Sufism

Ahmad Zaruk (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Sufi sm has more than 2000 defi nitions but all of them have the same key point that is a selfl ess, sincere appealing to and serving of Allah”.

The pillar of Sufism is cleansing the heart of worldly passions and its backbone is a person’s relations with the Almighty God. A Sufi is someone whose heart is open to Allah and whose deeds are for the Almighty’s sake.

Origin of the word Sufi sm

There are different suppositions on this point. The first is that the root of this word is sufat (Arabic strand of wool), because a Sufi feels himself as an insignificant strand of wool before the Almighty. Another states that it comes from word sifat (Arabic quality), because a Sufi embodies in himself the best qualities of a person. A third says that this term comes from word safa’ (Arabic purity).

Another word considered as a possible source is suffat (a word for Sufi people). Ahlu suffat is the first generation of Sufis. Their sincere worships are the highest ideal. Sufis have always sought for this and Allah called to it: “And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord” (Sura Al Kahf, ayat 28).

According to imam Kushayri, the term Sufism comes from safv that means front row. Bearing in mind that Sufis are in the front row on the way to the Almighty Allah, they do more charitable deeds and thus leave others behind.

And finally the last (sixth) version associates this word with wearing rough woolen clothes, because word suf means wool in Arabic. Former Sufis preferred this kind of clothing because of its simplicity.

Some do not even accept the term ‘Sufism’ referring to the fact that it was not used in the times of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions. To our mind, this has no grounds. There are a lot of Islamic terms which people started using after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Origin of Sufi sm science

Doctor Ahmad Alvash says, “Many people wonder why there was no call to Sufism in the dawn of Islam and why this arose only after the times of Companions and their followers. The fact is that there was no need of Sufism in the times of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). It was a century when the Prophet’s respectable personality influenced people, a century of godfearing, pious people who were wholly absorbed in serving Allah.

The Prophet’s companions literally competed with each other in trying to be more like him. There was no need to teach them something they were already doing all the time. They were like a native Arab who speaks his mother tongue and is able to write poetry without learning the rules of grammar.

Sahabah and tabi’un were not called Sufis but that is who they actually were. Sufism is living for the Creator, seclusion and obedience to God in any condition. This distinguished the followers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for three generations Sahabah, Tabi’un and Tabi‘al tabi‘un. These three generations are stated to be the best of the Muslims: “Verily the best among you (to follow) is my generation (the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] and his companions), then those who follow and then those who follow them.

As Islam spread to many nations and countries, religious sciences developed as well. There originated more and more new areas that systematized knowledge; for example, Nahv, Fiqh, Tawheed and hadith science. Their origin was a response to the times. People’s former spiritual life of people was becoming less perfect. Some forgot the necessity of obedience to Allah in both heart and body. And those who preserved spiritual perfection developed the science of Sufism to meet weaknesses in Islamic spirituality. A hadith says that once Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to teach [people] their religion, which consists of al Iman, al Islam and al Ihsan.

Al Iman is faith, light and conviction. Al Islam is obedience, submissiveness and worship.

Al Ihsan is the level of Mushahadah. It is when you “worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you” (imam Hafiz Muhammad). And he further said, “Truly, hadith say that if anyone misses a stage from among pillars of Islam (Tariqa is meant here), then undoubtedly his religion is defective. This is because he misses something essential. The goal of Tariqa, that which it calls one to, is Ihsan, i.e. perfection in Iman and Islam”.

Ibn Haldun wrote in the foreword to his proceedings: “Sufism is a Sharia science that originated after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Its foundation is a rebirth of the straight and narrow followed by the best people of the Muslim Ummah like Sahabah, Tabi’un and their followers. Its pivots are persistence in worshipping, appeal to Allah and isolation from worldly passions like power, wealth and other delights. Worshipping in seclusion also belongs here. All of these were widespread among the companions and Salafi. When people started seeking worldly desires, some isolated themselves for the worshipping of Allah and they were called Sufis.”

The basis of Sufism is the lives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions. There is no Sufism except that of Islam.

To be continued…

Aleppo, Ramadan 24 of 1381 Hijrah (1961)

ABDUL QADIR ISSA

Islam Magazine