Bismillahirrahmnairrahim.
In the name of Allah the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Ya Ikhwanul Mukminin na wal Mukminat.
When we hear about the Sufi’s in the world of Islamic Spiritualism, there comes to us a myriad of visuals and sounds celebrating the worship of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala and the honoring of His Blessed Greatest and Final Messenger to the entire mankind, Muhammad Al Mustafa Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam.
Living here in the Malay Peninsula isn’t the same as experiencing the social, cultural and religious impact that one would get in the Holy Lands of the Middle East, the birthplace of Allah Rabbul Alamin’s Deenul Islam.
For those of us who strive to live in the realm of Al Islam and drown ourselves in the ecstasy of celebrating His Mercies to us as Al Insaan @ Mankind, the natural drawing of our souls to be in the Circle of His Servants is just something that pleases us and we get to experience the Mahabbah of the Ikhwanul Muslimin na wal Muslimat who cherish and love Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam.
For a mureed such as myself who was blessed to enter the realm of the grateful and the cherishers of the wonderful world of Al Islamul Haqqani, the memories are certainly very much alive and appreciated although I regret the advent of over zealousness that has also crept into some of the Tariqah’s followers in over adulation of the Makhluk in the persons of the Syaikhul Tariqah’s.
Attaining the highest Maqam’s @ Stations in Sufism is akin to reaching the pinnacle of self discovery in one’s journey towards seeking the Maghfirah @ Forgiveness of Allahu Ta’ala, our Beloved Rabbul Alamin Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala. Only the purest in heart can achieve that state of salvation in the worship and glorification of Allahu Majid, Dzul Jalali Wal Ikram. Lord of Majesty and Generosity, Lord of Glory and Honor.
In one’s individual journey in the spiritual quest of seeking Allah’s Forgiveness today, one is spoilt for choice for there are today numerous Jamaat’s or Tariqat’s claiming to lead its followers to the glorification of both the Creator and His Greatest Messenger.
Yet one must choose very carefully as to which jamaah or tariqah one wants to be in for the wrong choice will obviously not show one to the various Paradises of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala but rather open the entrance to the prepared Hellfire’s instead!
God Forbid if you end up in the so called sufi groups which go overboard in their interpretation of worshipping Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala or the glorification of the Blessed Messenger!
Let us study the following verses from Surah Al Baqarah, Chapter 2 Verses 1 to 7, Holy Quranul Kareem :
In the name of Allah Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
1. Alif-lam-meem
1. A. L. M.
2. Thalika alkitabu la rayba feehi hudan lilmuttaqeena
2. This is the Book;
In it is guidance sure, without doubt,
To those who fear God;
3. Allatheena yu/minoona bialghaybi wayuqeemoona alssalata wamimma razaqnahum yunfiqoona
3. Who believe in the Unseen,
Are steadfast in prayer,
And spend out of what We
Have provided for them;
4. Waallatheena yu/minoona bima onzila ilayka wama onzila min qablika wabial-akhirati hum yooqinoona
4. And who believe in the Revelation
Sent to thee,
And sent before thy time,
And (in their hearts)
Have the assurance of the Hereafter.
5. Ola-ika AAala hudan min rabbihim waola-ika humu almuflihoona
5. They are on (true) guidance,
From their Lord, and it is
These who will prosper.
6. Inna allatheena kafaroo sawaon AAalayhim aanthartahum am lam tunthirhum la yu/minoona
6. As to those who reject Faith,
It is the same to them
Whether thou warn them
Or do not warn them;
They will not believe.
7. Khatama Allahu AAala quloobihim waAAala samAAihim waAAala absarihim ghishawatun walahum AAathabun AAatheemun
7. God hath set a seal
On their hearts and on their hearing,
And on their eyes is a veil;
Great is the penalty they (incur).
Sadaqallah hal adzhim.
Truthful indeed is Allah the Most Majestic.
The verses above reveals to us that Allah the Almighty chose to share with us the Blessed Quran as a guide for those of us mankind who choose to believe in Him the Almighty with firm belief and faith based upon our common sense and acquired knowledge as to the realities of this life?
Rational, sound thinking human beings would surely not go and worship something that they themselves built or created using the materials garnered from the earth and imagine that idol or statue to represent the personification or the image of the Supreme Being?
Believing in Him Who is the Unseen does not warrant us mortal beings to conjure up that such and such images, figurines or idols and statues which represents Him and turns those who go on imagining the Almighty as such to be none but be the Unbelievers, the Kuffars and the Musyriks!
The ones who have firm faith in Allah the Unseen Almighty God of us all are the Mukmins and it is incumbent upon them to glorify Ar Rahman in ways that are best and in accordance to the Sunnah or Example of the Blessed Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam.
Entering the Tariqah in search of ways to glorify and honor both Allah Rabbul Jalil and His Beloved Messenger requires the seeker to exercise his or her own rational commonsense in not going blindly into such realms without first checking out the validity of whatever practices the particular tariqah is enjoining or carrying out?
Doing Dhikr is very much enjoined in our Ibadah of Al Islam but there must remain a control of how one goes about doing it?
The Prophet Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam did enjoin us to perform the dhikr either in private or in groups but he surely didn’t ask us to jump about or prance in delirious abandon unaware of one’s action that brings in the forbidden acts of bida’ah and khurafat in the name of the Dhikr!!!
Na’uzubillah!
Reciting the blessed Dhikr especially when carried out collectively in a group ought to be done in a dignified manner without shouting oneself hoarse and coarse or jumping up and down in the guise of ecstasy whether real or imagined!
Going berserk in the name of Allah is not only wrong ; it brings ridicule to our holy faith of Al Islam!
Use our common sense and remember to be in control of our self at all times. We represent the Ummah of the most dignified and honored Rasul of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.
We can’t be going crazy jumping here and there like a gone mad kangaroo and then profess that what we are doing @ acts of ibadah prevalent in the Jamaat at Tariqah to represent what the Blessed Messenger Ar Rahmatulil Alamin enjoins? May Allah Forbid!
Acts of worship and prayer must be carried out in the dignified manner by which the Blessed Rasul Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam showed to us his ummah!
There is no excuse for anyone Sufi or Muslim to dishonor the Messenger Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam by carrying out acts of bida’ah and claim it to be a Sunnah? No way!
Polluting the blessed Dhikr with movements that are not set forth by Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam leads to acts of khurafat and accursed deviance from the Sunnah An Nabiyyi.
There is no record or evidence that the Blessed Messenger did his dhikr as such or that the Sahabah’s or Tabi’in did the same! All acts of innovation are forbidden in our ibadah and Deen.
Local cultures ought not be allowed to creep into the teachings of Al Islam and turn what is halal into haram.
We as Muslims must remember to be always on the lookout for such deviations in our community and when faced with those who do such forbidden activities to either advise them as is our duty and obligation as fellow Believers or to go report them to the rightful authorities?
Sadly, the local so called Islamic Authorities of Mamluk Malaisie usually are of the See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil species. They are there with all their so called power and position but in actuality act as if they are weak and powerless! Sigh……..what a bloody waste!!!
Watch the following videos showing those who go overboard in their so called acts of Ibadah :
I am not saying that the tariqah’s are absolutely wrong and ought to be dismissed off as such but only asking that those who claim to be Sufis or mureeds to exercise caution and to learn as to what is allowed and discouraged in the practices of the Tariqah’s?
Swearing allegiance to a Syaikh or Mursyid of any Tariqah does not mean you turn a blind eye to any malpractices or corruptions of the so called acts of ibadah in the Sufi group or movement!
As people who are learned and knowledgeable, it is morally a duty of us to support what is right and to fight against what has gone wrong or is made out to be something which is obviously not allowed in the teachings of Rasulullah Al Mustafa Sayyidul Mursalin.
When I sensed such going overboard in the Tariqah which I had joined, I backed out myself from getting involved in such deviance’s but that doesn’t mean that I abhor the very idea of celebrating Allahu Ta’ala’s Magnificence or not want to glorify our Rasulullah Al Kareem.
No! Far from it. I just wish to keep my ibadah and my ruh free from any bida’ah al lawwamah! Insya Allah.
The Syaikhs are just as human as any one of us and to claim divinely attributes or of attaining imagined stations in the spiritual realms is just giving way to the Nafs to lead us astray from what the Blessed Rasul enjoined us to strive for?
Carry out our amals as what the Holy Prophet taught us and remain on track with the Haqq and stay clear from the Batil.
If we are of those who are of sound mind and capable of rational thinking, deep in our hearts we would be able to feel as to what is right or what feels so wrong in following what is claimed to be Al Makruf when in reality it could just very well turn out to be the Mungkar?
If in doubt as to the validity of whatever form of amal or acts of ibadah being taught or carried out in the tariqahs that you have joined or sworn allegiance to , by all means please counter check as to its authenticity with any learned Shaikh free from the dictates of those in power such as the `Ulul `Amri or association with any such Tariqahs or Jamaats?
This is important if we want to remain on the true path of Islam?
Surely it will be a very big waste of our limited precious life here on Earth and our resources if we were to be hoodwinked into ending up as one of the major losers in the hereafter for blindly following the way of the screwed up and pretentious ones who instead of being true Alims are in actuality the devious Zalims!!!
We have but this one chance in life here on Earth. There is no such thing as being reincarnated in our teachings of Al Islam. Those who believe so are truly Kaffirs and have no place in our ummah of Rasul al Mustafa Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam. Be aware of what we do and whom we join with?
Check out this video :
I have said before and I will repeat it now. I still believe that most deviations in any Tariqah at times are first started by the fanatical or blindly over dedicated students or mureeds in over adulation of their Syaikhs or Mursyids.
The Shaikhs themselves become compliant in such hero worshipping or self grandeurism when they start laying claim to their extra ordinary achievements or stages in the realm of spiritual conquests or stations reached?
I do not agree to such claims for it borders on the act of Syirik al Akbar. Thinking of oneself to be in the same levels of the Rasuls and Nabi’s of Allahu Ta’ala. Not acceptable to me. No sirree!
Let’s stick to what has been revealed or shared with us by Rasulullah Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam?
Don’t go overboard. Do not end up as the ones who were taken for a ride by the Zalimuns just because of ignorance and a failure to first gauge and evaluate as to the validity of each act of worship attributed to the worship of Allahu Rabbul Alamin and the honoring of His Prophet but being done so without basis in our faith of Islam.
When Allahu Rabbul Jalil proclaimed that He had completed His Favors upon us by the revelation of the Verse # 3, Surah Al Maidah, Al Quranul Karim :
3. Hurrimat AAalaykumu almaytatu waalddamu walahmu alkhinzeeri wama ohilla lighayri Allahi bihi waalmunkhaniqatu waalmawqoothatu waalmutaraddiyatu waalnnateehatu wama akala alssabuAAu illa ma thakkaytum wama thubiha AAala alnnusubi waan tastaqsimoo bial-azlami thalikum fisqun alyawma ya-isa allatheena kafaroo min deenikum fala takhshawhum waikhshawni alyawma akmaltu lakum deenakum waatmamtu AAalaykum niAAmatee waradeetu lakumu al-islama deenan famani idturra fee makhmasatin ghayra mutajanifin li-ithmin fa-inna Allaha ghafoorun raheemun
3. 4 Forbidden to you (for food)
Are: dead meat, blood,
The flesh of swine, and that
On which hath been invoked
The name of other than God;
That which hath been
Killed by strangling,
Or by a violent blow,
Or by a headlong fall,
Or by being gored to death;
That which hath been (partly)
Eaten by a wild animal;
Unless ye are able
To slaughter it (in due form);
That which is sacrificed
On stone (altars);
(Forbidden) also is the division
(Of meat) by raffling
With arrows: that is impiety.
This day have those who
Reject Faith given up
All hope of your religion:
Yet fear them not
But fear Me.
This day have I
Perfected your religion
For you, completed
My favour upon you,
And have chosen for you
Islam as your religion.
But if any is forced
By hunger, with no inclination
To transgression, God is
Indeed Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
Allahu Rabbul Alamin decrees that the religion is already perfect. Complete with His Revelations to us in the entirety and followed up by the Example of His Greatest Messenger and Seal of the Prophets @ The Sunnah of Muhammad Al Amin.
If we want to be in any of the Tariqah, it is incumbent upon us to first check and verify its sources for any such acts of ibadah as claimed or regulated upon us as its members?
Blind allegiance and failure to keep to what is enjoined by Muhammad Rasulullah Al Mustafa will only rob us of our chances to escape the blazing Hellfire’s that awaits those who are ignorant and too recalcitrant to correct oneself when faced with the errors being committed in the name of the Dhikr?
That’s all I want to share with you this blessed Jumaat @ Friday.
May Allah bless and save us from our Nafs.
Ameen Ya Rabbal Alameen.
Wabillahi Taufik Wal Hidayah.
Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Hits: 5
As usual, Akhi Mahaguru58, your wiriting is very insightful, learned and full of good advice, especially to those keen on following the path of the Sufis and adopting a tariqah. Going overboard through doubtful
rites and routine (dikr with dances) and paying unquestionable reverence and piety to the Sheikh, are certainly some of the pitfalls and acts of flirting with bidaah to be avoided.
But the essence of the tariqah and Sufism to me is going through the various processes of cleansing the soul and seeking the the heavenly light (Makam as-Sirr). We have to pass through the various stages of spiritual development (from Nafsul Amarah to Nafsul Kamal), various changes in self-awareness and awareness of Allah's presence (from the status of Musafir Allah, through zuhud, khauf, raj'ak, gabd, bast, wajdan, majdhub until he reaches Makam Tajalli and Makam Qurb. The process is so mystical and one can easily slipped
into the ocean of majnun without the guidance on a
good Sheikh.
To me it's the process of cleansing the soul and striving to attain the higher level of spiritual development that is the essence of the tariqah, which can be done without becoming a Sufi. The world today is full of people who claim to be good Muslims but whose behavior could be criticized by even a non-Muslim. These people could do with a little bit of soul cleansing. What say you? Wallahu Alam .Assalamualaikum.
Wa'alaikumsalam.
As usual sir, my answer to you will have to be in the form of a full fledged article touching on the various points you have raised.
As a matter of fact, I wrote the article here as a introduction article to the World of Sufism.
I have long been planning to highlight the rights and wrongs taking place in the Spiritual Realm that we address it as Sufism and by your response here just acts as a trigger to set off my series on our favorite subject.
Insya Allah, I will get to it after this.
Thanks for gracing my humble blog here with your gracious presence.
May Allah bless and guide us all.
Ameen.
Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.