Tasswwuff and Suffisim In Islam

Q:

I have a quick question. I am a recent revert and have heard many things about the Sufis. I noticed in your post you mentioned many scholars of the Salaf. I have met some people who follow the Salaf that tell me the Sufis participate in things that are Bidah. Can you clear this up for my brother. I am very confused. Thanks!

A:
Walikom Al Salam Warahamatlulahi Wabraktoh,
It is a pleasure to meet you beloved brother. I actually did not write this article, but inshallah i will try to answer your question to the best of my limited ability.

Actually brother, All Muslims follow the aims of Tassawuf or Sufisim, whether they call it that or not. Our Brother in Chechneya are actually predominately Sufi. Tasawuf, is another word for Tazkiyah, which is found in the quran (meaning purification). Tasawuf is basically the path to achieving Tazkiyah. Allah Says in Surah al Shams "He is successful who Zakaha (Purifies his self)" and in Surah al Ala, "He is Successful who Tazaka (Purifies himself).

Tassawuf is the science to achieve this Tazkiyah, which all Muslims which to attain. To free their heart from love of this dunya, and from the diseases of Arrogance, lust, greed, miserliness, to have khushu in prayer, and constant thikr of Allah. The Ulema have given the name for acheiving the above required goals of Islam, Tasawuf/Suffisim. Just like the science of interpreting the Quran, which had no name at the time of the prophet (pbuh) is now called Tafsir. As the science of derving ruleings fromt he Quran and Hadith is called Fiqh, a term which also was not used at the time of the prophet. but again, the terms may not have been used, but the processes was never the less carried out.

Now if you ask our salafi brothers about the individual aims of Tassawuff mentioned above (purification of heart, remembering allah, etc.) without calling it Tassawuff/Suffisim, they will approve of it very much, saying all muslims must achive these goals. if however you take all these goals and group them together and call the process of purifying the heart Tassawuff, some people then cringe when they hear the name, even though they agree with each and every one of the individual prossecess/aims of Tassawuf.

Really those who have issues with Suffisim are those who dont really know what it means.
They have issue with it for one of two reasons. The first being that the prophet (pbuh) may have never used the term. but as i explained that is not necessary, for he certainly practiced the aims/processes of it. And there were alot of terms which Ulema have come up with to categorize the various Islamic sciences after the death of Rasululah (pbuh). See that is because the sahaba were at a level where they all mastered each and every science of Islam (like the Quran, hadith, purification, shareeah, sunnah, etc.) But after their time, the later Ulema could never achieve the level of knowledge of the Rasul (pbuh) and Sahaba, so they thus categorized the study of the meanings of Quran into Tafsir, reciting of Quran into tajweed, study of hadith into Muhaditheen, study of Islamic law into shariah, study of Islamic Ibadah into fiqh, study of purification of the heart into Tassawuf. Thus each scholar could become specialized in a field, and then learn another, untill he could master them all. Of course Tassawuf is one of the most important sciences to learn, for if you master all the other sciences (like Quran, Hadith, Shariah), but your heart is diseased, then you may have arrogance, or do it not sincerly for other than allah, and then all your knowledge and ibada will go to waste. Thus Tassawuf is a very important science. And just like one cannot become a doctor or engineer by themself, they need a teacher to help them, so too, do most muslims need a teacher or a sheikh, to help them attain that purification. That sheikh learned from his sheikh, who learned from his, etc, etc, who learned from a tabi, who learned from a sahabi, who learned from the prophet. Unfortunately, most people would never try to cure a sick physical heart without a doctor, yet refuse to see a spiritual doctor to heal their spiritual diseases which can waste all their good deeds (The prophet said that diseases like arrogance or jelousy can burn up good deeds like a razor cuts hair or a fire burns wood).

The second reason some Salaf have issue with it, is because just like some so called muslim terrorists ruin the image of Islam for the rest of, so too do some self called sufis ruin the name of suffisim for the rest. Some misguided people may claim to be sufi, but not follow the shariah and engage in clear bidas, and then the Salaf think that is suffusim, when realy those misguided people do not represent suffisim, just like a real terrorist (does not represent Islam.

Allah Knows Best.

Inshallah this explanation, helps please feel free to send me more questions or if you would like i cans end you some books on the topics

Salam Alikom
-Hassan