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Sufism and Islam

With more and more interest being shown in Sufism by Muslims and nonMuslims alike, we investigate whether or not Sufism is part and parcel of Islam ora Myth introduced by outsiders into Islam to corrupt Islamic beliefs. One thing is

for certain that the term 'Sufism' did not eist in the time of the !rophet "S.#.W$orduring the time of the %irst &aliphs but it was used during the period of the fourgreat Imams of Madhabs. herefore, we shall eamine what the four Imams hadto say about the Sufi people and their spiritual knowledge or Islamic Mysticism.

Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A)said(If it were not for two years, I would have perished.%or two years I accompanied )a*rat +afer asSadi- ".#$and I ac-uired thespiritual knowledge that made me a knower in the Way "i.e. Sufism$.( [Ad-DurrAl-Mukhthar, Vol. 1, !"#

It is also mentioned in the book #d/urr #lMukhtar that Ha$rat Ibn

Abidin (R.A)said,()a*rat #bu #li /akkak ".#$, one of the Sufi saints, receivedhis path from )a*rat #bul 0asim an1asarabadi ".#$, who received it from)a*rat Shibli ".#$, who received it from )a*rat Sari asSa-ati ".#$, who receivedit from )a*rat Maruf al2har-i ".#$, who received it from )a*rat /awud atai ".#$, who received the knowledge, both the eternal and internal, from Imam

#bu )anifa".#$, who supported the Sufi spiritual path.(

Imam Malik (R.A)said, (Whoever studies 3urisprudence and does not studySufism will be corrupted. Whoever studies Sufism and does not study+urisprudence will become a heretic. Whoever combines both will reach thetruth.([%ashf Al-%hafa &a Mu$id Al-Abas, Vol. 1, "!1#

Imam Shafi (R.A)said, ( I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from themthree kinds of knowledge4

5. hey taught me how to speak6. hey taught me how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart.7. hey guided me in the ways of Sufism.( ['anir Al-ulub, *!+#

Imam Ahmd (R.A)adisin/ his son said, ( O my son you have to sit with theSufis, because they are like a fountain of knowledge. hey recite theremembrance of #llah"S.W.$in their hearts. hey are ascetics and they have the

most spiritual power.( [0hi$a Al-Albab, Vol 1, 1+#

)e ".#$also said about the Sufis, (I do not know any people better thanthem.( [Ibid#

his, then, is the opinion of the four great Imams of Madhab about the Sufis andindeed they themselves were Sufis in their own rights.

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2ut hat about th /nrations aftr th four Imams, did th3 a44*tSufism or did th3 dis4or somthin/ ob54tionabl about Sufism.

Imam 0ha$ali (R.A), th roof of Islam, said, (I knew it to be true that the Sufisare the seekers in #llah's Way. heir conduct is the best of conduct. heir way is

the best of ways. heir manners are the most sanctified. hey have purified theirhearts from other than #llah and they have made them as pathways for rivers torun receiving knowledge of the /ivine !resence.( [Al-Mun6idh Min Ad-Dalal,1"1#

Imam 7aai (R.A) said, (he specification of the Ways of the Sufis are five4

5. o keep the !resence of #llah "S.W.$in your heart in public and in private.6. o follow the Sunnah of the !rophet "S.#.W$by action and speech.7. o keep away from dependence on people.8. o be happy with what #llah "S.W.$gives you, even if it is little.

9. o always refer your matters to #llah "S.W.$#lmighty and :alted.( [Al-Ma6asid At-'ahid, +#

So far, all th abo mntiond ar Imams that th Sunni Muslims (i.. AhlSunnat &al 8amaat) a44*t, hat about th o*inions of th Imams of thSalafi ,&ahhabi and othr non Sunni momnts. &hat do th3 ha to sa3about Sufis9

Ibn 'a3mi3ah, who deviated from the #hle Sunnat +amaat and whom the Salafisand Wahhabis take as their Imam, has said, (Sufism is the science of realitiesand states of eperience. # Sufi is that person who purifies himself from

everything which distracts him from the remembrance of #llah "S.W.$. he Sufi isso filled with knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the mind, that the value ofgold and stones will be e-ual to him. Sufism safeguards the precious meaningand leaves behind the call of fame and vanity to reach the state of truthfulness.he best of humans after the !rophets are the truthful ones, as

#llah "S.W.$mentioned them in the )oly 0uran, 'All ho ob3 Allah and thMssn/r ar in th 4om*an3 of thos on hom is /ra4 of Allah: thro*hts, th sin4r lors of truth (Siddi6in), th Mart3rs and thri/htous. Ah; hat a bautiful flloshi*< [!:=># ...;Sufis< strive to be obedientto #llah. #mong them you will find the foremost in nearness by virtue of theirstriving and some of them are among the !eople of the ight )and.'.( [Ma5muAfataa Ibn 'a3mi33a, Vol 1+, !>?#

Ibn 'a3mi33ahas praised Sufis and Sufi practices in many of his books. )ehimself claims to be a Sufi Shaykh of the 0adiri Sufi Order. )e says, (I wore theblessed Sufi cloak of Shaykh #bdul 0adir =ilani, there being between him andme two Sufi Shaykhs.( [Al Mas

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Muwaffa- #d/in Ibn 0udama, Ibn #li Ibn 0udama and Ibn aymiyya. [Ma5muAfataa Ibn 'a3mi33a, Vol 1+, 1=#

#fter Ibn aymiyya his great studnt Ibn a33imhad this to say about Sufis. )esays, (We can witness the greatness of the people of Sufism in the eyes of the

earliest generations of Muslims by what has been mentioned by Sufyan athhawri, one of the greatest Imams in the 6nd century and one of the foremostlegal scholars. )e said, 'If it had not been for #bu )isham asSufi, I would neverhave perceived the action of the subtle forms of hypocrisy in the self.' [Man$ilAs-Sa

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%urther he says, (he Shariah and Sufism@ what is the similitude of the twoAhey are like the body and the soul. he body is the eternal knowledge, theShariah, and the spirit is the internal knowledge.([Ibid#

All rfrn4s *rsntd in this arti4l ha bn r*rodu4d from th

book < 'h 7a6shbandi Sufi &a3 < rittn b3 Shikh Hisham Al-%abbani ofth 7a6shbandi Sufi rdr.

In 4on4lusionit can be established from the above informationthat Sufism is Islam. If anyone chooses to deny Sufism, then they must reflect ontheir own arrogance akin to the arrogance of shaitan. ?et them not accuseSufism on the basis of coming across false people who claim to be Sufis. ?etthem think by studying the lives and practices of real Sufis, who practise Shariahto the letter and guide people to the truth. It is a historical fact that the Sufis areresponsible for spreading Islam throughout the world. It is the Sufis that have

converted the ma3ority of non Muslims to Islam.