Page 19 - Chapter
Two: "Specialists in the study of Sufism have reached no consensus as to what
they are studying."
Commentary: If
what the author is saying is true, then, this is all the more reason not to read anything
these "specialists" have to say on the topic of the Sufi Path. In fact, the
problem with many such specialists is that they are only concerned with the "study of
Sufism" and not at all with being practitioners of the Sufi Path.
One does not become a
scientist by studying books - modern or ancient - on science. One becomes a scientist by
engaging the process of science and participating in the community life which constitutes
science - and the part of this process or community life which does involve reading is
done from the perspective of one with a critical understanding rooted in experience and a
seasoned appreciation of what goes on in science rather than the understanding of someone
who has never done science in a professional manner.
Indeed, one does not
become a plumber, electrician, mason, carpenter, athlete, or a skilled practitioner of any
trade or profession merely be reading books. Only the arrogance of academia could suppose
this to be otherwise.
Of course, a lot of
academics consider themselves to be objective observers and impartial critics of a given
area of study, and, as a result, often consider the understanding of those who are
practitioners of, in this case, the Sufi Path, to be too emotionally tied to the subject
matter to be able to provide reliable insight into the nature of the Path. Unfortunately,
few of these academics ever raise questions concerning the assumptions, presuppositions,
and/or lacunae inherent in their own concept of ‘objectivity’ and
‘impartiality’, and, consequently, all too many academics just end up chasing
the tails of their own biases - something which is especially true with respect to their
attempt to fathom the nature of the Sufi Path from a considerable distance. Using an electron
microscope to photograph the moons of Jupiter would probably generate more reliable
results.
Someone once said that an
individual who is not a lawyer but wishes to defend himself or herself in a court of law
has a fool for a client. Similarly, an academic who wishes to make pronouncements about
the Sufi Path without first becoming a practitioner of this discipline stands a very good
chance of, sooner or later, making a fool of himself or herself.
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