Imam Shafi`i and tasawwuf
Fouad Haddad
IMAM SHAFI`I AND TASAWWUF
=========================
Imam al-Shafi`i said in his Diwan of poetry:
faqihan wa sufiyyan fa kun laysa wahidan
fa inni wa haqqillahi iyyaka ansahu
(Be both) a faqih and a sufi: do not be only one of them,
Verily, by Allah's truth, I am advising you sincerely.
[al-Shafi`i, Diwan, (Beirut and Damascus: Dar al-fikr) p. 47.]
The derogatory remarks about tasawwuf attributed to Imam al-Shafi`i which
some are seen quoting today must be understood in the context of the
Imam's disavowal of certain people who called themselves Muslims or Sufis,
when in reality they were nothing more than hypocrites, free-thinkers, and
dissolute people. This should be born in mind by anyone who is approached
by "Salafis" with narrations culled from Ibn al-Jawzi's Talbis Iblis and
attributing sweeping disapproval of tasawwuf to Imam Shafi`i. How can they
believe that Imam Shafi`i disapproves of tasawwuf and at the same time
advises the fuqaha' to be sufis, as we quoted above? Have they no better
opinion of him than one who gives two mutually exclusive advices? It is
also established that he said:
I accompanied the Sufis and received from them but three words: their
statement that time is a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you; their
statement that if you do not keep your ego busy with truth it will keep
you busy with falsehood; their statement that deprivation is immunity.
Al-hafiz al-Suyuti related it in Ta'yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya
(p. 15).
The Maliki shaykh Ahmad al-`Alawi said, as cited in the
translation from his work entitled Knowledge of God (p. xxi): "Reflect on
the sincerity of this great Imam [Shafi`i] and how he became a witness for
the Sufis, and confirmed their seriousness and struggle. Shaykh Sha`rani,
may Allah be pleased with him, said: Reflect on how Shafi`i has taken this
from the Sufis and not from others. It is by this that you know their
superiority over others, the men of knowledge of the outward, the ones
from whom he once learned."
The muhaddith al-`Ajluni also relates in his book Kashf al-khafa
wa muzil al-albas (1:341 #1089) that Imam Shafi`i said:
Three things in this world have been made lovely to me: avoiding
affectation, treating people kindly, and following the way of tasawwuf.
As for the objections of the slanderers of Sufis invoking Ibn
al-Jawzi's exhortative work Talbis iblis in which he attributes to
al-Shafi`i sayings detrimental to Sufis, or sayings of Imam Ahmad
detrimental to Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi: we quote the following
judgment of `Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda to put their arguments to rest:
Our reliance is on Allah! Ibn al-Jawzi composed a great big book on hadith
forgeries so that jurists, preachers, and others may avoid them, then you
will see him cite in his exhortative works forged hadiths and rejected
stories without head nor tail, without shame or second thought. In the end
one feels that "Ibn al-Jawzi" is two people and not one!... For this
reason Ibn al-Athir blamed him in his history entitled al-Kamil (10:228),
with the words: "Ibn al-Jawzi blamed him [Ghazali] for many things, among
them his narration of unsound hadiths in his exhortations. O wonder that
Ibn al-Jawzi should criticize him for that! For his own books and
exhortative works are crammed full with them (mahshuw bihi wa mamlu'
minh)!" And the hadith master al-Sakhawi said in Sharh al-alfiyya (p.
107): "Ibn al-Jawzi cited forgeries and their likes in high abundance in
his exhortative works"!
Besides the above, we have already quoted Imam Taj al-Din
al-Subki's advice for serious students of the Islamic sciences:
Beware of listening to what happened between... Ahmad ibn Hanbal and
al-Harith al-Muhasibi. If you become busy with this I fear death for you.
These are notable leaders in religion and their utterances have various
explanations which some, perhaps, have misunderstood. As for us, we have
no other course but to approve of them and keep quiet concerning what took
place between them, just as what is done concerning what took place
between the Companions, may Allah be well pleased with them... O you who
are seeking guidance!... leave aside what took place between them, and
busy yourself with what concerns you, and leave what does not concern you!
As for Imam Dhahabi's avalanche of insinuations against some of the
earlier and later Sufis in his Mizan al-i`tidal (1:430 #1606), where
he says after quoting derogatory reports against al-Muhasibi:
Where are the likes of al-Harith al-Muhasibi! How then if Abu Zur`a saw
the books of the later [Sufis], such as the Qut al-qulub of Abu Talib
[al-Makki], and where are the likes of the Qut? How then if he saw Bahjat
al-asrar of Abu Jahdam, and Haqa'iq al-tafsir of al-Sulami, then he would
jump to the ceiling! How then if he saw the books of Abu Hamid al-Tusi
[Imam Ghazali]....? the Ghunya of shaykh `Abd al-Qadir [Gilani]... Fusus
al-hikam and al-Futuhat al-makiyya [of Ibn `Arabi]?
We treat such assertions according to the instructions of Suyuti
who rejected them in his book in defense of the Sufis entitled Qam`
al-mu`arid bi nusrat Ibn al-Farid (The taming of the naysayer with the
vindication of Ibn al-Farid) as quoted by Imam al-Lucknawi in al-Raf` wa
al-takmil fi al-jarh wa al-ta`dil (p. 319-320):
Don't let Dhahabi's mumbling deceive you, for he went so far as to mumble
against Imam Fakhr al-Din ibn al-Khatib [al-Razi], and against one who is
greater than the Imam, namely: Abu Talib al-Makki the author of Qut
al-qulub, and against one who is greater than Abu Talib, namely: Shaykh
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari, whose fame has filled the firmaments! And
Dhahbi's books are filled with that: al-Mizan, al-Tarikh, and Siyar
al-nubala'. Are you going to accept his words against such as these?
Never, by Allah! His word is not accepted concerning them; rather, we
fulfill their right over us, and we render it to them in full.
Blessings and peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions
Fouad Haddad
fha...@sunnah.org
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m a m
Fouad Haddad wrote:
>
> IMAM SHAFI`I AND TASAWWUF
> =========================
>
> Imam al-Shafi`i said in his Diwan of poetry:
>
> faqihan wa sufiyyan fa kun laysa wahidan
> fa inni wa haqqillahi iyyaka ansahu
>
> (Be both) a faqih and a sufi: do not be only one of them,
> Verily, by Allah's truth, I am advising you sincerely.
>
> [al-Shafi`i, Diwan, (Beirut and Damascus: Dar al-fikr) p. 47.]
When I read from an anti-sufi (who loves Ibn Taymiyah who
was an anti-sufi himself) complementing Ibn Taymiah
by describing him "He was a faqeeh and sufi"
I realize, and you should too, that what he and Ashafi'I
meant by the word sufi is for sure different than
your sufiesm.
The early Muslims used the word sufi for Zuhud.
Sufi which stands for mysticism, innovations, OR
Shirk is certainly some thing they will never promote.
Beside this new use of the word Sufi to describe these
bad attributes came long after Ashafi’i ! so how come
he means something that was not there.
Please note that I said "mysticism, innovations, OR
Shirk", so not all Sufisem is Sherik.
It’s not really important what you call your self.
What’s important is what you do and call for.
Taking the similarity of words to your advantage
will not get you any where.
By using your analogy the Israelites of today are really
God’s chosen nation, just because they call them self
Israel!
Finally..
By God! who could put Imam Ashafi'i and Ibn Alrabi (the
heretic) in one group!?!? You gotta do better than that
concerning respecting the great scholars of Islam.
Majed
Fouad Haddad
>When I read from an anti-sufi (who loves Ibn Taymiyah who
>was an anti-sufi himself) complementing Ibn Taymiah
>by describing him "He was a faqeeh and sufi"
Which anti-Sufi claims this of Ibn Taymiyya?
>I realize, and you should too, that what he and Ashafi'I
>meant by the word sufi is for sure different than
>your sufiesm.
What do you know about "my sufiesm"? Are you one of those
who read other people's minds, or have split their hearts and
looked inside?
As Imam Bukhari said: "al-imtihanu bid`a." Inspecting the belief
of Muslims is an innovation. I don't see this practiced by anyone
in Islam today as much as by those who call themselves "Salafis."
>The early Muslims used the word sufi for Zuhud.
That is correct, and that is how the late Muslims use it also.
If they use it in a different sense, then state your proof.
If you don't have knowledge of istilah you should not speak!
>Sufi which stands for mysticism, innovations, OR
>Shirk is certainly some thing they will never promote.
"Mysticism" is an unislamic term. Why do you always use it?
Do you hope to throw out accusations so that one of them will stick?
Fear Allah lest it only come back to describe you.
As for innovations, certainly it is worse than innovation to refer, as you do,
to what other Muslims think or believe on the basis of your imagination.
As for shirk, then that is your reality: to place disgraceful labels
on Muslims without proof. Wal `iadhu billah.
>Beside this new use of the word Sufi to describe these
>bad attributes came long after Ashafi’i ! so how come
>he means something that was not there.
That shows ignorance, as Imam al-Shafi`i also condemned the
bad tasawwuf in other sayings, showing that it was there also
at that time, just as there was a bad fiqh and a bad `aqida, all
of which the scholars denounced in specific contexts.
al-Hamdu lillah we are clear of this "new use" which you yourself
admit to. It is you and your accusations which are always new and
concocted. Journalists who put together the labels of "Muslim"
and "terrorist" can never succeed in making one signify the other
as hard as they try. Similarly, people like you can never succeed
in giving "Sufi" a negative connotation, as hard as you try.
>Please note that I said "mysticism, innovations, OR
>Shirk", so not all Sufisem is Sherik.
The above is as if I said to you:
"This is slanderous, wicked, OR hypocritical. So not all you said
is hypocritical."
M.A.M. reminds me of the criticism of one of the narrator-critics
by Imam al-Dhahabi who considered him fanatical. Dhahabi said:
"It is as if he didn't know what he was saying." This seems to apply
to the above sentence: "Please note that I said mysticism," etc.
>It’s not really important what you call your self.
>What’s important is what you do and call for.
Shouldn't you repent of you have done in the present post and similar
ones filled with slander, before you start preaching?
>Taking the similarity of words to your advantage
>will not get you any where.
Al-hamdu lillah I use the istilah of Ahl al-Sunna in all the words I use
concerning Islamic knowledge. Whereas your method show
fanaticism and carelessness.
>By using your analogy the Israelites of today are really
>God’s chosen nation, just because they call them self
>Israel!
What an outright lie to call it "my analogy" when you are
entirely responsible for it. It is like that with every line of
al-Mogbel, has he no fear of Allah?
Who makes up such an analogy as to describe Muslims as Jews,
then his analogy goes back on him, wal-`iadhu billah.
>Finally..
>By God! who could put Imam Ashafi'i and Ibn Alrabi (the
>heretic) in one group!?!? You gotta do better than that
>concerning respecting the great scholars of Islam.
"Their oaths will precede their statements, and their statements
will precede their oaths."
Again, the above is what you made up with your own mouth.
And it is clear from where comes the true heresy in all this.
The Prophet said: Man samita naja. It were better if you
did not say anything at all. Ittaqillah.
>Majed
Fouad
Fouad Haddad
In article <5jj5tb$h...@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu> m a m <ma...@acpub.duke.edu> writes:
>Fouad Haddad wrote:
>> Which anti-Sufi claims this of Ibn Taymiyya?
>Shaykh/ Abdulaziz AsSirawan, in his introduction
>to Ibn Taymiyah's book "Arsh ArRahman". After
>mentioning Ibn Taymiyah's knowledge, He wrote:
>And he (i.e. Ibn Taymiah) grew up in a complete
>"Yasawuof", and virtuous, ...
Between our time and that of Ibn Taymiyya that is all you found, "Shaykh/
Abdulaziz AsSirawan"? And who is "Shaykh/ Abdulaziz AsSirawan"?
>I'm not a Sufi Shykh! so I don't claim that I
>can read other people's minds, or split their
>hearts and look inside!
Majed al-Mogbel is definitely not a Sufi student, much less a Sufi shaykh.
However, he does claim to read other people's minds, as he ascribes to
me a quality of tasawwuf which I reject even before him since it is not
tasawwuf. Just as I reject the quality of Islam he espouses in his
acts, because I do not consider it Islam. Islam is dignity and husn al-zann,
and al-Mogbel's words lack both; and a Muslim is someone from whose
tongue other Muslims are safe, which is not the case with al-Mogbel.
This is what he calls for, since he sets himself as a judge for others:
then prepare yourself to be judged also.
>I'm only judging you by your own words.
>Tell me that you don't believe in any Shirk that
>Naqshabandi Tareeqah may contain;
al-Mogbel is placing himself in a position where he endangers his
religion and is not even aware. Subhan Allah. If he first tells me
that he is not an innovator who hurls insults and accusations at
other Muslims on purpose, I will be happy to answer him.
>Tell me that you believe that only Allah -s- knows
>the unseen and the future, except for those Messengers
>whom he shown some of the unseen or the future;
I have posted a series of posts collecting all the verses and
hadiths to that effect. If Mr. Mogbel were one of my students,
his words above would earn him an F for not reading required
material before coming to a class discussion.
>Tell me that you believe that we don't need MEDIATORs
>to pray for us for ALLAH's help and forgiveness
>except the authentic SHAFA'AH's from the Prophet -s-
>like his Shafa'ah to the believers IN THE HEREAFTER;
It is not kufr to disbelieve in the authentic hadiths mentioning
the mediation and shafa`a of other than the Prophet, such
as the shuhada' and others, but it is no less than innovation
or worse, for sure. Ittaqillah.
>Tell me that you don't believe in the myths that
>many of the heretics made up and claimed it for
>the Awliya in a manner that not even Prophet
>Muhammad -s- had;=20
I hope Mr. al-Mogbel is ready to repeat his wudu'
after he indulges in such outbursts, because they have
a quality of wild anger about them, and it is from shaytan.
Also, he might repent and repeat his shahada because the Prophet
said that a believer does not lie and Mr. al-Mogbel's questions
are built upon lies of a kind that reek to high heaven.
>Tell me ... and Tell me ... and Tell ..
Oh, but we have already told you too many times. Go and study,
leave empty talk, and fear Allah.
>.. Then and only then you have my apologies to publicly
>and I=92ll declare that "your Sufisem" is the Zuhud that
>Imam Ashafi'i and Ibn Taymiyah had,
>not the "later Sufiesm" of mysticism,
>innovations, OR Shirk.
But in the process it seems that Mr. Mogbel is a man willing to
throw his faith out through baseless slander and accusations.
And all because Mr. al-Mogbel is unable to swallow the fact that
Imam Shafi`i praised tasawwuf? There is far more...
...
>I believe the rest is of your reply is
>a personal attack not helping the debate
>or the subject of your original post,
Ma sha'Allah!
How quickly do they turn and complain of enmity, after they initiate it.
so I'll
>quit here.
Better late than never.
Fouad Haddad
fha...@sunnah.org