Excerpts from "Mutala'a-e-Tasawwuf"

1. In the introductory discussion he writes: “While writing, the author was constantly troubled by the feeling that the reader's understanding of the book might leave such a negative impression on his mind that, under its influence, he might reject Sufism altogether and lose those precious gems that lie hidden in the records of Sufism.”

2. Sufism is the voice of the aspect of beauty (jamal) in Islam, and through it the beauty and splendour of Islam has at times been fully manifested. Its radiant and luminous part is that which is drawn from, or in harmony with, the Quran and Sunnah. In the Quran Allah Most High has mentioned His good and righteous servants by such names as the righteous (salihin), the devoutly obedient (qanitin), the sincere (mukhlisin), those who excel in good (muhsinin), the worshippers (abidin), the humble (khashi'in), those who trust in Allah (mutawakkilin), the patient (sabirin), the friends of Allah (awliya), the virtuous (abrar) and so on. Since truthfulness, sincerity, excellence (ihsan), worship, humility (khushu'), submissiveness (khudu'), spiritual poverty (faqr), trust in Allah (tawakkul), patience and gratitude are qualities of the Sufis, it is correct to say that the Sufis are included among these in meaning. Likewise, the Quran praises repentance (tawbah), turning back to Allah (inabat), sincerity, patience, gratitude, contentment with Allah's decree (rida), trust, nearness, fear, hope, contemplative witnessing (mushahada), certainty (yaqin) and so on.

These very things are called states (ahwal) or stations (maqamat) in Sufism. Furthermore, in the Quran

worldly life has been called play and amusement and the provision of delusion. This is the foundation of Sufism. The Wise Quran lays special emphasis on good character, and everyone knows that Sufism is another name for good character. In the hadiths of the Messenger ﷺ too, the men of Allah are praised under the names of the truthful ones (siddiqin), the righteous (salihin) and other names. Besides this, the sayings of the Prophet emphasise inner and spiritual acts such as truthfulness, sincerity, spiritual poverty, trust in Allah and patience; and in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ lofty character has always held a distinguished place. Just as the blessed life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself is the excellent model for all Muslims, so too it is the fountainhead of guidance for the Sufis. The fact is that the imams of Sufism have made a successful effort to furnish proofs from the Sunnah of the Messenger for their practices, states and stations.

2. Regarding acts of worship such as faith, prayer, fasting, Zakat, Hajj and other acts of worship, the viewpoint of the Sufis is the same as that of the great majority (sawad-e-a'zam) of the Ummah. But the Sufis have a certain superiority over others in that they have expounded, concerning the pillars of Islam and the rulings of the Shari'ah, certain subtle sayings and fine points that lie beyond the reach of the superficial eye. The fine insights the Sufis have produced in the chapters of morals and etiquettes, and of states and stations, are a priceless treasure of the Islamic moral system.

(3) The prescriptions the Sufis have proposed for identifying the diseases of the heart and treating them show with what fine discernment the people of the inward traced the inner illnesses of man, and how great a confidant they were of the secrets of human psychology.

4. The practice of persevering in acts of worship and in remembrance (dhikr) is also derived from the Quran and Sunnah. Of the ten etiquettes laid down for the people of the spiritual path (suluk) for life in the khanqah,

each etiquette is derived from a verse of the Quran, and for each etiquette the relevant verse of the Quran has also been quoted.

5. With regard to eating and drinking, manner of living, and travelling and staying at home, particular etiquettes are observed among the Sufis, and a very large part of their etiquettes has been taken directly from the Quran and Sunnah.

6. Under the heading “The Quran and the Sufis” he writes: “As in the other Islamic sciences, in Sufism too the Quran holds the place of the first reference. In the books of Sufism, every discussion begins with an argument drawn from Quranic verses. While studying Sufism, the abundance of the Sufis' arguments from the Quran captivates the reader's heart. The Sufis' manner of argument is based on the understanding that Allah Most High grants the Sufi during recitation. Accordingly, the voluminous books of Quranic commentary are filled black with the fine insights the Sufis have produced in the field of understanding the Quran. The bright side of the subtleties the Sufis have drawn out is that hearts and minds are illumined by them, thought and vision are polished, and faith and certainty are renewed.”

7. Besides the headings mentioned above, Dr Ghulam Qadir Lone set up headings on the Quran and the station of the Messenger, steadfastness, servitude, the Sunnah of the Messenger, acts of worship, prayer, Zakat and Hajj, and under each heading he described the distinguished position of the noble Sufis (may Allah be pleased with them). Discussing the last heading in somewhat greater detail, he writes: “This is that high and exalted conception of worship which in every age influenced hundreds of thousands of the servants of Allah and so transformed them that they reached the heights of spiritual degrees; and the truth is that this conception of worship of the Sufis is special nourishment for heart and sight.” Also under the same heading he writes: “In the light of these very teachings the people of Sufism made compassion for the creatures of Allah, sympathy for the poor and

the helpless, and the consoling of broken hearts not only their way but a part of their faith.” Then, after giving some particular examples, he writes: “This tender concern and sympathy of the Sufis was not confined to the material sphere; behind it there was also at work a boundless zeal for spreading Islam and establishing a righteous human society. To overlook the efforts they made in propagating and spreading the religion would be an injustice to history.”

At the end he writes: “The Sufis influenced every class of society through their good character. The doors of their khanqahs were open to rich and poor alike. They urged the rulers to justice and fairness, and taught the subjects to render the rights of their rulers. In their gatherings the broken-hearted and the lower classes of society found a remedy for their pain, while those in power were reminded of the Hereafter.

The people of Sufism taught the lesson of universal brotherhood, equality and fellowship, and instead of fanning disagreement and division they lit lamps of sincerity, compassion, love and affection. Through their good character and magnanimity they at times gave life to hearts that had become desolate, empty of love for humanity. Crossing vast deserts, sky-high mountains, boundless oceans and barren lands, they established those radiant traditions of spreading the religion that have become a bright and unforgettable chapter of our communal history.”

From the writings of the persons mentioned, you will have understood to a considerable extent the qualities and perfections, morals and habits of the noble Sufis (may Allah Most High have mercy on them): these qualities, morals and perfections were so prominent and clear in their luminous persons that anyone who has read their

lives even cursorily will know it, and no fair-minded person can deny them; obstinacy is another matter. With great brevity we now set down a few more of their services and perfections, qualities and morals, which are radiant marks of their pure lives.

1. The religion has three parts, which are described in the Hadith of Jibril: (a) faith (iman); (b) Islam, that is, righteous deeds; (c) excellence (ihsan), that is, sincerity.

Beliefs

You will find the lives of the noble Sufis fully moulded by these. In beliefs they always adhered to the great majority, the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, and never deviated from it by a hair's breadth. In this regard, studying their books brings one to certainty. If at any time their unveiling (kashf) turned out contrary to it, they gave it no weight. Accordingly, with regard to those brought near to the divine court, whether Prophets (blessings and peace be upon them) or saints (may Allah be pleased with them), they adhered to whatever ranks and stations the scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah assigned to each in the light of the proofs of the Quran and Sunnah. There is consensus of the scholars on the superiority of Hazrat Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). If anyone's unveiling during the spiritual journey turned out contrary to this, they gave it no weight and made the Shari'ah alone the standard.

Likewise, the majority of the Ahl al-Sunnah have held Hazrat Uthman to be superior to Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), although this ranking did not become the criterion of being a Sunni. The verifying noble Sufis (may Allah Most High have mercy on them) also held this view. To some Sufis and saints possessed of unveiling, the perfections of Hazrat Ali were disclosed more fully; some fell into uncertainty and held to suspending judgement. But the verifying scholars explained in detail the reasons for the disclosure of the abundant perfections of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and for the confusion,

and a study of the holy Letters (Maktubat) of Hazrat Mujaddid Alf-e-Sani (may his secret be sanctified) on this matter brings one to a state of reassurance. Let it also be kept in mind here that some critics, on the basis of certain unveilings of certain saints relating to the blessed person of Hazrat Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada (may Allah be pleased with him), have accused them of leaning toward Shi'ism or of being Shi'a. This is utterly wrong. The Shi'a, in their beliefs and practices, are miles away from the truth and oppose the Ahl al-Sunnah in most questions of belief and practice, whereas the saints mentioned agree with the sound views of the Ahl al-Sunnah in all matters. At most, such unveilings of theirs can be called errors of unveiling; to call them Shi'a or inclined to Shi'ism is a sheer slander.

What distinguishes the noble Sufis (may Allah Most High have mercy on them) from ordinary scholars with regard to beliefs is the firmness of their faith. In matters of faith the Sufis never fell prey to wavering or hesitation. Through the blessings of righteous deeds and the confirmations of unveiling, they always travelled the highway of firm conviction and certainty, of inner composure and tranquillity. They never fell into wavering through the company of others or because of conflicting views based on opposing proofs, nor did they ever trade their faith and deeds for any temptation. This is a jewel and a perfection granted to this class of the learned in an abundance not granted to others. Thus history bears witness that the Sufis are miles away from heretical beliefs, and apostasy and misguidance could never find a way among them, whereas among the bearers of the outward sciences there are many examples of this. Ever since doctrinal disagreement began in the Ummah until today, countless sects have arisen in the Ummah and opposed the Ahl al-Sunnah; the false belief of some reached misguidance and that of others reached the limit of unbelief, and there has been so much disagreement in beliefs and practices that the list is extremely long. In contrast, disagreement among the Sufis is very slight, and what there is rests on confusions in unveiling; despite this, in beliefs they always followed the great majority. And it is astonishing

that the founders of every sect were great scholars.

Deeds

After the best generations (khayr al-qurun), the Sufis have generally remained distinguished from other scholars in righteous deeds as well, for several reasons.

1. In this regard one great virtue of the noble Sufis, which even the critics have acknowledged, is that there was no contradiction between their words and their deeds: whatever they said, they first acted upon themselves, and despite this they feared hypocrisy. This is a prominent and evident quality of their lives. If they described the condemnation of love of the world, love of status, love of praise and love of position, they first purified themselves of all these loves, and purified themselves entirely of love for anything other than Allah. No attraction, whether wealth, children, wives or anything else, could draw them toward itself; and for this reason they remained pure of all the filth that arises from love of the world and what is in it, such as envy, hatred, rancour, greed, avarice and other blameworthy qualities and base morals. Likewise, to guard against all the mischief of the commanding self, they took up extremely hard and difficult struggles and austerities and cast themselves into the perilous valleys of hardship and suffering. They gave up all luxury and comfort; soft, warm beds and the means of pleasure, with all their thousand charms, could not make them captive. They sacrificed everything for the love and pleasure of their Generous Master, the Most Kind and Most Merciful, Mighty and Majestic, and no adornment of the world could ensnare their hearts in its trap of deception. Had the people of the outward and the critics looked deeply at this one virtue of theirs alone and valued it, they would have held them dear in their eyes instead of finding fault with them.

The noble Sufis sacrificed everything in the perfection of their love for their True Beloved;

therefore they never sought closeness to nobles and sultans, never desired positions, never accepted government employment, never used any stratagem to acquire the world, and were never overawed by anyone's palace. The splendid buildings of the wealthy, positions, honours and the turning of the common people toward them could not impress them. They never rebelled or rose up against anyone, nor did they strive for the posts of judge (qadi) or mufti, nor learn any art to draw people toward themselves, nor give flowery, meaningless speeches, nor have slogans chanted, nor think of applause, nor seek disciples, nor were they aggrieved with any pir or scholar, nor did they ever desire offerings from their disciples, and so on. In contrast, all those who have read about or seen the lives of most of the outward scholars, and of masters devoid of spirituality, know what is going on; and today the water has risen above the head. Now every fault and defect and every deception is the norm; indeed, this is what life itself has come to mean.

Likewise, when they invited others to such states and stations and morals and habits as repentance and turning back to Allah, patience and gratitude, fear and hope, contentment and trust in Allah, submission (taslim) and contentment with His decree (rida), they first adorned themselves with them in perfect measure. Accordingly, the lofty and priceless examples found in their pure lives in this regard are found in no one else.

2. The second thing that distinguishes the Sufis with regard to deeds is that they took up every form of remembrance and reflection, obedience and worship in abundance. The abundance of voluntary worship (nawafil) and the profusion of Sunnah and recommended acts found among them is found among no one else. Whatever righteous deed you look at, whether prayer, fasting, Zakat, Hajj, or charity and almsgiving, you will find them prominent in it. Obligatory prayer is a great matter in itself, but they offered voluntary prayers in such abundance that ordinary scholars themselves know that in this respect they have no equal. The Ishraq, Chasht (forenoon), Tahajjud and Awwabin prayers,

the non-emphasised Sunnah prayers after the sun's decline (fay' al-zawal), the Sunnah prayers before Asr and Isha, and likewise the regular observance of the opening takbir (takbir-e-ula) and of the congregation and so on, as found among them, is found among no one else.

3. Their third distinguishing feature is that the steadfastness and constancy they show in performing righteous deeds and avoiding what is prohibited and forbidden has no parallel among ordinary scholars.

4. The fourth thing, which is as it were among their special characteristics, is that night vigils, sighing and lamentation, weeping and wailing, humble supplication and self-abasement and other states of the heart, which the Quran and Sunnah demand, which carry great weight with Allah, and on which a reward follows beyond the reach of imagination and conjecture, are the well-known quality of this noble class. If you wish to see the utmost degree of love and devotion that the Quran and Sunnah demand, you will find it abundantly in this class. The highest examples of love and affection are their portion. No one has benefited from the outpouring of love as much as these noble ones, and no one else has been able to fulfil its demands as fully as they did.

5. The fifth thing, which is both most exalted and most difficult, is transforming bad morals and filthy habits into good morals and pure habits and making oneself the embodiment of good character and praiseworthy qualities. No one is as renowned for this as they are; indeed, another name for Sufism is the science of character. Sweet and gentle speech, comforting hearts, help and assistance, looking after people, self-sacrifice and offering, visiting the sick and asking after people's welfare, putting balm on wounds, bringing the misguided back to the straight path, giving relief to grieving hearts, consoling the sorrowful, trustworthiness and honesty, raising orphans, caring for widows and so on, avoiding sins great and small, and guarding the tongue and the eyes: the way the great Sufis did all this is difficult for an ordinary human being. Most of their time was spent in remembrance and reflection,

in mosques and in seclusion; they kept little company with ordinary people, so there was no backbiting of anyone, no tale-bearing, no abuse, no contempt or humiliation, no mockery or ridicule; they did not pay much attention to others at all. The attachment and interest of some Sufis in beautiful forms was, according to their understanding, because they regarded it as a ladder to true love (ishq-e-haqiqi); even so, the verifying scholars did not approve of it.

6. The noble Sufis avoided wasting time to a degree that others generally could not; among them, even a moment of heedlessness was a cause of great loss.

7. A great work of the noble Sufis is that they acquired, in a special way, inward knowledge (ilm-e-batin) and the divine light and grace (fayd), and bestowed it upon others. This light is obtained, first, through the mediation of perfect masters, who by their spiritual influence (tasarruf) and attention (tawajjuh) transfer this light into the breasts of disciples; secondly, through following and obeying the Prophet ﷺ, full of light, through love and affection for him, and through turning one's attention toward him ﷺ and toward the Absolute Light, that is, Allah, Mighty and Majestic. There are other, secondary means of attaining it as well, and struggles and austerities also play a considerable part in it. The noble Sufis adopted every method by which this light could be acquired, and this very light and this very method were in fact the means of purifying the heart and cleansing the self. Through it countless benefits were obtained, and all their distinctions and perfections with regard to the beliefs and deeds mentioned above were the result of this light and the fruit of practical training. This light also played a great part in avoiding sins, and it was an important element in good character and in the building of character. Especially, sincerity (ikhlas), which is the life and soul of all righteous deeds and the cause of their acceptance, is attained in full through its means. Every moment of the lives of the noble

Sufis (may Allah be pleased with them) bears witness to this.

8. For all one's words and deeds to be based on sincerity is a very difficult task, and until the self has been purified this treasure cannot be fully attained. Moreover, for complete sincerity it is also necessary for the heart to be pure of every filth, and especially free of love of the world; and this refinement and purification cannot be attained without adopting the way of the Sufis.

Let it be known that knowledge is one thing and acting upon it another. Action depends on knowledge, but knowledge does not entail action. Today there are great scholars, yet even the common people know their practical condition. Then, among deeds, it is very difficult to perform properly those that relate to the heart, such as love of Allah, love of the Messenger, love of the noble saints, repentance to Allah, fear and awe of Allah and similar morals and deeds.

Among the great achievements of the noble Sufis is that they laid down principles and rules by which acting upon the Shari'ah becomes easy; by which one gains the treasure of performing righteous deeds and avoiding sins and errors, of being adorned with good character and refraining from bad character; and by which those qualities arise in the servant that the Quran and Sunnah demand and that the Messenger of the universe ﷺ produced in the Companions.

9. Likewise, moderation in words and deeds is highly commendable in the Shari'ah. People generally fall into excess or neglect; the noble Sufis adopted a method of training through which moderation, balance and the middle way arise in the servant.

10. A very great thing among the special characteristics of the noble Sufis is that, through their struggles and austerities, they awakened many hidden powers and acquainted people with new faculties and senses. For example, unveiling and witnessing (kashf o shuhud) are the gift of these very noble ones, and if others

have received them, they received them from their company. The same is true of inspiration (ilham). These new faculties and senses became the means to many beneficial sciences, and the Ummah became acquainted with sciences that could not be acquired through verbal teaching and learning. We have given some detail of these sciences in the book “Kashf-o-Ilham”. Moreover, the value of these sciences can also be understood from the realities and gnosis preserved in the books of the verifying Sufis, which you will see in the coming pages under the types of gnosis.

11. Among the special characteristics of the Sufis is the attainment of miracles (karamat) and spiritual powers of disposal (tasarrufat). This is so great a treasure that it is difficult to estimate. Miracles and powers of disposal are mostly the fruit of struggles and austerities, and to attain them one must pass through the hard mountain passes of hardship and suffering, endure the toil of hunger upon hunger, give up (abandon) comforts and put an end to desires. For this the noble Sufis (may Allah be pleased with them) certainly had to face hardships, but the service they rendered to Islam and Sunnism, to Sufism and spirituality, was their portion alone.

People generally regard extraordinary deeds with great esteem. The yogis of India, the monks of churches and chapels, and the Illuminationist (Ishraqi) thinkers, by telling hidden news and things of the future through unveiling and by displaying extraordinary feats, had implanted in the hearts of the common people the awe and supposed truth of their false religions, had made the coin of their own greatness current, and had kept their opponents greatly in fear. Only the spiritual powers and miracles of the noble Sufis confronted this; they made the reality of all of them clear to people and made the truth of Islam plainer than the sun.

After all, who does not know that, against the sorcerers, Hazrat Musa (upon our Prophet and upon him

be blessings and peace) was given the staff and the shining white hand? The Quran describes the magic of Pharaoh's sorcerers as “a great magic”. What a strange battle between truth and falsehood took place on that occasion! In that arena, the victory of Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) and the true religion, the defeat of the sorcerers, and the exposure of the falsehood of falsehood before the common people and the elite were solely the fruit of miracles (mu'jizat). If verbal teaching and learning, and morals and deeds alone, were enough to make the truth clear (manifest) to everyone, the Prophets (blessings and peace be upon them) would have had no need of miracles; for who could be a greater teacher than they, or possess greater morals and deeds?

The miracles and spiritual powers of the noble Sufis are the outpouring and reflection of these very miracles of the Prophets. Had they not existed, it would not have been possible to confront, through verbal calling and preaching alone, the various peoples and sorcerers encountered in various countries and the enemies of Islam they faced. Those who know the history of the Indian sorcerers and enemies know with certainty that subduing such people was solely the result of the spiritual powers of the noble saints and great Sufis (may Allah be pleased with them), and that bringing hundreds of thousands of people out of the darkness of unbelief and polytheism and setting them in the luminous atmosphere of Islam was the result of their spiritual powers and miracles. Why, after all, is this work not being achieved now, when speeches and writings are far more abundant than ever? Various sects are also carrying out the work of preaching and calling in various ways, and many gatherings and processions are being held; yet, leave aside making unbelievers recite the testimony of faith (kalima) and rescuing polytheists from the defilements of polytheism, it has become difficult even to keep Muslims sound and complete Muslims.

Beliefs and convictions concern what the heart accepts. To believe something with the heart and accept it is not a difficult task; labour and hardship lie in action, and action is what weighs most heavily on the self. Today we are failing even to protect beliefs.

Who knows how many individuals are striving through thousands of gatherings, sermons, speeches, assemblies and sessions of the death-anniversaries of saints ('urs), and through the pir-and-disciple relationship and so on, yet people keep going astray; and the state of deeds is evident. Then, how difficult it has become to protect deeds from showing off (riya) and the like, to be steadfast in them and to perform them correctly: all this is well known to sensitive and caring scholars. The noble Sufis, on the other hand, made so many hundreds of thousands of unbelievers recite the testimony of faith, brought the sinful and the wicked to repentance, restrained them from sins through the pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) and the like, made them regular in righteous deeds, made them keep night vigils, made them sincere, made them possessed of self-sacrifice and offering, and so on.

12. It is established by hadiths that the more worldly pleasures and benefits people obtain, the more their benefits in the Hereafter are reduced. Many of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) feared at merely receiving worldly things, lest the reward for their deeds was being given to them in this world and they be deprived in the Hereafter. The noble Sufis (may Allah be pleased with them) used the world only as much as was necessary, and contented themselves with their needs in food, drink, clothing, housing and so on.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ used to pray: “O Allah, make the provision of the family of Muhammad sufficient (kafaf),” that is, just enough for their need.

The noble Sufis acted upon this very Sunnah; moreover, the practice of the leader of the universe ﷺ himself is evident to all.

13. Among the great works of the noble saints and great Sufis (may Allah be pleased with them) is also that their inferential knowledge became knowledge by unveiling, and their summary knowledge became detailed; through this, leaving the narrow lane of reasoning and inference and travelling the highway of unveiling and witnessing, they reached the station of complete

tranquillity and certainty. A brief explanation of this is that discerning scholars know well that in the sciences obtained through reasoning and inference a person reaches certainty and what is true and right only with great difficulty. One person's reasoning brings him to one conclusion, another's to a different, contrary conclusion; at times very great disagreement has arisen among many opinions. Likewise, in many places a great many opinions have come into being in understanding certain meanings and intentions of the Quran and Sunnah; and especially the dominance of reason gave rise to mere possibilities. This opened the doors to doubts, and many false sects found support for their own inventions and innovations. Not only the common people but many of the elite too fell into the valley of doubts and suspicions. That is why Allama Iqbal said:

Demonstrative reason brings only an abundance of bewilderment.

Through the purity of heart and self, and the blessing of unveiling and inspiration, the noble Sufis neither wandered in the valleys of doubts and suspicions nor led others astray. In beliefs and deeds they kept showing people the path that was supported and strengthened by unveiling and inspiration. We could give many examples of this; we have described some in other books, and there is no room for them in this brief work.