Sufism (Part 1 of 2)
Abdurrahman
Murad
Introduction
Whether it's from a documentary on TV or a beautifully
designed website, the majority have heard something about 'Sufis'
and 'Sufism'; programs on TV have aired, talk show hosts have made
mention of them and politicians are taking a keen interest in this
group… one has only to type the word 'Sufi' on any search engine to
be overwhelmed with the videos and pictures that are available. In
cyberspace one can view images and videos of Sufi mystics and
elders dancing in rhythmic forms to the background of vibrant
melodies.
Disturbing images of mystic Sufi elders jabbing their heads with
knives or submitting themselves to various means of torture are all
too common as well.
One interested in Islam may get a wrong idea about Islam and
Muslims, for to the occident 'Sufis' and 'Sufism' is just a synonym
of Islam and Muslim.
The question that arises, are they really Muslims, and are they
practicing Islam? Before jumping the gun, I have to make mention
that there are many sites, articles and books that have been
written and put together, but most talk about Sufism in an
emotional manner, which will lead one to think that they are
impartial. In this humble endeavor, I attempt to write about
'Sufism' in an informative manner, far from any biases.
Though only a tiny minority, Sufis can be found in many countries,
Mus-lim and non-Muslim. But contrary to the belief that Sufism is
one 'group', Sufism is divided into 'orders'; each differs from the
other in terms of belief and practice.
Some groups are larger than others, and others have gone to rest
with the passage of time. Among the surviving groups today, there
is the Tijaani order, the Naqshabandi order, the Qadiri order and
the Shadthili order.
Origin of Sufism
In its earliest form, Sufi teachings stressed that an
individual should give more emphasis to the spiritual aspects of
Islam, a result of many losing sight of this lofty goal of
Islam.
After a period of time, however, infamous Sufi elders introduced
practices foreign to Islam which were welcomed by its followers.
Practices introduced included dancing, playing music, and even
consuming hashish.
The Scholar Ibn al-Jawzi, wrote
in his book (Talbis Iblis)
about the origin of the name used by this group, saying: 'They are called by this name
in relation to the first person who dedicated his life to worship
around the Ka'bah, whose name was Sufah.'
According to this, those who wanted to emulate him called
themselves 'Sufis'.
Ibn al-Jawzi also mentions another
reason, he said: 'they would wear woolen clothes.' Wool in
Arabic is called 'soof' and woolen clothes were the sign of an
ascetic during those times, since wool was the cheapest form of
clothing and was very rough on the skin; in short it was a symbol
of asceticism.
In any case, the word Sufi was not present at the time of Prophet
Muham-mad and his companions instead first appeared at about 200
Hijrah (200 years after the migration of the Prophet from Makkah to
Madinah).
The well known scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah, mentions that the first
appear-ance of Sufism was in Basrah, Iraq, where some people went
to extremes in worship and in avoiding the worldly life, such as
not seen in other lands.
So what is
Sufism?
Sufism is a series of concepts and practices that range from
poverty, seclusion, deception, depriving the soul, singing and
dancing; and is based on a mix of many different religions and
philosophies such as Greek philosophies, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism,
Hinduism, as well as Islam.
It is often referred to by Sufis themselves or by Orientalists as
"Islamic mysticism", in order to give the impression that Islam is
either wholly or partly a dogmatic religion with a set of
meaningless rituals. The very nature of Sufism (or Tasawwuf)
opposes what a Muslim is to believe in, this will be explained
further when I make mention of Sufi beliefs in general.
Traits of a
Muslim
A Muslim always refers back to the Quran and narrations of
Prophet Mu-hammad, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him,
called the Sunnah, in matters of religion. God tells us in the
Quran:
"It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when God and
His Messenger have decided a matter; they should [thereafter] have
any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys God and His
Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error." [Quran
33:36].
{وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا
مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْراً أَن يَكُونَ
لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ
فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالاً مُّبِيناً}
Transliteration: Wa Mā Kāna Limu'uminin Wa Lā
Mu'uminatin 'Idhā Qađá Allāhu Wa Rasūluhu 'Amrāan 'An
Yakūna Lahumu Al-Khiyaratu Min 'Amrihim Wa Man Ya`şi Allāha Wa
Rasūlahu Faqad Đalla Đalālāan Mubīnāan
Prophet Muhammad stressed the importance of following the Quran and
Sunnah and the danger of introducing any innovations into Islam. It
is known that the Prophet said: «Whoever does a deed which is not in
accor-dance to my commands (i.e. the Islamic Law), it shall be
rejected» [Sa-heeh Muslim].
Ibn Mas'ood (a companion of the prophet), may God be pleased with
him, said:
"The Messenger of God, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon
him, made a straight line on the ground with his hand, then he
said, «This is the straight path of
God», Then he made a (short) line on each side of the
straight line; then he said, «These
(short) lines, each one has a devil inviting people to it».
Then he recited the verse (of the Quran):"And this is My path
straight. So follow it, and do not follow (other) ways, lest they
lead you away from My path." [Quran 6:153], {وَأَنَّ هَـذَا صِرَاطِي
مُسْتَقِيماً فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ
بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ}, Transliteration: Wa 'Anna
Hādhā Şirāţī Mustaqīmāan Fa Attabi`ūhu Wa Lā Tattabi`ū As-Subula
Fatafarraqa Bikum `An Sabīlihi [Saheeh:
Reported by Ahmad and an-Nasaae'e].
A Muslim therefore is required to obey God and His Messenger. This
is the highest authority in Islam.
One is not to blindly follow religious leaders; rather, we as
humans are required to use the faculties given to us by God, to
think and reason.
Sufism, on the other hand, is a binding order that strips one of
free thought and personal discretion and puts him at the mercy of
the Sheikh of the order… as it has been said by some Sufi elders,
'one must be with their Sheikh as a dead person is while being
washed', i.e. one should not argue, or oppose the opinion of the
Sheikh and must display total obedience and submission to
him.
True Muslims are content with the name "Muslim" given to them by
Al-mighty God, as He says:
"He has chosen you (to conform to His religion) and has imposed no
difficulty upon you in religion, the religion of your father
Abraham. He named you 'Muslims' both before (in the preceding
Divine Scriptures) and in this Book." [Quran 22.78].
{هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا
جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ
إِبْرَاهِيمَ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِن
قَبْلُ}
Transliteration: Huwa Ajtabākum Wa Mā Ja`ala `Alaykum Fī
Ad-Dīni Min Ĥarajin Millata 'Abīkum 'Ibrāhīma Huwa Sammākumu
Al-Muslimyna Min Qablu
Sufis may insist that they are Muslims, but at the same time some
insist on identifying themselves as Sufis rather than
Muslims.
Islamic Beliefs at a Glance:
Belief in God
In short a Muslim believes in the Uniqueness of God. He
has no partner; no one is like unto Him. God, Almighty, says:
"There is nothing like unto Him and He is the all-Hearing and the
all-Seeing." [Quran 42:11].
{لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ
وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ}, Transliteration: Laysa Kamithlihi Shay'un Wa
Huwa As-Samī`u Al-Başīru
God is separate from His creation and not a part of it. He is the
Creator, and all else is His creation.
Sufis hold a number of beliefs
in relation to God, Almighty; of these beliefs are the
following:
a) Al-Hulool: This belief
denotes that God, Almighty, dwells in His creation.
b) Al-It'tihaad: This belief
denotes that God, Almighty, and the creation are one, united
presence.
c) Wahdatul-Wujood: This belief
denotes that one should not differen-tiate between the Creator and
the creation, for both the creation and the Creator are one
entity.
Mansoor al-Hallaaj, a figure much
revered by Sufis, said:
"I am He Whom I love," he exclaimed, "He Whom I love is I; we are
two souls co-inhabiting one body. If you see me you see Him and if
you see Him you see me."
Muhiyddin Ibn Arabi, another revered
figure in Sufism, was infamous for his statements: "What is
under my dress is none but God," "The slave is the Lord and the
Lord is a slave."
These above beliefs strongly contradict the Muslim belief in the
Oneness of God, for Islam is a strict monotheism. These cardinal
Sufi doctrines are not far from some of the Christian beliefs or
the Hindu belief of reincarnation. S. R. Sharda in his book, 'Sufi
Thought' said: "Sufi literature of the post-Timur period shows a
significant change in thought content. It is pantheistic. After the
fall of Muslim orthodoxy from power at the centre of India for
about a century, due to the invasion of Timur, Sufism 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."
Belief in the Prophet of
God
A Muslim believes that Prophet Muhammad was the Final
Prophet and Messenger of God. He was not divine, nor is he to be
worshipped; but he is to be obeyed and one cannot worship God
except in a manner that has been sanctioned by Prophet Muhammad,
may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him.
Sufi orders hold a wide variety of beliefs in relation to Prophet
Muham-mad, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him. Of them
are those who believe that he was ignorant of the knowledge the
Sufi Elders possess. Al-Bustami, a
Sufi Sheikh said: "We have entered a sea of knowledge at the
shore of which the Prophets and Messengers stood."
Other Sufis ascribe some type of divinity to the Prophet, may the
blessing and mercy of God be upon him, saying that all of creation
was created from the 'light' of Prophet Muhammad.
Some even believe that he was the first of creation and that he is
resting upon the throne of God, which is the belief of Ibn Arabi
and other Sufis who came after him.
Belief in Heaven and
Hell
In short, Muslims believe that both Hell and Heaven are
existent now, and are two actual abodes. Hell is where a sinful
person will be punished and Heaven is where a pious person will be
rewarded.
Sufis in general believe that one should not ask God to grant them
Para-dise; they even claim that the Wali (guardian) should not seek
it, for it is a sign of one's lack of intellect. To them 'Paradise'
holds an immaterial meaning, which is to receive the knowledge of
the unseen from God and to fall in love with Him.
As for Hell, a Sufi believes that one should not try to escape from
it. According to them, a true Sufi is not to be fearful of the
Fire. Some even believe that if a Sufi elder were to spit on the
Fire, it would be put out, as Abu Yazid al-Bustami claimed.
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