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CHAPTER III
ON SUF1ISM
God, Almighty and Glorious, has said: "And those who walk meekly on the
earth, and when the ignorant speak to them answer 'Peace'," (shall be rewarded
with the highest place in Paradise).1 And the Apostle has said: "He that hears
the voice of Sufis (ahl al-tasawwuf) and does not say Amen to their prayer is
inscribed before God among the heedless." The true meaning of this name has been
much discussed and many books have been composed on the subject. Some assert
that the Sufi is so called because he wears a woollen garment (jama-i suf);
others that he is so called because he is in the first rank (saff-i awwal);
others say it is because the Sufis claim to belong to the Ashab-i Suffa,' with
whom may God be well-pleased! Others, again, declare that the name is derived
from safa (purity). These explanations of the true meaning of Suffi'ism are far
from satisfying the requirements of etymology, although each of them is
supported by many subtle arguments. Safa (purity) is universally praised, and
its opposite is kadar. The Apostle - on whom be peace! - said: "The safw (pure
part, i.e. the best) of this world is gone, and only its kadar (impurity)
remains." Therefore, since the people of this persuasion have purged their
morals and conduct, and have sought to free themselves from natural taints, on
that account they are called Sufis; and this designation of the sect is a proper
name (az asami-yi al'lam), in as much as the dignity of the Sufis is too great
for their transactions (mu'amalat) to be hidden, so that their name should need
a derivation. In this age, however, God has veiled most people from Sufi'ism and
from its votaries, and has concealed its mysteries from their hearts.
Accordingly some imagine that it consists merely in the practice of
outward piety without inward contemplation, and others suppose that it is a form
and a system without essence and root, to such an extent that they have adopted
the view of scoffers fahl-i hazl) and theologians f 'ulama), who regard only the
external, and have condemned Sufi'ism altogether, making no attempt to discover
what it really is. The people in general, blindly conforming to this opinion,
have erased from their hearts the quest for inward purity and have discarded the
tenets of the Ancients and the Companions of the Prophet (May peace be upon
him). Verily, purity is characteristic of the Siddiq," if thou desirest a true
Sufi - because purity (safa) has a root and a branch: its root being severance
of the heart from "others" (aghyar), and its branch that the heart should be
empty of this deceitful world. Both these are characteristic of the Greatest
Siddiq, (the Caliph) Abu Bakr Abdallah b. Abi Quhafa, with whom may God be
well-pleased! He is the leader (imam) of all the folk of this Path.
[The author then relates how, on Muhammad's decease, when 'Umar threatened to
decapitate anyone who asserted that the Prophet (May peace be upon him) was
dead, Abu Bakr stepped forth and cried with a loud voice: "Whoever worships
Muhamad, let him know that Muhammad is dead; but whoever worships Muhammad's
(May peace be upon him) Lord, let him know that He is living and dieth not."
Those who regarded Muhammad with the eye of mortality ceased to venerate him as
soon as he departed from this world, but to those who regarded him with the eye
of reality his presence and absence were alike, because they attributed both to
God; and looked, not at the particular change which had come to pass, but at the
Author of all change; and venerated Muhammad (May peace be upon him) only in
proportion as God honoured him; and did not attach their hearts to anyone
(except God); and did not open their eyes to gaze upon mankind, inasmuch as "he
that beholdeth mankind waneth, but he that returneth unto God reigneth" (man
nazara ila'l-khalq halak wa-man reja'a ila 'l-haqq malak). And Abu Bakr showed
that his heart was empty of this deceitful world, for he gave away all his
wealth and his clients (mawali), and clad himself in a woollen garment (gilim),
and came to the Apostle, who asked him what he had left for his family. Abu Bakr
replied: "Only God and His Apostle." All this is characteristic of the sincere
Sufi.
I said that safa (purity) is the opposite of kadar (impurity), and kadar is
one of the qualities of Man. The true Sufi is he that leaves impurity behind.
Thus, human nature (bashariyyat) prevailed in the women of Egypt as they gazed,
enraptured, on the wondrous beauty of Yusuf (Joseph), on whom be peace! But
afterwards the preponderance was reversed, until at last they beheld him with
their human nature annihilated (ba-fana-yi bashariyyat) and cried: "This is no
human being" (Qur.xii,31). They made him their object and gave expression to
their own state. Hence the Shaykhs of this Path - God have mcrcy on them! - have
said: Laysa 'l-safa min sifat al-bashar li-anna 'l-bashar madar wa'l-madar la
yakhlu min al-kadar, "Purity is not one of the qualities of Man. for Man is
clay, and clay involves impurity, and Man cannot escape from impurity."
Therefore purity bears no likeness to acts (afal), nor can the human nature be
destroyed by means of effort. The quality of purity is unrelated to acts and
states, and its name is unconnected with names and nicknames - purity is
characteristic of the lovers (of God), who are suns without cloud - beacuse
purity is the attribute of those who love, and the lover is he that is dead (fani)
in his own attributes and living (baqi) in the attributes of his Beloved, and
their "states" resemble the clear sun in the opinion of mystics (arbab-i hal).
The beloved of God, Muhammad (May peace be upon him) the Chosen One, was
asked concerning the state of Haritha. He answered: 'Abd nawwara 'llah qalbalu
bi 'l-iman, "He is a man whose heart is illumined by the light of faith, so that
his face shines like the moon from the effect thereof, and he is formed by the
Divine light." An eminent Sufi says: Diya al-shams wa'l-tawhid idha 'shfabaka,
wa'l-qamar idha 'shtaraka namudhagun min sifa al-hub" The combination of the
light of the sun and moon, when they are in conjunction, is like the purity of
Love and Unification, when these are mingled together." Assuredly, the light of
the sun and moon is worthless beside the light of the Love and Unification of
God Almighty, and they should not be compared; but in this world there is no
light more conspicuous than those two luminaries. The eye cannot see the light
of the sun and moon with complete demonstration. During the sway of the sun and
moon it sees the sky, whereas the heart (dil) sees the empyrean ('arsh) by the
light of knowledge and unification and love, and while still in this world
explores the world to come. All the Shaykhs of this Path are agreed that when a
man has escaped from the captivity of "stations" (maqamat), and gets rid of the
impurity of "states" (ahwal), and is liberated from the abode of change and
decay, and becomes endowed with all praiseworthy qualities, he is disjoined from
all qualities. That is to say, he is not held in bondage by any praiseworthy
quality of his own, nor does he regard it, nor is he made self conceited
thereby. His state is hidden from the perception of intelligences, and his time
is exempt from the influence of thoughts. His presence (hudur) with God has no
end and his existence has no cause. And when he arrives at this degree, he
becomes annihilated ifani) in this world and in the next, and is made divine (rabbani)
in the disappearance of humanity; and gold and earth are the same in his eyes,
and the ordinances which others find hard to keep become easy to him.
[Here follows the story of Haritha, who declared that he had true faith in
God. The Prophet (May peace be upon him) asked: "What is the reality of the
faith?" Haritha replied: "I have cut off and turned myself away from this world,
so that its stones and its gold and its silver and its clay are equal in my
sight. And I have passed my nights in wakefulness and my days in thirst until
mcthinks 1 see the Throne of my Lord manifest and the people of Paradise
visiting one another, and the people of Hell wrestling with one another" (or,
according to an alternative reading: "making sudden attacks on one another").^
The Prophet (May peacc be upon him) said, repeating the words thricc: "Thou
knowest. therefore persevere."]
"Sufi" is a name which is given, and has formerly been given, to the perfect
saints and spiritual adepts. One of the Shaykhs says: Man saffahu 'i-hubb
fa-huwa saf wa-man saffalu '1-habib fa-huwa Sufiyy, "He that is purified by love
is pure, and he that is absorbed in the Beloved and has abandoned all else is a
'Sufi'." The name has no derivation answering to etymological requirements, in
as much as Sufi'ism is too exalted to have any genus from which it might be
derived; for rhe derivation of one thing from another demands homogeneity (mujanasat).
All that exists is the oposite of purity {safa), and things are not derived from
their opposites. To Sufis the meaning of Sufiism is clearer than the sun and
does not need any explanation or indication. Since "Sufi" admits of no
explanation, all the world are interpreters thereof, whether they recognizc the
dignity of the name or no at the time when they learn its meaning. The pcrfect,
then, among them are called Sufi, and the inferior aspirants (taliban) among
them are called Mutasawwif for tasawwuf belongs to the form tafa'ul, which
implies "taking trouble" (takailuf),6 and is a branch of the original root. The
difference both in meaning and in etymology is evident. Purity (safa) is a
saintship with a sign and a relation (riwayat), and Sufi.'ism (tasawwuf) is an
uncomplaining imitation of purity (hikayat li'l-safa bila shikayat). Purity,
then, is a resplendent and manifewt idea, and Sufi'ism is an imitation of that
idea. Its followers in this degree are of three kinds: the Sufi, the Mutasawwif,
and the Mustaswif The Sufi is he that is dead to self and living by the Truth;
he has escaped from the grip of human faculties and has really attained (to
God). The Mutasawwif is he that seeks to reach this rank by means of self-
mortification (mujahadat) and in his search rectifies his conduct in accordance
with their (the Sufis) example. The Mustawif is he that makes himself like them
(the Sufis) for the sake of money and wealth and power and worldly advantage,
but has no knowledge of these two things.7 Hence it has been said: Al-mustaswif
'inda 'l-Sufiyyat ka-'l- dhubab wa-inda ghayrihim ka-l-dhi'ab, "The Mustaswif in
the opinion of the Sufis is as despicable as flies, and his action are mere
cupidity; others regard him as being like a wolf, and his speech unbridled (be
afsar), for he only desires a morsel of carrion." Therefore the Sufi is a man of
union (sahib wusul), the Mutasawwif a man of principles (sahib usul), and the
Mustaswif a man of superfluities (sahib fudul). He that has the portion of union
loses all end and object by gaining his end and reaching his object; he that has
the portion of principle becomes firm in the "states" of the mystic path, and
steadfastly devoted to the mysteries thereof; but he that has the portion of
superfluity, is left devoid of all (worth having), and sits down at the gate of
formality (rasm), and thereby he is veiled from reality (mani), and this veil
renders both union and principle invisible to him. The Shaykhs of this
persuasion have given many subtle definitions of Sufiism which cannot all be
enumerated, but we shall mention some of them in this book, if God will, who is
the Author of success.
SECTION
Dhu '1-Nun, the Egyptian says: Al-Sufi idha nataqa bana nutquhu 'an al-haqaiq
wa-in sakata nataqat 'anhu 'I- jawarih bi-qat' al-alaiq, "The Sufi is he whose
language, when he speaks, is the reality of his state, i.e. he says nothing
which he is not, and when he is silent his conduct explains his state, and his
state proclaims that he has cut all worldly tics;" i.e. all that he says is
based on a sound principle and all that he does is pure detachment from the
world (tajrid); when he speaks his speech is entirely the Truth, and when he is
silent his actions arc wholly "poverty" (faqr). Junayd says: Al-tasawwuf natun
uqima 7- abd jihi qila nat li-'l-abd am li-'l-haqq faqala nat al-haqq haqiqat
wa-nat al-abd rasman, "Sufi'ism is an attribute wherein is Man's subsistence."
They said: "Ts if an attribute of God or of mankind?" He replied: "Its essence
is an attribute of God and its formal system is an attribute of mankind;" i.e.
its essence involves (he annihilation of human qualities, which is brought about
by the everlastingness of the Divine qualities, and this is an attribute of God;
whereas its formal system involves on the part of Man the continuance of
self-mortification (.mvjahadah), and this continuance of self-mortification is
an attribute of Man. Or the words may be taken in another sense, namely, that in
real Unification (tawhid) there are, correctly speaking, no human attributes at
all, because human attributes arc not constant but are only formal (rasm),
having no permanence, for God is the agent. Therefore they are really the
attributes of God. Thus (to explain what is meant), God commands His servants to
fast, and when they keep the fast He gives them the name of "faster" (saim), and
nominally this "fasting" (sawm) belongs to Man, but really it belongs to God.
Accordingly God told His Apostle and said: Al-sawm li-wa-ana ajzi
bihi, "Fasting is mine," because all His acts are His possessions, and when men
ascribe things to themselves, the attribution is formal and metaphorical, not
real. And Abu '1-Hasan Nuri says: Al-t.asa.wwuf tarku kulli hazz li-'l- nafs, "Suffi'ism
is the renunication of all selfish pleasures." This Renunciation is of two
kinds: formal and essential. For example, if one renounces a pleasure, and finds
pleasure in the renunciation, this is formal renunciation; but if the pleasure
renounces him, then the pleasure is annihilated, and this case falls under the
head of true contemplation (mushahadah). Therefore renunciation of pleasure is
the act of Man, but annihilation of pleasure is the act of God. The act of Man
is formal and metaphorical, while the act of God is real. This saying (of Nuri)
elucidates the saying of Junayd which has been quoted above. And Abu rl-Hasan
Nuri also says: Al-Sufiyyat humu 'Uadhina safat. arwahuhum fa-saru fi 'l-saff
al-awwal bayna yadayi 'l-haqq, "The Sufis are they whose spirits have been freed
from the pollution of humanity, purified from carnal taint, and released from
concupiscence, so that they have found rest with God in the first rank and the
highest degree, and have fled from all save Him." And he also says: Al-Sufi
alladhi la. yamlik wa-la yumlak, "The Sufi is he that has nothing in his
possession nor is himself possessed by anything." This denotes the essence of
annihilation if and), since one whose qualities arc annihilated neither
possesses nor is possessed, inasmuch as the term "possession" can properly be
applied only to existent things. The meaning is, that the Sufi does not make at
his own any good of this world or any glory of the next world, for he is not
even in the possession and control of himself: he refrains from desiring
authority over others, in order that others may not desire submission from him.
This saying refers to a mystery of the Sufis which they call "complete
annihilation" (fana-yi kulli). If God will, we shall mention in this work, for
your information, the points wherein they have fallen into error. Ibn al-Jalla8
says: Al-tasawwuf haqiqat la rasm lahu "Sufi'ism is an essence without form,"
because the form belongs to mankind in respect to their conduct (muamalat),
while the essence thereof is peculiar to God. Since Sufiism consists in turning
away from mankind, it is necessarily without form. And Abu 'Amr Dimashqi says: A
l-tasawwuf ru'yat al-kawn bi'ayn al-naqs, bal ghadd al-tarf 'an al- kawn, "Sufi'ism
is: to see the imperfection of the phenomenal world (and this shows that human
attributes are still existent), nay, to shut the eye to the phenomenal wrorld"
(and this shows that human attributes are annihilated; because the objects of
sight arc phenomena, and when phenomena disappear, sight also disappears).
Shutting the eye to the phenomenal world leaves the spiritual vision subsistcnt,
i.e. whoever becomes blind to self sees by means of God, because the seeker of
phenomena is also a self seeker, and his action proceeds from and through
himself, and he cannot find any way of escaping from himself. Accordingly one
sees himself to be imperfect, and one shuts his eye to self and does not see;
and although the seer sees his 'imperfection, nevertheless his eye is a veil,
and he is veiled by his sight, but he who does not see is not veiled by his
blindness. This is a well established principle in the Path of aspirants to
Sufi'ism and mystics (arbab-i maani), but to explain it here would be
unsuitable. And Abu Bakr Shibli says: Al-tasawwuf shirk li'annahu siyanat al-qalb
'an ruyat al-ghayr wa-la ghavr, "Sufi'ism is polytheism, because it is the
guarding of the heart from the vision of 'other', and 'other' does not exist."
That is to say, vision of other (than God) in affirming the Unity of God is
polytheism, and when "other" has no value in the heart, it is absurd to guard
the heart from remembrance of "other". .And Husri says: Al- tasawwuf safa.
af-sirr min kudurat al-mukhalafat, "Sufi'ism is the heart's being pure from the
pollution of discord." The meaning thereof is that he should protect the heart
from discord with God, because love is concord, and concord is the opposite of
discord, and the lover has but one duty in the world, namely, to keep the
commandment of the beloved; and if the object of desire is one, how can discord
arise? And Muhammad b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. Abi Talib - may God be
pleased with them all! - says: Al- tasawwuf khulq fa-man zada 'alayka fi'l-khulq
zada 'alayka fi 'l-tasawwuf "Sufi'ism is goodness of disposition: he that has
the better disposition is the better Sufi." Now goodness of disposition is of
two kinds: towards God and towards men. The former is acquiescence in the Divine
decrces, the latter is endurance of the burden of men's society for God's sake.
These two aspects refer to the seeker (talib). God is independent of the
seeker's acquiescence or anger, and these twro qualities depend on consideration
of His Unity. And Abu Muhammad Murta'ish says: Al-Sufi la yasbiqu himmatuhu
khatwatahu, "The Sufi is he whose thought keeps pace with his foot," i.e. he is
entirely present: his soul is where his body is, and his body where his soul is,
and his soul where his foot is, and his foot where his soul is. This is the sign
of presence without absence. Others say, on the contrary: "He is absent from
himself and present with God." it is not so: he is present with himself and
present with God. The expression denotes perfect union (jam'al- jam), because
there can be no absence from self so long as one regards one's self; when self
regard has ceased, there is presence (with God) without absence. In this
particular sense the saying closely resembles that of Shibli: Al-Sufi la yara fi
'l-darayn maa 'llah ghayra 'llah, "The Sufi is he that sees nothing except God
in the two worlds." In short, human existence is "other", and wrhen a man does
not see "other" he does not see himself; and becomes totally void of self,
whether "self is affirmed or denied. And Junayd says: Al-tasawwuf mabniyy ala
tharnan khisal at-sakha wa 't-rida wa 'l-sabr wa 'l-isharat wa 'i-ghurbat wa-labs
al-suf wa 'l-siyahat wa 'l-faqr amma 'l-sakha fa-li-lbrahim wa- amma 't-rida
fa-li-lsmail wa-amma 'l-sabr fa-li-Ayyub wa- amma 'l-isharat fa-li-Zakariyya
wa-amma. 'l-ghurbat fa-li- Yahya wa-amma labs al-suf fa-li-Musa waama 'l-siyahat
fa-li-lsa wa-amma 'l-faqr fa-li-Muhammad sal la 'llahu 'alayhi wa-sallama
wa-alayhim ajmain, Sufi'ism is founded on eight qualities exemplified in eight
Apostles: the generosity of Abraham,who sacrified his son; the acquiescence of
lshmael, who submitted to the command of God and gave up his dear life; the
patience of Job, who patiently endured the affliction of worms and the jealousy
of the Merciful; the symbolism of Zacharias, to whom God said, Thou shalt not
speak unto men for three days save by signs' (Qur.iii,36), and again to the same
effect, 'When he called upon his Lord with a secret invocation' (Qur.xix,2): the
stranger hood of John, who wa a stranger in his own country and an alien to his
own kin amongst whom he lived; the pilgrimhood of Jesus, who was so detached
therein from worldly things that he kept only a cup and a comb - the cup he
threw away when he saw a man drinking water in the palms of his hands, and the
comb likewise when he saw another man using his fingers instead of a toothpick;
the wearing of wool by Moses, whose garment was woolen; and the poverty of
Muhammad (May peacc be upon him), to whom God Almighty sent the key of all the
treasures that are upon the face of the earth, saying: 'Lay no trouble on
thyself, but procure every luxury by means of these treasures; and he answered:
'O Lord, I desire them not, keep mc one day full-fed and one day hungry."1 These
are very excellent principles of conduct.
And Husri says: At-Sufi la yujadu ba'da 'adamihi wa- la yudamu bada wujudihi,
"The Sufi is he whose existence is without non-existence and his non-existence
without existence," i.e. he never loses that which he finds, and he never finds
that which he loses. Another meaning is this, that his finding (yaft) has no not
finding (na-yaft), and his not finding has no finding at any time, so that there
is either an affirmation without negation or a negation without affirmation. The
objcct of all these expressions is that the Sufi's state of mortality should
entirely lapse, and that his bodily feelings (shawahid) should disappear and his
connexion with everything be cut off, in order that the mystery of his mortality
may be revealed and his various parts united in his essential self, and that he
may subsist through and in himself. The cffcct of this can be shown in two
Apostles: firstly, Moses, in whose existence there was no non-existencc, so that
he said: "O Lord, enlarge my breast and make my affair easy unto me" (Qur.
xx,26,27); secondly, the Apostle (Muhammad), in whose non existence there wras
no existence, so that God said: "Did not We enlarge thy breat?" (Qur.xcivJ). The
one asked for adornment and sought honour, but the other was adorned, since he
had no request to make for himself.
And 'Ali b. Bundar al-Sayrafi of Nishapur says: Al- tasawwuf isqat al-ru'yal
li-'lhaqq zahir wa-batin, Sufi'ism is this, that the Sufi should not regard his
own exterior and interior, but should regard all as belonging to God." Thus, if
you look at the exterior, you will find an outward sign of God's blessing, and,
as you look, outward actions will not have the weight even of a gnat's wing
beside the blessing of God, and you will cease from regarding the exterior; and
again, if you look at the interior, you will find an inward sign of God's aid,
and. as you look, inward actions will not turn the scale by a single grain in
comparison with the aid of God, and you will cease from regarding the interior,
and wjll see that all belongs to God; and when you see that all is God's, you
will see that you yourself have nothing.
Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Muqri9 says: Al-tasawwuf istiqamat al-ahwal ma'a '1-haqq, "Sufi'ism
is the maintenance of right states with God," i.e. "states" do not seduce the
Sufi from his (right) state, nor cast him into wrong, since he whose heart is
devoted to the Author of states (muhawwil-i ahwal) is not cast down from the
rank of rectitude nor hindered from attainig to the Truth.
SECTION Maxims of Conduct (muamalat)
Abu Hafs Haddad of Nishapur says: Al-tasawwuf kulluhu adab li-kulli waqt adab
wa-li-kulli maqam adab wa-li-kulli hal adab fa-man lazima addab al-awqat balagha
mablagh al-rijal fa-man dayya'a 'l-addab fa-huwa baid min haythu yazunnuu
'1-qurb wa-mardud min haythu yazunnu '1- qabul, "Sufi'ism consists entirely of
behaviour; every time, place, and circumstance have their own propriety; he that
observes the proprieties of each occasion attains to the rank of holy men; and
he that neglects the proprieties is far removed from the thought of nearness (to
God) and is excluded from imagining that he is acceptable to God." The meaning
of this is akin to the dictum of Abu 'l-Hasan Nuri; Laysa 'I-tasawwuf rusum
wa-Ia ulum wa-lakinnahu akhlaq, "Sufi'ism is not composed of practices and
sciences, but it is morals," i.e. if it consisted of practices, it could be
acquired by effort, and if it consisted of sciences, it could be gained by
instruction: hence it is morals, and it is not acquired until you demand from
yourself the principles of morals, and make your actions square with them, and
fulfil their just claims. The distinction between practics (rusum) and morals (akhlaq)
is this, that practices are ceremonial actions proceeding from certain motives,
actions devoid of reality, so that their form is at variance with their spirit,
whereas morals are praiseworthy actions without ceremony or motive, actions
devoid of pretension, so that their form is in harmony with their spirit.
mystics (ahrar), the earnestness of the latter is not thereby turned to
folly. And Abu Ali Qarmini10 says: Al-Tasawwuf huwa '1-akhlaq al-radiyyat, "Sufi'ism
is good morals. Approved actions are such that the creature in all circumstances
approves of God, and is content and satisfied. Abu'l Hasan Nuri says: Al-tasawwuf
huwa '1- hurriyyat wa-'l-futuwwat wa-tark al-taklif wa-'l-sakha , "Sufism is
liberty, so that a man is freed from the bonds of desire; and generosity," i.e.
he is purged from the conceit of generosity; "and abandonment of useless
trouble," i.e. he does not strive after apportenances and rewards; and
munificene," i.e. he leaves this world to the people of this world.
And Abu '1-Hasan Fushanja11 - may God have mercy on him! - says: Al-tasawwuf
al-yawma 'smun wa-la haqiqat waqad kana haqiqat wa-la 'smun, "Today Sufism is a
name without a reality, but formerly it an was a reality without a name," i.e.
in the time of the Companions and the Ancients — may God have mercy on them! —
this name did not exist, but the reality thereof was in everyone; now the name
exists, but not the reality. That is to say, formerly the practice was known and
the pretence unknown, but nowadays the pretence is known and the practice
unknown.
I have brought together and examined in this chapter on Sufi'ism a number of
the sayings of the Sliaykhs, in order that this Path may become clear to you —
God grant you felicity! - and that you may say to the sceptics:"What do you mean
by denying the truth of Sufi'ism?" If they deny only the name it is no matter,
since ideas are unrelated to things which bear names; and if they deny the
essential ideas, this amounts to a denial of the whole Sacred Law of the Apostle
and his praised qualities. And I enjoin you in this book - God grant you the
felicity with which He has blessed His Saints! — to hold these ideas in due
regard and 'Umar b. al-Khattab, and the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali, and
Harim b. Hayyan relate that they saw Uways Qarani with a woollen garment on
which patches were inserted. Hasan of Basra and Malik Dinar and Sufyan Thawri
were ownors of woollen patched frocks. And it is related of the Imam Abu Hanifa
of Kufa - this is written in the History of the Shaykhs composed by Muhammad b.
'Ali Hakim tirmidhi - that he at first clothed himself in wool and was on the
point of retiring from the world, when he saw in a dream the Apostle, who said:
"It behoves thee to live amidst the people, because thou art the means whereby
my Sunnah will be revived." Then Abu Hanifa refrained from solitude, but he
never put on a garment of any value. And Dawud Tai, who was one of the veritable
adepts among the aspirants to Sufi'ism (yaki az muhaqqiqan-i mutasawwifa),
enjoined the wearing of wool. And Ibrahim the son of Adham came to visit the
most venerable Imam Abu Hanifa, clad in a garment of wool. The latter's
disciples looked at him with contempt and disparagement, until Abu Hanifa said:
"Our lord Ibrahim b. Adham has come." The disciples said: "The Imam utters no
jests: how has he gained this lordship?" Abu Hanifa replied: "By continual
devotion. He has been occupied in serving God while we have been engaged in
serving our own bodies. Thus he has become our lord."
It may well be the case that at the present day some persons wear patched
frocks and religious habits (;muraqqa'at u khiraq) for the sake of public honour
and reputation, and that their hearts belie their external garb; for there may
be but one champion in a host, and in every sect the genuine adepts are few.
People, however, reckon as Sufis all who resemble the Sufis even in a single
rule, the Apostle said: Man tashabbaha bi-qawmin fa-huwa minhum, "He that makes
himself akin to a party either in conduct or in belief, is one of that party.
"But while some mystics (ahrar), the earnestness of the latter is not thereby
turned to folly. And Abu Ali Qarmini10 says: A]-Tasawwuf huwa '1-akhlaq al-radiyyat,
"Sufi'ism is good morals. Approved actions are such that the creature in all
circumstances approves of God, and is content and satisfied. Abu'l Hasan Nuri
says: Al-tasawwuf huwa '1- hurriyyat wa-'l-futuwwat wa-tark al-taklif
wa-'l-sakha , "Sufism is liberty, so that a man is freed from the bonds of
desire; and generosity," i.e. he is purged from the conceit of generosity; "and
abandonment of useless trouble," i.e. he does not strive after apportenances and
rewards; and munificene," i.e. he leaves this world to the people of this world.
And Abu 'l-Hasan Fushanja11 - may God have mercy on him! - says: Al-tasawwuf
al-yawma 'smun wa-la haqiqat waqad kana haqiqat wa-la 'smun, "Today Sufism is a
name without a reality, bui formerly it an was a reality without a name," i.e.
in the time of the Companions and the Ancients — may God have mercy on them! --
this name did not exist, but the reality thereof was in everyone; now the name
exists, but not the reality. That is to say, formerly the practice was known and
the pretcnce unknown, but n owadays the pretence is known and the practice
unknown.
I have brought together and examined in this chapter on Sufi'ism a number of
the sayings of the Shaykhs, in order that this Path may become clear to you —
God grant you felicity! - and that you may say to the sceptics:"What do you mean
by denying the truth of Sufi'ism?" If they deny only the name it is no matter,
since ideas are unrelated to things which bear names; and if they deny the
essential ideas, this amounts to a denial of the whole Sacred Law of the Apostle
and his praised qualities. And I enjoin you in this book - God grant you the
felicity with which He has blessed His Saints! — to hold these ideas in due
regard and satisfy their just claims, so that you may refrain from idle
pretensions and have an excellent belief in the Sufis themselves. It is God that
gives success.
'Umar b. al-Khattab, and the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali, and Harim b.
Flayyan relate that they saw Uways Qarani with a woollen garment on which
patches were inserted. Hasan of Basra and Malik Dinar and Sufyan Thawri were
ownors of woollen patched frocks. And it is related of the Imam Abu Hani fa of
Kufa - this is written in the History of the Shaykhs composed by Muhammad b.
'Ali Hakim tirmidhi - that he at first clothed himself in wool and was on the
point of retiring from the world, when he saw in a dream the Apostle, who said:
"It behoves thee to live amidst the people, because thou art the means whereby
my Sunnah will be revived." Then Abu Hanifa refrained from solitude, but he
never put on a garment of any value. And Dawud Tai, who was one of the veritable
adepts among the aspirants to Sufi'ism (yaki az muhaqqiqan-i mutasawwifa),
enjoined the wearing of wool. And Ibrahim the son of Adham came to visit the
most venerable Imam Abu Hanifa, clad in a garment of wool. The latter's
disciples looked at him with contempt and disparagement, until Abu Hanifa said:
"Our lord Ibrahim b. Adham has come." The disciples said: "The Imam utters no
jests: how has he gained this lordship?" Abu Hanifa replied: "By continual
devotion. He has been occupicd in serving God while we have been engaged in
serving our own bodies. Thus he has become our lord."
It may well be the case that at the present day some persons wear patched
frocks and religious habits (.muraqqa'at u khiraq) for the sake of public honour
and reputation, and that their hearts belie their external garb; for there may
be but one champion in a host, and in every sect the genuine adepts are few.
People, however, reckon as Sufis all who resemble the Sufis even in a single
rule, the Apostle said: Man tashabbaha hi-qawmiti fa-huwa minhum, "He that makes
himself akin to a party either in conduct or in belief, is one of that
party."But while some
1 Qur.xxv.64.
2 See Chapter [X,
3 The name zaddiq (an Aramaic word meaning "righteous") was given to the
ascctics and spiritual adepts among the Manichaeans. Its Arabic equivalent,
saddiq, which means "veracious", is a term that is frequently applied to Sufis.
4 Yatasara'un. B- has yata'adawn, and in marg, Yatasara'un. The true reading is
yata'awawn, ''barking (or 'growling') at one another," Cf. Lisan, xix,343,3.
5 Yatagbawarun. This is the reading of J., 1. Has yata'awarun, L. yata'awadun,
B. yataghamazun, and in marg. Yatafawazun.
6. Examples of this signification of the form ta'a"ul are given in Wright's
Arabic Grammar, vol.i, p.37, Rem.b.
7. Viz. purity (safa) and Sufi'ism (tasawwuf)
8 So J. The Lahore edition has Ibn al-Jalali, I. Ibn al-Jullabi. See Cahpter X.
No.34.
9 Died in 366 A.H. See Nafahat, No.332.
10 1 J. Qazwiui. B. Abu 'Ali Kirmanshahi Qurayshi, The Shaykllin question is
probably Muzaffar Kirmanshahi Qarmini (Nafahat, No.270)
11 Generally written "Fushanji". See Nafahat, No.279.
12
