The Cure for the Disease - The Reality of Tasawwuf

The Cure for the Disease

Now we turn to the issue of curing the ailment that has struck the soul of spirituality in Islam. The diagnosis has been clearly outlined in the foregoing paragraphs and the causes, characteristics, and manifestations of departure from the Prophetic model have also been spelled out. This much having been done, it is relatively easy to identify the cure. The cure is simple: Return to the Prophetic model that we find in vogue during the early years of Islam. 

Since the disease has two dimensions, the cure will also have to be two-pronged. Firstly, there has to be a “Return to the Qur’an.” The Qur’an must be accorded its central and pivotal place as the source of spiritual and moral enlightenment. The depth and breadth of faith that can be attained from an intimate and organic relationship with the Qur’an cannot be had from any other source. Furthermore, it is the Qur’an and only the Qur’an that can satiate the needs of an individual who aspires to attain faith with an intellectual dimension. It has been mentioned before that one can attain blind faith — genuine and intense — by staying in the company of righteous people and by strictly adhering to the Shari‘ah.

However, if the goal is to acquire faith with an intellectual dimension, then there is only one source for this type of faith and that is the Qur’an. The quest for gnosis and the search for the knowledge of reality free from all veils can only be satisfied by the Divine Word. I refer to Iqbal once again:

To speak the truth, the Qur’an is not just a book,

It is altogether a different thing.

When it penetrates into the soul,

The soul becomes entirely different from what it was before;

And when the soul changes, the whole world is transformed!

He further explains:

To kill the Iblees is difficult,

For he lives deep in the hidden nooks of the heart.

Better far would it be to convert him to Islam,

Kill him with the sword of the Qur’an.

There is an important point regarding the recitation of the Qur’an that should be kept in mind. There are two dimensions of benefiting from the Divine Word: regular, constant, and repetitive recitation on the one hand and deep reflection, deliberation, and contemplation over its wisdom and meaning on the other. A believer must relate to the Qur’an on both of these levels, regular recitation and careful deliberation. It is obvious, however, that there is a degree of tension between these two levels — more of one means less of the other. The more occupied one is in reciting the Qur’an, the less time one will have to deliberately ponder its meaning and message. The more time one spends carefully scrutinizing the wisdom that is implicit and explicit in the ayaat of the Qur’an, the less time one will have to recite it repetitively. This tension can be resolved in light of the pointer contained in the following ayah: 

In time We shall make it plainly clear to them Our sings [through what they perceive] on the horizons [of the universe] and within themselves, so that it will become clear to them that this [Qur’an] is indeed the truth….

(Ha-Meem Al-Sajdah 41:53)

It must be understood that the Qur’an uses inductive rather than deductive logic when putting forth arguments to draw the individual’s attention towards Allah (SWT). It encourages and challenges the individual to look not only at the natural world but also in the depths of one’s own being. Indeed, if one looks closely and intently enough one will find nothing but evidence of Divine Providence both in the world without and the world within. 

In light of the fore-cited ayah we can say that there are three types of Divine ayaat:

• Qur’anic ayaat,
• the ayaat in the natural world, and
• the ayaat  in one’s own being. 

Pondering these three types of ayaat and discovering the intimate relationship between them will result in the dormant consciousness being awakened and rising to the level of clear consciousness. This is actually what is meant by “remembrance” and “reminder,” and this is what leads to genuine faith.

It is obvious that the amount of knowledge that has been accumulated regarding the natural world far outstrips anything that was known even a century ago. Consequently, with the rapid progress of scientific knowledge fresh avenues are opening up that provide entirely new angles and insights into Qur’anic wisdom — angles and insights that are simply not available in the absence of this scientific knowledge. This development offers a profound opportunity and challenge for the modern believer, because scientific developments are naturally moving in a direction that brings the intellectual dimension of Tazkeer bil-Qur’an (Reminder by the Qur’an) to the forefront. 

This point was emphasized by Iqbal in his Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. He has argued that the methods and exercises which the Sufis of a bygone era had adopted in order to purify the nafs and liberate the spirit are simply too rigorous to be borne by the modern individual. In the present discussion, we have stressed the fact that these methods and exercises find no justification in the Prophetic Method, but the observation by Iqbal sheds additional light on the subject — the fact that the moderns indeed are not capable of these rigorous exercises. In order to make up for this shortcoming it is simply indispensable to emphasize the intellectual dimension of Tazkeer bilQur’an.

The reason for this is the fact that the doors of scientific knowledge have been opened wide by Allah (SWT) in the modern era as never before in human history. By virtue of this opening, the depth and breadth of Qur’anic thought and wisdom have become apparent at unprecedented levels. This development actually serves as compensation for the rigorous physical exercises that were required in bygone days in order to attain spiritual enlightenment.

In curing the disease, the second point is a return to the active struggle to establish the Kingdom of Allah (SWT) on earth as a means of countering the demands of the nafs. The obligatory modes of worship prescribed by the Shari’ah need to be the primary means of approaching the Divine, while the emphasis that was placed on supererogatory practices by the Sufis should be significantly decreased. Out of these supererogatory practices, the ones that are rooted in the Prophetic model should be adhered to on an individual level as much as possible, but Jihad for the cause of Allah (SWT) has to become the primary means for the purposes of disciplining and culturing the nafs. It has already been mentioned that all the objectives of controlling the nafs that can be achieved through the rigorous physical exercises of the Sufis can also be attained through the struggle against tyranny, oppression, and injustice; in other words, through the efforts to establish the Deen of Allah (SWT) in this world. The only difference is the fact that attaining this objective through the latter method is more authentically Prophetic and far more efficient.

The second point that needs to be kept in mind is that, at the current stage in history, the Deen of Allah (SWT) is not ascendant. Although Islam is not in the period of monarchical dominion either, it is, in the words of a Prophetic hadith, in the period of “alien strangeness.” Referring to his own Prophetic mission and projecting into the future, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has said: “Islam came into the world as a stranger, and it will once again become a stranger. Therefore, give glad tidings to the strangers.” 

When the Prophet (SAW) began his mission the concept of Tauheed had become so corrupt and diluted that its proper exposition sounded bizarre, not just to the pagan Arabs but also to the self-proclaimed adherents of monotheism — the Jews and the Christians. After this initial period of strangeness, Islam was established and the noble principle of Tauheed reigned supreme, but eventually the principle of entropy set in and the period of decline began. Consequently, at the current juncture in history the proper exposition of Tauheed sounds strange and bizarre even to the ears of the vast majority of Muslims — and Islam has once again become something alien. Therefore, it is logical and sensible that once again the struggle to establish the Deen of Allah (SWT) becomes the main focus of the Muslim, not only as a religious obligation but also as a means of combating the demands of the nafs. 

In this context, it also needs to be mentioned that many of the obstacles that were present during the period of medieval monarchy in relation to the struggle of making Islam supreme have been removed as a result of the evolution of social institutions. During medieval times there was no distinction between state and government, to oppose the government was to oppose the state. By extension, anyone opposing the state was a heretic, politically and religiously. 

However, the concept of human rights and the rights of the citizens have evolved over the past few hundred years. Today, the citizens of a state have the right to challenge the government within the limits of the Constitution. They have the rights of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of organization — rights that were not present in the medieval period. From a purely theoretical and Constitutional point of view, there are no restrictions on the citizens of the modern state to organize and campaign so that a genuinely Islamic form of governance comes into existence. By the Grace of Allah (SWT), this concept of citizens’ rights is most evolved in Pakistan among all the Muslim countries — some Muslim countries are still in the medieval period in this regard. Consequently, there are no external limitations on those who wish to choose this path as a means of disciplining the nafs, at least in our country. The sad fact, however, is that we have placed numerous limitations on ourselves, and have developed a tendency to look for excuses. The hurdles are internal and of our own making.

In summary, the evolution of the physical sciences has opened the way to gain profound insights into the wisdom and profundity of the Qur’an — all of this to the degree that was not possible in the premodern era for the average believer. This opens the door for the development of a religious faith that has an intellectual dimension. At the same time, the evolution of the social sciences has made it possible for the average believer to legally and Constitutionally undertake a genuine struggle for the sake of Islam, to struggle to make Islam supreme — again an opportunity that was not available to earlier generations who lived under monarchy. This opens the door of disciplining and culturing the nafs in accordance with the practice of the Prophet (SAW) and the early Muslim community.

The conclusion of this argument has to return to the points that were made at the very outset. As far as the objectives and goals of tasawwuf  are concerned, these are in full agreement with Islamic teachings. To put the matter more bluntly, the objectives and goals of tasawwuf  are in fact the very core, the essence, and the spirit of Islam.

However, during the course of Muslim history, Sufi thought and practice has significantly deviated from the Prophetic model in terms of the exact methodology to attain these objectives. A critical and objective academic study of Sufism and its comparison to the Prophetic life sufficiently illustrates this point. The advances made in comparative academic study is also a valuable tool in this regard — a tool that helps us critically analyze the subjects under study. I must agree with Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi who has noted that the Sufis are the most genuine philosophers of Islam. The issues of ontology, epistemology, and that of the relationship between the two find their most authentic Islamic exposition in the words of the Sufis of Islam, not the “philosophers” of Islam. That much having been said, the arguments outlined in the preceding pages delineate the points on which I see major shortcomings in the institution of Tasawwuf. For me the Qur’an is the ultimate criterion for analyzing, critiquing, and complimenting any given subject. In this regard the example of the Prophet (SAW) — his life, his sayings, his doings, his non-doings — is almost just as important because his life is the most authentic commentary on the Qur’an.

I have attempted to examine the subject of tasawwuf by viewing it through the lenses of the clear and indisputable teachings of the Qur’an and the life-history of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). If you find any benefit in it, it is due to the Grace of Allah (SWT); and if there is any defect in it, I beseech Allah (SWT) to grant me and you protection from any such defect. 

END

Source: The Reality of Tasawwuf