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Accustaions against the Science of Tassawuff: Answered

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#1 [Permalink] Posted on 23rd December 2010 21:25

Asslamo Allaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,


This thread will be used to quote the most repeated accusations against the science of Tassawuff and then Insha’Allah answers will be given (as learned and synthesised) from the works of Ulama & Mashaykh.
 

The usual format of listing the accusation and numbering it will be adopted.

Jazakullah Khairun

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#2 [Permalink] Posted on 23rd December 2010 21:29
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#3 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 11:28

Argument 1: Tassawuff is not present in the Qur’aan & Sunnah.


This argument can only be made from someone who is not familiar with the Qur’aan & Sunnah. In the Qur’aan Allah (SWT) counts the deputation of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) as a special favour upon the believers and the job of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is categorised by Allah (SWT) into four major branches and we will Insha’Allah put them into a numerical order to illustrate the point.


[3:164] Allah has surely conferred favour on the believers when He raised in their midst a messenger from among themselves

  1. who recites to them His verses
  2. and makes them pure
  3. and teaches them the Book
  4. and the Wisdom,

while earlier, they were in open error.

Scholars have indicated that the 4th task above i.e. wisdom is synonymous to Sunnah while tasks 1 & 3 are self explanatory. In that case what is task 2? Cleaning/purifying of the heart is what is termed as Tassawuff.

There are Muslims who specialise in Qir’aat and thus have inherited task 1 of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam).

There are Muslims who specialise in Tafseer and thus have inherited task 3 of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam).

There are Muslims who specialise in Fiqh & Hadeeth and thus have inherited task 4 of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam).

So who is supposed to pick up task 2 which is cleansing of the heart and the soul? We will let the question hang until a further argument where this will be picked up and evaluated.


Even a superficial glance at the collection of Ahadeeth will also put this argument to bed; we now turn to the first Hadeeth in the collection in the book of Imam Muslim (RA). In this famous incident which the Scholars stated occurred 3 months or 6 months before the passing away of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam), a man with pure white clothes and jet black hair appeared in the blessed presence of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam). Imagine Arabian desert of 1400 years ago the Sahaba (RA) were unable to recognise him (i.e. he wasn’t local) and yet there were no signs of travel upon his clothes and body. Furthermore not only he asked questions but also confirmed the answers as being correct and accurate. This riddle was resolved by Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) himself when he explained to the Sahaba (RA) that the man was Sayyidina Jibrael (RA) who was sent by Allah (SWT) to teach them (i.e. the Sahaba) their religion).

A series of blessed exchanges took place between the leader of the Angels (i.e. Sayyidina Jibrael (RA)) and the best of mankind (i.e. Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam)) and we will only paraphrase the first three (3) questions and answers.

  1. Sayyidina Jibarel (RA) asked, “O Muhammad (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam)! Tell me about Islam?” to which he was answered by Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam), ““Islam is to bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is the Messenger of God; and to perform the prayer; pay zakah; fast Ramadan; and to perform Hajj to the House if you are able.” And the answer was confirmed by Sayyidina Jibarel (RA).
  2. Sayyidina Jibarel (RA) asked, “Tell me about belief (iman)?” to which he was answered by Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam), “It is to believe in Allah; His Angels; His Books; His Messengers; the Last Day; and in destiny—its good and bad.” And the answer was confirmed by Sayyidina Jibarel (RA).
  3. Sayyidina Jibarel (RA) asked, “Now, tell me about spiritual excellence (ihsan)?” to which he was answered by Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam), “It is to serve Allah as though you behold Him; and if you don’t behold him, (know that) He surely sees you.” And the answer was confirmed by Sayyidina Jibarel (RA).


It is this third level of Ihsaan which is the science of Tassawuff and we hope that these two references from the Qur’aan and Hadeeth will suffice for the seekers of the truth.

Jazakullah Khairun

 

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#4 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 11:40

Argument 2: The word “Tassawuff” is not present in the Qur’aan & Sunnah.


This is indeed a very superficial argument since the essence and the domain of the science of “Tassawuff” has been proven in the previous argument. There are many words and technical terms in use today which are not mentioned in the Qur’aan & Sunnah e.g:

  1. Tawheed is not mentioned in the Qur’aan and we are not sure if its mentioned in the Sunnah
  2. Tajweed is not mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah
  3. Jarh wat’Ta’deel upon which the entire science of Hadeeth relies upon is not mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah
  4. The sciences of Sarf & Nahw are not mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah

So should be discard “Tawheed” because its not mentioned? What about “Tajweed”? Some of the words have their origins in the Qur’aan and Sunnah while others were coined independently.

Nevertheless to close this argument, the terms “Tazkiyah” and “Ihsaan” are used in the Qur’aan and Authentic Sunnah so we can refer to them Insha’Allah if some have objection to "Tassawuff" but this term was coined to distinguish between Authentic and Pro-Sunnah "Tassawuff" from Bid'ah so it has a specific context and this matter is discussed in "The Sunnah way of the Sufees"

http://www.al-rashad.com/The-Sunnah-Way-of-the-Sufis-Risala-al-Mustarshidin_p_3201.html

However the word “Sufi’ism” which is commonly used in the Western world should be discarded as it has no Islamic origin or set definition.  

Jazakullah Khairun

 

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#5 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 11:58

Argument 3:  Whatever is being practised around in the name of “Tassawuff” today is Bid’ah and should be discarded.


We will insert 4 words in your statements and then agree with it.


Whatever is being practised around in the name of “Tassawuff” against the Qur’aan & Sunnah today is Bid’ah and should be discarded.


The only way to love and get close to Allah (SWT) is through the Sunnah of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) and it is abundantly clear from the Qur’aan:


[3:31] Say (O Prophet): If you really love Allah, then follow me, and Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

It is a fundamental principle of Tassawuff that no Muslim can progress or cleanse themselves by going against the Sunnah and since all matters contrary to Sunnah are ipso facto outside of Islam and since Tassawuff is within Islam so how can unIslamic matters and practises be considered Tassawuff?

But why throw the baby out with the bathwater? There are modernist Muslims who have made errors and tried to interpret the Qur’aan according to their false understanding so do we throw the Qur’aan out? There are modernist Muslims who have made arguments against some Hadeeth so do we throw Hadeeth out? Off course not!

It is our duty (as Muslims) to expunge the heresies, false ideas and blameworthy practises and restore the inherent gloss so why should Tassawuff be exempt?

Lastly, this argument is more about the deviant and Bid’ah practises in Tassawuff like twirling around, dancing etc and we agree that these practises and whatever is against the Qur’aan & Sunnah should be discarded.

 Jazakullah Khairun

 

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#6 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 12:11

Argument 4:  There is deviancy in the Aqeedah of those who practise “Tassawuff”


Again this argument isn’t specific to Tassawuff. Deviancy in Aqeedah is a serious problem for any Muslim whether or not he/she is practising the science of “Tassawuff” or not and their involvement in “Tassawuff” has no bearing on the matter and there is no inherent association between “Tassawuff” and deviancy in Aqeedah.


In fact almost all of the Islamic texts associated with the science of “Tassawuff” mention correction of Aqeedah as the fundamental stepping stone for an individual to progress.


We believe that the one making the argument is perhaps referring to strange and deviant practises within Tawwasul, Istigatha, Isti’aana etc and we agree that these matters should be highlighted, condemned and all efforts should be made to expunge them from the Muslim Ummah but they are by definition an Ummah wide issue and it is incorrect to make “Tassawuff” responsible for these ills anymore then holding Qur’aan & Sunnah responsible for them since the deviants who propagate these practises falsely justify them in the Qur’aan & Sunnah.


Deviancy in Aqeedah and practises against the Qur’aan & Sunnah have no place in Islam and thereby have no place in “Tassawuff”.

http://www.deoband.org/2010/09/aqida/deviant-beliefs/istighatha-seeking-help-from-other-than-allah/

http://www.deoband.org/2010/09/aqida/deviant-beliefs/istighatha-seeking-help-from-other-than-allah/

http://www.central-mosque.com/aqeedah/taw1.htm


Jazakullah Khairun

 

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#7 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 12:45
jazakallaahu khayran bro muadh...this info will insha Allah help me a lot with people who are against tasawwuf
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#8 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 14:04

"ummi taalib" wrote:
jazakallaahu khayran bro muadh...this info will insha Allah help me a lot with people who are against tasawwuf

Not done yet.

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#9 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 14:37

Argument 5:  People of “Tassawuff” always discuss about dreams, Kashf & Karamah.


So what about discussing these matters? Let’s discuss them individually.

Dreams:


Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) prophesised that towards the end of time most of the dreams of a true believer will be accurate and that good dreams are part of Nabuwwah (i.e. Prophethood):


Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When the time draws near (when the Resurrection is near) a believer's dream can hardly be false. And the truest vision will be of one who is himself the most truthful in speech, for the vision of a Muslim is the forty-fifth part of Prophecy, and dreams are of three types: one good dream which is a sort of good tidings from Allah; the evil dream which causes pain is from the satan; and the third one is a suggestion of one's own mind; so if any one of you sees a dream which he does not like he should stand tip and offer prayer and he should not relate it to people, and he said: I would love to see fetters (in the dream), but I dislike wearing of necklace, for the fetters is (an indication of) one's steadfastness in religion. The narrator said: I do not know whether this is a part of the hadith or the words of Ibn Sirin. [Muslim]


Kashf, Ilham & Intuition:


In the Qur’aan there are numerous places where the word “Wahi  (revelation)” or a derivative thereof is used to indicate a special message by Allah (SWT) revealed to someone other than a prophet.


Example 1 (Honey Bee):

وَأَوۡحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحۡلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِى مِنَ ٱلۡجِبَالِ بُيُوتً۬ا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعۡرِشُونَ
 

[16:68] Your Lord revealed to the honeybee: .Make homes in the mountains, in the trees and in the structures they raise.

Example 2 (Mother of Sayyidina Musa (AS)):

وَأَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنۡ أَرۡضِعِيهِ‌ۖ فَإِذَا خِفۡتِ عَلَيۡهِ فَأَلۡقِيهِ فِى ٱلۡيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِى وَلَا تَحۡزَنِىٓ‌ۖ إِنَّا رَآدُّوهُ إِلَيۡكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ

[28:7] We inspired the mother of Musa saying, .Suckle him (Musa). Then once you fear about him, cast him in the river, and do not fear, and do not grieve. Surely We are going to bring him back to you and appoint him one of (Our) messengers.

Example 3 (Jinns & Humans):

عَـٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ فَلَا يُظۡهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيۡبِهِۦۤ أَحَدًا (٢٦) إِلَّا مَنِ ٱرۡتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٍ۬ فَإِنَّهُ ۥ يَسۡلُكُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦ رَصَدً۬ا

[72:26] (He is the) Knower of the Unseen. So He does not let anyone know the Unseen created by Him,

[72:27] except a messenger whom He chooses (to inform through revelation), and then He appoints (angels as) watching guards before him and behind him, (so that devils may not tamper with the divine revelation,)

Therefore we (Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaah) interpret these verses and many incidents in Ahadeeth and believe that Wahi (i.e. revelation) upon Prophets ended with Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has ended but Allah (SWT) can still inspire upon the hearts of the people but these inspirations can neither replace Islamic Shariah nor add or delete anything from it because Islam (our Deen) is complete as emphatically stated in the Qur'aan:

[5:3] ...Today, I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My blessing upon you, and chosen Islam as Din (religion and a way of life) for you.

Karamat (upon Auliyah):

http://www.central-mosque.com/aqeedah/taymiyahaulia.htm

Karamat are manifestations which defy general rules and laws of physics and it is also the agreed upon belief of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaah that they occur on non prophets and the following are two examples from the Qur'aan itself:

Example 1 (Sayyidina Maryam (AS)):

[3:37] So, her Lord accepted her, a good acceptance, and made her grow, a good growth, and made Zakariyya her guardian. Whenever Zakariyya visited her at the place of worship, he found food with her. He said: .Maryam, from where did you have this?. She said: .It is from Allah. Surely, Allah gives whom He wills without measure..

Example 1 (Sayyidina Kahdir (AS)):

The story of Sayyidina Khidr (Khadir) [AS] is mentioned in the Qur'aan and Allah (SWT) mentions that he was specially blessed so much so that the great Nabi Moosa (AS) asked to accompany him and learn from him.

[18:65] Then they found one of Our servants whom We blessed with mercy from Us and whom We gave knowledge, a knowledge from Our own.

[18:66] Musa said to him, .May I have your company so that you teach me some of the rightful knowledge you have been given.

Conclusions:

So dreams, Ilham, Kashf and Karamat still occur upon the pious and the Auliya-Allah (SWT) and we know of ABSOLUTELY no verses or Ahadeeth to state that they have been discontinued and we also don't believe that powers of Allah (SWT) have diminished in the least.

These are not something which a person can earn or achieve of their own free will rather they are gifts which Allah (SWT) bestows upon whomsoever he (SWT) wills.

However, as previously stated that they CANNOT add or delete even an iota from Islamic Shariah nor can they declare anything permissable or imperssible and nor can Ulama give Fatawa based on them as the foundations remain to be Qur'aan & Sunnah and a person experiencing these matters has no guarentee of salvation or closeness to Allah(SWT) as the yardstick remains to be actions according to the commandments of Allah (SWT) & Sunnah of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam).

Lastly, the individual actions of person claiming such matters will be considered i.e. a person who is deficient in following the commandments of Allah (SWT) and lenient (or lazy or careless) in following the Sunnah of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) will be deemed inappropriate and such supernatural feats will be deemed as black magic, Istidraaj and whispers of Shaytaan.

Dreams, utterings and doings of Auliya-Shaytaan (friends of Shaytaan) are REJECTED.

Dreams, utterings and doings of Auliya-Allah (friends of Allah) are DISCUSSED but even they are not included to allowed to tamper with or change injunctions in Islamic Shariah and they will be ACCEPTED or REJECTED based on the actions of the person and the incident in itself.


Jazakullah Khairun

P.S: There are literally hunderds of examples of these from the Sunnah and Islamic history but for the sake of brevity they have been ommitted.

One of the foremost amongst Fuqaha of our times respected, beloved and honoured Shaykh (Mufti) Taqi Usmani (HA) writes in Discourses on Islamic way of life (Volume 5) about dreams of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) specifcially:

 

 


 

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#10 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 15:02

Argument 6:  People of “Tassawuff” engage in Bay’ah individually, collectively and with women and children.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this matter as all of these cases are proven from the Qur’aan & Sunnah.

Bay’ah itself:

The act of Bay’ah is present in the Qur’aan:

[48:10] Those who pledge allegiance with you (by placing their hands in your hand) they, in fact, pledge allegiance with Allah. Allah's hand is over their hands. Then, whoever breaks his pledge breaks it to his own detriment, and whoever fulfils the covenant he has made with Allah, He will give him a great reward.

Non-Jihad Bay’ah :

Some people say Bay’ah is only restricted to Jihad and people of Tassawuff have innovated by using this in their methodology and to them we quote the words of Allah (SWT).

[60:12] O you who believe, when the believing women come to you, seeking bai‗ah (a pledge of allegiance) with you that they will not ascribe any partner to Allah, and will not commit theft, and will not commit fornication, and will not kill their children, and will not come up with a false claim (about the parentage of a child) that they falsely attribute (to the sperm of their husbands being dropped) between their hands and their feet (i.e. their private parts), and will not disobey you in what is recognized (in Shariah), then take them in your bay'ah, and pray Allah for their forgiveness. Surely Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

Bay’ah of individuals:

The incidents of single individuals visiting Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) and taking Bay’ah are numerous and we will quote one example which is rigorously authenticated and quoted in many works of Ahadeeth:

Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi, Abu Nu’aym, Ibn Asakir, at-Tabarani, and al-Hasan bin Sufyan all narrated from Basheer bin al-Khasasiyyah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, to give bay’a to him. I said to him: “Upon what will you take bay’a from me, oh Messenger of Allah?” So the Messenger of Allah stretched out his arm and said: “That you bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, and to pray the five Salaat prayers in their time, and to give the obligatory Zakaat, and to fast in Ramadan, and to perform Hajj, and to do jihad in the cause of Allah.” I said: “All of them I am capable of except two: the Zakaat, for by Allah the only thing I possess is 10 camels, and they are the carriers of my family, and the jihad, for I am a cowardly man, and they claim that he who runs away in war shall incur the anger of Allah, and I fear that if the fighting takes place, that I would be scared, escape, and thus incur the anger of Allah upon me.” So the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, pulled back his arm and moved it and said, “Oh Basheer, no sadaqa and no jihad! By what way, then, shall you enter Paradise?” So I said: “stretch out your arm that I shall give you bay’a,” and I gave him bay’a for all of them. (Narrated thus in Kanz al-Ummal and all the men in its chain are trustworthy, as stated by al-Haythami).

And the following incident is also rigorously authenticated and quotes an incident of Non-Jihad related Bay’ah:

And imam Ahmad also narrated from Jarir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “I gave bay’ah to the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, to establish the prayers, and give the Zakaat, and to give naseeha (good council) to every Muslim.” (Narrated as well by at-Tabari).

Group Bay’ah & Repetition of Bay’ah:

The following incident is also rigorously authenticated and proves both points beyond doubt:

Sayyidna ‘Awf bin Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We were with the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, nine, eight, or seven of us.  He said: “Shall you not give bay’ah to the Messenger of Allah?” We had just given a bay’a recently, so we said: “We have already given you bay’ah, o Messenger of Allah!” He said: “Will you not give bay’ah to the Messenger of Allah?” So we stretched out our arms and said: “We will give you bay’ah, o Messenger of Allah. What then shall we give bay’ah to?”  He said: “To worship Allah, associating no parter to Him, and to pray the five Salaat prayers, and to hear and to obey” and then he added in a low voice: “And not to ask anything from other people.” And I have seem some of these people, if their whip falls to the floor, they would not ask anyone to hand it to them. (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i).

Bay’ah of women & its methodology:

The following incident is also rigorously authenticated and describes the Bay’ah of a women:

At-Tabarani narrated from ‘Azza bint Khaayel, may Allah be pleased with her, that “she came to the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, and he took bay’ah from her that: ‘you do not commit adultery, you do not steal, and you do not kill your children, the apparent or the hidden.’  She said: “As for the apparent killing of children, I knew what that was, but as for the hidden killing, I did not ask the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, nor did he tell me. But it has come to my heart that it means: the corruption of the child, and so by Allah I will never let any of my children become corrupted!”

How this Bay’ah was taken from women is explained in Sahih Bukhari by Sayyidina Aisha (RA):

Narrated 'Urwa: Aisha told me, "Allah's Apostle used to examine them according to this Verse: "O you who believe! When the believing women come to you, as emigrants test them . . . for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (60.10-12) Aisha said, "When any of them agreed to that condition Allah's Apostle would say to her, 'I have accepted your pledge of allegiance.' He would only say that, but, by Allah he never touched the hand of any women (i.e. never shook hands with them) while taking the pledge of allegiance and he never took their pledge of allegiance except by his words (only)."

Bay’ah of Children:

And it is also sunna for children to give bay’ah. For it is narrated that Ibn al-Zubayr and Abdallah ibn Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with them, came to give bay’a to the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, when they were seven years old. So when he saw them, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, he smiled and stretched out his hand to them, and they gave bay’ah to him. (Narrated by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawa’id).

 

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#11 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 16:55
Did you get all this from the dewsbury lessons? Are they recorded?
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#12 [Permalink] Posted on 7th January 2011 17:05

"ummi taalib" wrote:
Did you get all this from the dewsbury lessons? Are they recorded?

Nope, I have been thinking about it for six (6) months or so on how to synthesize and summarise this topic.

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#13 [Permalink] Posted on 8th January 2011 00:51
Awesome, this was one topic that I dont understand properly. i have been meaning to study it, but have not had the chance. I always refrained from looking into it, Allah knows best why. But, AlHumdulillah, its a good start.

May Allah help us all in understanding this topic in the way it should be understood without any wrongs, & may Allah reward you brother Muadh for your sincere efforts.
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#14 [Permalink] Posted on 8th January 2011 16:12

Argument 7:  I have Qur’aan & Sunnah so why do I need “Tassawuff”?

This is the most important objection which you have raised and the rest of the replies will be based upon the answer to this one.

In Islam all actions are judged upon the purity and sincerity of intention. In other words you can pray learn your Salah in the most Authentic manner and perform it in the most authentic external manner but if there is “showing off” in it, it won’t be accepted and similar is the case of any other acts of worship in Islam.

Allah (SWT) has commanded sincerity, purity and exclusiveness most emphatically in the Qur’aan and as an example we will quote you two verses:

[98:5] while they were not ordered but to worship Allah, making their submission exclusive for him with no deviation, and to establish Salah and pay Zakah. That is the way of the straight religion.

[39:11] Say (O Muhammad (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam))! I have been ordered to worship Allah, making my submission exclusive to Him.


The science of Tassawuff directly concerns the state of the heart & Nafs (ego) and purification of it which means getting rid of Haram states (such as jealousy, anger, pride etc.) and adopting Haram states (such as Gratefulness, Contentment etc.). In the Qur’aan success is emphatically linked with cleansing the heart and soul:

[91:7] and by the soul, and the One who made it well,

[91:8] then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety,

[91:9] success is really attained by him who purifies it,

[91:10] and failure is really suffered by him who pollutes it.


The same point is made in the Authentic Hadeeth of Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam):

Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) said: "Allah does not look at your bodies and faces, but at your hearts." [Nasa’i]

Today, we have an avalanche of Islamic knowledge and  ever increasing ways of “searching it” but what has happened to our state? We have Muslims who can Masha’Allah quote Qur’aan & Hadeeth from their tongues but secretly their engaged in watching Haram and filthy stuff and their eyes are consumed with looking at watching women and their hearts are engaged in fantasizing about them. “The Heart” is at the center of these diseases and illnesses as told to us by Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam):

Nauman Ibn Bashir (RA) reports that he heard  Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) say, “…Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be whole, all the body is whole and which, if it be diseased, all of it is diseased. Truly it is the heart." [Agreed upon]

Wabisa bin Mabad (RA) reports that he went to the Rasul-ullah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) who said: "You have come to ask about righteousness ?" . I said:" Yes." He said: "Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart feels tranquil, and wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and moves to and from in the breast even though people again and again have given you their legal opinion [in its favor]." [Ahmed, Darimi]

Its not about how much you know but about how much of it you practice and how sincere you are in your practice! If you are secretly engaged in impressible activities and your morals and mannerism are in contradiction to the Sunnah and your behavior with your wife and kids is less then exemplary and secretly your heart is full of lusts and desires you need to rectify these matters before your death reaches you.

Reformation and correction of these ugly, sinful and illicit matters is OBLIAGATORY upon every Muslim man and woman just like external practices of Shariah such as Salah, fasting etc and the science of Tassawuff concerns itself with these matters and a Shaykh of Tassawuff specializes in correction of these matters.

To make the point more clear, we reproduce the Qur’anic verse from argument 1:

[3:164] Allah has surely conferred favour on the believers when He raised in their midst a messenger from among themselves
 

  1. who recites to them His verses
  2. and makes them pure
  3. and teaches them the Book
  4. and the Wisdom,


while earlier, they were in open error.

There are Ulama who have specialized in recitation of the Qur’aan and teaching to others.

There are Ulama who have specialized in Hadeeth & Fiqh and teaching to others.

There are Ulama who have specialized in “making pure” and teaching to others and it is these group of Ulama who are called “Mashaykh of Tassawuff” and blessed are those who are connected with Ulama who are Shaykh of Qur’aan, Hadeeth, Fiqh and Tassawuff at the same time.  
Bay'ah in Tassawuff is regarded as Sunnah but reformation and correction of evil, sinful and bad habits and purification of the heart is considered OBLIGATORY in Islam, in other words you can contact a Shaykh and discuss your personal situations (marriage etc.) and seek clarifications and correct your behavior without doing Bay'ah.

Just like it is possible to learn Tajweed by yourself by reading and researching hundreds of books eventually , it is possible to get your heart purified eventually but the wise and most effective method is obviously to find a teacher (Shaykh of Tassawuff) and get there quicker.

If your heart is not at peace and your relationship with your wife is suffering and your behavior with your children is pathetic and your Salah is not done with concentration and secretly you are fantasising about other women and you have no personal connection with Allah (SWT) but your perform your prayers and fasting simply because you have to, you need Tassawuff.

You can argue about it, read about it, discuss it, refute and take your issues and problems to your grave OR you can attain peace of heart and mind and attain paradise.

And this is Tassawuff in a nut-shell.

Jazakullah Khairun

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#15 [Permalink] Posted on 8th January 2011 22:03
abu mohammed wrote:
Awesome, this was one topic that I dont understand properly. i have been meaning to study it, but have not had the chance. I always refrained from looking into it, Allah knows best why. But, AlHumdulillah, its a good start.

May Allah help us all in understanding this topic in the way it should be understood without any wrongs, & may Allah reward you brother Muadh for your sincere efforts.


same here,i dont know if i am ever going to start,only Allah knows.
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