Topics
A Sufi seeks to feast his eyes on his beloved
through effort and practice. Concentration and meditation create in him the
conviction that to know God is his aim of life.
SUFI'ISM is a branch of knowledge which fosters
spiritual maturity and brings the creature closer to the Creator. A sufi on the
way of God manages to see God and talk with Him through spiritual observation
and states.
Respectable Devotee to the right path, Qalandar
(a person who deserts the worldly life of pleasure) saints and holy men (God be
pleased with him) have declared spiritual deeds and hobbies along with
spiritual practices as sufi'ism. The concept of divine laws and mystic way of
life in Islam makes it necessary for a man to seek awareness of his self
through purity of body, meditation and good deeds in order to observe that
human self (spirit), in reality, is man's entry into the transcendental worlds
as spirit is a part of God which means a part of the whole. Thus through
observation of a part, all the reality is realized.
Allah Almighty said,
'Whoever wants to see his God should do the
rightful and obey Him and do not pray anyone save God'
(Surah Al kahf: Verse 110)
Sufi’ism bases itself on love, oneness of God,
piety and self awareness. The gist of the Quranic teaching is that Allah
Almighty is One and there is none equal to Him, He loves His creatures. The
Holy Quran came to the world when it was in the abysmal darkness of idolatry,
polytheism and infidelity. Man involved himself in self-worship, pride, vanity
and love of wealth. Some 360 idols were made worthy of worship to satisfy
desires contrary to the natural phenomena.
In such a period of turbulence...incredulity....anarchy
and apprehensions, the Holy Quran declared:
"Only He is the beginning as well as the
end of everything. Only does He know the appearance as well as the formation of
all the things."
Sufi'ism advises to believe in piety as Quran
says that it is a guide for the pious.
"Surely, God is with those who are the
pious and benefactors."
(Surah Nahl: Verse 128)
Mysticism is an ocean of love and a means to
attaining the goal. The believer's gaining of faith is subject to his
observation. Surely, there is a book which guides those who are pious. The
pious are those who believe in the unseen, they say prayers and spend believing
that all they possess has been granted by Him.
"And they believe in what is sent and also
what was sent earlier. They believe in the hereafter, they are the righteous
and successful."
(Surah Bakrah: Verses 4-5)
There is no doubt in the fact that the book
guides the pious who are those men and women who believe in Ghaib (the unseen).
Faith is subject to conviction which implies seeing a thing so that they may
not be doubt of any kind about the existence of the thing believed in. The
pious establish their link with God through saying prayers. The Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) said that the believer knows that he sees God and that God
sees him. No doubt the believer perceives that whatever he spends is given by
God. He is in the world because God has created him, God is the only One Who
provides him with resources which he makes use of. As the life and death of a
believer is in God's hands, his personal likes and dislikes do not matter.
The observers love God passionately.
"Only the believers love God most."
(Surah Bakrah: Verse 165)
"'(O Prophet) say to the Muslims, if the
things like their fathers, forefathers, sons, brothers, wives, relations, the
belongings they earned, the trade whose loss they fear much and houses they
like, are dearer to them than struggle in the way of God then they should wait
for God's judgment. Keep in mind that
God never guides the liars."
.. (Surah
Tauba: Ayat 24)
A sufi is ambitious for closeness with God and
is restless to feast his eyes with the Holy Prophet's face. A spiritual man remains
inclined to God.
Allah Almighty says:
"O Prophet, kneel before Him and remain
close to the right."
Divine laws tell that all the creations in the
world have come into being by the orders of God who is Omnipotent. He does
whatever He likes. Divine laws produce in man's consciousness capability of
understanding the unseen. The cells of his mind to see the unseen are charged.
Meditation on God's signs and purification of self tend to increase in a
follower of divine laws. Meditation, mysticism or spiritual knowledge. leads
man to see the world of the unseen. He gets his faith firm that the beginning
and end of the world, the first and the last, the explicit and the implicit all
lie in God's control. Sufi says prayers through which he feasts his eyes on
God.
One person who follows the instruction of king
and laws made by him, the other also does the same but has close relation with
the king. Both are good citizens; the latter who enjoys affinity with the king
is superior to the former.
The follower of Islamic divine laws, like an
obedient person, complies with the instructions like ways, he abstains from doing
evil things and repents over mistakes and errors and tries to do the good
deeds. A sufi does the same but he is desirous for affinity with God. He knows
God and observes that all the things are under His control. God is closer than
the throat. And like this verse, he feels himself close to God.
In Surat Bakrah Verses
No. 1-4, one finds a complete description
of closeness with God and conviction in absolute truth. The holy and divine
Islamic laws guide us how to achieve absolute truth by being associated with
God with complete mental consistency.
Man can produce ability to believe in the
unseen through the knowledge of Shariah and the knowledge of Huzoory (presence
and devotion)
After acquiring knowledge of sufi'ism and
presence, man enters the spiritual world of angels and Omnipotent from this
world. One, who speaks the truth, earns the legitimate and follows the ways of
the Holy Prophet (PBUH), seeks understanding of his soul sand recognizes God by
acting upon the sayings and conduct of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) by heart and
soul.
"So, O prophet, do work hard in prayers
after execution of your duties and have recourse to God"
(Surah Alm Nashrah: Verse 7-8)
"And He (God) is with you wherever you
go."
(Surat Al hadeed: Verse 4)
"Surely, Allah is with those who do the
right, and are pious"
(Surah Nahl: Verse 128)
Regarding sufi code of conduct
'Tazkia-e-Nafs'Allah says:
"Allah is one Who sent a great Prophet to
the Ummis (the people at Mekkah). He reads them out Verses of the Holy Quran in
order to purify their self. He teaches them the Book and wisdom."
(Surah Jumma: Verse 2)
The initial Verses of Surah Muzamil tell of the
guideline for self-purification which establishes that the mystics follow the ·
Holy Prophet's cherished deeds and abstain from
the undesirable.
The men and women close to Allah have laid down
the principles of sufi'ism and spiritualism in the light of these verses of the
Holy Quran.
"O, wrapped in clothes, keep standing at
night, a short period or half of night or more than a half and read the Holy
Quran loud and clear. We are to assign you a strenuous task. Undoubtedly being
awake at night cleanses both heart and tongue and it speaks well. Surely the
day is full of activity for you and you remember Allah. Be attentive to Him
breaking with all as He is the Master of the East and the West, and none is
worthy of worship save Him. Entrust all your doings to Him. Be patient on what
these people talk about and keep yourself away in a beautiful manner. Leave the
non-believers and over-pampered, and give them respite for a few days."
(Surah Muzamil: Verses 1-11)
The deeds and pursuits a devotee is advised in mysticism
arc in accordance with the orders of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
1) Zikr-o-Tasbeeh
and Hamd (praising God and His attributes)
2) Concentration,
pursuit, struggle and meditation.
3) Establishing
link with God through prayers.
4) Fasting
in order to get closer to God.
5) Getting
pious through self-chastity and purification.
6) Observing
the unseen world after becoming Muslim.
7) Doing
contemplation in order to search one's inner self by concentration.
8) Producing
forgiveness by decreasing wrath and anger.
9) Sufi's
serving the creatures of God without any interest except to please God.
l 0) A
Sufi can see the beauty of minarets in the sky with his own eyes.
11) A
Sufi does not have any grief and fear which is a sign of his friendship with
God.
12) A
Sufi recognizes God through removing darkness of his self.
13) A
Sufi is cognizant with the formulas to explore the earth, sky and universe. God
shows him the paradise in the. living wor1d and he tries to save himself from
damnation all the time.
14) A Sufi
is thankful for God's blessings and never grumbles at what he does not get.
15) A
Sufi possesses true understanding and never usurps other's rights.
16) A
Sufi thinks it obligatory on him to respect and help everybody regardless of
his religion, community and fear.
17) A
Sufi does not tell a lie neither he likes lying.
18) A Sufi
initiates in greeting others.
19) A
Sufi is magnanimous and hospitality is a tradition of Sufis.
20) A
Sufi possesses Jlm-ul-yakeen (knowledge of truth), Ain:-ul-yakeen (exact truth)
and Haq-ul-yakeen (Firm faith in truth).
A Sufi enters the group of those who know the
right through the influence of their mentor, link with the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
and by the Grace of Allah Almighty.
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI
Many a scholar has written a lot about
spiritualism and pantheism. One school of thought is of the view that as saints
often used to wear wooly dresses therefore people would call them sufis. Wool
is called sauf in Arabic. They used to wear such a dress, for it had been the
habit of many a prophet, saints and pious people. According to some people, as
they have been associated with the Ashaab-e-suffa that is why they are called sufis;
whereas according to yet another school of thought the word sufi is linked with
suf a.... but all these explanations are not satisfactory.
In fact, the terminological meaning of Sufi'ism
(tasawaf) is self cleansing. It is the name of a true spirit that is related
to conscience and the light of conscience is always inherent. A sufi always
thinks in the context of Allah. His talk moves around Allah. He lives with
Allah and dies in the name of Allah. He recites His words and always praises
Him and remains enmeshed in His love. He sacrifices everything in order to see
and meet Allah.
