An Ignorant Sufi is a tool of the Cursed
Shaytan
The Awliya Allah state that an Ignorant Sufi is a
tool of Shaytan. For the same reason, Sayyiduna
Rasoolullah SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam said,
"A Faqeeh ('Alim or
Doctor of Islamic law) is heavier than a thousand 'Aabids
(Worshippers) upon Shaitan". When an ignorant
person worships or tries to tread on the path of Sufism,
the Shaitan makes him dance on his finger tips by
putting his reins in his mouth, the bridle in the nose
and drags him to wherever he desires. The ignorant Sufi
thinks that whatever he is doing is correct and
excellent.
False Sufis steal the words of the Sufis and present
them as their own, and thus trick people with the
beautiful teachings, which they are merely imitators of.
They do not have true knowledge of that which they are
speaking. Many of the great Sufi Shuyookh speak of
deceptive false Sufis. These people take the title of
"Sufi" because it gives them a certain amount of
prestige and power, and they take advantage of those who
cannot tell false Sufism from the real thing.
Sayyiduna Junaid Baghdadi Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho states
that his Spiritual Master or Peer-o-Murshid, Sayyiduna
Sirri Saqti Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho prayed in the
following words:
جعلك اﷲ صاحب حديث صوفيا و لاجعلك صوفيا صاحب حديث
May Allah first make you a Muhaddith (Scholar of
Ahadith) then a Sufi and not firstly a Sufi then a
Muhaddith. [Ihya al
Uloom, Vol, Page 22]
Imam Ghazali Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho, commenting on this
Dua said,
اشار الى ان من حصل الحديث والعلم ثم تصوف افلح ومن تصوف
قبل العلم خاطر بنفسه
The meaning of Hazrat Sirri Saqti's Dua is that the
one who first studies Hadith and Knowledge, then sets
foot into Sufism, has indeed succeeded. But, he who
wishes to become a Sufi before obtaining knowledge has
certainly put himself into total destruction.
[Ihya al Uloom, Vol, Page 22]
Sayyiduna Sayyidi Abul Qasim Junaid Baghdadi Radi ALLAHu
Ta'ala Anho states:
من لم
يحفظ القراٰن ولم يكتب الحديث لايقتدٰى به في هذا الامر
لان علمنا ھذا مقيد بالكتاب والسنة
"One who has not learnt the Quran and written the Hadith,
that is, one who is ignorant about the Laws of Shariah,
never follow him in anything pertaining to Tariqah and
do not take him as your Peer because our knowledge of
Tariqah is strictly in accordance with the Quran and
Hadith (ie. Shariah)."
[Risaalah al-Qushayriya, Page 20]
Sayyiduna Sirri Saqti Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho states:
التصوف
اسم لثلاث معان وھوالذي لايطفى نور معرفته نور ورعه
ولايتكلم بباطن في علم ينقضه ظاھر الكتب او السنة ولاتحمله
الكرامات على ھتك استار محارم اﷲ عالٰى
Tassawuf is the name of three qualities:
1. His Noor of Ma'rifah (Knowledge of Allah) must not
extinguish his Noor of Daragh (Falsehood).
2. Never speak from the knowledge of Batin (Interior)
which may contradict the Zahir (Exterior) Quran and
Hadith.
3. Do not let Karamats (Miracles) caste a veil on those
things which Allah has made Haram.
Sayyiduna Shaykh Shabuddin Suhrawardi Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala
Anho who was taken by his uncle to visit Sayyiduna al-Ghawth
al-A'zam Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani said,
حقيقة
ردتها الشريعة فھي زندقة
"The Haqiqah which is rejected by Shariah is not Haqiqah
but irreligiousness."
[Awarif al Ma'arif, Page 72]
The exoteric religious sciences of Islam (religious law
and jurisprudence, references to the Qur'an and Hadith,
theology, etc) began simultaneously with the esoteric
sciences of Sufism (self-purification, asceticism, and
mysticism). There is no logical division between outer
formal Islam and the inner school of Sufism. With the
beloved Prophet Muhammad SallaAllahu Ta'ala 'Alayhi wa
Sallam command of "seek knowledge even if it be in
China"; the value of learning was given a divine status
and great historic centers of learning were established.
The wise and knowledgeable Peers were attached to
Tariqas (spiritual path leading to Almighty Allah),
international 'brotherhoods' that disseminated both the
exoteric and esoteric Islamic sciences throughout the
Muslim world. The teaching of each Tariqa would be
traceable through a Silsila, the line of succession that
connected members, through their Peer, with his master
and in turn with their Masters. Ultimately this reached
the Noble Companions of the beloved Prophet Salla Allahu
Ta'ala 'Alayhi wa Sallam and the beloved Prophet
SallaAllahu Ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam himself.
Sheikh Bayazid Bustaami (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu)
cautions us:
لونظر
تم الي رجل اعطي من الكرامات حتى يرتقي (وفي نسخة يتربع)
في الهواء فلا تغتروا به حتى تنظروا كيف تجدونه عندالامر
والنھي وحفظ الحدود و آداب الشريعة
"If you see a person sitting cross-legged in the air,
don’t be fooled by his act! Observe his approach and
attitude towards the compulsory acts (Fardh, Waajib) and
prohibited acts (Haraam, Makruh Tahreemi) and detestable
acts (Makrooh) and other restrictions and etiquette’s of
the Shari’ah". [Risaalah
al-Qushayriya, Page 15]
The miracle of a Wali is his complete compliance to the
teachings of Nabi (Sallallaho Alaihi Wa Sallam). The
steadfast adherence to the Shari’ah is the best Karaamat.
A true Saint is righteous and follows the path laid down
by the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi Wa Sallam).
Hadrat Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hujweri writes:
“A group of heretics
have joined the Sufis. They preach that once obedience
to Shari’ah is intensified to such an extent that
Wilayah (Sainthood) is achieved, Ta’at (obedience to the
Laws of Sharee’ah) is no longer necessary. This is an
incorrect and false claim. In the path of truth, there
is absolutely no stage where Ta’at becomes redundant”.
[Kashf al Mahjoob,
Page 312]
Hadrat Data Saahib emphasizes,“To
achieve Wilaayat, the compliance to the Sunnah of Nabi
Kareem is definitely required.”
[Kashf al Mahjoob,
Page 455]
Hadrat Data Ganj Bakhsh explains the relationship of
Haqiqah and Shari’ah as follows:
“Shari’ah without
Haqeeqah is a farce and show and Haqiqah without
Shari’ah is hypocrisy. Pretence and hypocrisy are both
the ruination of Imaan. Almighty Allah says: ‘Whoever
exhibits Mujahidah (continuous striving) towards us, We
will show them Our path’. Mujahidah is Shari’ah and
guidance towards the path of Almighty Allah is Haqeeqah.
Shari’ah functions to protect the outward and Haqeeqah
guards the inner conditions of the Believer”.
[Kashf al Mahjoob,
Page 526]
Hadrat Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu
says: "A disciple who
is trained by a man of ALLAH will have a pure and
purified spirit. But he who is trained by an impostor
and hypocrite and who learns theory from him will be
just like him: despicable, weak, incapable, morose,
without any exit from uncertainties, and deficient in
all his senses."
[Fihi ma fihi, Page
145]
Furthermore, on the topic of false Sufis and the harm
they do, Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi says:
You are the disciple
and guest of someone who in his vileness will steal away
all your attainments. He is not victorious, how will he
make you victorious? He will not give you light, he will
make you dark. Since he has no light, how can others
receive light through associating with him? Like a blind
man who cures eyes: With what will he anoint your eyes
other than wool? He has no scent or trace of God, but
his claims are greater than those of Seth or Adam. The
devil himself is embarrassed to appear before him; he
keeps on saying, "We are of the saints and even
greater." He steals many of the words of the dervishes,
so that people may think he really is someone. In his
talks he even cavils at Bayazid; Yazid himself is
ashamed of him. He is destitute of the bread and
provisions of heaven: Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala has not
thrown him a single bone.
[Mathnawi of
Jalaluddin Rumi, Book I, Page 76]
Therefore we see that a great Shaykh such as Jalal
al-Din Rumi Alaihir raHma warns us of the false Sufis.
False Sufis may even be more prevalent today than they
were in the past. We must distinguish between true
Sufis, who follow the Shari'ah, and false Sufis, who
often do not.
Syyeduna Ala’Hadrat Imam Ahmad Rida al-Qadiri in his
Malfuz Shareef while answering a question said,
“A Murshid who does
not respect and follow the Shari’ah is himself in
darkness and totally incapable of illuminating (rating
someone else’s path or guiding them). Such people are
disciples of Shaytan and the enemies of Islam. To follow
any path other than that of the Shari'ah is the path of
the Cursed Shaytan. The evil jesters who mock the Ulama
and jeer at the teachings of the Shari’ah, They
(falsely) claim that the Ulama and the Fuqara have
always been at odds with each other. These ignorant
idiots cast doubts over the most eminent Ulama and
question their integrity.”
[Al Malfuz Sharif,
Vol2]
It is to be noted that Shari’ah is established on the
firm foundation of Quran, Sunnah, Consensus and analogy
of the Jurists. If a person disputes any particular
analogical problem and is equipped with substantiating
evidence, then the matter is not so serious. However,
when a person openly defies the Quran, Hadith and Ijma
(consensus), he not only gives up any claim to being a
Sufi or a Murshid, but more then this... Surely, A
donkey with a load of Holy Books is still a donkey!!
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