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Subject: False n Ignorant Sufis
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k3k4s1h 25.03.10 - 02:35am
False & Ignorant Sufis
''A donkey with a load of holy books is still a donkey''
IGNORANT SUFIS
TRUE AND FALSE SUFIS
NECESSITY OF FINDING THE PERFECT MASTER & AVOIDING THE IGNORANT SHAYKHS
Ignorant Sufis by A'la Hadrat
Quotes from the Awliya Allah:
IMAM AHMAD RIDA KHAN [d.1339H] may Allah be pleased with him wrote [Irshadaat-e-Ala'Hazrat] that the Saints of Almighty Allah state that an ignorant Sufi is a tool of the Devil. For the same reason, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
A Faqhi (Aalim) is heavier than a thousand Aabids (Worshippers) upon Shaitaan.
When an ignorant person worships or tries to tread on the path of Sufism, the Devil makes him dance on his finger tips by putting his reins in his mouth, the bridle in the nose and drags him to wherever he desires. The ignorant Sufi thinks that whatever he is doing is correct and excellent. JUNAYD AL-BAGHDADI [d.298H] may Allah be pleased with him states that his Spiritual Master, SARI AL-SAQATI [d. 253H] may Allah be pleased with him prayed in the following words:
May Allah first make you a Muhaddith (Scholar of Hadith) then a Sufi and not firstly a Sufi then a Muhaddith.
'Ilm-e Hadith' is knowledge of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam sayings. These sayings [Ahadeeth] are the great source, after the Qur'an, of comments. A person has to prove his ability of memorising the Ahadeeth and narrating them with all the sources. It is examined, tallied and certified by the authorities having such authorities in Ahadith. Shaykh Ahmed bin Zain bin Dahlan Makki, Shaykh Abdur Rehman Siraj and Imam Kaaba Shaykh Hussain bin Swaleh Jamallul Lail Makki were three sources of Ilm-e Hadeeth at that time.
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Qadiri may Allah be pleased with him who in 1906 passed a judgment of kufr [Husam al-Haramain] against Maulana Qasim Nanotwi [1833-79], who was a leading ''Sufi'' and founder of the Dar al-Ulum at Deoband is a typical example showing 'ignorant sufi (s)' as a tool of the Devil.
ABU HAMID AL-GHAZALI [d.504H] may Allah be pleased with him, commenting on this du'a said,
The meaning of Hadrat Sari Saqti's du'a 
is that the one who first studies Hadith and Knowledge, then sets foot into Sufism, has indeed succeeded. But, he who wishes to become a Sufi before obtaining knowledge, has certainly put himself into total destruction.
Sayyidi Abul Qasim Junaid Baghdadi may Allah be pleased with him states:
One who has not learnt the Qur'an al kareem and written the Hadith, that is, one who is ignorant about the Laws of Shariah, never follow him in anything pertaining to Tariqa and do not take him as your Pir because our knowledge of Tariqa is strictly in accordance with the Qur'an and Hadith (Shariah).
Hadrat Shaykh Sayyid as-Sari as-Saqati may Allah be pleased with him states:
Tassawuf is the name of three qualities:
1. His Nur of Marifah (Knowledge of Allah) must not extinguish his 'Nur of Wara' (Piety).
2. Never speak from the knowledge of Batin (Interior) that may contradict the Zahir (exterior) Qur'an and Hadith.
3. Do not let Karamats (Miracles) caste a veil on those things which Allah has made Haraam.
Shaykh Shihab al-Din Umar as-Suhrawardi may Allah be pleased with him who was taken by his uncle to visit Sayyiduna al-Ghawth al-A'zam ABD'AL-QADIR AL-JILANI [d.561H] may Allah be pleased with him said,
The Haqiqa which is rejected by Shariah is not Haqiqa but irreligiousness.
The exoteric religious sciences of Islam (religious law and jurisprudence, references to the Qur'an and Hadith, theology, etc) began simultaneously with the esoteric sciences of Sufism (self-purification, asceticism, and mysticism). There is no logical division between outer formal Islam and the inner school of Sufism. With the beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam command of seek knowledge even if it be in China; the value of learning was given a divine status and great historic centers of learning were established. The wise and knowledgeable Pirs were attached to Tariqas (spiritual path leading to Almighty Allah), international 'brotherhoods' that disseminated both the exoteric and esoteric Islamic sciences throughout the Muslim world. The teaching of each Tariqa would be traceable through a Silsila, the line of succession that connected members, through their Pir, with his master and in turn with their Masters. Ultimately this reached the Noble Companions of the beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam and the beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam himself.
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True & False Sufis
from Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi Allah be pleased with him
False Sufis steal the words of the Sufis and present them as their own, and thus trick people with the beautiful teachings, which they are merely imitators of. They do not have true knowledge of that which they are speaking. Many of the great Sufi Shuyukh speak of deceptive false Sufis - these people take the title of Sufi because it gives them a certain amount of prestige and power, and they take advantage of those who cannot tell false Sufism from the real thing.
On the topic of false Sufis, MAWLANA RUME Radi Allahu anhu says:
A disciple who is trained by a man of God will have a pure and purified spirit. But he who is trained by an imposter and hypocrite and who learns theory from him will be just like him: despicable, weak, incapable, morose, without any exit from uncertainties, and deficient in all his senses.
As for the unbelievers -- their protectors are idols, that bring them forth from the light into the shadows. (al-Qur'an 2:257).
[From the Fihi ma fihi, translated by W. C. Chittick in The Sufi Path of Love: the Spiritual Teachings of Jalaluddin Rumi, p. 145]
Furthermore, on the topic of false Sufis and the harm they do, Jalal al-Din Rumi says (in poetry):
You are the disciple and guest of someone who in his vileness will steal away all your attainments.
He is not victorious -- how will he make you victorious? He will not give you light, he will make you dark.
Since he has no light, how can others receive light through associating with him?
Like a blind man who cures eyes: With what will he anoint your eyes other than wool? [...]
He has no scent or trace of God, but his claims are greater than those of Seth or Adam.
The devil himself is embarrassed to appear before him; he keeps on saying, We are of the saints and even greater.
He steals many of the words of the dervishes, so that people may think he really is someone.
In his talks he even cavils at Bayazid; Yazid himself is ashamed of him. (*)
He is destitute of the bread and provisions of heaven: God has not thrown him a single bone.
[From the Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi, Book I, vv. 2265-68, 72-76, translated by W. C. Chittick in The Sufi Path of Love: the Spiritual Teachings of Jalaluddin Rumi, p. 145-6.]
(*) Bayazid refers to the great Wali Allah, Bayazid al-Bistami; Yazid refers to the oppressive ruler.
Therefore we see that a great Shaykh such as Jalal al-Din Rumi alayhir rahman warns us of the false Sufis. False Sufis may even be more prevalent today than they were in the past. We must distinguish between true Sufis, who follow the Shari'ah, and false Sufis, who often do not.
Wassalam,
Fariduddien Rice
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Neccessity of avoiding ignorant Shaykhs
This letter, written to Sayyid Mahmud Rahmatullahi alaih, states that it is necessary to find a perfect master and to avoid ignorant Shaykhs.
May Allahu ta'ala increase the desire to look for Him! May He bless us with the fortune of avoiding the things that prevent us from attaining Him! The valuable letter, which is a favour of yours, has arrived. It is very pleasant because it indicates that you have been seeking Allahu ta'ala, that you have been consumed with love for Him. Wishing is the harbinger of attaining.
Being consumed with love is a sort of beginning for attaining. One of our superiors says, If He would not give, He would not give the wish. One should appreciate the value of the blessing of wishing and refrain from the things that will cause it to be lost. One must be careful lest the wish becomes slack or the fervor chilly. What helps most lest this blessing is lost is to thank (Allahu ta'ala) for it. He declares in the seventh ayat of Sura-i Ibrahim:
If you thank Me for My favours, I will certainly increase them.
It is necessary both to thank Him and to entrust oneself to Him and to weep and beg Him lest one will love or wish for something else. If one does not feel like weeping, begging, one should force oneself to do so. If you do not weep make yourself weep, has been said. Until you find an exalted person who is kamil and mukammil, [that is, who has reached perfection and who is able to make another reach perfection also], one should preserve this wish with all its fervor in one's heart. When such an exalted person is found, all wishes and desires should be delivered into his hands, one being like a corpse on a bench under a washer's hands. Fana-fi-sh-Shaykh is first. This fana will then turn into fillah. [That is, when you find an exalted person who has reached the end of the way of tasawwuf and who is back in order to make others attain it also and who therefore looks like any ordinary person, you should surrender yourself to him. First, you should annihilate yourself in him; that is, you should obey not yourself but him. A person who does so will gradually be annihilated in Allahu ta'ala. That is, his own desires being annihilated, he will act according to Allahu ta'ala's will. He will no longer have any will of his own.] An exalted person who will take from Allahu ta'ala and give to men should be two-dimensional. Because man is very mean and evil-natured, he cannot have a relationship with Allahu ta'ala. A two-dimensional intermediary is necessary, and this intermediary is an insan-i kamil (perfect man).
The worst thing which slackens a talib's wish and which extinguishes his fervor is his surrendering himself to a naqis person who has not reached the end of the way. A naqis is a person who has not completed his way through suluk and jadhba but calls himself a Shaykh, a murshid. A group of naqis Shaykhs is called a samm-i qatil. He who surrenders himself to them ends up in perdition. Such groups derange the high tendency, the inclination of a talib. For example, if a patient takes the medicine of a doctor who is not specialized, who does not even have a diploma, he will, let alone become well, get sick all the more. He will even lose the tendency to heal. That medicine may first reduce his aches. But the aches are not felt because it disturbs, harms the nerves. This case is not a service, but a disservice. If this patient goes to a real doctor, this doctor will first try to do away with the harm of that medicine. Then he will begin to cure the disease.
The way of our superiors rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alaihim ajmain' is based on sohbat. Nothing is obtained by memorizing or by uttering a few words of the great men of tasawwuf. On the contrary, it slackens the wish of the talib. Hadrat Shaykh Taj quddisa sirruh, who is an owner of marifats, lives close to you. His blessed presence is a great favour for the Muslims there. Do get in touch with him infrequently. Infrequent visits in a relationship bring no value. If you occasionally write about your state, we will not hesitate to answer. Thus, the chain of love and ikhlas will be stirred.
From the 'Maqtubat' of MUJADDID ALIF THANI [d. 1033H]Radi Allahu anhu *
k3k4s1h 25.03.10 - 02:56am
Tasawwuf
Questions & Answers
Question:
'IS TASAWWUF A BIDAT? WAS IT INVENTED BY JEWS?'
Question:
THE ORIGINS OF SUFISM/TASAWWUF ARE IN HINDUISM. IT IS A REVOLT AGAINST THE STERILE LEGALISTIC NATURE OF ISLAM
Question:
IF THE MA'ARIF OF TASAWWUF HAD COME FROM RASULULLAH (Salla Allah 'alayhi wa Sallam), THERE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY DIFFERENTATION. CONTRARILY, THERE ARE VARIOUS BRANCHES OF TASAWWUF.
WHY ARE THE AHWAL AND MA'ARIF IN EACH OF THEM DIFFERENT?
Question:
HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO A CALL THAT SUFISM IS A BIDAH ?
ORIGINS OF TASAWWUF WHAT IS TASAWWUF? TASAWWUF TODAY SUFI GLOSSARY
Invented by Jews ?
Question :
'Is tasawwuf a bidat? Was it invented by Jews?'
Answer :
It is one of the orders of Islam to try to know Allahu ta'ala and, for this purpose, to look for and obey a rehber who knows and teaches the way of tasawwuf. Allahu ta'ala declared, 'look for a wasila to attain to Him!' The disciples' receiving faid and marifa from the rehber has been done and known by every Muslim since the time of Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam. It is not something introduced later by leaders of tasawwuf. Every rehber has held on to the rehber who has guided him. This chain of attachment goes back up to Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam. The chain of connection of the superiors of the Akhrariyya reaches him through Hadrat Abu Bakr radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh. And chains of other branches reach through Hadrat 'Ali radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh. Can this be called a bidat? Although such terms as murshid and murid were introduced later, names or words are of no particular importance. Even if these words did not exist, their meanings and the hearts' attachment would exist. [The Wahhabite book, too, says that not words but meanings should be taken into account.] The common fundamental job of all branches of tasawwuf is to teach how to do the dhikr, which is a command of our religion. The silent performance of a dhikr is more valuable than the vocal. 'The dhikr that the hafaza angels cannot hear is seventy times as valuable as that which the hafaza hear,' was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif. The dhikr commended in the hadith ash-Sharif is that performed by the qalb 
and the other latifas. It is written in valuable books that Rasulullah performed dhikr by the qalb before he was notified of the prophethood. Saying that tasawwuf is a bidat and that it was made up by Jews is like saying that it is a bidat to read the hadith book of 'al-Bukhari' or the fiqh book 'Al-hidaya'.
Muhammad Mathum al-Faruqi rahimah-Allahu ta'ala wrote in the 36th letter of the second volume of his Maktubat:
The leader of the tasawwuf way (school) named Khwajaghan is 'ABD 'AL-KHALIQ AL-GHUJDAWANI rahimah-Allahu ta'ala. The jadhba (attraction) of qayyumiyya peculiar to this way came to him from Hadrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh. And he taught the way of obtaining this jadhba. This way is called wuquf-i 'adadi and consists in the dihkr khafi, which again comes from Hadrat Abu Bakr. The second way, named 'jadhba ma'iyya', begun with Baha' ad-din al-Bukhari rahimah-Allahu ta'ala. 'Ala ad-din al-'Attar rahimah-Allahu ta'ala, the qutb of his time, established the conditions for the attainment of this jadhba. These conditions were called the Tariqa-i 'Ala'iyya. It has been reported that the shortest way [that makes one attain in the least time] is 'Ala'iyya. [It is also called the 'Ahrariyye' because Ubaid-Allah al-Ahrari rahimah-Allahu ta'ala, who passed away in Samarkand in 895 (1490 C.E.), disseminated the way of his master Ala ad-din al-Attar.]
Muhammad Mathum rahimah-Allahu ta'ala wrote in the 158th letter of the second volume:
For attaining saada (salvation), two things should be achieved. Firstly, the batin, that is, the heart, should be rescued from being fond of creatures. Secondly, the zahir, that is, the body, should be embellished by holding fast to the al-Ah'kam al-Islamiyya (the Rules of Islam). These two blessings are easily attained in the sohbat of the masters of tasawwuf. It is difficult to attain them by other means. In order to be able to hold fast to Islam, to carry out 'ibadat easily and to keep away from the prohibitions, the nafs has to become fani (resign itself). The nafs has been created as ferocious, disobedient and arrogant. Unless is saved from these evils, the reality (haqiqa) of Islam does not occur. Before resignation or tranquility, there is the surface or appearance of Islam. After the tranquility of the nafs, the reality of Islam occurs. The difference between the appearance and the reality is similar to that between the earth and the sky. The followers of the appearance attain to the appearance of Islam while those of the reality attain to the reality of Islam. The belief of the 'awam (the laity, ignoramuses) is called iman majazi (figurative belief). This belief may be defiled and vanish. The belief of the khawas (scholars, the people of the reality) is protected from fading away and from being spoilt. This real belief is indicated in the order, 'Oh the believers! Believe in Allah and His Prophet!' in the 135th ayat of the Surat an-Nisa.
Muhammad Mathum rahimah-Allahu ta'ala wrote in the 16th letter of the third volume:
Statements such as, 'Everything is Him. The word Allah is the name of everything. It is like the name Zaid indicating human being; whereas, each of his organs has a different name. Then, where is Zaid? He is nowhere. And Allahu ta'ala is seen in every being. Therefore, it is permissible to call everything Allah. Beings are all appearances. Their annihilation is also a kind of appearance. In reality, there is nothing that becomes non-existent,' express not believing in the One Being but in many beings, and this is not compatible with what the superiors of tasawwuf have said. By such statements, Allahu ta'ala is claimed to be in the material world, meaning that He is not a distinct being and needs His creatures for His existence and for the existence of His attributes. He is likened to the existence of compounds which are in need of the existence of elements. And this is disbelief in Allahu ta'ala and is frank kufr (unbelief). It is necessary to believe that the existence of Allahu ta'ala is distinct from the existence of the material and spiritual worlds. In other words, the Wajib (the Indispensable Being, the Creator) and the mumkin (the dispensable, the creation) are two distinct beings. There is distinction in every case where there is dichotomy. If someone argues, saying, 'If the 'alam (everything other than Allahu ta'ala) existed in reality, then there would be no dichotomy. The existence of the 'alam is in appearance,' we answer that the Really Existent Being does not unite with the imaginary one. That is, one cannot say, 'Everything is Him.' If, by saying so, one means to say, 'Everything is non-existent; He is the only One who exists,' then it is correct. Yet, it would have been expressed not plainly but figuratively. It is similar to one's saying, 'I saw Zaid,' upon seeing Zaid's image in the mirror [or on the television screen]. Saying these not in the figurative sense but in the plain sense is like saying 'lion' to a donkey. [Similarly, it is incorrect to say that the sound from a radio or a loudspeaker is the voice of the speaker.] A lion is different from a donkey. It cannot be written in words that the two are the same one. The superiors of tasawwuf who taught Wahdat al-wujud did not say, 'The Real Being is in the creatures. He does not exist separately'; they said, 'The creatures are His manifestations, appearances.' Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi and his followers rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala said 'Hama-ust,' that is, 'everything is Him,' in this sense.
The statement, 'The 'alam has come as such, and so it will go on,' implies that the world is Qadim (eternal). Believing such is kufr and is a denial of the fact that the 'alam will become non-existent. The Qur'an al-karim openly declares that everything will be annihilated. Among those who say that they believe in the annihilation and resurrection of human beings, there are some who say. '[The bodies of] human beings are made of earthen material. They transform into earth [water and gas] after death. These materials are transferred to plants, and then to animals, and, by being eaten by human beings, are transformed into flesh, bone and ; thus other human beings come about. This is how the resurrection or re-creation of human beings takes place.' [Of course, the transformation of substances as mentioned here is true. Such is Allahu ta'ala's Divine Rule. But] saying that this is how human beings are re-created means a denial of Qiyama (Doomsday), Nashr (Resurrection) and Hashr (assembling for the Judgement). It has been openly stated in the Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif that the Last Day will come, that he dead will rise from their graves, that all living beings will be assembled in a large square, that the deed-books will be brought forward, that there will be reckoning, that the Balance will be set up, and that the believers will pass the Sirat Bridge and go into Paradise while the unbelievers will fall into Hell to remain in eternal torture. The denial of that day is unbelief, apostasy and atheism.
Statements such as, 'The well-known salat (ritual prayers) has been ordered for ignorant people. The worship for the pure, exalted human beings is dhikr and tefekkur (contemplating Allahu ta'ala). All particles of the human body and everything are always busy with dhikr and worship. This is the way it is, even if man does not comprehend it. Islam has been sent for those with little wisdom. Thus, their mischief-making has been prevented,' are the words of the very ignorant with little wisdom. Our Prophet sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam declared that salat is a pillar of Islam. He said, 'He who performs salat has constructed the building of his faith. He who does not perform salat has demolished his faith. Salat is the miraj of the believer.' He felt at ease and peace in salat. The closeness in salat cannot be found in anything else; it was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif: 'The curtain between Allah and man is removed only during salat.' Every perfection can be reached by following al-Ah'kam al-Islamiyya (The Rules of Islam). He who departs from these rules, that is, the orders and prohibitions, deviates off the right track. He cannot attain to happiness. The Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif order that these rules should be followed. The right path is that shown by the Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif. Other paths are the paths of devils. 'Abdullah ibn Masud said, 'Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam drew a straight line. He said, This is the only right path that leads man to the pleasure of Allahu ta'ala. Then, drawing slanting lines to the right and left of this line [like branches of a fishbone], he said, And these are the paths of devils. The devil one each path calls one to it. Then he recited the ayat al-karima, This is My right path. Come to [follow] it! '
The teachings revealed unanimously by prophets ('alaihimu 's-salam) and conveyed to us by the 'ulama' of Islam cannot be destroyed by the imagination of any one. It is unbelief and atheistic to say that the Rules of Islam are intended for the retrogressive. May Allahu ta'ala protect both us and you from believing such words! Amin.
Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih, who was the mujaddid of the fourteenth century of the Hegira, the refuge of the lovers of al-Haqq, the treasure of the Zahiri and batini knowledge, the indisputable proof of awliya', the master of 'arifin, the leader of muhaqqiqin, the elect of 'ubbad, the guide of rasikhin, the apple of Muslims' eyes, the expert in tasawwuf, the heir of Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam, and whose books are documents and whose speeches were full of wisdom, wrote very concisely the definition, history, subject and terminology of tasawwuf in his Turkish work 'Ar-riyadu 't-tasawwufiyya'. [Published by the Harbiyye Mektebi Matbaasi in Istanbul in 1341 (1923 C.E.).] He wrote in the preface:
Since there is no superiority more honorable and more valuable than having attended the sohbat of our Prophet sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam, those who had attained to that honor were called the Sahaba. Those who came after them were called the Tabi'in because they followed (tabi') them in practice, and those who followed them were called Atba' at-Tabi'in. After them, those who excelled in religious affairs were called zuhhad and 'ubbad. Thereafter, bidat' increased and every group called their leader zahid and 'abid. Those who were in the group of Ahl as-Sunnat protected their hearts from ghafla (forgetfulness of Allahu ta'ala) and secured the obedience of their nafses to Allahu ta'ala. This state of theirs was called tasawwuf while such a Muslim was called a sufi (Persian Sufi). These terms were first used at the end of the second century of the Hegira. The first one who was called a sufi was Abu Hashim Sufi of Kufa rahimah-Allahu ta'ala. He was engaged in irshad (enlightenment, initiation) in Damascus and passed away in 115. He was the ustadh ( *
k3k4s1h 25.03.10 - 02:58am
Opponents of Tasawwuf ?
WHAT THEY REALLY SAID !
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
IBN TAYMIYYA [1]
IBN TAYMIYYA [2]
WHAT IBN TAYMIYYA SAYS ABOUT THE TERM TASAWWUF
WHAT ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN ABDUL WAHHAB SAYS ABOUT TASAWWUF
IS TASAWWUF BIDAH ? ADVICE TO THE MUSLIM WAHHABISM
Ibn Taymiyya [1]
Ibn Taymiyya [d. 728] Part 1/2
His admirers cite this jurist and hadith master of the Hanbali school as an enemy of Sufis, and he is the prin l authority in the campaign of 'Salafis' responsible for creating the present climate of unwarranted fanaticism and encouragement to ignorance regarding tasawwuf. Yet Ibn Taymiyya was himself a Sufi. However, 'Salafis' are careful never to show the Sufi Ibn Taymiyya, who would severely hamper their construction of him as purely anti-Sufi.
Ibn Taymiyya's discourse is riddled with contradictions and ambiguities. One might say that even though he levelled all sorts of judgments on Sufis, he was nevertheless unable to deny the greatness of tasawwuf upon which the Community had agreed long before he came along. As a result he is often observed slighting tasawwuf, questioning his Sufi contemporaries, and reducing the primacy of the elite of Muslims to ordinariness, at the same time as he boasts of being a Qadiri Sufi in a direct line of succession to Shaykh Abd al- Qadir al-Gilani, as we show in the lines that follow.
It should be clear that the reason we quote the following evidence is not because we consider Ibn Taymiyya in any way representative of tasawwuf. In our view he no more represents tasawwuf than he represents the aqida of Ahl al-Sunna. However, we quote his views only to demonstrate that his misrepresentation by Orientalists and 'Salafis' purely as an enemy of tasawwuf does not stand to scrutiny. Regardless of the desires of one group or another, the facts provide clear evidence that Ibn Taymiyya had no choice but to accept tasawwuf and its principles, and that he himself not only claimed to be a Sufi, but also to have been adorned with the cloak (khirqa) of shaykhhood in the Qadiri Sufi Order.
We have already mentioned Ibn Taymiyya's admiration for Abd al- Qadir Gilani, to whom he gives the title 'my Shaykh' (shaykhuna) and 'my Master' (sayyidi) exclusively in his entire Fatawa. Ibn Taymiyya's sufi inclinations and his reverence for Abd al-Qadir Gilani can also be seen in his hundred-page commentary on Futuh al-ghayb, covering only five of the seventy-eight sermons of the book, but showing that he considered tasawwuf essential within the life of the Islamic community.(1)
In his commentary Ibn Taymiyya stresses that the primacy of the Sharia forms the soundest tradition in tasawwuf, and to argue this point he lists over a dozen early masters, as well as more contemporary shaykhs like his fellow Hanbalis, al-Ansari al-Harawi and Abd al-Qadir, and the latter's own shaykh, Hammad al-Dabbas:
The upright among the followers of the Path - like the majority of the early shaykhs (shuyukh al-salaf) such as Fudayl ibn Iyad, Ibrahim ibn Adham, Maruf al-Karkhi, al-Sari al-Saqati, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad, and others of the early teachers, as well as Shaykh Abd al-Qadir, Shaykh Hammad, Shaykh Abu al-Bayan and others of the later masters -- do not permit the followers of the Sufi path to depart from the divinely legislated command and prohibition, even were that person to have flown in the air or walked on water.(2)
Elsewhere also, such as in his al-Risala al-safadiyya, Ibn Taymiyya defends the Sufis as those who belong to the path of the Sunna and represent it in their teachings and writings:
The great shaykhs mentioned by Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami in Tabaqat al-sufiyya, and Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri in al-Risala, were adherents of the school of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jamaa and the school of Ahl al-hadith, such as al-Fudayl ibn Iyad, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad, Sahl ibn Abd Allah al-Tustari, Amr ibn Uthman al- Makki, Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Khafif al-Shirazi, and others, and their speech is found in the Sunna, and they composed books about the Sunna.(3)
In his treatise on the difference between the lawful forms of worship and the innovative forms, entitled Risalat al-ibadat al- shariyya wal-farq baynaha wa bayn al-bidiyya, Ibn Taymiyya unmistakably states that that the lawful is the method and way of 'those who follow the Sufi path' or 'the way of self-denial' (zuhd) and those who follow 'what is called poverty and tasawwuf', i.e. the fuqara' and the Sufis:
The lawful is that by which one approaches near to Allah. It is the way of Allah. It is righteousness, obedience, good deeds, charity, and fairness. It is the way of those on the Sufi path (al-salikin), and the method of those intending Allah and worshipping Him; it is that which is travelled by everyone who desires Allah and follows the way of self-denial (zuhd) and religious practice, and what is called poverty and tasawwuf and the like.(4)
Regarding Abd al-Qadir's teaching that the salik or Sufi wayfarer should abstain from permitted desires, Ibn Taymiyya begins by determining that Abd al-Qadir's intention is that one should give up those permitted things which are not commanded, for there may be a danger in them. But to what extent? If Islam is essentially learning and carrying out the Divine command, then there must be a way for the striver on the path to determine the will of Allah in each particular situation. Ibn Taymiyya concedes that the Qur'an and Sunna cannot explicitly cover every possible specific event in the life of every believer. Yet if the goal of submission of will and desire to Allah is to be accomplished by those seeking Him, there must be a way for the striver to ascertain the Divine command in its particularity.
Ibn Taymiyya's answer is to apply the legal concept of ijtihad to the spiritual path, specifically to the notion of ilham or inspiration. In his efforts to achieve a union of his will with Allah's, the true Sufi reaches a state where he desires nothing more than to discover the greater good, the action which is most pleasing and loveable to Allah. When external legal arguments cannot direct him in such matters, he can rely on the standard Sufi notions of private inspiration (ilham) and intuitive perception (dhawq):
If the Sufi wayfarer has creatively employed his efforts to the external shari indications and sees no clear probability concerning his preferable action, he may then feel inspired, along with his goodness of intention and reverent fear of Allah, to choose one of two actions as superior to the other. This kind of inspiration (ilham) is an indication concerning the truth. It may be even a stronger indication than weak an*logies, weak hadiths, weak literalist arguments (zawahir), and weak istisHaab which are employed by many who delve into the principles, differences, and systematizing of fiqh.(5)
Ibn Taymiyya bases this view on the principle that Allah has put a natural disposition for the truth in mankind, and when this natural disposition has been grounded in the reality of faith and enlightened by Qur'anic teaching, and still the striver on the path is unable to determine the precise will of Allah in specific instances, then his heart will show him the preferable course of action. Such an inspiration, he holds, is one of the strongest authorities possible in the situation. Certainly the striver will sometimes err, falsely guided by his inspiration or intuitive perception of the situation, just as the mujtahid sometimes errs. But, he says, even when the mujtahid or the inspired striver is in error, he is obedient.
Appealing to ilham and dhawq does not mean following one's own whims or personal preferences.(6) In his letter to Nasr al-Manbiji, he qualifies this intuition as 'faith-informed' (al-dhawq al-imani). His point is, as in the commentary to the Futuh, that inspirational experience is by nature ambiguous and needs to be qualified and informed by the criteria of the Qur'an and the Sunna. Nor can it lead to a certainty of the truth in his view, but what it can do is give the believer firm grounds for choosing the more probably correct course of action in a given instance and help him to conform his will, in the specific details of his life, to that of his Creator and Commander.(7)
Other works of his as well abound in praise for Sufi teachings. For example, in his book al-ihtijaj bi al-qadar, he defends the Sufis' emphasis on love of Allah and their voluntarist rather than intellectual approach to religion as being in agreement with the teachings of the Qur'an , the sound hadith, and the imja al-salaf:
As for the Sufis, they affirm the love (of Allah), and this is more evident among them than all other issues. The basis of their Way is simply will and love. The affirmation of the love of Allah is well-known in the speech of their early and recent masters, just as it is affirmed in the Book and the Sunna and in the agreement of the Salaf.(8)
Ibn Taymiyya is also notorious for his condemnation of Ibn Arabi. However, what he condemned was not Ibn Arabi but a tiny book of his entitled Fusus al-hikam, which forms a single slim volume. As for Ibn Arabi's magnum opus, al-Futuhat al-makkiyya (The Meccan divine disclosures), Ibn Taymiyya was no less an admirer of this great work than everyone else in Islam who saw it, as he declares in his letter to Abu al-Fath Nasr al-Munayji (d. 709) published in his the volume entitled Tawhid al-rububiyya of his Fatawa:
I was one of those who, previously, used to hold the best opinion of Ibn Arabi and extol his praise, because of the benefits I saw in his books, such as what he said in many of his books, for example: al-Futuhat, al-Kanh, al-Muhkam al-marbut, al-Durra al- fakhira, Matali al-nujum, and other such works.(9)
Ibn Taymiyya goes on to say he changed his opinions, not because of anything in these books, but only after he read the Fusus.
source : http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/f/ts/Tasawwuf%20shuyukh.htm23
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What Ibn Taymiyya Says About the Term 'Tasawwuf'
And now permit us to mention what Ibn Taymiyya, mentioned about the definition of Tasawwuf.
Alhamdulillah, the pro nunciation of the word tasawwuf has been thoroughly discussed. From those who spoke about it were not just the the Imams and Shaykhs, but also included were Ahmad bin Hanbal, Abi Sulayman ad-Daarani, As-Sirr as-Saqati, al-Junayd, M'aruf al-Karkhi, Abdul Qadir Jilani, Bayazid al-Bistami and many others. This is a term that was given to those who were dealing with that kind of science [tazkiyyat an-nafs and Ihsan]. And it is like when one uses the term from the Quraishi family or from the Madani people or from the Hashemi family. It is a lineage (nasab), just as we say Hashemi for the descendants of the Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam) or Quraishi for his tribe and Madani for those of his city, we say Sufi (nisbatan) indicating the relationship of those people to that science.
He continues,
the majority of the scholars (jumhour al-'ulama), did not deny that science since it complies with the Shari'ah and the Sunnah and they were supporting it.
Ibn Taymiyya says:
thumma at-tasawwuf 'indahu haqaiqun wa ahwaalun...[man saffa min al-qadari wa amtala'a min al-fikri wasstawa 'indahu adh-dhahab wal-hajjar. At-tasawaffu kitmaanul ma'ani wa tarku-da'awi'
Tasawwuf has realities and states of experience which they talk about in their science. Some of it is that the Sufi is that one who purifies himself from anyting whihc distracts him from the remembrance of Allah and who will be so filled up with knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the mind to the point that the value of gold and stones will be the same.to him. And tasawwuf is safeguarding the precious meanings and leaving behind the call to fame and vanity in order to reach the state of Truthfulness, because the best of humans after the prophets are the Siddiqeen, as Allah mentioned them in the verse:
'Fa-ula'ika maa alladheena an'amm-Allahu alayhim min an-nabiyyin was-siddiqeen wash-shuhada'i was-saaliheena wa hassuna 'ula'ika rafeeqa
'(And all who obey God and the Apostle) are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allah: of the prophets, the sincere lovers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous; Ah! what a beautiful fellowship.' ( *
