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The word Tarīqah linguistically means “manner” or “method” and
in reference to the field of Tasawwuf, it refers to a school or
order, e.g. the Chishtī Tarīqah, Naqshbandī Tarīqah, Shādhilī
Tarīqah etc. Tariqah in relation to Tasawwuf is
analogous to the word “madhhab” in relation to the schools of
Fiqh. The science of Fiqh concerns itself with the
external injunctions and regulations pertaining to things such as
salāh, fasting, stealing, interest etc., and the science of
Tasawwuf concerns itself with the internal injunctions and
regulations pertaining to things such as praiseworthy qualities, e.g.
gratefulness, patience, sincerity etc. and reprehensible qualities,
e.g. pride, ostentation and greed etc.
In essence, the goal of all the Tarīqahs is one and the same,
namely to cure spiritual maladies of the heart, elevate the spiritual
status and ultimately gain closeness to Allah; the dissimilarities of
the various Tarīqahs mainly revolve around the difference of
approach towards achieving this objective. Some Tarīqahs
implement one set of spiritual exercises whilst other Tarīqahs
implement a different set of exercises. Some differences in spiritual
exercises stem from the differences of the Madhāhib of the
Shuyūkh of each Tarīqah. Considering the fact that the
Shuyūkh of Tasawwuf adhere strictly to the letter of the
law, each Tarīqah will differ in exercises of dhikr as
well. This will be discussed later. At present, it should suffice to
understand that this science pertains to the abstract metaphysical
internal element of the soul, thus there exists many seemingly unusual
practices and exercises prescribed by the Shuyūkh to address
such matters. These exercises were implemented to kindle the burning
love of Allah in the heart cleansing it from the rust caused by the
passions of the ephemeral Dunya and all that towards which the
lower self calls. Dhikr is the nourishment and sustenance of
the soul. Just as there are various types of food with varying
nutritional benefits, similarly, the various types of dhikr
prescribed by the Shuyūkh affect the spirit of a person in
diverse ways. The field of Tasawwuf is usually likened to the
field of medicine. Throughout history, man has discovered cures to
various physical maladies, so to have the Shuyūkh, the spiritual
doctors, discovered cures for spiritual maladies. Some of the
practices and cures are mentioned in the Qur'ān, some in the Ahadīth,
and others have been discovered through the institution of tajrubah
(personal experience). Generation after generation, the Shuyūkh
of Tasawwuf have dedicated their lives to this field,
therefore, they know the effects of various adhkār upon the
heart and soul. To those unfamiliar with Tasawwuf, such
exercises may seem extremely peculiar and unusual. It is
understandable for people to feel uncomfortable and queasy during
their first experience with such exercises. However, to repel this
discomfort, one should bear in mind that the Shuyūkh don’t
claim that these adhkār and spiritual exercises are new forms
of worship where it would be classified as an innovation (bid‘ah)
in Dīn. Only those bereft of the understanding of Fiqh
and the subtleties of Dīn make such professions. These
spiritual prescriptions should be seen and regarded as a form of
treatment (tadāwī) for the sicknesses of the heart. Just as the
physical body must be put through certain therapeutic exercises for
the benefit and rejuvenation of the body, so to do the Shuyūkh
put the spiritual patient under various exercises to strengthen and
treat the soul.
To give you some examples of such exercises, the famous Hadīth
of Rasūlullah
صلى الله عليه و سلم
describes the various stages of a believer, from Islam, to Imān
to Ihsan.
قالَ : فأخْبِرنِي عنِ الإحْسَانِ ، قال : (( أنْ تَعبُدَ اللهَ كأنَّكَ
تَراهُ ، فإنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَراهُ فإنَّهُ يراكَ )) .
Jibrīl (AS) asked Rasūlullah
صلى الله عليه و سلم
regarding Ihsān to which Rasūlullah
صلى الله عليه و سلم
replied, “It is that you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him and if
you are unable to see Him, then (know well) that He is seeing you.”
From this Hadīth we come to know that there is an extremely
high spiritual position known as Ihsān. The question that
arises is that how does a person reach such a status. The next
question that arises is to whom should one go in order to learn how to
attain it. If a person goes to a Muhaddith, his field and
preoccupation is to merely to tell the questioner whether the
Hadīth is Sahīh, Hasan, Dha‘īf, how many chains of
narration exist for the Hadīth, and which narrators transmitted
the Hadīth etc. In regards to the meaning of the Hadīth,
at best, they could offer only a literal translation. If a person goes
to a Faqīh, he would only explain the various rulings that
could be extracted from the Hadīth as it pertains to the
external injunctions of the Sharī‘ah. The Faqīh too
could not advise the questioner how to attain such a status nor the
reality of such a position because such a question does not pertain to
his field of expertise. If a person wants to learn the reality of this
spiritual position and experience it, he will have to go to a person
who has himself reached it. He will have to go to such a person who
has dedicated his life in perfecting his internal attributes and
character. Only that person who has already reached the destination
can direct the lost seeker to it. To acquire this state, some of the
Shuyūkh advise the Murīd to sit in solitude and absolute
silence with full concentration and in a state of wudhū, whilst
closing his eyes, constantly repeating and deeply pondering over the
verse,
]
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَرَى
[
“Does he not know that Allah is watching”
After continual practice, the Mūrīd will ultimately establish
the understanding and perception that Allah is watching him at all
times, whether he is walking, talking, eating, praying etc. Only after
exercising great patience and perseverance in acting upon the
prescription of his Shaykh and continuously informing the
Shaykh of his conditions and states will he understand and
experience the quality of Ihsān.
Other peculiar forms of spiritual exercises include making loud dhikr
with bodily motion whether standing, as in the case of hadrah
as performed by the Shadhilīs, or sitting, as performed by the
Chishtīs. Other exercises include certain breathing exercises
like pās anfās as performed by the Chishtīs and various
forms of murāqabah (meditation) as done by the Naqshbandīs
etc.
The inherent permissibility or impermissibility of some of these
exercises will rest upon the differences of the various Madhāhib
since some of these practices cross the boundary of a mere internal
metaphysical sphere to the externally physical; thus, falling under
the jurisdiction of the Fuqahā’. To present a brief example,
the practice of hadrah, a type of spiritual bodily movement
similar to swaying that some refer to dancing coupled with loud
dhikr, is permissible for the followers of the Shāfi‘ī Madhhab
since according to their ‘Ulamā and Madhhab dancing is
permissible with certain conditions.
والرقص بلا تكسر مباح لخبر الصحيحين إنه صلى الله عليه وسلم وقف لعائشة
يسترها حتى تنظر إلى الحبشة وهم يلعبون ويزفنون والزفن الرقص لأنه مجرد
حركات على استقامة أو اعوجاج وعلى الإباحة التي صرح بها المصنف الفوراني
والغزالي في وسيطه وهي مقتضى كلام غيرهما وقال القفال بالكراهة وعبارة
الأصل محتملة لها حيث قال و الرَّقْصُ ليس بِحَرَامٍ وَبِالتَّكَسُّرِ
حَرَامٌ وَلَوْ من النِّسَاءِ لِأَنَّهُ يُشْبِهُ أَفْعَالَ
الْمُخَنَّثِينَ (أسنى المطالب في شرح روض الطالب ج 4 ص 346 العلمية)
Consequently, it will be
permissible for the
Shuyūkh
and
Mūrīds
who follow the
Shāfi‘ī
Madhhab
to participate in the
hadrah.
On the contrary, it will not
be permissible for the
Shuyūkh
and
Murīds
of the
Hanafī
Madhhab
to participate in the dancing or swaying of the
hadrah
since
no form of dancing is permitted in the
Madhhab
unless one is overtaken by
an uncontrollable state of ecstasy. It is for this reason that the
majority of
Shuyūkh
of the
Ahnāf
prescribe a different form of dhikr that
produces the same result and effect as produced by the
hadra.
In the
Chishti Tarīqah,
the
Shuyūkh
prescribe loud
dhikr
of the
Kalīmah, La Ilāha illa Allah
where the
Murīd
sits and focuses his
concentration on his heart with his head turned towards the direction
of his
heart. Then, with full devotion, absorption and zeal he recites
La ilaaha
(there
is no deity) while moving his head towards the back and left intending
thereby the negation and purging of everything other than Allah from
the heart.
Thereafter, with full vigor and force, he recites
illa
Allah
(except
Allah) while meditating that the love of Allah is flooding his heart.
The similar effect of the
hadra,
namely, that of purification of the
heart and spiritual vigor is thus produced which are some of the main
ingredients for reviving the diseased heart.
( وأما تحريك الرأس فقط يمنة ويسرة تحقيقا لمعنى النفي والإثبات في لا
إله إلا الله فالظن الغالب جوازه بل استحبابه إذا كان مع النية الخالصة
الصالحة فيخرج عن حد العبث واللعب ) ؛ لأن العبث ما لا فائدة فيه
والتحقيق المذكور من أعظم الفوائد ( فيكون ) ذلك التحريك ( فعلا دالا )
دلالة عقلية ( على التوحيد مقارنا للقول ) وهو قول لا إله إلا الله (
الدال عليه ) دلالة وضعية فيجمع بين التوحيد الفعلي والقولي ( فتكون )
الكلمة الطيبة ( كلمة ككلمتين ) فالقول بلا حركة مرتين كالقول بالحركة
مرة واحدة ( وأصله ) المقيس عليه ( رفع المسبحة في التشهد في الصلاة عند
أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله ، وقد روي عن النبي صلى الله تعالى عليه وسلم في
) الأحاديث ( الصحاح مع أن الصلاة موضع سكون ووقار حتى كره فيها الالتفات
) يمنة ويسرة . (بريقة محمودية في شرح طريقة محمدية وشريعة نبوية ج 4 ص
139 مصطفى البابي الحلبي)
It is important to bear in mind that unfortunately, there has always
existed groups of self-centered, worldly motivated pseudo-Sufis who
misrepresented Tasawwuf and used some of the practices of the
Sufis, not to mention concocted some of their own, to suit
their nafsānī (selfish) desires. Some of them feign being
Sufis in order to gain fame and popularity, others to engage in
singing and dancing and others to earn money etc. It is from such
people that deviances began to crop up in this pristine and
praiseworthy science. Examples of their innovations include the
Qawāli where singing and music are rampant under the guise of
Dhikr, grave-worship where people commit shirk by prostrating to
the inmates of the grave, Salāmī where people stand up to
offer salutations upon Rasūlullah
صلى الله عليه و سلم
with the belief that Rasūlullah
صلى الله عليه و سلم
visits the gathering and other similar practices that have no real
connection with Tasawwuf. Because of the existence of such
perfidious people and their impermissible practices, it has become a
daunting task for sincere people such as you to find a true Shaykh
and Tarīqah. Every Tarīqah has these imposters in their
midst preying upon the ignorant masses; therefore, one must be
cautious as to who one takes as a Murshid (guide). You should
ensure that before taking formal bay‘ah to any Shaykh or
entering into any Tarīqah, that the Shaykh is a complete
adherent of the Sharī‘ah and upholds its dictates. Anyone who
intentionally and openly breaks a single commandment of the
Sharī‘ah is not worthy to be a Shaykh. A qualified
Shaykh is he whose outward and inward appearance and actions
conform to the Sunnah of Rasūlullah
صلى الله عليه و سلم.
A pious and righteous Shaykh is he in whose company a person
feels the urge to act upon the dictates of the Sharī‘ah not
disregard them. We advise you to continuously make du‘ā to
Allah Ta‘ālā to guide you to a pious and upright Shaykh who
will guide you in the field of Tasawwuf. You should make
Mashwarah with pious local ‘Ulamā if any for their views on
finding a genuine Shaykh. It is also important to understand
that aside from the Shaykh being firm upon the Sharī‘ah,
it is imperative that one have some congeniality with the Shaykh
so that one can gain spiritual benefit from him. Without the existence
of this congeniality and amiability, it will be difficult to consult
with one’s Shaykh and follow his advices. Once you have found
such a Shaykh who is strict in adherence to the Sharī‘ah
and the Sunnah and you have an amicable relationship with him,
you should place all your trust in him and follow all of his
instructions without any doubt. Inshallah, in this manner you
will ascend the stages of Tasawwuf with relative ease and
obtain your objective.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam u Alaikum
Ml. Yusuf bin Yaqub,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah
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