Tasawwuf - What the Ummah Needs Today

The Need and Importance of Sufism

State of the Muslims

It is an undeniable truth that last many decades or centuries have witnessed decline and deterioration in every aspect of the lives of Muslims worldwide. The religious side has taken the most impact from this general deterioration. The Ummah that was entrusted with the task to spread the message of Truth and to guide and lead the rest of the world, and was given the title of the best of all Ummahs, is today trapped in materialism and has become oblivious even to its own correction. The real spirit of Islam aside, even following the basic injunctions of Islam is becoming extinct now.

In these times, the moral and religious depravity of Muslims has reached such a stage where their bonds of faith and spirituality with Allah and His Prophet (sallAllahu alaih wasallam) have become flimsy and weak. The decay and decline in their beliefs and the extreme nature of their actions is so perverse that when a servant of Allah wants to pull them out of this ignominious ditch and wake them out of their heedless slumber, inviting their attention to the sacred Shariah and reformation of soul and inner self, they become highly skeptic. Instead of answering such a calling, they drive themselves into the dark valleys of doubts and suspicions, creating a picture as if "darkness is covering darkness" (40:24).

True Sufism, The Spirit of Islam

In addition to preaching and spreading Deen, the Prophets AS were tasked to purify people's souls. But, after the Final Prophet (sallAllahu alaih wasallam), the responsibility for Tazkiya falls on the shoulders of true and genuine Ulema and seekers of Allah. They are the heirs of the Prophets and are like luminous lamps in every dark and materialistic age. Allah SWT has taken it upon Himself to protect the Truth. He is too Beneficent to leave His servants wandering in the valleys of waywardness. So, in every age and time, He appointed His special slaves to perform the services of supporting the Truth and reforming mankind. It is impossible to find a parallel to the devotion and selflessness with which the illustrious Sufis discharged this responsibility.In the present times of deceit, this responsibility has become more important than ever.

Tasawwaf and Salook (Sufism and Sufi Path) is the reality and the spirit of Islam. All the orders of Sufism pursued the same spirit of Islam, which involves cleansing of the soul and correction of the inner self. But the twists and turns of time has strayed the custodians of these Sufi orders so far from the true path that their actions do not represent this reality any longer. As a result, the common Muslim and even religious people either deny true Sufism or are totally ignorant about it. Whereas Islamic Sufism is neither a forbidden fruit nor something strange or unheard of. Need for Islamic Sufism was never as glaring as it is in recent times. The lost nation (ummah) of Muslims has become absolutely ignorant of their destination and a total stranger to the purpose of life. In words of Iqbal:

wa'ay nadaani mata-e-karvan jata raha; karawan ke dil se ehsaas-e-zian jata raha

Woe, the stupidity, that our prized possession was lost; even the egret of the loss was lost from our hearts

Doubts About True Sufism

Outright denial of the existence and need of Sufism is less common among Muslims in our part of the world. However, wrong bliefs, sinful acts, poor morality in practical life by the false claimants to Tasawwuf wa Saluk has given it a bad image in the eyes of common Muslim. You will still find many ignorant people today, who have been pursuing Sufism (so to say) by being attached to some fake spiritual guide. They cannot find a true Sufi who can even tell them the definition of Salook let alone take them through its initial stages. This is precisely why not only the common people but even the knowledgeable scholars believe that Sufism belongs to the old ages.

Because of such misrepresentation, true Islamic Sufism is also viewed with suspicion. Therefore, a need is felt to introduce the common Muslims to real Islamic Tasawwuf, which is based on the Holy Quran and Sunnah, so that people may ameliorate their beliefs and actions and achieve eternal success.

The works presented here will prove in the light of the Quran and Sunnah and the authentic books written by noble and great Muslim saints, that Islamic Tasawwuf is an undeniable reality. Tasawwuf, Tazkiya or Ihsan is the essence and spirit of the Shariah; without gaining it one can simply not follow the Shariah properly. This great bounty of Tasawwaf-wa-Saluk is not achieved through celebrating anniversaries (Urs) at the shrines of the saints or dancing and singing there. It is also not achieved by taking out processions on the streets, yelling slogans through loud speakers, inventing new rituals as part of Deen or receiving charities for institutions claiming to be spiritual. Rather, it is achieved by adhering to the Quran and Sunnah and progressing under the step by step guidance of a perfected spiritual teacher

Why And How To Adopt True Sufism

The question arises, did any Wali-Allah (friend of Allah!) make a will to lock the doors of Salook and not let future generations venture near it? Did any sufi saint will that the future generations should only should just know the names of great maestros like Hassan Basri (RA), Junaid Baghdadi (RA), Shaikh Shahabuddin Suhrwardy (RA), Khwaja Naqshband (RA), Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (RA), Mueenuddin Chishti (RA), Mujaddid Sarhindi (RA) but should never dare to follow in their footsteps? Obviously, history does not point to any such document or advice left behind by these great masters. It is a glaring fact that we need this purity of souls and cleansing of hearts much more desperately than the people of the old times.

Even the worldly disciplines cannot be learnt without a teacher or guide. Purification of the heart is a reflective process (its blessings are reflected from the breast of the teacher to that of the seeker). It can, therefore, be achieved only through the guidance of a perfected spiritual teacher (Shaikh). If a person is determined and sincerely seeks the purification of the heart and the spirit, he or she needs to start Zikr Allah under the guidance of an authentic Sufi guide (Shaykh).

The Sufi way of imparting knowledge, nurturing spiritual growth, and purifying souls involves projecting Allah's Lights (anwaraat) upon the seekers. This is called Ilqa in Sufi terminology. And this is the practical aspect of Sufism, and depends upon the company of an accomplished Shaykh. According to Imama-e-Rabbani Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Sani, "Tasawwuf has to do with the inner states and spiritual feelings, which cannot be described in words." However, as far as the theological aspect of Tasawwuf is concerned, it is extremely important to introduce the knowledgeable circles to this reality and its various features. Because the things that are presented and interpreted as Sufism today do not have the remotest relation with true Sufism. 

[Translated from Dalail us Sulook by Hazrat Allah Yar Khan RA]