Exaggeration and Innovation of the Sufis in Worship
(1) Taking the Dhikr from other than Allah’s Messenger
It has been mentioned in Irshaadul-Mulook: “Among the conditions for Dhikr is to acquire the Dhikr from a Shaikh of Dhikr just as the Sahabah took their Dhikr from Rasoolullah.”[1]
This condition in Irshaadul-Mulook gives the Sufis their allowance to prescribe innovative forms of Dhikr to their Mureeds (disciples).
Comparing the Sufi Shaikhs to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) is a clear error, because the Sahabah (radhi allahu anhu) refered to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) for guidance since he was the sole recipient of revelation from Allah. But the Sufi Shaikhs do not receive any revelation from Allah that their disciples must take Dhikr from them. This comparison is therefore false because comparison is only done in similar matters.
Allah says: “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and make not vain your deeds.”[2] Hence, any matter of the religion that does not have its origin from the Sunnah can never be beneficial or a source of guidance. This is why the Sufi Dhikr is a source of hardship, torture, anxiety and insanity – as we shall see with ample proofs in this chapter, Insha’Allah.
(2) The Manner of the Sufi Dhikr
From Irshaadul-Mulook, “The Dhakir (one involved in Dhikr) should maintain his body, clothes, and place clean. He should acquire perfect purity by wudhu and ghusl and then sit in the Tashahhud position facing Kiblah, keeping both his hands on his thighs in close proximity to the knees. Alternatively, hold back the right hand with the palm of the left hand, gripping the right thumb with the left thumb… Thereafter, close the eyes and either inaudibly or a slightly raised voice, in whatever manner the Shaikh has instructed, focusing the heart on Allah, recite La-ilaha illaAllah repeatedly, expelling with full force and full attention of the heart all good and bad thought from the heart. Draw La-Ilaha from the heart and deliver with full force ill Allah into the heart.”[3]
This quote describes the manners of the Dhikr of the Sufis, for which there is no proof in the Sunnah. The Sufis act upon these types of Dhikr upon the prescription of their “Shaikhs of Dhikr.”
(3) Achieving Fanaa through Dhikr
From Shamaaim-e-Imdaadiyah, “… its reality (Wahdat al-Wajood) is experienced only when a disciple becomes distant from his own self by striving hard and ignoring every danger. Because when a person becomes unaware of his self, he is unaware of everything. Nothing remains in his thoughts or his sight except Allah. Therefore, all concentration of the disciple is upon Allah. When nothing distracts his attention and he meditates his mind on Allah; then when he opens his eyes, he sees nothing but Allah. (At this stage) the Dhikr of Hu Hu (He He) turns to Ana Ana (Me Me). This stage is called Fanah der Fanah… (Similarly) from the special Ummah, Ba Yazid Bastami said: ‘Subhaani maa Aadhaam-Shaani (Far removed am I from all imperfections, how great is my state) and Mansoor Hallaj said: ‘Anal-Haqq’ (I am the Truth) [4] (click to view scanned image of the quote)
This quote shows the beliefs of the Sufis and what they wish to achieve by their Dhikr. Their Dhikr causes them to experience Wahdat al-Wajood, as they claim.
(4) Dhikr in Isolation and Seclusion
Irshaadul-Mulook states, “The Khalwat Khana (the place of solitude) should be such a small cubicle wherein one may sit cross-legged at the time of Dhikr and stand erect for Salaat. It should be dark inside, not allowing penetrating sunlight and light of the day.”[5]
This “Khalwat Khana” is similar to the extreme punishment reserved only for hardened criminals at prisons whereby they are put in a dungeon secluded from the other prisoners without sunlight or fresh air. Such self-imposed punishments have not been prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). “Allah intends for you ease and He does not want to make things difficult for you.”[6]
It should be noted here that the Khilwah is a Sufi practice on its own and is in no way related to the Itikaf in the Masjid. Itikaf involves seclusion from worldly desires, avoiding vain talk and devoting one’s time purely to worship Allah. It has no likeness to the Sufi’s practice of seclusion in a claustrophobic room with no sunlight or fresh air. Itikaf in the Masjids is not done with the extremist belief of abandoning the society because unlike Sufism, Islam teaches the middle course between associating with the people in order to benefit them and avoiding the wastage of time in vain talk and frivolities. As Ibn Aun, said: “There are three things that I love for myself and for my brothers (in Islam and one of them is)... That they should leave the people except when intending to do good (for them).”[7]
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “The believer (Mu’min) who mixes with people and remains patient on their harms is better than the believer (Mu’min) who does not mix with people nor does he remain patient on their harms.”[8]
In the Fazaail-e-Aamaal, Moulana Zakariyah mentions, “…Haatim Asam Balkhy was an ascetic Sufi, who secluded himself in a vault for thirty years. He did not speak to anyone except when it was of dire necessity. When he visited the grave of the Prophet, he merely said, ‘O Allah! We have come to the grave of your beloved. Do not send us away with desires unfulfilled.’ A voice was heard from heaven saying, ‘Indeed, have We granted you the favor of visiting the grave of My beloved so that your greatest wish may be granted. Go forth now. We have forgiven you and your companions and all those who are present here.”[9]
Not only does this story support the Sufis practice of, “Khilwah”, but also assigns a great position for those who indulge in it. Keeping with this important Sufi ritual of seclusion in small rooms, or Khanqahs (hermitage) or graves, Moulana Ilyas prescribed it for his Tableeghi Jamaat, whereby the Tableeghi group goes on its trips for fixed periods of three days, or forty days, or four month. The forty-day period, known to the Sufis as “Chillah” is the same term also used by the Jamaat Tableegh.[10]
The Sufis claim that the Chillah serves as a source of purification. Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi narrates a strange story related to the forty Chillah.
He said, once a devotee went to visit a Buzurg (a Sufi Shaikh). Upon meeting his Shaikh he was greatly saddened. The Buzurg asked, ‘What seems to be the matter?’ He said, ‘On my arrival, I saw a strange thing, that your face looks like that of a pig’. The Buzurg said, ‘Go and spend a period of Chillah (40 days)’. When the devotee returned from Chillah his Buzurg’s face appeared to be like that of a dog. He was asked to spend another Chillah. On his return, the face of his Buzurg appeared to be like a cat. He again went for a Chillah and finally the Buzurg’s face appeared like a human being. The Buzurg said, “These evils were within you. I am just a mirror. The way your condition is the same you have seen in me.”[11]
(5) Holding the breath in Dhikr
This is another addition to Dhikr that has been prescribed by the Sufi Shaikhs, and many references can be found in the books of the Sufis to it. This practice is very similar to the way of the yogis and ascetics in other oriental religions.
Moulana Zakariyah says: “Shah Abu Saeed Nu’mani once wanted to experience the tajalli, which he had experienced before, so one day he sat down doing the shagl of Habs-e-dam (withholding the breath). He resolved that he will not breath as long as the tajalli does not manifest even if it means death which he preferred to the insipid life he felt he was leading. He held his breath for several hours until finally manifestations of the tajalli occurred.[12]
Moulana Zakariyah says: “Hazrat Nizamuddin al-Umri was instructed by his Shaikh to recite ‘Allahu’ 90 times, in a single breathe, gradually increasing the number in accordance with his ability. Ultimately, he developed his ability to the extend of up to 400 time with a single breath.”[13]
Exaggeration in the number of Dhikr
Fazaail-e-Aamaal exaggerates greatly on the number of Dhikr.
Moulana Zakariyah says: “Fortunate are those pious people who send one Lac twenty five thousand (125,000) times Darood daily. I have heard about this number from some of the pious ancestors of my own family.”[14]
Sending Darood upon Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) is a very meritorious action, but to recite the Darood 125,000 times is not from the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) (even if it is possible to accomplish it in the first place).
Furthermore, the Sufis speak of total absorption and oblivion of the world due to constant Dhikr.
Moulana Zakariyah says: “Shaikh Muhammad bin Shaik Aarif had gained Istighraaq (absorption) to the degree of perfection in the spiritual state known as Mushaahad-e-Mutlaq (being in divine presence with the Batini heart at all times).”[15]
They also claim that the Sufis whose hearts are continuously involved in Dhikr, continue to do so even after their death.
Moulana Zakariyah says: “After the death of Hazrat Shaikh Abdul Quddus Gangohi, Shaikh Riknud Deen after completing the ghusl, placed his hand on the blessed breast of Hazrat. He felt the movement of Dhikr-e-Qalbi (Dhikr of the heart).”[16]
We do not find any example of such kind of absorption or Dhikr of the heart after death from the lives of the Sahabah (radhi allahu anhu), who are undoubtedly the best of the worshipers. Moreover, Dhikr is an action of the tongue and not the heart, as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “…Let your tongue be constantly occupied with the remembrance of Allah.”[17]
In Islam, the quantity of deeds does not ensure reward with Allah; rather deeds are accepted by the obedience to Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). The following narration of Anas Ibn Malik (radhi allahu anhu), shows the importance of Ittiba (guidance or following).
“A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) asking how the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) worshiped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said: ‘Where are we compared to the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) as his past and future sins have been forgiven.’ Then one of them said: ‘I will offer prayer throughout the night for ever.’ The other said: ‘I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast.’ The third said: ‘I will keep away from women and will never marry.’ When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) heard this, he called them and said: “Are you the same people who said so‑and so? By Allah! Indeed, I am the one who fears Allah the most amongst you, and the most pious of you; yet I fast and break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. So he who opposes my Sunnah is not from me.”[18]
Therefore, deeds become insignificant and yield no gain if they are not performed with the Ittiba (guidance or following) of Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). The three men wanted to perform more prayers and fast, which are great worships, and encouraged by Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) - but this worship would not benefit them because it lacked the Ittiba of Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam), even though their intention was solely to worship Allah and achieve His pleasure.
when you cuut and paste, please always give references. otherwise it is rude.
and if you want a discussion, you may want to actually... discuss instead of doing hit and run cut and pastes.
Even if yuo truly believe that you are right (which you very well may, in which case, May got guide you and us all), the Qur'an asks us all to use hikmah, wisdom. You are breaking that basic rule in your method of drive-by cut and pasting.
Besides... long posts... who reads them?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
this topic isnt a small one, its a big one which contains many things, sufi and barelvi havent just innovated 1 thing but many UNLESS you want me to make a thread on each one of those in one single paragraph then i can do that. Just one topic in one simple paragraph, which makes it easier to read inshallah.
Maybe this is a really dumb question.
But can someone VERY simply just clarify what a Sufi is? Is this a classification like Sunni and Shi'ate?
erm i think awlia did write in a different post what a sufi was ... there are two types according to what she wrote erm one was people who love poetry they were the original sufi people and then the ones you have in this day and age indulge in many different acts which not all are according to sunnah if not any.
What kind of poetry?
Do you have to be a Muslim to be a Sufi?
She wrote "sufis are this and evil in this way " followed by "no, these sufis were good, I mean the other ones, the bad ones."
Sufism to me means:
1. Trying to remember God a lot.
2. Trying to avoid over indulgence within the real world so that is does not negatively impact #1.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
erm lol i have no idea i dont follow sufiasm at all tbh as i dont agree with their ways.
sufiasm and berelviasm is something that has kind of merged over time because berelviasm adopted traits from sufiasm
That all sounds good to me...so what is this forum topic about? That Sufi's go over the top in worshipping?
- Why don't you agree with their ways?
- Was Prophet
a Sufi? Can I have some examples of people who followed Sufism?
- What do ou mean by Berelviasm?
for indian based muslims, there has been a divide - one group is closer afiliated with a scholar from bareily a while ago, others to scholars from deoband.
The majority of their views are the same, but through adversity (and ignorance), both groups have turned polemic. To me it seems that they sometimes advocate things simply because the other group advocated something different.
Even on core issues that are being discussed now - while the lay brelvi will say that one must celebrate the mawlid and the lay deobandi will say the opposite, go high enough, and scholars of both sides will admit that both positions are allowed (and a major advocation of their position is to prevent the other side from adding a new act as obligatory, which they are fighting by making the opposite obligatory :/)
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
sufiasm came after prophet PBUH so he couldnt have been and sufis also say they adopted tradition based on PBUH'S life and hence came sufiasm but ermm i wouldnt say that to be true
and as for their acts ... what they do is indulge in direction of ibaddah but it does not come from authentic religious sources rather just mere human emocions being over exagerated
Yet even at the early stage of Sufism, before their involvement in innovated rituals and structured orders, the scholars warned the masses of the extremity of Sufi practices. Imam Al-Shafi' had the opinion that "If a person exercised Sufism (Tasawafa) at the beginning of the day, he doesn't come at Zuhur except an idiot". Imam Malik and Ahmad bin Hanbal also shared similar ideas on this new movement which emanated from Basrah, Iraq.
^ that was copy and pasted btw
basically go here http://www.sullivan-county.com/wcva/sufism.htm and it explains about sufiasm and is broken up for easier reading
@ SUhail, you ignore the other posts ont he matter., namely one by Noor:
Which basically says that the argument presented by the early scholars against sufism is being taken out of context and manipulated to support a point as the very same scholars also said good things about it.
And the Prophet
did talk about "zuhd", which is the same.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Ok fine sufi people have good character in terms of kindness and the softness of their voice yet then i wont agree with everything they do as it is not according to sunna
the more i think of these type of debates the more frustrated i become like why cant people just accept qur'an,sunna and hadith and be done with it why do we have to look at extra innovations even tho they may not be harmful at first sight ..... of course i could be wrong.
the "sufi practices" are from qur'an and sunnah, passed from teacher to student.
Not all of them may be documented in a way that newer people want them to be - but that would always be a problem if you decide to ignore 12 centuries of documentation and only rely on the first few years.
Why would someone document what is everyday occurence and unquestioned as something that happens? People normally write about things that stick out to them, novelties.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
ok i understand but have new practices not been added to sufiasm and is right for new prctices to be added to it because they may not have been followed by PBUH or sahaba
and also im confused what is sufiasm then .... is it a sect ?
no, sufism isn't a sect. there are very few muslims from the indian subcontinent that are not "sufis" - I may be wrong, but the followers of deoband are also considered sufis.
The ones who may not be called that are the ahle-hadith, jama'at-e islami and a bunch of toerh smaller groups (and I may even be wrong here and these may also be considered sufis).
Sufism is generally little to do with faith or even grouping, but is about action and intent - trying to become closer to God.
There are probably some people who are also called sufis, but I think it is generally an all encompassing term.
(I think the muslim brotherhood and affiliated groups are sunnis but not sufis)
As for new practices additions etc... as UniteTheUmmah hinted and I mentioned... challenge the specifc acts that are introduced and get them corected, so that if they are wrong, they are discarded. targeting "sufism" or "sufis" is a self defeating goal as most muslim scholars can be considered sufis, since sufism is the part of islam where they try to control their desires, avoid over indulgence and sin etc etc and try to remember god more often - evne if this may eb through extra prayer nawaafils.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
brother i made a thread and broke down sufism in paragraphs so everyone can read as it will be shorter and easier to read, but as expected the people here couldnt take it, not only by showing the originalsufis who were good people but by even showing their errors they deleted the whole thing so people wont be able to see it, no problem, brother i will make a new thread now stating what sufism is and how it got corrupted by the so called sufis/sufism/barelvi sufi of today
and i am a boy, since when do girls call themselves awlia? its a guys name
erm.... can you keep everything together? extraneous threads WILL be deleted. if the topic is the same, please keep it in the same thread.
It is not about not being able to "take" what you say, but about containing discussion, and also allowing other discussions to carry on for those not taking part in your discussions. You may also consider pacing yourself - take your time on each topic, maybe even one at a time, getting into the nitty gritty. That way, other threads are not drowned out and your posts will seem less "spammy".
oh, ok. Sorry.
(I thought awlia was a plural for "wali" meaning "friend", so your name meaning "friends" or something. My bad.)
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
The way I see Sufis are Muslims to the Highest Degree...
And because i see it like that, I always thought of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be a Sufi.
Eek. *ducks*
I could be wrong, i only know of Sufis what i've been taught. They sometimes have like unconventional means of showing their worship and they emphasise God's love and immanence rather than God's wrath and transcendence which is what the masses tend to put more emphasis on. Is that correct?
#Before you look at the thorns of the rose , look at it's beauty. Before you complain about the heat of the sun , enjoy it's light. Before you complain about the blackness of the night, think of it's peace and quiet... #
Prophet PBUH was not a suffi as sufiasm was adopted from prophets traditions and life ..hence was adopted after prophets time and therefore prophet could not have been a sufi..there is no valid hadith on tha either
I know. I didn't mean that he said " I am Prophet Muhammad and i am a Sufi"
I meant that by my definition of a sufi for me, as a a Muslim to the Highest degree, then by definition Prophet Muhammad would necessarily be Sufi.
But my definition could be wrong, tis just the way i personally see it, i am also aware other people think very differently.
#Before you look at the thorns of the rose , look at it's beauty. Before you complain about the heat of the sun , enjoy it's light. Before you complain about the blackness of the night, think of it's peace and quiet... #
ah ok if thats ur view , then dat be fine as long as u see what others are saying and make an informed decision.
well im just gonna have to prove you wrong, check this thread of mines out which proves muhammad SAW is not a sufi of both defention, he was not a sufi of the original defention,of people who simply loved poems and art, as muhammad SAW didnt like nasheed poem or art,and he isnt a sufi according to your defenition, as the type of sufism today have innovation and follow fabricated hadith which were never from muhammad SAW to start with.
anyway take alook at this thread of what sufiis, where it came from and more importantly when it started which was long after the death of muhammad SAW, after the sahabas, the salafis or the tabieens.
anyway heres the title of my thread its in the first page:
Sufism: its origin, its fall and its damage
actually here jsut read it:
The word Sufi is most likely to be derived from the Arabic word "soof", meaning wool. This is because of the Sufi habit of wearing woolen coats, a designation of their initiation into the Sufi order. The early Sufi orders considered the wearing of this coat as an imitation of Isa bin Maryam (Jesus). In reply to this, Ibn Taymiyyah said: "There are a people who have chosen and preferred the wearing of woolen clothes, claiming that they want to resemble al-Maseeh ibn Maryam. But the way of our Prophet is more beloved to us, and the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam.s) used to wear cotton and other garments."1
Sufism is known as "Islamic Mysticism," in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God2. Mysticism is defined as the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality, and the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)3 Both the terms Sufi and Sufism and Sufi beliefs have no basis from the traditional Islamic sources of the Qur'an and Sunnah, a fact even admitted by themselves. Rather, Sufism is in essence a conglomerate consisting of extracts from a multitude of other religions with which Sufi's interacted.
During the primary stages of Sufism, Sufis were characterised by their particular attachment to zikr (remembrance of Allah) and asceticism (seclusion), as well as the beginning of innovated practices to 'aid' in the religious practices. Yet even at the early stage of Sufism, before their involvement in innovated rituals and structured orders, the scholars warned the masses of the extremity of Sufi practices. Imam Al-Shafi' had the opinion that "If a person exercised Sufism (Tasawafa) at the beginning of the day, he doesn't come at Zuhur except an idiot". Imam Malik and Ahmad bin Hanbal also shared similar ideas on this new movement which emanated from Basrah, Iraq. Although it began as a move towards excessive Ibaadah, such practices were doomed to lead to corruption, since their basis did not come from authentic religious doctrines, but rather from exaggerated human emotions. Sufism as an organised movement arose among pious Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad period (AD 661-750)4. The Sufis exploited the chaotic state of affairs that existed during the fifth and sixth centuries A.H. and invited people to follow their way, alleging that the remedy to this chaos was conformity to the guidance of their order's Sheikhs. Dar al-Hikmah was established during the reign of Khalifah Ma'moon, where he invited the scholars of the Romans and Greeks to meet with the Muslims and 'discuss' their respective positions. This provided the perfect breeding ground for the synthesis between Islam and Pagan theology, to produce the Sufism of the like of Ibn Arabi.