A Himalayan Mistake and its
Disastrous Consequences
The introduction of the word tasawwuf into the language of Islam has produced two
disastrous results. The first is the alienation from, and indifference to, a
very important Qur’anic and Prophetic term; the second is the hostility towards
tasawwuf
among those who are loyal and committed to the
terminology of the Qur’an and the words of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Indifference
to an Important Qur’anic and Prophetic Term
The first of the two disastrous
consequences of the introduction of the term tasawwuf into the language of Islam was that Muslims became
virtually ignorant of an extremely important Qur’anic and Prophetic term.
Keeping in mind the fact that the objectives and goals of tasawwuf are totally in keeping with the teachings and
spirit of Islam, it is only natural to assume that Islam has a specific word or
term to signify that which has come to be known as tasawwuf.
In fact, the language of the Qur’an
and the words of the Prophet (SAW) do indeed contain such a term, viz., Ihsan. Although the word Ihsan can mean doing good to another person, it is
primarily a very significant Islamic term. Unfortunately, since the word tasawwuf has become prevalent and widely accepted, the
use of the authentic Islamic term Ihsan practically disappeared from the discourse of
the Muslims. Consequently, although the word Ihsan has been used in the Qur’an and Hadith in a very profound sense, its actual usage by
the Muslims became very limited and truncated. In other words, the term tasawwuf usurped an important conceptual dimension of
Islam that is defined by the term Ihsan.
Since the term Ihsan was supplanted by tasawwuf, the meaning of Ihsan in actual usage became limited only to
benevolent and charitable behavior towards another person. The Qur’an does use Ihsan in this sense: “...and do Ihsan to others as Allah has done Ihsan to you…” (Al-Qassas 28:77).
The literal meaning of Ihsan is related to its root — h-s-n — which denotes
“beauty,” and therefore it is used in the sense of adding the element of beauty
to a thing or task, to adorn or beautify something. For instance, consider the
following hadith, in which this word is used in its literal sense. Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) said:
“The beauty of an individual’s
Islam is that he gives up all useless (and unproductive) activities.” In other
words, one aspect of the beauty of Islamic behavior is to avoid wasting one’s
time in diversions that provide no benefit for this world or for the Hereafter.
In other ahadith too, the word Ihsan is used by the Prophet
(SAW) to denote the performance of an action in the best possible manner —
doing something with full attention, putting one’s heart into it, taking care
of the small details. This, in short, is the essence of the word Ihsan when it is used in its literal sense.
In addition to its literal meaning
mentioned above, the word Ihsan has also been used in the
Holy Qur’an as well as in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in a very
particular sense; this special usage of the word Ihsan has turned an Arabic word into a very
important Islamic term. Conceived as a pivotal locution, the meaning of Ihsan is intimately and organically related to two
other fundamental Islamic terms — Islam and Iman — as described below.
In the famous hadith of Gabriel (AS), the first three questions asked
by the Archangel refer to the essence of Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. The important point to note here is
that, even though the hadith of Gabriel (AS) is among
the most well known and often repeated Prophetic sayings, the Muslims have
become practically ignorant of the fact that Ihsan is a central Islamic concept that is
organically related to Islam and Iman. This is a reflection of the fact
that their understanding of the word Ihsan has become extremely limited and truncated.
The hadith of Gabriel (AS) is as
follows:
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RAA) reports:
One day when we were with Allah’s Messenger (SAW), a man with very white clothing
and very black hair came up to us. No mark of travel was visible on him, and
none of us recognized him. Sitting down beside the Prophet (SAW), leaning his
knees against his and placing his hands on his things, he said: “Tell me, Muhammad,
about Islam.” He replied: “Islam means that you should testify that
there is no god but Allah and thatMuhammad (SAW) is Allah’s
Messenger, that you should observe the
prayer, pay the Zakat, fast during Ramadan, and make the
pilgrimage to the House if you are able to go there.” He said: “You have spoken
the truth.” We were surprised at his questioning him and then declaring that he
spoke the truth. He said: “Now tell me about Iman.”
He replied: “It means that you should believe in Allah (SWT), His angels, His
books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you should believe in the
decreeing both of good and evil.” Remarking that he had spoken the truth, he
then said: “Now tell me about Ihsan.”
He replied: “It means that you should worship Allah (SWT) as though you see
Him, for He sees you though you do not see Him.” He said: “Now tell me about
the Hour.” He replied: “The one who is asked about it is no better informed
than the one who is asking.” He said: “Then tell me about its signs.” He
replied: “That a maid-servant should beget her mistress, and that you should
see barefooted, naked, poor men and shepherds exalting themselves in
buildings.” [Umar] said: He then went away, and after I had waited for a long
time, [the Prophet] said to me: “Do you know who the questioner was, Umar?” I
replied: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “He was Gabriel who came
to you to teach you your religion.”
(Narrated by Bukhari)
In this connection, note that the
following Qur’anic ayah also reflects the relationship between Islam, Iman and Ihsan:
Those who have attained to Iman [faith] and do righteous deeds
incur no blame by partaking of whatever they may have [in the past], so long as
they are conscious of Allah and have Iman and
do righteous deeds, and continue to be conscious of Allah and have [true] Iman, and then grow ever more conscious
of Allah and do [reach the level of] Ihsan;
and Allah loves those who have attained to Ihsan.
(Al-Mai’dah 5:93)
In order to appreciate the wisdom
contained in this ayah, and to understand why the word Iman is used repeatedly, we need to differentiate
between legal or dogmatic Iman on the one hand and actual or real Iman on the other. Legal, dogmatic faith
is that which is uttered by the tongue, by virtue of which an individual enters
the community of Islam. Having become conscious of Allah (SWT), the individual
verbally accepts the Islamic creed and begins to live his or her life according
to the Islamic Shari‘ah. At this stage, the individual is a legal Muslim and his or her
behavior falls under the category of “righteous deeds” to the degree that it is
in accordance with the Shari‘ah. In other words, when an individual verbally attests to the
verity of the Islamic creed and shapes his or her behavior according to the Shari‘ah, that individual is said to have
entered the fold of “obedience” to Allah (SWT) or Islam; he or she has, in effect, given
up resistance and surrendered before the orders of the Almighty Lord. At the
level of Islam, however, the verbal acceptance of the Islamic creed is not
necessarily reflective of what is in the individual’s heart regarding that
which he or she has uttered with the tongue. Nonetheless, verbal attestation
and righteous behavior do indeed heighten the individual’s consciousness of
Allah (SWT) and he or she becomes prepared to move to the next stage. When an
individual’s heart genuinely understands and freely accepts that which the
tongue has uttered and this understanding and utterance continues to be complemented
by righteous deeds, which correspondingly improve in sincerity and elegance,
then that individual is said to have attained genuine and true Iman. At this stage, the statement of
faith is not merely a dogmatic, theological assertion but a living and
life-giving conviction.
When there is no discrepancy
between what is uttered by the tongue, what is manifested in action, and what
is believed in the heart then the level of Iman has been reached. It appears that
this is the apex of the religious journey but this is clearly not the case. The
fore-cited Qur’anic ayah and the referenced Prophetic hadith make it clear that there is a third stage
beyond Islam and Iman, and this is the stage of Ihsan. With the consciousness of Allah
(SWT) being heightened further at the level of Iman, the individual is prepared to
enter the stage of Ihsan.
Consequently, Ihsan constitutes the apex of the religious journey
in Islam — where the consciousness of the believer becomes so acute that, metaphorically
speaking, Allah (SWT) is always before the believers’ eyes.
From the Qur’anic and Prophetic
point of view, therefore, Ihsan represents the zenith of spiritual development. This stage marks
complete deliverance from ignorance and darkness and the attainment of gnosis. At
this stage, the individual self or ego becomes so cultured and purified that it
becomes capable of beholding directly the true nature of reality.
The heart is also cleansed and the
light of the human spiritual soul enlightens the whole being of the person. The
individual sees nothing but Divine Love, Majesty, and Beauty in the created
universe and therefore selflessly devotes him/herself to the service of His
creatures. In serving the creatures, he or she expects nothing in return from
those being served but only heightened awareness of the Creator. In other
words, the level of Ihsan can be referred to as being
the objective and goal of tasawwuf.
A very important hadith sheds further light on the displacement of the
term Ihsan by the term tasawwuf. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:
“Whenever an innovation is introduced into the Deen it is inevitable that an authentic Prophetic
practice is displaced.” This hadith clearly states that every innovation in
religion invariably replaces a Sunnah and, in the context of the present
discussion, we see how the word tasawwuf has displaced the genuinely Islamic
term Ihsan.
To be continued....
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