Spirit of Sufism- Mufti Mohammed ibn Adam

There are two types of extremism when it comes to this issue. Some are to one side where they reject t totally and some are on the opposite where they become obssessed. Both ofcourse leads to deviation. The best way is the middle way..'everything in moderation'. "We have made this Ummah a moderate Ummah" (Qur'an).

The reason behind this extremism...
1. Arab proverb, 'Human beings are a enemy of that He is ignorant'. We have internal divisions because of not knowing the other group..therefore we make presumptions. In Islam we know that we should investigate and not jump to conclusions.
2. Some ppl see others practicing 'Sufism' but in reality they are not doing it in the correct way, but what they are doing is going against the Shariah. You can't seperate Shariah and Sufism- they go hand in hand.

During the time of the Prophet(obuh) whenever you had a need or a question you would go straight to Him- the first generation of Muslims had it easy in this respect. The Laws of Shariah were not categorised.

All the injunctions are divided into 3 categories
1. Belief (Imaan)...aqeedah, believing in books of Allah, angels, etc
2. External body...in the physical sense such as 'Fiqh' of Tahara, zakat, hajj, etc
3. Internal state of the body...purification of the heart
Just as there are laws connected to the external body there are laws connected to the internal body. Prohibitions for external e.g. do not steal, do not commit adultery, etc...in the same way there arecommands for the inner self too e.g. attain taqwa, tawaqul(reliance on Allah), shukr, ikhlaas, Zuhd (not having love for the dunya)...not to be angry, not have pride, sabr.

During the time of the Prophet (pbuh) all three categories were the same thing...Fiqh was not as we know it now. "With whom Allah (swt) intends good He gives him great understanding of Fiqh (3 categories)", Hadith. A Faqi (someone with deep understanding of Fiqh) knew all three categories.

When the Prophet (pbuh) had passed away and the Ummah was expanding there became a lot of different groups. As time went on they extracted different rules of Shariah due to different needs- strictly on the basis and principles of Qur'an and Sunnah...here there wasn't a division of three categories. e.g. Surah Asr "Verily, mankind is in loss. Except those who believe, perform and carry out good actions, advice one another of truth and sabr". This surah connects all three categories- the Qur'an mentions all three in a single verse.
We never had a category of Aqeedah- they went straight to the Prophet(pbuh). As Islam grew the Ulema had to formulate a science of Aqeedah (Usul-ul-Deen). The Ulema wrote books regarding this aspect i.e. Aqeedah0at-Tahawiyyah*. Rules connected o the external body were then categorised into one section so it was easier for people- this section was given the name of FIQH (ilm-ul-fiqh) Then some ulema realised that those rules connected to inner self would have to be put into another category called Tasawuf ('Sufism')...Ilm-ul-Tasawuf

Hadith of Jibrail
Once a traveller came to the Prophet(pbuh). This traveller had white clothes, which didn't show signs of someone who had just been travelling so He was thought to be Angel Jibrail. He asked him "What is Imaan I?". The Prophet (pguh) replied "belief in Allah, the Rasuls, the books, the Angels, etc. "What is Islam?". He replied, "it's salat, zakat, hajj, etc". Angel Jibrail then asked "What is ehsaan?". The Prophet (pbuh) replied, "It's when you are worshipping SAllah (swt) as though you can see Him. If you can't get to that state then worship Him as though He can see you."

Imaan=aqeedah
Islam=external self
Ehsaan= inner self

Tasawuf
Sometimes we pay too much attention to names- rather you should concentrate on concepts. e.g. in trade and business you are able to use any word for a concept, but its the actual transaction or concept that matters. You can change the word 'interest' but the concept will still be wrong. Tasawuf is a concept that noone can argue with- to rectify oneself (purification of the soul) and do something good.
Some calll it ilm-ul-qalb (sciance of the heart)...or ilm-ul-tariq (Science of the spiritual path). Some say that this word wasn't used by the Prophet (pbuh)- but there were many things and words that He didn't use...its neiter haram or bidah to use it.

Ilm-ul-Akhlaaq (science of Character). Shifaa (attributes)- tasawuf encourages ppl to have good attributes and to get rid of bad ones.

"It is He who sent you a messenger, from amongst you....teaches them verses of the Qur'an, wisdom, and purifies heart and soul"

Adorning one's heart with commands of Allah (swt) that is connected with the heart is fardh ayn (obligation on every muslim, male and female)...it is just like salat, hajj, etc. It's not that people of high status can only do. It's only Fardh Kifaya that atleast one person in the community should have extensive knowledge on the matter. Qualities such as sabr, akhlaaq is what we should be trying to achieve...we try so hard to stay away from sins that affect our outer body so we should do the same for our inner self.

The Ulema define it as 'a science in which a person learns the difference types of good traits/qualities/attribute. He knows all of them, (ways to remove the bad ones) and implement them in ones life.' Its Fardh Kifaya for someone to master the science of Tasawuf.

Just as we have teachers teachinf us Fiqh, aqeedah or even any secular subject we need teachers in tasawuf. Generally people cannot do this on their own- you must always be constantly learning. Teachers will teach you the difference between self-respect and arrogance- how would you know where to draw the line? And not everyone can do this. It's always the things that are inner that others can detect- you can't tell yourself thatyou have pride, etc.

The purpose is to enter every good trait and get rid of bad ones.

Baiya (giving allegiance)= promise to each other. The Sheikh will promise to guide you in reaching your final destination. As a student you promise to try your best to act on the Laws of Qur'an, Laws of Sunnah and implement commandments of Allah(swt) and the Prophet(pbuh) into your everyday life. You are not worshipping your Sheikh!!...you are having him as a guide. Baiya is not Fardh- just sunnah.

The main goal/aim/purpose is really to seek the pleasure of Allah (swt) ...to purify your soul, and adrn yourself with good qualities and getting rid of bad ones!! A person's company will definately have an effect on you. "A person will be with whom he love".

*I have this at home if anyone would like to borrow