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The Thoughtful Guide
to Sufism.
Free from any trace of scholastic pedantry, Shykh Fadhlalla, a renowned Islamic jurist and himself a Sufi, has succeeded in his mission of giving the general reader a guide on Sufism. In this study, only prominent landmarks and essential features are highlighted and mapped out. Sufism is treated here as an integral part of Islam and its origin is traced to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, quoting the Tradition, beloved of the Sufis: "I have moments of familiarity with God where neither Cherubim nor Prophet can contain me." In other words, Sufism is derived from the Prophet’s own experience of mysticism, and it is from the Quran that mysticism proceeds in its origin and development. According to Fadhlalla Haeri, the seeds of Sufism are in the powerful Sufi trends manifest during the first century A.H. The opening chapter draws a picture of Arabia in Pre-Islamic and early Islamic time, when there existed a wide tendency to asceticism. The next stage was a strong opposition of the devout Muslims, standing up to the vices, luxury and immorality in which rulers and others holding authority indulged. The author, like the famous Sufi authority, Professor Arthur J. Arberry, is quite liberal and catholic in his approach to Sufism. Sufism is not confined to a particular ethnic group, but transcends any tribal and linguistic bias and is universal in its spirit. Sufism means self-enlightenment and inner awakening, which is the principle way of original Islam. The author describes the Sufi as the one who persists in purity with Allah and good character with creation. Sufism is at once the most profound and sublime humanist activity. The author gives a list of 10 Sufi orders that rise and decline. Generally, Sufi orders tend to be cyclical in nature, and last for about two to three hundred years before weakening and decaying. Whenever a need is felt, a Sufi order arises, and reaches its climax and eventually disintegrates. The Naqsh Bandi traces its lineage to the first Muslim ruler, Abu Bakr, and finally to the Prophet. In India, Chisti Sufi order became the most influential and popular because it integrated the Hindus and the Muslims. The author discusses the way of the Sufis. He repudiates the common notion that Sufis are esoterisists. A Sufi is enlightened, selfless, humble and a decent human being, following the austere Islamic law. Self-purification is the core of Sufism, complete churning of the self by expelling from it any dross that clings to it. Knowledge is not the key to Sufism. No intellectual discussion leads to enlightenment. Sufism is an unending spiritual quest and experiences sustained by concentration and meditation. The author concedes that certain outer practices such as prayer, invocations and recitations are a great help to the Sufi. He recommends that the right course for the Sufi is to be outwardly conformist and restrained, and inwardly exposed to the wider horizons of freedom and bliss. Haeri exposes present Sufism, in which a ritual is mistaken for reality. He regrets that a few Sufi orders have deviated from the original path and imbibed strange practices verging on mass hypnosis. The author has made references to some of the Sufi orders in India. In Ain-I-Akbari, Abul Fazl mentions fourteen Sufi orders, while today, according to Professor Arberry, more than two thirds of the Indian Muslim population is under the influence of one order or fraternity. By no means Sufism is static; it has evolved due to conditioning; the Naqsh Bandi order played a vital role in the Freedom Struggle. When the Muslim League was fighting for a separate homeland, some of the prominent Sufis plunged into politics and supported the party. Their conduct is questionable on the ground that Sufism is solely a way of self-abnegation, retirement and monastic existence. The author’s discussion of Sufism is partial, though he is conscious how it has been misused. He has not taken into account the views of conscientious objectors. The book gives us biographical sketches of some of the prominent Sufis, which show that despite diversities in race and languages, the Sufis adopt a common way of living by a total disengagement of the mind from all temporal concerns and worldly possessions, and a complete submission to the will of God, whom they look upon as the darling of their heart. |
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