12. DEVIATION OF SUFIS AND THEIR INNOVATIONS
The safe path (al-jada al-salima) and the straight road (al-tariq atqawima) is to follow (iqtidd) the Law Maker, and to hasten to adopt his ways, as he is perfect with no shortcomings.
A good number of people deviated towards asceticism (zuhd) by overburdening themselves. They only regain their senses near the end of their lives, at a time when the body has exhausted and many important matters missed out such as seeking knowledge and so on.
On the other hand, a group of people deviated by turning towards acquiring outward knowledge (‘ilm) and overdoing so. They came back to their senses near the end of the life span, and by then missed the opportunity to practice it.
The way of the chosen Prophet is to possess knowledge, act upon it and take care of one’s body as he advised ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As (radiy Allahu ‘anhuma) about it, stating, ‘Verilv, your self has a right over you, and your wife has a right over you.’ This is the moderate path (al-tariq al-wasta) and the final say on the issue.
As for the dry ground abstract (i.e. the ignorant), how many opportunities of acquiring knowledge he missed. Had he acquired it, he would attain more rewards than what he attained by doing many other actions.
The example of a scholar is that of a person who knows the way, and of a [layman] worshipper is that of one who does not know the way. On one hand, the ignorant worshipper (al-‘abid al-jahil) walks on a path from dawn (fajr) till late afternoon (‘asr), whereas the scholar stands up to walk a little before the late afternoon, and lo meets up! The scholar overtook him from afar.
If someone asks me, ‘Could you explain this to me?’
I would respond: ‘The (outward) physicality of worshipping is in fact, servitude fubudijya) and showing humility to Allah. Many a time, the worshipper is unable to grasp the meaning of that manifestation because sometimes, he thinks he is able to manifest a miracle, or his hand ought to be kissed thereby, or even still that he is better than many people. This is all because of little knowledge {qilla al-‘ilm)\ and what I mean by knowledge here is the understanding (fahm) of the principles and foundations of knowledge {usul al-‘ilm), and not possession of sizeable number of narrations in one’s memory or reading about the issues differed between the scholars.
When the principled scholar (al-‘alimal-usuli) peruses the knowledge, he overtakes this worshipper (‘abid) because of his sublime character (hasan al-khuluq), politeness towards the people (madarat al-nas), his humbleness (tawad) in his self and his orientation of people towards Allah. This attitude is hard for a worshipper to acquire, as he is asleep during the night of his ignorance about the circumstances.
Many a times, the worshipper marries a woman and then resorts himself to de-vitalization. He stops his wife from acquiring her wishes, and neither does he divorce her. Thereby becoming like the “lady who restrained her cat, neither did she feed it, nor did she release it to find insects.”
In contrast, if any one ponders over the circumstance of the Messenger, will find him most perfect among the creation, giving each rightful person his due:
Sometimes he is humorous, other times he smiles, plays with the children, listens to poetry, uses allusions, socially interacts with his spouses and female members of the family, eats what he can and what is available for him, even if it is tasty such as honey, sweet water is fetched for him, a spread is placed for him under a shade, yet he did not deny these acts, neither has it been heard of him doing what was innovated after him by the Sufis and ascetics such as stopping the self from exercising its desire absolutely and comprehensively. Me would eat cucumber with dates, and would kiss his family and children and would ask for luxuries where necessary.
As for eating barley bread, and weighing the food, dieting, giving up all appetising foods, this is a form of punishment of the self and detrimental to the body, neither reason demands these actions, nor does the religion praise them!
Those who were satisfied with the little were like that for some reason. For example, if a doubt arose, they would decrease the number of food items, or in case of a food item being mixed with an illegal type of food, they would give it up due to piety.
After all, the Prophet would fulfil the right of worship with night prayers (qiyam al-layt) and would perform dhikr as much as he could.
So adopt his way as it is the most complete way, and his methodology is without any corruption. Give up the statements of so and so among the ascetics, interpret their acts in a good manner and try to establish excuses for them as much as you can. If you cannot find excuses for them, then they are refuted by the Prophet’s own actions as he is an example for humanity and a shining leader of the intelligent people. Have the people not become corrupt except due to their deviation from the Sacred Law?
Major calamities have occurred due to the Sufis and ascetics having thereby breached the Shan ah and crossed its limits:
■ Among them are those who claim to love and to have a want, yet they do not acknowledge the beloved. Therefore, you will see them shout, call for assistance, rip off their clothes as one coming out of the limits of the Sacred Law by his own claim and its substance!
■ Among them are those who overburden themselves with hunger and continuous fasting, whereas it is authentically narrated from the Prophet when he told ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr: “Fast one day and remain without fast the other”. He asked: ‘I would like something better than that.’ He replied, “There is nothing better than that.” 161
■ Among them are those who have left (their homes and regions) to take up wandering travel and tourism. Thereby missing out on the social and collective life.
■ Among them are those who have buried the books of knowledge and resorted to praying and fasting. Ignorantly dismissing the fact that burying them is a big mistake, because the self becomes unmindful and needs to be reminded at all times. And what good reminders are the books!
Iblis entered every type of people among them from where he could find his entrance. His objective by commanding the burial of books was to extinguish the lantern of knowledge, so that the worshipper may walk in darkness (zulma).
How beautifully did a scholar respond to a person who asked: ‘I would like to go to Jabal al-Akam to live there (Lit. the mountain of hills)’. The scholar replied, ‘That is ‘Hawkalah’, a slang word meaning the love for idleness and unemployment.
In reality, the ascetics are in caves and have buried themselves from benefitting the masses. This is a good state to be in only if it doesn’t prevent a person from good works, social life, attending communal events like burials, visiting the sick and so on.
It is, however, also the state of the cowards. For those who are brave, they learn and teach. This is the station of the Prophets {‘alayhi as-salam).
Can you sense the difference between the jurist and the worshipper when an incident befalls?
By Allah, if the humanity inclined towards religious observance only then the Sacred Law would go to waste.
Alas, if he had understood the meaning of religious observance, he would not restrict it to praying and fasting only! There are many who walk towards fulfilling the need of a Muslim. This type of religious observance is better than performing a year’s fast.
Physical action entails allowing the function of the outward tools (alat al-zaira), whereas, knowledge (ilm) allows to operate the inner tools (alat al-batina) such as intelligence {‘aql), thinking (fikr) and understanding (fahm). For this reason, it is the noblest.
If you challenge the notion, ‘why do you criticise those who have removed themselves from evil and negate from them the acts of religious observance?’
I reply that I do not criticise them, such incidents do however, occur due to ignorance (jahl). So calamities readily materialise upon those who possess little knowledge (qilla al-‘ilm). They also overburdened themselves with what was not prescribed for them nor was it permitted by the Legislator.
This ignorance has reached a peak where a person happens to harm his self, envisages this act to be an absolute virtue (fadila). To the extent where a fool said, ‘I entered the public bath, I found therein an unmindful state (ghafla), so I resorted to making glorification of Allah (tasbih) in this and that way, for a long time until I ended up ill. This person is putting himself at risk by doing what he ought not to do.
Other Sufis and ascetics have become self-satisfied with outward clothing (libas), while they have mounted inwardly ignorance (Jahl fi’l-batin) that is not enough to mention in a book!
May Allah purify the earth from them and help the scholars against them.
Most fools are from them. If a scholar refutes one of them, the masses turn against the scholar with the force of ignorance (quwa al-jahl).
I have seen many worshippers (muta’abbidun) who are just like old ladies, glorifying with praises with wordings not allowed to utter, and doing such acts in the prayers that have no mention in the Sunnah!
I once entered upon someone who was praying. He appointed an Imam to lead the voluntary post-sunrise prayers (Salah al-Duha), who was reciting loudly, while he himself stood behind him. I told them, verily the Prophet has stated, “The daylight prayers are (to be) silent.’” The ascetic got really annoyed and said, ‘how many times will this man criticise us? So and so entered and did the same, as did another person. The reason we raise the voice is so that we do not fall asleep.’
1 replied, ‘That is impressive! Who has told you not to sleep? Is there not a hadlth in both Sahlh books, narrated by Ibn ‘Amr (radiy Allahu ‘anhu), in which the Prophet said, “Stand up for prayers and also sleep.” The Prophet used to sleep and mostly likely, no night has ever passed but he has slept in it.
I saw a man, by the name of Husayn al-Qazwinl at the Grand Masjid of al-Mansur district, walking frequently and continuously; so I asked, ‘what is the reason for this walking?’ Someone replied, ‘He does that so he does not fall asleep.’
These are all foolish acts demanded by little knowledge. If the self does not get a portion of sleep, then the mind becomes disillusioned, and the meaning of religious observance is lost due to the gaping distance of comprehension.
Some pious person residing in the vicinity’ of the Grand Masjid of al-Mansur related to me that a man called Kathir once entered the masjid and said, ‘I made a promise to Allah, then I broke it, so I have imposed a punishment on myself that I will not eat for forty’ days.’ He remained in that state for ten days, praying in congregation. However, in the second period of ten days, his weakness became apparent while he was coaxing the matter. In the third round of ten days, he started performing his prayers in a sitting position and then in the fourth period, he started falling down. When he accomplished the forty days, a fruit juice was brought to him, he drank it. We heard the noise in his throat, a noise like that of the water falling into a wok. Then, he died a few days later.
I said to myself: ‘O Allah! How strange! Look at what ignorance did with its possessors. The apparent judgment of this man is that he is in the Fire, unless he is shown mercy and forgiven. If he understood knowledge and asked the scholars, they would have informed him that it is obligatory to eat. What he did with himself is prohibited. Yet the biggest ignorance (azam al-‘ilm) is a man’s tyranny against his knowledge.
All these incidents grew slowly until they became established. As for the first generation of Muslims, they did not have any of this nonsense. The Companions (radiy Allahu ‘anhum) never did any of these things. They would be extremely generous, yet also eat moderately. They only forbore when they did have nothing to eat. If anyone wants to follow, then he should follow the Messenger of Allah and the Companions (radiy Allahu ‘anhum). In it, there is a remedy and desired goal.
An intelligent person should not always blindly follow a giant (personality) who has become famous, by stating that Abu Zayd said this, Al-Thawri stated this and so on and so forth. That is because the follower of such statements is blind. How many times we have seen a blind who disdains from carrying a stick.
The one who understands what was pointed out above, will surely seek better and higher values.
May .Allah give the ability to act upon them.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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