Sufi tareeqahs and the ruling on joining them
Q: In the sufis thariqa' there was a
term call syari'a,thariqa',haqiqa' and ma'rifah.Is this term really
have been tought by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)to his companion
according to the definition by the thariqa' it self?.
A: Praise be to Allaah.
We must understand that the word al-soofiyyah (Sufism) refers to
wearing woollen clothes [the Arabic word soof means "wool"] and
nothing else.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"The word al-soofiyyah (Sufism) refers to wearing woollen clothes;
this is the correct meaning. It was said that it comes from the
word safwat al-fuqaha' (the elite of the fuqaha') or from Soofah
ibn Add ibn Taanijah, an Arab tribe that was known for its
asceticism, or from Ahl al-Suffah (poor Muslims in Madeenah at the
time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who
used to stay in the mosque), or from al-Safa (the mountain in
Makkah), or from the word al-safwah (meaning elite), or from the
phrase al-saff al-muqaddam bayna yaday Allaah (the foremost rank
before Allaah). All of these views are weak (da'eef); if any of
them were true then the word would be saffi or safaa'i or safawi,
not sufi". (Majmoo' al-Fataawa,
11/195)
Sufism (tasawwuf) did not appear until after the first three
generations which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) praised when he said, «The best of mankind is my generation, then
those who come after them, then those who come after
them...» [narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2652; Muslim, 2533; from
the hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood].
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"With regard to the word soofiyyah (Sufism), it was not known
during the first three generations, rather it became known after
that" (Majmoo' al-Fataawa,
11/5).
This tareeqah and its like are among the innovated ways that go
against the Qur'aan and Sunnah and the way followed by the best
generations. All the shaykhs of these tareeqahs have made up their
own words (phrases to be uttered as dhikr), hizb (books of du'aa'
to be read daily by their followers) and ways of worship by which
each of them may be distinguished from the others; this goes
against sharee'ah and divides the ummah.
Allaah has blessed this ummah by perfecting its religion and
completing His Favour upon it, so everyone who comes up with an act
of worship or a way that was not brought by sharee'ah is
effectively rejecting what Allaah has said and accusing the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of betraying the
trust.
Along with this innovation of theirs, they may also be lying by
claiming that they received their tareeqah from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or that they are following
the path and guidance of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (al-khulafa'
al-raashideen).
The scholars of the Standing Committee
were asked:
"Is there any such thing in Islam as the numerous tareeqahs like
the Shaadhilyyah, Khalwatiyyah etc? If there is such a thing, what
is the evidence for that? What is the meaning of the verses in
which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):{ وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا
فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ
سَبِيلِهِ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ
تَتَّقُونَ}
"And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not
(other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path. This
He has ordained for you that you may become Al‑Muttaqoon (the
pious)", Transliteration: Wa 'Anna Hādhā Şirāţī Mustaqīmāan Fa
Attabi`ūhu Wa Lā Tattabi`ū As-Subula Fatafarraqa Bikum `An Sabīlihi
Dhālikum Waşşākum Bihi La`allakum Tattaqūna
[al-An'aam 6:153] {وَعَلَى اللَّهِ
قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَائِرٌ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ
أَجْمَعِينَ}
"And upon Allaah is the responsibility to explain the Straight
Path. But there are ways that turn aside (such as Paganism,
Judaism, Christianity). And had He willed, He would have guided you
all (mankind)", Transliteration: Wa `Alá Allāhi Qaşdu
As-Sabīli Wa Minhā Jā'irun Wa Law Shā'a Lahadākum 'Ajma`īna[al-Nahl
16:9]
What are the ways that separate people from the path of Allaah, and
what is the way of Allaah? What is the meaning of the hadeeth
narrated by Ibn Mas'ood, according to which the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drew a line and said, «This is the path of guidance," then he drew
lines to its right and another to its left and said, "These are
other paths and on each path there is a devil calling people to
it»?
They answered:
There is no such thing in Islam as the tareeqahs that you
mentioned, or anything else like them. What there is in Islam is
what is indicated by the two verses and the hadeeth that you
quoted, and what was indicated by the hadeeth in which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:«The Jews split into seventy-one sects, and
the Christians split into seventy-two sects. My ummah will split
into seventy-three sects, all of which will be in Hell except
one» It was asked, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah?" He
said, «Those who follow the same path
as I and my companions are on today» And he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, «A group among my ummah will continue to
follow the truth and to be victorious, and they will not be harmed
by those who forsake them or oppose them, until the command of
Allaah comes to pass when they are like that» The truth lies
in following the Qur'aan and the saheeh, unambiguous Sunnah of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is the
path of Allaah, this is the Straight Path. This is the straight
line mentioned in the hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood, and this is what was
followed by the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) (may Allaah be pleased with them and with their
followers among the early generations (salaf) of this ummah, and
with those who follow their path). All other tareeqahs or groups
are the paths mentioned in the verse (interpretation of the
meaning):{وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ
فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ}
"… and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away
from His path…" Transliteration: Wa Lā Tattabi`ū As-Subula
Fatafarraqa Bikum `An Sabīlihi [al-An'aam 6:153] (Fataawa
al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 2/283, 284).
And Allaah knows best.
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