19207792 Sufism and Science[1]

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Sufism and science are striving for the same destination. Science wants to know: How didthe universe come into being and what is its nature? Is there any Creator? What is He like?Where is He? How is He related to the universe? How is He related to man? Is it possible forman to approach Him? Sufism has found the answers and invites the scientists to come andhave that knowledge.

Islamic Sufism is many centuries ahead of modern science. This can be born out by the fact,among numerous others, that Umar the second Caliph of the Prophet, while addressing aFriday congregation in Madina, shouted, "Ya Sariah-al-Jabal." (O Sariah capture the hill!) Thearmy commander, Sariah, fighting a battle at Nihawand in Iran heard his voice, captured thehill and won the battle. This shows Umar could see the situation at several thousand milesaway and make his voice heard by the army commander without the aid of telephone orwireless which were not known in those days.

But man is a limited being. His position in the universe is infinitesimally small. Theastronomers tell us the farthest star of our solar system, known as Millets, is at the distance ofseveral thousand light years from the earth. (The speed of the light is one hundred and eightysix thousand miles per second, and a light year is the distance covered by light in one year'stravel). They also tell us that there are millions of suns and solar systems like ours in theuniverse. Now what is the position of our planet in this vast universe? It cannot be more thana speck. What can the position of man be in this speck? Not even a dot or drop in the ocean!Now this dot or drop is out to explore and unearth the realities secrets and wonders of theuniverse. Not only that, he is out to know its Creator as well! Can that be possible?

Yes, it is possible only if he is prepared to utilise the spark of light in himself, which when setablaze, works like a spaceship which carries him far beyond the limits of time and space intothe blissful domains of Divine Proximity, Divine Presence and Divine Union. Here man isendowed with Divine Attributes of power and knowledge, knows the secrets of Creation and isable to see the whole universe as a speck lying before him. Not only that, he is made to visitthe eighteen thousand subtle unseen worlds which the great Sufis of Islam give tidings of intheir accounts of Sair-fi-Allah (Journey in God), Sair-bi-Allah (Journey by God) and Sair-ma-Allah (Journey with God). Science, therefore, would do well to seek the assistance of Sufism to

fathom the otherwise unfathomable depths of Divine Secrets and secrets of Creation.

SUFISM IN A NUTSHELL

When it is said that Islam is the religion of'nature', or is a natural religion, it means that

Islam suits human nature and can meet all itsrequirements. But what is human nature andhow can the tenets of Islam satisfy it?

We all know that man is a combination ofbody and soul (or spirit). The existence of man's soul has now been scientifically

proven, with evidences taken from experiences of telepathy, levitation, clairvoyance,and other 'extra sensory perception'. Photographs of the soul's aura have also beenrecorded by scientific means.

Since the human body belongs to the material world, it has the tendency to pull usdownward to its low earthly origin. The soul, however, is of Divine nature and has thetendency to pull us upwards to its spiritual origin.


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Human life is thus the name of the constant tug of warbetween the lower bodily and higher spiritual forces. If theformer gets stronger, man succumbs to greed, anger,arrogance, and is ruined. If, however, the latter gains theupper hand, he gets exalted to Divine nearness, presence andunion, and wins the battle of life. All the prophets of God and

heavenly books came to warn and help mankind to keep a happy balance between thebody and soul and to reach the final destination of God without difficulty.

Another characteristic of human nature is that both the body and soul need food tosurvive. The body is material and its food is material, while the soul is spiritual andgets restless without its spiritual food. The relationship between body and soul issimilar to that of a horse and rider; both are needed to complete the journey: thehorse to bear the rider, and the rider to guide the horse to the proper destination.

In fact, the present day restlessness, worries, conflicts and confrontation in the wholeworld in general and in the West in particular, are due to the fact that while everything

is being done to feed the body (the horse), pretty nothing is done to feed the soul (therider) who in the end really matters.

It is hoped that the collection of books on Sufism presented here will provide guidanceto readers in feeding their souls with spiritual food that will lead to the tranquility,contentment and happiness that has been long sought after.

WHAT IS SUFISM

by Syed Mohamed Zauqi Shah (r.a.)

Man has two sides

Human greatness, or human perfection, if you so call it, depends very much upon thehighest possible development of all the outer and inner qualities of man and upon theproper use that he makes of the qualities so developed.

Everything has two sides, the exterior and the interior. Its value depends, not so muchupon its exterior, as upon its interior side. A box full of diamonds and precious stonesis certainly more valuable than a similar, or even better looking box, full of ordinarystones and dust. A human being has likewise two sides, the external and the internal.

He is a combination of body and soul. There is the visible and the invisible blendedtogether in him and though, in his case, one is as necessary as the other, at least so

far as the initial stages of his progress are concerned, his ultimate superiority over therest of creation depends more upon his inner merits, his intellectual capabilities, hisspiritual attainments and the polish and the brilliance of his soul, than upon hisexterior form and appearance and qualities of his body.

Man's abilities must be properly channeled

The mere development, however, of human powers cannot lead one to profitableresults, unless such powers are correctly and properly used. Swordsmanship, for


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instance, might prove a curse if wrongly used. Or if science, instead of bringing goodto humanity degenerates into a power of destruction, it certainly loses all its virtuesand becomes a thing to be abhorred. Similarly, if the outer and inner qualities of manare developed, to any degree of proficiency, but are not put to proper use they cannever lead to desirable results. This brings us to consider what constitutes the proper

channel for the flow of human culture and activity.

Knowledge of the Creator determines man's success

A man's success in life depends upon the amount of knowledge he acquires of the

universe and upon the proper use of that knowledge. The wider his knowledge, thegreater are his chances of success. Knowledge of creation can never be completewithout a sufficient knowledge of the Creator and the principles and policy upon whichthe universe is created and run. This is what science is searching for. The goal ofSufism and science is, therefore, the same.

It is more difficult to disprove God's existence than to affirm it

There are people who do not feel inclined to believe in the existence of God. But theycannot disprove Him either, for it is more difficult to disprove than to prove God. Theirattitude is more in the nature of agnosticism than atheism. That is to say they ignorerather than deny the existence of God.

You cannot possibly disprove God, because by doing so you disprove the wholeuniverse including yourself. You are obliged to believe in the existence of superiorintelligent force controlling the universe.

To be able to control and regulate the various conflicting forces in nature, the guiding-force ought to be stronger and more intelligent than everything else in the world, for aweak and blind force cannot function properly. It is therefore, a supernatural-force inthe sense that it is superior to every other force in nature and cannot be completely

comprehended by less intelligent and weaker, subordinate forces.

They who pretend disbelief in God are thereby brought consciously or unconsciously inline with those who believe in Him, the difference in name does not matter. Willingly orunwillingly, they are all united on one point, namely, the existence of a supernatural,intelligent force guiding, directing, regulating and controlling the entire universe.

Religion guides and regulates our relationship with God and creation

So, if there is a Creator, as undoubtedly there is, no knowledge of the universe will beof any high value without some knowledge of the Creator, and man, as the highestsubordinate force in creation, will never be able to carry on his duties properly unlesshe is properly attached to the Creator.

Detachment from the central power can only end in disaster. No unit in an institution,no soldier in any army and no officer in a state can do without maintaining properconnection with the central superior force. Without this connection everything isdoomed to confusion and chaos. It is religion which guides us in this direction andregulates our relationship with God. And our relationship with God embraces ourrelationship with everything else in the world.

It is wrong to say that religion is a man's own private affair and has nothing to do with


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his social, political and economic activities. It is like saying something to the effect thatloyalty to the king is a subject's own private affair and has nothing to do with stealing,committing murder, destroying parts of the king's kingdom or being guilty of sedition.God is a potent force.

He is al-Hayyul Qayyum (which means that God is living and self-subsisting. He isliving by His own self, without any external aid. He does not derive His powers fromany external or foreign source; and apart from maintaining His own existence, Hemakes others exist by infusing life into them and by maintaining them throughout their

existence) and nothing escapes Him.

After creating the universe He has not retired into oblivion and has not becomeimpotent or lost all interest in His creation. He is as potent as ever and His creaturescannot lose sight of Him without impairing their own position in the scale of creation.To maintain proper relations with God one has to behave properly in all walks of life.To effect this, one stands in need of religion.

Islam's approach to God is simpler and more cosmopolitan

Islam is no exception to the rule. It professes to be a revealed religion andcorroborates all the Divine Truths revealed by all the preceding religions. Its only otherclaim is that it is cosmopolitan and its methods of approaching the Ultimate Object aresimpler and more up-to-date. However, in common with other religions, it is made upof two sides, the outer and the inner. The outer side is called the shariat and the innerside, the tariqat.

The shariat is subdivided into two parts:

1. Ibadat2. Mu'amilat

Ibadat concerns fundamental belief and forms of worship and regulates man'srelation with God.

Mu'amilat pertain to man's relations with man and covers the social, economic andpolitical fields of human activity.

Tariqat deals with the purification of the inner self and keeps in view the spiritualemancipation of mankind. Since body and soul are intertwined, as it were, tariqat

cannot remain independent of shariat and the two work in cooperation.

There is a third thing called Haqiqat which refers to the realities of this life as well asthe life to come. It is a realisation and not a science. In other words haqiqat is whatyou actually see, feel and realise in the light furnished to you by the tariqat.

Islam is the religion of Prophet Abraham

While Islam here may indicate "Mohammedanism" to some, in fact, Islam is as old asmankind. It has been the only True Religion of God at all times. For instance, Abrahamwas no other than a Muslim. Says the Holy Qur'an:

"Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian but out and out a Muslim (devoted


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exclusively to Allah)" [3:67]

Sufism is the Science of developing man's understanding of God

The tariqat plus haqiqat is termed tasawwuf or Sufism. It is in fact, the science and artof developing the spiritual faculties of man and trying to understand, as far aspossible, the Deity, the Divine Work, and the Divine Mysteries. It is a science in asmuch as it deals with the systematic training of mind and soul, and the variousmethods of attaining the spiritual heights necessary for the realisation of DivineRealities. It is an art in so far as it consists of the practical work necessary for the

attainment of the object in view. It is theory and practice combined. Knowledge andpractical work follow and re-follow each other in rotation.

The one is as necessary as the other; without knowledge one cannot work and withoutwork the desired knowledge cannot be gained. But the knowledge necessary tocommence the work is different from the knowledge which follows the successfultermination of the work.

The spiritual wayfarer has been given guides

The knowledge necessary for a beginner is supplied by the shariat and administered bythe Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and after the passing away of the Prophet(s.a.w.) to the higher regions, by his deputies who are called Shaikhs, Murshids, Pirsor teachers. They are the Ulama-i-Rashikin, that is the learned people firm in theirknowledge and they have the distinction of being recognised as Heirs to the HolyProphet (s.a.w.).

This personal element is an important factor in the dissemination of tasawwuf. Merebook knowledge leads one nowhere. A sick person stands in need of both the physicianand the prescription. Very often, he stands more in need of the physician than theprescription.

Unless there is a competent physician to administer the prescription properly, theprescription remains useless. God sent us both the physician and the prescription, theHoly Prophet (s.a.w.) and the Holy Qur'an.

The Holy Qur'an without the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) would not have brought about thatmarvellous change which has been the pride of Arabia. The functions of the HolyPhysician have been described in their proper order in the following passage of theQur'an:

"He it is Who hath been raised up amidst the unlettered, an Apostle from amongthemselves who (the Apostle) reads to them passages of the Qur'an; and purifies theirsouls; and teaches them the Scripture and Wisdom." [62:2].

The duties of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)

Accordingly the duties of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) consist of the following four things:

1. To recite the Qur'an to his people (i.e. to communicate to them the message ofGod).

2. To purify their souls, which is quite a different thing from merely conveying to


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the people the word of God. Without such purification they would not be ableeven to understand properly the message of God.

3. To teach them the Holy Book. It is a different thing altogether fromannouncing to them the message of God. The 'teaching' here means explainingto the people the meaning and the real significance of the passages of the

Qur'an and training them in the proper method of observance of Qur'anicOrdinances. Such teaching can only be effective when the process ofpurification of the soul has been gone through properly.

4. Finally to bring them face to face with the wisdom which follows the knowledgeand action stated above.

The importance of a personal element in affairs relating to the amelioration of mankindcan hardly be disputed. Fortunately this personal element has been handed down to usin the form of the Shaikh.

Muhammad, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) combined in himself the leadershipof all the various functions at his time. He was a religious teacher, spiritual guide,social reformer, commander-in-chief and political head of the Muslims. In short, hecombined in his person all the functions of a temporal and spiritual leader.

He was at once a king and a prophet. His four successors, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman

and Ali (peace be upon them all), inherited this leadership in toto. The temporal powerand the spiritual lead were centred in the same personality.

The historical splitting of temporal and spiritual power

Unfortunate events subsequent to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the son of theKhalifah Ali and the grandson of the Holy Prophet (God's blessings be upon them all),sounded the death-knell of the amalgamated leadership.

The temporal power was usurped by Bani Ummayya, and the spiritualists were left totake care of themselves. Bloodshed on the battlefield of Karbala, however, could notchill the enthusiasm of the spiritualists, and they flocked round the sons andgrandsons of Ali in thousands and in tens of thousands, to drink deep of the fountainof knowledge and reality.

The Ummayyads grew suspicious of the growing popularity of the spiritual successorsof Hussain. Under the Ummayyad and Abbassid Caliphs, the spiritualists were subjectto persecution. That is why, for a long time, spiritual lessons were given secretly. It isone of the reasons why spiritualists have sometimes been called Mystics .

Aimma Ahlul Bayt are the leaders from the Holy Prophet's Family. Aimma is aplural of imam which means 'leader' and ahli bayt means 'members of the family'.These imams or leaders belonging to the Prophet's family, occupy the foremost rank

as regards spirituality and other aspects of religion. All classes of Sufis, Dervishes andFaqirs owe their origin to them. Go to any Sufi in the world today and he will trace hispedigree to them and through them to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). The Holy Prophet islike an ocean; Ali an outlet; and Aimma Ahlul Bayt are as canals that have carried thewaters to the thirsty.

The difference in Sufi Orders is in form only and not in spirit


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19207792 Sufism and Science[1]

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