suffism/ wahabi

[Karim_sunni]

salaam everybody

i'm now in the middle of war in my muslim mind. Some way the things i've read about the wahabi confuse me, their so anti-suffism, it's like they blame the suffis for the biddha in islam's history. I myself find suffisme some form of islamic beauty (not the extreme suffism), but the way the suffis explain their thoughts, and deep thinking, their love for poetry en islamic caligraphy, the wahabis don't like much decoration in mosques, it's like for them it's against modesty, and they say muslims shouldnt't do tassawuf and pray near graves, or decorate mosques like that, but i myself think, isn't that view some extreme? i mean ok muslims must be modest, but does that mean we shouldn't be proud of our beautifull arabic caligraphy and poets, and praise the prophet saw with poets, i just feel more to the suffis way of islam then the wahabis way, when i read things about suffism, their thoughts and way of islamic view, i just love it, i've never seen before a suffi carry out a terror attack etc, these suffis just have so much inner peace, but people warn me about it, they say suffis are biddha , don't read their books etc. , they even tell me that imam ghazali regret his choice for suffism, and left it and the end of his life (is this true?? )


i don't know what to do or think, should i follow my desires of just leave it all behind.

does anybody now about this feeling of confusing inside yourseld, and what do you say about suffism, what advice would you gave me

wa salaam,

brother karim

[Hamood]

You need to talk to a upright scholar and clear up the misconceptions about tasawwuf, :insh:.

Your heart is in the right place!

[Omar HH]

Al-Ghazali did not repent later in his life.

You must know what Sufism really is. There are many resources on the internet, and insha Allah I will hook you up soon insha Allah. Just quit going to Wahhabi sites IMMEDIATELY. Not even for a second. Block them on your computer using Adblock for Mozilla Firefox. Treat them like you would treat porno.

Shaykh al-Ya`qoubi said do not give the deviant your ear. Once people have your ear they can start confusing you.

You should go read articles on these websites:

http://www.masud.co.uk
http://www.livingislam.org

[Karim_sunni]

shokran akhie, i really appreciate your help, your right i should quit reaeding wahabi info and books etc

, we'll talk later tomorrow or this week about it.

wa salaam

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

the wahabis don't like much decoration in mosques, it's like for them it's against modesty, and they say muslims shouldnt't do tassawuf and pray near graves, or decorate mosques like that, but i myself think, isn't that view some extreme? i mean ok muslims must be modest, but does that mean we shouldn't be proud of our beautifull arabic caligraphy and poets, and praise the prophet saw with poets, i just feel more to the suffis way of islam then the wahabis way, when i read things about suffism, their thoughts and way of islamic view, i just love it, i've never seen before a suffi carry out a terror attack etc, these suffis just have so much inner peace, but people warn me about it, they say suffis are biddha , don't read their books etc. , they even tell me that imam ghazali regret his choice for suffism, and left it and the end of his life (is this true?? )

salams

doubts are normal brother, but because you are lending your ear to such people/websites, these doubts are re-inforced.

you simply need to look at the fiqh behind matters before listening to these people. they can attack 'people' all they want, but what is the actual islamic fiqhi position on these matters.

as for decoration in masajids, the salafi's have been the most extravagant when it comes to building masjids, maybe not the decoration inside them - but remember how much money they have.

as for tasawwuf, ibn taymiyya wrote a great deal about it, and only was against the sufi's of his time who he believed were deviant. now if ibn taymiyya accepts tasawwuf, who are they not to? and what about the other luminaries of our ummah, are we going to discard them? the majority of them were on some spiritual path, and form of tasawwuf.

i think your heart is telling you the correct things, and you are having waswasa on these matters.

May Allah guide us all - amin

[Omar HH]

Listen the most important things to get out are the doubts through knowledge and rational logical proofs. I used to be just like you. Sometimes you can get very distressed about the whole matter - therefore that is why you need proofs and to stop listening to the deviants. Wa Allahu `Alam.

[Omar HH]

I have translated a small portion of Shaykh `Ali al-`Iraqi's book on Sufism "Madhkah al-Tassawuf" which is a GREAT book:

The Gateway of Knowledge is the Knowledge of Sufism

by Shaykh `Ali al-`Iraqi al-Husayni

In the Name of God the Most Merciful the Most Compassionate

And the Blessings of God upon Our Master Muhammad and upon his Kinfolk and Comapnions and upon them be Peace

Introduction:

I have chosen this subject to make it clear that Sufism is an Islamic matter and not a matter foreign from Islam and the Message of Muhammad (Sal Allahu `Alayhi wa Sallim) and is firm in it’s roots in the Qur’an, Sunnah, the actions of the Companions and their Predecessors as well as the scholars of the community of believers. Sufism is not a philosophical movement, an ideology, or a religious sect it is a science from the sciences of religion with it’s sources in the Honored Qur’an and Pure Sunnah. Indeed the Sunni Sufism is known with the Sufism of Junayd. I intend to make it clear how rumors formed concerning the reputation of such a majestic knowledge until the people started to reckon it a blameworthy innovation from the blameworthy innovations of religion.

The rumors which came against Sufism made the people far from it until they started to reckon that it had absolutely no connection to Islam…

Section One:

Imam Junayd (may Allah have mercy upon him) said “Sufism is using every Sunnah characteristic and leaving every worldly characteristic”

Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyyah Ansari (may Allah have mercy upon him) said “Sufism is the knowledge of knowing the states, purifying the ego, purifying character…”

Shaykh Ahmad Razuq (may Allah have mercy upon him) said “Sufism is a knowledge with the intention of fixing the heart and removing all things except Allah from it”

Abul Hasan al-Shadhili (may Allah have mercy upon him) said “Sufism is training the ego to worship and following the commands of the Lord”

Ibn `Ajiba (may Allah have mercy upon him) said “Sufism is a knowledge in which one knows with it the way to the King of the Kingdom…”

And of them it is said “Sufism is fully character, so whoever increases upon you in character has increased upon you in Sufism”

[Omar HH]

"How would you respond to the claim that Sufism is bid`ah?" - Shaykh Nuh Keller:
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/sufism.htm

"The Place of Tassawuf in the Traditional Islamic Sciences" - Shaykh Nuh Keller:
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/sufitlk.htm

"What is Sufism" - Shaykh Gibril Haddad:
http://www.livingislam.org/fiqhi/fiqha_e50.html

"Ibn Taymiyah on Sufism" - Shaykh Gibril Haddad:
http://www.livingislam.org/n/itaysf_e.html

The Sufism Reader:
http://www.livingislam.org/tsw.html

What is Tassawuf - Naqshbandi-Mujadadi Tariqa
http://www.tasawwuf.org/basics/what_tasawwuf.htm

Is there Sufism without Islam?
http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=916

Sufism - Sidi Muhammad Jamal
http://www.sufimaster.org/teachings/knowsufi.htm

Also goto the last 2 songs of this book for a real good explanation from Shaykh Abu Qanit al-Sharif al-Hassani (a translation of Ibn `Ashir's Murshid al-Mu`in):

http://www.guidinghelper.com/pdf/GH_MainText.pdf

I hope this is enough to answer all of your doubts.

Know that many of the Sunni `Ullema throughout history were Sufis - Sufism is not a sect such as Sunnism or Shi`ism but it is a knowledge just like Tafsir, Fiqh, Hadith, etc.

Jazakallahu ta`ala Khayrun. If you want the refutation of Wahhabis - thats another thread Sidi,

Jazakallahu Khayrun.

[Abdillaah]

Is Sayyid Hossien Nasr, a sufi shia?

[Omar HH]

There are Shi`a who have Sufism. Just like Shi`a have Tafsir al-Qur'an, Fiqh, `Aqeedah, and other Islamic sciences. That being said - there can be no Wilaya (becoming a "Friend of Allah") unless one has correct beliefs. A person with incorrect beliefs may be able to purify themselves from some bad characteristics such as desire for the world (such as how even non-Muslim Buddhists do) but they will never accomplish the high spiritual ranks of those who purify themselves and follow the Prophetic Sunnah :saw: in their beliefs.

Here's something I just found on al-Zawiyah (Masud Ahmad Khan's Yahoo Group):

Assalaamualaykum

The Principles of Tasawwuf
By Sheikh Muhammad al Ya`qubi al Hasani

1. The definition:

Hundreds of definitions of Tasawwuf have been drawn. The great scholar sidi
Ahmed Zarouq says: ”Tasawwuf has more than two thousand explanatory
definitions; all ultimately refer to the following: True devotion to Allah
from where He likes by the means He likes Some of the common definitions
are: Acting upon knowledge Noble character Acquiring the good characters and
getting rid of the bad.

2. The subject:

The Divine Essence as how Allah can be known. Another opinion says that the
subject of this discipline is hearts and souls; because it works on their
purification and cultivation. Both opinions are correct as the latter looks
at the goal and the former looks at the means; as it has been correctly
said, ”He who knows himself will know his Lord”.

3. The fruit:

The fruit or the benefit of this discipline is the purification of the heart
and knowing the Master of the worlds.

4. The merit:

Tasawwuf is a noble discipline of high merit. Its nobility stems from from
its subject. Al-Ihsan is one of the three levels of this deen and the
highest.

5. The relation of this discipline to the other sciences:

Tasawwuf is the base of the Sharia; without it all acts of worship would be
imperfect. It is the core of the Quran and the Sunnah and the tissue of
muslims spiritual life. Imam Malik says: ”Whoever acquires tasawwuf without
fiqh is a heretic and whoever studies fiqh without tasawwuf is unrighteous
and who combines both has the reality”

6. The pioneer:

The word al-wadi means the one that sets forth this branch of knowledge. It
is of course the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace). Many
ahadith highlight this fact, most famous of which is hadith Jibril (May
Allah bless him). The first one who made this knowledge known is Sayyiduna
Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) and then his son Sayyiduna al-Hasan (May
Allah be pleased with him) and al-Hasan al-Basriy (May Allah have mercy on
him).

7. The name:

The name of this science is tasawwuf. The word is derrived from souf: wool;
or from safa: purity; or from suffa: the special place of a group of the
sahaba in the Holy Sanctuary of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant
him peace).
The discipline has been known by this name since the second century of
hijra, i.e. the time of the salaf (May Allah have mercy on them). It has
been frequently called ilm as-Sulouk, ilm al-Ihsan, ilm at-Tarbiyah or ilm
at-Tazkiyah.

8. The sources:

Tasawwuf relies on al-Quran and as-Sunnah as the sources and proofs of its
material. The sayings of the great scholars are a rich treasure for the
seekers and the masters alike.

9. The legal ruling:

The legal ruling of studying tasawwuf is fard i.e. obligatory. Since all
human beings are susceptable to sins save for the Prophets. Imam Abul Hasan
ash-Shadiliy ”Who does not deeply study this discipline will die persisting
on major sins without being aware of it”.

10. The issues discussed:

Tasawwuf tackles some of the cardinal elements of the deen such as ikhlas:
sincerity; sidq: truthfulness; wara: religious cautioness; tawakkul:
reliance; zuhd: asceticism; mahabba: love; and similarly their opposites,
wich are called the diseases of the hearts such as insincerity; hypocrisy;
arrogance; greed. It also tackles some of the subtlest subjects such as the
passing of thoughts; the states of the heart; inspiration. One of its most
important subjects is dhikr, the remebrance of Allah and its virtues;
another is the sheikh and his qualifications, the disciple murid and his
adab.

[Omar HH]

Ustadh `Abdullah the Maliki scholar of Lamp Post Productions says

Behavioral Refinement
Islam is a religion that takes human weakness into consideration. Therefore, it attempts to ascend with the believer to the epitome of human perfection. Performing the five pillars of Islam for the overwhelming majority of Muslims is relatively easy. But, it is the rectification of ones ego and purity of heart that will be the greatest determining factor in the acceptance of ones good deeds.
The degrees of faith are many. And a Muslim strives to reach its acme. For this task is the aspect of Islam that aims at bringing the perfection of ones faith to fruition. It has many names, but the traditional name used to refer to this religious science is ‘Sufism.’
Vices like lying, calumny, backbiting, vanity, pride, jealousy, hatred, anger, and many others undoubtedly need cures. Of the ways chosen by the Messenger, and then men and women of faith after him was to perform a wide variety of voluntary rituals. Examples of these are:

Maintaining a specific and daily supplication or glorification of Allah.
Constant recitation of the Qur’an.
Performing voluntary fasts, like fasting Mondays and Thursdays as well as the white nights of each month (i.e. the 13 th – the 15th).
Praying the night prayer (tahajjud).
Making oaths to Allah not to commit certain sins for a set number of days, etc.
Taking retreat in the masjid.
Withdrawing one’s self from people.

http://www.lamppostproductions.org/aboutislam.shtml

[laughinglion]

:salam:

:jazak: Sidi Omar for the translation, I hope your going to to the whole article since it is a smashing elucidation of Tasawwuf. (One typo Shaykh Sidi 'Ahmad Zarruq :anhu: , not razuq.)

I am Sunni Maliki/Al-Ash`ari/Darqawi-Shadzdzili and I do not support the decoration of Masajid, particularly that which is placed on the Qibla wall.

[Omar HH]

Thanks Laughington, well I made a few little errors more than that actually.

Are you friends with Shaykh `Ali al-`Iraqi personally? Doesn't he live in your part of Britain?

Insha Allah I can translate some more of what Shaykh `Ali wrote - insha Allah - just bits and peices for now.

Jazakallahu ta`ala Khayrun.

[Karim_sunni]

Mash'allah brothers, thank you so much, i will print alle this information out, and tonight i will read it in my bed :D , djazakallah.

by the way which books about suffism do you recommend me to read?

[Omar HH]

Mash'allah brothers, thank you so much, i will print alle this information out, and tonight i will read it in my bed :D , djazakallah.

by the way which books about suffism do you recommend me to read?

Don't read anything it's all there! LOL.

Actually there is a good book about Sufism, not proving it's validity, but about the principles of it. Three good books actually:

Al-Mabahith al-Asliyah by Ibn al-Banna
Al-Hikam al-`Ataiyyah by Ibn `Ata Allah
Risalah of Qushayri by Qushayri

You can get the first two from here:

http://www.guidinghelper.com/pdf

Download MA, and download Hikam4web links.

The third one is summarized in short rhymes by Ibn `Ashir, just read the Guiding Helper's last 2 songs and then click the link above (the guidinghelper/pdf one) and download Murshid and goto the very last section and read it.

If you still want to get deeper into it there are 2 more books. But remember Sufism is not `Ilm al-Awraq the Knowledge of Papers - it is `Ilm al-Adhwaq the Knowledge of Taste. Sufism cannot truly be experienced except through qualified Sufi scholars. The books are just very basic introductions.

Anyways if you want to buy Qushayri's Risalah it is sold at the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Tariqat's Islamic Shopping Network: http://www.isn1.net just browse around the books section for it.

The last two books you should read about Tassawuf you will have to purchase probably. The first is the Letters of Darqawi which gets really in depth about Tassawuf and this can be bought at http://www.islamicbookstore.com you should also read (which is not availible by itself yet unfortunately) Sidi Ahmad Zarruq's Principles of the Path.

After reading all of that you should really have your introductions straight and you can decide whether you want to join the Sufi path or not. Bear in mind the Sufi path is filled with obstacles and very hard trials towards Allah Almighty so do not join until you are sure.

If you want more knowlege on Tassawuf you can go here:

http://guidinghelper.com/qna/ihsan.html

And you can also search the Guiding Helper's previously answered questions here:

http://guidinghelper.com/qna/index.html

Therefore you have your list - after you are fully free of doubts about Tassawuf you can read this in the following order:

1) The Guiding Helper Explanatory Notes - Final 2 books on the "Path to Allah" and then the Murshid's translation of the last section (they are basically the same thing though with maybe some differences)
2) Al-Mabahith al-Asliyah by Ibn al-Banna
3) Hikam al-`Ataiyyah
4) Sidi Ahmad Zarruq's - Principles of the Path (I may have this availible soon for the internet wa Allahu `Alam)
5) The Darqawi letters

Bear in mind this is all in Shadhili-Darqawi tassawuf and therefore lopsided to a certain tariqa.

There is a nice little basic thing for people like you who maybe shouldn't be reading (2-5) on that list yet - it is more of proving Tassawuf but it also has the explanation of many of it's principles. It is called the Naqshbandi Sufi Way: Guidebook to Daily Practices and Devotions and is availible at www.isn1.net

But remember Sufism is not the knowledge of the pages of a book but the knowledge of taste.

:jazak:

Insha Allah if someone could transalte Shaykh `Ali al-`Iraqi's book on Tassawuf it would be the perfect thing as well.

[Omar HH]

http://muslim-canada.org/sufi/sufism.htm
http://www.nfie.com/rafai.html
http://www.nfie.com/Faridi.html

Shaykh Siraj Hendricks on Sufism:
http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/mfj1/tasawwuf2.htm
http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/mfj1/tasawwuf.htm

Ba`Alawi Sufism:
http://www.iqra.net/articles/BaniAlawi/alawi5.html

Jazakallahu Khayrun

[muhammadnur]

Mash'allah brothers, thank you so much, i will print alle this information out, and tonight i will read it in my bed :D , djazakallah.

by the way which books about suffism do you recommend me to read?

salaam,

any books by Imam Al Haddad, in particular The Book of Assistance and the Sufi Sage of Arabic. and the Ihya by Imam Ghazali.

Muhammad-Nur

[Omar HH]

I have formed a FAQ on Sufism basically copying and pasting Shaykh AQ's works.

But hey - it organizes everything :p

[Karim_sunni]

djazakallah Omar,


what is actualy the history of the word suffism



Historians differ on the origin of the word "sufi" though many believe that it is derived from suf, the coarse woollen garment worn by the sufis.


i've heard critics of sufism say that those wo were woollen garments tried to resemble isa (as), and that woollen garments are a sign of disassociation of wordly life

others say it comes from the greek word 'sophia' which means wisedom

[Karim_sunni]

what about this book akhie



http://store1.yimg.com/I/islamicbookstore-com_1869_526892956





ISBN 1930637225

Author: Abu-l-Qasim Abd al Karim bin Hawazin al Qushayri
Translator: Rabia Harris
Publisher: Great Books of the Islamic World, Kazi Publications (2002)
Pages: 513 Binding: Paperback

Description from the publisher --

A Sufi textbook of the highest order where Sufi practices, states and stations, rules of travel, dreams and advice to the spiritual seeker, among other topics are related to Quranic verses, Traditions of the Prophet and sayings of early Sufis. This was a book that Rumi read and recommended to his students as a book popular among Sufis.

About the author --

Abu-l-Qasim al-Qushayri was born in July 986 AD (d. 1072 AD) in northwestern Iran in the province of Khurasan, the richest center of eastern Islamic civilization down to the 13th century AD. In spite of his intellectual grounding in the Quran, Quanic exegesis and Traditions, he was dragged from his house by a mob and imprisoned in the citadel of Nishapur because of a letter he had written, "The Complaint of the People of the Sunnah Relating the Persecution that Has Befallen Them" in favor of the Asharites. Friends stormed the citadel and released him. He fled to Baghdad where he taught until 1063 AD., later to return to Khurasan where he died.

The translator of this great work is Rabia Terri Harris, an independent scholar who graduated from Princeton University with the departmental prize in Religion. She received her graduate degree from Columbia University in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures in 1985. She presently works as assistant editor of the bimonthly publication of Fellowship of Reconciliation in Philadelphia. She is a member of the Jerrahi Sufi order and translator of Ibn Arabi's Journey to the Lord of Power.




Availability: Usually ships the same business day.

[Omar HH]

Yeah thats the exact one al-Qushayri. Shadhili (and Burhani Tariqas) require that one know basic knowledge of External Tassawuf before joining. That book is one of the books that is qualified as "basic knolwedge of External Tassawuf" there is also the Ihya `Uloom ad-Din, and others.

Al-Qushayri's Risalah is basically an unsumarized version of the last 2 songs of the Guiding Helper, and the last chapter of al-Murshid al-Mu`in on Tassawuf.

Ibn `Ashir used al-Qushayri's book and summarized it to write the last section of al-Murshid al-Mu`in.

al-Qushayri summarized Junayd's teachings to write his book.

So yes it is an excellent book on tassawuf. After you read it you can insha Allah read the Mabahith and the Hikam insha Allah.

As for the origins of the word Tassawuf - Shaykh `Ali delves into this in his great treatise on Tassawuf - yet I have not translated it yet. Part of the Naqshbandi Guidebook deals with this and I can see what I can get for you.

:jazak:

[Ansari]

It seems to be that there are different english versions of the the risala of al-Qushayri..

For example see this abridge work of the risala by the same translator: http://store.yahoo.com/islamicbookstore-com/b8040.html

It seems to be that the above version looks almost the same like the translation of the principles of sufism done from the arabic by b.r. von schlegell. The most complete translation looks to me the book edited by L. Bakhtar that brother karim posted...if you compare the pages.

[Omar HH]

Karim are you good, or do you need more stuff Sidi,

Ma` Assalama,

Omar.

[Karim_sunni]

it's good Omar, djazakallah for your help and info

by the way i was wondering, are youself a suffi Omar, i mean do you follow suffism lessons from a sheikh, and do you practice suffism self at home to purify your heart etc.

wa salaam

[Omar HH]

I try to practice and read about external Sufism (like about the Risalah and the such) which every Muslim insha Allah should try to do somewhat (tawba, etc.).

As for tariqa I am not currently in tariqa. I actually have listened to dozens of Naqshbandi-Haqqani Suhbas of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and I have many of their books and read many of the Suhbas of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani (Qaddas Allahu Ruhahu).

But at the same time I am very interested in the Shadhili-Darqawi-Alawi way of Sufism which is a more high knowledge based tariqa (see above) - I have listened to the Suhbas of the great Murshid Shaykh Nuh Keller and I am very interested in his Shaykh - may the mercy of Allah be upon him - the great Shaykh `Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri.

I am more leaning towards the Shadhili-Darqawi way myself as Shaykh Darqawi was a huge Wali who made 40,000 qualified Murshids which was amazing barakah.

I also am somewhat interested in the Mawlawiyah tariqa of Shaykh Jalal ad-Din Rumi - which has a great leader as Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani and his Khalifah Shaykh Ahmad Dede - which is a more love based tariqa.

But maybe I won't join tariqa at all. Allahu `Alam.

I am just interested in everything right now - I have many friends who are murids of various tariqas (Shaykh Nuh Shadhilis, Shaykh Nazim Naqshbandis, etc.)

:jazak:

[bd_syed]

Please note some Website says SUFISM Website but they are against Sunni Muslim.
You can go through Website if you feel comfort. In the Third Part You will get details about SUFISM. IT is a clear , Wel Written Book, that has every aspects of Islam & Sufism:
For complete Learning about Islam & Sufism Please visit Website:
www.TorikaeMojaddediadawateKhalkElallah.blogspot.c om