Page 21 - Chapter
Two: "In communal gatherings, Sufis have usually performed dhikr aloud, often
with musical accompaniment. In some Sufi groups, these communal sessions came to be
considered the most important ritual, with a corresponding neglect of various other
aspects of the Sunnah. At this point, Sufi practice became suspect not only in the eyes of
the jurists, but also in the eyes of many of the Sufi teachers themselves."
Commentary: As is
the case in many other parts of his book, the author of Sufism - A Short
Introduction makes unsubstantiated assertions. For instance in the foregoing
excerpt from his book, he claims that "Sufis have usually performed dhikr aloud,
often with musical accompaniment."
This assertion is not
merely unsubstantiated, it is incorrect, and this is so for a number of reasons. For
example, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Do
remembrance of your Lord in your soul, with supplication and taqwa, without your word
being audible, at morning and evening," and, this Hadith demonstrates the inaccuracy
of the author’s foregoing assertion concerning how "Sufis have usually performed
dhikr aloud".
Furthermore, whether one
is speaking of the communal gatherings of modern day silsilahs or about the communal
gatherings of Sufi silsilahs in the past, dhikr sessions are very rarely accompanied by
music. To begin with, there are many silsilahs which do not permit music, and some
silsilahs do not even permit singing unaccompanied by music. So, right away, a huge dent
appears in his contention that Sufi groups "often" perform dhikr with musical
accompaniment.
In addition, with respect
to those silsilahs which, under certain conditions, do permit sacred music, the sessions
of audition, sama or qawwali (i.e., times during which spiritual singing, music, or
singing and music are permitted) tend, for the most part, to be kept separate from those
dhikr sessions which are observed in a communal setting. Thus, once again the credibility
of the author’s use of "often" is further eroded.
Of course, when listening
to sacred music, various individuals may do ‘dhikr kafi’ - that is, silent dhikr
while also listening to the music and/or singing. However, there is absolutely no way to
verify how many individuals do this because these are private acts. Consequently, once again, even
if one were to take this sort of activity into consideration while trying to assess the
validity of the author’s assertion, it does not necessarily support what he is
claiming - especially given that his contention was not about silent dhikr but was about
communal dhikr sessions which were said aloud.
There are some silsilahs,
such as the Jerrahi-Halveti, in which participants in the ‘sacred turning’ do an
audible dhikr as counterpoint to both the songs that are sung by the shaykh in praise of
God, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and other spiritual luminaries, as well as
the playing of different kinds of duff (a form of drum) which goes on at the same time.
However, this sort of observance tends to be an exception to the rule - although a
perfectly valid exception - that communal dhikr, usually, is not accompanied
by music.
The author of Sufism
- A Short Introduction goes on to claim that: "In some Sufi groups, these
communal sessions came to be considered the most important ritual, with a corresponding
neglect of various other aspects of the Sunnah." The author does not identify the
Sufi groups to which he allegedly is alluding, and, therefore, one has no way to
determine, empirically, the degree of truth, or lack thereof, in his claim.
Issues of evidence and
proof aside, however, any group that, for whatever reason, sets aside, and neglects,
"various other aspects of the Sunnah" loses the right to refer to itself as
‘Sufi’. In fact, this very point highlights a contradictory tendency in the
author’s writing.
From time to time, the
author has indicated in his book that the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) are paramount to the Sufi Path. At other times, he extends
the label ‘Sufi’ to any and all groups who refer to themselves in this way,
irrespective of whether, or not, these groups comply with the teachings which he has
indicated, elsewhere, are of fundamental importance.
On the one hand, he wants
to argue that it is very difficult to grasp the nature of the Sufi Path because there are
so many competing claims concerning what, precisely, this Way entails. Yet, he, himself,
is referring to groups as Sufi which dispense with or neglect the Sunnah of the Prophet as
being Sufi, and, therefore, in doing so, helps add to the confusion.
Not only does the author
fail to identify the groups he has in mind, but he is very vague about what aspects of the
Sunnah of the Prophet are being neglected by such groups. The Sunnah of the Prophet covers
a vast spectrum of behaviors - ranging from, on the one hand, ritual prayer, fasting,
pilgrimage, and zakat (charity), to, on the other hand, expressions of kindness,
generosity, honesty, sincerity, nobility, patience, constancy, forgiveness, love,
tolerance, friendship, and so on.
All of the foregoing
facets of Prophetic behavior can be observed with varying degrees of failure, competence,
or excellence. Nonetheless, no one can claim to comply with any of the foregoing behaviors
with the same degree of excellence exhibited by the Prophet - not even remotely.
In truth, to varying
degrees, we all fall short of his mark of excellence. Consequently, none of us should feel
comfortable with pronouncing judgement on others with respect to what they are, and are
not, able to accomplish in the way of compliance with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him).
An individual might not
be all that regular with prayer and fasting, but the same individual may believe, deeply,
in the oneness of God and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of God, and,
as a result, this individual may dedicate herself or himself to being kind, generous,
loving, honest, just, forgiving, tolerant, and friendly. How will such a person fair on
the Day of Judgement? In truth, no one knows.
The Prophet is reported
to have said: "Shall I not inform you of a better act than fasting, alms and prayer?
Making peace between one another. Enmity and malice tear up heavenly rewards by the
root." In another Hadith, the Prophet is reported to have said: "Do you love
your Creator? Then, love your fellow-beings first."In a further Hadith, The Prophet
is reported to have said: "That person who relieves a Mu’min [an individual of
deep spiritual faith] from distress in this world, God will, in like manner, relieve that
person in the next world. And, the individual who does good to the indigent, God will do
good to the former in this world and the next." Finally, the Prophet is reported to
have said: "Be compassionate toward every creature, so that Allah may have mercy on
you too."
As the foregoing sayings
of the Prophet indicate, there are all kind of ways to please God. Prayer, fasting, alms,
and pilgrimage - as important as these are, are not the only ways. Worship comes in many
forms, and pity the individual who believes that the only things which are obligatory upon
him or her are prayers, fasting, zakat, and pilgrimage, for the Sunnah of the Prophet
encompasses more than these activities.
On one occasion, the
Prophet is reported to have addressed some Companions in the following way. "You are
with me and have seen me and if you should leave out even one-tenth of what is obligatory
upon you, then, you will be denied Paradise. However, there will come a time when there
will be a people who have not seen me and if they are able to do even one-tenth of what
has been made obligatory upon them, then, they will attain Paradise." Has such a time
come, yet? We do not know, but whether it has, or not, we should do whatever we can to
encourage people to work toward living up to their spiritual potential, rather than
chastise them for those spheres of activity which may, at the time, be deficient in one
way or another - as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them) is reported to have said:
"Deal gently with people and be not harsh. Cheer them and do not condemn them.".
The author of Sufism
- A Short Introduction doesn’t identify which ‘Sufi’ groups he is
talking about. He doesn’t provide any empirical evidence which can corroborate that
which he is asserting. He doesn’t specify which Sunnah are being neglected. He
doesn’t demonstrate whether the groups to which he is alluding have a legitimate
right to refer to themselves as Sufi, as opposed to some other kind of group. In short, as
far as what he has said is concerned, it would have been far better left unsaid.
The author concludes the
section in question with: "At this point, Sufi practice became suspect not only in
the eyes of the jurists, but also in the eyes of many of the Sufi teachers
themselves." The "point" to which the author is referring here is marked by
the alleged neglect of various Sunnah of the Prophet by groups, supposedly calling
themselves ‘Sufi’, because, apparently, they prefer the communal sessions of
music and dhikr to other dimensions of Deen.
A practice cannot be
considered ‘Sufi’ unless it has been sanctioned by an authentic shaykh - someone
who has been authorized by Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). If a group
of people come together and observe practices which they have picked up from a book, or in
some way other than through a legitimate source from whom permission has been received to
engage in such a practice in a prescribed manner, then, the practice in question is not
really Sufi - however the outward appearance may seem.
Unless a jurist has
first-hand knowledge of all of the details concerning such matters, then, this individual
really has no right to harbor suspicions with respect to these allegations, since the
Prophet has warned against indulging in suspicions about others. In addition, Omar (may
Allah be pleased with him), who was Caliph at the time the following ‘incident’
occurred, was reported to have been out walking one night with someone when they passed by
a walled compound out of which various kinds of party-like noises were emanating. The
person with the Caliph nodded in the direction of the compound and intimated, in a knowing
sort of way, that something illicit was going on behind the walls. Omar (may Allah be
pleased with him) who is known for being a staunch proponent of Shari ‘ah and
justice, is reported to have said: ‘It is not our responsibility to sniff out the
sins of others’.
Jurists ought not to
harbor suspicions about that which they have no direct knowledge, and if they did have
direct knowledge about such situations, then, they would not have to resort to suspicions
concerning these matters, but, instead, they would have evidence which would demonstrate
what was, and was not, going on in any given instance. Moreover, as far as that portion of
the author’s remarks are concerned which allude to what, supposedly, was going on
"in the eyes of many of the Sufi teachers themselves", in point of fact, not
only does the author have no evidential authority to make any statement about what was, or
was not, going on in the ‘eyes of many of the Sufi teachers’, but the spiritual
adab or etiquette that governs the way in which a Sufi shaykh approaches life is such that
what the author maintains as having been in their eyes is not likely to have been so.
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