Tasawwuf Shuyukh
[36] Tasawwuf: Ibn `Abidin
[37] Tasawwuf: al-Mawdudi
[38] Tasawwuf: CONCLUSION
[36] ON TASAWWUF
Ibn `Abidin (d. 1252)
Nicknamed the Seal of Self-Realized Scholars
(khatimat al-
muhaqqiqin), the great scholar and faqih
Ibn `Abidin said in his
fatwa on the permissibility of loud dhikr
in assembly entitled
Shifa' al-`alil wa ball al-ghalil fi hukm
al-wasiyya bi al-
khatamat wa al-tahalil:
The Imam of the Two Groups (Sufis and
fuqaha') our master al-
Junayd was asked: "A certain people
indulge in wajd or
ecstatic behavior, and sway with their
bodies?" He replied:
"Leave them to their happiness with
Allah. They are the ones
whose affections have been smashed by the
path and whose
breasts have been torn apart by effort, and
who are unable to
bear it. There is no blame on them if they
breathe awhile as
a remedy for their intense state. If you
tasted what they
taste, you would excuse their
shouting"...
The Seekers in this Way don't hear except from the
Divine Presence and they don't love any but
Him. If they
remember Him they cry, and if they thank
Him they are happy;
if they find Him they cry out, and if they
witness Him they
rest; if they walk in His Divine Presence,
they melt; ...
some of them they are drunk with His
Blessings and lose sight
of themselves...
Their assemblies for dhikr and recital (sama`) give
fruit to divine knowledge and spiritual
realities, which only
takes place upon hearing the description of
Allah,
exhortations to wisdom, and praises of the
Prophet. Nor do we
have one word of reproach to those who
follow them in their
method and find in themselves the
expressions of passionate
longing (`ishq) for Allah characteristic of
some of their
states.(1)
(1) Ibn `Abidin, Seventh Letter in Shifa' al-`alil fi hukm
al-wasiyya wa al-tahalil p. 172-173.
Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M.
Hisham Kabbani's
_The Repudiation of "Salafi"
Innovations_ (Kazi, 1996) p. 399.
[37] ON TASAWWUF
Abu al-`Ala' al-Mawdudi (d. 1399)
The most famous contemporary Islamic
thinker of the Indian
subcontinent and author of a Qur'anic
commentary in Urdu and
English, he wrote in his Mabadi' al-islam
(Principles of Islam):
Fiqh addresses only external actions: did
you perform them
according to what is required? The
condition of your heart is
not taken under consideration. As for the
science that
investigates the states of the heart and
its conditions: this
is tasawwuf. The questions asked by fiqh are:
Did you
complete your ablution correctly? Did you
pray towards the
Qibla? Did you fulfill the pillars of
prayer? If you did all
this your prayer is correct according to
the ruling of fiqh.
As for tasawwuf, it asks questions about
your heart: Did you
repent and turn to your Lord in your
prayer? Did you empty
your heart of the preoccupations of the
world in your prayer?
Did you pray in fear of Allah and knowing
that He sees and
hears you?... If you did all this and other
things, then your
prayer is correct according to tasawwuf,
otherwise it is
defective... Tasawwuf is the establishment
of the Law of
Islam to the utmost point of sincerity,
clarity of intention,
and purity of heart.(1)
(1) Abu al-`Ala' al-Mawdudi Mabadi' al-Islam p. 114-117.
Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M.
Hisham Kabbani's
_The Repudiation of "Salafi"
Innovations_ (Kazi, 1996) p. 400.
[38] ON TASAWWUF
**********
Conclusion
**********
The Prophet ordered us to follow the
Congregation of Muslims when
he said: "You have to follow the
congregation for verily Allah
will not make the largest group of
Muhammad's community agree on
error"
(`alaykum bi al-jama`a fa inna Allaha la yajma`u ummata
Muhammadin `ala dalala).(1) Who are better
examples and
representatives of the congregation of
Muslims than the great
scholars and imams whom we have mentioned
and from whom we have
quoted extensively?
Yet we find those who call themselves "Salafi" stepping
forward and claiming to be better
representatives, as if their
usurpation of the name of the pious Salaf
acquaints them better of
the reality of the Salaf than the true
scholars and Imams of this
Community. Their motto is: "Everyone
who came before us was wrong
and we are right," and does this come
from other than their
arrogance? We advise every true Muslim not
be cheated of their
religion by such false teachers. Rather,
read more, investigate
more, and study more in order to know the
truth, with Allah's
help, concerning sound doctrine and the
ways of self-purification
and tasawwuf in Islam. It is entirely
unbefitting of Muslims to be
like parrots, repeating some phrases and
condemning other phrases
on the assumption that they know better
than everyone else,
because, they claim, "We are
Salafi." Muslims know their scholars
from the Salaf and Khalaf and they will not
be fooled by a label
flaunted by a vocal minority. We leave this
minority of so-called
"Salafis" to their false pedagogy
of anthropomorphism, of
questioning and condemning the scholars of
Muslims, of attacking
the Imams of high moral standards and true
religion. We prefer to
rally to the rope of unity, which is the
rope of the elite of this
Community among both the Salaf and the
Khalaf who form not two,
but one saved group.
We conclude this first part of our Repudiation of "Salafi"
Innovations concerning Islamic Beliefs and
Doctrine According to
Ahl al-Sunna, by glorifying Allah, the
Beneficent, the
Compassionate, and by asking that He send
abundant blessings and
peace on the Master of Creation and the
Seal of Messengers and
Prophets, our Master Muhammad, Peace be
upon him and upon his
Family and Companions; that He accept from
us our intention to
serve Him in the way that pleases Him; that
He support the renewal
of the true belief of the Salaf everywhere
and everywhere revoke
its false manifestations; that He grant the
renewal of the Way of
Self-Purification, which is the Way of true
and perfect Islam, at
the hands of its true Teachers East and
West, in Muslim and non-
Muslim countries alike; and that He count
us among those who have
"heard and obeyed," who have
"kept company with the Truthful," who
have "followed those who turned to
Allah with love," and who will
be "raised with the saints" and
"in the company of Prophets, the
Most Truthful, the Martyrs, and the
Righteous."
(1) Ibn Abi Shaybah relates it with a sound (sahih) chain.
Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M.
Hisham Kabbani's
_The Repudiation of "Salafi" Innovations_
(Kazi, 1996) p. 401-402.
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his
Family, and his Companions
GFH Abu Hammad
[1996-11-16]
To go to first part,
press here: