Is Tazkiyah (Sufism) Against or Separate From Quran & Sunnah? Clarification By Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani

Compiled By: Mufti Umar Anwar Badakhshani

Tazkiah (sufism) is a section of Quran and Sunnah

I have explained in my previous sittings that a human being is composed of body and soul and that Qur’an and sunnah have given us a code of conduct for both of them and that these commandments have been grouped under three general headings: jurisprudence, doctrines and mysticism. The first relate to the external actions of man and the last two to the inner (internal) actions of man.

All these sciences have been derived from Qur’an and sunnah and are, therefore, inseparable, one from the other. Yes, in a way, each is a separate science just a hand is-separate from foot or ear from eye. Each is a separate limb. But all these limbs go together to make a man. The function of one limb does not conflict with that of another. Rather they aid each other. None can be dispensed with.

External and internal both jurisprudences are necessary

Just in the same way, dogmatic theology, jurisprudence and mysticism, though separate from one another, co-operate and go together to build up the personality and character of & true believer and a perfect man. To neglect any one of them is to neglect a part of Qur’an and sunnah. Taking up one and ignoring -others in die fond belief that one can do without others and has no need of them is like caring for ears and wasting eyes. Jurisprudence is not a rival of mysticism nor the latter an enemy of the former Is sight an adversary of hearing?

Saint-scholars who moulded their lives according to the teachings of Qur’an and sunnah fully and completely knew the value of each branch of the religious sciences. In fact, they fathomed the depths of each branch and realized the importance of each one of them.

Shariah is actually following of Tariqah

Shah Wali’ullah remarked: “shariah (the canonical laws of Islam) without tariqah (mysticism) is mere philosophy while tariqah without shariah is apostasy and atheism”.

In one sentence Shah Waliullah has exposed the underlying truth of these sciences.

Shariah, as we said earlier, relates. to the external actions of person. Many hypocrites in the times of Allah’s messenger, peace on him, knew a great deal of shariah. Even today many eminent Orientalists among Jews and Christians possess a remarkable knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence. But what they know is philosophy, not the faith.

Faith is sincere belief in the truth and rightness of the commandments of God as well as a willingness to carry out those commandments, both external and internal. A mere knowledge of external sciences, the sciences that deal with external acts of men, and research works done in that direction are not a mark of a man’s spiritual excellence nor have they any value in the sight of Allah or His messenger, peace on him.

Likewise, an adherent of what is known as Tariqah, a so-called mystic, is a heretic and an atheist if he digresses from Qur’an and sunnah. Qazi Sana’ullah Paanipati said: “he whose external behavior is unclean, his inward state (i.e. soul) must also be unclean, quite naturally”.

Tazkiyah (Sufism) is not contrary to Shariah law

Abu Qasim al-Qushayri, a fourth century AH theologian and mystic, wrote a book, risalah qushay’riya, the source and basis of many later-day books on the subject, for the benefit of the mystics of his times. In the preface to his book he quoted many mystics to prove that tariqah is not something alien to shariah but, rather, tariqah is complete obedience to the laws of shariah. In the last chapter of his book, he wrote: in Islam. Keeping the company of the Prophet, peace on him, is the greatest merit, next only to that of the Prophet. Hence, those who had the honor of keeping the company of the Prophet, peace on him, are known as the Companions. This companionship is their greatest merit and their highest title. Next in rank is the title of tabe’ee conferred on those who received knowledge and wisdom from the Companions and benefited by them spiritually. Tabe’ tabe’e are those who came after them.

All these noble men abided by the laws of Qur’an and sunnah relating to both the external and internal actions of men. In other words, they abided by shariah as well as tariqah. They were not specialists in religious sciences and had no such titles. Rather they were honored simply in their capacity as Companions, tabe’es, and tabe’ tabe’e.

pious scholars of tazkiyah (Sufism)

But those who came after them specialized in a particular field. Some busied themselves more with instruction and writing and less with (voluntary) acts of devotion although they had also achieved excellence in internal, esoteric sciences and devotional acts. They became experts in external religious sciences and became known as experts in the science of Prophet’s traditions (mohad’dith), interpreters of Qur’an (mufas’sir), and jurists (faqeeh).

Others turned more to acts of worship and devotion. They were called extreme and intense worshippers (ub’baad) and ascetics (zuh’haad) although they were by no means deficient in external religious sciences (shariah).

But, later on, this group of intense worshippers and ascetics were joined in by men who deviated from sunnah and introduced many innovations into the group, giving rise to a variety of sects, each sect claiming to have intense worshippers and ascetics. In those times, those who followed the pure teachings of Qur’an and sunnah unmixed with impure practices and dubious beliefs, clinging to the creed of ahl-us-sunnah wal jama’ah (orthodox Muslims), and yet devoting themselves entirely to excessive worshipping, voluntary acts of devotion, and abstinence, came to be known as mystics (ahl-ut-tasawwuf) before the end of the second century of the Hijra calendar. They were the people who followed Qur’an and sunnah completely, guarded each word they uttered and each breath they breathed, busy all the time with remembrance of their Lord. Qushnyri says about them:

ثم ظهرت البدع و حصل التداعي بين الفرق فكل فريق ادعوا أن فيهم زهادا فانفرد خواص أهل السنة المراعون أنفاسهم مع الله تعالي الحافظون قلوبهم عن طوارق الغفلة باسم التصوف واشتهر هذا الاسم لهؤلاء الأكابر قبل المائتين من الهجرة

“when innovations (novel ideas and acts not sanctioned by Quran and sunnah) cropped up among the Muslims, each sect inviting the populace to its fold on the grounds that it too has saints and ascetics, the genuine saints and ascetics among the orthodox Muslims (the Sunnites) were called Mystics (Ahl ut Tasawwuf) to distinguish them from the spurious mystic. Those genuine mystics were really attached to Allah. They censored their every act, word and thought, never unmindful of Allah any time, day or night. They became known as mystics even before the second century of the Hijra calendar”.

The true Sufi is the one who is completely obedient to the Shari’a

It is clear from what Qushayri wrote that the name ‘mystics’ was given only to those persons who followed Qur’an and sunnah and shunned innovations completely. As for those who did not follow sunnah were not so named, their spiritual drills and exertions notwithstanding. In fact, the word mystic (sufi) was specially coined to distinguish the former from the latter.

In the years following the death of the Prophet, peace on him, because of diminishing physical vigor, theologians and mystics divided their works. The theologians and scholars concentrated more on instruction, writing and expounding the laws, and delivering legal rulings and opinions on certain theological matters, while the mystics devoted themselves to inner (hidden) acts, reforming and cleansing hearts and souls of men. The former established schools and the latter khanqahs (secluded places of worship and mystical practices, also called Zawiyah). Anyhow, there was no conflict between the two groups. It was only a kind of division of labor. Those who taught at theological schools did not neglect their souls and the internal acts while those who ran the khanqahs were not ignorant of the external commandments (shariah) nor did they ever disparage or depreciate them.

on all. Muslim doctors of law could not keep the same strong faith. Love of Allah and His messenger, peace on him, and the fear of the Hereafter, qualities which are essential to a perfect faith, suffered a gradual decline among them, while, on the other hand, the mystics paid less and less attention to shariah and sunnah. Consequently, the gulf between the two groups widened with the passage of time till they became rivals, each deprecating the other. In religious schools, a mere smattering knowledge of a few juristic issues was sufficient to make a man a scholar; and, in khanqahs, exclaiming a few hymns or doing a few voluntary devotional acts was considered excellence. Each ebbed and waned gradually over the times, the religious school suffering a decline in spiritual, inner acts, the khanqahs a decline in the knowledge and practice of external acts as laid down by Qur’an and sunnah till mysticism became synonymous with a few stereotyped practices not sanctioned by Qur’an and sunnah.

The degraded and deteriorated state of Sufis and scholars

This state of affairs inflicted a double harm to Muslims:

First, the decline of these two groups whose job it was to reform the plight of Muslims was in itself a tragedy.

Second, the split and the increasing antagonism between the two and their mutual recriminations led to disunity among Muslims.

The disregard of scholars and Sufis by people

And, worse still, there sprang up among the Muslims a new, hostile group which revolted against both. They were deficient both in knowledge and action and, therefore, lacked the ability to understand Qur’an and sunnah and seek inspiration and guidance from these two sources. By keeping aloof from both the groups, they became like a sick man who abhors physicians and himself has not the ability to cure his sickness. These men read religious books themselves and relied on their own perception and understanding of religious matters without any guidance from experts and teachers, ending up with quaint religious ideas contrary to established ideas accepted by majority of the scholars. The result was a new, amended version of the religion. Among this third group, there arose some who derided religious scholars and theologians, some disdained the mystics, while still others scoffed at both of them!

The arrival of the reformers

But, true to the prediction of the Messenger of Allah, peace on him, there continued to emerge among the Muslims Centerrial reformers who discovered the causes of this religious decay, offered the right cure, renewed the faith, and reformed and corrected the errors of both the groups. In modem times, Mujaddid Alf Thani is a classical example of such reformers. Sayyed Ahmad Bareylvi did the same in India. It should be noted that those noble souls who founded the famous religious school at Deoband (India) were not only noted theologians but also distinguished mystics. In fact, the great seat of learning at Deoband was a combination of theological school and khanqah.

My late father, Mohammad Yaseen, was a coeval of Deoband. He was born the same year when Deoband was founded. He used to say: “I have seen those days when the whole staff of Deoband, right from its rector and senior teacher down to the office messenger and watchman, were all saints and holy men close to God. Even the watchman sitting by the main gate kept reciting hymns in remembrance of Allah. By day we heard the voices of students discussing academic issues of theology in their classrooms and, by night, we heard their hymns in praise of Allah and their recitations of Qur’an”.

In its early days, Deoband had no mosque of its own. Students and teachers prayed in the mosques in the vicinity of the school. But when Deoband’s own mosque was built at the campus, Sheikh-ul-Hind Mahmood Hasan composed a hemistich in Persian to mark the date of the foundation of the mosque: ‘we saw a khaanqah in the school’.

This hemistich was the guiding principle, the foundation-stone, so to speak, of the school and it is no wonder that many a scholar who had graduated from this school became, later on, competent religious authorities to whom people turned for guidance and who became zealous preachers and iconoclasts, each working in his area of residence, fighting against innovations, religious ignorance and laxity and wiping them out. The school produced a number of luminaries whose words and deeds brightened the Muslim world. Sheikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan and Hakeem-ul-Ummat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thauvi are only a few examples.

SOURCE: Dil Ki Dunya, By Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani.