The following is a response to an
questions posted by Br. Zillur Rahim. In summary he tries to
accept Tasawwuf without accepting the continuing line of Sufis to
this day. The countless Islamic scholars who have accepted
Tasawwuf leave no doubt that it is a vital part of Islam. However
some have raised doubts about what some Sufis have said. Some of
this is misquoted and some is misunderstood. Insha'Allah I will
present from my limited view some simple answers for the
questions he poses.
he wrote:
>In reply to Br. Bazaraa, I
would humbly comment that it is wrong to
>say that people give the impression that Tasawwuf is a
reprehensible
>innovation. You will be correct if you say that many Muslims
view
>that much of the Tasawwuf preached and practiced by the
Naqshbandis
>and other sufi orders of today as innovations in the matters
of deen.
>Tasawwuf, the way it was practiced by the prophet and his
companions
>and the righteous followers is, of-course, part and parcel of
Islam.
Many Salafis/Wahhabis certainly
regard that Tasawwuf is a reprehensible innovation. You accept
Tasawwuf and you say you deny the way it is practiced and
preached by the sufi orders of today. Yet it has been show
repeatedly that Tasawwuf throughout the Islamic era has been
praised by the scholars of Islam including those of today. Do you
think it suddenly completely failed today? You had said:
"I think "prophet's
grave is better than Kaaba and the arsh, etc.," is just one
of so many Sufi beliefs. " [here your words imply your
disagreement with "Sufi beliefs" and you are suggesting
that so many of them are incorrect, despite your affirmation that
it is part of Islam.]
And that was the belief of Mulla
Ali Qari'[d1014,R], among other scholars, a great and highly
esteemed Hanafi scholar, and not a scholar "of today".
It is possible that the number of very sincere Sufis today is
less, but no doubt they can still be found, as Shaykh Nazim
al-Haqqani, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, the Sufi Shaykhs of Imam Hamza
Yusuf, Shaykh Muhammad `Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani etc..
>As we know of the companions,
when some people saw them at nights
>they felt they knew nothing of this dun'ya because of their
ritual
>devotion to Allah by staying up at night and making much of
d'hikr
>and ruk'u and sujood. And when they were seen during the day
>fighting the enemies of Islam, some would think they knew
nothing but
>the dun'ya. This is the balance that our great scholars and
Imams
>allude to when they talk of tasawwuf.
Jihad as the Sahaba made both
fighting the enemies of Islam under the banner of beloved
Muhammad, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, and struggling to
perfect control of their egos, is not "knowing about this
dunya"[regardless of what people think], neither has it been
abandoned by the Sufis of today.
>Hence quoting the great
scholars of Islam and trying to justify
>tasawwuf is not the point here. No one is refuting tasawwuf.
Most Salafi/Wahhabis are trying to
refute it. I can cite numerous examples if you have any doubts.
>Even contemporary scholars of
Islamic Movements, like Hasan
>Al-Banna mentions his method to be the Sufi and Salafi
method.
>It only means that his method subscribes to the understanding
of
>the salafs and consequently their understanding and practice
of Islam.
It is known that he gave
Bay'a[pledge] to his students/followers and recommended a
specific daily Wird[Dhikr]. I also heard that he was blessed with
a photographic memory such that he could remember anyone he met,
even only once many years later by name and in detail. Recently
we have read that he also used to visit the graves of the pious
Muslims, as is recommended by our Prophet, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa
Sallam[Egypt is fortunate to have a large number of the the
Awliya' buried under its soil]. Misunderstanding of some of the
things I have mentioned about him have lead the Salafis to
condemn him as an innovator as they have accused all the Sufis.
>What you have to convince us of is the source and
justification of understanding of current sufis.
Issues that are Islamic and yet
Sufis were accused of innovating have been the source of numerous
articles and posts by As-Sunna Foundation of America[ASFA] and
the Haqqani Naqshbandi Foundation for new Muslims. Such issues
include Mawlid[which is celebrated in nearly every Islamic
country by Islamic scholars and non-scholars], Tabarruk and
Tawassul. Some issues they have been sarcastically criticized for
addressing even after the accusations of shirk, such as kissing
hands and standing out of respect! After the accusations were
made, when the accusers found out they had been ignorant in their
accusations, not a single one apologized, rather they said why is
ASFA wasting their time with kissing hands, etc.. The majority of
issues were answered and explained with numerous quotes from
Quran and Hadith as explained by the great scholars of the past
and present. Some issues have just been misquoted or are out of
context.
>To quote you only a few, why
don't you let us know where did the sufis get these following
loud dhikrs from?
>'Hu, Hu; 33 times;
>'Haqq, Haqq' 33 times;
>'Hayy, Hayy' 33 times;
>Dhikr 'Allah, Allah' is increased from 1500 times to 2500
times by
>tongue and 2500 times by heart; the praise on the Prophet
(salawat)
>from 100 to 300 times and on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays
to 500 times.
Perhaps you are aware that Imam
Hasan al-Banna recommended loud group dhikr in his book
"al-Ma'thurat", as based on Hadith that commend it.
Remember the posting on "the Love of Allah" in which it
was said among the causes of mutual love between Allah swt and
his servant according to Imam Ibn al-Qayyim[R] are:
"...Second, getting closer to
Allah by performing voluntary deeds after completing obligatory
deeds. This is as is stated in a Hadith Qudsi: "My slave
continues getting closer to Me by performing voluntary deeds
until I love him." [al-Bukhari]... "Third, continual
remembrance of Allah under all circumstances, with one's tongue,
heart and actions. The extent of one's love of Allah is
determined by this.... "Fifth, the heart being avid of
Allah's Names, and Attributes and the heart roaming in that
garden of knowledge..."[End of Quote]
There are numerous Hadith
recommending dhikr in general. If one where to decide to say,
"La Illaha Illa Allah" one hundred and eleven times
daily, or repeat, "Ya Latif" nine times daily those
would not be reprehensible innovations even though they are not
specifically cited in a Hadith with those numbers. Rather they
would fall under the permitted voluntary dhikr of Allah swt using
Quran and His names. Likewise Sufi teachers have recommended
Dhikr, and have included for their students Dhikrs that
encompass, repeating Allah's names, Salawat on the Prophet, Salla
Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, and Quran. Recently on msa-net we saw
the example of how the Prophet, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam,
'COMMENDED' a Sahabi for INNOVATING a way of praising Allah swt
after Ruku' in one Salat; what about outside of Salat?! I will
quote that excerpt[I only received it as a part of Br. Hisham
Hamed's reply]:
Consider this hadith: Rifa'a
ibn Rafi said, "When we were praying behind the Prophet
(SAW), >>and he raised his head from bowing and said,
'Allah hears whoever praises Him', a man behind him said,
'Our Lord, Yours is the praise, abundantly, wholesomely, and
blessedly therin.' When he rose to leave, the Prophet (SAW)
asked 'Who said it?', and when the man replied that it was
he, the Prophet (SAW) said, 'I saw thirty-odd angels each
striving to be the on to write it." [Related in both
Bukhari and Muslim]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar
al-'Asqalani says in Fath al-Bari (Commentary of Sahih
Bukhari) that the hadith indicates the permissibility of
initiating new expressions of dhikr in the prayer other than
the ones related through hadith texts, as long as they do not
contradict those conveyed by the hadith [since the above
words were a mere enhancement and addendum to the known,
sunna dhikr]." [End of excerpt]
When one goes to learn Quran[or
anything] from a teacher, he will give him certain excercises to
read, a certain number of times to be repeated as the teacher
sees the students progress. Likewise the Shaykh who is teaching
Islamic spirituality and Ihsan[Islamic 'beneficence'] may first
choose a certain number of repetitions of Dhikr [La Ilaha Illa
Allah, Salawat etc.] to suggest to his student.
>And, very humbly, what is the
source of the following statement? "In our time, grandShaykh
Shaykh Abdullah ad-Daghestani >said, "Whichever of the
People of the Last Time (akhir az-zaman), wishes to attain a high
rank and an exalted state, and get >what a murid normally gets
by means of seclusion (khalwat), and spiritual exercises, then he
must continuously perform these >awrad (dhikr). With this
awrad we have set the foundations for the higher stations, which
are built on this foundation. The murid >ought to know that if
he fails to attain an exalted station and high grade in this
world because of his lack of effort, then he shall >not be
separated from this world, but that the Shaykhs make him reach
it, and reveal for him his station, either during his lifetime,
>or at the time of the seven last breaths during the agonies
of death.
According to my understanding:
1.Authentic Hadiths show that
Dhikr is one of the best actions.
2.Authentic Hadiths show that a continous good action is the
best type of good action.
3.Authentic Hadiths show that those who love each other for
the sake of Allah will reach an exalted station and be
admired for it on the day of Judgement by all people.
4.Authentic Hadiths show that we can give the rewards of our
deeds to others and they do reach them for their benefit.
5.Authentic Hadiths show that our actions are judged by our
intentions and therefore a good intention is the basis of a
good deeds acceptability.
6.Authentic Hadiths show that we will be with those whom we
Love in the hereafter, even without our actions.
7.Quran shows that Allah has given some of His servants
special knowledge and special powers;see 27:40 as an example.
Based on points 1-7 above and
knowing that
a.Naqshbandi Shaykhs give as a
gift[Ihda']the rewards of their deeds to the Prophet, Salla
Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, Prophets[S], the Prophets'
families[R], the companions[R], pious Muslims and their
disciples as well as supplicating for their[the disciples]
behalf.
b.They Love the Prophet, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
c.The intention of the Murid is Allah's pleasure.
d.The Shaykh and the Murid love each other for Allah's sake.
e.A true Murid is one who in fact keeps his sincere purpose
as well as the Love of Allah swt, the Prophet, Salla Allahu
Alayhi Wa Sallam, and his Shaykh.
then it is not unusual to say that
if a Murid desires to reach a high rank and exalted station he
should keep his dhikr daily, but even if he does not then if he
is truly a Murid[see 'e' above], then he has been promised
success[see 1-7 above especially 6].
The following is from msa-ec from
brother Dr. Fouad Haddad of As-Sunna Foundation of America and
clarifies points Ɗ' and 'a' above :
"Ibn Abi al-`Izz
al-Hanafi, who adopted the doctrines of Ibn Taymiyya, said in
his commentary on Tahawi's `Aqida (1995 ed.
2:664-673): [...deleted...] But the proof that the dead
benefits from other than what he has brought about in his
life is in the Book, the Sunna, the Consensus, and the sound
analogy.... [After citing several proofs he says:] As for the
reaching to the deceased of someone else's reward for
fasting, it is narrated in the two Sahihs [also Abu Dawud,
Ahmad, and al-Nasa'i] from `A'isha that the Prophet said:
"Whoever dies without making up an obligatory fast that
he had missed, let his patron (wali) fast on his behalf....
The Lawgiver pointed, with the reaching of the reward of
fasting, to the reaching of the reward for Qur'an-recitation
and other such types of bodily worship. It is made plain by
the fact that to fast is merely to restrain the ego from food
through intention, and the Lawgiver has prescribed that its
reward will reach the dead: what about the reward of
recitation which is both work and intention?.... The
recitation of Qur'an and its voluntary, unpaid donation to
the dead do reach him, just as the reward of fasting and
pilgrimage reach him. End of Ibn Abi al-`Izz's words."
>>And again, what is the
source of the following claims? Can these be >substantiated on
basis of Qur'an and Sunnah?
>On page 33 of the book `Mercy Oceans - Part 1', it reads
"The Power of
>the wali is such that he only needs to say Kun (be) and that
will be."
This has been reported by the
universally respected Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani[R], in one of
his books. He was even respected by Imam Ibn Taymiyya[R] who took
the Sufi Tariqa through his chain of teachers as reported before
by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani[inspite of Ibn Taymiyya's criticism of
some other Sufis].
The following quote is from the
new director of ISNA:
"Allah tells us that the
best way His servant gets closer to Him is to establish what
Allah mandated as obligatory, and then the road is ever open,
and the nawafel carry you closer and closer until Allah - as
He states in the hadeeth qudsi (divine ideas paraphrased by
the Prophet saw), becomes his eyes, his ears, his ears and
his feet, and indeed until he becomes a divine servant who
can say to something Be and it is."
[Dr. Hassan Hathout, Minaret, Aug/Sep 1996].
One must note that a Wali is one
who forgoes his own desires and will, in acceptance of that which
pleases Allah swt, and that which He wills. Thus Allah swt
empowers him to carry out His divine orders. There are many
aspects to the above words that I am not qualified to expand
upon, however we all know that there are many circumstances that
Allah swt will accept Dua's, and it was a trait of our beloved
Prophet, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, that his dua's were
accepted, and that Allah swt would grant some of the very pious
the gift of accepting their dua's constantly and that Muslims
have turned to such people for their dua's at times of hardships.
Allah swt has also empowered some with the ability to carry out
His will, whatever that may be. The best example of that is the
Prophets, peace be upon them. Sayyidina Khidr[S] whom some
scholars consider a Prophet and others do not, was also such a
person. I believe that most Muslims believe that this super
ability has been given to Awliya as well. Note again the
reference above[Quran 27:40]where a vizier in the court of
Prophet Sulayman[S] had the ability to bring the Throne of Sheba
[Saba'] in the blink of an eye. If such an ability was given to
the Awliya of the time of Prophet Sulayman, what about those in
the time of the Imam of Prophets and Messengers, Sayyidina
Muhammad, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam?! Certainly the examples
of the Karamat[miracles] of Awliya of Islam is expansive.
Therfore "Kun Fa Yakun" for a Wali is not his whimsical
desires, rather it is his carrying out the Will of Allah swt
through the power which Allah swt has given him.
>On page 1 of the book `The
Naqshbandi Way' it reads,
>"Our master the Sheikh says that a person who manages to
act on these
>principles in our times will achieve what earlier generations
did not
>achieve _ he who attains an exalted stage and a great rank,
such a
>rank which the Prophets themselves and the companions were
unable to attain."
This is explained in a very long
footnote starting on the same page of the book. Basically it is
NOT saying the sincere seeker at this time will be like a
Prophet, or better than one. It says that as recorded in several
Hadiths the seeker at this time will be given a huge reward which
is special for him/her and which is due because of the hardships
of sticking with Islam in these trying times['like holding on to
a burning coal], and which was not possible at earlier
generations.
Imam Tabari[R] in his "al-Kabir"
recorded that Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Prophet, Salla
Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, said[to the Sahaba]:
"Inna min wara 'ikum
zamanu sabr, lilmutamassiki fihi ajru khamsina shahidan
minkum"
"After you is a time of patience, for the one who is
steadfast in it is the reward of fifty martyrs from
yourselves"
This Hadith has been graded as
Sahih[authentic]
The fact that the accuser who
quoted the above excerpt from the Naqshbandi book did not quote
its explanation, and instead tried to make us think it states
that the Shaykh's murids are better than prophets, is evidence
that the accusers are dishonest and will resort to gross
distortion in order to put their fellow Muslims out of Islam in
the eyes of others.
>On page 13 of the book Haqiqat
ul Haqqani it reads,... On page 11 of the book Haqiqat ul Haqqani
it reads,...
>On page 15 of the book `Haqiqat ul Haqqani' it reads,...
"Haqiqat ul Haqqani" is
not an Haqqani Naqshbandi book; that is it is neither authorized
nor approved of by Shaykh Nazim and Shaykh Hisham.
> I think this is what you
should consider addressing, rather than claiming, over and over
again, that tasawwuf is part of Islam. We >all know that.
If we all knew that why are so
many Islam pages on the wwweb linked to books as "the other
side of Sufism" which treats Tasawwuf as another religion.
You may explore the following address to learn of its lies,
distortions and slander of all Sufis and Tasawwuf:
http://sunnah.org/salafi/tosos.htm
>And I am sure Br. Amer will
also remind you of enlightening us all
>of the stand on Palestine issue that the contemporary sufi
sheikhs
>have taken. I know it is a minor detail, but since I do not
know
>the answer to this, I am getting more and more curious over
the time.
It is not a minor detail as the
lives of the oppressed Muslims in Palestine is important to all
of us. Shaykh Hisham and Shaykh Nazim are concerned with the well
being of Muslims and potential Muslims[all] everywhere. They
travel across the globe to revive in Muslims the Love of Allah,
of Prophet, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, and of Islam. They
show the beauty of Islam on their faces and in their actions, so
that many non-Muslims after meeting them also fall in love with
Islam and accept it. If Allah swt gives them a chance to
influence a political event to raise the name of al-Islam then
they do, as for example Shaykh Nazim has done in Cyprus many
times and continues to do so. They have both met with political
leaders, Muslim and non-Muslim to encourage them to love Islam,
place it above politics and to support Muslims.
What is the best way to restore to
the Palestinians their rights? I believe it is to increase their
and our faith, sincerity and Love for Allah swt, His Prophet,
Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, and Islam. I do not think there
will be any solutions without Islam. So, number one priority, in
my opinion is Islam. As for peace talks, etc., that is politics
and we have currently no significant influence on it, nor will we
let it[Insha'Allah] deter us from our purpose to raise the word
of Allah swt and His Prophet, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, to
be above all in the hearts and eyes of everyone.
AlhamduLillah both Sufi Shaykhs
have been successful with Allah's support in bringing Islam to so
many people and making us all feel very grateful to be Muslims.
May Allah forgive me for my
mistakes and forgive all of us.
>And Allah knows the best. >
>Was'Salamu Alaikum, Zillur Rahim >...
Ph.D., P.E.
Wa Alaykum AsSalam,
:: Hesham Bazaraa ::
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