life fighting against the teachings of Sufism, was imprisoned because of them, and bluntly stated "...Ibn Arabi who wrote "Al-Fousous," and other slandering atheists such as Ibn Sab'een and his like. They even witness that they are simultaneously the worshipers and the ones being worshiped."
The Damage to the Ummah

Sufis distracted the Muslims from the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah towards the servitude of the Sheikh. Muslims thus became alienated from the teachings of Islam, and possessed no protection from the innovations and trappings of the deviant sects. Teachings such as "He (the follower) must not look to any other than his Sheikh" did nothing to cement the community. Rather, it sent the ball rolling for the wars between the various Mathabs, which culminated in fighting, rejection of each other faiths, and praying at different stations in Makkah itself.
The Sufi's have left a lasting impression on the image of Islam, portraying it as one of peace and apolitical, and anyone who contravenes this is an impostor and considered an extremist. By relying on forged hadith such as the 'bigger Jihad is Jihad'ul Nafs (i.e. struggle against the self)' and its like, Muslims have been made to believe that work and family is the greatest Jihad, rather than establishing Allah's religion on Earth though the use of the sword.
The Sufi influence undoubtedly contributed greatly to the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The pacifist views they spread, the lack of Shari'ah knowledge, and their befriending of the disbelievers, made sure that no one would oppose the vast changes being made to the Ottoman Laws. By 1880, the Tanzimat period was in full force, where Shari'ah was replaced by European Laws (except in limited circumstances such as in Hadd punishments), yet little opposition was heard29. Whilst the masses were busy in the construction of extravagant mosques and spinning around in circles, the Ottoman Empire was overtaken by Masons and eventually torn to parts.
Conclusion

Sufism was doomed to destruction from when it first emerged, because of its deviation from the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah. The small excess, the little innovation, led to the snowball effect, such that it emerged as a movement for well-meant increased Ibaadah and Zuhd, to Kufr and Innovation.
In truth, Islam is sufficient for us, and it is only Shaytaan who wishes to turn us away from our religion, to make us exceed the limits, and fall into his trap. The only sure way to avoid this is to grasp tightly onto what was left to us by our beloved Prophet (s.a.w), the Qur'an and Sunnah, as understood and believed and acted upon by the best people to have lived: the Salaf us Saalih, the Companions and those who followed their footsteps.
1 Al Fataawa 11/7
2 Encyclopaedia Britannica
3 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
4 Encyclopaedia Britannica
5 The Fundamentals of Tawheed, Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips
6 S. R. Sharda, Sufi Thought
7 The Naqshbandi Way, pp 12,16
8 Ibn Arabi, al-Fusoos, p.191
9 Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyah, p.38
10 The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, p.77
11 The Triadic Heart of Shiva, pp 183-4
12 Angela of Foligno: Complete Works, pp 181-2
13 Encyclopaedia Britannica
14 ibid.
15 Naqshibandi Way
16 Memoirs of the Saints, translated by Dr. Bankley Behari
17 ibid.
18 Encyclopaedia Britannica
19 An unpublished poem from Ibn Arabi's 'Diwan', translated by Dr Austin
20 Stephen Hirtenstein's paper Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi: The Treasure of Compassion
21 Sufis of Andalusia, transl. by R. W. J. Austin, p.23
22 Encyclopaedia Britannica
23 Memoirs of the Saints, p.108
24 ibid.
25 Naqshibandi Way
26 Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmoo' al Fatawaah
27 Encyclopaedia Britannica
28 They recently came to perform in Australia, charging $30 per head. Only the elite went to watch this 90 minute theatrical display.
29 The Islamic World, New Jersey 1991

[islamirama]

[Mustafa16]

Yes, I agree. But is the political turmoil in much of the Muslim world a punishment for deviating from the right path?

[islamirama]

Yes, I agree. But is the political turmoil in much of the Muslim world a punishment for deviating from the right path?

Allah honored us when we stuck to the deen and humiliated us when we went away from it.

http://sunnahonline.com/library/cont...of-the-prophet

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:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

:sl: (Peace be upon you)

The article has a lot of misunderstandings of what Sufism, or tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality) is, and its origins, and its reality and its purpose and its continued importance. As with anything, I think it is important to ask the people of knowledge (i.e. scholars) about this and not learn about the matter simply on the Internet because Salafism has a preeminent presence on the Internet due to which Sufism has acquired an ill-deserved reputation. That's really all I have to say on the subject. And I think people should listen to prominent scholars like Hamza Yusuf explain tasawwuf if they do not have the benefit of local scholars from whom they can glean a holistic understanding on the subject.

:wa: (And peace be upon you)

[islamirama]

And I think people should listen to prominent scholars like Hamza Yusuf explain tasawwuf

Do we go to shia scholars to learn about shiaism? no, then why go to a sufi scholar like him ?

The sunni scholars listed here have spoken on what Sufism is and that is enough for us.

[Search]

:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

:sl: (Peace be upon you)

Do we go to shia scholars to learn about shiaism? no, then why go to a sufi scholar?

Well, that's a paralogism that you're putting there. Do we go to a doctor to learn about how to fix our car? Do we go to a mechanic to inform us on what is ailing us? It is imperative that a person learn knowledge from the right sources; and I obviously as someone who strongly believes in tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality) disagrees with you on many points, points which we've discussed previously and which I have no desire to rehash here again.

The sunni scholars listed here have spoken on what Sufism is and that is enough for us.

Listing a handful of scholars does not make up the vast tradition of what has been said about Sufism through the millennia, and as a man of reasonableness, even you should understand this logic sufficiently.

Also, I'm not interested in arguments for/against Sufism. I'm encouraging people to do their own research and reach their own conclusions like a good student would instead of relying on someone else's conclusions represented in this article. As you know, and as I've stated previously, I've already done my homework; and I've already reached my own conclusions.

:wa:(And peace be upon you)

[islamirama]

Yes go to those experts to learn about their field. So by that token you can go to a sufi to learn about sufi but to go take deen from him we do not. We take deen from ahle sunnah wal jammah scholars ONLY. We don't need to go to sufis to learn about their beliefs, we just need to go to our scholars to know how their beliefs deviate from our deen and why not to listen to them.

We don't even need a handful of scholars, one reputable scholar alone is enough to tell if something is part of our deen or not. And we have more than one scholar in the videos clarifying the matter.

[Search]

:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

:sl: (Peace be upon you)

We don't even need a handful of scholars, one reputable scholar alone is enough to tell if something is part of our deen or not. And we have more than one scholar in the videos clarifying the matter.

You have given videos of Salafi scholars giving you a verdict; and as a person who was formerly someone who was a Salafi and as a person who now identifies as a Muslim but believes in tasawwuf, I think you'll know why I will say that people should not trust the information of Salafi scholars regarding Sufism. And we've already had a discussion previously about Salafism; and I've already noted to you before that while I do accept that Salafism is part of the Sunni tradition, I do not accept that they're part of Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jammah for the specific reason that I consider Salafism an innovation.

:wa:(And peace be upon you)

[MidnightRose]

Here's a video that gives a contextualized explanation of what Sufism is. It's by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam.

Although the video is over an hour long, in my opinion it's a beneficial watch. Check it out :ia:.

[Zafran]

Yes go to those experts to learn about their field. So by that token you can go to a sufi to learn about sufi but to go take deen from him we do not. We take deen from ahle sunnah wal jammah scholars ONLY.

yet you didn't list a single scholar - you just posted videos of salafi dawah givers or Imams from the west or some random internet board. Wheres the scholars from Al Azher to deoband to the scholars at fez to Malaysia?

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you islamirama;

We don't need to go to sufis to learn about their beliefs, we just need to go to our scholars to know how their beliefs deviate from our deen and why not to listen to them.

Ok, I am a Christian, and if I listened to all the hysteria about Islam, I could easily think you were all a bunch of wife beating terrorists. But after taking the trouble to be a part of this forum for the last eleven years, I have come to understand that you are wonderful people, with a deep faith.

I have learned a lot from all of you over the years, I have found we have much in common, and I can look at you as brothers and sisters in faith, despite all our obvious differences.

In the spirit of praying to the same 'One God'

Eric

[anatolian]

But after taking the trouble to be a part of this forum for the last eleven years, I have come to understand that you are wonderful people, with a deep faith.

Exactly...We must always listen to the story from other side's perspective also..

However, sometimes it gives negative effect learning something from people who are supposed to have it. Cat Stevens said that if I looked at Muslims at first without looking at Islam I would not convert to Islam...

[InToTheRain]

We must begin by remembering what Islam is for. As we noted earlier, our din is not, ultimately, a manual of rules which, when meticulously followed, becomes a passport to paradise. Instead, it is a package of social, intellectual and spiritual technology whose purpose is to cleanse the human heart. In the Qur'an, the Lord says that on the Day of Judgement, nothing will be of any use to us, except a sound heart (qalbun salim). [3] And in a famous hadith, the Prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, says that

"Verily in the body there is a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the body is all sound. If it is corrupt, the body is all corrupt. Verily, it is the heart.
Mindful of this commandment, under which all the other commandments of Islam are subsumed, and which alone gives them meaning, the Islamic scholars have worked out a science, an ilm (science), of analysing the 'states' of the heart, and the methods of bringing it into this condition of soundness. In the fullness of time, this science acquired the name tasawwuf, in English 'Sufism' - a traditional label for what we might nowadays more intelligibly call 'Islamic psychology.'
At this point, many hackles are raised and well-rehearsed objections voiced. It is vital to understand that mainstream Sufism is not, and never has been, a doctrinal system, or a school of thought - a madhhab. It is, instead, a set of insights and practices which operate within the various Islamic madhhabs; in other words, it is not a madhhab, it is an ilm. And like most of the other Islamic ulum, it was not known by name, or in its later developed form, in the age of the Prophet (upon him be blessings and peace) or his Companions. This does not make it less legitimate. There are many Islamic sciences which only took shape many years after the Prophetic age: usul al-fiqh, for instance, or the innumerable technical disciplines of hadith.

http://masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/fgtnrevo.htm

The overwhelming Majority of Muslims (The Jama'aa) advocate Sufism. Those who don't are small in number though making a lot of noise... as does the bottle that's half empty.

[Supernova]

Here's a video that gives a contextualized explanation of what Sufism is. It's by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam.

Although the video is over an hour long, in my opinion it's a beneficial watch. Check it out :ia:.

This Aalim is absolute top notch - please listen to all his lectures. I even wrote to him once and his answers are filled with Hikmah

[Cherub786]

A lot of the criticism here of Sufism is oversimplified and not nuanced, which is a mistake. You have to realize that Sufism isn't some neatly packaged concept that you can just refute. It is very broad and there are many competing definitions of it. But at the most basic level, Sufism is absolutely a good thing and fits with Islam. Even the most rigid opponents of Sufism must confess this fact. What is definitely valid is criticism of this New Age Sufism which departs from Islamic orthodoxy and Shari'ah. But the original Sufis and tendency of Sufism was never considered to be a departure from Islamic orthodoxy. The great saints from the early Muslims, like Dhun Nun al-Misri, Sahl al-Tustari, and others, are respected and beloved to all orthodox Muslims, and they were the archetype Sufis. They were known for Zuhd, worship, purification of the soul, abstaining from worldliness, and strict adherence to the Sunnah. That is the inner path of Sufism which can never be divorced from Islam

[Scimitar]

The whirling dervish practice was also something Rasputin the devil worshipper did.

Bet most didn't know that. LOL

Scimi

[sister herb]

What Rasputin has to do with this thread?

^o)

Was he too sufi?

[azc]

Do we go to shia scholars to learn about shiaism? no, then why go to a sufi scholar like him ? The sunni scholars listed here have spoken on what Sufism is and that is enough for us.

''Qad aflaha man zakkaha'' (surah al shams). Purification of soul/innerself is the essential part of Islam. If the teachings of any sufi are according to kitab and sunnah, will be taken

[azc]

Yes go to those experts to learn about their field. So by that token you can go to a sufi to learn about sufi but to go take deen from him we do not. We take deen from ahle sunnah wal jammah scholars ONLY. We don't need to go to sufis to learn about their beliefs, we just need to go to our scholars to know how their beliefs deviate from our deen and why not to listen to them. We don't even need a handful of scholars, one reputable scholar alone is enough to tell if something is part of our deen or not. And we have more than one scholar in the videos clarifying the matter.

I'm not a sufi supporter though but the way you are refuting tasawwuf displays your inefficiency of understanding the issue. Study all scholars if you can. You are not a child that anybody can instill the doubts in your heart or can deviate you. Do you know that sh ibn taimiyya ra and sh ibn qayyim were also sufi...?

[azc]

Greetings and peace be with you islamirama; Ok, I am a Christian, and if I listened to all the hysteria about Islam, I could easily think you were all a bunch of wife beating terrorists. But after taking the trouble to be a part of this forum for the last eleven years, I have come to understand that you are wonderful people, with a deep faith. I have learned a lot from all of you over the years, I have found we have much in common, and I can look at you as brothers and sisters in faith, despite all our obvious differences. In the spirit of praying to the same 'One God' Eric

I love to read your comments. Man, your just amazing.!

[Grandad]

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum

‘It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: “Ask me (about matters pertaining to religion), but they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) were too much overawed out of profound respect for him to ask him (anything).

‘In the meanwhile a man came there, and sat near his knees and said: “Messenger of Allah, what is al-lslam”?

‘To which he (the Holy Prophet) replied: “You must not associate anything with Allah, and establish prayer, pay the poor-rate (Zakat) and observe (the fasts) of Ramadan”.

‘He said: You (have) told the truth. He (again) said: “Messenger of Allah, what is al-Iman (the faith)”?

‘He (the Holy Prophet) said: “That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Apostles, and that you believe in Resurrection and that you believe in Qadr (Divine Decree) in all its entirety”.

‘He (the inquirer) said: “You (have) told the truth. He (again) said: “Messenger of Allah, what is al-Ihsan”?

‘Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: “(Al-Ihsan implies) that you fear Allah as if you are seeing Him, and though you see Him not, verily He is seeing you”.

‘He (the inquirer) said: “You (have) told the truth”. He (the inquirer) said: “When shall be the hour (of Doom)”?

‘(Upon this) he (the Holy Prophet said:

‘“The one who is being asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer himself. I, however, narrate some of its signs (and these are): when you see a slave (woman) giving birth to her master - that is one of the signs of (Doom); when you see barefooted, naked, deaf and dumb (ignorant and foolish persons) as the rulers of the earth - that is one of the signs of the Doom. And when you see the shepherds of black camels exult in buildings - that is one of the signs of Doom. The (Doom) is one of the five things (wrapped) in the unseen. No one knows them except Allah”.

‘Then (the Holy Prophet) recited (the following verse): " Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the hour and He it is Who sends down the rain and knows that which is in the wombs and no person knows whatsoever he shall earn on morrow and a person knows not in whatsoever land he shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware.”

‘He (the narrator, Abu Huraira) said: “Then the person stood up and (made his way). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: “Bring him back to me”.

‘He was searched for, but they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) could not find him. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) thereupon said: “He was Jibreel and he wanted to teach you (things pertaining to religion) when you did not ask them yourselves”.

(Muslim: Book 001, Number 0006). See also: Muslim: Book 001, Number 0004; and Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 2, Number 47.

From this Hadith we see that Islam is a tree with three major branches:

Islam - Submissions to the Will of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla), especially concerning what is right or wrong, halal or haram. This branch is the preserve of the jurists.

Iman – Faith. Belief in One God; in His Angels; in His Prophets; in His Books; in the Day of Judgement and so on. This branch is the preserve of the theologians.

Ihsan – Remembrance of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla); righteousness, self-realisation and so on. This branch is the preserve of those who practice Tasawwuf.

There are people - especially in the West - who call themselves ‘Sufis’ but are not Muslims. And there are Muslims who call themselves ‘Sufis’ but whose practices are - to say the least - suspect. A true follower of Tasawwuf knows that the shari‘a and ‘aqida of Islam are paramount. They know this…….and they act accordingly. One who does not act in this way, and yet pretends to be a Sufi, is like one who walks through a hospital wearing a white coat, with a stethoscope around his neck, trying desperately to convince everyone that he is a doctor. A real doctor is something else.

It is clear from the Hadith that the practise of Tasawwuf (living in the remembrance of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) was the norm among the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions, even though the term ‘Tasawwuf’, like many other Islamic disciplines, was not known to them. It was, however, very much in use during the period of the four great Imams of the Maḏāhib. This is what they had to say about it:

‘If it were not for two years, I would have perished. For two years I accompanied Hazrat Jafer as-Sadiq (R.A) and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a knower in the Way (i.e. Sufism).’
(Reported of Imam Abu Hanifa: ‘Ad-Durr Al-Mukhthar’; Volume 1, page 43).

‘Whoever studies jurisprudence and does not study Sufism will be corrupted. Whoever studies Sufism and does not study Jurisprudence will become a heretic. Whoever combines both will reach the truth.’ (Imam Malik: ‘Kashf Al-Khafa Wa Muzid Al-Abas’; Volume 1, page 41).

‘I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three kinds of knowledge: They taught me how to speak. They taught me how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart. They guided me in the ways of Sufism.’ (Imam Shafi: ‘Tanwir Al-Qulub’; page 405).

‘O my son you have to sit with the Sufis, because they are like a fountain of knowledge. They recite the remembrance of Allah (S.W.T) in their hearts. They are ascetics and they have the most spiritual power……………………… I do not know any people better than them.’ (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, advising his son: ‘Ghiza Al-Albab’; Volume 1, page 120).

And what of other scholars?

‘I knew it to be true that the Sufis are the seekers in Allah's Way. Their conduct is the best of conduct. Their way is the best of ways. Their manners are the most sanctified. They have purified their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers to run receiving knowledge of the Divine Presence.’ (Imam Ghazali: ‘Al-Munqidh Min Ad-Dalal’; page 131).

‘The specification of the Ways of the Sufis are five: To keep the Presence of Allah (S.W.T) in your heart in public and in private. To follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W) by action and speech.
To keep away from dependence on people. To be happy with what Allah (S.W.T) gives you, even if it is little. To always refer your matters to Allah (S.W.T) Almighty and Exalted.’ (Imam Nawawi: ‘Al-Maqasid At-Tawhid’; page 20).

‘Sufism appeared in the 1st century of Islam and it received tremendous honour. It purified the self, straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the wisdom and secrets of the Divine Presence.’ (Muhammad Abduh: ‘Majallat Al Muslim’; page 24).

‘The Sufis initiate people in Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W), in repentance from their sins and in avoidance of every disobedience to Allah, Almighty and Exalted. Their guides encourage them to move in the way of perfect Love of Allah.’ (Abul Hasan Ali An-Nadwi: ‘Muslims in India’; pages 140-146).
‘Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (S.A.W), where one absents oneself for their sake and one is annihilated from anything other than them. It instructs us how to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (S.A.W)……………The Shariah and Sufism; what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Shariah, and the spirit is the internal knowledge.’ (Abul Ala Mawdudi: ‘Mabadi Al Islam’; page 17).

It is clear from the above that Tasawwuf is very much a part of Islam.

My son is a murid in the Shadhili tariqa, and has been one for around twelve years. All members of this tariqa follow one of the four Sunni Maḏāhib; as well as one of the two schools of tenets of faith, Ash‘ari or Maturidi. My son is of the Maliki; and follows the Ash‘ari school in ‘aqida. Like all Shadhili murids he does not take his din from those who are not Imams, especially not from oriental-ists or authors without a traditional Islamic education at the hands of the tradition’s sheikhs.

I hope this helps.

[ZeeshanParvez]

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum

‘Sufism appeared in the 1st century of Islam and it received tremendous honour. It purified the self, straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the wisdom and secrets of the Divine Presence.’ (Muhammad Abduh: ‘Majallat Al Muslim’; page 24).

‘The Sufis initiate people in Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W), in repentance from their sins and in avoidance of every disobedience to Allah, Almighty and Exalted. Their guides encourage them to move in the way of perfect Love of Allah.’ (Abul Hasan Ali An-Nadwi: ‘Muslims in India’; pages 140-146).
‘Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (S.A.W), where one absents oneself for their sake and one is annihilated from anything other than them. It instructs us how to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (S.A.W)……………The Shariah and Sufism; what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Shariah, and the spirit is the internal knowledge.’ (Abul Ala Mawdudi: ‘Mabadi Al Islam’; page 17).

It is clear from the above that Tasawwuf is very much a part of Islam.

My son is a murid in the Shadhili tariqa, and has been one for around twelve years. All members of this tariqa follow one of the four Sunni Maḏāhib; as well as one of the two schools of tenets of faith, Ash‘ari or Maturidi. My son is of the Maliki; and follows the Ash‘ari school in ‘aqida. Like all Shadhili murids he does not take his din from those who are not Imams, especially not from oriental-ists or authors without a traditional Islamic education at the hands of the tradition’s sheikhs.

I hope this helps.

How interesting.

[Grandad]

How interesting.

Many years ago,whenever I said something daft (which was fairly often) a dear friend of mine (a Sister of Mercy) used to smile sweetly, and say: 'Oh really? How interesting.' Put me in my place!

[Grandad]

‘Sufism appeared in the 1st century of Islam.

The name appeared in the 1st century of Islam. The reality was there from the beginning.

[aaj]

This is sufism.

http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_au...91980/37191980

[azc]

If sufis follow Quran and sunnah only then they are reliable

[Grandad]

This is sufism.

http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_au...91980/37191980

More accurately, it is the way that certain men behave in a specific mosque. To claim that such behaviour represents sufism per se is as daft as saying that the violent behaviour of a comparatively few Muslims represents the Ummah.

[Grandad]

If sufis follow Quran and sunnah only then they are reliable

Exactly.

[M.I.A.]

This is sufism.

http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_au...91980/37191980

o_o ....lol.

i do that when putting kids to sleep..

although they a bit older now.

masha'allah.

[aaj]

More accurately, it is the way that certain men behave in a specific mosque. To claim that such behaviour represents sufism per se is as daft as saying that the violent behaviour of a comparatively few Muslims represents the Ummah.

want to bet?

Here's sufi in lebanon and in Turkey






here's another one

https://youtu.be/dP2mW8sROtg?list=RDbjZqvy_aMRU


Just go to youtube and type in sufi zikr and you can watch as many as you want. THIS is sufism NOT Islam.

If sufis follow Quran and sunnah only then they are reliable

Then they would be sunni aka following the sunnah of the prophet :saws1: aka ahle sunnah wal jamah

[Grandad]

want to bet?

Here's sufi in lebanon and in Turkey






here's another one

https://youtu.be/dP2mW8sROtg?list=RDbjZqvy_aMRU


Just go to youtube and type in sufi zikr and you can watch as many as you want. THIS is sufism NOT Islam.



Then they would be sunni aka following the sunnah of the prophet :saws1: aka ahle sunnah wal jamah

Since when is the remembrance of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) unislamic?

This is not an approach I use myself; but who are we to say that it does not find favour with the Beloved (may His Name be glorified). There again, perhaps some have been gifted with knowledge denied to one such as I. Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) knows best.

[ZeeshanParvez]

This is sufism.

http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_au...91980/37191980

May Allah guide us all.

[aaj]

Since when is the remembrance of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) unislamic?

since it is NOT done according to the Quran and the Sunnah.

Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “My ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of whom will be in Hell except one group.” They said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “(Those who follow) that which I and my companions follow.” This is mentioned in the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr which was recorded and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi (2641).

This is not an approach I use myself; but who are we to say that it does not find favour with the Beloved (may His Name be glorified). There again, perhaps some have been gifted with knowledge denied to one such as I. Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) knows best.

It is not we who are saying this.

Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told us that: “Every innovation is going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire.” Narrated by Muslim (867) and an-Nasaa’i (1578)

[azc]

since it is NOT done according to the Quran and the Sunnah. Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “My ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of whom will be in Hell except one group.” They said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “(Those who follow) that which I and my companions follow.” This is mentioned in the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr which was recorded and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi (2641).It is not we who are saying this. Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told us that: “Every innovation is going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire.” Narrated by Muslim (867) and an-Nasaa’i (1578)

Do you know who are successful according to Quran..?

[aaj]

Do you know who are successful according to Quran..?

Do you believe in the Quran only?

[azc]

Do you believe in the Quran only?

every Muslim believe in Quran and sunnah... I wish to know if you know that Allah swt takes the oath 7 times and tells us who are successful... Do you know who they..?

[aaj]

every Muslim believe in Quran and sunnah... I wish to know if you know that Allah swt takes the oath 7 times and tells us who are successful... Do you know who they..?

Even if I don't i can look it up to paste it here what's the point of the question, unless you are going to "interpret" it to mean sufi included in it as well as other bidah practices and sects. Do you know who the saved group is?

[azc]

Even if I don't i can look it up to paste it here what's the point of the question unless you are going to "interpret" it to mean sufi included in it as well other bidah practices and sects. Do you know who the saved group is?

wrong practices of sufis have nothing to do with Islam.... Anyways.... Only Allah swt knows who are to be placed in jannah...

[aaj]

wrong practices of sufis have nothing to do with Islam.... Anyways.... Only Allah swt knows who are to be placed in jannah...

Sufism is a sect and we know how many sects there will be and how many will go to Jannah. Allah has already told us this.

[azc]

Sufism is a sect and we know how many sects there will be and how many will go to Jannah. Allah has already told us this.

you speak like a kid...

[Umm Malik]

:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

:sl: (Peace be upon you)

Well, that's a paralogism that you're putting there. Do we go to a doctor to learn about how to fix our car? Do we go to a mechanic to inform us on what is ailing us? It is imperative that a person learn knowledge from the right sources; and I obviously as someone who strongly believes in tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality) disagrees with you on many points, points which we've discussed previously and which I have no desire to rehash here again.


Listing a handful of scholars does not make up the vast tradition of what has been said about Sufism through the millennia, and as a man of reasonableness, even you should understand this logic sufficiently.

Also, I'm not interested in arguments for/against Sufism. I'm encouraging people to do their own research and reach their own conclusions like a good student would instead of relying on someone else's conclusions represented in this article. As you know, and as I've stated previously, I've already done my homework; and I've already reached my own conclusions.

:wa:(And peace be upon you)

You are correct we should go to doctor to ask about our health
And alhamdulillah we have the book of Allah and the sunnah of the prophet and there is a lot of general people who just follow sufim without knowing what is inside
But If you are in Arabe country and you see what they do you will know for sure that this not what the Quran says
I will tell you for example about tijjani sufism ... they have a prayer just the "tijani" the owner of this way seen a dream and then that began to flow this way they believe that if you say that saying it will be batter than reading all kind of thikr and you will be better than the pious person who do ibadah
It clean all the sin as they believe
And they say : if you count one hundred thousand nation in each nation one hundred thousand tribe in each tribe hundred thousand of person each person live hundred thousand year and he spends all his life saying salatu Ala Nabi without salatu lfatih it won't benefit him
Subhanallah
What about the prophet's hadiths
They belive that those things was hidden till the time of tijani
Can you belive this ??
We also see them when stay in shrine is this not association with Allah
They say different dikrs and they tell those people especially the older ones I'd stop saying it or tell it to any one you will get crazy or you could be blind
My grand mother was believing in this and it had having Innings in a lot of situation especially if she is sad or hurting by someone ... and they call it "jadbah" and it was believing in those things
But alhamdulillah she repent to Allah and alhamdulillah nothing happen to her mashallah la kuwwata il la billah
she get very good alhamdulillah since she stopped saying that things and we all know that the general sufism don't know those things till they remain the rank of mkaddam as they say in Algeria
i feel like it hurt the mind it affect it because of things they I said .. I guess ... just with my experience by seeing the people in my town

If I want to speak about what they do in fact I will take a lot of time
In our country we have a lot of ways in some places ... especially in the villages and they belive in different ways of sufism ... each one of them have a lot of things which is not from the book of Allah and the sunnah of the messenger salla lahu alayhi wa sallam

Also ... the person who give "sir" which means securit or hiding thing
He shouldn't have wife after being in this rank or if he already has one he shouldn't be near to him as wife ... but just as women with him serving him and living with him
All of those things I seen and I lived and know what they do with my ears and eyes
If we began to accept adding in our religion by seeing dreams
Our Deen will be corrupt
And Allah says

( 27 ) Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy and monasticism, which they innovated; We did not prescribe it for them except [that they did so] seeking the approval of Allah. But they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave the ones who believed among them their reward, but many of them are defiantly disobedient.
( 28 ) O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.


So what would they say about this ayah
?
This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.

I just wanted to clarify because you as a Muslim looking for the beauty of sufism as spiritual things you will not found and thing in it
But me as a person who live with some people thinking like this and become a people who says ..." it's not important your prayer and doing while your masters are giving you the blessings "... some of them not all honestly
But look how they became after a steps of accepting adding to the Deen
May Allah accept us and guide us
I hope this will help all the sufism and the one who want to know about it

[Samiun]

:sl: I think people should refrain from talking about Tasawwuf if they don't understand what it is. The Ulama who came here(South East Asia) to teach and spread Islam did not spill a drop of blood when converting people into Islam rather people and even the Kings accepted Islam wholeheartedly. Now there are many factors but their manners and adaab eventually won them over and these are people who had knowledge of Tasawwuf and practiced it. People who follow Tasawwuf do follow the Qur'an and Sunnah but unlike some people they do not label people as bid'ah just because they follow weak hadeeth. I have to say I do not understand it myself entirely, though I have met people from the Madrasahs that have learned it about almost their entire life and also the Ulama that hold on to Tasawwuf. Just refrain man, we should not call others 'deviant' just because we do not understand or because we follow some fatwa in the internet. I suggest listening to one of Dr Shadee Elmasry's podcast here: http://sspodcast.co/2017/01/27/ep16/

[azc]

Tasawwuf is an important branch of Islām, dealing with purification of the internal illnesses (like pride, jealousy, love for name and fame, love for wealth, excessive anger, etc.), imbibing of beautiful character (like the love and fear of Allāh , sincerity, generosity, humility, etc.), and attainingnisbah(connection) with Allāh. Just as the Sahābah (Allāh’s pleasure be upon them) acquired outward knowledge from the Messenger (Allāh bless him and grant him peace) which was transmitted to us via the‘ulamāandfuqahā(jurists), the Sahābah (Allāh’s pleasure be upon them) acquired this branch of knowledge and transmitted it to us via thesūfiyā. However as time passed after the era of the Messenger (Allāh bless him and grant him peace) many innovations crept into tasawwuf. Throughout the centuries, many reformers came and corrected the people’s belief regarding the reality of tasawwuf. Regarding tasawwuf, we encounter three groups of people.......... https://friendsofdeoband.wordpress.c...-and-tasawwuf/

[greenhill]

I was given a book to read about the mystic sufism.

In a nutshell it was akin to Mary, locked up in the room all alone and having pure faith in Allah to care for her. Allah did just that. Gave her fruits.

One of the stories was of an important man and his helper fleeing for their lives and finding a building to hide. The man hid in a room and his helper waited outside. When the search party arrived, upon being asked he told them to go search themselves. When they left and the that man came out, he was clearly shaken and asked his helper what happened, as these people came in the room and looked everywhere, even held his beard, but let go of it and left. His helper said that if he told a lie and was found out, both of them would die and the only option was not to tell them anything but to ask them to go look for themselves and then pray to Allah saying that he has absolutely no power and All the power is Allah's, so he surrendered that affairs to Allah and trust Allah to resolve it.

The message I got from Sufism is like that, total surrendering. Don't know if I have that.


:peace:

[Grandad]

since it is NOT done according to the Quran and the Sunnah.

It is not we who are saying this.

Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told us that: “Every innovation is going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire.” Narrated by Muslim (867) and an-Nasaa’i (1578)

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum.

The following is a summary of a talk given by Shaykh Nuh Keller at Nottingham and Trent University on Wednesday 25th January 1995. It is rather long, and so I intend to spread it over three posts. I then intend to add a post on the nature, and importance, of intention , in šāʾ Allāh.

You have quoted this ḥadīth: ‘Beware of matters newly begun, for every matter newly begun is innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in hell.’

The Shaykh’s aim is to clarify at least some possible misunderstandings of the concept of innovation in Islam, in light of this ḥadīth.

Scholars say that the ḥadīth does not refer to every new thing without restriction, but only to those that are not validated in Sharīʿah. According to Shaykh Keller the use of the word ‘every’ in the ḥadīth: ‘Does not mean that everything new in the world (or in Islam) is haram or unlawful. It is a generalisation, and there are many similar generalities in both the Qur’an and Sunnah, all of them open to qualification’. By way of example: Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) tells us: ‘…that man can have nothing, except what he has worked towards.’ (Al-Najm: 39); and yet we know that we, as Muslims, benefit from the physical and spiritual works of others, as Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) pleases.

In yet another example of a generalisation Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) tells the disbelievers: ‘You and what you worship instead of Allāh will be fuel for Hell.’ (Al-Anbiya: 98).

The words ‘what you worship’ are the generalisation. We all know that Isa (radi Allahu ‘anhu) is worshipped as though he were G-d Himself; but are we to believe that because of this he is ‘fuel for Hell’?

The Shaykh reminds us that, according to Sahîh Muslim, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘No one who prays before sunrise and before sunset will enter hell.’ This is another example of a generalised expression that does not mean what seems. We know this (according to the Shaykh): ‘Because the generalisation expressed in this particular ḥadīth is qualified by other authentic texts, and we are obligated to reach an accord between them.’

Taking all relevant authentic texts we know, without doubt, that anyone who prays before sunrise and before sunset, and yet neglects all other obligatory prayers and works will find themselves in a wee spot of bother, come the Day.

[Grandad]

Concerning innovation in the light of the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam):

The Shaykh argues that in order to accurately define innovation (bida) we must first define the Sunnah, otherwise we will: ‘Fall into difficulties and conflicts when dealing with primary textual evidence that would otherwise contradict our definition of innovation.’

As you know, the word ‘Sunnah’, in both Arabic and in the Sharīʿah , means a way, or a custom.

According to the Shaykh: ‘When the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) says: ‘He who inaugurates a good Sunnah in Islam….and he who introduces a bad Sunnah in Islam’, the meaning can only be: He who inaugurates a ‘good way’, or ‘bad way.’ It cannot possibly mean anything else.’

It follows that the meaning of the word ‘Sunnah’ is not what many – perhaps most – people understand; namely that it refers to the ʼaḥādīth themselves.

The Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) reflects his way of acting; of ordering; of accepting; and of rejecting. The word Sunnah also applies to the Rashidun who followed his way of acting; of ordering; of accepting; and of rejecting. It is clear from this that all practices that are newly begun must be examined in light of the Sunnah.

It is clear from numerous ʼaḥādīth (most of which are contained in the sahîh collections) that many of the Companions initiated new acts; new forms of invocation (dhikr), supplications (dua), and so on, that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) had not previously done, or ordered to be done.

The Shaykh gives a number of examples of such ʼaḥādīth; I will use only three – sufficient to demonstrate the truth of what is being claimed:

Bukhari and Muslim relate that Rifa’a ibn Rafi said: ‘When we were praying behind the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and he raised his head from bowing and said: ‘Allāh hears whoever praises Him’, a man behind him said: ‘Our Lord, yours is the praise, abundantly, wholesomely, and blessedly therein.’ When he rose to leave, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) asked: ‘Who said it?’, and when the man replied that it was he, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘I saw thirty-odd angels each striving to be the one to write it.’

According to the Shaykh: ‘Ibn Hajar writes that the ḥādīth indicates the permissibility of initiating new expressions of dhikr in the prayer other than the ones related through ʼaḥādīth texts, as long as they do not contradict those conveyed by the ʼaḥādīth. (cf. ‘Fath al-Bari’).’

Note: This is of particular relevance to (certain) expressions of dhikr made by the Sufis. The burden of proof rests with those who claim that such expressions are haram.

And again:

Bukhari and Muslim relate from Abu Hurayra (radi Allahu ‘anhu) that at the dawn prayer the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said to Bilal: ‘Bilal, tell me which of your acts in Islam you are most hopeful about, for I have heard the footfall of your sandals in paradise’; and he replied: ‘I have done nothing I am more hopeful about than the fact that I do not perform ablution at any time of the night or day without praying with that ablution whatever has been destined for me to pray.’

According to the Shaykh: ‘Ibn Hajar Asqalani writes that the ḥādīth shows it is permissible to use personal reasoning (ijtihad) in choosing times for acts of worship, for Bilal reached the conclusions he mentioned by his own inference, and the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) confirmed him therein. (cf. ‘Fath al-Bari’).’

And again:

‘Bukhari relates from Aisha (Allah be well pleased with her) that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) dispatched a man at the head of a military expedition who recited the Qur’an for his companions at prayer, finishing each recital with (the Surah) al-Ikhlas. When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam), who told them: ‘Ask him why he does this’, and when they asked him, the man replied: ‘because it describes the All-merciful, and I love to recite it.’ The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said to them: ‘Tell him Allah loves him.’

The Shaykh reminds us that: ‘All these ʼaḥādīth are about prayer – the most important act of worship; of which the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: “Pray as you have seen me pray”’.

In spite of the fact that his acts of worship were superior to those mentioned above, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam)’s confirmation of their acceptance demonstrates that he did not consider them to be a reprehensible innovation.

According to the Shaykh, the Companions acted in obedience to Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) who commanded that we: ‘…do good so that (we) may succeed (and that we): Strive hard for Allāh as is His due.’ (Al-Haj: 77-78); and in obedience to the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam), who said: ‘He who inaugurates a good Sunnah in Islam earns the reward of it and all who perform it after him without diminishing their own rewards in the slightest.’ The Companions acted out of conviction that such deeds were good, and of benefit to the Muslim community.

It is clear that the Sunnah and way of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was to accept those deeds that were acts of worship, and those good deeds that conformed to the Sharīʿah; and to reject those that were otherwise.

The Shaykh reminds us that: ‘Following from the behaviour of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam), and that of his caliphal successors and Companions, the scholars of Islam have established the rule that any new matter must be judged according to the principles and primary texts of the Sharīʿah. Whatever is attested to by the law as being good is acknowledged as good, and whatever is attested to by the law as being a contravention and bad is rejected as a blameworthy innovation (bida).’

[Grandad]

Shaykh Keller refers to two scholars. The first, Sheikh Muhammad Jurdani writes:

‘It has been stated (by Izz ibn Abd al-Salam) that innovations (bida) fall under the five headings of the Sacred Law (namely; the obligatory, unlawful, recommended, offensive, and permissible).

‘The first category comprises innovations that are obligatory , such as recording the Qur’an and the laws of Islam in writing when it was feared that something might be lost from them; the study of the disciplines of Arabic that are necessary to understand the Qur’an and Sunnah such as grammar, word declension, and lexicography; ʼaḥādīth classification to distinguish between genuine and spurious prophetic traditions; and the philosophical refutations of arguments advanced by the Mu’tazilites and the like.

‘The second category is that of unlawful innovations such as non- Islamic taxes and levies, giving positions of authority in Sacred Law to those unfit for them, and devoting one’s time to learning the beliefs of heretical sects that contravene the tenets of faith of Ahl al-Sunna.

‘The third category consists of recommended innovations such as building hostels and schools of Sacred Law, recording the research of Islamic schools of legal thought, writing books on beneficial subjects, extensive research into fundamentals and particular applications of Sacred Law, in-depth studies of Arabic linguistics, the reciting of wirds by those with a Sufi path, and commemorating the birth (mawlid), of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) and wearing ones best and rejoicing at it.

‘The fourth category includes innovations that are offensive, such as embellishing mosques, decorating the Qur’an and having a backup man (muballigh) loudly repeat the spoken Allahu Akbar of the imam when the latter’s voice is already clearly audible to those who are praying behind him.

‘The fifth category is that of innovations that are permissible, such as sifting flour, using spoons and having more enjoyable food, drink and housing.’ (‘al Jawahir al-luluiyya fi sharh al-Arbain al-nawawiyya; pages 220-21).

The second, Sheikh Abdullah al-Ghimari writes:

‘Izz ibn Abd al-Salam classifies innovations (bida), according to their benefit, harm, or indifference, into the five categories of rulings: the obligatory, recommended, unlawful, offensive, and permissible; giving examples of each and mentioning the principles of Sacred Law that verify his classification. His words on the subject display his keen insight and comprehensive knowledge of both the principles of jurisprudence and the human advantages and disadvantages in view of which the Lawgiver has established the rulings of Sacred Law.

‘Because his classification of innovation (bida) was established on a firm basis in Islamic jurisprudence and legal principles, it was confirmed by Imam Nawawi, Ibn Hajar Asqalani, and the vast majority of Islamic scholars, who received his words with acceptance and viewed it obligatory to apply them to the new events and contingencies that occur with the changing times and the peoples who live in them.

‘One may not support the denial of his classification by clinging to the ḥādīth ‘Every innovation is misguidance’, because the only form of innovation that is without exception misguidance is that concerning tenets of faith, like the innovations of the Mutazilites, Qadarites, Murjiites, and so on, that contradicted the beliefs of the early Muslims. This is the innovation of misguidance because it is harmful and devoid of benefit. As for innovation in works, meaning the occurrence of an act connected with worship or something else that did not exist in the first century of Islam, it must necessarily be judged according to the five categories mentioned by Izz ibn Abd al-Salam.

‘To claim that such innovation is misguidance without further qualification is simply not applicable to it, for new things are among the exigencies brought into being by the passage of time and generations, and nothing that is new lacks a ruling of Allah Most High that is applicable to it, whether explicitly mentioned in primary texts, or inferable from them in some way.

‘The only reason that Islamic law can be valid for every time and place and be the consummate and most perfect of all divine laws is because it comprises general methodological principles and universal criteria, together with the ability its scholars have been endowed with to understand its primary texts, the knowledge of types of analogy and parallelism, and the other excellences that characterize it. Were we to rule that every new act that has come into being after the first century of Islam is an innovation of misguidance without considering whether it entails benefit or harm, it would invalidate a large share of the fundamental bases of Sacred Law as well as those rulings established by analogical reasoning, and would narrow and limit the Sacred Laws vast and comprehensive scope.’ (Adilla Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jamaa; pages 145-47).

End of summary

[Grandad]

Concerning intention:

Highest among the legal maxims of Islamic jurisprudence are those ranked as Normative (Al-Qawâ‘id Al-Qulliyyah Al-Kubrâ). These are maxims that are:

1. Agreeable to all scholars and all Madhâhib.

2. Have the highest degree of inclusiveness (of related branches of Fiqh).

One such maxim is that: ‘Acts are judged by the intention behind them’

Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) assures us that: ‘He will not call you to account for oaths you have uttered unintentionally, but He will call you to account for what you mean in your hearts. Allāh is most forgiving and forbearing.’ (Al-Baqara: 225).

Commenting on this Âyah, Ibn Hazm writes that the soul is the object that is being commanded to carry out acts; yet the body is its machine, so should the soul intend to do something by its machine (the body), there can be nothing except what the soul has intended before. (cf. ‘Al-Ihkâm fî Usûl Al-Ahkâm’; Volume 5; page 132).

From the Sunnah, we have:

‘Narrated Al-Humaidi ‘Abdullâh ibn Az-Zubiyr that Sufyân that Yahiyah ibn Sa‘id Al-Ansâriy that Muhammad ibn Ibrâhîm At-Tiymiy that ‘Alqamah ibn Waqqâs Al-Liysiy that ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattâb: Allāh's Messenger said: “The reward of deeds depends on the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrates for Allāh and His Messenger, his emigration will be for Allāh and His Messenger and whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration will be for what he emigrated for.”’ (Summarised from Sahîh Al-Bukhârî: ‘The Book of Revelation, 1’). And again:

‘Narrated Yahyâ ibn Qaz‘ah that Mâlik that Yahyâ ibn Sa‘îd that Muhammad ibn Al-Hârith ‘Alqamah ibn Waqqâs Al-Liysiy that ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattâb: Allāh's Messenger said: “The reward of a deed depends on the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrates for Allāh and His Messenger, his emigration will be for Allāh and His Messenger and whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration will be for what he emigrated for.”’ (Sahîh Al-Bukhârî: ‘The Book of Revelation; 4783.’

It is necessary for intention to be present so that one can:

Distinguish between a deed that is for the pleasure of Allāh, or an act of worship, and one that is not.

Distinguish between the Hukum of the deed; whether it a duty, obligation task, assignment, and so on (Wâjib); an optional worship (Nafl); or a vow to Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla).

Except for Hajj and Umra, intention is a matter of the heart:

‘Should a man utter something which is different from what that is in his heart, what is in his heart takes the priority over what he utters.’ (Ibn Nujaim: ‘Al-Bahr ar-Râ’iq Sharh Kanz ad-Daqâ’iq’; Volume 2; page 171).

As far as Sufi acts of worship are concerned (excluding the obligatory acts, of course) they are rightly classed as optional. As for the intention behind them; only Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) is able to judge what is truly in a person’s heart. This being so, it would be wise not to usurp His prerogative; not to make an ʾIlāh of ourselves.

[azc]

Concerning intention:Highest among the legal maxims of Islamic jurisprudence are those ranked as Normative (Al-Qawâ‘id Al-Qulliyyah Al-Kubrâ). These are maxims that are:1. Agreeable to all scholars and all Madhâhib.2. Have the highest degree of inclusiveness (of related branches of Fiqh).One such maxim is that: ‘Acts are judged by the intention behind them’Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) assures us that: ‘He will not call you to account for oaths you have uttered unintentionally, but He will call you to account for what you mean in your hearts. Allāh is most forgiving and forbearing.’ (Al-Baqara: 225).Commenting on this Âyah, Ibn Hazm writes that the soul is the object that is being commanded to carry out acts; yet the body is its machine, so should the soul intend to do something by its machine (the body), there can be nothing except what the soul has intended before. (cf. ‘Al-Ihkâm fî Usûl Al-Ahkâm’; Volume 5; page 132). From the Sunnah, we have:‘Narrated Al-Humaidi ‘Abdullâh ibn Az-Zubiyr that Sufyân that Yahiyah ibn Sa‘id Al-Ansâriy that Muhammad ibn Ibrâhîm At-Tiymiy that ‘Alqamah ibn Waqqâs Al-Liysiy that ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattâb: Allāh's Messenger said: “The reward of deeds depends on the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrates for Allāh and His Messenger, his emigration will be for Allāh and His Messenger and whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration will be for what he emigrated for.”’ (Summarised from Sahîh Al-Bukhârî: ‘The Book of Revelation, 1’). And again:‘Narrated Yahyâ ibn Qaz‘ah that Mâlik that Yahyâ ibn Sa‘îd that Muhammad ibn Al-Hârith ‘Alqamah ibn Waqqâs Al-Liysiy that ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattâb: Allāh's Messenger said: “The reward of a deed depends on the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrates for Allāh and His Messenger, his emigration will be for Allāh and His Messenger and whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration will be for what he emigrated for.”’ (Sahîh Al-Bukhârî: ‘The Book of Revelation; 4783.’It is necessary for intention to be present so that one can:Distinguish between a deed that is for the pleasure of Allāh, or an act of worship, and one that is not.Distinguish between the Hukum of the deed; whether it a duty, obligation task, assignment, and so on (Wâjib); an optional worship (Nafl); or a vow to Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla).Except for Hajj and Umra, intention is a matter of the heart:‘Should a man utter something which is different from what that is in his heart, what is in his heart takes the priority over what he utters.’ (Ibn Nujaim: ‘Al-Bahr ar-Râ’iq Sharh Kanz ad-Daqâ’iq’; Volume 2; page 171).As far as Sufi acts of worship are concerned (excluding the obligatory acts, of course) they are rightly classed as optional. As for the intention behind them; only Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) is able to judge what is truly in a person’s heart. This being so, it would be wise not to usurp His prerogative; not to make an ʾIlāh of ourselves.

+ https://discover-the-truth.com/2015/...ntional-oaths/

[azc]

What is bidaat: https://www.deoband.org/2010/07/gene...n-the-shariah/

[aaj]

What is bidaat: https://www.deoband.org/2010/07/gene...n-the-shariah/

Bidah justifiers talking about what is bidah? I didn't know you did comedy too?

[azc]

Bidah justifiers talking about what is bidah? I didn't know you did comedy too?

what is ''comedy''. Speak like a momin.

[aaj]

Sufism is deviation by Dr Zakir naik



is sufism part of Islam? | Abdurraheem Green, Bilal Philips, Dr. Zakir Naik



BEWARE OF SUFI ISLAM! by Dr. Bilal Philips




The History of Sufism / The Life of Junaid Baghdadi




Reality of Sufism -by Abu Hasnayn Murtaza Khan



Who and what is Barelwi Barelvi ? - Murtaza Khan

[beleiver]

Who are these people ^ to judge one sect from another? is that permitted by God, moral or just? Unless one sect is oppressing the other by force and prohibiting their worship and way of life, is it any of their business?

Only God can judge a deviant sect surely?

One thing i have never heard of is an oppressive Sufi..

[AbdurRahman.]

There are many deviants and kaafirs masquerading as sufis, an example of the kaafir 'sufi' is one who says God is everything! :Emoji46:

however we cannot lump all sufism in the same boat; there is a sunni form of sufism which is still original; sufism is basically an emphasis on zikr to get closer to ALlah; see link:

http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/sufism.htm

['abd al-hakeem]

Attachment 6041

salaamu aleykum ikhwan.

[aaj]

Who are these people ^ to judge one sect from another? is that permitted by God, moral or just? Unless one sect is oppressing the other by force and prohibiting their worship and way of life, is it any of their business?

Only God can judge a deviant sect surely?

.

They are called people of knowledge who are obeying Allah in enjoining good and forbidding evil, in advising the ummah against deviations and deviant paths. If you don't know who they are then perhaps you should worry more about that then about "judging" others.

And that "only God" can judge is really getting old. We are Allah's witnesses on earth, we have been given the knowledge (islam) to judge truth from falsehood. "only ALlah can judge" excuse will not hold up on Judgement day when Allah will question those who go astray or sin and others tried to warn and advise them.

One thing i have never heard of is an oppressive Sufi..

who is a bigger oppressor than one who denies Allah His rights?

[beleiver]

They are called people of knowledge who are obeying Allah in enjoining good and forbidding evil, in advising the ummah against deviations and deviant paths. If you don't know who they are then perhaps you should worry more about that then about "judging" others.

And that "only God" can judge is really getting old. We are Allah's witnesses on earth, we have been given the knowledge (islam) to judge truth from falsehood. "only ALlah can judge" excuse will not hold up on Judgement day when Allah will question those who go astray or sin and others tried to warn and advise them.



who is a bigger oppressor than one who denies Allah His rights?

I would of thought no one, nothing can deny Allaha His rights, except possibly the Devil if we let him..

Seems to me the focus of preaching in Gods name should be universal Love, the more one deviates from that path the more deviant it becomes..The closer to hate the closer the Devil..

My understanding is both Mohamed and Jesus wanted people to seek Gods Knowledge and guidance direct from God him self, no need for a middle man, a third party or institution that can be corrupted by hypocrites.
When God sent Mohamed He made it clear from my interpretation of the Quran that He didn't want people talking for God, he wanted people to listen to God them selves, as has has no Partners or associates, its repeated over and over it becomes a point to take notice.

If people pray for Allaha's guidance, he will guide them if he wants to to, its between Him and his slave, only God can Judge how pure the hearts of his slaves are, if they are living righteous lives ..Only he can Judge such things surley? Who else can hear ones prayers?
So any one else forming associations in Gods name, telling others how to Pray and live their lives or belittling others or projecting anything negative on others, is a deviation from the path, who ever is doing it, imho?

[aaj]

I would of thought no one, nothing can deny Allah His rights, except possibly the Devil if we let him..

If you read the pdf in post #57, we sill see what the sufis believe. They believe either God is everywhere, in everything, or you can become one with God , or God is a slave naudbillah. Allah is far above that, so are they not denying Allah His Rights by not recognizing them and attributing this falsehood to Him?

"It is possible to divide the ideologies of the extreme Sufees into three categories.

(1) The first category: Followers of the Illuminist school of philosophy. They are those who give greater importance to the philosophical ideas over avoidance of the worldly life. What is meant by 'Illuminism' is that the soul is illuminated by light, which diffuses in the heart and is a result of spiritual exercises, training the soul and punishing the body in order to rectify and purify the spirit. This is something, which may be a characteristic of all Sufis, except that the people of this category draw the line here and do not fall into what those who claim that Allaah dwells within His creation fall into, or that everything is Allaah. However this way of theirs is contrary to the teachings of Islaam and is taken from the deviated religions such as Buddhism and its like.

(2) The second ideology is that of those who believe in hulool, those who say that Allaah dwells and is incarnate in human beings, High is Allaah above and far removed from that.

(3) The third ideology is that of wahdatul-wujood, i.e. that all in existence is a single reality, and that everything we see is only aspects of the Essence of Allaah. The chief claimant of this belief was Ibn 'Arabee al-Haatimee at-Taa'ee, who was buried in Damascus having died in the year 638H. He himself says about this belief in his book al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah”

“The slave is the Lord and the Lord is a slave,
I wish that I knew which was the one required to carry out the required duties.
If I were to say the servant then that is true, or if I were to say the Lord,
then how can that be required for Him.”

Al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah as it is attributed by Dr. Taqiyyuddeen al-Hilaalee in his book al-Hadiyyatul-Haadiyah (p.43). "

- pdf

When God sent Mohamed He made it clear from my interpretation of the Quran that He didn't want people talking for God, he wanted people to listen to God them selves, as has has no Partners or associates, its repeated over and over it becomes a point to take notice.

This is not the bible and we are not people of the book. There is no such thing as "my interpretation" in Islam, we have the tafsir from scholars to go on and not left at the whims of our personal interpretations.

If people pray for Allaha's guidance, he will guide them if he wants to to, its between Him and his slave, only God can Judge how pure the hearts of his slaves are, if they are living righteous lives ..Only he can Judge such things surley? Who else can hear ones prayers?

So any one else forming associations in Gods name, telling others how to Pray and live their lives or belittling others or projecting anything negative on others, is a deviation from the path, who ever is doing it, imho?

Only God can judge what is in someone's heart. But I was referring to this...


"Don't judge me" - "Only God can judge me"


More and more Muslims Toady are using the statement "Don't judge me" or "Only God can judge me" to run away from advice.


As Mufti Ismail Menk said: "Don't use the term “DON'T JUDGE ME” in order to run away from advice."


Don't use these excuses to condemn someone who corrects you, just because you desire the Haram.


It maybe that your justification of the Haram, and your condemnation of the person who corrected you in the spirit of Dawah, that maybe serious in the sight of God than the Haram itself.


Moreover, Imagine how it would have been if Abu Bakr & Umar said to the Beloved Prophet "Don't judge me" or "Only God can judge me" when they were called towards paradise and warned against eternal doom.


In addition to that, if you go back and try to find out who made these statements popular, you would find that the kuffar, specifically, the rap and Hip Hop artists, were the ones who made such rhetoric famous to justify their Kufr and evil actions.


Finally, the choice is yours, you can either follow the way (sunnah) of the Kuffar and the rap artists, or you can follow the way (sunnah) of the best of generation (the Sahabah).


"...so judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire for it will mislead you from the Path of Allâh." [38 :: 26]

[AabiruSabeel]

:sl:

Just wanted to share a relevant post I found just now by Dr Shadee Elmasry here:

If tasawwuf is such an essential science & practice, then why are Sufi groups so controversial? Why do some people fear them like the plague? Why is this sentiment found throughout the entire umma??


The main reason actually has nothing to do with the Sharia science called tasawwuf, which is based on the Quran and Hadith. The problem has to do with unverifiable claims of 'secret knowledge' used to override Sharia (and sometimes common sense!). This secret knowledge, usually via dreams or inspiration (a sixth sense that you haven't developed yet because of your nafs, but the shaykh has it), is always accessible only to the one shaykh, who has been chosen by God and thus has a monopoly over this inspiration. This is the pattern of every corrupt, fraudulent Sufi group. These dreams and ilhaams (inspirations) are used to override the supremacy of knowledge (mentioned over 180 times in the Quran) and also used to rank people, to raise and lower them in an unseen spiritual hierarchy. (Sometimes they're not lying, but over-extend the meaning of their dreams and inspirations. Or misuse them.)

Now once people start believing in him, his word becomes a currency and a bludgeon over people. With one word of disapproval from the shaykh, all your friends will turn their backs on you. People begin fearing the shaykh more than they fear Allah. His opinion becomes weightier than the Quran and Sunna and the fiqh that's been agreed upon for centuries.

I have met dozens of people that have been utterly destroyed by getting sucked into corrupted groups like this, then getting spit out when the wrath of the shaykh finally turned towards them. Misguided Sufism might be less in its presence than Liberal Reform or violent literalism, but it's still around. Some victims of it have even lost their iman in total.

Don't misunderstand. We believe in karamaat, dreams and ilham, but it is just like any other blessing: it's a test. I can use wealth or Sacred Knowledge to control and hurt people, or to improve them. Likewise, spiritual openings that come after years of worship can be misused to divide and conquer. We believe in awliya, but we don't rank them like a sports league. This is forbidden.

[azc]

Very true. Following shariah is the criterion of tasawwuf. advise to read the books of maulana asraf Ali tahawi rh on this topic.

[beleiver]

If you read the pdf in post #57, we sill see what the sufis believe. They believe either God is everywhere, in everything, or you can become one with God , or God is a slave naudbillah. Allah is far above that, so are they not denying Allah His Rights by not recognizing them and attributing this falsehood to Him?

"It is possible to divide the ideologies of the extreme Sufees into three categories.

(1) The first category: Followers of the Illuminist school of philosophy. They are those who give greater importance to the philosophical ideas over avoidance of the worldly life. What is meant by 'Illuminism' is that the soul is illuminated by light, which diffuses in the heart and is a result of spiritual exercises, training the soul and punishing the body in order to rectify and purify the spirit. This is something, which may be a characteristic of all Sufis, except that the people of this category draw the line here and do not fall into what those who claim that Allaah dwells within His creation fall into, or that everything is Allaah. However this way of theirs is contrary to the teachings of Islaam and is taken from the deviated religions such as Buddhism and its like.

(2) The second ideology is that of those who believe in hulool, those who say that Allaah dwells and is incarnate in human beings, High is Allaah above and far removed from that.

(3) The third ideology is that of wahdatul-wujood, i.e. that all in existence is a single reality, and that everything we see is only aspects of the Essence of Allaah. The chief claimant of this belief was Ibn 'Arabee al-Haatimee at-Taa'ee, who was buried in Damascus having died in the year 638H. He himself says about this belief in his book al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah”

“The slave is the Lord and the Lord is a slave,
I wish that I knew which was the one required to carry out the required duties.
If I were to say the servant then that is true, or if I were to say the Lord,
then how can that be required for Him.”

Al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah as it is attributed by Dr. Taqiyyuddeen al-Hilaalee in his book al-Hadiyyatul-Haadiyah (p.43). "

- pdf

I had a quick read of the PDF..
Typical far right hyper conservative hypocritical hate speech from 'authority' directed at those whose message is universal truth and love..Been happening for millennia..
So what if people say God is everything? a Sufi telling me this years ago was part of my journey that brought me here..And we now have the knowledge that every thing is a vibration that reflects light and if God is the light of the heavens and earth and all within then it all might actually be connected to the One that created us..I simply cant see how talking and theorizing about such things is a problem?
The Author used the typical right wing tactic of making them out to be free loaders and dependents like they do to demonize many minorities which as usual is in most cases simply not true..Sufi's i have know are extremely self sufficient and live very pure righteous lives free and independent of the corrupt Zionist petrodollar system..
So there is no evidence of real wrong doing, just a differing of opinions? No malice, hate or slander, nothing that could lead to division and violence and terrorist acts?
Here the author talks of the spirit of Jihaad..

Likewise they haveremoved the spirit of jihaad, which is to fight in the way of Allaah, with whatthey claim to be the greater jihaad, i.e. striving against ones own soul(jihaadun-nafs). They base this upon the saying: "We have returned from thelesser jihaad to the greater jihaad: striving against ones own soul." Whereasthis is a baseless Hadeeth and has provided the opportunity in the previoustwo centuries for colonialist powers to occupy most of the Muslim lands, andSufism has not ceased pitching its tent in all areas of the lands of theMuslims.

This is not the bible and we are not people of the book. There is no such thing as "my interpretation" in Islam, we have the tafsir from scholars to go on and not left at the whims of our personal interpretations.

Jesus is your prophet too though, what did he say about hypocrites and their corrupt religion?
This is the first time a Muslim has actually told me a third party was needed to reach Allaha, I am certain all Muslims i ever talked with on the subject told me to interpret it my self, it seemed an important point, no partners ,associates or intermediates..
After how the Church corrupted and hid Jesus true message it seemed most natural the next messenger would emphasis the point..

The kingdom of God is within..
I will continue to listen to the vibration of my heart and an open mind when interpreting anything, not a Salafi preacher in Saudi Arabia..When i looked at who the Author was saw how far from peace the world of Islam is..

Only God can judge what is in someone's heart. But I was referring to this...


"Don't judge me" - "Only God can judge me"


More and more Muslims Toady are using the statement "Don't judge me" or "Only God can judge me" to run away from advice.


As Mufti Ismail Menk said: "Don't use the term “DON'T JUDGE ME” in order to run away from advice."


Don't use these excuses to condemn someone who corrects you, just because you desire the Haram.


It maybe that your justification of the Haram, and your condemnation of the person who corrected you in the spirit of Dawah, that maybe serious in the sight of God than the Haram itself.


Moreover, Imagine how it would have been if Abu Bakr & Umar said to the Beloved Prophet "Don't judge me" or "Only God can judge me" when they were called towards paradise and warned against eternal doom.


In addition to that, if you go back and try to find out who made these statements popular, you would find that the kuffar, specifically, the rap and Hip Hop artists, were the ones who made such rhetoric famous to justify their Kufr and evil actions.


Finally, the choice is yours, you can either follow the way (sunnah) of the Kuffar and the rap artists, or you can follow the way (sunnah) of the best of generation (the Sahabah).


"...so judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire for it will mislead you from the Path of Allâh." [38 :: 26]

I think key to a peaceful existence on this planet is if understand people dont need to be judged unless they are causing harm or loss..What anyone thinks, believes or how they pray and live their life is none of anyone else business other than Gods.

I am with persecuted, the hippies , the inspired Hip hop artists and the Prophets whos message is universal Love and Truth is the Path to God..

[aaj]

I think key to a peaceful existence on this planet is if understand people dont need to be judged unless they are causing harm or loss..What anyone thinks, believes or how they pray and live their life is none of anyone else business other than Gods.

I am with persecuted, the hippies , the inspired Hip hop artists and the Prophets whos message is universal Love and Truth is the Path to God..

I'll say again what mufti menk said, DON"T use that excuse to run away from advice. Kufr is kufr, you can live in peace now and burn in hell forever or wake up now and live in peace forever. Allah commands us to enjoin good and forbid evil. So if we see evil we will speak out against it. It is our business, unless you do what you do in your own house. Islam is a religion of moderation, there is no extremism on either side of the spectrum (sufi or violence).

[Grandad]

If you read the pdf in post #57, (3) The third ideology is that of wahdatul-wujood, i.e. that all in existence is a single reality, and that everything we see is only aspects of the Essence of Allaah. The chief claimant of this belief was Ibn 'Arabee al-Haatimee at-Taa'ee, who was buried in Damascus having died in the year 638H. He himself says about this belief in his book al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah”

“The slave is the Lord and the Lord is a slave, [38 :: 26]

As-Salāmu ‘alaykum.

You write:

‘The third ideology is that of wahdatul-wujood, i.e. that all in existence is a single reality, and that everything we see is only aspects of the Essence of Allaah. The chief claimant of this belief was Ibn 'Arabee al-Haatimee at-Taa'ee, who was buried in Damascus having died in the year 638H. He himself says about this belief in his book al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah”.

‘Ibn ‘Arabî has typically been called the founder of the doctrine of ‘wahdat al-wujûd’, the Oneness of Being or the Unity of Existence, but this is misleading, for he never uses the expression. Passages in his writings that approximate it have no special significance, nor are they out of place in the general trend of contemporary philosophy and theology, both of which affirmed the unity of the Necessary Being. Why ‘wahdat al-wujûd’ was singled out to typify Ibn ‘Arabî's position is not clear. Part of the reason is that he highlights ‘tawhîd’ as his guiding principle and gives ‘wujûd’ a special prominence in his vocabulary. It was utterly obvious to him that there is no Real Being but God and that everything other than God is unreal being; this is another way of saying what Avicenna says, that all things are possible or contingent save the Necessary Being. In short, Ibn ‘Arabî, and even more so his followers like Qûnawî, focused on the Real ‘Wujûd’ as the one, unique reality from which all other reality derives. On the rare occasions when his immediate followers used the expression ‘wahdat al-wujûd’, they did not give it a technical sense. The first author to say that Ibn ‘Arabî believed in ‘wahdat al-wujûd’ seems to have been the Hanbalite polemicist Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328), who called it worse than unbelief. According to him, it means that no distinction can be drawn between God and the world. His attack set in motion a long controversy over the term, often with little or no attempt to define it. At least seven different meanings were ascribed to it in the later literature, and Orientalists followed suit, declaring that Ibn ‘Arabî invented the doctrine, and then interpreting it negatively (à la Ibn Taymiyya) or, less commonly, positively (à la ‘Abd al-Rahmân Jâmî [d. 1492], the first of Ibn ‘Arabî's defenders to embrace the expression). (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy; quoting Chittick; 1994b).

As you can see, the term ‘waḥdat al-wujūd’ is a misunderstood – and frequently misquoted – concept.

Taken literally, the term means ‘unity of existence’; but this is far from saying that Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) and His creation are one and the same essence; or that, somehow, He exists inside everything as an integral part of their own existence; while they are an integral part of His. The term is not to be confused with any notion of incarnation (as you suggest); such as exists in Christian Trinitarian doctrines, or in the beliefs of the Hindus. Such notions are kufr.

In a famous ‘proof’ for the existence of God, the Dominican theologian (St) Thomas Aquinas argues that the universe is composed of contingent beings; by which he means beings that cannot bring themselves – or anything else – into existence; and that cannot guarantee their continued existence. Aquinas argues that if contingent beings are the only ones that have ever existed, then nothing could have come into existence at all. There has to be a 'Necessary Being'; one that does not depend on any other for its existence, and which is the ‘First Cause' of all other beings. This 'Necessary Being'......this ‘First Cause' we call God.

IbnʿArabī employs the term: ‘wujūd’ when referring to this ‘Necessary Being’. He declares that wujūd belongs to Allah (Sallallahu a’laihi wa sallam) alone. He writes that: ‘Wujūd is the unknowable and inaccessible ground of everything that exists. God alone is true wujūd, while all things dwell in nonexistence, so also wujūd alone is nondelimited (muṭlaq), while everything else is constrained, confined, and constricted. Wujūd is the absolute, infinite, nondelimited reality of God, while all others remain relative, finite, and delimited.’ (‘The Seals of Wisdom’).

This is what IbnʿArabī has to say concerning the Exalted’s unique essence (my emphasis in every case):

‘Praise belongs to Allāh the Great; His Majesty is part of the manifestation of His Beauty. In His proximity He is the Near, in His loftiness, the Observer. Power, splendour, grandeur, and magnificence are His WHOSE ESSENCE IS GREAT BEYOND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO OTHER ESSENCES.

‘His essence is exalted above all motions and stillnesses, all bewilderment and mindfulness. It is too high to be overtaken by any explanation, express or implied, just as it is too great to be limited and described. It is beyond any physical descent or ascent, any tangible enthronement upon any throne, any haste to seek an object, and – when an object is gained – any satisfaction at reuniting with something that had been missed.

‘Just so, it is too great to be described in detail or in summary, to be the basis for creeds, to alter with the differences among creeds, to find pleasure or pain in action, or to be qualified with anything but eternity.

‘It is too great to draw together or be divided; FOR ANYTHING THAT REFERS TO BODIES TO REFER TO IT; for understanding to encompass the core of its reality; to be as imagination would describe it; to be as wakefulness or dream would seek to perceive it.

‘It is too great for times and places to hold it, for the permanence of its being to be measured with the passing of months and years, for above and below, right and left, behind and before.

‘It is too great for denial or confusion to hinder its majesty. It is too great to be comprehended by intellectual reflection, by the spiritual practices of masters of illumination, by the Knowers' secrets, by the majestic range of leaders' vision – for it is too great to be confined behind veils and curtains, and so cannot be comprehended by anything but its own light.

‘It is too great either to EXIST IN THE SHAPE OF A HUMAN BEING OR TO LOSE ANYTHING BY THE EXISTENCE OF PARTICULAR ESSENCES; EITHER TO ACCEPT AN ALIEN CONDITION BELONGING TO THE ENTITIES IT HAS CREATED, or to be defined by negative conditions (though it is confirmed by faith); either to be the place of manifestations, or to be known as past, present or future time.

‘It is too great for the senses to rest upon, for doubt and confusion to affect, for likeness and analogy to comprehend, FOR MATERIAL CLASSIFICATION, or for the intimacy of the man of knowledge.

‘It is too great to be the third of three in company. It is great beyond spouse and parents, BEYOND THERE BEING ‘A SINGLE THING LIKE UNTO IT’ (Ikhlas), beyond anything preceding its existence, beyond being attributed limbs, hands, fingers, feet, beyond anything else being with it in eternity.

‘It is great beyond the laughter and joy promised for the repentance of servants, beyond wrath, beyond habitual wonder, beyond alteration of state as it exists among humankind.

‘So glory be to Him, Mighty in His magnificence, Grand in His splendour. "There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing." – Shûrâ 11.’ (‘Kitâb Al-Jalâl Wa-l Jamâl).


According to you (quoting Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din bin Abdil-Qadir Al-Hilali), IbnʿArabī said: ‘The slave is the Lord and the Lord is a slave’.

This is incorrect. The opponents of IbnʿArabī accuse him (frequently) of stating that: ‘The Lord is a servant and the servant is lord.’

This is a deliberate distortion of what he actually wrote; namely: ‘The Lord is Real and the servant is real’ (The Meccan Revelations: Volume One; Part Two - The Reality of Existence).

Later in this same chapter IbnʿArabī writes of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla):

‘He is, the Exalted, The Granter (al-Wāhib) Who does not weary (of giving out), the King (al-Malik), Whose Power is great and Immaculate (in the earth and in the heavens), the Kind (al-latif) to His servants and the Expert (al-Khabir) Who is ‘nothing like Him, and He is the Hearer and the Seer’ - Surah 42: 11.’

Tell me…who does IbnʿArabī portray as the servant here: Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) or humankind? Only a fool (or a liar) would declare it to be the former.

Very best regards.

[aaj]

As-Salāmu ‘alaykum.

You write:

Tell me…who does IbnʿArabī portray as the servant here: Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) or humankind? Only a fool (or a liar) would declare it to be the former.

Very best regards.

:wasalam:

I did not write, I quoted an author. If you have the equivalent educational credentials in the deen as the author then please do share that.

Otherwise, debate with the author on how he is wrong and have him correct what he is writing.

[Grandad]

:wasalam:

I did not write, I quoted an author. If you have the equivalent educational credentials in the deen as the author then please do share that.

Otherwise, debate with the author on how he is wrong and have him correct what he is writing.

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum.

No doubt about it, I don’t have better credentials than the authors you quote from. But I’ve read a guy who does……...and by a country mile. Name of ibnʿArabī.

[Zzz_]

Imam Tartoushi al-Maliki (451H-520H) was asked about the Sufis so he said:

“The Madhab of the Sufis is futile, ignorance, misguidance… and it is not allowed for anyone who believes in Allaah and the last day to be present with them, nor to help them upon their baseless ways and this is the way of Malik, Abu Haneefah, ash-Shafee and other than them from the scholars of the Muslims and to Allaah belongs success.”

Tafseer Qurtubi 11/237/238

[Grandad]

Imam Tartoushi al-Maliki (451H-520H) was asked about the Sufis so he said:

“The Madhab of the Sufis is futile, ignorance, misguidance… and it is not allowed for anyone who believes in Allaah and the last day to be present with them, nor to help them upon their baseless ways and this is the way of Malik, Abu Haneefah, ash-Shafee and other than them from the scholars of the Muslims and to Allaah belongs success.”

Tafseer Qurtubi 11/237/238

‘If it were not for two years, I would have perished. For two years I accompanied Hazrat Jafer as-Sadiq (R.A) and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a knower in the Way (i.e. Sufism).’ (Reported of Imam Abu Hanifa: ‘Ad-Durr Al-Mukhthar’; Volume 1, page 43).

‘Whoever studies jurisprudence and does not study Sufism will be corrupted. Whoever studies Sufism and does not study Jurisprudence will become a heretic. Whoever combines both will reach the truth.’ (Imam Malik: ‘Kashf Al-Khafa Wa Muzid Al-Abas’; Volume 1, page 41).

‘I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three kinds of knowledge: They taught me how to speak. They taught me how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart. They guided me in the ways of Sufism.’ (Imam Shafi: ‘Tanwir Al-Qulub’; page 405).

‘O my son you have to sit with the Sufis, because they are like a fountain of knowledge. They recite the remembrance of Allah (S.W.T) in their hearts. They are ascetics and they have the most spiritual power……………………… I do not know any people better than them.’ (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, advising his son: ‘Ghiza Al-Albab’; Volume 1, page 120).

‘I knew it to be true that the Sufis are the seekers in Allah's Way. Their conduct is the best of conduct. Their way is the best of ways. Their manners are the most sanctified. They have purified their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers to run receiving knowledge of the Divine Presence.’ (Imam Ghazali: ‘Al-Munqidh Min Ad-Dalal’; page 131).

‘The specification of the Ways of the Sufis are five: To keep the Presence of Allah (S.W.T) in your heart in public and in private. To follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W) by action and speech. To keep away from dependence on people. To be happy with what Allah (S.W.T) gives you, even if it is little. To always refer your matters to Allah (S.W.T) Almighty and Exalted.’ (Imam Nawawi: ‘Al-Maqasid At-Tawhid’; page 20).

‘Sufism appeared in the 1st century of Islam and it received tremendous honour. It purified the self, straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the wisdom and secrets of the Divine Presence.’ (Muhammad Abduh: ‘Majallat Al Muslim’; page 24).

‘The Sufis initiate people in Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W), in repentance from their sins and in avoidance of every disobedience to Allah, Almighty and Exalted. Their guides encourage them to move in the way of perfect Love of Allah.’ (Abul Hasan Ali An-Nadwi: ‘Muslims in India’; pages 140-146).

‘Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (S.A.W), where one absents oneself for their sake and one is annihilated from anything other than them. It instructs us how to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (S.A.W)……………The Shariah and Sufism; what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Shariah, and the spirit is the internal knowledge.’ (Abul Ala Mawdudi: ‘Mabadi Al Islam’; page 17).

[keiv]

Just saw this thread and haven't read through it all yet. From the little that I know about Sufism, this isn't a for or against post and I simply want ask.

Is it really necessary to be a Sufi to be spiritual and to separate oneself from the material world (in terms of being controlled by it, not some kind of meditation)? As a Muslim who (tries) to read and study the Quran/Hadith, performs the prayers, considers himself to be spiritual, disregards most material things other than the necessities, and overall, tries to be a good Muslim/person, what benefit would it be to me for following the Sufi way? Is the dancing, chanting, singing (?), and rituals (?) necessary to be closer to Allah?

InshaAllah I'll get a chance to read through it all.

[فصيح الياسين]

Just saw this thread and haven't read through it all yet. From the little that I know about Sufism, this isn't a for or against post and I simply want ask.

Is it really necessary to be a Sufi to be spiritual and to separate oneself from the material world (in terms of being controlled by it, not some kind of meditation)? As a Muslim who (tries) to read and study the Quran/Hadith, performs the prayers, considers himself to be spiritual, disregards most material things other than the necessities, and overall, tries to be a good Muslim/person, what benefit would it be to me for following the Sufi way? Is the dancing, chanting, singing (?), and rituals (?) necessary to be closer to Allah?

InshaAllah I'll get a chance to read through it all.

Nope
Devil do not leave people for a sec.
Our some muslim brothers who do not have knowledge took spiritual path without knowledge got deviated as u saw and asked about them.
Or else suffism.never ever can go against or without shairah. Because suffism also meant path to allah. And it can only be taken from shairah . So shairah described us about tht dancing etc.
And furthermore these kind of suffis say dance is haram but got extreme spiritual doze tht make us like we are dancing and narrate one companion story as proof tht he was reciting quran so greatly tht his horse was dancing like been unconscious.
We not knw about this story or read from any place

[keiv]

"Sufism as an organised movement arose among pious Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad period"

I still don't understand the point of Sufism if it was supposed to be the answer to corruptness. That's an issue on an individual basis, not a religious one. If early Muslims were having problems and not following the way of the Sunnah, Islam didn't need reforming or have new sects branch out of it because of issues people were having. To come up with something new would mean that there were issues with Islam as a whole, otherwise there wouldn't of been a need for the Sufism belief. At least that's what I'm getting out of this.

[Captain Howdy]

Islam is a religion of moderation

Surah al kafiroon has answers . Why you try to convert others . You do realize this has created a lot of problems for your own ummah .

[Captain Howdy]

Leftists and centrists have severe leadership crisis in India . YOu have a long way to go uwu .

[sister herb]

Surah al kafiroon has answers . Why you try to convert others . You do realize this has created a lot of problems for your own ummah .

It´s not good idea to quote a post of member who can´t answer (as his account is disabled) but in general we try to convert others because we wish they too will have possibility to avoid the flames of the Hell. So we think other´s best when telling to them about the right path (Islam). Is it bad idea huh?

[Desert]

sufism is paganism grave worship

[azc]

sufism is paganism grave worship

All sufis are not bad. Have you studied some books of righteous sufis e.g. Sh Abdul Qadir Jilani r.a.?

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Tasawwuf or sufisim or zuhd is the essential part of human life though but some bad sufis have stagmatized it. Plz see this link.https://www.deoband.org/category/tasawwuf/

[cinnamonrolls1]

Yall do realise that sufism is about getting close to, and essentially loving Allah swt thru ibadat? There are also lots of different orders and beliefs within sufism?

[cinnamonrolls1]

Not all sufis twirl lol guys

['Abd-al Latif]

Yall do realise that sufism is about getting close to, and essentially loving Allah swt thru ibadat? There are also lots of different orders and beliefs within sufism?

That's the claim. On the face of it seems as though Sufis are simply concerned with dhikr to get closer to Allah, which seems like an innocent and praiseworthy endeavour. However, the real issue is, just as it is with any group or sect, they restrict themselves to particular acts of worship at the expense of others. Sufis focus so much on dhikr that they fail to worship Allah as described by Allah and His Messenger. The basic principle in Islam is that all acts of worship are forbidden except for those that are approved within the Qur'an and Sunnah. One cannot 'invent' an act of worship and expect Allah to accept it. This includes acts like the Sufi dances, chanting, singing, etc.

You've said it yourself 'there are also lots of different orders and beliefs within sufism'. This is plain and clear division amongst Muslims because the Qur'an and Sunnah are not being learned and applied within these 'different orders'. There was no such nonsense as sufism or salafism, etc at the time of the Prophet (:saws1:). You label yourself a Muslim and follow the teachings of Islam as described in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

People these days are too concerned with labelling themselves as one thing or the other with each group claiming to be more righteous and closer to Allah than the other. The reality is these are all just names and imaginary boundaries that are far removed from Islam.

For instance, why don't Sufis focus on all aspects of Islam and follow the religion wholly and completely rather than making a mockery of one act of worship? The same goes for all other groups and sects.

If anybody here is offended by the above then the problem is with you. Not with anyone else.

[keiv]

"Sufism as an organised movement arose among pious Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad period"

I still don't understand the point of Sufism if it was supposed to be the answer to corruptness. That's an issue on an individual basis, not a religious one. If early Muslims were having problems and not following the way of the Sunnah, Islam didn't need reforming or have new sects branch out of it because of issues people were having. To come up with something new would mean that there were issues with Islam as a whole, otherwise there wouldn't of been a need for the Sufism belief. At least that's what I'm getting out of this.

That's the claim. On the face of it seems as though Sufis are simply concerned with dhikr to get closer to Allah, which seems like an innocent and praiseworthy endeavour. However, the real issue is, just as it is with any group or sect, they restrict themselves to particular acts of worship at the expense of others. Sufis focus so much on dhikr that they fail to worship Allah as described by Allah and His Messenger. The basic principle in Islam is that all acts of worship are forbidden except for those that are approved within the Qur'an and Sunnah. One cannot 'invent' an act of worship and expect Allah to accept it. This includes acts like the Sufi dances, chanting, singing, etc.

You've said it yourself 'there are also lots of different orders and beliefs within sufism'. This is plain and clear division amongst Muslims because the Qur'an and Sunnah are not being learned and applied within these 'different orders'. There was no such nonsense as sufism or salafism, etc at the time of the Prophet (:saws1:). You label yourself a Muslim and follow the teachings of Islam as described in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

People these days are too concerned with labelling themselves as one thing or the other with each group claiming to be more righteous and closer to Allah than the other. The reality is these are all just names and imaginary boundaries that are far removed from Islam.

For instance, why don't Sufis focus on all aspects of Islam and follow the religion wholly and completely rather than making a mockery of one act of worship? The same goes for all other groups and sects.

If anybody here is offended by the above then the problem is with you. Not with anyone else.

Which is basically my point of view. If the above quote in my post is true in how Sufism began, than my point still stands in terms of people needing to reform themselves and not the religion.

[Mustafa16]

That's the claim. On the face of it seems as though Sufis are simply concerned with dhikr to get closer to Allah, which seems like an innocent and praiseworthy endeavour. However, the real issue is, just as it is with any group or sect, they restrict themselves to particular acts of worship at the expense of others. Sufis focus so much on dhikr that they fail to worship Allah as described by Allah and His Messenger. The basic principle in Islam is that all acts of worship are forbidden except for those that are approved within the Qur'an and Sunnah. One cannot 'invent' an act of worship and expect Allah to accept it. This includes acts like the Sufi dances, chanting, singing, etc.

You've said it yourself 'there are also lots of different orders and beliefs within sufism'. This is plain and clear division amongst Muslims because the Qur'an and Sunnah are not being learned and applied within these 'different orders'. There was no such nonsense as sufism or salafism, etc at the time of the Prophet (:saws1:). You label yourself a Muslim and follow the teachings of Islam as described in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

People these days are too concerned with labelling themselves as one thing or the other with each group claiming to be more righteous and closer to Allah than the other. The reality is these are all just names and imaginary boundaries that are far removed from Islam.

For instance, why don't Sufis focus on all aspects of Islam and follow the religion wholly and completely rather than making a mockery of one act of worship? The same goes for all other groups and sects.

If anybody here is offended by the above then the problem is with you. Not with anyone else.

erm, here's a question for you.....why do non sufis love to blow themselves up at sufi shrines dedicates to sufi saints and kill scores of people as well as desecrate graves?

['Abd-al Latif]

erm, here's a question for you.....why do non sufis love to blow themselves up at sufi shrines dedicates to sufi saints and kill scores of people as well as desecrate graves?

I don’t know the answer to that question. Unfortunately the “non-Sufi’s” in question have so far appeared to be unavailable for comment.

As I’ve said previously if you’re offended by my post then the problem is with you and you alone.

I’m sure you’re aware of the following:

1) the impermissibility of creating shrines (whether these are dedicated to Sufis or not is irrelevant)
2) the impermissibility of believing in shrines as a source of blessing or to attribute them with any form of divinity
3) Allah’s command to unite and His prohibition of disunity

Let’s not go round and round in circles about this issue.

[Desert]

All sufis are not bad. Have you studied some books of righteous sufis e.g. Sh Abdul Qadir Jilani r.a.?

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Tasawwuf or sufisim or zuhd is the essential part of human life though but some bad sufis have stagmatized it. Plz see this link.https://www.deoband.org/category/tasawwuf/

Thanks for the link
I heard sufis worship Abdul Qadir JIlaanni
and islamqa.com allows calling upon angels...

[Mustafa16]

sufism does not worship shrines. and there is a difference between "deviant sufism" and "sober sufism"

[azc]

Thanks for the link I heard sufis worship Abdul Qadir JIlaanniand islamqa.com allows calling upon angels...

They are wrong. Plz specify the opinion of islamqa (preferably in English)

[Aku]

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum

‘It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: “Ask me (about matters pertaining to religion), but they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) were too much overawed out of profound respect for him to ask him (anything).

‘In the meanwhile a man came there, and sat near his knees and said: “Messenger of Allah, what is al-lslam”?

‘To which he (the Holy Prophet) replied: “You must not associate anything with Allah, and establish prayer, pay the poor-rate (Zakat) and observe (the fasts) of Ramadan”.

‘He said: You (have) told the truth. He (again) said: “Messenger of Allah, what is al-Iman (the faith)”?

‘He (the Holy Prophet) said: “That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Apostles, and that you believe in Resurrection and that you believe in Qadr (Divine Decree) in all its entirety”.

‘He (the inquirer) said: “You (have) told the truth. He (again) said: “Messenger of Allah, what is al-Ihsan”?

‘Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: “(Al-Ihsan implies) that you fear Allah as if you are seeing Him, and though you see Him not, verily He is seeing you”.

‘He (the inquirer) said: “You (have) told the truth”. He (the inquirer) said: “When shall be the hour (of Doom)”?

‘(Upon this) he (the Holy Prophet said:

‘“The one who is being asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer himself. I, however, narrate some of its signs (and these are): when you see a slave (woman) giving birth to her master - that is one of the signs of (Doom); when you see barefooted, naked, deaf and dumb (ignorant and foolish persons) as the rulers of the earth - that is one of the signs of the Doom. And when you see the shepherds of black camels exult in buildings - that is one of the signs of Doom. The (Doom) is one of the five things (wrapped) in the unseen. No one knows them except Allah”.

‘Then (the Holy Prophet) recited (the following verse): " Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the hour and He it is Who sends down the rain and knows that which is in the wombs and no person knows whatsoever he shall earn on morrow and a person knows not in whatsoever land he shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware.”

‘He (the narrator, Abu Huraira) said: “Then the person stood up and (made his way). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: “Bring him back to me”.

‘He was searched for, but they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) could not find him. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) thereupon said: “He was Jibreel and he wanted to teach you (things pertaining to religion) when you did not ask them yourselves”.

(Muslim: Book 001, Number 0006). See also: Muslim: Book 001, Number 0004; and Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 2, Number 47.

From this Hadith we see that Islam is a tree with three major branches:

Islam - Submissions to the Will of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla), especially concerning what is right or wrong, halal or haram. This branch is the preserve of the jurists.

Iman – Faith. Belief in One God; in His Angels; in His Prophets; in His Books; in the Day of Judgement and so on. This branch is the preserve of the theologians.

Ihsan – Remembrance of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla); righteousness, self-realisation and so on. This branch is the preserve of those who practice Tasawwuf.

There are people - especially in the West - who call themselves ‘Sufis’ but are not Muslims. And there are Muslims who call themselves ‘Sufis’ but whose practices are - to say the least - suspect. A true follower of Tasawwuf knows that the shari‘a and ‘aqida of Islam are paramount. They know this…….and they act accordingly. One who does not act in this way, and yet pretends to be a Sufi, is like one who walks through a hospital wearing a white coat, with a stethoscope around his neck, trying desperately to convince everyone that he is a doctor. A real doctor is something else.

It is clear from the Hadith that the practise of Tasawwuf (living in the remembrance of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla) was the norm among the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions, even though the term ‘Tasawwuf’, like many other Islamic disciplines, was not known to them. It was, however, very much in use during the period of the four great Imams of the Maḏāhib. This is what they had to say about it:

‘If it were not for two years, I would have perished. For two years I accompanied Hazrat Jafer as-Sadiq (R.A) and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a knower in the Way (i.e. Sufism).’
(Reported of Imam Abu Hanifa: ‘Ad-Durr Al-Mukhthar’; Volume 1, page 43).

‘Whoever studies jurisprudence and does not study Sufism will be corrupted. Whoever studies Sufism and does not study Jurisprudence will become a heretic. Whoever combines both will reach the truth.’ (Imam Malik: ‘Kashf Al-Khafa Wa Muzid Al-Abas’; Volume 1, page 41).

‘I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three kinds of knowledge: They taught me how to speak. They taught me how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart. They guided me in the ways of Sufism.’ (Imam Shafi: ‘Tanwir Al-Qulub’; page 405).

‘O my son you have to sit with the Sufis, because they are like a fountain of knowledge. They recite the remembrance of Allah (S.W.T) in their hearts. They are ascetics and they have the most spiritual power……………………… I do not know any people better than them.’ (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, advising his son: ‘Ghiza Al-Albab’; Volume 1, page 120).

And what of other scholars?

‘I knew it to be true that the Sufis are the seekers in Allah's Way. Their conduct is the best of conduct. Their way is the best of ways. Their manners are the most sanctified. They have purified their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers to run receiving knowledge of the Divine Presence.’ (Imam Ghazali: ‘Al-Munqidh Min Ad-Dalal’; page 131).

‘The specification of the Ways of the Sufis are five: To keep the Presence of Allah (S.W.T) in your heart in public and in private. To follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W) by action and speech.
To keep away from dependence on people. To be happy with what Allah (S.W.T) gives you, even if it is little. To always refer your matters to Allah (S.W.T) Almighty and Exalted.’ (Imam Nawawi: ‘Al-Maqasid At-Tawhid’; page 20).

‘Sufism appeared in the 1st century of Islam and it received tremendous honour. It purified the self, straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the wisdom and secrets of the Divine Presence.’ (Muhammad Abduh: ‘Majallat Al Muslim’; page 24).

‘The Sufis initiate people in Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W), in repentance from their sins and in avoidance of every disobedience to Allah, Almighty and Exalted. Their guides encourage them to move in the way of perfect Love of Allah.’ (Abul Hasan Ali An-Nadwi: ‘Muslims in India’; pages 140-146).
‘Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (S.A.W), where one absents oneself for their sake and one is annihilated from anything other than them. It instructs us how to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (S.A.W)……………The Shariah and Sufism; what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Shariah, and the spirit is the internal knowledge.’ (Abul Ala Mawdudi: ‘Mabadi Al Islam’; page 17).

It is clear from the above that Tasawwuf is very much a part of Islam.

My son is a murid in the Shadhili tariqa, and has been one for around twelve years. All members of this tariqa follow one of the four Sunni Maḏāhib; as well as one of the two schools of tenets of faith, Ash‘ari or Maturidi. My son is of the Maliki; and follows the Ash‘ari school in ‘aqida. Like all Shadhili murids he does not take his din from those who are not Imams, especially not from oriental-ists or authors without a traditional Islamic education at the hands of the tradition’s sheikhs.

I hope this helps.

I love it... great article. Thk you bro.

[Misbah-Abd]

Thanks for the link
I heard sufis worship Abdul Qadir JIlaanni
and islamqa.com allows calling upon angels...

Please send the link that shows the website islamqa.com allows calling upon the angels...

[azc]

I don’t know the answer to that question. Unfortunately the “non-Sufi’s” in question have so far appeared to be unavailable for comment.As I’ve said previously if you’re offended by my post then the problem is with you and you alone. I’m sure you’re aware of the following:1) the impermissibility of creating shrines (whether these are dedicated to Sufis or not is irrelevant)2) the impermissibility of believing in shrines as a source of blessing or to attribute them with any form of divinity3) Allah’s command to unite and His prohibition of disunityLet’s not go round and round in circles about this issue.

extremists of both sides are wrong

['Abd-al Latif]

extremists of both sides are wrong

Extremism is wrong. The Prophet (:saws1:) encouraged moderation.

[Desert]

https://islamqa.info/en/181206

I read that answer so I thought whats the differance between calling upon jinn

if anyone can explain to me otherwise I would be thankful

but from what I understand in that answer is that he is allowing to say "oh slaves of Allaah help me (the angels) when lost

I stick to quraan since quran is against all such practices....

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I seek Allaah's forgiveness I didnt understand it right

ISLAMQA.COM IS CALLING THE HADITH WEAK AND A LIE SO FORGIVE ME...concerning calling on angels...

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ISLAMQA.COM DID NOT SAY CALLING ON ANGELS IS ALLOWED IT WAS MY FAULT I UNDERSTOOD THE HADITH WRONG SINCE IT WAS A WEAK HADITH...

[azc]

https://islamqa.info/en/181206I read that answer so I thought whats the differance between calling upon jinnif anyone can explain to me otherwise I would be thankfulbut from what I understand in that answer is that he is allowing to say "oh slaves of Allaah help me (the angels) when lostI stick to quraan since quran is against all such practices....- - - Updated - - -I seek Allaah's forgiveness I didnt understand it rightISLAMQA.COM IS CALLING THE HADITH WEAK AND A LIE SO FORGIVE ME...concerning calling on angels...- - - Updated - - -ISLAMQA.COM DID NOT SAY CALLING ON ANGELS IS ALLOWED IT WAS MY FAULT I UNDERSTOOD THE HADITH WRONG SINCE IT WAS A WEAK HADITH...

according to this mawqoof hadith someone who has lost his way can seek the help of angels who're appointed to help the people........

[Desert]

according to this mawqoof hadith someone who has lost his way can seek the help of angels who're appointed to help the people........

In the other answer it says its shirk...

https://islamqa.info/en/132642 here it says its shirk and anyone who calls to other Than Allaah is shirk

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Listen im mentally ill so dont take advice from me my understanding is a bit disturbed at times unless someone repeats the advice at least 3 times...memory problems...

[azc]

In the other answer it says its shirk...https://islamqa.info/en/132642 here it says its shirk and anyone who calls to other Than Allaah is shirk- - - Updated - - -Listen im mentally ill so dont take advice from me my understanding is a bit disturbed at times unless someone repeats the advice at least 3 times...memory problems...

plz see the link again and read it carefully.

[azc]

Fanatic followers of 2 specific groups are afflicted with either saint mania or shirk phobia respectively and both are wrong. The former group prostrates before graves and considers ''believing in saints'' as the essential tenet of their sect whereas latter believes in demolition of shrines by force, exhuming and desecrating dead bodies of pious people.

[Ishaaq]

Fanatic followers of 2 specific groups are afflicted with either saint mania or shirk phobia respectively and both are wrong. The former group prostrates before graves and considers ''believing in saints'' as the essential tenet of their sect whereas latter believes in demolition of shrines by force, exhuming and desecrating dead bodies of pious people.

Sufism was not always associated with tomb-veneration. The latter is a popular expression of "folk Islam" but it has nothing to do with Sufism in its essence. Sufism is just that dimension of Islam which is concerned with purification of the soul and establishing a living relationship with Allah. Some of the most zealous Unitarians who condemn tomb-veneration and other polytheistic and superstitious practices prevalent among the Muslims today are from a Sufi background themselves, such as the Panjpir movement, known as Ishaat Tawhid was-Sunnah. I am also influenced by this movement.

The real problem is not Sufism but folk-religion which has become confused with Sufism. There are also many fake Sufi guides out there who do not observe the strictures of Shari'a. True Sufism has to be in accordance with Shari'a and Sunna otherwise it is fake. It is tragically common for many so-called "Salafis" to equate Sufis with Quburis (grave-worshipers).

[azc]

Sufism was not always associated with tomb-veneration. The latter is a popular expression of "folk Islam" but it has nothing to do with Sufism in its essence. Sufism is just that dimension of Islam which is concerned with purification of the soul and establishing a living relationship with Allah. Some of the most zealous Unitarians who condemn tomb-veneration and other polytheistic and superstitious practices prevalent among the Muslims today are from a Sufi background themselves, such as the Panjpir movement, known as Ishaat Tawhid was-Sunnah. I am also influenced by this movement.The real problem is not Sufism but folk-religion which has become confused with Sufism. There are also many fake Sufi guides out there who do not observe the strictures of Shari'a. True Sufism has to be in accordance with Shari'a and Sunna otherwise it is fake. It is tragically common for many so-called "Salafis" to equate Sufis with Quburis (grave-worshipers).

No, it's not merely folk Islam. Even the scholars participate in annual gatherings called Urs at shrines. They, being the part of unislamic practices, don't teach the folk what real sufism is,

[Ishaaq]

No, it's not merely folk Islam. Even the scholars participate in annual gatherings called Urs at shrines. They, being the part of unislamic practices, knowingly, don't teach the folk what real sufism is, if they truly distinguish both ways

No true Islamic scholar can participate in such un-Islamic activities. Surely they are not scholars of righteousness, but scholars of evil and corruption. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم emphatically prohibited construction of such shrines. And celebrating Urs has nothing to do with Islam either, it is just a way for the "shrine-keepers" i.e. Gaddi Nashins to make profit from their custody of the idolatrous shrines.

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It is really the Gaddi Nashins and Sajjada Nashins which have ruined the reputation of Sufism and make many Muslims think that Sufism is all about tomb-veneration and other polytheistic customs. There is no such concept as "Gaddi Nashini" in Islam, it was invented as the equivalent of Brahminism. In Hindus, a priest who carries out the rituals at the Mandir (temple) must be from the Brahmin caste. That is similar to how the Gaddi Nashin inherits custody of the Mazaar (shrine) from his father and then organizes the annual "Urs" which becomes a source of profit for him. It is quite tragic that the mainstream "religious leadership" of the Muslim world is so corrupt.

[azc]

No true Islamic scholar can participate in such un-Islamic activities. Surely they are not scholars of righteousness, but scholars of evil and corruption. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم emphatically prohibited construction of such shrines. And celebrating Urs has nothing to do with Islam either, it is just a way for the "shrine-keepers" i.e. Gaddi Nashins to make profit from their custody of the idolatrous shrines.- - - Updated - - -It is really the Gaddi Nashins and Sajjada Nashins which have ruined the reputation of Sufism and make many Muslims think that Sufism is all about tomb-veneration and other polytheistic customs. There is no such concept as "Gaddi Nashini" in Islam, it was invented as the equivalent of Brahminism. In Hindus, a priest who carries out the rituals at the Mandir (temple) must be from the Brahmin caste. That is similar to how the Gaddi Nashin inherits custody of the Mazaar (shrine) from his father and then organizes the annual "Urs" which becomes a source of profit for him. It is quite tragic that the mainstream "religious leadership" of the Muslim world is so corrupt.

I know all these things as I belong to India. Lets see this aspect of issue mentioned in this link https://islamictextinstitute.co.za/b...ypt-ali-jumua/

[Ishaaq]

I know all these things as I belong to India. Lets see this aspect of issue mentioned in this link https://islamictextinstitute.co.za/b...ypt-ali-jumua/

This is a totally wrong Fatwa for a number of reasons:

1. The Holy Quraan never endorses the action of those who built a place of worship over the youths of the Kahf. It only mentions that for information not to encourage such behavior.

2. The fatwa states that the Hadith which curses Jews and Christians for building places of worship/prostration over the graves of their Prophets means it is forbidden to worship the actual grave or inmate buried in the grave. Yet the Jews and Christians admit that they do not worship the actual grave or the person buried in the grave since they worship God only, yet the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم still cursed them.

3. There is no reason for Jews and Christians to be cursed but Muslims to be blessed for the exact same action. Why the inconsistency?

4. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ شِرَارَ النَّاسِ الَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ الْقُبُورَ مَسَاجِدَ
"Know that the worst of mankind are those who take the graves as places of worship" (Musnad Ahmad)

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This is supposedly the tomb of the Prophet Joshua son of Nun عليه السلام. So the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم cursed the Jews for building this

but the so-called "Muslims" are blessed for building this

The tomb of a Sufi saint, not even a Prophet!

[Grandad]

I love it... great article. Thk you bro.

You're very welcome, brother. I'm sorry for the delay in replying. A bout of man-flu :heated:

[CuriousonTruth]

In the time I've been in muslim forums, I've always asked The followers of Ibn Taymiyyah and Salaf Dawah have never been able to answer:

(1) Salafism has been rising into prominence since 20th century. Since that time, Muslims have suffered nothing other than humilation, destruction of their countries by foreign countries, zero progress in science and society, permanent destabilization by terrorism, worst healthcare, corruption, rise of atheism.

Salafism is the strongest at this point than it has ever been in history. It also co-incided with the worst point for muslims in history.

(2) In contrast Sufism and the age surrounding it has been characterized as an age of rapid proselytization of Islam, or atleast Sufi Islam throughout the world, the biggest political advances of Islamism throughout the world, great victories over Europeans and Mongols that has gone down in history.

It seems Allah has preferred the deviant, whirling dervishes to honour Islam opposed to Salafists. And Allah has disgraced the Salafists and put them through immense torment (see Syria, Iraq) at the hands of Shias, Christians, atheists.

Allah knows best.

[SintoDinto]

In the time I've been in muslim forums, I've always asked The followers of Ibn Taymiyyah and Salaf Dawah have never been able to answer:<br>
<br>
(1) Salafism has been rising into prominence since 20th century. Since that time, Muslims have suffered nothing other than humilation, destruction of their countries by foreign countries, zero progress in science and society, permanent destabilization by terrorism, worst healthcare, corruption, rise of atheism.<br>
<br>
Salafism is the strongest at this point than it has ever been in history. It also co-incided with the worst point for muslims in history.<br>
<br>
(2) In contrast Sufism and the age surrounding it has been characterized as an age of rapid proselytization of Islam, or atleast Sufi Islam throughout the world, the biggest political advances of Islamism throughout the world, great victories over Europeans and Mongols that has gone down in history.<br>
<br>
It seems Allah has preferred the deviant, whirling dervishes to honour Islam opposed to Salafists. And Allah has disgraced the Salafists and put them through immense torment (see Syria, Iraq) at the hands of Shias, Christians, atheists. <br>
<br>
Allah knows best.

what about nurjuluk? (the teachings of said nursi rh during the time of the decline of the ottoman empire and the rise and fall of one-party ataturkism and the return of islam to turkey) (not gulenism, that is an offshoot). :) not exactly sufi, but sort of.&nbsp;<br>
<br>

[ZeeshanParvez]

You are aware that Allah tests most severely those closest to Him?