Understanding Tasawwuf
Shaikh Muhammad Hisyam Kabbani
THE SIX ANSWERS
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem, was-sallaat was-salaam
'ala Nabiyyina Muhammad, wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa
salaam. As-salaam alaykum wa rahmatullah.
Please excuse the brevity of this answer, because we
feel the subject deserves a much more through
discussion. However, this is adequate treatment for a
WWW site. We will list a number of references which
the interested reader can go to, in order to increase
his understanding of the Islamic Science of Tasawwuf.
Answer to the First Question: "What is Tasawwuf?" In
response to the first question:
>> 1. What is Tasawwuf? Please give a detailed
definition and explanation of the meaning of this
terminology and the word itself?
We say:
To answer your first question, from our point of view,
we see here that you are referring in your question
"what is Tasawwuf" to your wanting a detailed
explanation of the term and the word. This means you
accept that it is only a TERM, which has been used to
explain a STATE that WAS MENTIONED in the time of
the Prophet saw. You then ask to define the word
itself--implying that you understood that Tasawwuf is
a TERM used to express a concept.
We shall try to be very precise in defining this term,
because after receiving so many accusations, from here
and from there, we have decided to give a concise and
short definition, though we would prefer to spend more
time to build up a background for the readers. But due
to the number of accusations that we are running away
from answering these questions, we are making it very
concise at this time.
It is obvious and well-known to everyone that in this
century people have differences in understanding the
subject of Tasawwuf. Some people believe it is against
Islam and is not mentioned in Shari'ah, Qur'an or
Sunnah. On the other hand, followers of Ibn Taymiyya's
school, followers of the four Imams schools' and
followers of many other Imams who came later, such as
as-Subki , as-Suyuti, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, and many
many others, accepted it and knew that Tasawwuf has
its roots deep in Qur'an and Sunnah and the Shar'iah.
These great scholars accepted Tasawwuf because they
knew the reality of the meaning of that term.
The term Tasawwuf was not known in the time of the
Prophet (s).
However, ["wa in kanat at-tasmiyyatu muhdathan,"] even
though the name is new, the essence of it is part and
parcel of the religion and cannot be separated out
from it. The purpose of Tasawwuf is to purify the
heart from all kinds of bad desires and inclinations
and the dirtiness that accumulates upon it due to sins
and wrongdoing, either externally or internally, and
to remove these bad manners and sins and to clean the
self and to dress and decorate the heart with the good
behavior and good manners that are demanded by the
Holy Qur'an and the Holy Sunnah of the Prophet (s).
Its purpose is to create the state of Ihsan,
perfection of character, which was the state of the
Prophet (s), and the state which each of his
Companions (s) was striving to acheive.
Tasawwuf = Tazkiyyat an-Nafs
The term Tasawwuf was used to identify the way of
cleansing the heart, originally called Tazkiyyat
an-Nafs in the Qur'an, but which became known later as
the Science of Tasawwuf. Originally this 'ilm(science)
was known by the terms the Scinece of Austerity
(Zuhd), the Science of Purification (Tazkiyyah) and
the Science of Perfection of Character (Ihsan). The
terms Zuhd, Tazkiyyat and Ihsan were the terms used in
the time of the Prophet (s).
Later these terms were defined in extensive detail and
were refined as were the other sciences of Islam such
'Ilm al-Hadith, 'Ilm al-Kalaam, 'Ilm an-Nahu, and the
many other sciences, including 'Ilm at-Tasawwuf. These
Sciences were defined and their schools were
established, based on what the Prophet (s) was doing,
explaining and speaking in his time.
The Necessity of the Development of Islamic Sciences
After the Prophet (s) We see that in the time of the
Prophet (s) there was no need for 'Ilm an-Nahu to be
taught, even to a child. Because in their natural
state (fitra), raised in the land of Hijaz , even a
child could read a poem or Arabic text without any
need for diacritical marks (tashkil). It came
naturally as they were raised knowing it. But later,
when many non-Arabs entered Islam, they were reading
the Qur'an incorrectly. It therefore became necessary
to create new disciplines to assist new Muslims in
reading Quran, so 'Ilm an-Nahu and 'Ilm at-Tashkil
were established.
Similarly the State of Perfection (Ihsan), the State
of Austerity (Zuhd), the State of God-fearingness
(Wara') and the State of God-consciousness (Taqwa)
were naturally practiced by the Sahaba because they
were in the company of the Prophet (s) and those
states were a direct result of that association.
It was for this reason that they were called Sahaba,
because they were the Associates of the Prophet(s) and
it was that Association with him which allowed them to
become purified.
Similarly after the Sahaba, as many impure people
entered Islam, who did not have the opportunity to
meet the Prophet (s) nor the Sahaba, and many new
Muslims of that time left the true path of Islam, it
became necessary to establish a school with its
foundation, just as 'Ilm an-Nahu was established with
its schools. It was necessary to establish schools
through which were developed the disciplines 'Ilm
at-Taqwa, 'Ilm al-Wara', 'Ilm al-Ihsan, 'Ilm az-Zuhd,
and these matters were combined under the main
discipline 'Ilm at-Tasawwuf, the Science of Tasawwuf.
It is obvious and well-known that any term may be used
to name a science and one is free to define or use any
term one wishes. Similarly 'Ilm al-Ihsan is not
changed by giving it a different name. What I wish
from all my heart is that no one will be prevented or
forbidden from learning this important science, as
mentioned in Qur'an and in Hadith, due to prejudice
against the term Tasawwuf. If the term is problematic
to someone, let him give it a different name, but let
him learn the science, by whatever name he wishes to
call it.
We must know that Tasawwuf is not something new in
Islam nor something innovated. Rather it is something
taken from the Prophet (s) and from the Sahaba and its
roots are in Islam. It is not as some enemies
ofIslam--Orientalists and their students--have said
they have innovated many new names for tasawwuf in
order to attack the science and state of Ihsan which
the Prophet mentioned in his Holy Hadith. They
attempted to apply the term superstition (shawwaza) to
the Science of Tasawwuf.
The Linguistic Roots of the Word 'Tasawwuf' There are
four roots given to the word "tasawwuf." The first of
the roots of the word tasawwuf is from the Arabic word
"safa." This word means "pure like crystal,transparent
like water." It is used to refer to the purity and
transparency of a clean heart. There are many other
explanations for the word "tasawwuf." Another one is
that it is derived from "Ahl as-Suffa," (the People of
the Bench), who were the people who lived in the
Mosque of the Prophet (s) during his life and who were
mentioned in the Qur'an in thefollowing verse: "WASBIR
NAFSAKA MA'A AL-LLADHEENA YAD'UNA
RABBAHUMMBIL-GHADAATI
WAL-'AASHIYI YUREEDUNA WAJHAHU WA LAA TA'DUW 'AYNAAKA
'ANHUM, TUREEDU ZEENAT AL-HAYAAT ID-DUNYA, WA LAA
TUTI' MAN AGHFALNA QALBAHU 'AN DHIKRINA WAT-TABBA'A
HAWAAHU WA KAANA AMRUHU FURUTA. " (Kahf, 28).
"[O Muhammad,] keep yourself content with those who
call on their Lord morning and evening seeking His
Face; and let not your eyes pass beyond them, seeking
the pomp and glitter of this life; nor obey any whose
hearts whom We have permitted to neglect the
remembrance of Us, the one who follows his own
desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds."
This verse emphasizes how much the believers have to
keep themselvesin the state of Dhikr, Recollection of
God on the tongue, in the mind and through the heart.
The third of these roots is the word "as-siffa"--"the
characteristics or attributes of carrying goodness and
leaving badness" The fourth linguistic root is from
"Souffattul-kaffa" which means "a soft sponge" as the
Sufi, which is the noun derived from that word, is
like a sponge, whose heart is very soft due to its
purity. That is why the Prophet (s) was always showing
such concern for his
Sahaba, in order to purify their hearts and to show
them that improvement of the self is based on the
improvement of the heart and its being cured of all
diseases, internal and external.
The Prophet Mentions the Condition of the Heart
Therefore the Prophet said, as Bukhari narrated: "alaa
wa inna fil-jassadi mudghattan, idhaa saluhat
saluhal-jassadu kulluh wa idha fassadat fassad
al-jassadu kulluhu, alaa wa hiya al-qalb."
This means: "Surely there is in the body a small piece
of meat; if it was good the whole body is good and if
it is corrupted the whole body is corrupted and that
is the heart." And he said in a hadith narrated by
Muslim in the Chapter of al-Birr, "Inn-Allah laa
yandhuru ila ajsaadikum wa laa ila suwarikum wa lakin
yandhuru ila qulubikum" which means "Surely Allah does
not look at your bodies nor at your faces but He looks
at your hearts." So we see here that the Prophet (s)
was tieing everything to the good condition of the
heart. When we leave bad manners and dress good
manners, then we will have a perfect and healthy
heart. That is what Allah mentioned in the Qur'an:
"YAWMAN LAA YANFA'U MAALUN WA LAA BANOON ILLA
MAN ATT-ALLAHA BI-QALBIN SALEEM." (Shu'ara, 88, 89).
"the Day wherein neither wealth nor sons will avail
but only he will prosper who brings to Allah a sound
heart."
Imam Suyuti said, "the Science of the Heart
[at-Tasawwuf], and to know the heart's diseases such
as jealousy, arrogance and pride, and to leave them is
an obligation on every Muslim." Muffassirun said that
jealousy (hasad), ostentation (ar-riya), hypocrisy
(an-nifaq) and hatred (al-hiqd) are the bad manners
which Allah mentioned in Qur'an "QUL INNAMAA HARAMMA
RABBI AL-FAWAAHISHA MAA DHAHARA MINHA WA MAA BATAN"
(al-'Aaraaf, 33) "say the things that my Lord has
indeed forbidden are: shameful deeds whether open or
secret;" Al-fawaahisha here means hatred (hiqd), envy,
jealousy and hyprocisy. And Allah's mentioning
'whether open or SECRET' is the daleel for the need to
not simply make the exterior actions correct, but to
cleanse that which is hidden by a person in his heart
and is known only to his
Lord.
And the Prophet (s) said, as narrated in Muslim in
Kitab al-Iman: "laa yadkhulul-jannata man kana fi
qalbihi mithqaala dharratin min kibar." "No one will
enter Paradise who has even an atom of pride in his
heart." Tasawwuf is the science and knowledge whereby
one learns to purify the self of the bad desires of
the ego, such as jealousy, cheating, ostentation, love
of
praise, pride, arrogance, anger, greediness,
stinginess, respect for the rich and disregard of the
poor, just as one must purify the external self.
The Science of Tasawwuf teaches one to look at one's
self and to purify oneself according to the Holy
Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet and teaches one
to dress oneself with the perfect attributes
(as-siffat ul-kamilah), such as Repentance (tawba),
God-Consciousness (taqwa) , keeping to the Straight
Way (istiqaama), truthfulness (sidq), sincerity
(ikhlaas), Abstention (zuhd), Piety (war'a), Reliance
on Allah (tawakkul), contentment with the decree
(ar-ridaa'), surrender to Allah (at- tasleem) , good
manners (al-adab), love (muhabbat), remembrance
(Dhikr), watchfulness (muraqaba), and many, many other
qualities too numerous to mention in detail here. So
we see that just as the Science of Hadith,mentioned in
our introduction to this answer, has 35
classifications of hadith, so too does the Science of
Tasawwuf have numerous classifications of both the
good characteristics (akhlaaqan hassana) which are
obligatory for the believer to develop, and the bad
characteristics (akhlaaq idh-dhameema) which it is
obligatory to eliminate, in order to attain the state
of Ihsan--i.e. to become a Doer of good muhsin.
>From here we can see the importance of the Scinece of
Tasawwuf and its benefit. It manifests to us clearly
the essence of Islam and its lifeblood, (ruh al-islam
wa qalbahu an-naabid). Islam in not only an external
practice, but it also has an internal life. This is as
Allah says: "WADHARU DHAAHIRAL-ITHMI WA BAATINAH"
Leave the outwardness of sin and its inwardness."
Allah also says in the Qur'an: "MIN AL-MU'MINEENA
RIJAALUN SADAQU MAA 'AHAD-ALLAH 'ALAYH" (al-Ahzab,23)
"Among the Believers are men who have been true
to their Covenant with Allah" Not all believers are
included in this selected group of "those who kept
their covenant with Allah." It means one can be a
believer, but will not be among 'those who have kept
their covenant' until one has reached the state of
"an-nafs az-zakkiyya" the cleansed self, and the state
of Ihsan, Perfection of Behavior, which the Holy
Prophet mentioned in the Holy Hadith. As we have
repeated many, this is what became well-known later as
the Science of Tasawwuf.
What Ibn Taymiyya Says About the Term `Tasawwuf'
And now permit us to mention what Imam Ibn Taymiyya,
(ra) mentioned about the definition of Tasawwuf.
"Alhamdulillah, the pronunciation of the word tasawwuf
has been thoroughly discussed. From those who spoke
about it were not just the the Imams and Shaikhs, 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 (s) or Quraishi for his tribe and Madani
for those of his city, we say Sufi (/i>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."
Imam 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 MA'A
ALLADHEENA AN'AAM-ALLAHU 'ALAYHIM MIN AN-NABIYYIN
WAS-SIDDIQEEN WASH-SHUHADAI' WAS-SAALIHEENA WA HASSUNA
'ULA'IKA RAFEEQA' (an-Nisa', 69,70)
'(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.'" Ibn
Taymiyya continues: "as-Sufi hua fil-haqiqa naw'un min
as-siddiqeen. Fahua as-siddiq alladhee ikhtassa
bil-zuhadiwal-'ibada." This translates: "And the Sufi
is in reality a kind of Siddiq (Truthful One), that
Siddiq who specialized in zuhd and worship."
Ibn Taymiyya continues, "some people criticised
Sufiyya and Tasawwuf and they said they were
innovators, out of the Sunnah, but the truth is they
are striving in Allah's obedience[ mujtahidin fi
ta'at-illahi], as others of Allah's People strove in
Allah's obedience. So from them you will find the
Foremost in Nearness by virtue of his striving
[as-saabiq ul-muqarrab bi hasab ijtihadihi].
And some of them are from the People of the Right hand
[Ahl al-Yameen mentioned in Qur'an in Sura Waqi'ah],
but slower in their progress. For both kinds, they
might make ijtihad and in that case they might be
correct and they might be wrong. And from both types,
some of them might make a sin and repent. And this is
the origin of tasawwuf. And after that origin, it has
been spread and (tasha'abat wa tanawa'at) has its main
line and its branches. And it has become three kinds:
1. Sufiyyat il-Haqa'iq - the True Sufis
2. Sufiyyat il-Arzaaq - the Professional Sufis
(those who use Sufism for personal gain)
3. Sufiyyat il-Rasm - the Caricature Sufis. (Sufi by
appearance only). "
'Abdullah bin Muhammad bin 'Abdul Wahhab On Tasawwuf
Here we would like to quote for you from his eminence
Mohammed Manzour Nu'mani in his letter, page 85, from
his book "Ad-Dia'aat Mukathaffa Di'd ash-Shaikh
Muhammad bin 'Abdal Wahhab" where he says: Shaikh
Abdullah, the son of shaikh Muhammad bin 'Abdul
Wahhab, said about Tasawwuf: "laa nunkiru at-tariqat
as-sufiyyata..." "My father and I, we don't deny or
criticise the Science of Sufism, but on the contrary
we support it becasue it cleans the external and the
internal of the hidden sins which are related to the
heart and the veins and the outward form, even though
the individual might externally be on the right way,
but internally he might be on the wrong way. And that
is why tasawwuf is necessary. But we
don't expect and we don't like to see some of those
using the name of Tasawwuf speak from a state of
unconsciousness."
We are going to stop here, because it will be too
lengthy for our readers and our time is limited, since
we said we needed more time people accused us of
avoiding the issue. And what we have said here is only
a drop in an ocean of what can be said about this
subject. And we are still addressing only the first
question.
Answer to The Second Question You see from the first
question that we have answered
it in brief. And if you carefully read our first
answer, you will find that most of your other five
questions are already answered there.
You asked:
>> 2. "Are there any *dhalils* (proofs & evidences)
from the Quran in regards to Tasawwauf? If there are,
then please state them expilicitly?" Allah Describes
Tazkiyyat an-Nafs as One Duty of the Prophet (s) As we
mentioned previously, the daleel from the Qur'an:
"HUA-ALLADHEE BA'ATHA FI UMMIYYIN RASULAN MINHUM,
YATLU 'ALAYHIM AYAATIHI WA YUZAKKIHIM
WA YU'ALLIMAHUM AL-KITAABA WAL-HIKMATAHA WA IN KANU
MIN QABLU LAFEE DALAALIN MUBEEN" (Jumu'a,2)
"He is the one Who raised among the inhabitants of
Mecca an Messenger from among themselves, who recites
to them His communications and PURIFIES THEM, and
teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, although they
were before certainly in clear error."
That term 'wa yuzakkihim' (PURIFIES THEM) we have
explained above and in the preceding introduction
yesterday. Then Allah mentioned in another verse, "WA
NAFSIN WA MAA SAWAAHA, FA-ALHAMAHA FUJURAHA WA
TAQWAHA. QAD AFLAHA MAN ZAKAAHA WA QAD KHAABA MAN
DAS-SAAHA" (Shams, 7-10) "By the nafs and the
proportion and order given to it, and its inspiration
as to its wrong and its right; Truly he succeeds who
purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it."
We see here that verse of Qur'an stating the necessity
of purifying and cleaning the nafs (tazkiyyat an-nafs)
in order to succeed, in this life and the next. Allah
Orders Believers to Accompany Sadiqeen And Allah says:
"BISMILLAH IR-RAHMAN IR-RAHEEM, ..."
"YA AYYUHALLADHEEN AAMANU ITTAQULLAHA WA KUNU MA'A
AS-SAADIQEEN (Tawba, 119). "O ye who believe, fear
Allah and keep company with those who are rue to their
word" The Sadiqeen mentioned here are the ones
mentioned above in Ibn Taymiyya's quotations. And the
verse above is a daleel for the need o accompany and
to associate with Allah's Near Ones, the Sadiqeen, ho
are the highest-level of awliya, (saints), as
mentioned in ur'an: "ALAA AWLIYA-ULLAHI LAA KHAWFUN
'ALAYHIM WA LAA HIM AHZANUN." (Yunus, 62) "Nay they
are the Friends of God, no fear shall come upon them
neither shall they greive.
"The Sadiqeen are the ones who reached one of the
highest stations of faith and they are mentioned again
in Qur'an: "MIN AL-MU'MINEENA RIJAALUN SADAQU MAA
'AHADU-ALLAHA 'ALAYH" (al-Ahzab, 23). "Among the
Believers are men who have been true to their Covenant
with Allah" this verse continues: "FA MINHUM MAN QADA
NAHBAHU WA MINHUM MAN YANTATHIR WA MAA BADDALU
TABDEELA" "and of them some have died and some still
wait but they have never changed their determination
(in the least.)"
This means that in every time there are people who are
holding fast to the Covenant of Allah. Allah Describes
Someone Who Learns Directly From His Presence Here we
will mention some of the verses, when Sayiddina Musa
(as) met with Sayiddina Khidr. Allah describes this
meeting eloquently: "FAWAJADA 'ABDAN MIN 'IBAADINA,
ATAYNAAHU RAHMATAN MIN 'INDINA WA 'ALLAMNAAHU MIN
LADUNNA 'ILMA. QALA LAHU MUSA, HAL ATTABI'UKA 'ALAA
AN-TU'ALIMMANEE MIMMA 'ULLIMTA RUSHDA? QALA INNAKA LAN
TASTATI' MA'AYA SABRA." (Kahf, 66,67).
"So they found one of Our servants on whom we had
bestowed mercy from Ourselves and whom we had taught
knowledge from Our Own Presence. Moses said to him,
'may I follow you on the condition that you teach me
something of the Higher Truth which you have been
taught?' The other said, 'Surely you will not be able
to have patience with me.'" From these verses, we see
that even though Sayiddina Musa (as) was a prophet,
and was the only prophet to speak with Allah directly
(Kalimullah), nevertheless sayiddina Khidr possessed
knowledge which Musa did not have, and which Musa
sought to obtain from him, because Sayiddina Khidr was
receiving knowledge directly from the Presence of
Allah ('allamnaahu min ladduna 'ilma). And that person
was one of Allah's Friends, as described in the verse
above. From these
verses, as well as the ones mentioned above, we see
one of the many daleels for following a guide, or
shaikh at-tarbiyya, in the technical terminology of
Tasawwuf.
Allah Almighty Promises to Guide Aright The Muhsineen
And Allah says: "WALLADHEENA JAAHADU FEENA
LA-NAHDI-ANNAHUM SUBULANA WA ANNA ALLAHA LA-MA'A
AL-MUHSINEEN" (al-'Ankabut, 69) "those who are
striving in Our Way, we will guide them to Our paths,
for verily Allah is with those who do right." Most of
the great scholars of Islam were practicing tazkiyyat
an-nafs and trying to reach the state of Ihsan.
They are the ones who spread Islam in Central Asia,
India, Pakistan, Turkey, Bosnia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
China, Indo-China, Spain, Eastern Europe, and MOST of
Africa. All of these scholars who were practicing
Tasawwuf spread Islam through these countries through
their states of zuhud, wara', taqwa and tazkiyya,
which made them so attractive and so
appealing to the people with whom they associated,
that they were automatically drawn to Islam. Allah
Mentions the Hearts of the 'Ulama And Allah mentioned:
"BAL HUM AYAATUN BAYYINATTUN FI SUDUR-ILLADHEENA UTUL
'ILMA..." (al-'Ankabut, 49)
"know here are signs self-evident in the hearts of
those who have been endowed with knowledge, and none
but the unjust reject our signs." And Allah says:
"WAT-TAB'I SABEELA MAN ANAABA ILAYA" (Luqman,
15)."follow the path of those who have turned to Me"
That is the way of those who love Allah (commentary of
Yusuf Ali). That is the state of love mentioned which
is related to the heart, not to the mind. Allah Orders
Believers to Find a Means of Approach to Him "YA
AYUHALLADHEENA AAMANU IT-TAQQULLAHA WABTAGHU ILAYH
IL-WASEELATA WA JAAHIDU FEE SABEELIHI LA'ALAKUM
TUFLIHOON." (al-Ma'idah, 35) "O Believers, be wary of
Allah and find a means to approach Him and strive in
His Way that perhaps you may be of the successful."
That means that one must strive in Allah's way--not in
the ego's way, or towards the ego and desires, if
anyone wishes to be successful. And it indicates the
necessity to follow the footsteps of the Prophet as
the wasilah (the means of approach) to Allah Almighty.
Allah Mentions Tazkiyyat an-Nafs
Allah says: "YATLU 'ALAYHIM AYAATIKA WA YU'ALLIMAHUM
UL-KITAABA WAL-HIKMATA WA YUZAKIHIM" (Baqara, 129) "(a
Messenger) who shall rehearse Your signs to them
and instruct them in the Book and wisdom and SANCTIFY
THEM [tazkiyyat an-nafs]." and "KAMA ARSALNA FEEKUM
RASULAN MINKUM, YATLU 'ALAYKUM AYAATINA WA YUZAKIKUM"
(Baqara, 151). "A similar (favour have you already
received), in that we have sent among you an Messenger
of your own, rehearsing to you Our signs, and
SANCTIFYING YOU [SCIENCE OF TASAWWUF]..." and "QAD
AFLAHA MAN TAZZAKA WA DHAKAR ASMA RABBIHI FA-SALLA"
(al-'Aala,14) "those will prosper who PURIFY
THEMSELVES and glorify the Name of their Lord and
pray."
Here, Allah Almighty is mentioning the characteristics
of the mutassawwifs, those who are PURIFYING
THEMSELVES, that they are always remembering their
Lord, by recalling His Names and Attributes and they
are attentive to their prayers. and "WA MAN TAZZAKA
FA-INNAMA YATAZAKA LI-NAFSIHI WA ILA-ALLAH-IL-MASEER"
(Faatir, 18) "and whoever PURIFIES HIMSELF does so to
his own soul's benefit; and to Allah is the
Journeying"
We find here the deep essence of Tasawwuf, the Science
of the Purifying the Self. We remind the reader here
that this is only a technical term, which can be
replaced by any other word. This is Islam. If someone
is claiming to follow or practice Islam, then they
must partake in this struggle to purify the self, as
it is so clearly ordered in these verses. Indeed it is
meaningless to claim that there could be any Islam
[surrender to Allah] without this pursuit of self-
purification. Whether one is successful or not in this
pursuit, is not the question, but its necessity is
incumbent on every Muslim, man or woman.
"WA MAA YUDREEKA LA'ALAHU YAZZAKA AW YADHDHAKARA
FA-TANFA'AHU DHIKRA" (Abasa, 3,4) "but what could tell
you that perchance he might grow in PURITY? or
that he might receive admonition and the teaching
might profit him." and, "FA AAARADNA AN YUBDILLAHUM
RABBAHUMA KHAIRAN MINHU ZAKAATAN WA AQRABU RUHMA"
(Kahf, 81). "and We desired that the Lord would give
them in exchange (a son) better in PURITY and closer
in affection." and "LI-AHHABA LAKI GHULAMAN ZAKIYYA"
(MARYAM, 19) "...to give as a gift to you a PURE son"
[here the word zakiyya is mentioned again, referring
to Sayiddina 'Isa (as)]. and "KHUDH MIN AMWAALIHIM
SADAQATAN TUTAAHIRHUM BIHA WA TUZAKKIHIM fHA WA SALLI
'ALAYHIM INNA SALAATUKA SAKANUN LAHUM" (Tawba, 99) of
their wealth take alms so you might SANCTIFY THEM and
pray on them, verily your prayers are a source of
security for them."
"WA LAW LAA FADLULLAHI 'ALAYKUM WA RAHMATUHU MA ZAKKA
MINKUM MIN AHADIN ABADAN WA LAKIN-ALLAH YUZZAKI MAN
YASHA'U WALLAHU jAMI'UN 'ALEEM." (Nur,21) "if not for
the Grace and Mercy of Allah on you, not one of you
would ever have been PURE. But Allah PURIFIES whom He
pleases. And Allah is One who Hears
and Knows all things." These are some of the verses
in the Holy Qur'an that mention the need to purify the
self. And purification of the self, Tazkiyyat an-Nafs,
is one of the essentials of the Science of Tasawwuf.
The Dictionary Meaning of Tazkiyya
If we take the dictionary and look up the meaning of
the word tazkiyya, in all its meanings, we see 'zaka'
means "was clean", yuzakki means"to clean," and "to be
purified." Also 'zaka' means cleansed." 'Tazkiyya' is
defined as "to purify, clean." 'Yuzakki' means
"cleanseth and purifieth" The word 'Zakaatun' is
translated "an Islamic tax, poor-due, poor-rate or
charity, but none of them renders the full meaning of
the term. Thus it is reasonable to use the term as
such: purity, piety." The word 'Azkaa' translates as
"the purest. Zakiyyatan' means "pure, innocent" The
above definitions are found in "Vocabulary of the Holy
Qur'an," page 243.
Verses of Qur'an About the State of Perfected
Character, Ihsan
Those were some of the verses addressing the
discipline of Tazkiyyat an-Nafs, purification of the
self. Now we wish to quote some of the verses
addressing the state of Ihsan. We are not yet quoting
the very important hadith, in which Jibril (as) asked
about Ihsan in Umm ul-Hadith in Bukhari. Ihsan is
mentioned in Holy Qur'an in many places and we will
mention some of them here: "INNA RAHMATULLAHI QAREEBUN
MIN-AL MUHSINEEN." (al-'Aaraaf, 56) "For
the Mercy of God is near to those who are good
(muhsineen)" and, "INNA ALLAHA MA'A-ALLADHEENA 'TTAQAW
WALLAHDHEENA HUM MUHSINUN" (Nahl, 128) "For Allah is
with those who restrain themselves and who are good."
and "HAL JAZA' UL-IHSANI ILLA AL-IHSAN" (Rahman, 60)
"is there any reward for Goodness other than Good?"
[the word Ihsan, translated here as Good or goodness,
is not adequately conveyed by these English terms, as
it is a much more comprehensive meaning.] and "WA
YAJZILLADHEE AHSANU BIL-HUSNA" (Najm, 31) "and
He rewards those who do good with what is best." and
we all have memorized the ayat, read at every khutbat
il-Juma': "INN-ALLAH YA'MURU BIL 'ADLI WAL-IHSAANI WA
'ITTA'I DHIL QURBA..." (Nahl, 90) "Allah command
justice, the doing of good [ihsan], and giving to kith
and kin and he forbids all indecent deeds and evil and
rebellion: He instructs you that you may receive
admonition." and "BALAA MAN ASLAMA WAJAHAHU LILLAHI WA
HUA MUHSINUN FALAHU AJRAHU 'INDA RABBIHI" (Baqara,
112) "nay, whoever who submits his whole self to Allah
and is a Muhsin (in the state of Ihsan), his reward is
with His Lord, on those shall be no fear nor shall
they grieve" and "WA MAN YUSLIM WAJHAHU ILL-ALLAHI WA
HUA MUHSINUN FAQAD ASTAMSAKA BIL 'URWATUL-WUTHQA"
(Luqman, 21) "whoever submits his whole self to Allah
and is in a state of Ihsan has grasped indeed the
firmest handhold, and to Allah will all things
return."
and "WA MAN AHSANU DINNAN MIMMAN ASLAMA WAJHAHU
LILLAHI WA HUA MUHSINUN" (Nis'a, 125) "who can be
better in religion than one who submits his whole self
to Allah and does good in the way that Allah likes
..." The Dictionary Meaning of Ihsan and its
Derivatives Verses about the state of Ihsan are so
numerous that what we have quoted is sufficient. The
true meaning of Ihsan, as the Prophet (s) defined it,
which we will mention in the hadith we are coming to
later, is to worship Allah in such a way that you
strive and progress to make that worship perfect in
both its outward form and its inward reality. One
example of this is praying with humility and
submission, (khudhu and khushu) as if you are seeing
Allah and are aware that He is seeing you.
If we take the dictionary we find that the word Ihsan
and its derivatives has many meanings and they are:
'hasuna': "become excellent, to make good, to seem
good, to be beautiful" [To be beautiful means to
decorate oneself with good attributes, to beautify
inwardly and outwardly]. Other derivatives are:
'Ihsanan' means "to do excellently" 'aahsanu': "they
did good" 'ahsantum': "thou did good" 'ahsin': "thou
do good!" 'ahsinu': "you do good!"
'ihsaanun': "kindness"
'husna': "reward"
'hisaanun': "beautiful ones"
We see here the difference in the meaning. When used
as an adjective, it means kindness and an internal
attitude and composure. So the state of Ihsan
mentioned in the Holy Qur'an is a very high state,
which Jibril (as) showed to be an intrinsic part of
the Din, and which he placed at the same level as the
states of Islam and Iman. Din consists of three
states, Islam, Iman and Ihsan, each of which has its
own complete definition. That is why it was mentioned
in the Holy Qur'an in so many places and why the
Prophet (s) when asked about it by Jibril, gave it the
same importance as he gave to Islam and Iman.
This is the meaning of the whole Science of Tasawwuf.
You can change that term if you don't like it, but we
like because it is a well-known and well-used term. In
Arabic we say "mustallahat laa talghi al-ahkaam wal
haqaa'iq" "terms don't change the basic nature or the
fundamental reality of a thing." In English we say "a
rose by any other name would smell as sweet." If we
continue quoting, we can present many verses, but we
will stop now as we didn't want to make it a long
answer, but we may return to this subject at a later
time.
Answer to the Third Question:
What are Daleels from Hadith on Tasawwuf?
The third question of our esteemed brother, Shaikh
Muhammad Adly is:
>> 3. Are there any *dhaleels* (proofs & evidences)
from the Ahadeeths of our Prophet (saw) on Tasawwuf
and its practices? If there are, then please verify
their authenticity and state them explicitly?
We say: Yes of course without a doubt there are
daleels and proofs from the Sunnah of the Prophet (s)
on Tasawwuf and its practices. As we said before, the
term Tasawwuf is a technical term, which originated
from the various meanings we quoted in the first and
second answers. It has deep roots in the Sunnah of the
Prophet (s) as well. And its origin is Ihsan, the
state of Excellence, that is mentioned in the Sunnah
of the Prophet, in the hadith of Jibril
(as) which is known to all scholars as Source of the
Sunnah (Umm as-Sunnah and Umm al-ahadith) and the
Source of all hadith. It is considered that all hadith
took their root from it.
It is one of the most important hadiths in Islam, and
therefore needs no additional support: Umm ul-ahadith,
The Hadith of Jibril (as) "'An 'Umar (r), qala:
baynama nahnu julus 'inda Rasul-Allahi (s), dhaata
yawmin idhtal'a rajulan shadeed bayaad ith-thiyaab,
shadeedu thawaad ash-sha'ari laa yuraa 'alayhi athar
us-saffari wa laa ya'rifuhu minna ahadun hatta jalasa
ila an-Nabi (s), fa-athnada rukbatayhi ila rukbatayhi,
wa wada'a kaffayhi 'alaa fakhidhayhi, wa qala 'Ya
Muhammadu akhbirni 'an il-Islami?' Faqala Rasul-allahi
(s) 'al-Islam an tashhada an laa ilaha illa-allah wa
anna Muhammadan Rasul-Allah, wa tuqeem as-salaat, wa
tu'ti az-zakaat, wa tasuma Ramadana, wa tahujj
al-bayta in istata'a ilayhi sabila.'
Qala: 'sadaqta' Fa-'ajibna lahu yas'aluhu wa
yusadiquhu. Qala 'fa-akbirnee 'an il-imani.' Qala 'an
tu'mina billahi, wa malaa'ikatihi wa kutubih wa
rusulihi wal-Yawm il-Aakhiri wa tu'mina bil-qadari
khayrihi wa sharrihi.' Qala: 'sadaqta.' Qala:
'fa-akhbirni 'an il-Ihsaani?' Qala: 'an ta'budallaha
ka-annaka taraah. Fa in lam takun taraahu fa-innahu
yaraaka.' Qala: 'fa-akhbirni 'an is-saa'ati?'
Qala: 'maa al-mas'ulu 'anha bi-'aalama min as-sa'ili'
Qala: 'fa-akbirnee 'an aamaaraatiha?' Qala: 'an talida
al-ammatu rabbataha, wa an tara al-hufaata al-uraata
al-'aalata riya' ash-sha'i yattataawaluna
fil-bunyani.' thum antalaqa fa-labithtu malliyan.
thumma qala 'Ya 'Umar atadri man as-sa'il?' Qultu:
'Allahu wa Rasulahu 'aalam.' Qala: 'fa-innahu Jibril
ataakum yu'allimukum deenakum.' (Muslim, Bukhari and
others)
This translates:
Also from 'Umar () who said, 'while we were one day
sitting with the Messenger of Allah (s), no whom be
Allah's blessings and peace, there appeared before us
a man with a very white garment, and very black hair.
No traces of journeying wee visible on him and none of
us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet (s),
rested his knees against his and put his palms on
his thighs and said, 'O Muhammad inform me about
Islam.' Said the Messenger (s): 'islam ist that you
should testify that there is no deity save Allah and
that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should say
the prayers, pay the zakat, fast during Ramadan and go
on Hajj to the House if you can find a way to do so.'
Said he, 'You have spoken truly.'
We were astonished at his first questioning him and
telling him that he was right, but he went on to say:
'Inform me about Iman.' Muhammad (s) answered: It is
that you believe in Allah and His angels, and his
books and his messengers and in the last Day and that
you should believe in the Decreeing of both good and
evil.' He said: 'You have spoken truly.' Then he said:
'Inform me about Ihsan [best behavior.]' The Messenger
answered: 'It is that you should serve Allah as though
you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him, yet
He sees you.' He said: 'Inform me about the Hour.' the
Prophet (s) said: 'About that the one questioned knows
no more than the questioner.'
So he said: 'Inform me about the signs of its coming.'
Said the Prophet (s): 'They are that the slave-girl
will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see
the barefooted, naked, estitute herdsman of sheep
building arrogantly high buildings.' Thereupon the man
went off. I waited a while and then the Prophet (s)
said: 'O 'Umar do you know who that was?' I replied:
Allah and His Messenger know better.'He said: 'That
was Jibril. He came to teach you your
religion.(related by Muslim).
In this hadith, Jibril (as) has divided Din (religion)
into categories or main branches, from which all
religion, all ahadith and all Sunnah flow. And he
emphasized each branch by asking each question
separate from the other. The first branch was related
to his question "what is Islam?" the second was
realted to the question "what is Iman?" and the third
is related to the question "what is Ihsan?" We cannot
say the Din is only Islam, or only Iman or only Ihsan.
We say that each of these branches is essential to the
Din, and none can be left out. The Prophet (s) in his
answers to these questions confirmed this and said to
his Sahaba after Jibril left, "Jibril came to teach
you your religion."
We see from this hadith of Jibril (as), that he
categorized religion into three pillars or essential
components. The first is the pillar of Islam. The
second is the pillar of Iman and third is the pillar
of Ihsan. The first pillar, Islam, is the practical
side of the religion, including worship, deeds and
other obligations. The state of that pillar is the
external side of the self, which is related to the
body and the community. Scholars call that pillar
Shari'ah. Scholars specialized in this and it was
given the name Science of Fiqh (Jurisprudence). The
second pillar, Iman is the aspect of Belief through
the mind and heart. This means belief in Allah, His
Messengers, His Books, the Angels, the Last Day, and
Destiny. And this was known to scholars as 'Ilm
at-Tawhid.
The Third Component of Din al-Islam - Ihsan
(Perfection of Character)
The third aspect of the Din is known as the spiritual
aspect of the heart, to make one aware when combining
the first pillar--which is worship, and the second,
which is belief, to keep the state that you are in the
Presence of Allah, as if seeing Him, in all your
actions and thoughts. And if you cannot see Him
because no one can see Allah in this life, then it
means you must keep the continuous awareness of
Allah's Presence in your heart, knowing that He is
Aware of every atom and every particle in your worship
and in your belief--the states and qualities of your
'Ibadaat and Iman.
As a result it will produce in you a state of
excellence, a state of high quality, by keeping
awareness of Allah's vision on oneslef and making one
taste the spiritiual pleasure and that spiritual light
of knowledge that Allah will direct to your heart from
His favors and His grants. That is what scholars have
termed the Science ofTruth, 'ilm al-Haqiqat, and it
was known by this name in the time nearest to the
Prophet, during the lives of the Sahaba, as
as-Siddiqiyya, the Path of the Siddiqs. Only later did
it become known by the name of Tasawwuf.
We can summarize this by saying, Islam prescribes the
behaviour of a Muslim, Iman relates to his beliefs and
defines them, and Ihsan refers to the state of the
heart which determines whether one's Islam and Ihsan
will bear fruit in this life and the next. The
evidence (daleel) for this is found in the hadith
mentioned above: "alaa wa inna fil-jassadi mudghattan,
idhaa saluhat saluhal-jassadu kulluh wa idha fassadat
fassad al-jassadu kulluhu, alaa wa hiya al-qalb."
which means; "Surely there is in the body a small
piece of meat; if it was good the whole body is good
and if it is corrupted the whole body is corrupted and
that is the heart."
So from the hadith of Jibril (as), known as Umm
al-ahadith, we see that Din consists of three states:
Islam, Iman and Ihsan. The first pillar, Islam is
divided into five components: shahada, salaat, zakat,
sawm, hajj. Iman is divided into six: al-Imanu
billahi,malaa'ikatihi, kutubihi, rusulihi, Yawm
al-aakhir, Qadar. Ihsan is divided into many parts,
including all good character and qualities of a
believer under its umbrella. These parts include but
are not limited to: God-consciousness (taqwa), Fear of
God (wara'), Abstention (zuhd), reverence and
humility, (khu'shu and khudhu), patience (sabr),
Truthfulness (sidq), Trust in God (tawakkul), morality
and good character (adab) which the Prophet (s)
emphasized when he said: "adabanee Rabbi fa-ahsana
ta'deebee," [My Lord taught and trained my in good
manners and He perfected my manners],Forbearance
(hilm), Compassion (ruhma), Generosity (karam),
Humbling one's self (tawada'a), Modesty (haya),
Courage (shuja'a) and many other qualities which were
dressed on the Prophet (s) by Allah Almighty.
Hazrat 'Ayesha said, 'khuluquhul Qur'an' "His
character was the Qur'an" And the Prophet (s) in his
turn, dressed these qualities on all his Sahaba (r)
such that they became perfect and shining examples to
mankind of how human beings should exist in perfect
harmony with the Creator and with each other. Later we
intend to translate Imam Nawawi's explanation
of Umm ul- ahadith, which consists of over eight
pages. There he speaks at length on the subject of
Ihsan under the terms 'Ilm al-Mushahada (the Science
of Witnessing) and 'Ilm al-Haqiqa (the Science of
Reality) which are some of the branches of Tasawwuf.
However we don't have time or space here to do that
now.
The School of Ihsan and Tazkiyya
That school of which the Sahaba partook did not die
with the passing of the Prophet (s). No, on the
contrary, the methods and knowledge with which he was
endowed (peace be upon him), were by turn given to his
Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, and
each of them in turn was a school from which the Ummah
derived its learning of these methods and
knowledge. With the passing of time, these schools
developed and formalized their methods and created a
distinct science termed the Science of Tasawwuf. Just
as the schools of Shari'ah formed in the first three
centuries of Islam, so too did distinct and clearly
visible schools of Tasawwuf form to pass on this
knowledge and science to the succeeding generations of
Muslims.
And just as the/ Shari'ah did not develop outside the
framework of Islam, the Qur'an and the Sunnah, even
though it branches and knowledge encompassed many
areas not mentioned verbatim in these sources, so too
did Tasawwuf develop based on the framework
established by the Book and the Sunnah and never did
it step out of the bounds of these parameters.
The Relationship Between Shari'ah and Haqiqat. We give
here an example for explaining what we said here about
the relationship between Sharia'ah, known as Science
of Jurisrudence and Fiqh, known as the Science of
Ihsan or Tasawwuf. Take prayer for example. It is
obligatory to offer the prayers with all its
requirements in the movements, its essentials and
rules, as mentioned in the Shari'ah, according to the
Science of Fiqh.
This is known as jassad as-salaat, the body of the
prayer. On the other hand one of the essentials of the
prayer is to keep the heart in Allah's Divine Presence
and to know that Allah is looking at you, during the
entire salaat. That will give you the Reality and
Essence of the prayer. And we can know from the
practice of the salaat, that people might do the
outward essentials of salaat, but their hearts may not
be present.
What we mean by the state of Ihsan is to keep the
heart pure and clean from bad manners and attachment
to the distractions of the dunya. the Prophet (s) was
practicing that way, because he said that he came to
take people away from the attractions of dunya and its
distractions. So we see here that the external form of
the salaat is its body, and the humility and
self-effacement (khushu') is its soul (ruh).
So what is the benefit of the body without the soul?
If salaat is movement without presence, then it is
like a zombie. As the soul needs the body to be alive
in it, so too does the body need the soul to give it
life. From here we find the true relationship between
Shari'ah and Haqiqa, is like the relationship between
body and soul. The perfect believer who has reached
the state of Ihsan is the one who can cojoin Shari'ah
and Haqiqat. This is the essential understanding of
Tasawwuf--to combine soul and body, to combine
Shari'ah and Haqiqat.
What Great Imams Said About Tasawwuf For that reason
the Shaikh ul-Islam of his time, Imam Malik--who was
born in 95 H. and who was considered from the
Tabi'een--said in his famous aphorism: "man tassawaffa
wa lam yatafaqah faqad tazandaqa wa man tafaqaha wa
lam yatsawwaf faqad fasadat, wa man tafaqaha wa
tassawafa faqad tahaqqaq." which means: "whoever
studied tasawwuf without fiqh is a heretic and whoever
studied fiqh without tasawwuf is crrupted and whoever
studied tasawwuf and fiqh will find the Truth and
Reality of Islam." Imam Malik didn't accept shari'ah
without haqiqat and he never accepted haqiqat without
shari'ah, fiqh and truth, the state of Islam and the
state of Ihsan.
Imam Shafi'i said, "hubbaba ilaya min dunyakum
thalath: tark at-takkaluf, wa 'ishratul-khalqi
bit-tallatuf, wal-'iqtida'u bit-tareeqi Ahli
tasawwuf." Which means "I love from his life three
things: first to leave behind bad attitudes, and to
show kindness to others, and to be guided by the way
of Tasawwuf." Imam Ahmad said to his son, advising
him, "Ya walladee 'alayka bi-jallassati ha'ula'i
as-Sufiyya. Fa innahum zaadu 'alayna bikathuratil
'ilmi wal murqaba wal khashiyyata waz- zuhda wa
'uluwal himmat." "O my son, you have to keep the
association with the Sufi people because they acheived
more than us in knowledge, in watchfulness, fear of
Allah, austerity and intensity of their devotion to
reach the state of excellence."
Imam Ibn Taymiyya's Opinion of One Who Rejects the
Four Madhabs And these three Imams were from the
well-known Imams of Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jam'a whih Ibn
Taymiyya described in his book "al-Mukhtasir al-
Fawati al Masriyyah" Published by Madani Publisher,
1980, p. 45 when he was asked "what is your opinion if
someone doesn't accept the four Imams?"
Imam Ibn Taymiyya replied: "it is not necessary to
keep one madhab, but you can take from all of them and
this is good. But if you say 'we don't want to comply
with the four Madhabs and I want to practice according
to my own ijtihad,'then you are completely mistaken.
Because truth is in these four madhabs and complies
with what they have described."
>From Ibn Taymiyya here we understand that to respect
the knowledge of the Four Imams is recommended and
that is why Ibn Taymiyya accepted them and took their
opinions. At the same time he was a mujhtahid and
therefore we, who are coming in the 20th Century are
accepting our Muslim scholars who came in the time of
the Tabi'een (i.e. the Four Imams) and those who came
later up to the time of Ibn Taymiyya and we are
accepting Ibn Taymiyya and those in his time. We are
quoting them, just as they have quoted each other. We
are stating here that we consider any disagreement
with us on a topic about which we refer to their
position as a disagreement with them and not with us.
Because we are only quoting what we learned from them
in their books, and which complies with the Shari'ah
and Sunnah. So if we are defining Tasawwuf from the
point of view of Ibn Taymiyya or other scholars, then
any decision one makes must be rendered on their
opinions. So we say: may Allah protect us and make us
students for such great Imams and let us learn from
them, because they derived their
knowledge from Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet saw.
>From here one can go deeper and deeper into what
scholars said on this topic. Because this is a vast
science, for which reason we asked for more time to
define and explain that science.
The Answers to the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Questions
The remaining three questions are:
>> 4. Was our Prophet(saw) a Sufi? If yes, then please
give vivid evidences from the Quran and the Sunnah
only?
>> 5. Did the Prophet(saw) practice Sufism or
Tasawwuf? If yes, then please give evidences from the
Quran and Sunnah only?
>> 6. Did the Prophet(saw) tell/order or even
recommend this, meaning Sufism and Tasawwuf? If yes,
then please give us evidences from the Quran and
Sunnah of the Prophet(saw) only?
We Says :
The fourth, fifth and sixth questions you asked, have
already been answered in our answers to the first
three questions. And as we know that our audience is
intellectual, we are sure they will immediately
understand that the fourth, fifth and sixth questions
have been answered in the responses to the first three
questions. Additionally, Mateen Siddiqui, in his
posting yesterday, examined the fourth question in
detail and gave an adequate reply to it. We hope that
we have given the reader and our dear brother Shaikh
Adly, the answer they expected, although we were very
brief in our answers. We had originally intended to
give each question a complete
and detailed answer.
But due to the shortage of time, due to the pushing of
people from here and there, we
have curtailed our answer. This will show how vast a
subject Tasawwuf is, which now they have tried to
minimize in six questions. And may Allah forgive us
any mistakes we made as we
are simply human beings and we are asking that all our
brothers and sisters to extend their hands with our
hands together, as Allah ordered in the Holy
Quran:"hold fast altogether to the rope of Allah and
do not separate." (Aali-'Imraan, 103)
wassalam,
Mawlana Shaikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
References
1. Majmu'a Fatawi Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya, Imam
Ibn Taymiyya, published in Egypt by Dar ar-Rahma,
1984. page 190, volume 11.
2. al-Mukhtasar al-Fatawa al-Masriyya, Imam Ibn
Taymiyya, published by al-Madani Publishing House,
1980, page 603.
3. [1], page 314 ,Tazkiyatun Nafs
4. 'Ilm as-Sulook [the Science of Travelling the Way
to God], volume 10 Majmu'a Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya , Imam
Ibn Taymiyya, page 516.
5. Majmu'a Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya, published by Dar
ar-Rahmat, Cairo, Vol, 11, Book of Tassuwuf, p. 497.
6.Majmu'a Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya, published by Dar
ar-Rahmat, Cairo,Book 2, volume 2, pages 396-397.
wassalam, arief hamdani
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