The Reality of Sufism by Shaikh
Muhammed ibn Rabee
Foreword
All praise and thanks are for Allaah alone, and
may blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no Prophet, to
proceed:
This is a lecture, which
I gave to the students of Daarul-Hadeeth in Makkah in the year 1401H, entitled,
'The Reality of Sufism in Light of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah.' Then some
sincere well-wishers requested that it be printed and published for the benefit
of the people in general. I responded to this request despite time constraints.
In preparing it I kept in mind the level of understanding of the students to
whom the lecture was given, it is therefore, easy to understand whilst covering
the various aspects of the subject, and all praise and thanks are for Allaah. I
ask Allaah, the Most High, to make it of benefit to every seeker of the truth,
and Allaah is aware of our intentions.
Muhammad
ibn Rabee' ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee Makkah.
6/3/1404H.
All praise and thanks are for Allaah, we praise
and thank Him, we seek His aid, and we seek His forgiveness. We seek Allaah's
refuge from the evils of ourselves and from our evil actions. Whomever Allaah
guides then none can misguide him, and whomever Allaah misguides then none can
guide him. I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah,
alone, having no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and His
Messenger. To proceed:
Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, created us
and placed us in this life for a very great and wise purpose, which He loves
and is pleased with, and it is the worship of Him, alone, with no partner for
Him. Allaah, the Most High, says:
“I have not created the jinn and the men except
that
they should worship Me.” [adh-Dhaariyaat
51:56]
Then Allaah distinguished mankind from the rest
of creation in that He blessed them with intellect by which they are able to
know their Lord, and they are able to distinguish between that which will
benefit them and that which will harm them. Furthermore, from His Mercy upon
His servants, He, the One free and far removed from all imperfections, did not
leave them in a state of having to rely upon the intellect alone in order to
distinguish good from evil. Rather He sent the Messengers, and sent down the
Revealed Books to them containing whatever Allaah ordered, prohibited or
prescribed, therein lying the success and well-being of mankind in this world
and the Hereafter.
So after the sending of the Messengers there
remained no plea or excuse for one upon misguidance, or for one deviating from
the way of Allaah. Rather such a one is deserving of punishment. Allaah, the
Most High, says:
“Messengers as
bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no
plea against Allaah after the Messengers.” [an-Nisaa' 4:165].
Allaah ended and
completed the succession of Messengers with our Prophet Muhammad ^, so he is
the final and best of the Messengers, and He sent down the best of the Revealed
Books to him. Therefore his Sharee'ah is the most complete and comprehensive
revealed way. Then he did not pass on to join the highest company of Angels
until Allaah had completed the religion and perfected His favour, as Allaah,
the Most High, says in the Aayah which was sent down shortly before his death,
and that was on the Day of 'Arafah whilst he was in the place of standing
during the Farewell Pilgrimage:
“This day, I have perfected for you your
Religion, and completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as
your Religion.” [al-Maa'idah 5:3].
So there remained no
scope for anyone, no matter who he is, to introduce anything new into the
religion, nor to remove anything from it. Furthermore the first thing which
Allaah's Messenger called to was Tawheed (worshipping Allaah in His Oneness)
which is expressed by the testification that none has the right to be
worshipped except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah. He spent
thirteen years in Makkah calling to this statement and not calling to anything
besides it, likewise all the previous Messengers called to this statement and
there was not a single one of them except that he began calling his people by
saying:
“Worship Allaah! You have no other deity worthy
of
worship but Him.” [al-A'raaf 7:59].
So Tawheed is the essence
of all that the Messengers came with, the goal of all of them, and the central
principle of all that they called to, that upon which they were based and for
which they were sent. The proof for this can be seen in many Aayaat, amongst
them, the Saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“And verily, We have sent
among every nation a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah (alone) and
avoid the false deities.’ Then of them were some whom Allaah guided and of them
were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and
see what was the end of those who denied (the truth). "[an-Nahl 16:36]
The Saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“Indeed, We sent Noah to his people and he said:
'0 my people! Worship Allaah! You have no other deity worthy of worship but
Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day.” [al-A'raaf
7:59].
The Saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“And to (the people of)
'Aad (We sent) their brother Hood, he said: ‘O my people! Worship Allaah! You
have no other deity
worthy of worship but Him. Will you not fear (Allaah).’” [al-A'raaf
7:65].
The Saying of Allaah,
the Most High:
“And to (the people of)
Thamood (We sent) their brother Saalih. He said: ‘O my people! Worship Allaah!
You have no other deity worthy of worship but Him. He brought you forth from
the earth...” [Hood 11:61].
The Saying of Allaah,
the Most High:
“And to (the people of)
Madyan (We sent) their brother Shu'ayb. He said: ‘O my people! Worship Allaah!
You have no other deity worthy of worship but Him.’” [Hood 11:84].
There are many other Aayaat which state that the
call to Tawheed was the first thing which the Messengers called their people
to, since Tawheed is the foundation of Islaam which is the religion of all the
Messengers and Prophets. Then when the foundation is established the rest of
the acts of worship and rulings are built upon it. This does not mean that the
caller should treat the other branches of Islaam lightly, but there is
agreement that no action will be correct, nor will it be accepted if the
'Aqeedah (creed and belief) of the person doing it is not right and correct.
Just as it is not correct for us to build a house until we have made its
foundations sound: if this is not done then it will quickly collapse and fall.
This reality is emphasized by the fact that shirk (directing any part or form
of worship, or anything that is Allaah's right to other than Allaah) which is
the opposite of Tawheed is a greater sin and crime than any other sin.
Therefore Allaah, the Most High, informs that He will not forgive anyone who
dies upon shirk. Allaah, the Most High, says:
“Verily! Allaah forgives
not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him (shirk), but He
forgives whom He pleases other than that.” [an-Nisaa 4:116]
So every sin which a person may commit which is
less than associating others in worship with Allaah (shirk) and unbelief
(kufr), then there is hope that Allaah will forgive the person that sin and
will enter him into Paradise as long as he is free from the stain of shirk.
However one who dies upon shirk, even if he claims to be upon Islaam, then his
destiny is certainly the Hell-Fire, may Allaah save us from it.
Therefore, it is essential that we are aware of
this tremendously important matter, so that we call the people to Tawheed and
warn them against associating others in worship along with Allaah, and that we
place that at the head of the list of what we call to.
Then when Allaah's
Messenger sent Mu'aadh to Yemen to call the people to Allaah he taught him how
to begin his call. He taught him to begin with that which was most important
and to follow it with that which comes next in importance. Ibn 'Abbaas radiyallaahu 'anhumaa, reports:
“When Allaah's Messenger sent Mu'aadh to Yemen
he said to him: You are going to a people from the people of the Book so let the
first thing that you call them to be the testification that none has the right
to be worshipped except Allaah - and in a narration: that they should single
Allaah out (Tawheed) - so if they obey you in that then inform them that Allaah
has obligated upon them five Prayers in every day and night. So if they obey
you in that then inform them that Allaah has obligated upon them a charity,
which is to be taken from their rich and given to their poor. So if they obey
you in that, then beware of taking the best parts of their wealth, and beware
of the supplication of the oppressed since there is no screen between it and
Allaah.” [Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim].
So the evidence for this
in the Hadeeth is that he taught him how to give the da'wah (invitation to
Islaam), and that he should begin by calling to Tawheed before everything else.
Then when they enter into Tawheed he was to call them to the other prescribed
actions, beginning with the Prayer, which is the chief of all actions of
worship. So every caller to Allaah must take Allaah's Messenger as his guiding
example. O brothers, when this is known, then you must be aware that there are
a number of destructive calls which have been established amongst the ranks of
the Muslims and which have shaken and damaged the beliefs held in their hearts.
They have polluted the pure Islamic 'Aqeedah, and have grown by stages to reach
such a dangerous level that they have led to the splitting of the Muslims into
sects and parties, about which the Prophet said:
"Indeed those who were
before you, from the People of the Book, split into seventy-two sects, and this
religion will split into seventy-three. Seventy-two in the Fire and one in
Paradise, and it is the, Jamaa'ah (Reported by Ahmad and Aboo Daawood and
declared hasan by al-Haafidh [Ibn Hajr]).
Then there is no doubt
that each one of these sects claims for itself that it is the saved sect, and
that it is correct, and that it alone follows the Messenger ^. But the way of
truth is a single way and it is the one which leads to
salvation, and any other
way is one of the ways of misguidance which leads to destruction as occurs in
the Hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood radiyaiiaahu 'anhu, who
said:
Allaah's Messenger drew a
line with his hand and said: “This is the Straight Path of Allaah. " Then
he drew lines to its right and to its left, then he said: "These are the
(other) paths, there is not a single path from them except that there is a
devil upon it calling to it. “ Then he recited:
“And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow
it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His
Path.” [al-An’aam 6:153 - Saheeh : Reported by Ahmad an an-Nasaa’ee].
So the way of truth is to
cling to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of Allaah's Messenger as occurs in
the Hadeeth:
“I have left amongst you two things with which
you will not go astray: The Book of Allaah and my Sunnah, and they will not be
separated till they come to me at the Pond. [Saheeh- reported by
al-Haakim].
Allaah's Messenger also
gave us the good news that a group from his Ummah would remain upon the truth
till the Day of Resurrection. Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah reports that I heard
Allaah's Messenger say:
“A group of my Ummah will not cease to fight
victoriously upon the truth until the Day of Resurrection” (Reported by
Muslim).
My brother, this is an
introduction to the topic, which I shall deal with and that is: ‘The Reality of
Sufism in Light of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah.’ This is because Sufism has
greatly affected the lives of the Muslims since the third century after the
Hijrah until the present day, and reached its peak in the last centuries. It
has greatly affected the beliefs of the Muslims and has diverted it from its
true course, which was laid down in the Noble Qur'aan and the pure Sunnah. This
is the most dangerous aspect of Sufism since Sufi thinking has become combined
with veneration of the pious people and shaykhs and exaggeration in veneration
of the dead, just as it has become combined with the saying that everything in
existence is in reality Allaah (wahdatul-wujood),
not
to mention the other aspects of Islaam which Sufism has corrupted, in that its
followers are characterized by dependence upon others whilst falsely claiming
to depend upon Allaah, and by their monasticism. Likewise they have removed the
spirit of jihaad, which is to fight in the way of Allaah, with what they claim
to be the greater jihaad, i.e. striving against ones own soul (jihaadun-nafs).
They base this upon the saying: "We have returned from the lesser jihaad
to the greater jihaad: striving against ones own soul." Whereas this is a
baseless Hadeeth and has provided the opportunity in the previous two centuries
for colonialist powers to occupy most of the Muslim lands, and Sufism has not
ceased pitching its tent in all areas of the lands of the Muslims.
Why is it called by this name? The word Sufism
is taken from a Greek word 'Sophia' meaning wisdom. It is also said that it is
a word referring to the wearing of woollen (soof) clothing, and this saying is
the most probable since wearing woollen clothes was a sign of Zuhd (abstemiousness/disassociation
from the worldly life). It was said
that this was done in order to resemble 'Eesaa ibn Maryam 'alaihis-salaam. Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaah, mentions in al-Fataawaa (11/7) from Muhammad ibn
Seereen [A Famous
tabi'ee who died in the year 110H] that
it reached him that a certain people had taken to wearing woollen clothes in
order to resemble 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, so he said:
"There are a people who have chosen and
preferred the wearing of woollen 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 used to wear cotton and other garments.”
The First Appearance of Sufism
As regards the first appearance of Sufism, then
the word 'Sufism' was not known in the time of the Companions, indeed it was not
well-known in the first and best three centuries. Rather it became known after
the end of the first three centuries.
Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn
Taymiyyah rahimahullaah,
mentions that the first appearance
of Sufism was in Basrah in 'Iraaq, where some people went to extremes in
worship and in avoiding the worldly life, such as was not seen in other lands. [Al-Fataawaa (11/6)]
When Sufism first began it was not something
totally distinct and separate, but was merely a matter of going to the extreme
in avoidance of the worldly life, and persisting in dhikr (remembrance of
Allaah) and experiencing such great fear whilst remembering Allaah that it
sometimes lead to a person falling unconscious or falling dead when hearing an
Aayah which mentions a threat of punishment. This is seen in the story of
Zuraarah ibn Awfaa the judge of Basrah who recited:
“Then, when the trumpet is sounded.” [al-Mudaththir
73:8].
in the Fajr Prayer and
fell down dead. Similarly the story of Aboo Jahr the blind man, when Saalih
al-Murree recited to him and he fell down dead. Others from them were
dumbstruck upon hearing the Qur'aan recited. Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah
says, commenting upon this:
"This was not found
to occur amongst the Companions, so when it appeared a group of the Companions
and the tabi'een such as Asmaa' bint Abee Bakr and 'Abdullaah ibn az-Zubayr and
Muhammad ibn Seereen criticized that since they saw that it was an innovation
and contrary to what they knew from the manners of the Companions.”
Also Ibnul ]awzee says
in Talbees Iblees:
"Sufism is a way whose beginning was
complete avoidance of the affairs of worldly life, then those who attached
themselves to it became lax in allowing singing and dancing. Therefore the
seekers of the Hereafter from the common people became attracted to them due to
the avoidance of the worldly life which they manifested, and the seekers after
this world were also attracted to them due to the life of ease and frivolity
which they were seen to live.” [Talbees Iblees p.161]
Shaykh Aboo Zahrah
rahimahullaah, said, concerning the reason for the appearance of Sufism and the
sources from which it sprung:
"1. The first
source: Some of the worshippers amongst the Muslims turned all their attention
to avoidance of the worldly life and to cutting themselves off in order to
worship. This first began in the lifetime of the Prophet when some of the
Companions decided to spend the night striving in Prayer and abandoning sleep.
Others decided to fast every day without fail. Others decided to cease having
marital relations with women. So when that reached the Prophet he said:
What is wrong witb a people wbo say sucb and
such. But ratber I fast and I refrain from fasting, 1 pray and 1 sleep, and I
marry women. So wboever turns away from my Sunnah, then be is not from me (Reported by
al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).
Furthermore
the innovation of living like monks (monasticism) is forbidden in the Qur'aan.
He said:
“...the Monasticism which they invented for
themselves...” [al-Hadeed 57:27].
However when the Prophet passed on to join the
company of the highest angels, and many people entered into Islaam from the
previous religions then the number of those who went to extremes in avoidance
of the worldly life and its blessings grew and Sufism found a place in the
hearts of these people since it had come across a fertile planting ground.
2. The second matter
which attracted peoples souls was something which appeared amongst the Muslims
in the form of two ideologies. One of them was philosophical whilst the other
was from the previous religions. As for the first, then it was the view of the
Illuminist school of philosophers who held that knowledge and awareness is
brought about in the soul by spiritual exercises and purification of the soul.
As for the second ideology, then it was the belief that the Deity dwells in
human souls, or that the Deity is incarnate in humanity. This idea began to
find a place amongst those sects who falsely attributed themselves to Islaam in
the earlier times, when the Muslims became mixed with the Christians. This idea
appeared amongst the Sabians and some of the Kaysaamiyyab, then the Qaraamitah,
then amongst the Baatinees, then in its final shape it appeared amongst some of
the Sufis...
There is another source
from which it took, and which causes the manifestation of Sufi tendencies,
which is the idea that the texts of the Book and the Sunnah have an outer,
apparent meaning and an inner, hidden meaning... it seems clear that they took
this idea from the Baatinees. [The book Ibn Taymiyvah by Aboo Zahrah pp.197-198].
So all these ideas became mixed, from
exaggeration in avoidance of the worldly life to opening the door to ideas of
the Deity being incarnate in creation, to the idea that the whole of creation
is a single reality, which is Allaah (wahdatul-wujood). From the blending of
all these thoughts came Sufism, which appeared within Islaam. It became more
severe in the fourth and fifth centuries and reached its peak after that, being
as far as it is
possible to be from the
guidance of the Noble Qur'aan and the pure Sunnah. It reached the point that
the followers of Sufism called anyone who followed the Qur'aan and the Sunnab
‘people of the Sharee'ah’ and ‘people of what is apparent’ (ahlul-dhaahir),
whereas they called themselves ‘people of the true reality’ and ‘people of
hidden knowledge’ (ahlul-baatin).
Schools of Thought Among the
Sufis
It is possible to divide
the ideologies of the extreme Sufees into three categories.
(1) The first category:
Followers of the Illuminist school of philosophy. They are those who give
greater importance to the philosophical ideas over avoidance of the worldly
life. What is meant by 'Illuminism' is that the soul is illuminated by light,
which diffuses in the heart and is a result of spiritual exercises, training
the soul and punishing the body in order to rectify and purify the spirit. This
is something, which may be a characteristic of all Sufis, except that the
people of this category draw the line here and do not fall into what those who
claim that Allaah dwells within His creation fall into, or that everything is
Allaah. However this way of theirs is contrary to the teachings of Islaam and
is taken from the deviated religions such as Buddhism and its like.
(2)
The second ideology is that of those who believe in hulool,
those who say that Allaah dwells and is incarnate in human beings, High is
Allaah above and far removed from that. This was openly called to by some of
the extreme Sufis, such as al-Husayn ibn Mansoor al-Hallaaj who was declared to
be an unbeliever by the scholars. They ordered that he be executed and he was
crucified in the year 309H. The following saying is attributed to him:
"Glory to Him who
manifested His human nature,
Hiding the piercing brightness of His divinity:
Till His creation saw Him openly,
In the form of one eating and drinking”
Attributed by al-Wakeel to the book at Tawaaseen of al
Hallaaj (p.130).
And his saying:
"I am the one who
loves and the One who is loved is me, We are two spirits who dwell in a single
body. So when you see me you see Him, and when you see Him you see us both.”
So al-Hallaaj was a believer in hulool and
believed in the duality of the divine nature and that the Deity had both a
divine and a human nature. Thus the
divine
becomes incarnate within the human so that the human spirit is the divine
nature of the Deity and the body is its human form.
Despite the fact that he
was killed for his evil apostasy although some of the Sufis declare themselves
free of him, yet others count him as a Sufi, hold that his beliefs were
correct, and write down his words. From them is Abdul-'Abbaas ibn 'Ataa
al-Baghdaadee, Muhammad ibn Khaleef ash-- Sheeraazee and Ibraheem
an-Nasraabaadhee, as is reported by al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee.
(3) The third ideology is that
of wahdatul-wujood, i.e. that all in existence is a single reality, and that
everything we see is only aspects of the Essence of Allaah. The chief claimant
of this belief was Ibn 'Arabee al-Haatimee at-Taa'ee, who was buried in
Damascus having died in the year 638H. He himself says about this belief in his
book al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah"
"The
slave is the Lord and the Lord is a slave,
I wish
that I knew which was the one required to carry out the required
duties.
If I were to say the
servant then that is true, or if I were to say the Lord,
then how can that be required for Him."
Al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah
as it is attributed by
Dr. Taqiyyuddeen al-Hilaalee in his book
al-Hadiyyatul-Haadiyah (p.43).
He also says in al-Fatoohaat:
"Those
who worshipped the calf worshipped nothing except Allaah."
Quoted as Ibn 'Arabee's saying by Ibn Tayrniyyah in al
Fataawaa (vol.11)
who attributes it to the book al Fatoohaat.
Ibn 'Arabee is called 'al-'Aarif
billaah’ (The one having great knowledge of Allaah) by the Sufis, and also
'al-Qutubul Akbar’ (The great pivot), 'al-Miskul- Adhfar’ (the sweetest
smelling musk), 'al-Kibreetul-Ahmar’ (the reddest brimstone), despite his
belief in wahdatul-wujood and other calamitous sayings. Indeed he praised
Fir'awn (Pharaoh) and declared that he died upon eemaan! Furthermore he speaks
against Haroon for his criticism of his peoples worship of the calf, thus
directly opposing the text of the Qur'aan. He also held that the Christians
were Unbelievers only because they made divinity particular to 'Eesaa, whereas
if they had made it general to all then they would not have been unbelievers. [Despite all the gross deviation
of Ibn 'Arabee and the fact that the scholars declared him to be an Unbeliever,
yet he is revered by the Sufis and others who do not distinguish between the
truth and falsehood, and those who turn away from accepting the truth even when
it is as clear as the sun. But his books, which are filled with clear apostasy,
such as al-Fatoohaatul-Makkiyyah and Fusoosul-Hikam are still circulated. He
even has a tafseer, which he called at-Tafseerul-Baatin since he holds that
there is an apparent and
a hidden meaning for every Aayah, so the outer meaning is for the people of
Ta'weel]
From this group came Ibn Basheesh who said:
"O Allaah rescue me from the mire of
Tawheed, and drown me in the centre of the sea of unity, and mix me into the
state of unity and oneness until I do not see, nor hear, nor sense except through
it."
Veneration of the Shaykhs
Among the Sufis
So, O noble brothers, these are the schools of
Sufism. The lightest of them is that of monkery (rahbaaniyyah) which has been
forbidden by Islaam, and the most abominable is the saying that Allaah dwells
and is incarnate within His creation (Huloool) and the saying that everything
in existence is in reality Allaah (wahdatul-wujood). Then it is a fact that all
sects of the Sufis have gone beyond bounds in veneration of their shaykhs and
in complete submission of the follower (mureed) to his teacher (shaykh); to the
point that the follower gives full and unrestricted obedience to his shaykh,
not showing the slightest resistance, so that he becomes like a dead body
beneath the hand of the person washing it.
Muhammad 'Uthmaan as-Sufi the author of
al-Habaatul Muqtabisah says whilst discussing the manners befitting the
follower: "From them is that he sits in his presence as he sits in the
Prayer, and that he loses himself in his presence, and that he does not sit
above his mat, nor make wudoo with his pot, nor lean upon his stick. Listen to
what one of the pure people said:
"Whoever says 'Why?' to his teacher will never
prosper.”
Mustafaa al-Bakree wrote these manners in
poetical form in Bulghatul- Mureed, saying: "Submit the affair to him and
do not question. Even if he comes with something sinful if that be possible. Be
in his presence like a dead person since I am with one washing me to remove the
filth from me. Do not step upon his mat, nor sleep upon his pillow.” [Attributed by al-Wakeel to
Bulghatul-Mureed]
The Sufis make it obligatory for the follower to
be a slave in mind and body to his shaykh, deprived of all will like a deceased
person with the one washing him. Even if he sees him committing a sin or
something contrary to the Sharee'ah still it is not permissible for him to ask
about the reason for that, if he were to do so then he would be rejected from
the mercy of his shaykh and would never prosper. This is one of the reasons for
the extreme deviation of
the Sufis, they have abolished forbidding evil
so that evil actions have become good to them, even becoming righteous deeds
and miraculous acts in their eyes. However in the correct teachings of Islaam
then it is not permissible to obey anyone in something sinful, as the Messenger
of Allaah said:
"There is no
obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator” [Saheeh, reported by Ahmad- See
Saheehul jaami]
Even with regard to the parents, who have a
right greater than all other people, yet still it is impermissible to obey them
in disobedience to Allaah, as Allaah, the Most High, says:
“But if they (both) strive to make you join in
worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not,
but behave with them in the world kindly.” [Luqmaan 31:15]
The Difference Between Zuhd
(Abstemiousness)
and Sufism
Brothers, the religion of Islaam orders justly
balanced and moderate behavior in all affairs, so there is no going to excess,
nor falling short of what is required. Likewise with regard to avoidance of the
worldly life Islaam takes a middle course between the greed and avarice of the
Jews and their extreme love of this worldly life and between the monks amongst
the Christians who totally abandon seeking correct means of subsistence and
refrain from working and earning a living.
If avoidance of preoccupation with this life is
done within the limits of what was prescribed by the Messenger then it is
something praiseworthy in Islaam, as the Prophet was the first and foremost of
those who refrain from preoccupation with this world and likewise Aboo-Bakr and
Umar radiyallaahu
'anhumaa, and many of the
Companions. However their refraining from preoccupation with this world did not
entail abandonment of earning and sitting in a hermits refuge awaiting whatever
people brought to them. Rather the world used to come to them and they would
spend it in charity. Nor would they abandon good and pure things unless they
were difficult to obtain, but when they found these things they benefited from
them. Indeed the Prophet used to love women and perfume and would eat meat. He
would fast sometimes and other times refrain from fasting. He would stand in
Prayer for
some of the night and
sleep also. He would work, fight, judge between the Muslims and teach them the
Qur'aan and what is good.
Then amongst the scholars
were some who refrained from occupation with worldly affairs, in the manner
practiced by the Messenger ^. However this refraining from worldly affairs which
was practiced by the Prophet is not something obligatory upon the Muslims since
it is not ordered in the Qur'aan or in the Sunnah. Furthermore amongst the
Companions there were some who were occupied in business and acquiring a great
deal of wealth. Amongst them was ‘Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, ‘AbdurRahmaan ibn ‘Awf
and az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awaam. The Ansaar also had possession of two large
gardens which they worked upon, and the Prophet did not prevent them from that.
Rather there occurs in the Hadeeth: “How excellent is honest
wealth for a righteous person." [Saheeh,
reported by Ahmad]. He supplicated
for his servant Anas ibn Maalik and ended his supplication by saying: “O Allaah grant him increase
in wealth and children and bless him in that." [Al-Bukhaaree
(Eng. trans. 8/258/no.389)]
As for zuhd of the Sufis then it is abandonment
of lawful earning and beneficial work and to sit in seclusion in a private
retreat waiting for whatever is brought to them by the people. It is to beg,
ask for charity and to frequent the rulers and the traders in order to swindle
them and praise and flatter them to attain crumbs from their tables. It is to
falsely manifest poverty in their dress, so they wear old and worn out clothes
in order to show that they withhold themselves from the life of this world and
that they are pious and righteous persons loved by Allaah. Some of them may be
sincere in their endurance of self-imposed hardship, surviving for many days
without eating, or eating only dry bread with salt when they are able to eat
good and fine foods. But this is contrary to his Sunnah, and he said: “Whoever turns away from my
Sunnah is not from me." [Reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]. Indeed the Prophet used to eat meat and he used
to like to eat the foreleg of sheep. Whereas some of Sufis go to such extremes
that they choose to eat what is harmful to them. Some of them eat soil and sand
and choose to drink murky water, avoiding pure and cool water, since they would
be unable to give due thanks for it. This is in fact a puny excuse, since would
they, by abandoning cool water, be giving due thanks to Allaah for the rest of
His blessings upon them? Such as sight, hearing, good health and so on?
Rather one who does this is sinful since he is
doing that which will cause harm to his body and lead to its destruction and
Allaah, the Most High, savs:
“And do not kill
yourselves. Surely Allaah is Most Merciful to you.” [an-Nisaa' 4:29].
Allaah, the Most High, says:
“Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not
want to make things difficult for you.” [al-Baqarah 2:185]
Also it has been made permissible for the Muslim
to refrain from fasting in Ramadaan when he is a traveller or is ill as a mercy
to us, so all praise and thanks are due to Allaah, for His favours.
This endurance of self-imposed hardship was
found amongst the first Sufis, but as regards later Sufis then they were
concerned only with food and drink. Ibnul-Jawzee said in Talbees Ibless, after
criticizing the Sufis for their imposition of hardship upon themselves and for
their going beyond bounds of abstemiousness to the point of self torture,
"So this self deprivation which went beyond bounds, which we have been
forbidden from, has been turned around by the Sufis of our time, i.e. the sixth
century, so that they have become as desirous of food as their predecessors
were of hunger, and they enjoy morning meals, evening meals and sweet
delicacies, all of which or most of which they attain through impure wealth.
They have abandoned lawful earnings, turned away from worship and spread out
carpets on which they idly recline, most of them have no desire except for
food, drink and frivolous activities."
What Ibnul-Jawzee relates
is also the state of the Sufis of our time, indeed they are many times worse. O
brothers, but there is insufficient time to mention examples of this from the
practices of the Sufis in this regard.
Examples From the Iniquity of
the Extreme Sufis
O brothers, in explaining the state of the Sufis
our intention is not to gloat over their faults, nor to make mockery of them.
Rather what is intended is to warn every Muslim from being duped by their
falsehood and from being deceived by their tricks and ruses.
Indeed our scholars of
the past and the present have written books in reply to the misguidance of the
Sufis. From these is the book Talbees Iblees of al-Haafidh ibn al-Jawzee, who
died in the year 597H. He made the greater part of three hundred pages particular
to replying to the ideas of the Sufis, their beliefs, practices, dress, their
allowance of musical instruments, singing and dancing, and their enjoying the
company of youths and young boys and so on. Additionally great attention was
given to replying to them and indeed combating them by Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn
Taymiyyah rahimahullaah.
Due to this he suffered harm at
their hands and was imprisoned until he died,
rahimahuiiaah. Also
the scholar Burhaanuddeen al-Baqaa'ee who died in the year 885H wrote the books
in reply to the Sufis, they are:
(1) Tanbeehul-Ghabee ilaa
Takfeerlbn 'Arabee (An alert to the ignorant of the unbelief of Ibn 'Arabee).
(2)
Tahdheerul-'Ibaad min Ahlil-'Inaad bibid'atil-Ittihaad (A
warning to the worshippers from the stubborn folk against the innovation of the
saying that everything in existence is Allaah).
Both of these have been published together in a
single volume along with the checking of Shaykh Abdur-Rahmaan al-Wakeel
rahimahullaah, and he entitled it: Masra'is-Soofiyyah (The fatal blow to
Sufism). In these books al-Baqaa'ee reports the sayings of the scholars who
declared Ibn 'Arabee and Ibnul-Faarid to be unbelievers, and he quotes their
own sayings and poems on account of which the scholars declared them to be
unbelievers. O brothers, the scholar Burhaanuddeen al-Baqqaa'ee said,
explaining the beliefs of Ibn 'Arabee at the start of his book,
Tanbeebul-Ghabee: "Firstly it must be known that his speech, i.e. that of
Ibn 'Arabee, revolves around unrestricted unity of all existence, that there is
nothing besides this world, and that the Deity is a composite whole which does
not exist except within its parts.”
Then listen to the saying of Ibn 'Arabee
concerning the meaning of Allaah, the Most High's, name al-'Aliyy (The Most
High). He says: "From His perfect names is 'The Most High', above whom?
There is nothing there except Him... so His Highness is with regard to Himself,
and with regard to existence He is the very essence of those things which are
in existence." Until he said: "So He is that which is manifest and
that which is hidden when He is manifest. Then there is none there to see Him
except Himself. Then there is none hidden from Him, since He is manifest to
Himself, hidden from him, and he is one called Aboo Sa'eed al-Kharraaz. And likewise
with regard to the names of other new things." [Al-Baqaa'ee quotes it (pp.63-64) and it is
attributed by al-Wakeel to al-Fusoos (pp.7677) of Ibn 'Arabee]
So in the view of Ibn 'Arabee everything is
Allaah, and he clearly declares that Allaah is Aboo Sa'eed al-Kharraaz. Aboo
Sa'eed al-Kharraaz was a Sufi from Baghdaad who died in 277H. O brothers, is
this saying not worse than that of the Christians about Allaah? High is Allaah
above and far removed from that.
Imaam Zaynuddeen al-'Iraaqee said in reply to
someone who asked him about Ibn 'Arabee: "As for his saying that He is
whatever is manifest and whatever is hidden, then this is a poisonous saying of
unrestricted unity and that all creatures in existence are Him. The fact that
this is what he meant is shown by what he clearly states after it which is that
He is the one called Aboo Sa'eed al-Kharraaz, and the other names of new
things. So one who says this and one who believes it is an unbeliever by
consensus of the scholars. [Al-Baqaa'ee's book, p.66.]
The Unity of Religions
According to Ibn 'Arabee
Ibn 'Arabee held that all the pagans and
idol-worshippers were upon the truth since Allaah is in his view everything.
Therefore whoever worshipped an idol, or worshipped a stone, or a tree, or a
human, or a star, then he has worshipped Allaah. He says about this:
"So
the person with complete understanding is he who sees every object of worship
to be a manifestation of the truth contained therein, for which it is
worshipped. Therefore they all call it a god, along with its particular name,
whether it is a rock, or a tree, or an animal, or a person, or a star, or an
angel.” [Al-Fusoos
(1/195), al-Wakeel: Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.38).
So Ibn 'Arabee declares their idol-worship to be
correct since everything which they worship is only the Lord appearing in the
form of a human, a tree or a stone.
O brothers, if the Sabians were unbelievers
because they worshipped the stars, and the Jews were unbelievers because they
worshipped the calf, and the Christians were unbelievers because they
worshipped 'Eesaa, and the Quraysh were unbelievers before Islaam because they
worshipped idols... then how can the one who calls to the worship of all these
things not be an unbeliever? [See Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.38)].
Ibn 'Arahee even admits his belief that all
religions are one and that his heart is ready to embrace every sect and
religion. He says in his book Dhakhaairul A'laaq Sharh Tarjumaanil-Ashwaaq:
"Before today I
used to criticize my companion, if my religion was not the one which he
followed. But my heart changed to accept every image, so pastures for the
carefree lovers and convents for the monks. A house of idols and the idol house
in Taa'if, the tablets of the Torah and the mushaf of the Qur'aan. I follow the
religion of love wherever it takes me, so all religion is my religion and my
belief.” [Al-Wakeel:
Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.93) and he attributes it to p.93 of Dhakhaairul
A'laaq].
Furthermore Ibn 'Arabee warned his followers
from believing in one particular religion and disbelieving in all others. He
said in al-Fusoos:
"Beware of
restricting yourself to one particular creed and disbelieving in everything
else, so that great good would be missed by you, indeed you would miss
attainment of knowledge of the affair in the form he is following. Rather be
ready to accept all forms of belief. This is because Allaah is higher and
greater than to be comprehended by one belief to the exclusion of others.
Rather all are correct, and everyone who is correct receives reward, and
everyone who is rewarded is fortunate, and everyone who is fortunate is one
with whom He is pleased.” [Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.94) and he attributes it to al-Fusoos
(p.191)].
Therefore Ibn 'Arabee
declares that the Pharaoh in the time of Moosa was saved and he says commenting
on the saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“A comfort for
the eye, for me and for you.” [al?Qasas 28:9]
"So through it came
delight to her eye, i.e. that of the wife of Pharaoh, because of the perfection
that she was granted, and the pleasure for the eye of Pharaoh was because of
the faith (eemaan) which Allaah gave to him when he drowned, so He took his
soul which was pure and purified containing no impurity.” [Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.95)
and he attributes it to al-Fusoos (p.201)]
He openly declares
that Pharaoh was a Believer, contrary to the text of the Noble Qur'aan in many
Aayaat. From them is the saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“So Allaah seized him
with punishment for his last and his first transgression.” [an-Naazi'aat
79:25]
Also 'Abdul-Kareem
al-Jeelee who died in the year 830H says, explaining his belief that all
religions are one in his book al-Insaanul Kaamil (The Perfect Man):
"So I surrender
myself to whatever my desires surrender me to, how can I dispute with the
judgement of one beloved. Sometimes you may see me bowing in the mosques and
other times I will be found worshipping in churches. If in the judgment of the
Sharee'ah I am a sinner yet with regard to the knowledge of reality I am
obedient.” [Hadhihi
Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.96) and he attributes it to al-Fusoos (1/69)]
Therefore according to al-Jeelee there is no
difference between the mosque and the church, and even though he was sinful and
disobedient to Allaah's orders according to the outer and apparent Sharee'ab,
as he claimed, but he was inwardly obedient to Allaah since he was obedient to
Allaah's will.
Also listen to Ibnul-Faarid's claim that Allaah
is actually His creation, and High is Allaah above that. He said:
"I proceed forward
to the true reality, and mankind were behind me, wherever I turned there it
was. It was no wonder that the people prayed until My heart became settled and
it is the direction of Prayer and aspiration for me. For it are all my Prayers,
which I offer on the place of standing, and I testify about it that it prayed
to me. And all else prayed to me and My Prayer was not to anyone but me in
every rak'ah.”
Ibnul-Faarid also
composed a complete poem in which he addresses Allaah in feminine form in like
manner. However, O brothers, again space does not permit us to bring other
examples of the belief of most of the Sufis in unity of all religions, from the
words of their foremost leaders such as Ibnul-Faarid, al- Jeelee, Ibn 'Ajeebah,
Hasan Ridwaan, Ibn-Basheesh and ad-Dimardaash and others, and whoever wishes to
see these things then he may refer to the book Haadhi Hiyas-Soofiyyah (This is
Sufism) of 'Abdur-Rahmaan al-Wakeel rahimahullaah.
The Sufis go to the extreme in veneration of
their shaykhs, to the point that they think that everything, which emanates
from the shaykh is true and correct, even that it is a sign of his excellence
and a miracle. They write down the 'miracles' of their shaykhs in their books
and they are of various types reaching the level of claims of giving life to
the dead, others are so insignificant that they are not even worthy of mention.
Listen to the types of miracles reported by 'Abdur-Ra'oof
al-Manaawee: "The first type: is giving life to the dead, and that is the
highest level. From this is that Aboo 'Ubayd al-Yusree fought in a battle and
along with him was a riding beast which died, so he asked Allaah to restore it
to life, so it stood up shaking its ears... and that Mufarrij ad-Damaameenee
was brought a roasted bird and he said: 'Fly with the permission of Allaah, the
Most High.' So it flew... and al-Kaylaanee placed his hand upon the bone of a
chicken which he had eaten and said to it: 'Stand by the permission of Allaah
so it stood... and a son of one of the students of Aboo Yoosuf ad-Dahmaanee
died, so he
grieved for him, so the
shaykh said: 'Stand up by the permission of Allaah,’ so he stood up and lived
for a long time." [Hadhihi Hiyas-SoofiyyaH (p.116) and
al-Kawaakibud-DurriyyaH of Abdur-Ra'oof al-Manaawee (p. 11)]
These miracles are not equal to the miracles
such as those of the Prophet of Allaah 'Eesaa 'alaihis-salaam, and they were particular to him.
Ash-Sha'raanee narrates about the miracles of
al-'Ajmee saying: "His gaze fell upon a dog, so all other dogs submitted
to that one and took it as their chief and people used to come to it for the
fulfillment of their needs. Then when that dog fell ill all the other dogs gathered
around it weeping and when it died they wept openly and howled their
lamentations. So Allaah, the Most High, inspired in some of the people that
they should bury it. Then the dogs used to visit its grave until they died. So
this was what one glance did for a dog, imagine if his glance had fallen upon a
person. [Hadhihi
Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.113), at-Tabaqaat (2/61) in the biography of al-'Ajamee].
Ash-Sha'raanee also claims that his chief Ahmad
al-Badawee has control over the universe from his grave. He says: "My
shaykh took the covenant from me from me in the tomb whilst I was facing Ahmad
al-Badawee, and made me shake hands with him. So the noble hand came out of the
tomb and took hold of my hand. My leader ash-Shanaawee said: Let your mind be
focused upon him and let him be in your gaze, so I heard my chief Ahmad
al-Badawee say from the grave: 'Yes.’ Then he said: And I was absent from the
birthday celebration and there was one of the 'Awliyaa’ present so he informed
me that Ahmad al-Badawee on that day removed the covering from his tomb and
said: "Abdul-Wahhaab has stayed behind and not come." [Hadhihi Hiyas-Soofiyyah
(p.113)]
Would not a person with any sense of shame feel
shy to report the 'miracles’ or crimes of the Sufis pertaining to their openly
having intercourse with animals in the streets and other depravity, and their
claim that this is from their 'miracles’? We will quote here the 'miracle’ of
Shaykh Ibraaheem al-'Urayaan. Ash-Sha'raanee says: "From them is Shaykh
Ibraaheem al- 'Urayaan who used to ascend the pulpit and address them in the
nude... and the people would be greatly pleased by what they heard."
Even theft is regarded as a miraculous gift to
the Sufis... listen to what ad- Dibaagh, who was one of the chief pillars
amongst the Sufis, said: "A walee who is one having control over the
affairs may stretch out his hand to the pocket of whomever he pleases, and take
from it as many dirhams [Arabian coins], whilst the owner is not aware of
anything." [Hadhihi
Hiyas-Soofiyyah (p.124), al-Ibreez of ad-Dibaagh 2/12].
Here is a Sufi who claiming that seeing his
shaykh is more beneficial than seeing Allaah. Aboo Turaab said to his friend
one day: "If only you saw Aboo Yazeed al-Bustaamee." So he said:
"I am preoccupied from that since I have seen Allaah and that has sufficed
me from needing Aboo Yazeed." Aboo
Turaab said: "Woe to you, you are proud
because of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, if you had seen Aboo Yazeed a
single time it would have been better for you than seeing Allaah seventy times.
[Abridged from
Ihyaa 'Uloomid-Deen of al-Ghazzaalee (4/356)]. Al-Ghazaalee added: The like of these revelations should
not be denied by the Believer.
O brothers, these narration's show us that the
leaders of the Sufis are not satisfied with making lawful that which Allaah has
prohibited, with regard to theft, wickedness and the like, on top of that they
declare that these things are miraculous happenings and a sign that a person is
from the awliyaa. This clearly contradicts and clashes with the teachings of
Islaam, and is clear unbelief in the texts of the Noble Qur'aan and the pure
Sunnah, and the scholars of Islaam are agreed that whoever declares lawful
something which is necessarily known to be forbidden in Islaam, then he is an
unbeliever...then how about one who holds that committing major sins is a sign
that a person is from the awliyaa and is a miracle?
A very dangerous manifestation of Sufism is
their calling upon others besides Allaah...calling and supplicating to the
dead. This is major shirk which is warned against in the Noble Qur'aan:
“And
invoke not besides Allaah, any that can neither profit you, nor hurt you, but
if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the wrong doers.” [Yoonus
10:106].
Meaning you would then be one of the idolaters.
Al-Boosayree the poet
of the Sufis says, addressing the Messenger ^:
"O most noble of
the creation I have none from whom I derive pleasure, other than you when
general disaster strikes. Time never struck me with any harm and I sought his
protection. Except that I attained protection from all harm.”
O brothers, someone may say: Why do you give
such importance to Sufism and quote the sayings of Ibn 'Arabee, Ibnul-Faarid
and others who died hundreds of years ago. It would have been more fitting to
give a strong reply to the communists, the atheists and those who judge by
man-made laws and abandon the Sharee'ah of Allaah, and why do you not speak
against deviated sects such as the Qadianis, the Bahais and the Nusairis? So I
say in reply:
It is obligatory upon every Muslim, and in
particular the students of knowledge and callers to Allaah that they strive
hard in waging war against all those who are in opposition to the Sharee'ah of
Islaam, whether they are communist, atheists, grave-worshippers or Sufis. I see
that many of the callers to Islaam who have striven in that, and have already
given attention to some matters, but have left others. Indeed they appear to
forget this matter since we only find a few people giving importance to warning
the Muslims against the misguidance of the Sufis and their falsehood. Some
people become enraged by those who call to the correction of 'aqeedah and warn
against those who call for undue veneration of the dead, since they claim that
this causes splits amongst the Muslims. Indeed we find amongst the famous
callers one who renews the call to the following of Sufism and writes books
entitled: 'Our spiritual training, or Sufism of the Islamic Movement.' [Of Sa'eed Hawn].
In this book he makes clear his love for Sufism
and his belief in their falsehood and their 'miracles'. So hear what he has to
say about the miracles of the Sufis, in particular the followers of the
Rifaa'ee order. He says in page 217:
"So denial of the
principle of miraculous occurrences amongst the Sufis is a denial not based
upon knowledge and is not in its place. The most important act which receives
criticism is what happens with the Rifaa'ee order with regard to fire not
harming them, and their striking themselves with bullets or swords and not
being harmed. This is a widespread and famous act, which has been witnessed,
many of those who used to deny it investigated it and then withdrew their
denial. What is witnessed from them cannot be magic since magic is a part of
the world of things which have a cause and that is not applicable here. Nor can
it be done through spiritual exercises since it even occurs to individuals from
them without his having performed any spiritual exercises... merely due to his
having pledged allegiance to the shaykh. Indeed sometimes it occurs even to one
who has not given the initiation pledge. A Christian once narrated to me
something which happened to him personally and it is a famous and well-known
occurrence, and Allaah caused me to meet the person involved, after I had heard
about it from someone else. He narrated to me that he was present at a dhikr
session and one of those performing dhikr struck his back with a skewer and
pushed it out through his chest until he took hold of it. Then he withdrew it
leaving no mark or harm.”
The author takes precaution to answer the charge
that these things usually occur to people who are obviously wicked and not
pious, so how can this grant of miraculous occurrences be given to one who is
not pious? He says:
"The chief proof for
those who deny this is that these miracles occur at the hands of both impious
and righteous people, and this is correct. But the explanation of this is that
the miracle is not theirs, but rather is for the original shaykh on whom
Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, bestowed this miracle, and He then caused it
to continue amongst his followers.”
Is it not astonishing how a person with
knowledge can be fooled by these tricks of Satan so that he believes them, and
he is counted as being one of the chief callers? He agrees that the 'miracles'
of the Sufis are true and cannot be denied by anyone... where as we say to him,
what is to prevent them from being done through the use of sorcery or due to
some means of deception, as was mentioned by Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaah, when he was challenged by some followers of a
Sufi order. They falsely claimed to be able to walk safely upon fire, so he
requested that they should first wash their bodies with vinegar and hot water
before walking upon the fire. They refused out of fear. This was because he had
uncovered the trick, which they had used, which was that they used to anoint
their bodies with the fat of frogs and the inner rind of bitter oranges and talcum
powder and use other such tricks, which were well, known to them.
Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaah said:
"It may also be
something done with the help of their devils since they are a people who are as
closely attended by devils as they are by their own brothers. When they come
together to whistle and clap they are overtaken by a state where they blabber
and sway just like those who are possessed by demons, and they speak words,
which neither they nor those present understand. This is their devils speaking
upon their tongues when they lose their senses, just as the jinn speaks with
the tongue of the one he possesses. Then if some people have one who is
possessed they pay them something to come, then they strike the duff and other
musical instruments, and they light a very large fire. Then they place a large
piece of iron upon it and set up spears with metal tips. Next one of them will
climb up and sit on these spikes in front of the people, He will take the
heated iron and pass it over his arm and so on. The people will also see stones
flying without seeing anyone throwing them. This is all from their devils who
take them to the top of those spikes. They are the ones who are in direct
contact with the
fire.
It may be that the people involved do not feel anything just like the possessed
who is struck a severe blow and yet he does not feel it since it strikes only
the jinn. Likewise is the case with these who are involved in satanic
occurrences. Therefore the more a person is like the jinn and the devils, in
their actions, then what occurs will be stronger. Moreover these things do not
occur except in the presence of the caller of the devil and his recital, His
caller is the flute and musical instruments, and his recital is singing. This
will not occur for them during Prayer, remembrance of Allaah, during
supplication and whilst the Qur'aan is recited. So these experiences of theirs
contain no benefit in the religion nor in the worldly life. These people who
experience these satanic happenings are under a great delusion, in their
foolishness they are deprived of all blessings, they only increase that which
is feared, they devour the wealth of the people in futile acts, they do not
order the good, nor do they forbid evil, and they do not fight jibaad in
Allaah's cause." [Al-Fataawaa (11/495496)].
O noble brothers, boasting of miraculous deeds
is not one of the attributes of the pious from the Companions and the
taabi'een, nor the imaams of the Muslims and the scholars who came after them.
We do not hear anything from any of the Companions, nor from the great
tabi'een, nor from the four famous imaams: Maalik, Aboo Haneefah, ash-Shafi'ee
and Ibn Hanbal rabimahumullaah
we do not hear that such things
occurred with a single one of them. Nor did any of them enter into a fire or
strike themselves with a skewer or a sword and then revive the person. Neither
is this practiced by any of the scholars of the present, from the foremost of
them ash-Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz and Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Humayd. These
practices are found, in the past and the present, only amongst the Sufis. There
is no doubt that this is the greatest proof that they are satanic occurrences
not miracles sent by the Most Merciful.
Then I return to the point that when I saw that
most of the callers were negligent of the most important aspects of Islaam
which is the call to singling out Allaah with all worship (Tawheed) and the
correction and purification of 'aqeedah from all shirk, which takes the form of
worshipping the dead, attachment to the graves and calling upon the dead and
the absent, and they remained silent about the other deviation of the
present-day Sufi orders which are very widespread in the lands of the Muslims,
and anyone who travels outside this land will see the predominance that the
Sufi orders have over the minds of the Muslims in Egypt, Syria, Morocco,
Africa, and India. Whether it is the Rifaa'ee order, or the Tijanis, or the
Ahmadiyyah, or the Qaadiriyyaah, or the Burhaamiyyah, or the Shaadhiliyyah, or
the Khattaaniyyah, or the Darqaawees, or the Naqshabandis or whichever of the
large number of Sufi orders...when
I saw this I wished to remind of that which I held to be something very
important. Likewise I wished to provide my brothers, who study in the highly
regarded Daarul-Hadeeth, and they come from various Islamic lands where there
are many Sufi orders, with some knowledge and some protection from the deadly
sickness of Sufism. So just as there are sicknesses, which afflict the body,
there are likewise sicknesses, which afflict the souls and the hearts.
Therefore the scholars and the callers should give attention to providing
protection for the hearts, just as doctors give attention to protection of the
bodies...
May
Allaah send praise upon Muhammad and upon his family and followers, and his
Companions.
Aayah (pl. Aayaat): a Sign of Allaah; a verse of
the Qur'aan.
Aayaat: See Aayab.
Aboo (Abee, Abaa): father of; used as a means of
identification.
'Alaihis-salaam: "may Allaah protect and
preserve him." It is said after the name of a Prophet of Allaah or after
the name of an angel.
Ahaadeeth: See Hadeeth.
'Aqeedah: the belief that is firmly rooted in
the heart.
Companions (Ar. Sabaabab): the Muslims who saw
the Prophet and died upon Islaam.
Da'wah: Invitation to Islaam.
Dhikr: remembrance of Allaah.
Eemaan: faith; to affirm all that was revealed
to the Messenger ^, affirming with the heart, testifying with the tongue and
acting with the limbs. The actions of the limbs are from the completeness of
Eemaan. Faith increases with obedience to Allaah and decreases with
disobedience.
Hadeeth (pl. Ahaadeeth): narration concerning
the utterances of the Prophet ^, his actions or an attribute of his.
Hasan: fine; term used for an authentic hadeeth,
which does not reach the higher category of Sabeeh.
Hijrah: the migration of the Prophet from Makkah
to al-Madeenah; migration of the Muslims from the lands of the disbelievers to
the lands of the Muslims.
Ibn: son of; used as a means of identification.
Imaam: leader; leader in Salaah, knowledge or
fiqh; leader of a state.
Jamaa'ah: the united body of the Muslims,
together upon the truth, i.e. the Companions and those who remain upon their
way.
Jihaad: striving and fighting to make the Word
of Allaah supreme. Jinn: A creation of Allaah created from smokeless fire.
Kufr: disbelief.
Mushaf: the Qur'aan between two covers (in the
form of a book),
Radiyallaahu 'anhu/'anhaa/'anhum/'anhumaa: may
Allaah be pleased with him/her/them/both of them.
Rahimahullaah/Rahimahumullaah: may Allaah bestow
His mercy upon him/them.
Rak'ah: one unit of Prayer.
Ramadaan: the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar, in which the Muslims fast.
Saheeh: correct; an authentic narration. Shaykh:
scholar.
Sharee'ah: the Divine code of Law.
Shirk: associating partners with Allaah;
compromising any aspect of Tawheed.
Sunnah: in its broadest sense, the entire Deen
which the Prophet came with and taught, i.e. all matters of belief, rulings,
manners and actions which were conveyed by the Companions. It also includes
those matters which the Prophet established by his sayings, actions and tacit
approval - as opposed to bid'ah (innovation).
sunnah: an action of the Prophet
Soorah: a chapter of the Qur'aan.
Taabi'ee (pl. Taabi'een): a Muslim (other than
another Companion) who met a Companion.
Tawheed: maintaining Allaah's Oneness in His
Lordship (ar-Ruboobiyyah), His Names and Attributes (al- Asmaa' was-Sifaat) and
in His Worship (al-'Ibaadab).
Ummah: the Muslim nation.
Wudoo: the prescribed washing before Prayer and
certain other acts of worship.
Zuhd: Abstaining from the world and its
luxuries.