Introduction To The Great Sufism, Information on sufi Islam
The word
Sufi is derived from the Arabic word 'suf' which means ' wool ' and which
refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
and by his close companions. The goal of a Sufi is none other than ALLAH (God)
Himself. There are signs of ALLAH (God) everywhere in the universe and in man
himself.
The
origin and essence of man
Man is
the mystery of ALLAH (God). For a mysterious purpose, man was outwardly created
of clay and ALLAH (God) breathed life into him, and all of the angels were
commanded to prostrate themselves before him. As the Qur'an, which we believe
is the highest form of revelation, declares:
"And
remember when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo I am creating a mortal out of
potter's clay. So when I have made him and shaped him and have breathed into
him of My Spirit, do ye fall down prostrating yourself unto him."
It is this Divine Spirit which is the essence of
man. The body is merely the outward physical form which contains the Divine
spark.
The body is made of the material elements fire, earth, air and
water, and has five external senses -- sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch;
and five internal faculties -- discursive thinking, imagination, doubting,
memory and longing. All these powers, that is, both the external senses and the
internal faculties, serve the heart. By the 'heart' we do not mean the physical
organ which pumps the blood, and which is possessed by both man and animals.
Rather by 'heart' we mean the Divine spark which distinguishes man from the
animals. And unlike the physical heart which dies and decomposes with the rest
of the physical body, the Divine spark or heart is indivisible and transcends
death because its origin is in the spiritual world.
Man:
the microcosm
The
position of man in the universe is most important. Man is the microcosm, that
is, a miniature universe. As such, he comprises in his outward or physical
aspect all the elements found in the universe. In his inner aspect, he contains
the potential qualities of all creation from the lowest to the highest, that
is, animal, satanic and angelic. He shares the qualities of lust and selfishness
with the pigs; the qualities of jealousy and anger with the dogs; his cunning
and deceit with Satan; his power and his spiritual light with the angels. But,
what is more important, through love and devotion to ALLAH (God) he can rise
even higher than the angels, for he is the mystery of ALLAH (God) before whom
the angels were commanded to fall in prostration. He was given command over the
whole universe.
The
Qur'an declares:
"It
is ALLAH (God) who created the heavens and the earth and sent down out of
heaven water, wherewith He brought forth fruits to be your sustenance, and He
subjected to you the ships to run upon the sea at His commandment, and He
subjected to you the rivers, and He subjected to you the sun and moon constant
upon their courses, and He subjected to you the night and the day and gave you
all you asked Him."
But although the universe was created for the
service of man, man was created for the service of ALLAH (God) and for that
purpose alone. To the extent that he deviates from that purpose, he becomes
unworthy of Divine guidance and favour. Consequently, he is left to his own
devices with all his enormous powers, which, under the influence of his animal
and satanic qualities, are capable of dragging him to the lowest of the low.
Purpose of life
Sufism helps man to be increasingly aware of his purpose of life
-- namely, unfailing service to his Lord and Creator. It is a path travelled
under the guidance of a Sufi master, who is able to deliver man from the narrow
confines of the material world into the limitless reality of a spiritual life,
wherein he can experience the Divine spark which eternally shines within him.
It is
most important to understand that material man acquires his knowledge generally
through the five external senses and five inner faculties of which we spoke
earlier. The spiritual man, on the other hand, has, in addition to these, a
number of other means of acquiring knowledge, such as prophetic dreams and
inspirations from beyond the material world. To the extent that a man adheres
to the truth in his waking state, his dreams too disclose a similar degree of
certainty. The Prophet (pbuh) expressed this in the saying: "The more
truthful a man, the more prophetic his dreams."
Although
knowledge through dreams comes in a state of sleep, insights through
inspirations are gained in a state of wakefulness. The shaykh, or the Sufi
teacher, interprets the dreams of a disciple, helps him to understand his
inspirations, and resolves his doubts and uncertainties.
The
spiritual mentor (shaykh)
The
disciple's need to have a shaykh is inevitable. If a man does not have a
shaykh, Satan becomes his shaykh and lures him back into the temptation of his
ego and finally destroys him in confusion and error. A disciple keeps unwavering
faith in the words of his shaykh and receives infinite love and care from him.
The relationship is strictly based on the pattern of the Holy Prophet's (pbuh)
relations with his companions which enjoyed Divine support.
To
quote the Qur'an:
"Now there has come to you a messenger from among
yourselves. Grievous to him is your suffering, anxious is he over you, gentle
to the believers, compassionate."
The Qur'anic roots of Sufism
Sufism really has its roots in the Qur'an itself and in the
religious experience of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The preliminary signs
of revelation were given to the Prophet (pbuh) in the form of visions and the
Prophet (pbuh) deliberately sought solitude until the book of his heart, which
was pure and unspoiled by schoolmen, was opened and the Divine Pen engraved
upon it the revelation, the Qur'an.
The Sufi's knowledge of ALLAH (God) comes from the Qur'an
directly. And in spite of the Sufi's proximity to ALLAH (God) the undisputed
basis of their direct experience of ALLAH (God) has always been the Qur'an. The
Qur'an contains instructions suitable to man with varying levels of
spirituality. It satisfies those who are content with merely exoteric
practices, but also contains the deepest and most profound esoteric meaning for
those who desire a closer, more mystical relationship with ALLAH (God).
The Qur'anic verses which are the favourites of the Sufis include:
"We ALLAH [God] are closer to him [man] than his jugular
vein."
"Say, surely we belong toALLAH (God) and to Him do we
return."
"He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the
Hidden."
"ALLAH (God) is the light of the heavens and the earth."
Such verses are limitless in their depth, scope and meaning,
and man may draw from them as much mystical meaning as he has the capacity to
understand.
God says in the Qur'an that ALLAH (God) sent His The Holy
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) first and foremost as a Mercy unto all peoples. And men
of different levels of spiritual understanding may avail themselves of this
Mercy according to their various capacities.
The Prophet (pbuh) and his close associates never stopped at
merely observing the minimum requirement in regard to prayer and devotional
practices. All through his life, the Prophet (pbuh) kept long night vigils and
practised voluntary fasts during most days. He never ate barley bread (the staple
food of his day) on three consecutive days, and he never even touched a loaf of
wheat bread -- which was a luxury. One of his favourite sayings was
"Poverty is my pride," and this saying came to be quoted in every
manual of Sufi doctrine, making the rule of poverty a basic characteristic of Sufi life.
Significance of remembrance
The Sufis live with an ever increasing awareness
of ALLAH (God). One aspect of this awareness is the practice of zikr. Zikr
means 'remembering ALLAH (God) usually by pronouncing His name or by uttering a
number of recognized formulae. The Qur'an repeatedly admonishes believers to
celebrate the praises of God and to do this often. For remembering the name of
ALLAH (God) brings satisfaction and comfort to man's heart. The following verse
of the Qur'an reveals the significance of zikr:
"Recite that which has been revealed to you
of the scripture, and observe prayer. For prayer restrains one from lewdness
and iniquity, but remembrance of ALLAH (God) is the greatest virtue."
In one passage of the Qur'an, the importance of
zikr is enhanced to such an extent that a response to it from ALLAH (God)
Himself is assured:
"Therefore remember Me, and I will remember you."
The Qur'an warns those who neglect zikr: "Whoso blinds
himself to the remembrance of the All Merciful, to him we assign Satan for a
comrade and debar them from the way, and yet they think they are guided."
Again, "Be not as those who forgot ALLAH (God) and so He caused them to
forget their own souls. Those, they are ungodly." The key to human
happiness lies in the remembrance of ALLAH (God) as in the Qur'anic verse:
"Verily, in the remembrance of ALLAH (God) do hearts find
peace."
Some orientalists who considered themselves
experts on Islam invented the myth that the history of Sufism began with the
appearance of certain introductory treatises on the Sufi tradition in the ninth
and tenth centuries. In their assessment of the Sufi writings, they failed to
give due consideration to the esoteric aspect of the Qur'an and the enormous
literature on the sayings and deeds of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), which has
inspired the Sufis of all generations.
The history and methodology of Sufism
Sufism is an esoteric doctrine transmitted by word of mouth, and
sometimes without even a spoken or written word, by an authorized teacher to a
disciple, and from disciple to another disciple, in confidence. These secret
instructions are acted upon by a disciple with perfect faith in the teacher.
The disciple gives a report of his condition and experience in confidence to
his teacher and receives another set of instructions most suitable to his
state.
It is
only the writings of the Sufi teachers, who speak from within the tradition,
that allow an outsider a glimpse of the inner beauty of Sufism. One of the
greatest scholars of all times was al-Ghazzali. He lived in the later eleventh
and early twelfth centuries. He wrote his famous work The Revival of the Sciences
of Religion in Arabic, with an abridged form, The Alchemy of Happiness, in
Persian. These works were followed by the other writings and poetry by such
Sufi teachers as Abdul-Karim al-Jili, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, the famous Chishti
saints, Hafiz, Sadi, Rumi and so many other Sufi poets.
At the same time there was an immense upsurge of
open Sufi activity under the auspices of different Sufi orders in all parts of
the Islamic world. Each Sufi order constituted a focal point of activity, from
which Sufi teachings were carried to the mass of the population by the
representatives of the head of the order. The Sufi organizations constituted
the social cement of the society in which they lived. Because of the strength
of this social cement, Islamic civilization was able not only to withstand the
many political upheavals of this period, but it also acted as a civilizing
influence on the powers that were responsible for these upheavals.
Suluk: the spiritual journey
This
brings us to say something about the Sufi discipline. The first and foremost
requirement is the purification of the soul. The process is generally a long
and difficult one. It consists of the three stages.
1. The carnal soul:
In the
first stage, one struggles against the carnal soul or nafs al-ammara as it is
called by the Sufis. Nafs al-ammara is the tendency in man to disobey God, and
to take pleasure in evil deed and thought. This inclines man towards gossip,
backbiting, vain talk, pride, selfishness, lust, hatred and jealousy. The
struggle to overcome nafs al-ammara involves the purifying of the body, tongue,
mind and heart.
a) The body is purified by keeping
it free from dirt, by preserving its members from harm and by not indulging in
sexual license.
b) The tongue must be purified by
restraining it from backbiting, malicious gossip and vain talk, or from using
it to alter the truth.
c) The mind must be purified by
abstaining from suspicion, plotting and thinking ill of others.
d) The heart must be purified by
keeping it free from lust, jealousy, greed, selfishness, hatred and pride.
e) In this stage, a Sufi constantly
examines the motives of his likes and dislikes.
(2).
The reproaching soul:
When he
has subjugated the carnal soul, nafs al-ammara, the Sufi enters upon the second
stage of purification in which he is able to respond readily to the call of the
reproaching soul which is called nafs al-lawwama. It is the nafs al-lawwama
which reproaches man for his evil deeds and impels him to acts of mercy and
generosity.
(3).The contented soul:
After this stage has become firmly established in
him, the Sufi enters the third stage which is known as the station of the
contented soul, nafs al-mutma'inna. In this stage, the Sufi develops to the
fullest the tendency to obey God and to act in perfect harmony with His
commandments. Here the soul is reconciled with all other stations of the path,
such as poverty, patience, gratitude and trust in God. Here the soul finds perfect
satisfaction in being governed by the heart, the Divine spark in man. Here the
Sufi becomes truly free from fear and grief. As God said in the Qur'an,
"Lo, indeed, the friends of God have no fear, nor are they grieved."
Fear and grief are qualities of man, and friends of God are relieved of the
burden of these qualities. Fearlessly, and with the strength of faith, they
invite man to God, the source of man's creation and the goal of his life.
Here lies the difference between a true teacher
and a false one -- the true teacher invites man to ALLAH (God) and the
pretender invites man to himself.
In this stage, a Sufi is filled with love, mercy,
kindness, and a burning zeal to help others. In order to reach this high
station, a Sufi must constantly strive to control his ego, to curb his anger
and impatience. He must eat less, sleep less, talk less, and deny himself the
pleasure of other people's company. Sometimes he withdraws completely from the worldly
activities and occupies himself entirely with the remembrance of ALLAH (God)
and meditation.
As he makes progress spiritually, he is able to extend the length
of his periods of seclusion, culminating in retreats of forty days' duration.
In this seclusion, the Sufi fasts during the day, breaking his fast after
sunset with only a small piece of bread and some water. During the nights, he
keeps constant vigil and chants a selected verse from the Qur'an 125,000 times.
The verse usually chanted is: "There is no ALLAH (God) but Thou, the Holy
Lord. I am indeed one of the evil doers." Or, "Say, He, Allah is One.
Allah is Sufficient unto Himself."
Meditation,
ecstasy, states, stations and ascension
The
various stages on the mystical path are known as maqamat, or the 'stations',
which can be reached by any Sufi by means of prayer, fasting, meditation, and
the hal or 'mystical state', which may be vouchsafed to the Sufi by the Grace
of ALLAH (God) but is not attainable by the mystic's own efforts. A Sufi may be
blessed by an experience which reveals to his soul the reality of the whole
universe, from the lowest layer of earth to the highest heaven. This experience
is called mi'raj or the 'ascension.' In this, a Sufi is generally accompanied
by the spirit of his shaykh, and comes in contact with the spirits of other
shaykhs and prophets. Various stations are also revealed to him with different
colours and lights.
Extinction (fana) and subsistence (baqa):
One of the important phases of mystical
experience which is attained by the Grace of ALLAH (God) by a traveller on the
mystical path is the state of fana fi Allah, 'extinction of the self in ALLAH
(God) which is the transition to the state of baqa billah or the 'eternal life
in union with God.' By passing away from self, the individual does not cease to
exist, but is permitted to enjoy the supreme mystical experience in union with
God. He is fully absorbed into the Love of ALLAH (God) which gives him an
everlasting awareness of the all-pervading presence of ALLAH (God)
This doctrine is further explained in an
authentic tradition of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) which states that ALLAH (God)
said:
Nothing is more pleasing to Me as a
means for My slave to draw near unto Me than the worship I have made binding upon
him. And My slave does not cease to draw near unto Me with added devotions of
his free will until I Love him. And when I Love him, I am the Hearing wherewith
he hears, and the Sight wherewith he sees, and the Hand wherewith he smites,
and the Foot whereon he walks.
Most Sufis who have gone through this experience
have preferred to live eternally in the greatest depth of silence which
transcends all forms and sounds. Yet a few others have produced works of
unsurpassed glory, especially in the fields of literature and music, which have
crowned the culture of the entire Islamic world. Their works have inspired
Sufis and non-Sufis for generations. As the great Persian Sufi poet, Hafiz of
Shiraz, who is fondly remembered as the 'tongue of the unseen', said centuries
ago for all times: "He whose heart is alive with love, never dies."
The pseudo-Sufis
Over the centuries, as the Sufi orders grew, the
Sufi masters were generally recognized as sages and men of wisdom and grace,
enjoying the esteem of the general populace.
The growing social prestige of the Sufis
attracted self-seekers who posed as Sufis and dervishes and embarked upon
exploiting the goodwill of the people. These pretenders indulged in
superstitious practices, neglected moral order and religious ordinances, and
boasted of their ignorance and lack of learning. In order to cover their own
lack of discipline and dedication to the goal, some of these charlatans even
tried to cut Sufism from its very roots--namely, the Qur'an and the practice of
the Holy Prophet (pbuh).
The acts of these pseudo-Sufis never altered the
true course of Sufism. The heart of Sufism remained pure, well guarded by the
traditional practice of the initiation of a seeker into a Sufi order by a Sufi
master. The master's authority had properly been passed upon him by a previous
master through the investiture of the traditional mantle of authority,
symbolized by the presentation of a patched cloth. This initiation is supported
by the tree of lineage going back through all the previous masters to the
Prophet (pbuh) from whom the authority to instruct in the esoteric doctrine
originated. Even today, this is the general practice of all the recognized Sufi
orders.
It is
Sufi masters such as al-Junayd, al-Ghazzali, Ibn Arabi, Shaykh Abdul-Karim
al-Jili, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty., and Jalaluddin Rumi, among
many others, who devoted their lives to spreading the light and grace among all
men, irrespective of man's geographical, social, religious and racial origin.
They left for all men a rich tradition of love and peace for all.