Mystifying, fascinating, unfathomable, U N A T T A I N A B L E !!!

Reading about it, discussing it with friends, the mind boggled and the heart longed for this wonderful, mysterious… something!

Through the fadhl of Allah subhaanahu wata’aalaa, slowly but surely tiny windows opened and rays of light began to appear. The following are some of the sayings of the great Mashaaikh of the past and present which led to the realisation that Tasawwuf “was nothing extraordinary”.

Bayazid Bustaami
“Tasawwuf is total and perfect respect”

Junaid Baghdaadi
”Tasawwuf means to follow the Qur’an and Hadith
and to become engrossed in ‘Ibaadah”

Khwaja Mumshad Dinwari
“Abandonment of futility is called Tasawwuf”

From, “Tasawwuf in the light of Hadith”

“Tasawwuf means to leave following your own desires.
That a person exterminates and changes his opinions and thoughts to conform to the Ridhaa (Pleasure) of Allah ta’aalaa”
That one’s love for Allah, the provider of blessings,
outweighs his love for the blessings

The Rooh of Tasawwuf
Zunnun Misri says: “the basis of the entire structure of the Tareeq (the path of Tasawwuf) is in four things:

• The love of Allah. This is the first and the greatest fundamental of Tasawwuf
• Aversion for the world. This is the lowest stage
• Adherence and obedience to the Qur’an (i.e. the Shari’ah)
• The fear that one’s condition (i.e. the lofty status of Imaan) may change

Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi ra
“To make mujaahadah (struggle against the base desires), to strive to follow the commands of Allah, to refrain from sins is the gist of Tasawwuf”

“Aim of Sulook is Ridhaa-e-Haqq (pleasure of Allah). Essentials for this is the knowledge of the Tareeq (road leading to Allah) and ‘amal (deeds) in accordance with this knowledge."


Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Khandalwi ra
on being asked about Tasawwuf said,

“The ibtidaa (beginning) of Tasawwuf is: Innamal a’amaalu binniyyaat (verily actions are judged by the intentions).

The intihaa (ending) is: An ta’budullaaha ka-annaka taraahu – (Worship Allah as though you see him)”


Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (hafizahullah)
“Tasawwuf is nothing extraordinary. To make Mujaahadah, to struggle against the Nafs in order to fulfil the commands of Allah and to refrain from His disobedience, to follow the day to day Shari’ah of Allah is Tasawwuf”