Sufism
Critic:-
Islam and Sufism are two different things. Sufism contains Greek Neo-platonic ideas and elements from Hindu and Mani religions. Many of the teachings of the Sufis contradict the Quran and are opposed by Muslims.
Comment:-
Much of this is correct. There are certainly elements of Neoplatonism, Manichism etc. in various Sufi writing. But unfortunately there is also much misunderstanding.
(1) When the Prophet (saw) first taught Islam there was no separation between the mystical, the theological and the legal. This separation took place gradually owing to (a) elaboration. (b) This also led to specialization and then (c) to loss of communication between these three. (d) and the degeneration of Muslims when political ambitions began to dominate their affairs.
The Islamic legal systems as found in later years are not as it was in the time of the Prophet, nor is the Theology or the Mystical aspect, each developed separately. But life is a unity and ought to contain all three.
(2) The Quran itself tells us :- Islam is not a new religion, but contains what was in previous religions. Indeed, all genuine religions brought by the genuine Prophets are Islam.
It should not be surprising that Sufism also contains elements of past religions and systems of thought. Islamic Sufism may be regarded as a continuation of the mystical side of past religions.
(3) Many books have been written about Islam which are not the Quran, and use other ideas to explain the Quran to people who might be familiar with these other ideas. Sufi material is also not the Quran but can be understood in this way.
(4) The words Sufi and Sufism can be used by anyone and are used differently by different people. Some Sufi systems have little connection with Islam or even any particular religion. Some systems include ideas, words or other elements from many religions. Some use the word to mean only Islamic Mysticism. Some are pagans and some show the kind of hysterics and hypnotic elements as those one finds in certain Christian Churches. Some are carried away by exaggerated emotionalism and sentimentality, and may call it "drunk with spiritual wine" when, in fact, the Quran requires sobriety. And there several downright charlatan groups, pretending spirituality in order to exploit for their own prestige, power or profit. Indeed, as the religion of Islam has degenerated and fallen into sects so has Sufism also.
It is because the word is used so loosely that whatever is said about Sufism will be true of one group or another. It is necessary, therefore, to determine what the person using the word is referring to.
(5) I myself, in my writings, do not normally use the word Sufi or even Tassawwuf, but I do use the word Tariqat as distinct from Shariat and Haqiqat. These three correspond to al-islam, al-iman and al-ihsan, the three aspects of the religion that the Prophet Muhammad came to teach according to a famous Hadith. Shariat refers to action, Tariqat to faith and Haqiqat to being.
But though there is a distinction between them I do not think they are independent but form a wholeness, each contains the other to a degree. It is like the soul and mind being contained in the body but the behaviour and life of a person partakes of all three to various degrees. Each by itself is inadequate and leads to distorted development. We are spiritual beings with a body and mind and live in this world with respect to which we have function. The fulfilment of this function is also spirituality.
The three together are Islam - Surrender to Allah.
If any of these depart from that aim then they are not Islam and have no value. There are three degrees of Surrender (Islam):- (a) Surrender in words and thought - assent to the Shahada. (b) Surrender in actual practice. (c) Surrender in being.
A person should be a Muslim, not a Sufi, and not Shiah, Sunni etc., nor identify himself with any Legal Madhab or Theological school either.
Critic:-
Sufis have laid greater emphasis on ecstasy than on sobriety and have, therefore, failed to guide their emotions with the light of the Shariah. They have fallen prey to all types of heresies.
An example is Jaluddin Rumi. He is known to the West for his ecstatic poems. He has often broken the limits of the Shariah in both his speech and his actions. He speaks with yearning for that feeling where self-consciousness ceases and release from sorrow is obtained. This is the same state that Hindu fakirs have spoken of and Budhhists calls Moksha. To say that in such a state "I feel that only He exists" would be true. But to carry this over and say "Only He exists and therefore all is One with Him" would be kufr because in this second statement one is affirming something as theological truth (kalam). The first statement is a statement of one's personal experience. The second is not.
This is also where Ibn Arabi faltered. He took his own mystic experience and made a theology out of it, borrowing in the process from Greek Philosophy.
Comment:-
Yes there is a difference between an ecstatic expression and a sober expression of faith. I think the following verse can be taken as implying that Islam requires Sobriety:-
"O ye who believe! Approach not prayer while ye are drunk (or mentally dull), until you know (can understand) what you are saying; nor yet while polluted ..." 4:43
We have a function in this world.
However, I think it is necessary to understand what these mystics are saying and not take all their words literally, superficially or out of context. It is possible to "surrender" to Allah to such an extent that:-
"And call not upon any other God along with Allah; there is no God but He. Everything perishes, except His countenance. His is the command, and unto Him shall ye return! " 28:88
"All that is therein (on earth) must pass away. And there remains naught but the Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory (or of Majesty and Nobility (Bounty and Honour))" 55:26-27.
It is, of course, true that Allah is independent of all creations and that things are created by His Word or Command. But they may be regarded from one point of view, as surface phenomena, the Essence or Reality underlying them being Allah. The verses above can be regarded as speaking both about the end of existence and of the penetration of consciousness beyond the surface that is also the goal of surrender (Islam). We are required to seek His countenance:-
"And those who patiently persevere, craving their Lord's Countenance, and are steadfast in prayer, and spend, secretly and openly, in charity from what We have bestowed upon them, and overcome evil with good - these shall have the sequel of the final (heavenly) Home - " 13:22
"Restrain thyself with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, desiring His countenance (or nearness and intimacy), and let not thine eyes be turned from them, desiring the adornment (and pomp) of the life of this world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own lusts (prejudices, fantasies, superstitions), and whose affair has been abandoned. " 18:29
Critic:-
A Sufi lady told me that she and other Sufis follow Sheikhs, who are saintly person, and that "They are Allah. They are His appearance to me." She calls these human beings Allah. Thus by this logic, Jesus would also be Allah. She also distinguishes between the Law and Faith, the Quranic tradition and the nature of Adam. This sister is not a sister but an "other" who is simply trying to mislead people and to fool Muslims into giving up rules and regulations. She follows Jellaludin Rumi who defended Al-Hallaj who claimed "I am God"? That is shirk and nothing else. Rumi is not the source for Islam.
Comment:-
There appears to be the same kind of misunderstanding here as exists between Christians and Muslims. Metaphorical or allegorical language is taken literally.
According to the Light verse and other verses the Light of Allah shines through the Righteous. Indeed, the Spirit of Allah is within us (32:9). When we see a Righteous person or Saint we ignore his humanity and see the Light of Allah. That is what one follows. That is also why one follows the Messengers, not because of their humanity, but because of the Word and Spirit of Allah. They represent Allah on earth just as a particular Judge represents the Law. The judge is not the Law.
The Quran tells us "make no distinctions between Allah and the Messengers" and yet also that the Messengers are not God. It also tells us that certain acts of the Prophet were not done by him but by Allah. These statements, if taken literally or "logically", are contradictory. But not if understood intelligently.
The fact is that Jesus represented Allah on earth, but Christians took him to be literally the Word of Allah and began to worship him as God. Therefore, the Quran came to rectify this misunderstanding. It is certainly Shirk to say that a man is Allah, and it is manifestly absurd. A man has limitations and does not pervade the Universe. But if one sees the Light of Allah shining out of a person or in nature and recognize that Light it cannot be shirk. To say it is, is to make the same literal mistake as those who said that the man was God.
It is, however, very reprehensible to mislead others by giving them the impression by their words that a man is God whether they believe it or not. If they believe it then they have created a pagan. If they do not then unnecessary disputes and controversies such as this one have been created.
The fact is that in Islam it is forbidden to say or make anything equal to, or a partner with God, or to divide Allah or take anything besides Him as Allah. I am, therefore, against such statements as "They are Allah", though I understand it is not taken literally. There are much better and more accurate ways of expressing things. One could say "The Light of Allah is in them" or "They are godly people" or "They have the guidance of Allah".
As for Al-Hallaj - the Spirit of Allah is certainly in man and we are required to surrender to Allah. A person may identify himself wholly with Allah and ignore his own humanity. He may reach this in a state of ecstasy when he can be said to be, "drunk with the divine spirit". But when he returns to the world in sobriety he is still human with all human limitations. He must eat and drink, breath, sleep and fulfill all the other functions and duties of human beings. Al-Hallaj was executed for being "drunk" and the irresponsibility of his utterances - because if the people had not protested (showing that they did not understand) they would have assented and fallen into the same superstition which affected Christianity, Hinduism and Paganism.
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