Assalamu AlaykuAssalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu! Subhanim AllahSultanim Allah Nabiyim Muhammad Alayhis Salam Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahiim Truly Allah(swt) guides whom He wants to be guided and He is with those who are patient; one who does good deeds would benefit from it and one who does bad deeds, truly it would only be his/her loss Wake Up Oh Ummah of Rasulullah(Saw)! Wake Up The Blessed Ummah among all the Ummah! Wake Up The Ummah of Akhir Zaman! FACT #1: Ibn Taymiyyas supposed anti-Sufism sentiment is a clearcut misrepresentation of the truth. To conclude that Ibn Taymiyya opposed Sufism/Tasawwuf as a whole, simply because he considered particular activities or statements by some individuals and groups as unacceptable in shariah, is like concluding that he opposed the Science of Fiqh because he criticized the viewpoints and practices of certain fuqaha (jurists). This would be more than an exagerration, it is completely inaccurate. FACT #2: Ibn Taymiyya received iniation as a Sufi shaikh. The fact that Ibn Taymiyya himself was a Sufi has been conveniently ignored by those who chose to misrepresent him, and with good reason: how could someone say that Ibn Taymiyya opposed Sufism/Tasawwuf and that he was a Sufi/mutasawwif in one and the same breath? Hence the corollary statement to Ibn Taymiyyas alledged anti-Tasawwuf stance is that he could certainly not have been a Sufi, compounding inaccuracy with speculation. Clear proof that most of the great ulama and the major figures of the Four Schools of Islam were trained in Tasawwuf exists in the specialized biographical books known as Tabaqat. Tasawwuf was part and parcel of the complete education of a Muslim scholar, from the beginning of the formation of the Islamic curriculum until the gradual weakening and dismantling of the institutions and figures of Islamic higher education in the twentieth century. This resulted in the replacement of the Islamic ijaza system (being licensed or receiving permission to teach from ones own teacher), with the modern doctoral system of degrees, inherited from the West. Far from denigrating or attacking the Sufi component of the Islamic sciences like of some of our contemporaries who claim him as their reference, Ibn Taymiyya in fact praised it in his time, endorsed it, participated in it, and acheived its highest formal level, which is to receive the khirqah, the equivalent of the ijaza or permission in Sufi terms, from a Sufi shaikh. The khirqah, representing the cloak of the Prophet (s), is passed to a student of a Sufi shaikh, only when he is seen to be fit and fully qualified to pass on the teachings he has acquired from his shaikh in turn to students of his own. In this he as simply one of many among the Hanbali ulama who both educated him or were educated by him, to undergo the expected training and instruction in the various disciplines of Tasawwuf appropriate to the scholarly vocation. Many well-read specialists of Islam are to this day still surprised to hear that the Sufis al-Ansari al-Harawi (d. 481 H.) and Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (d. 561 H) were both very strong Hanbalis. When one refers to their biographical notices in Ibn Rajabs [student of Ibn Qayyim] Dhail ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila, one finds al-Ansari referred to as as-Sufi and Jilani referred to as az-zahid. Ibn Rajabs use of these terms in close proximity, indicates their interchangeability. Ibn Rajabs two volume biographical work covers a period of three centuries, from the middle of the 5th century Hijri to the middle of the 8th.. Identifiable as Sufis are over one-third of all the Hanbalis scholars treated by Ibn Rajab and other sources from the same time period. The theory, presented by some Orientalists, that Abul Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 H) and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 H), were antithetical to Tasawwuf does not stand up to scholarly scrutiny. In fact neither of these Hanbali doctors of law qualifies as in any way antithetical to Tasawwuf. Let us examine their record. Ibn al-Jawzis work Talbis Iblis is perhaps the most important single factor in keeping alive the notion of this hostility towards Sufism. In reality, this work was not written against Tasawwuf as such at all, nor against Sufis alone. However, it was an indictment of all unorthodox doctrines and practices, regardless of their sources, and opposed any which were innovations in the rule of shariah--i.e. not found in the Quran and Sunnah, wherever found in the Islamic community, especially in Ibn al-Jawzis time. It was written against specific innovated practices of many groups, including: philosophers (mutakallimoon), theologians, traditionalists (ulama al-hadith), jurists (fuqaha), preachers, philologists, poets and Sufis. It is in no way an indictment of the subjects they studied and taught, but was an indictment of specific introductions of innovation into their respective disciplines and fields. Ibn al-Jawzi has written other works which are not only in favor of Tasawwuf, but present its greatest figures in the most complimentary light. Two works considered as pillars in the field of Tasawwuf are Safwat as-Safa and Minhaj al-Qasidin wa Mufid as-Sadiqin. In addition, full length biographies in praise of the early Sufis have been penned by Ibn al-Jawzi, including Fadail Hasan al-Basri (The Gracious Character of Hasan al-Basri), and Manaqib Ibrahim bin Adham, (The Good Qualities of Ibrahim bin Adham), Manaqib Bishr al-Hafi, Manaqib Maruf al-Karkhi, Manaqib Rabia al-Adawiyya. In sections of his book al-Muntazam many biographical notices may be found in praise of Mutasawwifeen. Ibn Taymiyyas Donning of the Qadiri Cloak As for Ibn Taymiyya, one would search in vain to find in his works the least condemnation of Sufism as a discipline. He opposed the seemingly pantheist descriptions of certain Sufis, known as ittihadiyya, but he showed his great admiration for the works of the Sufis Junayd Baghdadi, Sahl at-Tustari, Bayazid al-Bistami, Abu Talib al-Makki, al-Qushayri, Abdul Qadir Jilani and Abu Hafs as-Suhrawardi. At present we are in the position to go much farther and show that this allegedly great opponent of Sufism was himself a Sufi, who belonged to more than one tariqat, but especially to that of Abdul Qadir Jilani. In a manuscript of the Hanbali alim, Shaikh Yusuf bin Abd al-Hadi (d. 909H), entitled Bad al-ula bi labs al-Khirqa [found in Princeton, Sorbonne and Damascus], Ibn Taymiyya is found in a Sufi spiritual genealogy with other well-known Hanbali scholars, all except one (Say. Jilani) heretofore unknown as Sufis. The links in this genealogy are, in descending order: 1. Abdul Qadir Jilani (d. 561 H.) 2.a. Abu Umar bin Qudama (d. 607 H.) 2.b. Muwaffaq ad-Din bin Qudama (d. 620 H.) 3. Ibn Abi Umar bin Qudama (d. 682 H.) 4. Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 H.) 5. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 H.) 6. Ibn Rajab (d. 795 H.) (Both Abu Umar b. Qudama and his brother Muwaffaq received the khirqa directly from Abdul Qadir Jilani himself.) Subhanallahil Hayyul Qayyum! How can you now reject the True scholars and Awliya Allah!? The proofs are but endless! If you still don’t believe then ponder upon the verse “Khatamallahu ala qulubihim wa ala sam’ihim wa la absarihim ghishawatun walahum azabun azim” If you still don’t believe then ponder upon the verse “Man yahdillahu fahuwal muhtadi wa man udlil fa-uwlaa ika humul khasirin” If you still don’t believe then ponder upon the verses “Innaa jaalnaa feee anaaqihim aghlaalan fahiya ilal azqaani fahum muqmahoon (8)Wa jaalnaa mim baini aydeehim saddanw-wa min khalfihim saddan fa aghshay naahum fahum laa yubsiroon (9)” I am not a scholar but all of these words are from the True Scholars and Awliya Allah, If you have questions then go to them If you still don’t believe then keep your beliefs to yourselves, stop spreading hatred by saying bid’ah and shirk! We The Ahlus Sunnah Wa Jamaah are the people who follow the path of those who turned to Allah(swt) with love. Wa Min Allahi Tawfiq wal Hidaya Dhalika bi an-nal-lahu huwal haq-qu wa an-na hu yuhyil mawta wa an-na hu ala kul-li shay-in qadiir Alhamdulillahir Rabbil Aalamiin Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu! m Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu! Subhanim AllahSultanim Allah Nabiyim Muhammad Alayhis Salam Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahiim Truly Allah(swt) guides whom He wants to be guided and He is with those who are patient; one who does good deeds would benefit from it and one who does bad deeds, truly it would only be his/her loss Wake Up Oh Ummah of Rasulullah(Saw)! Wake Up The Blessed Ummah among all the Ummah! Wake Up The Ummah of Akhir Zaman! FACT #1: Ibn Taymiyyas supposed anti-Sufism sentiment is a clearcut misrepresentation of the truth. To conclude that Ibn Taymiyya opposed Sufism/Tasawwuf as a whole, simply because he considered particular activities or statements by some individuals and groups as unacceptable in shariah, is like concluding that he opposed the Science of Fiqh because he criticized the viewpoints and practices of certain fuqaha (jurists). This would be more than an exagerration, it is completely inaccurate. FACT #2: Ibn Taymiyya received iniation as a Sufi shaikh. The fact that Ibn Taymiyya himself was a Sufi has been conveniently ignored by those who chose to misrepresent him, and with good reason: how could someone say that Ibn Taymiyya opposed Sufism/Tasawwuf and that he was a Sufi/mutasawwif in one and the same breath? Hence the corollary statement to Ibn Taymiyyas alledged anti-Tasawwuf stance is that he could certainly not have been a Sufi, compounding inaccuracy with speculation. Clear proof that most of the great ulama and the major figures of the Four Schools of Islam were trained in Tasawwuf exists in the specialized biographical books known as Tabaqat. Tasawwuf was part and parcel of the complete education of a Muslim scholar, from the beginning of the formation of the Islamic curriculum until the gradual weakening and dismantling of the institutions and figures of Islamic higher education in the twentieth century. This resulted in the replacement of the Islamic ijaza system (being licensed or receiving permission to teach from ones own teacher), with the modern doctoral system of degrees, inherited from the West. Far from denigrating or attacking the Sufi component of the Islamic sciences like of some of our contemporaries who claim him as their reference, Ibn Taymiyya in fact praised it in his time, endorsed it, participated in it, and acheived its highest formal level, which is to receive the khirqah, the equivalent of the ijaza or permission in Sufi terms, from a Sufi shaikh. The khirqah, representing the cloak of the Prophet (s), is passed to a student of a Sufi shaikh, only when he is seen to be fit and fully qualified to pass on the teachings he has acquired from his shaikh in turn to students of his own. In this he as simply one of many among the Hanbali ulama who both educated him or were educated by him, to undergo the expected training and instruction in the various disciplines of Tasawwuf appropriate to the scholarly vocation. Many well-read specialists of Islam are to this day still surprised to hear that the Sufis al-Ansari al-Harawi (d. 481 H.) and Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (d. 561 H) were both very strong Hanbalis. When one refers to their biographical notices in Ibn Rajabs [student of Ibn Qayyim] Dhail ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila, one finds al-Ansari referred to as as-Sufi and Jilani referred to as az-zahid. Ibn Rajabs use of these terms in close proximity, indicates their interchangeability. Ibn Rajabs two volume biographical work covers a period of three centuries, from the middle of the 5th century Hijri to the middle of the 8th.. Identifiable as Sufis are over one-third of all the Hanbalis scholars treated by Ibn Rajab and other sources from the same time period. The theory, presented by some Orientalists, that Abul Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 H) and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 H), were antithetical to Tasawwuf does not stand up to scholarly scrutiny. In fact neither of these Hanbali doctors of law qualifies as in any way antithetical to Tasawwuf. Let us examine their record. Ibn al-Jawzis work Talbis Iblis is perhaps the most important single factor in keeping alive the notion of this hostility towards Sufism. In reality, this work was not written against Tasawwuf as such at all, nor against Sufis alone. However, it was an indictment of all unorthodox doctrines and practices, regardless of their sources, and opposed any which were innovations in the rule of shariah--i.e. not found in the Quran and Sunnah, wherever found in the Islamic community, especially in Ibn al-Jawzis time. It was written against specific innovated practices of many groups, including: philosophers (mutakallimoon), theologians, traditionalists (ulama al-hadith), jurists (fuqaha), preachers, philologists, poets and Sufis. It is in no way an indictment of the subjects they studied and taught, but was an indictment of specific introductions of innovation into their respective disciplines and fields. Ibn al-Jawzi has written other works which are not only in favor of Tasawwuf, but present its greatest figures in the most complimentary light. Two works considered as pillars in the field of Tasawwuf are Safwat as-Safa and Minhaj al-Qasidin wa Mufid as-Sadiqin. In addition, full length biographies in praise of the early Sufis have been penned by Ibn al-Jawzi, including Fadail Hasan al-Basri (The Gracious Character of Hasan al-Basri), and Manaqib Ibrahim bin Adham, (The Good Qualities of Ibrahim bin Adham), Manaqib Bishr al-Hafi, Manaqib Maruf al-Karkhi, Manaqib Rabia al-Adawiyya. In sections of his book al-Muntazam many biographical notices may be found in praise of Mutasawwifeen. Ibn Taymiyyas Donning of the Qadiri Cloak As for Ibn Taymiyya, one would search in vain to find in his works the least condemnation of Sufism as a discipline. He opposed the seemingly pantheist descriptions of certain Sufis, known as ittihadiyya, but he showed his great admiration for the works of the Sufis Junayd Baghdadi, Sahl at-Tustari, Bayazid al-Bistami, Abu Talib al-Makki, al-Qushayri, Abdul Qadir Jilani and Abu Hafs as-Suhrawardi. At present we are in the position to go much farther and show that this allegedly great opponent of Sufism was himself a Sufi, who belonged to more than one tariqat, but especially to that of Abdul Qadir Jilani. In a manuscript of the Hanbali alim, Shaikh Yusuf bin Abd al-Hadi (d. 909H), entitled Bad al-ula bi labs al-Khirqa [found in Princeton, Sorbonne and Damascus], Ibn Taymiyya is found in a Sufi spiritual genealogy with other well-known Hanbali scholars, all except one (Say. Jilani) heretofore unknown as Sufis. The links in this genealogy are, in descending order: 1. Abdul Qadir Jilani (d. 561 H.) 2.a. Abu Umar bin Qudama (d. 607 H.) 2.b. Muwaffaq ad-Din bin Qudama (d. 620 H.) 3. Ibn Abi Umar bin Qudama (d. 682 H.) 4. Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 H.) 5. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 H.) 6. Ibn Rajab (d. 795 H.) (Both Abu Umar b. Qudama and his brother Muwaffaq received the khirqa directly from Abdul Qadir Jilani himself.) Subhanallahil Hayyul Qayyum! How can you now reject the True scholars and Awliya Allah!? The proofs are but endless! If you still don’t believe then ponder upon the verse “Khatamallahu ala qulubihim wa ala sam’ihim wa la absarihim ghishawatun walahum azabun azim” If you still don’t believe then ponder upon the verse “Man yahdillahu fahuwal muhtadi wa man udlil fa-uwlaa ika humul khasirin” If you still don’t believe then ponder upon the verses “Innaa jaalnaa feee anaaqihim aghlaalan fahiya ilal azqaani fahum muqmahoon (8)Wa jaalnaa mim baini aydeehim saddanw-wa min khalfihim saddan fa aghshay naahum fahum laa yubsiroon (9)” I am not a scholar but all of these words are from the True Scholars and Awliya Allah, If you have questions then go to them If you still don’t believe then keep your beliefs to yourselves, stop spreading hatred by saying bid’ah and shirk! We The Ahlus Sunnah Wa Jamaah are the people who follow the path of those who turned to Allah(swt) with love. Wa Min Allahi Tawfiq wal Hidaya Dhalika bi an-nal-lahu huwal haq-qu wa an-na hu yuhyil mawta wa an-na hu ala kul-li shay-in qadiir Alhamdulillahir Rabbil Aalamiin Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:27:35 +0000