What is Sufism and who are the “Sufists”? Sufism: a path to purifying the heart or a bad innovation? True Sufism.
Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites - the names of these and other religious groups of Islam can often be found in the news today, but for many these words mean nothing.
Sunnis
The widest movement in Islam.
What does the name mean?
In Arabic: Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa ("people of the Sunnah and the harmony of the community"). The first part of the name means following the path of the prophet (ahl al-sunnah), and the second part is recognition of the great mission of the prophet and his companions in solving problems by following their path.
full text
The Sunnah is the second fundamental book of Islam after the Koran. This is an oral tradition, later formalized in the form of hadiths, sayings of the prophet's companions about the sayings and actions of Muhammad.
Despite its initially oral nature, it is the main guide for Muslims.
When did it arise
After the death of Caliph Uthman in 656.
How many followers
About one and a half billion people. 90% of all professing Islam.
Main areas of residence
All over the world: Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Bashkiria, Tatarstan, Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries (except Iran, Azerbaijan and parts of adjacent territories).
Ideas and customs
Sunnis are very sensitive to following the sunnah of the prophet. The Quran and Sunnah are the two main sources of faith, however, if a life problem is not described in them, you should trust your rational choice.
full text
Six collections of hadith are considered reliable (Ibn-Maji, an-Nasai, Imam Muslim, al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhi).
The reign of the first four Islamic princes - caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and Ali is considered righteous.
Islam also has developed madhhabs - legal schools and aqidas - “concepts of faith”. Sunnis recognize four madhhabs (Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi and Shabali) and three concepts of faith (Maturidism, Ash'ari teachings and Asariyya).
Shiites
What does the name mean?
Shiya - “adherents”, “followers”.
When did it arise
After the death of Caliph Uthman, revered by the Muslim community, in 656.
How many followers
According to various estimates, from 10 to 20 percent of all Muslims. The number of Shiites may number around 200 million.
Main areas of residence
Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon.
Ideas and customs
The prophet's cousin and uncle, Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib, is recognized as the only righteous caliph. According to the Shiites, he is the only one who was born in the Kaaba, the main shrine of the Mohammedans in Mecca.
Shiites are distinguished by the belief that the leadership of the ummah (Muslim community) should be carried out by the highest clerics chosen by Allah - imams, mediators between God and man.
The first twelve imams from the clan of Ali (who lived in 600 - 874 from Ali to Mahdi) are recognized as saints.
The latter is considered to have mysteriously disappeared (“hidden” by God); he must appear before the End of the World in the form of a messiah.
The main movement of Shiites are the Twelver Shiites, who are traditionally called Shiites. The school of law that corresponds to them is the Jafarite madhhab. There are a lot of Shiite sects and movements: these are Ismailis, Druze, Alawites, Zaydis, Sheikhites, Kaysanites, Yarsan.
Holy places
Imam Hussein and al-Abbas mosques in Karbala (Iraq), Imam Ali mosque in Najaf (Iraq), Imam Reza mosque in Mashhad (Iran), Ali-Askari mosque in Samarra (Iraq).
Sufis
What does the name mean?
Sufism or tasawwuf comes in different versions from the word “suf” (wool) or “as-safa” (purity). Also, originally the expression “ahl al-suffa” (people of the bench) meant the poor companions of Muhammad who lived in his mosque. They were distinguished by their asceticism.
When did it arise
VIII century. It is divided into three periods: asceticism (zuhd), Sufism (tasawwuf), and the period of Sufi brotherhoods (tariqa).
How many followers
The number of modern followers is small, but they can be found in a wide variety of countries.
Main areas of residence
In almost all Islamic countries, as well as in certain groups in the USA and Western Europe.
Ideas and customs
Muhammad, according to the Sufis, showed by his example the path of spiritual education of the individual and society - asceticism, contentment with little, contempt for earthly goods, wealth and power. The Ashabs (companions of Muhammad) and Ahl al-Suffa (people of the bench) also followed the right path. Asceticism was characteristic of many subsequent hadith collectors, reciters of the Koran and participants in jihad (Mujahideen).
The main features of Sufism are very strict adherence to the Koran and Sunnah, reflection on the meaning of the Koran, additional prayers and fasts, renunciation of all worldly things, the cult of poverty, and refusal to cooperate with the authorities. Sufi teachings have always focused on the individual, his intentions and awareness of truths.
Many Islamic scholars and philosophers were Sufis. Tariqats are real monastic orders of Sufis, glorified in Islamic culture. Murids, students of Sufi sheikhs, were brought up in modest monasteries and cells scattered across the deserts. Dervishes are hermit monks. They could be found very often among Sufis.
Asaria
Sunni school of belief, most adherents are Salafis.
What does the name mean?
Asar means “trace”, “tradition”, “quote”.
When did it arise
Ideas
They reject kalam (Muslim philosophy) and adhere to a strict and straightforward reading of the Koran. In their opinion, people should not come up with a rational explanation for unclear places in the text, but accept them as they are. They believe that the Koran was not created by anyone, but is the direct speech of God. Anyone who denies this is not considered Muslim.
Salafis
They are the ones most often associated with Islamic fundamentalists.
What does the name mean?
As-salaf - “ancestors”, “predecessors”. As-salaf as-salihun is a call to follow the lifestyle of the righteous ancestors.
When did it arise
Developed in the 9th-14th centuries.
How many followers
According to American Islamic experts, the number of Salafis around the world could reach 50 million.
Main areas of residence
They are distributed in small groups throughout the Islamic world. They are found in India, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan and even Western Europe.
Ideas
Belief in an unconditionally one God, non-acceptance of innovations and alien cultural admixtures in Islam. Salafis are the main critics of Sufis. It is considered a Sunni movement.
Famous representatives
Salafis consider Islamic theologians al-Shafi'i, Ibn Hanbal and Ibn Taymiyya to be their teachers. The well-known organization “Muslim Brotherhood” is cautiously classified as Salafis.
Wahhabis
What does the name mean?
Wahhabism or al-Wahhabiya is understood in Islam as the rejection of innovations or everything that was not in original Islam, the cultivation of strong monotheism and the rejection of the worship of saints, the struggle for the purification of religion (jihad). Named after the Arab theologian Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
When did it arise
In the 18th century.
How many followers
In some countries, the number can reach 5% of all Muslims, however, there are no exact statistics.
Main areas of residence
Small groups in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and locally throughout the Islamic world. Origin region: Arabia.
Ideas
They share Salafi ideas, which is why names are often used as synonyms. However, the name "Wahhabis" is often understood as derogatory.
Mu'tazilites
What does the name mean?
“Separated”, “withdrawn”. Self-name - ahl al-adl wa-tawhid (people of justice and monotheism).
When did it arise
VIII-IX centuries.
Ideas
One of the first major trends in kalam (literally: “word”, “speech”, reasoning on the topic of religion and philosophy). Basic principles:
justice (al-adl): God gives free will, but cannot violate the established best, fair order;
monotheism (al-tawhid): denial of polytheism and human likeness, the eternity of all divine attributes, but the absence of the eternity of speech, from which the creation of the Koran follows;
fulfillment of promises: God certainly fulfills all promises and threats;
intermediate state: a Muslim who has committed a grave sin leaves the ranks of believers, but does not become an unbeliever;
command and approval: a Muslim must fight evil by all means.
Houthis (Zaydis, Jarudis)
What does the name mean?
The name "Jarudites" comes from the name of Abul-Jarud Hamdani, a student of al-Shafi'i. And the “Houthis” according to the leader of the group “Ansar Allah” (helpers or defenders of Allah) Hussein al-Houthi.
When did it arise
The teachings of the Zaydis - the 8th century, the Jarudis - the 9th century.
The Houthis are a movement of the late 20th century.
How many followers
Estimated around 7 million.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
Zaydism (named after the theologian Zeid ibn Ali) is the original Islamic movement to which the Jarudis and Houthis belong. Zaydis believe that imams must be from the line of Ali, but they reject his divine nature. They reject the doctrine of the “hidden” imam, the “prudent concealment of faith,” the human likeness of God and absolute predestination.
The Jarudites believe that Ali was chosen as caliph based on descriptive characteristics only. Houthis - modern organization Zaydis-Jarudis.
Kharijites
What does the name mean?
“Those who spoke”, “who left”.
When did it arise
After the battle between Ali and Muawiyah in 657.
How many followers
Small groups, no more than 2 million worldwide.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
They share the basic views of the Sunnis, but they recognize only the first two righteous caliphs - Umar and Abu Bakr, they advocate the equality of all Muslims of the ummah (Arabs and other peoples), for the election of caliphs and their possession only of executive power.
In Islam, there are major sins (polytheism, slander, murder of a believer, flight from the battlefield, weak faith, adultery, committing a minor sin in Mecca, homosexuality, false witness, living on interest, drinking alcohol, pork, carrion) and minor sins (not recommended and prohibited actions).
According to the Kharijites, for great sin a Muslim is equated with an infidel.
Ibadis
One of the main “original” directions of Islam, along with Shiism and Sunnism.
What does the name mean?
Named after the theologian Abdullah ibn Ibad.
When did it arise
At the end of the 7th century.
How many followers
Less than 2 million worldwide.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
According to Ibadis, any Muslim can be the imam of a community, citing a hadith about the prophet in which Muhammad argued that even if an “Ethiopian slave with his nostrils torn out” established the law of Islam in the community, he must be obeyed.
By the way, in Oman there are indeed many black immigrants (kara) from Ethiopia and East Africa.
Abu Bakr and Umar are considered righteous caliphs. The imam must be the full-fledged head of the community: a judge, a military leader, and an expert on the Koran. Unlike Sunnis, they believe that hell lasts forever, the Koran was created by people, and God cannot be seen even in Paradise or imagined to be similar to a person.
Azraqites and Najdis
It is believed that Wahhabis are the most radical movement of Islam, but in the past there were much more intolerant movements.
What does the name mean?
The Azraqites are named after their spiritual leader, Abu Rashid Nafi ibn al-Azraq, while the Najdis are named after their founder, Najda ibn Amir al-Hanafi.
When did it arise
Ideas and customs of the Azarkites
A radical offshoot of Kharijism. They rejected the Shiite principle of “prudent concealment of one’s faith” (for example, under pain of death and other extreme cases). Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib (revered by many Muslims), Uthman ibn Affan and their followers were considered unbelievers. The Azraqites considered uncontrolled territories to be a “land of war” (dar al-harb), and the population living on it was subject to destruction. The Azrakites tested those who moved to them by offering to kill the slave. Those who refused were killed themselves.
Najdite ideas and customs
The existence of a caliph in religion is not necessary; a community can have self-government. Killing Christians, Muslims and other non-Christians is permitted. In Sunni territories you can hide your beliefs. He who commits a sin does not become an infidel. Only those who persist in their sin and commit it repeatedly can become infidels. One of the sects, which later broke away from the Najdites, even allowed marriages with granddaughters.
Ismailis
What does the name mean?
Named after the son of the sixth Shiite imam Jafar al-Sadiq - Ismail.
When did it arise
End of the 8th century.
How many followers
About 20 million
Main areas of residence
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Iran, Arabia, Yemen, East Africa, Lebanon, emigrants in English-speaking countries.
Ideas
Ismailism contains some features of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and minor ancient cults. Adherents believe that Allah infused his divine spirit into the prophets from Adam to Muhammad. Each prophet is accompanied by a “samit” (silent one), who only interprets the words of the prophet. With each appearance of such a prophet, Allah reveals to people the secrets of the universal mind and divine truth.
Man has complete free will. 7 prophets should come into the world, and between their appearances the community should be governed by 7 imams. The return of the last prophet - Muhammad, son of Ismail, will be the last incarnation of God, after which divine reason and justice will reign.
Famous Ismailis
Nasir Khosrow, 11th century Tajik philosopher;
Ferdowsi, the great Persian poet of the 10th century, author of the Shahnameh;
Rudaki, Tajik poet, 9th-10th century;
Yaqub ibn Killis, Jewish scholar, founder of Cairo Al-Azhar University (10th century);
Nasir ad-Din Tusi, 13th-century Persian mathematician, mechanic and astronomer.
Fact
It was the Nizari Ismailis who used individual terror against the Turks who were called assassins.
Druze
What does the name mean?
Named after one of the founders of the movement, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail ad-Darazi, an Ismaili preacher who used the most radical methods of preaching. However, the Druze themselves use the self-name “muvakhhidun” (“united” or “monotheists”). Moreover, they often have a negative attitude towards al-Darazi and consider the name “Druze” offensive.
When did it arise
How many followers
More than 3 million people. The origin of the Druze is controversial: some consider them to be descendants of the oldest Arab tribe, others consider them to be a mixed Arab-Persian (according to other versions, Arab-Kurdish or Arab-Aramaic) population who arrived in these lands many centuries ago.
Main areas of residence
Syria, Lebanon, Israel.
Ideas
The Druze are considered an offshoot of the Ismailis. A person is considered a Druze by birth and cannot convert to another religion. They accept the principle of “prudent concealment of faith,” while deception of people of other faiths for the sake of the interests of the community is not condemned. The highest clerics are called “ajavid” (perfect). In conversations with Muslims, they usually position themselves as Muslims, however, in Israel they more often define the doctrine as an independent religion. They believe in the transmigration of souls.
The Druze do not have polygamy, prayer is not obligatory and can be replaced by meditation, there is no fasting, but is replaced by periods of silence (refraining from revealing the truth to the uninitiated). Zakat (charity for the benefit of the poor) is not provided, but is perceived as mutual assistance. Among the holidays, Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Adha) and the day of mourning Ashura are celebrated. As in the rest of the Arab world, in the presence of a stranger, a woman must hide her face. Everything that comes from God (both good and evil) must be accepted unconditionally.
Ash'arites
A school of religious philosophy on which the Shafi'i and Maliki legal schools rely.
What does the name mean?
Named after the 9th-10th century philosopher Abul-Hasan al-Ashari
When did it arise
Ideas
They are located between the Mu'tazilites and supporters of the Asari school, as well as between the Qadarites (supporters of free will) and the Jabarites (supporters of predestination).
The Quran was created by people, but its meaning is the creation of Allah. Man only appropriates the actions created by God. The righteous can see Allah in Paradise, but this cannot be explained. Reason takes precedence over religious tradition, and Sharia only regulates everyday issues, but still any reasonable evidence is based on the basic tenets of faith.
Alawites (Nusayris) and Alevis (Kizilbash)
What does the name mean?
The movement received the name “Alawites” after the name of the prophet Ali, and “Nusairites” after one of the founders of the sect, Muhammad ibn Nusayr, a student of the eleventh imam of the Shiites.
When did it arise
How many followers
About 5 million Alawites, several million Alevis ( accurate estimates No).
Main areas of residence
Syria, Türkiye (mainly Alevis), Lebanon.
Alawite ideas and customs
Like the Druze, they practice taqiya (hiding religious views, mimicry of the rituals of another religion), and consider their religion to be secret knowledge accessible to a select few.
Alawites are also similar to Druze in that they have gone as far as possible from other directions of Islam. They pray only twice a day, are allowed to drink wine for ritual purposes and fast for only two weeks.
It is very difficult to draw a picture of the Alawite religion for the reasons stated above. It is known that they deify the family of Muhammad, consider Ali to be the embodiment of the Divine Meaning, Muhammad the Name of God, Salman al-Farisi the Gateway to God (a gnostically meaningful idea of the “Eternal Trinity”). It is considered impossible to know God, but he was revealed by the incarnation of Ali in the seven prophets (from Adam, including Isa (Jesus) to Muhammad).
According to Christian missionaries, Alawites venerate Jesus, the Christian apostles and saints, celebrate Christmas and Easter, read the Gospel at services, take communion with wine, and use Christian names.
However, these data may also be inaccurate, given the principle. Some Alawites consider Ali to be the embodiment of the Sun, another part - the Moon; one group is light worshipers, the other worships darkness. In such cults, echoes of pre-Islamic beliefs (Zoroastrianism and paganism) are visible. Alawite women still often remain uninitiated in the religion; they are not allowed to worship. Only descendants of Alawites can be “chosen”. The rest are amma, ordinary unenlightened ones. The community is headed by an imam.
Alevi ideas and customs
Alevis are usually separated from Alawites. They revere Ali (more precisely the trinity: Muhammad-Ali-Truth), as well as twelve imams as divine aspects of the Universe and some other saints. Their principles include respect for people, regardless of religion or nation. Labor is respected. They do not observe basic Islamic rituals (pilgrimage, five daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan), do not go to the mosque, but pray in their homes.
Famous Alawites
Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria.
Takfiris
What does the name mean?
Takfir is an accusation of unbelief.
When did it arise
Predominantly modern, 20th century.
Ideas and customs
A radical movement that encourages religious questions without a meeting of ulema, theologians and jurists. How some Kharijite movements engage in accusations of unbelief and even murder. Political assassinations are frequent. A number of organizations are recognized by the Russian Federation as terrorist and extremist.
Koranites
When did it arise
Such ideas were first expressed in the 9th century, but the modern movement became widespread in the 20th century.
Ideas and customs
They reject the authority of hadith and sunnah and rely only on the Koran. Women can become imams, they do not have to wear a hijab, and men do not have to have a beard. Polygamy is allowed only when adopting orphans. Pilgrimage to Mecca and circumcision are optional.
Maturidites
Sunni school of religious thought.
What does the name mean?
Named after the philosopher Abu Mansur al-Maturidi.
When did it arise
Ideas
Maturidites believe that in addition to revelation, one can rely on one’s own reason and its arguments, but the Koran is the uncreated word of God. They recognize that a person has his own will, but his choice is made with the help of God's power. The righteous in their worldview will be able to see Allah in Paradise.
They believe that Muslims will never remain in hell forever, even if they do not repent, and the punishment will only be proportionate to the sin.
Maturidism is accepted as a dogma in the Hanafi legal school.
Legal schools of Islam
Hanafi madhhab
What does the name mean?
Named after the theologian Abu Hanifa
When did it arise
Countries
Albania, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Syria, Azerbaijan, Uyguria. In Russia - Tatars, Crimean Tatars, Bashkirs, Nogais, Karachais, Balkars, Circassians, Kabardians, Abazas, and part of the Kumyks in Dagestan.
Provisions
Sources of religious law - the Koran, sunnah, statements of the companions of the prophet, ijma (unified opinion of theologians), judgments by analogy, preferable and expedient solutions in the absence of a convincing hadith or clear indication in Revelation, urf (widespread customs and opinions not reflected in Sharia).
Maliki madhhab
What does the name mean?
Named after the theologian Malik ibn Anas
When did it arise
Countries
North African countries, Kuwait
Provisions
Sources of religious law - the Qur'an (obvious and unambiguous verses), the Sunnah, the "deeds of the Medinans" (the traditions of Medina), fatwas (legal decisions) of the Companions, judgments by analogy, the preferred solution to a problem when there is ambiguity in Revelation.
Shafi'i madhhab
What does the name mean?
Named after the theologian al-Shafi'i
When did it arise
Countries
Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Kurdistan, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Somalia.
Provisions
Sources of religious law - the Koran and Sunnah (preference to the Koran, explicit and clear meanings), statements of the companions of the prophet, not refuted by others, their general opinion, judgments by analogy
Hanbali madhhab
What does the name mean?
Named after the Muslim jurist Ahmad ibn Hanbal
When did it arise
Countries
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman
Provisions
Sources of religious law - the Koran, sunnah, fatwas and opinions of the companions of the prophet, ijma (the general opinion of theologians and jurists), istishab (the temporary validity of any fatwa until new evidence is presented). Recognizes open research on religious and philosophical issues.
Jafarite madhhab
The only Shiite madhhab, unlike the previous Sunni ones
What does the name mean?
According to the founder - Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq
When did it arise
Countries
Shiites of Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Provisions
The sources of religious law are the Koran, Sunnah, Ijma (unanimous opinion of authoritative clergy) and Aql (“reason”). The very first hadiths of the companions of Muhammad, the principle of “prudent concealment of faith” and temporary marriage are recognized.
Tags:
Ali Zainu al-Abidin ibn Abdurahman al-Jifri responds to one of the current topics of today
Question: What is the difference between Sufis and Sunnis? Aren't we all Muslims and don't we testify to the unity of Allah Almighty and the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH)?
Answer: Word " Tasawwuf"has become a cause for misunderstanding and disagreement, many are not indifferent to it, and this is purposeful work. As they say, before making any decision, you need to understand what we call Tasawwuf. So what do we call Tasawwuf to understand whether it is good or bad?
Tasawwuf, which our former Salafun imams knew, starting from Hasanul Basri and ending with our mentors with whom we had the opportunity to study, is a science that is engaged in improving the third foundation of our religion - Ihsan.
The science of Fiqh deals with the four fundamentals of Islam: Namaz, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj, and everything connected with them.
The science of Tawhid (Monotheism), which later began to be called Aqida (and the word “Aqida” did not exist during the time of the Companions and Tabiyins, but nevertheless, it is called that) – deals with the study and explanation of the six pillars of Iman, the second foundation of our religion.
The science of Tasawwuf deals with the study of the rules and behavior with the help of which the servant of Allah improves and achieves the third foundation of our religion - and this is Ihsan (sincerity).
Let's see: judging by the definition, this is a very important question and the degree to which we must strive is great. In this regard, we have questions:
– Where does this name come from?
– Where did the name “Tasawwuf” come from?
– During the time of the Prophet (PBUH), there wasn’t the word “Tasawwuf”, was there?
Well, what kind of questions are these? I just don't want to call it shameful ignorance, since people with knowledge don't pick on names. Call it whatever you want, as long as the name is not prohibited. It is not the name that is important, but what is meant by it. The science called Aqeedah did not exist during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Companions, the science of Usul also did not exist during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Companions, the science called Tajweed about the methods of reading the Quran also did not exist during the time of the Prophet (PBUH). Wasallam) and the Companions, as well as the science called Ilm al-Jarhi wa Tagdil, with the help of which we distinguish between the authenticity or weakness of Hadith, the righteousness of the chain of their transmitters, did not exist during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Companions.
Origin of the word "Tasawwuf"
Consequently, the absence of one or another name during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and companions is not a sufficient reason to refute this or that science. Where did this name come from? According to some sources, it came from the words “ahl Suffat”. According to other sources, from the word “Suf” - wool, the clothes they wore. During the Tabiyin, when people began to focus on worldly things, being carried away by luxury in clothing, food, housing and transportation, they renounced all this. The cheapest clothing at that time was wool. Rich mutrafuns avoided wearing woolen clothes: they wore beautiful and expensive clothes, and left the wool for the poor and beggars.
But the noble imams, who renounced everything worldly and sincerely served Allah, preferred to wear the cheapest woolen clothes, abandoning luxury. And people called them "Sufis".
Now we understand what Sufism is and where this name came from! This means that there is no room for reproach either in the name Sufism or in the very essence of Sufism. After this, one question remains: were the former righteous men (Salafu Salih) from Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa Sufis? and is there a difference between Ahl al-Sunnah and Sufis? Sufis - they are Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa! The people we call Sufis today are Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa.
If you look at Imam al-Nawawi's commentary on Sahih al-Muslim, you will see that when he cites a chain of narrators and wants to emphasize the righteousness or superiority of one of them, he indicates that he was a Sufi.
If you open the book “Sifwatu Safwa” (or in another way it is called “Safwatu Safwa”), the author of which is Imam Hafiz ibn Jawziy, you will see that he gave biographies of Sufi sheikhs, starting with those who lived in the first, second and third century Hijri. He made them, and their biographies, beacons for us to follow!
And if you look into the book “Siyaru Galami al-Nubalai” by Imam Hafiz al-Zahabi, you will find in it a biography of all the sheikhs of the Tariqa (rahimahumullahu wa nafahana bihim). The Salaf Salih adhered to the Tariqa! When they wanted to point out someone's superiority, they emphasized that he was a Sufi!
If you read the words of the scholars who are supposedly followed by those who today claim that they “follow the path of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa, and that they follow the Salaf Salihuns such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim in relation to Sufism” - then you will be ashamed.. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote the book “As-Sufiya wal-Fukara”, he also allocated two chapters in the book “Fatawi” to Sufism. He emphasizes that he himself cites some hadiths in a chain that includes Abdulkadir Geylani, the Imam of the Qadiri Tariqat. He also writes the word Quddis sirruhu after the name of Abdulkadir Geylani in the book “Fatawi” - and this is how Sufis usually write!
Ibn Qayim also has a book about Sufism, he called it “Madariju Ssalikin fi sharhi Manazili Ssairina.” And “Manazilu Ssairin” is a book by Abdullah al-Garawiy.
She was renamed “Tagzibu Madaridzhi Ssalikin”. They removed words that indicate that Ibn Qayim recognizes Sufism, added some things and called it “Tagzibu Madariji Ssalikin.”
In short, Sufism is the essence of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), this is the cleansing of the heart from blameworthy qualities and the knowledge of Allah.
To find out whether the Sufis have such knowledge, you need to understand: what role did they play in Islamic science?
If we talk about Islamic sciences, then here are the facts: all the great imams were Sufis! The reciters of the Koran will not be able to provide a chain of transmitters for any of the seven ways of reading the Koran if they exclude Sufi sheikhs from them.
All chains of reading the Koran, common in Egypt, converge on the great Imam Sheikh ul Islam Zakariyya al-Ansariy. All readers, talking about the chain of transmitters of their reading, converge on Zakaria al-Ansariy. Zakariya al-Ansariy is one of the great imams of Tasawwuf. Shaykh ul Islam Zakariya al-Ansariyyah has a book in which he explained Risalatul Kushayriyah, and this is a book called the Canon of Tasawwuf. None of the hadith transmitters cited in the six most famous and reliable collections will be able to cite the chain of transmitters bypassing the imams of Tasawwuf. If today we allow doubts about these Sufi sheikhs and imams, through whom we received the Quran and Sunnah, then tomorrow we will doubt the truth of the Quran and Sunnah itself - may Allah save us from this!
So, Sufis are people who played the most significant role in preserving and transmitting the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). If you look at the interpreters of hadith, you will see that among the interpreters of the six well-known collections there is no interpreter who is not associated with the Sufis. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, the author of Fathul Bari - the most famous interpretation of Sahih al-Bukhari - is the author of the biography of Abdulqadir al-Gilani: it describes his karamas, fortunes and efforts, what he did. It has been published and is well known.
Imam al-Nawawi, who wrote the commentary on Sahih al-Muslim, was one of the great imams who had a strong connection with the Sufis. Anyone who reads his book “al-Adhkar”, or “Tibyanu fi adabi hamalatil Quran” or other books that describe the murid’s adabs and touching stories, will find the essence of Sufism clearly expressed in his speech.
His biography states that towards the end of his life he was in Damascus and taught at Dar ul-Hadith University; one Sufi sheikh came to him and said: “O Imam! If you want, go to Nava (homeland), truly, your end is approaching.” He listened to the words of this righteous sheikh and left for Nawa. Not even a few days passed before he passed into the mercy of Allah. He was 44 years old. Here the question may arise: how did the sheikh know that his end was approaching? Do they really know the secret? No one knows the absolute secret of Allah except the Almighty Himself. But the Almighty makes a certain part of His absolute secret known to whomever He wishes. After all, it is said: “Beware of the insight of the Mu’min, verily, he sees Allah I as nur.” This is in the field of science.
Sufis in the field of jihad
If we take the area of jihad in the path of Allah, then the leaders and imams of all the battles that Muslims waged against oppressors and conquerors were Sufi imams. Who liberated Jerusalem? (May Allah hasten the day of his release!) Who organized the campaign for his release? This is Salahudin al-Ayubi. He built Sufi training centers on Mount Kosyon in Syria to prepare liberators for the path of Allah I. Salahudin al-Ayubi and Nuruddin Zanki paved the way for the liberation of Muslims - through the revival of religious sciences based on the "Big Book of Sufism", in which there is not a single chapter dedicated to jihad. But they knew that the reason for the humiliation of Muslims and their inability to defend themselves is the love of worldly things and the fear of death, as stated in the hadith. And then they took a book that heals this illness - and prepared people for jihad.
Who was the standard-bearer of the army that repelled the Seventh Crusade and captured King Louis the Ninth at Al-Mansur? This was the imam of the Shazil Tariqat, Abul-Hasan Ali al-Shazali, rahimahullah. He was a ninety-year-old blind old man when he took the banner in his hands and went out, shouting the call “al-Jihad, al-Jihad!”, and the murids took him by the hands and a large number of great alims gathered around him, among whom was the great scientist Izzu ibn Abdussalam . They were all on the battlefield and captured the French king Louis the Ninth.
Who was the standard-bearer of the troops who, under the cover of darkness, freed a large number of Muslims from captivity by the Mongol-Tatars? This was the Imam of the Tariqa, Ahmad ul-Badawi.
Who led the Moroccans against the colonialists? These were Sufis. Who led the great jihad of the Libyans against the Italian colonialists? It was Umarul Mukhtar, one of the followers of Tariqa al-Sanusiya. Who raised the banner of struggle against the crusaders and colonialists in Syria and Jordan? These were the sheikhs of the Naqshbandi and Shazili Tariqats. Who opposed the colonization of Indonesia and neighboring territories? (Among them we can mention the name of the Imam of Dagestan and Chechnya Shamil, the sheikh of the Naqshubandi Tariqa - ed.) These were the sheikhs of the Al-Alawiyya Tariqa.
Whoever thinks about this will understand the truth. From the first century Hijri to the present day, the banner of jihad has not been raised by anyone other than the Sufis!
Sufis in the field of call to Islam
If we talk about calling people to Islam, today most of the Islamic world is occupied by territories conquered not through jihad, but through a wise call and a beautiful example. Who spread Islam in these lands, which occupy most of the Islamic world? They were Sufis. The Sufis were the spreaders of Islam in South and Southeast Asia. If we talk about East Africa, they were the sheikhs of the Tariqa al-Alawiy. If we talk about central and western Africa, then these are the sheikhs of Tariqa al-Tijani and other tariqas. One of the viceroys of the French colonial government wrote in notes:
“The biggest obstacle that prevents Muslims from obeying us and leaving their religion is two people. One of them is a man from the relatives of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when they see him, obedience to the Prophet (PBUH) and love for his relatives revives in the hearts of people... and in one night he spoils what we have done during months! Another man, who is called a Sufi, comes to the area where we, over a period of five, six and seven months, forced the Muslims to obey and renounce their religion, using many methods of punishment and large quantities of food, clothing and other gifts. Having gathered people around him, he repeats the words “La ilaha illa Allah, la ilaha illa Allah, la ilaha illa Allah” - and thereby revives their faith and conscience, and spoils what we have done for several months! These are facts from history in the field of call to Islam.
Sufis in Economics
If we talk about economics, then the most famous people Those who paved the way for the development of the Islamic economy, established trade relations and ensured the organization of markets in the days of the dawn of the Islamic economy are the Sufi imams. Junayd, the son of Muhammad, the ruler of the city of Taif, was the owner of trading outlets, a famous Baghdad merchant, Imam Abu Hanifa was one of the famous merchants of his time, both of them were followers of Sufism. The great imams of Tasawwuf were engaged in trade, agriculture, and other work - so with their example and fortune they inspired the people around them to revive the economy.
Look: in the field of jihad, in the field of economics, in the field of Islamic call and in the field of science, which we see on earth, not in imagination or in dreams - it was... the Sufis who played an invaluable role!
Where is your mark on the development of our community?
To the people who oppose the Sufis today, I have a question: “Where is your mark in the development of our community?” The age of Sufis and people who worship Sufism was the age of the dawn of Islam, and our age, in which people who denied Sufism and scolded Sufis appeared, is the age when the banner of Islam fell in the hearts of many people - even before it falls in the cities!
About false Sufis
There is one more problem. The fact is that many people who call themselves Sufis allow themselves to do things that contradict Sharia. This is true. There have always been people posing as Sufis. In our time, there are especially many of them, but these are false Sufis; true Sufism is free from such people. Junayd bin Muhammad laid down rules in this regard, saying: “When you see a person flying in the sky or walking on water, do not be deceived by it until you weigh his deeds in the scales of Shariah. If you find him fulfilling the commands and being wary of the prohibitions of the Almighty, then he is one of the close servants of Allah I, he is awliya, and this is his superiority (karamat), which Allah I has bestowed on him. And if he does not adhere to the commandments and prohibitions, then do not pay attention to the karamat, for he is a deceiver.” This is the rule by which true Sufis are identified!
Tasawwuf is a Sharia science, as are Ilm al-Hadith, Ilm al-Fiqh, Ilm at-Tafsir, and Ilm at-Tawhid. But there are people who falsely claim to be “people of Tasawwuf.” Let us ask: aren’t there people in the science of Hadith who pose as “hadith scholars” and attribute lies to the Prophet (PBUH)? We don’t say that “people have appeared who attribute lies to the Prophet (PBUH), so let’s better leave the science of Hadith in order to avoid disagreements and doubtful things”! Will this be right? Among the people who call themselves fuqahas, are there any liars? Aren't there people who issue false fatwas and sell religion for money? We don’t say: “There are liars among the jurists, so let’s leave Fiqh in order to avoid disagreements and doubtful things” - how is this possible? Are there no liars among the interpreters of the Koran? Aren’t there people who deliberately misinterpret the Qur’an, but we don’t say: “Everything, in order to avoid disagreements and doubtful things, let’s abandon the science of Tafsir”! Nobody will accept this. In the science of at-Tawhid (the science of Monotheism), aren’t there people who attribute organs or inactivity to Allah, thereby going beyond the boundaries of correct belief in Allah? Will we reject the science of Tawhid because of the lies of impostors? No sane person would do this.
What if we reject the science of Tasawwuf?
If we reject the science of Tasawwuf, which is the basis of our religion, the purification of the heart, the achievement of a degree of sincerity, we will reject the most important basis of our religion. Having refused to purify the heart, the place where Allah looks, because of liars and impostors, we refuse... our religion. Then we will have to abandon other sciences in which liars and impostors have appeared: what should we do then? It is necessary to turn to the origin of science! If you want to adhere to Sufism, be careful who you take Tasawwuf from, so as not to end up... with impostors. Is the one you choose a true sheikh? Does he have knowledge in Shariah matters? Did he receive these Sharia sciences in an unbroken chain? Does he have an unbroken chain of people who adhere to the commandments and prohibitions of the Almighty, with the help of which he improved his character and got rid of spiritual vices? Does his teaching comply with all the norms and prohibitions of Sharia? Does he follow the Sunnah in his actions, states and behavior? Is he sincere in his actions and in his preference for the Eternal over the temporal? Is his disposition similar to that of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)?
These are the requirements that should guide a person who is looking for a mentor. The enemies of Islam are trying by any means to instill in the hearts of our youth distrust of the former righteous (Salafu Salihin), be they Sufis or others, so that in the next generation it will be possible to deny all our sciences, because they were obtained through these “dubious” people. We ask Allah to protect us from enmity and hatred towards His favorites (avliya) and reproaches against the former righteous (salaf al-salihin), because the hadith qudsi says: “I declare war on those who are at enmity with My favorites.” May He help you and me to do what He is pleased with. O Allah, show us the truth as the truth and help us follow it, also show us the lie as lies and help us to beware of it! O Allah, reward us with righteousness and sincerity - verily, You reward us with this. O Allah, You are pure from the shortcomings attributed to You by the infidels, we know nothing except what You have given us to know, verily, You are the All-Knowing and the Ruler of all things.
O Allah, bless and greet our master, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his family and companions - all praise belongs to You!
For those wishing to listen to the speech of this scientist, we provide a link
- 4112 views
Sunnis vs Sufis
The difference between Sunnis and Sufis is that a Sunni is a descendant of the traditional version of Islam, while a Sufi is an offshoot of the mystical branch of Islam. Sufis can be either Sunni or Shia. Sunnis focus on the teachings and sunah of the holy Prophet, while Sufi follows both basic and spiritual practices.
Sunni is a word taken from the Arabic word Sunah. There are many stories about the origin of the word Sufi, as a person who wears wool, etc. Sufi means saint in English.
Sunnis and Sufis follow Islam and have the same beliefs, but the Sunni is more concerned with worldly affairs, while the Sufi is more concerned with the world in the future. Sunni follows the code of life sent by God in the form of the Sun and the Quran. Sunni Muslims follow these codes and live their lives accordingly in order to enter heaven as a reward for their worldly noble deeds.
They fear Allah because their literature and teachings include the fear of hell, whereas the Sufi advocates eternal and divine love rather than fear. The goal of Sufiism is to achieve spiritual enlightenment through meditation, prayer and the cessation of worldly desires. A Sunni believes in an indirect approach to enlighten the soul, whereas a Sufi tries to experience and sense God through a direct approach.
The Sunni Muslim has five major schools of law and several minor ones, while the Sufi has many orders of Sufism. Almost ninety percent of Muslims around the world are Sunnis and they derive their religious knowledge from the Qur'an and the seven books of hadith narrated by the companions of the Prophet.
Sufism or Tassawuf in Arabic follows the Shariah or Islamic code of life along with acquired spiritual enlightenment through purification of the heart. A Sufi or saint purifies his heart with various methods and repeated utterances called "Dikr".
Many Sunni sects do not believe in mysticism and call deviants Sufism, which is misinterpreted. Sufis do not worship graves and strictly adhere to the core beliefs of Islam. There are many Sufi poets who are famous all over the world for their poems on divine love like Jalal-ud-Rumi. Unlike many Sunni sects, Sufism or Islamic mysticism gives great importance a special form of Sufi music and dance like whirling dervishes.
1. Sunni emerged after the death of the Prophet and he believes in the fearful way of Islam called Sunah.
2. Sufi means dervish or one who enlightens his heart and soul by following spiritualism and religious practices.
3. Sunnis and Sufis are both Muslims, yet they have different schools of thought.
4. Sunnis are more concerned about achieving the right path to receive reward from God. The reward is promised in the next life.
5. A Sufi believes in divine love and focuses on directly pleasing God by adopting the state of “Fana”, which means cleansing your heart and soul of worldly desires and expectations.
Today's word "Sufism" is more often associated with something mystical, mysterious, rather than with moral growth and natural spiritual development of a person.
The Orientalist interpretation of this term and the brief explanations of explanatory dictionaries borrowed from it contributed precisely to the “mystical” perception of this concept among the masses, among the unenlightened. Judge for yourself:
1. “Sufism is a mystical-ascetic teaching in Islam that denies the ritual side and preaches asceticism.”
2. “Sufism is a mystical movement in Islam. It arose in the 8th–9th centuries and was finally formed in the 10th–12th centuries. Sufism is characterized by a combination of metaphysics with ascetic practice, the doctrine of gradual approach through mystical love to the knowledge of God (in intuitive ecstatic insights) and merging with Him. He had a great influence on Arabic and especially Persian poetry."
3. “Sufism - adherents of Sufism (Sufis), exhausting themselves with everyday inconveniences, cold, hunger, insomnia, thirst, coarse clothing and sexual abstinence, achieved ecstatic insights and “merged with God.” Sufism rejected strict prayer schedules and influenced Arab and especially Persian poetry» .
4. “at-Tasawwuf - Sufism, a mystical-ascetic movement in Islam. There are several hypotheses about the origin of this term and the same roots as it. Western European scientists until the end of the 20th century were inclined to think that the word “at-tasawwuf” comes from Greek and is translated as “wisdom.” Nowadays, the generally accepted point of view is that at-tasawwuf is a derivative of the word “suf” - “wool”, since a coarse woolen robe has long been considered a common attribute of an ascetic hermit, a “man of God”, a mystic.”
To such definitions, which are ignorantly superficial or ideologized by atheistic insensibility and blindness of the intellect, it would be appropriate to respond with the words of Cicero: “It is impossible to be a praiseworthy orator in all respects without studying all the most important subjects and sciences. Speech should flourish and unfold only on the basis of complete knowledge of the subject, but if there is no content behind it, assimilated and cognized by the speaker, then its verbal expression seems to be empty chatter.” Scientists say correctly: “Analysis (of the perception of the external world) largely depends on the individual experience of a person, his system of associations and values.”
From an atheistic view from the outside, we will move on to familiarize you with the semantic load of this term from the point of view of Muslim theology. Arabic Dictionary of Theological Terms (purely scientific publication in Arabic and English languages) gives the word “tasawwuf” the following definition: “at-Tasawwuf is truthfulness before God; freedom from domination and powerful influence (pressure on us) of worldly delights and beauties; establishing good relationships with other people. This is what is canonically permitted (mashru'). As for various kinds of extremes, like removing oneself from any responsibilities and inactively relying on the Creator, this is a deviation and delusion.”
The concept of Sufism as a school of spiritual healing was and is present in almost all religions and spiritual teachings. For example, the Hindu “improvement of the spirit”, as a result of which a person is able to turn off his senses, nerve endings and subject his body to any torture and torment without feeling pain; Christian monasticism, when a person deliberately sacrifices many worldly things, including family and children, in the name of spiritual purity and exaltation of God.
As for Islam, there is an amazing balance between three important components: spiritual life, physical and intellectual. Taken together and in the right proportions, they give the fullness of worldly existence, a feeling of earthly human happiness and lead to eternal good, the Creator’s satisfaction with us. During the time of the Prophet and his companions, this balance naturally was present in Muslim society.
The concept of “Sufism” (“tasawwuf”) appeared among Muslims after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and his companions, precisely at those times (the end of the 2nd century Hijri), when the rapidly developing Muslim society threw all its strength and aspirations for economic progress, political and military power, intellectual growth and material wealth. Among theologians, some dealt only with issues of belief (‘aqida) and said that this is the essence and basis of everything. Others deal with issues of religious practice (fiqh), and nothing more. The rulers and the wealthy part of the population focused on strengthening political influence and increasing material wealth. During that period, faith began to be limited to dry theological terms, discussions about the foundations of belief, and debates on issues of religious practice. Gradually, they began to reunite it with philosophy, “driving” it into the framework of metaphysical conclusions and theories.
In the process of heated debates and discussions of some, as well as the race for material wealth and overseas chic of others, the soul of both the individual and society as a whole faded into the background and began to experience unbearable spiritual hunger. It was during this period that people began to appear who gradually tried to fill the gap, focusing on purifying the essence of man, on healing from illnesses of the soul, and on the development of moral characteristics. At first, all this happened within the framework of the Holy Scriptures and the prophetic heritage. And it was then that a huge contribution was made to the moral character of society: many sinners, having revived spiritually, left their crimes behind; a huge number of people believed and became religious practitioners. This invaluable contribution can only be denied by an arrogant and ignorant fanatic. And only a fool could draw a parallel between the Sufis of that period and various kinds of philosophers, mystics, sorcerers, yogis, monks or “holy” idlers. This cannot be compared, these are completely different things.
But it is important to note that subsequently there appeared those who, without a scientific basis, without knowing the basics, began to follow the “voice of the heart,” saying that they received instructions “directly from God.” They began to pass off unfounded personal conclusions as truth.
That's why it happened that in modern society in some places there are those who fanatically and blindly defend the opinions of little-known “sheikhs”, not allowing even the slightest doubt about the truth of their words, as well as those who deny everything connected with Sufism, calling it heresy and innovation.
In all honesty, it should be said that tasawwuf originates precisely in the foundations and tenets of Islam, stems from the Quranic text, reliable hadiths, behavior and words of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Tasawwuf made a huge contribution to the study, development and practice of such concepts as “submission to the Lord of the worlds”, “mutual respect and love of people for each other”, “comprehension of mental shortcomings and vices”, “healing from satanic instigations”, “softening of hearts”, “memory of the inevitability of Judgment Day and eternity”, etc.
Our contemporary Imam al-Ghazali very accurately and regretfully noted: “Two types of people are clearly expressed. The first are those who have found in their hearts sincere love for the Creator and His last messenger. But at the same time, this category is extremely little familiar with the Holy Scriptures and the Sunnah of the Prophet. They are illiterate and extremely fanatical in their beliefs, in the direction and path they have chosen.
The second are those who have found intellectual insight in their heads, achieved abundance and prosperity in knowledge, acquired eloquence in words and the ability to clearly express their thoughts. They are well acquainted with most of the canons and postulates and follow all the instructions. At the same time, they are characterized by such qualities as composure, rudeness, callousness, and hard-heartedness. It seems that they are just waiting for the other to stumble in order to begin sharp criticism, pointing out the mistake and emphasizing their correctness, while appealing to verses and hadiths.
I had to meet both the first and the last. I was irritated by the ignorance of the former and the way they completely surrendered to implausible fairy tales and fables. I was outraged by the arrogance of the latter, stemming from obsessive correctness in certain issues of belief (‘aqida) and religious practice. They were surprised by the neglect of the spiritual component of man, the lack of aspiration towards God and respect for people.
Those who call themselves Sufis and any other Muslims can be mistaken, since we are all human and can make mistakes.
True Sufism is spiritual and moral growth and is in no way mysticism.
I don’t know much about Sufism, but you can read a lot of interesting things in books about it. However, as far as I know, the philosophy of Sufism is considered outside Islam and contradicts its dogmas. Although every Muslim indulges in reflection, this is also a kind of personal philosophy. And besides, the development of science and the acquisition of knowledge are encouraged by Islam, why does the philosophy and wisdom of Sufism contradict it? By what exactly signs, or rather the teachings of Sufism, can we say that it contradicts Islam?
Yes, maybe there are things in Sufism that are shocking and contrary to the Koran, but one cannot deny the fact that there are ideas in Sufism that correspond to the logic of the Koran. Imam Malik said: “Whoever becomes a scholar and does not become a Sufi will be a sinner. And whoever becomes a Sufi and does not become a scientist will be a heretic. Whoever embodies science and Sufism will truly acquire the Truth.”
It seems to me that it is not necessary to believe everything that Sufism says; those of its teachings that correspond to the Koran are valuable. So why, if some ideas of Sufism contradict the Koran, then it is impossible to study it at all?
I will quote the words of Imam Malik with my comments: “Who became a scientist and did not become a Sufi(morally and spiritually rich. - Sh. A.), he will be a sinner(without much difficulty it can become so after some time. - Sh. A.). And whoever becomes a Sufi and does not become a scientist will be a heretic(sooner or later, out of naivety, he will sincerely get lost. - Sh. A.). Who will embody science?(theology) and Sufism(spiritual knowledge and practice) , he will truly acquire the Truth(most likely to follow the right path. - Sh. A.)».
Sufism does not contradict Islam, the Koran and the Sunnah. Only subjective opinions, observations or reflections about it can conflict with religion or with those numerous spiritual paths that exist in tasawwuf itself. Religion provides general formulas, norms, and determines the scale of life values. Sufism is hundreds and thousands of possible ways to realize oneself morally and spiritually. There is no “rottenness of thought”, godlessness, delusions or contradictions in this, they are only in the heads of people, especially those who have not approached the practice of Islam at least in the form of performing obligatory prayer and cleansing their speech from abusive, obscene and false words and expressions .
Each person is unique before God in everything, and we are united by faith and practical postulates left by the prophets and messengers of the Creator, the final of which is Muhammad. The main function of the prophets was to exhort and instruct, to give general practical recommendations. There are many thousands of such diamonds of prophetic thought, and God grant that we pound less water in the mortar and use at least a dozen of them, without wasting days in the turmoil, but progressing and towards old age becoming characterized by these qualities in our personal affairs before God. It is precisely such achievements that will help a person on the Day of Judgment and will provide him with some right to claim the mercy of the Lord of the Worlds.
The Koran says: “They were replaced by new generations who stopped praying [losing all the value and importance of prayer before God] and followed passions and desires [they knew only the word “want”, but were not taught such a concept as “should” ]. Soon [if they passed away without coming to their senses, without correcting themselves] they will meet Hell [to which their favorite “I want” led them]” (Holy Koran, 19:95).
Is Sufism a sectarian branch of Islam?
It depends on what meaning you attach to this term.
It is always useful to think with your head and double-check information. Many, unfortunately, fall under one or another information influence, especially inexperienced and ambitious young people. It is always important for a person to develop and use intelligence, analyze in advance and not become a toy in someone’s informational, ideological or other pincer hands.
The imam of the mosque in the city where I live belongs to a group that claims that you can put an ustaz (teacher) as an intermediary between Allah (God) and a person, you can ask for help through him. Despite this, I am trying, for the sake of Muslim unity, to reconcile him with other Muslim brothers who believe that this man is committing great shirk (polytheism). Tell me, am I doing the right thing? And is it possible to perform prayer-namaz behind this person?
You are doing the right thing by trying to reconcile people. Of course, you can pray behind your imam.
The topic you mentioned is a kind of problem for certain regions of Russia and beyond. Some of its main reasons, it seems to me, are: incomplete literacy regarding one’s beliefs, inertia of thinking, reluctance to meet each other halfway, inability to speak to a person in a language he understands, ignorance of the essence of some religious terms.
This is a temporary phenomenon, if the Almighty wishes it, but on the condition that people become smarter and not stupid, limiting their thinking to memorized formulations.
Where I live there is a cult of saints. That is, you can observe how people make pilgrimages to the graves of so-called saints and ask them for help. When I told them: “Friends, this is a delusion, you can ask for help only from the Only Lord of the worlds,” they immediately called me a radical. How can this be? Tell me, am I really mistaken?!
A very complex and subtle topic. It requires an answer in the form of a detailed ethno-historical-theological study. I believe that the most appropriate words in this case would be the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him): “Leave what you doubt and do what you are sure of.”
What is vird?
From Arabic it is translated as “spring”, “watering hole”, “part of the night intended for prayer”, “part of the Koran read by those praying at night”, “short prayer”. In the Caucasus, the word “vird” usually means a short prayer, received for daily reading from the sheikh, ustaz.
Do you think there are any awliya’ (saints) in the world now?
Any more or less pious person can be or become one of the awliya’ (close to God). But the whole point of the matter is that he can easily both rise to this level and fall from it. No one is immune from mistakes, and there is no guarantee that a person will maintain this level throughout his life, because the latter, with its variety of circumstances, is changeable, multifaceted and unpredictable. This is an examination that ends with the moments when the soul leaves the body. In this sense, all people are equal before God.
1. Now there are many Muslims who are taking the path of tariqa. They perform additional (nafil) prayers, fast a lot, and take wird. All this is good, but... Our hazrat said that many scientists entered the path of tariqa onlyafter they reached high levels of knowledge in comprehending the Creator. It sounds absurd from a person who has recently started performing namaz that he is a murid of such and such a tariqat. And the imam of our mosque warned me against this. He said that you need to approach this responsibly, since you are embarking on a serious path.
2. In one of your sermons you said that such a great scientist as Ibn Taymiyyah is often slandered. Almost everyone keeps telling me about his delusions and incorrect beliefs (the understanding of many verses is literal, for example, the Throne, the hand of Allah, the face, etc.). They say that his works are used by the so-called Salafis (Wahhabis). Of course, I try not to bother myself with this; I think Muslims have enough problems without it. But since I am writing to you, I wanted to know: is what they say about Ibn Taymiyya true?
3. I read books from your list on the site. But some Muslims do not understand and do not want to read anything from non-religious literature; they consider it unnecessary. It is better to do a lot of prayers and read only religious books. Many people consider you too liberal.
1. Not so much responsibly as carefully in the realities of our time. Some modern tariqas mixed with politics are generally explosive for the human psyche, and even more so for unprepared young people.
2. Ibn Taymiyyah is a great scientist, but various kinds of radicals and ignoramuses try to hide behind him, with individual quotes from his works.
3, 4. I strongly advise you to interfere less with those you are talking about, and press the gas pedal in your own intellectual, physical and professional development. Communicate only with those who radiate positivity and positive energy. You can’t even imagine that, being who you are, you have enormous prospects and opportunities. The only thing is that everything that surrounds you, everything that is inside and outside of you, should work to ensure that you become as self-actualized and realized as possible. By the age of 30, you must rise to a very serious level, and the near-religious chatter you mentioned seriously hinders your development, introducing confusion into your consciousness. I hope you will draw harsh conclusions towards yourself and will not deviate from the priorities that you have set for yourself, no matter how, no matter who or what anyone tells you. After 10 years of such movement and development, look at yourself and those who spoke a lot and empty words about religion. I would not be surprised if most of these idle talkers are people who have achieved nothing, single or divorced, blaming everyone for everything, drinking, smoking, drug addiction, or running through the forests with revolutionary slogans. Work to make your body and nerves steel and muscles oriented to become a winner in all areas of your personal and professional endeavors. And one more thing: beware of the feeling of complete self-realization that may appear after the first minor achievements and successes. When you reach more or less significant heights spiritually, intellectually and physically, you will turn back and exclaim with a feeling of admiration before God and with gratitude to Him: “Wow! (Subhanal-la!)”, but (!) this is just the beginning. It is necessary and necessary to stop only when the soul leaves a strong and healthy body that has already completed its earthly function. Don’t lose this answer of mine, see you in 10 years!
What should you beware of: Sufism, Shiism or Salafism?
The main thing is not to lose your head. Faith and religious practice are designed to help a person live and be happy in the earthly and eternal, and various kinds of “-isms” limit people, lead to fanaticism and mutual hostility.
If Christians go to a monastery, then where can I, a Muslim, go from the world? Guzel.
The final Messenger of God (may God bless him and greet him) instructed: “The best among you are those who do not leave the eternal for the sake of the worldly, and also the worldly for the eternal [know how to grasp and build harmony between them in accordance with existing circumstances and a careful analysis of them in the context of worldly and eternal perspectives]. [The best are those] who do not become a burden (burden) for others”, and also: “A believer who is among people and is patient with the pain that they inflict on him [morally, psychologically, physically], is better and more beneficial than the one who avoids people and intolerant of their actions."
I advise you to read my book “World of the Soul”. It will help you overcome mental pain, understand a lot, discover the meaning of life and begin to look at people and the insults they cause differently. Ask the Lord for worlds, and it will be given to you! When you open your eyes to the world, you will understand and be surprised at how enchantingly beautiful life is, and troubles only masterfully highlight its beauty and add unique flavor, splendor, and variety to it.
Which madhhab do the followers of the Naqshbandi tariqa adhere to? And what can you say to a person who divides Muslims only into Sufis, who admire their sheikhs, and Wahhabis? That is, if I begin to disagree with the positions of the followers of this tariqa, then I am immediately classified as a Wahhabi.
The division of everyone into “Wahhabists”, “Salafis” and “Tariqatists”, “Sufis” is a typical ignorance that has spread in various forms throughout the territory of the former Union as a result of the prolonged absence (during the communist period) of qualified religious education. For more than seventy years, atheism was actively promoted, there were entire institutes, scientific directions, for which colossal public funds were spent. cash. Now we are reaping the benefits of that limited one-sided information, of looking at the world through a single window.
There are extremes, but there is also a golden mean. So, it was precisely this that was cut out and destroyed during the Soviet period, so that piety and religiosity would completely lose their attractiveness in the eyes of the enlightened part of society, especially in the next generation. Today it (the golden mean) is gradually, with difficulty, but still being restored by the will of the Creator.
As for tasawwuf (Sufism), as well as radicalism mixed with youthful maximalism, dressed in religious armor, I advise you to avoid extremes and categorical judgments, work on yourself and not look for shortcomings in others. Remember: inexperienced people quickly notice the motley, bright and extraordinary, therefore, in the first stages of personal development, they give preference to the external, conspicuous.
As for the Naqshibandi tariqa, the madhhab of the followers of a given spiritual path and any of its branches depends on where they live geographically or where they come from, since the tariqa determines the specifics of spiritual growth, and the madhhab determines the norms of religious practice.
I myself live in Moscow and have many friends who regularly visit the mosque. There are people among them various levels, both religious and secular education. As a result of many years of communication, I discovered that everyone perceives Islam in their own way. Is this normal?
Regarding the fact that “everyone perceives Islam in their own way,” this is very correctly noted. Depending on the environment in which a person grew up, on the education he received, depending on the circles in which he communicates and lives, his consciousness takes on a specific and individual form. Geographical location influences the style of clothing, diet, norms of relationships, etc. However, what is established by the Koran and Sunnah, that is, the core of the foundations of faith and religious practice, is unchanged until the End of the World, and this immutability unites the followers of the Prophet Muhammad in many questions.
Disagreement often arises for the following reasons:
1. A person is not sufficiently informed on a particular issue.
2. The information he receives contradicts established traditions in a particular area, which were once based on primary sources, but have undergone changes over time.
3. There are no necessary criteria and knowledge about the primacy and secondary importance, obligatory or desirability of this or that.
4. In Islam there are questions the answers to which are clear and unanimously approved by scholars, and there are those on which differences of opinion are allowed, different interpretations and approaches (ijtihad).
The first reason is common in the Russian environment. Knowledge is acquired in stages, and in some places, in parts, in fits and starts, so some take one part as a basis, others take another. The ability to compare them with partial mutual exclusion and complementation comes only after acquiring a wide range of knowledge based on the experience that became the legacy of Muslim scientists who studied Holy Quran and Sunnah. For example, a person read an authentic hadith present in the hadith collections of Imams al-Bukhari and Muslim, in which the Prophet said: “Who will testify that there is no god except the One and only Lord, and that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of God, that Jesus is the servant of God and The word of the Lord, revealed to Maryam (Mary), that Hell and Paradise are true, the Almighty will bring him into Paradise.” And another believer read a reliable hadith: “Between a [believer] person and disbelief is abandonment of prayer.” The ability to compare these two hadiths is quite important, since due to illiteracy and lack of competence of some, even those who are carriers Arabic, you can mislead people deeply.
The second point concerns the older and younger generations. Older generation preserved the faith partly by embedding it in national traditions, some of which at first glance do not correspond to the requirements of religion. The younger generation reads books that are sometimes translated word by word from Arabic and often do not have appropriate comments.
As for the third point, this only comes from a lack of knowledge and life experience. Young people, following the lead of youthful maximalism, want to shoulder everything at once. Gradual enlightenment will give its results, and life experience and wisdom will become the reason for easier understanding of each other.
There is no need to complicate your life, because religion is a relief, not a complication. We must understand the great value for us of everything that is obligatory, and never forget about the limitless harm of what is clearly forbidden. We are not told not to use electricity, not to wear suits, not to drive cars... We are told not to be wasteful, not to use foul language, but to be highly moral, remember to thank the Lord and help each other in good and righteous things. If we are more strict with ourselves and more lenient, flexible, and delicate when communicating with others, we will achieve significant results than if we begin with a smart look to prove the “unconditional truth” of our views, views, as well as interpretations and formulations, giving vent to emotions and relying on the statements of someone who is supposedly knowledgeable, or by distorting the words of a truly literate person.
Big Dictionary Russian language. St. Petersburg: Norint, 2000. P. 1292.
Large encyclopedic dictionary. St. Petersburg: Norint, 2004. P. 1166.
The latest dictionary of foreign words and expressions. M.: AST, 2002. P. 775.
See: Islam. encyclopedic Dictionary. M.: Science (main editor of eastern literature), 1991. P. 225.
See: Zaretskaya E.N. Rhetoric. Theory and practice of speech communication. M.: Delo, 2002. P. 26.
See: Mu'jamu lugati al-fuqaha' [Dictionary of theological terms]. Beirut: an-Nafais, 1988. P. 133.
Intrusive - annoying, annoyingly pestering with something; intruded into the consciousness against the will, unrelenting.
Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr (better known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziya) (1292–1350 Gregorian, 691–751 AH) - theologian of the Hanbali madhhab, faqih-mujtahid, mufassir, muhaddis, a subtle expert in many scientific areas of Islamic theology. He devoted himself to active research and educational activities. He wrote many theological works, including “Madarej as-salikin fi sharkh manazil as-sairin”, “Hadi al-arwah ila bilyad al-afrah”, “Rawda al-muhibbin wa nuzha al-mushtakyn”, “Zadul-ma'ad” fi hadhi khair al-'ibad", "At-tybb an-nabawi". Born and buried in Damascus. For more details, see: ‘Umar Rida Kyakhalya. Mu'jam al-muallifin [Dictionary short biographies scientists]. In 4 volumes. Beirut: ar-Risala, 1993. Vol. 3. P. 164, 165.
See: al-Ghazali M. (our contemporary). Al-janib al-‘atifi min al-Islam [The sensitive side of Islam]. Iskandaria: ad-Da'wa, 2001. pp. 11, 12.
Faqih is an expert in Islamic law and theology. That is, be one who knows what is right and what is wrong; what is allowed and what is forbidden.
“You deny the Most High Creator, although previously you were dead [you simply did not exist], and He revived you [gave you life, body, soul, made you people], after which He will put you to death again [at the end of your worldly stay], and then will revive again [on the day of the general Resurrection], and you will be returned to Him [on the Day of Judgment you will appear before Him to answer for your deeds, aspirations, intentions and actions]?!” (Holy Quran, 2:28).
“He [the Lord of the worlds] is the one who gives you life, then kills you, and then revives you again [following the End of the World, on the day of the general Resurrection]. [But] the man is undoubtedly extraordinary ungrateful creature[often does not even realize the full value of gifts and graces, not to mention thanking and rationally applying]” (Holy Quran, 22:66).
“Allah (God, Lord) [is the one] who created you, then endowed you with inheritance [provided earthly gifts (body, intellect, soul, wealth) and opportunities that you should be able to use, develop and increase according to earthly and eternal criteria], then [with the natural approach of the hour of death] he will kill you, then [after being in the Underworld and with the advent of the day of general Resurrection] he will revive you. Are there any gods and deities among the gods and deities you have invented who can do at least some of the things mentioned?! [The fact of the matter is that there are none!] He [the Creator] is infinitely far from everything earthly (not corresponding to Him) and above everything that they try to elevate to His level” (Holy Quran, 30:40).
“Say: “[The mechanism and sequence of stages are:] Allah (God, Lord) (1) gives you life, then [after its expiration, which is different for each] (2) kills you; then [after passing through the Underworld, with the End of the World and following the global Resurrection] (3) will gather you on the Day of Judgment, the coming of which there is no doubt. However [and this is precisely the problem], b O most people don't know [thisor they don’t realize it properly, they don’t want to admit it]” (Holy Quran, 45:26).
“To those who make efforts (diligent, persistent, purposeful), and do this to please the Almighty [with a prayer for His mercy and forgiveness; does before Him, His power, for the benefit of faith and spirituality, for the sake of the triumph of the Word of God and eternal values, and not to please passions and base desires; not out of revenge or to spite someone; without proving to others that he is smarter, more influential and richer... Who puts in efforts before God (not 100%, but 110%)], to those people the Almighty will reveal blessed ways[achieving all-round success in the worldly and eternal; will provide a way out of hopeless situations; will lead you out of the darkness of hopelessness to a brightly lit “path” of hope and confidence in the future]. [Know] there is no doubt that Allah (God, Lord) is with those who are noble in deeds and actions” (Holy Quran, 29:69).
“Call [in words, but first of all, by showing by your own example, with your successes, deeds and actions] to the path of the Lord (1) with wisdom [which for ordinary believers is acquired to a large extent by study and analysis, the ability to project the acquired knowledge into one’s own life ] and (2) good exhortation [which also requires considerable effort: lexicon, basics of rhetoric and psychology, peace of mind, restraint of emotions]. (3) [If you prove something, then] convince by the fact that the best [having erudition in this matter, logical thinking, the ability to listen and hear the other side, although often it is better to remain silent and leave the interlocutor alone with what you previously said].
Truly, God is the most knowledgeable of those who have lost the right path and those who are moving in the right direction. [Do not jump to conclusions when speaking about the faith or righteousness of others, do not belittle their dignity. Your job is to present the information, convey it and show the practice of application]” (Holy Quran, 16:125).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him), for example, said: “Whoever makes all his worries [circling around] one [main] - worries about what [sooner or later] he will return to God with, he will have all his earthly anxieties (concerns) will be resolved by the Lord [after all, with all his involvement and activity, the soul and heart will be calm]. [When a person learns to maintain the graceful whirling of leaf fall and vicissitudes around his main life meaning, then worries and worries will stop falling in his way, getting in the way and rustling under his feet like withered autumn leaves. The center of all his aspirations will be the disposition of his heart and mind to understand how this or that choice can turn out for him in eternity].
Whose attention will be scattered between worldly concerns (anxiety, worries) [and nothing more; whoever, through his carelessness or over-busyness, resembles a tree with numerous branches directed in various directions], will deprive himself of Divine attention [will find himself outside the mercy and generosity of the Lord of the worlds. The Almighty will turn away from such a vain person]. The Creator will not even be interested in where [and how] he dies.” Hadith from Ibn ‘Umar; St. X. al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi, as well as from Ibn Mas'ud; St. X. Ibn Majah. See, for example: al-Zuhayli V. At-tafsir al-munir. In 17 vols. T. 8. P. 667; Ibn Majah M. Sunan [Compendium of Hadiths]. Riyadh: al-Afkar ad-Dawliyya, 1999. P. 444, Hadith No. 4106, “Hasan”; al-Qaradawi Y. Al-muntaka min kitab “at-targyb wat-tarhib” lil-munziri. T. 2. P. 331, Hadith No. 1949, “sahih”.
Hadith from Anas and others; St. X. Ahmad and others. See, for example: as-Suyuty J. Al-jami‘ as-sagyr [Small collection]. Beirut: al-Kutub al-‘ilmiya, 1990. pp. 256, 257, hadith No. 3211, “sahih.”
“Listen! Truly, fear will not rule over people close to God [their thoughts, desires, aspirations, actions, culture of speech and behavior] (avliya’), and they will not be saddened. [With many years of effort and with God’s blessing, they will achieve everything that is beneficial and useful for them from among the worldly and eternal heights, blessings and delights].
[Close to the Lord of the worlds] are those who believed [were carriers of the tenets of faith] and were devout [their words did not come into obvious contradiction with actions and deeds; they avoided the obviously forbidden and tried to do the obligatory and necessary to the best of their ability and ability].
For them [those close to God (avliya’)] there is joyful news in worldly life and in eternity [they will be happy in both worlds, but in the worldly abode this will require titanic efforts and work on themselves]. The words [promises] of the Most High are unchangeable. This [good news in worldly life and in eternity] is a great triumph [after all, what they acquired is the result of persistent and unshakable faith, work for decades, sincerity of noble deeds and deeds]” (Holy Quran, 10:62–64).
(1) “Verily, a person may throughout his life commit acts characteristic of the inhabitants of Paradise, but the last deeds of his life can turn him into an inhabitant of Hell.” Hadith from Abu Hurayrah; St. X. Muslima. See: an-Naysaburi M. Sahih Muslim. P. 1063; part of Hadith No. 11–(2651); as-Suyuty J. Al-jami' as-saghir. P. 121, part of hadith No. 1972, “sahih”. (2) “Truly, a person, without thinking [about the consequences], can utter a word (or phrase) with which the Lord will be so pleased that he will raise that person to the [highest] levels. At the same time, and there is no doubt about this, without watching his own speech, he can say words that will cause extreme displeasure of the Lord and bring him down to Hell.” Hadith from Abu Hurayrah; St. X. Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmizi, Ibn Majah, al-Baghawi and others. See, for example: al-Bukhari M. Sahih al-Bukhari. T. 4. P. 2032, hadiths No. 6477, 6478; al-‘Askalyani A. Fath al-bari bi sharh sahih al-bukhari. In 18 volumes, 2000. T. 14. P. 373, hadiths No. 6477, 6478; as-Suyuty J. Al-jami' as-saghir. P. 126, Hadith No. 2060, “sahih”; an-Naysaburi M. Sahih Muslim. P. 1197, hadiths No. 49–(2988), 50–(2988); an-Nawawi Ya. Sahih Muslim bi Sharh an-Nawawi. In 10 volumes, 1987. Vol. 9. pp. 327, 328, hadiths No. 49–(2988), 50–(2988); al-Amir ‘Alayud-din al-Farisi. Al-ihsan fi takrib sahih ibn habban. T. 13. pp. 13–16, hadith no. 5706–5708.
Also see: al-Qari ‘A. Mirkat al-mafatih sharkh miskyat al-masabih. In 10 volumes. Beirut: al-Fikr, 2002. T. 7. P. 3036, Hadith No. 4834.
“There is no monasticism in Islam,” the Prophet Muhammad said clearly and clearly. See, for example: Zaghlul M. Mavsu'a atraf al-hadith an-nabawi al-sharif [Encyclopedia of the beginnings of noble prophetic sayings]. In 11 volumes. Beirut: al-Fikr, 1994. T. 7. P. 249; al-‘Ajluni I. Kyashf al-khafa’ wa muzil al-ilbas. In 2 parts. Beirut: Al-kutub al-‘ilmiya, 2001. T. 2. P. 345, hadith No. 3151.
For example, trying to get one or another earthly benefit (cash bonus, position, lucrative contract), a person, supposedly a believer, under various pretexts does not hesitate to commit immoral or criminal things (deception, theft, informational destruction of a competitor, intrigue, etc.) . That is, for the sake of the worldly, he sacrifices the eternal, committing an obvious, “justified” atrocity.
Hadith from Anas. See, for example: as-Suyuty J. Al-jami' as-saghir. P. 250, Hadith No. 4112, “sahih”.
Hadith from Ibn ‘Umar; St. X. Ahmad, at-Tirmizi, Ibn Majah and others. See, for example: al-Suyuty J. Al-jami‘ as-sagyr. P. 549, Hadith No. 9154; Ibn Majah M. Sunan [Compendium of Hadiths]. Riyadh: al-Afkar ad-Dawliyya, 1999. P. 434, hadith No. 4032, “sahih”.
Reread about simple and duplex thinkers in Don't You Understand? of this book.
According to the famous theologian al-‘Iraqi, the second hadith is reliable (St. H. Muslim, etc.). The hadith refers to a case when a person believed, realized the importance and obligation of the daily fivefold prayer, but, having begun to observe the prayer practice, interrupted it after some time. According to the unanimous opinion of theologians, one who does not observe prayer denying its obligation, did not believe in the Lord. See: al-Shavkyani M. Neil al-avtar [Achieving goals]. In 8 volumes. Beirut: al-Kutub al-‘ilmiya, 1995. Vol. 1. pp. 313, 314.
At the same time, there are hadiths that a person who “even the weight of an atom of dust” believes in the One God and Muhammad as His messenger will ever go to Paradise by the grace of the Lord:
– “Whatever servant of God testifies that there is no god except the One Creator, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, having done this with sincerity in his heart, the Lord will certainly remove him from Hell” (hadith from Anas ibn Malik; holy H. al-Bukhari and Muslim);
“Each of the prophets had a prayer that was not rejected by the Lord. “I,” said the Prophet Muhammad, “left it on the Day of Judgment in order to use it for intercession (shafa’a) for my followers. And if Allah wishes, then intercession will cover all those who died with faith in the One Lord, without deifying anyone or anything else” (hadith from Abu Hurayra; holy kh. Muslim).
But in no case should we forget about the other words of the Prophet: “Who will testify that there is no god but the One Lord, and that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of God, that Jesus is the servant of God and the Word of the Lord, revealed to Maryam (Mary); that Hell and Paradise are true, the Lord will bring him into Paradise on the basis of his deeds” (hadith from ‘Ubada ibn al-Samit; holy kh. al-Bukhari and Muslim). A person who believes in God must back up his faith with concrete deeds: good manners, a sense of responsibility, perseverance, compliance with the mandatory provisions of religious practice, etc.
“The Almighty did not make difficulties (constraints, did not create a critical situation) for you in religion” (see Holy Quran, 22:78; 5:6; 33:38).
The Prophet Muhammad exhorted: “Make it easy and do not complicate it; give good news (calm, comfort; soften) and do not cause disgust.” Hadith from Anas; St. X. Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim and an-Nasai. See, for example: al-Bukhari M. Sahih al-Bukhari [Code of hadiths of Imam al-Bukhari]. In 5 volumes. Beirut: al-Maktaba al-'asriya, 1997. T. 4. P. 1930, hadith No. 6125; an-Naysaburi M. Sahih Muslim. P. 721, Hadith No. 8–(1734); as-Suyuty J. Al-jami' as-saghir. P. 590, Hadith No. 10010, “sahih”.
“Without a doubt, the wasteful [those who waste their income and God’s gifts on useless things, not to mention those who spend on harmful, sinful, criminal things] are brothers [close friends and associates in spirit and actions] of Satan (devils). He (Satan) [cursed by God forever] turned out to be absolutely ungrateful to his Lord [which can be said about those who fraternized with him]” (Holy Koran, 17:27).
“Believers, avoid suspicion (negative thinking) [do not think negatively about good things]. Truly, some [of your] thoughts [when you think badly about others, without clear evidence, suspecting, speculating] are sinful! Don't spy [don't stalk, don't look for the faults of others, don't look for what people are trying to hide]. Do not slander each other [do not say things about another person in his absence that he would not like if he were present]. Would any of you like eat meat his dead brother [pieces of meat from the body of another dead person]?! You're disgusted by this, right?! [Slander against another should be just as disgusting!] Fear Allah (fear God)! Verily, He is All-Forgiving and Merciful” (Holy Quran, 49:12).
"Believer can't be(1) defamatory (blasphemous, discrediting), (2) cursing, (3) rude (obscene, indecent), (4) swearing and obscene,” emphasized the final messenger of God. Hadith from Ibn Mas'ud; St. X. at-Tirmidhi and others. See, for example: as-Suyuty J. Al-jami' as-sagyr. P. 464, Hadith No. 7584, “sahih”; at-Tirmidhi M. Sunan at-Tirmidhi [Collection of hadiths of Imam at-Tirmidhi]. Beirut: Ibn Hazm, 2002. P. 580, Hadith No. 1982, “Hasan.”
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of the Creator) said: “Truly, the main goal of my prophetic mission is to bring high morals to completeness and perfection.” Three hadiths with this meaning from Abu Hurayrah; St. X. al-Bukhari (at-tarikh), al-Bukhari (al-adab al-mufrad), al-Hakim, al-Baykhaki, etc. See, for example: al-Suyuty J. Al-jami‘ al-saghir. P. 155, hadiths No. 2583, “sahih”, No. 2584, “sahih”, No. 2585, “Hasan”.
“[Remember how] the Lord informed you: “If you are grateful, then - there is no doubt - I will give you even more [worldly and eternal blessings; and gratitude is when you are above what is given to you, and not in it and not limited by it, when you believe and are zealous in good, regardless of the changing circumstances around you]. But if you are ungrateful [stingy, vain, arrogant, wasteful, self-confident; forget about God, and attribute achievements and successes to your resourcefulness and diligence], know that My punishment is truly severe” (Holy Quran, 14:7).
Sheikh Ali al-Jifri was asked: What is the difference between Sufis and Sunnis? Aren't we all Muslims and don't we testify to the unity of Allah Almighty and the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?
Answer: The word “tasawwuf” (Sufism) has become the cause of misunderstanding and disagreement, many are partial to it, and this is a purposeful work. As they say, before making any decision, you need to understand what we call tasawwuf. So what do we call Tasawwuf to understand whether it is good or bad?
Tasawwuf, which our former Salaf imams knew, starting from Hassan al-Basri and ending with our mentors with whom we had the opportunity to study, is a science that is engaged in improving the third foundation of our religion - Ihsan.
The science of Fiqh deals with the four fundamentals of Islam: Namaz, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj, and everything connected with them.
The science of “Tawhid” (Monotheism), which later began to be called aqida (and the word “Aqida” did not exist during the time of the Companions and Tabiyins, but nevertheless, it is called that) – is engaged in the study and explanation of the six pillars of Iman, the second foundation of our religion.
The science of Tasawwuf studies the rules and behavior with the help of which the servant of Allah improves and achieves the third foundation of our religion - and this is Ihsan (sincerity). darulfikr.ru 175
Let's see: judging by the definition, this is a very important question and the degree to which we must strive is great. In this regard, we have questions:
– Where does this name come from?
– Where did the name “Tasawwuf” come from?
– During the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there wasn’t the word “Tasawwuf”, was there?
Well, what kind of questions are these? I just don't want to call it shameful ignorance, since people with knowledge don't pick on names. Call it whatever you want, as long as the name is not prohibited. It is not the name that is important, but what is meant by it. The science called “aqeedah” did not exist during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the companions, the science of “usul” also did not exist during the time of the Prophet and the companions, the science called “tajweed” about the methods of reading the Quran also did not exist during The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions, as well as the science called “Ilm al-Jarhi wa Tadil”, with the help of which we distinguish between the authenticity or weakness of hadiths, the righteousness of the chain of their transmitters, did not exist during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allah welcomes) and companions.
Origin of the word "Tasawwuf"
Consequently, the absence of one or another name during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and companions is not a sufficient reason to refute one or another science. Where did this name come from? According to some sources, it came from the words “Ahlyu Illumination of Hearts 176
Suffat." According to other sources, from the word “Suf” - wool, the clothes they wore. During the Tabiyin, when people began to focus on worldly things, being carried away by luxury in clothing, food, housing and transportation, they renounced all this. The cheapest clothing of that time was wool. Rich mutrafuns avoided wearing woolen clothes: they wore beautiful and expensive clothes, and left the wool for the poor and beggars.
But the noble imams, who renounced everything worldly and sincerely served Allah, preferred to wear the cheapest woolen clothes, abandoning luxury. And people called them "Sufis".
Now we understand what Sufism is and where this name came from! This means that there is no room for reproach either in the name Sufism or in the very essence of Sufism. After this, one question remains: were the former righteous men (Salafu Salih) from Ahlu-s-Sunnah Waal-Jama'a Sufis? And is there a difference between Ahlu-s-Sunnah and Sufis? Sufis - they are Ahlu-s-Sunnah waal-Jama`ah! The people whom we call today Sufis are Ahlu-s-Sunnah of Waal-Jama`a.
If you look at Imam al-Nawawi's commentary on Sahih al-Muslim, you will see that when he cites a chain of narrators and wants to emphasize the righteousness or superiority of one of them, he indicates that he was a Sufi.
If you open the book “Sifwatu safwa” (or in another way it is called “Safwatu safwa”), authored by Imam Hafiz ibn al-Jawzi, you will see that he gave biographies of Sufi sheikhs, starting with those who lived in darulfikr .ru 177
first, second and third centuries AH. He made them, and their biographies, beacons for us to follow!
And if you look into the book “Siyar a'lam an-nubalayi” by Imam Hafiz al-Zahabi, you will find in it a biography of all the sheikhs of the tariqa. Salafu Salih (righteous predecessors) adhered to the tariqa! When they wanted to point out someone's superiority, they emphasized that he was a Sufi!
If you read the words of the scholars, who are supposedly followed by those who today claim that they “follow the path of Ahl-s-Sunnah wal-Jama`a, and that they follow the Salaf Salihun,” such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim in relation to Sufism,” then they will be ashamed. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote the book “As-Sufiya wal-Fukara”, and he also dedicated two chapters in the book “Fatawa” to Sufism. He emphasizes that he himself cites some hadiths in a chain that includes Abdulkadir Jilani, the Imam of the Qadiri tariqa. He also writes the word “quddisa sirruhu” after the name of Abdulkadir Jilani in the book “Fatawa” - and this is how Sufis usually write!
Ibn Qayim also has a book about Sufism, he called it “Madariju Ssalikin fi sharhi Manazili Ssairina.” And “Manazilu Ssairin” is a book by Abdullah al-Harawi. She was renamed “Tahziba Madaridzhi Ssalikin”. They removed words that indicate that Ibn Qayim recognizes Sufism, added some things and called it “Tahzibu Madariji Ssalikin.”
In short, Sufism is the essence of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this is the purification of the heart from blameworthy qualities and the knowledge of Allah. Illumination of Hearts 178
To find out whether the Sufis have such knowledge, you need to understand: what role did they play in Islamic science?
If we talk about Islamic sciences, then here are the facts: all the great imams were Sufis! The reciters of the Koran will not be able to provide a chain of transmitters for any of the seven ways of reading the Koran if they exclude Sufi sheikhs from them.
All chains of reading the Koran, common in Egypt, converge on the great Imam Sheikhul Islam Zakariyya al-Ansari. All readers, talking about the chain of transmitters of their reading, converge on Zakaria al-Ansari. Zakaria al-Ansariy is one of the great imams of Tasawwuf. Shaykh ul Islam Zakariya al-Ansariy has a book in which he explained Risalatul Kushayriyya, and this is a book called the canon of Tasawwuf. Not one of the hadith transmitters cited in the six most famous and reliable collections can cite a chain of transmitters without passing through the imams of tasawwuf. If today we allow doubts about these Sufi sheikhs and imams, through whom we received the Quran and Sunnah, then tomorrow we will doubt the truth of the Quran and Sunnah itself - may Allah save us from this!
So, Sufis are people who played the most significant role in preserving and transmitting the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). If you look at the interpreters of hadith, you will see that among the interpreters of the six well-known collections there is no interpreter who is not associated with the Sufis. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, the author of Fathul Bari - the most famous interpretation of al-Bukhari's Sahih - is the author of the biography of Abdulqadir al-darulfikr.ru 179
Jilani: it describes his career, fortune and efforts, what he did. It has been published and is well known.
Imam al-Nawawi, who wrote the commentary on Sahih al-Muslim, was one of the great imams who had a strong connection with the Sufis. Anyone who reads his book “al-Adhkar”, or “Tibyanu fi adabi hamalatil Quran” or other books that describe the murid’s adabs and touching stories, will find the essence of Sufism clearly expressed in his speech.
His biography states that towards the end of his life he was in Damascus and taught at Dar ul-Hadith University; one Sufi sheikh came to him and said: “O Imam! If you want, go to Nava (homeland), truly, your end is approaching.” He listened to the words of this righteous sheikh and left for Nawa. Not even a few days passed before he passed into the mercy of Allah. He was 44 years old. Here the question may arise: how did the sheikh know that his end was approaching? Do they really know the secret? No one knows the absolute secret of Allah except the Almighty Himself. But the Almighty makes a certain part of His absolute secret known to whomever He wishes. After all, it is said: “Beware of the insight of the Mu’min, verily, he sees Allah with nour.” This is in the field of science.
Sufis in the field of jihad.
If we take the area of jihad on the path of Allah, then the leaders and imams of all the battles that Muslims waged against oppressors and conquerors were Sufi imams. Who liberated Jerusalem? (may Allah hasten the day of his liberation!) Who organized the campaign for his Illumination of hearts 180
liberation? This is Salahudin al-Ayoubi. He built Sufi training centers on Mount Kosyon in Syria to train liberators in the path of Allah. Salahudin al-Ayubi and Nuruddin Zanki paved the way for the liberation of Muslims - based on the book “Ihya ulumuddin” (Imam al-Ghazali), in which there is not a single chapter devoted to jihad. But they knew that the reason for the humiliation of Muslims and their inability to defend themselves is the love of worldly things and the fear of death, as stated in the hadith. And then they took a book that heals this illness - and prepared people for jihad.
Who was the standard-bearer of the army that repelled the Seventh Crusade and captured King Louis the Ninth at Al-Mansur? This was the imam of the Shazili tariqa, Abul-Hasan Ali al-Shazali. He was a ninety-year-old blind old man when he took the banner in his hands and went out, shouting the call “al-Jihad, al-Jihad!”, and the murids took him by the hands and a large number of great scientists gathered around him, among whom was the great scientist Izzu ibn Abdussalam . They were all on the battlefield and captured the French king Louis the Ninth.
Who was the standard-bearer of the troops who, under the cover of darkness, freed a large number of Muslims from captivity by the Mongol-Tatars? This was the imam of the tariqa, Ahmad al-Badawi.
Who led the Moroccans against the colonialists? These were Sufis. Who led the great jihad of the Libyans against the Italian colonialists? It was Umar al-Mukhtar, one of the followers of the al-Sanusiyya tariqa. Who raised the banner of struggle against the crusaders and colonialists in Syria and Jordan? These were the sheikhs of the Naqshbandi and Shazili Tariqats. Who darulfikr.ru 181
Loading...
