What is Sufism?

By SARIM ASHRAFI 

What is Sufism?

The urge toward mysticism – the urge to experience a dimension beyond the material world, to know and return to a spiritual Essence or Truth (God) – is inherent within every person, irrespective of his or her caste, colour, gender or race. If Sufism is defined as mysticism or the way of the mystic, then its message addresses all people, not just the followers of one religion.

Throughout the history of Islam, the influence of the Sufis in bringing the Islamic faith among the people and at the same time to preach the ethics and moral values to the ignorant people, who were unfamiliar with the notion of love, peace and sympathy is very much notable and again and again evokes our attention towards the personality of them who, with their goodness and kind behaviour, tempted deluge of the people to enlighten the peaceful message of Islam. Masses of the people accepted Islam on their hand. To some, it sometimes sounds unusual or surprising; but the reality is it that they not only preached Islam and its principles, but developed the community which led the foundation of a tolerant, peaceful and Islamic society in many parts of the world. In their eyes, none was superior or inferior; but they used to say, “The one who submits to his God and commits good deed is closer to his Lord; and the one, who is not worthy in his practices that God has commanded him to do, is very much closer to evil”. The way they (Sufis) behaved, the style they dressed, the manner they walked and ate and the speech they talked is indeed very affectionate to their God. They were much clung to their faith and asked the people to propitiate others as to assist those who were destitute for a Godly reward, for that act is one of the obligations mentioned in Quran.

Definition and Meaning of Sufism

A large number of the definitions can be found describing the term ‘Sufism’ that befit with the character, personality and the faith of the Sufis. There is great variation in defining this term as the term relates to the origin being as older as Islam itself, but whilst it is explicit to evince the general overview of their life that evolves an understanding to get much familiar with the term as well. Some of them include;

Bishr ibn Harith said:

The Sufi is he whose heart is sincere (safa) towards God.

There is another definitions that defines the Sufis as follow:

The Sufi is he whose conduct towards God is sincere, and towards whom God’s blessing is sincere.”

Another defines:

They were only called Sufis because they are in the first rank (Saff) before God, through the elevation of their desires towards Him, turning of their hearts unto Him, and the staying of their secret parts before him.

Some believe that they were called Sufis because of their habit of wearing wool. But relating them to wool marks the outward aspect of their condition, for they were the people who had left all the desires of the world and sacrificed everything what they had, for the will of their God. They travelled, left their home, took refuge in the caves and agreed on the will and the commands of their God. They raised the slogan of Tawhid that is the unity of God and the Prophethood of Holy Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) and recited loudly ‘La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasoolullah’ ̶ there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is the messenger of Allah, throughout their life.

Sari al-Saqati wrote about them (Sufis):

Their food is the food of sick, their sleep is the sleep of the drowned and their speech is the speech of the lover.” 

It was asked, “Who is Sufi?” He replied, “Sufi is he who neither possesses nor is possessed.” It inculcates that he is not a slave of desire and he is who possesses nothing, or, if he possesses anything, spends it. They (Sufis) did not dress raiment soft to touch, or beautiful to look, to give delight to the soul; they only clothed in order to cover themselves.

It is in general that the Sufis resembled the people who were the virtues companions (Ashabe Suffah) of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). Those people of Bench were strangers, poor, exiles and clothed of wool, as the wool was also the dress of Prophets (Peace be upon them). Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Jesus (Peace be upon him) used to wear haircloth, eat the fruit of tress and spend the night wherever he happened to find himself. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) used to wear wool. Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah be pleased with him) again said, “I have known of the seventy of those who fought in Badr, whose clothes were only of wool.” Therefore as to having the same quality as the people of Bench (Suffa) had, they were called ‘Suffiyah’, and thus the term ‘Sufi’ came to be known.

They (Sufis) were spiritual bodies, being upon earth celestial: silent and meditative, absent (from men) but present (with God), kings in rags, outcasts from every tribe, possessors of all virtues and light of all guidance; their ears attentive, their hearts pure, their qualities concealed; chosen, Sufis, illuminated pure. They were chosen out of those whom God has created and the testaments to His Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him).

Sufism: The Origin of the Term

The term ‘Sufi’ has been discussed by many scholars and the Sufis themselves; and there are 7 terms which are considered to be the origin of the word of ‘Sufi’.

Soof (Wool): The term ‘Soof’ generally is used for wool; there were the people who used to wear wool as it was the dress of Prophets, and thus came to be known as ‘Soofi’.

Soofa (Mat): The word ‘Soofa’ is used for a mat that is used to diffuse to perform Namaz. Sufi elaborates the terms as; Sufi is like who diffuses himself like a Soofa in the remembrance of his God.

Assifa (Vitues): The one who has all the virtues and is very loving to his God. Sufis had the same virtues and qualities.

Safa (Purity): The term means cleanliness, mainly the purity of heart and soul of a man. The one who is pure form all impurities and has left all the desires of this world.

Suffa: The term relates to the virtuous companions of Holy Prophet, who all the time were in practice of praying God; reciting the Quranic verses and performing the Namaz, and used to lead a life like Holy Prophet.

Saf (First row): That means the people from first row in Namaz. They were the people who were in first rank before Allah while praying.

Saaf (Chosen one for the love of God) or Sawafi: The term defines that there were the people whose hearts were lightened with the love of their God.

Other than the literal meanings of these term, a Sufi can only be perceived well with their virtues; the virtues that they received from Holy Prophet, companions and companions of the companions. They used to put on the clothes of wool or soof, so were known Soofi or Sufi, for it was the dress of Holy Prophet.

Faith of Sufis: Tawhid (Oneness of God), Risalat (Prophethood), Quran and Shariah (Islamic Law)

The two of Imam al-Ghazali's (may Allah be pleased with him) greatest treatises, the "Revival of Religious Sciences" and the "Alchemy of Happiness," argued that Sufism originated from the Qur'an and was thus compatible with mainstream Islamic thought, and did not in any way contradict Islamic Law. The philosophy of Sufism is purely derived from the Quran and Hadith, but some western scholars try to find the sources of Sufism other than Islam.

According to the Sufis, Faith consists of speech, act and intention. Faith is a confession with the tongue and verification with the heart and an act with the members; one must practice the Devine commandments.

A Sufi believes, God is One, Alone, Single, Eternal, Everlasting, Knowing, Powerful, Just, Living, Hearing, Seeing, Strong, Mighty, Compassionate, Merciful, Gracious, Great, Majestic, Generous, Kind, Proud, Awful, Master Enduring, First, God, Ruler, Lord, Master, Speaking, Creating and Sustaining. He believes that the God is qualified with all the attributes wherewith He has qualified Himself, and named with all the names whereby He has named Himself. There is no Master but He, and no God beside Him; that He is neither body, nor shape, nor form, nor element, nor accident and not affected by faults and that He is not attained by the eyes. He is the only worthy to be worshiped. He is qualified with knowledge, strength, power, mercy, wisdom, majesty, eternity, life and speech. All belongs to Him.

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India is blessed with the existence of Sufis in many ways. A.G. Noorani writes, “The Sufis conquered, but without the ‘sword’.

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The Sufi are of the faith that the Quran is the real words of Allah and that is neither created nor originated in time. It is not an innovation but the revelation of God unto the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). They say that Quran is recited by our tongues, written in our book and preserved in our hearts. It is not a body to live; it is neither an element nor accident. Refuting the Quran is to turn from away from Islam and to go astray from the truth. The one who refuses the Quran disobeys the God and the one who rebels against Him creates his relationship with Satan. But the only who is worthy to the words of God, he is rich with the blessings of his Lord and is very closer to Him.

The belief of the Sufis is the actual Islamic belief and not an innovation. The Sufis believe that the Prophethood was discontinued after the arrival of the last prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). In future there will be no messenger sent from God. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is the mercy to all mankind who opened up hearts and filled them with love of God. The one who denies him (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), denies God and Allah is on war against him who disobeys His messenger (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). Tawhid is to believe in the unity of Allah and the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), neither more nor less.

The actions of Sufis are never contradictory to the Shariah (Islamic Law) as they consider Shariah as the supreme law or constitution, which was forced into the practice by the God through the revelation. He can neither be a Momin (believer) nor a Sufi, if he exceeds the limits of Shariah and acts contradictory to the Islamic Law. For being a Sufi what one has to do is to fulfil all the requirements of Shariah or else he can’t get that Muaqam (rank before God). Responsible he must be to the Quran or Shariah to achieve what he is seeking for, and therefore after achieving or fulfilling the requirements of Shariah, there come certain levels that he is going to come across.

Teachings of Sufis: Submission to God, Practices of Islamic and Moral Values, Purification of the Heart and the Soul, Love and Peace

The one who submits to God is only to be rewarded with the mercy of God, and therefore Sufis devote themselves in the remembrance of God. They engage themselves in Zhikr (remembrance) and devotionally act and repeatedly recite the verse from Quran in His praise. The sitting of Sufis fills with remembrance and blessings of God.

From the beginning of Sufism, the Sufis preached the actual Islamic faith which they consider to be the best way to lead a life that is to reach the truth i.e. God. They sacrificed everything but never compromised with their duties that God has commanded them to perform. They were on God’s path had need of God for the attainment of peace and purification of their heart and soul.

Sufism and India

India is blessed with the existence of Sufis in many ways. A.G. Noorani writes, “The Sufis conquered, but without the ‘sword’. The Sufis were able to introduce Islam as the grass roots in India before the political arrival of Islam in 12^th century and, even today, it manifests itself as popular Islam.” They were the Sufis, who eliminating the racial, religious or cultural differences formed a society of peaceful co-existence where the people; belonging to different culture, race, gender, faith or region, could live with harmony. Whether he was Khwaja Muinnuddin Chishiti, Data Ganj Baksh Ali Hujweri, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Kutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Baba Fareed Ganj e Shakar, Syed Mohd Gesu Daraz, Naseeruddin Charag, Mujaddid al Fisani Shaykh Ahmad Sarhindi, Baqi Billah Dehlvi or Sayed Ashraf Jahangeer Simnani; they all were the Sufis and Auliyas, who with their kind behaviour and teachings, spread the love which gave the birth to the peace and harmony, and as a result; India, being a place of cultural or religious diversity, emerged as place of unity and interfaith harmony forgetting all the differences because of the influence of Sufis teachings. The Sufis welcomed every individual into Islam, and in their sittings anyone could sit and learn, for there was no compulsion or force on anyone.

Prominent Sufis

There became a large number of Sufis from the beginning in many parts of Islamic world; who, along with the spiritual devotion to God, developed the philosophical as well as the religious thoughts, because of their ultimate source of knowledge i.e. the God. With their philosophical thoughts they attributed the virtues of their Lord and differentiated between evil and good. Maula Jalaluddin Rumi is a 13^th century Sufi who was not only master in mysticism but was recognized as a poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Allama Iqbal in ‘(Bal-e-Jibril-153) Yourup Se Aik Khat’ says about him:

Tu Bhi Hai Usi Qafla-e-Shuaq Mein Iqbal
Jis Qafla-e-Shuaq Ka Salaar Hai Rumi Iqbal!

Thou, too, art moving in that band of men— That band of men of passion, of which Rumi is the guide.

It is the advice of Allama Iqbal to make Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (r.a.) your companion in the path of seeking truth. 

The general theme of Rumi's philosophy, like that of other Sufi poets, is essentially that of the concept of Tawhid. Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (r.a.) is very well known all over the world for his mysticism as well as philosophy. In his name the Mevelvi order of dervishes came into light, which was generally first of all recognized in Konya, Turkey but later on became one of the most famous Sufi orders of all time. Literature on Rumi fills shelves in libraries, inspiring works of his scholarship.

Huzoor Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, based in Beghdad, is one of the most virtues and esteemed Sufi of all time; and his name is credited in the foundation of ‘Qadri’ Sufi order, which has given the birth to many orders in India. The Qadri order, however based in Beghdad with its many offshoots, is widespread, particularly in the Arabic-speaking world, and can also be found in Turkey, Indonesia, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Balkans, Russia, Palestine, Israel, China, East and West Africa.

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, also known as Gharīb Nawāz (Benefactor of the Poor), basically belonged to Sistan (a region between Afghanistan and Iran) but settled in Ajmer after having a long journey throughout many regions of Islamic world. He visited places like Mecca, Medina, Samarkand and Bukhara and specially the centres of Muslim culture and acquainted himself with important trends in Muslim religious life and acquired religious learning from scholars. In India he attracted the masses and preached them Islam, and as a result deluge of people embraced Islam. Chishti order is well known throughout which came into light in his name.

Huzoor Data Ganj Baksh Ali Hujweri, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Hazrat Kutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Hazrat Baba Fareed Ganj e Shakar, Hazrat Syed Mohd Gesu Daraz, Hazrat Naseeruddin Charag, Hazrat Mujaddid al Fisani Shaykh Ahmad Sarhindi, Hazrt Baqi Billah Dehlvi and Hazrat Sayed Ashraf Jahangeer Simnani are the Sufis, who enlightened India with the light of Islam, and served the mankind with his kind behaviour.

Sufism and Modern World

A. G. Noorani writes, “In popular discourse in India, Sufism has ceased to be what it has always been- a quest for Devine within man. It has instead become commerce. Mountebanks and tradesman make it a form of entertainment.” The Sufi teachings and values, in a time like ours, seem to be fading away; and that is because of some Islamic fundamentalists and most specially the ‘fake Sufis’. Hardly anything, like Sufism, has been miscalculated by fundamentalists or, what we say, tradesmen; who for worldly things altered the practices from as it used to be in the older times. Sufism, considered to be a blessing like Islam, is nothing but an approach that leads a man, or we can say, describes or simplifies the practices of Islam; that God has commanded to do, in a way that an ordinary man could get a good understanding of his faith and the objective of his life what he is born for.

The Sufis, from earlier times, got connected with the people, and by going to the doors of people with a message of peace; that was revealed upon the Holy Prophet, preached in a way which proves that Islam was spread with kindness and peace, not with compulsion or force. Extremism, hatred and bloodshed are against the teachings of the Sufis as well as Islam; but in promotion of love and interfaith harmony, the Sufis played a massive role which can never be underestimated or denied. They used to organize Sama (Qawali), where in a musical form, the praise and the remembrance of God in some poetic verses was recited or sung. It used to be a blessed gathering where all used to listen Qawali. They adapted music as a medium for devotion to God, for there was a culture of music in Indian society, thus with Sama many were attracted and became Muslims.

Sufis were the masters of Islamic sciences as well as other sciences. They not only devoted themselves to the prayer of God but at the same time mastered themselves in different fields of sciences, and that is well recorded in the history. The culture of education was very much developed in their periods and for that there were established Khanqahs- a hospice, lodge, community centre, or dormitory run by Sufis, to develop the skills, qualifications and educational abilities of the people and to make them discover the secrets of awakening the heart. But in the scenario of today, when Khanqahs are only limited to some religious activities, lacks behind the culture of knowledge.

Sufism now has been turned into trade and commerce, which embodies a negative aspect of Sufi teachings. Bollywood plays a key role in making Sufism the source of entertainment, where the new terms in the name of Sufism are being invented while they have nothing to do with the teachings of Sufis. Singers are being imported from different parts of the world and the events are taking place in the name of Sufis, which actually are totally anti-Sufism. These practices must be checked; otherwise it draws a bad picture that influenced the masses negatively, and unknowingly some people justify this in a way that creates a huge disturbance in the community.

Today many movements, almost all around the world, are actively engaged to revive the culture of Sufism which is going to fade away gradually, as a remedy to intolerant and extremist societies. Such movements and institutions include; Minhaj-ul-Quran, All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board, Medina Institute, Daawat e Islami, Irish Sufi Foundation, Kanzul Huda, Muslim Students’ Organisation and Al-Hidaya etc. The great of efforts of Shah Ahmad Raza Khan (Bareilly) for the revivalism of Sufi teachings is unique and have left a notable influence on the movements of present time. Recently World Sufi Forum, which was also organized for the same purpose, proved to be a successful event, where almost 200 Sufis and scholars from all around the world took participation; they included: Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Ashraf e Millat Syed Muhammad Ashraf, Shaykh Hashimuddin Al-Gilani, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy, Syed Salman Chishty, Pir Saqib bin Iqbal Shami, Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdul Razaq and Shaykh Allama Ghulam Rabbani etc.

The Sufism can only be helpful to form a peaceful and tolerant society when the world is suffering from extremism. It is necessary to revive the Sufi values as to denounce the extremism and to restore the lost culture of Islam, where everyone feels himself in peace.

Author is pursuing Masters in Islamic Studies at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.