#400: Sufism

QUESTION

” Sufism…. What does it mean, is it an act of innovation?”

ANSWER

Alhamdulillaah Wa As-Salaatu Wa As-Salaamu Ala Rasulillaah!

Sufism is an English rendering of At-Tasawwuf which is defined by Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio – alayhi rahmatullaah – as “making the heart purified and naked before Allaah”.

It is simply the phenomenon of trying hard to live in a spiritual essence or what the English man calls mysticism.

In what is referred as Sufism is what is accepted by Islam and what is rejected by it. However, in the Sun ah of the Rasul – salallaahi alayhi wasallam – the lives of His Companions – ridwanullahi alayhi – and the lives and statements of the Salafu As-Saalih are what would suffice the one who seeks to purify himself and free his soul from the evils and whispers of Iblis in such a way that he will not be on need of the excesses of the people of Sufism.

Among the Sufis are great men who have restricted themselves to the Sunnah such as Imaam Junayd, Sidi Ahmad Zarruq, Shaykh Abdulqaadir Al-Jilaani (as Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned), Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio, Shaykh Abdullah Dan Fodio, etc. May Allaah be merciful to them all.

For the one who hopes o restrict himself to the Sun ah and keep himself on the Spiritual Path, we advise him to stick to the writings of Imaam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya, Imaam An-Nawawi, Imaam Ibn Al-Jawzi and Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio, rahimahumullaah.

There is a book written by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud bn Ahmad Faal Al-Ya’qubi – rahimahullaah – called ‘Mat’haratu Al-Qulub’ (the Sponge for washing the Heart), we advise the one who intends to purify his heart to study it under the guidance of a Shaykh.

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.

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