TALK ABOUT 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗪𝗨𝗙

 

TALK ABOUT 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗪𝗨𝗙

We recently published a concise video into the history of Sufism within the Ottoman Empire, it solicited many interesting comments and conversations. 👉https://youtu.be/NurqRO7Qfl0 It is perhaps time that we had a more serious conversation about Sufism - on this channel, concerning its History and place in Islam. So. What exactly is 𝙎𝙪𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙢? 🤔 A most interesting and pertinent question. 𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗪𝗨𝗙 While it is commonly mis-characterised as a foreign organ to the body of Islam, often eschewed from the core canonical records of orthodoxy and orthopraxy due to the deeply esoteric texture and (at times) the eccentric edge that distinguishes some forms of extreme Sufism from mainstream Islam, it can not be said that Sufism itself has 𝙣𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙨 within the core teachings and practice of the early Muslims. To make such a claim would betray a deep lack of preliminary study and inquiry into this matter. As a matter of historical fact, Tassawuf is deeply rooted within the early Muslim experience and expression. Some Historians have even attributes its origins back to the Ahlul-Suffah. The "companions of the veranda", select number of disciples who remained within a designated area in the prophet Muhammad's ﷺ Masjid and lived off the charitable donations made by the community. Their mention is made in the Qur'an on multiple counts. They were an elect group from among the wider community. Many of these companions had surrendered themselves to a life of austerity and abstinence from worldly endeavours. ᴡᴇ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴀʙᴜ ʜᴜʀᴀɪʀᴀʜ ꜰʀᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɪɴᴛᴇɴꜱᴇ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ᴀꜱ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ꜱᴛᴇᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜɪᴍ ᴀꜱ ʜᴇ ʟᴀʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ.... Abu Hurairah was the most illustrious among them, celebrated for his selfless pursuit of knowledge and spiritual sojourn towards the truth - to the complete exclusion of worldly endeavours. However, this is one of many competing theories posited on the true origins of Sufism. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗙𝗜 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 Inadvertently, even if one dismisses this as a misinterpretation of early accounts within Islamic history, it must still be acknowledged that the generation that followed the first generation (at-Tabiun) did indeed have prominent scholars and personalities who adhered to and were pioneering influences within the nascent Sufi traditions, many having even established schools on the tenets and principles of Tassawuf (Dhun Nun al-Misri is often cited as the chief and principle figurehead in this regard, but that too, is debated). Men such as Hasan al-Basri, Haarith al-Muhasibi, Bishr al-Haafi and Junayd al-Baghdadi were but a few from a multitude of great and prominent scholars whose Tassawuf is well known and celebrated. (It has also been posited by some Historians that Tassawuf evolved under the oppressive regimes of the Umayyads and Abbasids as a form of resistance and spiritual fortification....a discussion for another time) 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗛 Here, I must make an important and pertinent disclosure - I am neither of the Sufi tradition nor an initiate of its tenets and rituals, however I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the teachings at the heart of this tradition. On the rare occasion wherein I have been asked about which spiritual path I have taken (which Tariqah), my response has always been that of Imam Ash-Shafi'i when he said احب الصالحين ولست منهم There is absolutely no doubt that many of our 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙠𝙝 (to borrow the precise term employed by Ibn Taymiyyah himself) practiced Tassawuf and were deeply committed to it's tenets, to deny or dismiss these glaring facts is yet another testament of a lack of learning. Much like Ibn al-Qayyim, a man whose balance and depth on this subject I have long admired - I too consider the lack of spiritual grounding and guidance as a Deficiency, rather than a Virtue - to boast of. There must be a balance ⚖️ and it should be maintained. As per the statement often attributed to Imam Ash-Shafi'i.... فقيهاً وصوفياً فكن ليس واحداً I, like many of my peers - brought up in the West and cut off from the major part of our ancestral traditions - have inadvertently developed a sense of dispondency and aversion to "traditional Islam". Yet with the passage of time and as the intellectual horizons expand, the inherent wisdom and utility of "Traditionalism" becomes more apparent and lucid, for those who care to continue on the path of learning and enlightenment. I grew up with Disney films such as Aladdin which challenged the validity and positive influence of Traditions. Somehow, I believe that an entire generation has been conditioned to reject Tradition through the influence of such films and productions. "Traditional Islam" is indeed a good thing, since the polar opposite would be 'Contemporary Islam"...good luck with that. Yet we are witnessing a rapid revival of religious identity among the Muslim youth in the West and across the world at large. However, at times it may appear as if our problem is not a lack of religious Adherence and Practice, but perhaps a lack of Actualisation and Internalisation (embodiment of its principles). I have often joked that the modern Muslim - with his flowing white Thawb and distinct headgear, is an Expert at 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, but a complete stranger when it comes to 𝙀𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 him. There is a vast and significant difference, between these two. The lack of spiritual discipline, accompanying guidance from elder and more sagacious mentors and a general cultivation of inner character rather than a fixation on externalities and superficial expressions of outward piety and conformity - have all contributed to a state of lesser awakening within the last generations, myself included. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗠 While the misguided and unfounded rituals found within certain sects must always be rebuked and disavowed (as we must also do with extremist groups from ALL schools), it is a great loss and calamity to dismiss Tassawuf in its entirety, based solely on misreading and over generalisation of Sufism. As a matter of fact (and not opinion), Tassawuf was the preeminent and most prevalent form of normative Islamic expression for the overwhelming part of Islamic history - across virtually all the known regions of the Muslim realms. To be a Muslim was to be a Sufi. Our predecessors identified themselves through Aqidah, Fiqh and Tariqah (Today many of us have replaced the third component with modern socio-political Ideologies such as Red-Pill and Feminism...) Great Muslim men and women in whose mention we still find solace and prestige were ALL disciples of Tassawuf. The likes of Abdul Qadir al-Jailani, Sultan Salahuddin, Sultan Mehmet Fatih, Mansa Kankan Musa, Imam Shamil of Dagestan, Sheikh Umar Mukhtar, Shehu Usman Dan Fudio, Jalal-ul-Din Al-Suyuti and Ibn Khaldun were all Sufis. In their statements and writings, one can find an ocean of wisdom and teachings derived directly from Tassawuf. From a historical perspective, very few Muslim majority nations can today claim to not have been beneficiaries of Sufi Da'wah. Some of the most populous and traditional Muslim nations were brought into the fold of Islam through the gentle influence of wandering Sufis (though some modern critics of Tassawuf often employ the term "travelling Muslim merchants" in an attempt to mask and efface this fact). If we look at the two preceding centuries in the Muslim world, it would become clear and apparent that the vast majority of our predecessors were practicing Tassawuf - from Makkah to Madagascar, Basrah to Berbera, Isfahan to Istanbul. These were all seats of Tassawuf, for over a millennium. It must also be acknowledged that there are some modern teachers and preachers who have made the attempt to repackage and rebrand Tassawuf in a way to make it more palatable and compatible with what has come to be recognised as the "most authentic" expression of Islam through slight modification of terms such as "Tazkiyyatun-Nafs" (Purification of the self) and "Ruhaniyyah" (Spirituality). قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧 "Sufism is Shirk. Sufism is Bid'a. There were no Sufis among the Sahabah or Tabi'een.....🦜🗣️" All surface level statements that have no depth or perspective. Often emphasised but seldom investigated - with serious intent to uncover and understand the meaning of Tassawuf and it's historical development. This, I believe- is a structural and systematic problem derived from the texts and institutions from whence we draw much of our modern Islamic curriculum and instruction. There has been a massive cover up operation to rebrand certain books, names and influences. Often, certain books are taught without the acknowledgement of the Tassawuf of the author. The ignorant are excused from not knowing this, but the student of knowledge knows better. While this is a commendable effort mounted by a few principled and conscientious scholars to revive aspects of Islamic Spirituality that have been lost to modern Muslims, it remains inadequate, superficial and incomplete - without explicit mention and acknowledgement of the earlier schools of Tassawuf. So, why have the last two generations grown to be so repulsed and ignorant about Tassawuf, its history and contributions to Islamic civilization? The answer to this question requires great treatment, deep analytical inspection and very candid disclosures. It is a theme that must be unveiled for the modern Muslim masses. Undoubtedly, the inquiry must also be balanced with equal emphasis and consideration from the opposite spectrum, most notably - through the works of Ibn al-Jawziyy and Ibn Taymiyyah, too. Perhaps on another occasion....