Page 37 - Chapter
Three: "Although sobriety represents the highest stage of the Sufi path, this
does not imply that the sober are no longer drunk. What it means is that the true Sufi,
having realized fully the pattern and model established by the Prophet, is inwardly drunk
with God and outwardly sober with the world. Of course, the joy of intoxication may
occasionally appear outwardly, but the sobriety of discernment remains a necessary
concomitant of faith. The world is the domain of doing what is right and proper, and this
needs to be established in terms of a clear distinction between do’s and don’ts.
Observing the necessary distinctions demands sober awareness of our actual situation in
the world and society."
Commentary: The
author is incorrect when he says that "sobriety represents the highest stage of the
Sufi path." As has been noted on several previous occasions, there are many kinds and
levels of intoxication, and irrespective of the kind or level of intoxication present in a
given spiritual condition, anyone who has experienced, or is experiencing, such a
condition is under an obligation or duty with respect to the adab or etiquette of
sobriety.
To observe the
requirements of the aforementioned adab requires, among other things, commitment,
sincerity, propriety, and self-discipline. Nonetheless, despite the need for exercising
these kinds of qualities, the observance of this adab does not necessarily mean an
individual has achieved the "highest stage of the Sufi path" since regardless of
whether the nature of the spiritual intoxication one experiences is ‘high’ or
‘low’, one still will be required to practice the etiquette of sobriety.
The author also is
incorrect when he suggests sobriety means "that the true Sufi, having realized fully
the pattern and model established by the Prophet, is inwardly drunk with God and outwardly
sober with the world." The errors inherent in this sort of characterization are
several.
To begin with, to speak
of a "true Sufi" is both misleading and, as well, involves redundancy. More
specifically, the idea of a "true Sufi" implies there is such a thing as a
‘false Sufi’, when, in truth, there are people who are sincere about the Sufi
Path and there are people who are not sincere toward the esoteric dimension of Islam.
Someone who has sincerity
concerning the Sufi Path may be at one or another station of the spiritual journey, and
such an individual may make this or that mistake along the way. Yet, regardless of a
traveler’s spiritual condition and irrespective of the mistakes which may be
committed by this sort of person, nonetheless, what qualifies an individual as either
being on, or off, the Path is the presence of some minimally necessary degree of, on the
one hand, sincere niyat, or intention, and, on the other hand, nisbath (i.e., an
individual’s spiritual link with her or his shaykh and the underlying silsilah, or
spiritual lineage).
Furthermore, to be a
Sufi, one needs, through the Grace of God, to spiritually travel on the Path. This travel
may be slow or fast, problematic or relatively easy, error-filled or characterized by only
sporadic mistakes, but there must be movement, of some kind, along the Path.
Someone who is not on the
Path in the foregoing sense - that is, as a traveler with some minimally necessary degree
of sincere intention and nisbath, is not a false Sufi. Instead, that person is not a Sufi
of any kind.
An individual who takes
initiation but who has neither the requisite degree of sincere intention nor nisbath to
help underwrite, God willing, some degree of spiritual travel is not a Sufi. Rather, such
an individual is an initiate.
Initiation is not the
line of demarcation which allows one to identify someone as being a Sufi. Initiation is
just the doorway to the Path, and once a person, by the Grace of Allah, has been given
entry to this Path by means of initiation, the individual actually must make efforts and
struggle with the opportunity that has been extended to him or her.
In the Qur’an one
finds: "Be helpers of God." (61:14). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is
reported to have said: "This life is but a tillage for the next, therefore, do good
deeds here that you may reap benefits there - for, striving is the ordinance of God, and
whatever God has ordained can be attained only by striving."
The way to
‘help’ God is through struggling with the character and quality of the niyat, or
intentions, underlying the actions of striving. Thus, neither the exoteric, nor esoteric,
dimensions of Islam can be realized except through, God willing, this kind of striving,
and as far as the Sufi Path is concerned, if there is an absence of striving, then,
although the person may be an initiate, this individual is not, yet, a Sufi, since travel
and striving go hand in hand on the spiritual journey.
Alternatively, the line
of demarcation for identifying someone as a "true Sufi" is not a matter of
whether the individual is, or is not, fully realized. Any individual who has been
initiated by an authentic shaykh, and has some minimal degree of sincere intention as well
as nisbath concerning the Path, and is engaged in some form of striving and travel with
respect to this Way, is a Sufi.
Therefore, the author of Sufism
- A Short Introduction is incorrect when he suggests, by implication, that a
"true Sufi" is someone who has "realized fully the pattern and model
established by the Prophet." In fact, the Qur’an indicates that: "God
charges a soul only to its capacity’ (2:286), and this refers not only to areas of
responsibility or duty, but, as well, to spiritual potential.
The task of an individual
is not to become the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) nor is it to realize "fully
the pattern and model established by the Prophet " - for both of these tasks are
completely, absolutely, and irrevocably beyond our spiritual grasp. Instead, the task of
an individual is - over time and through the Grace of God - to inculcate the teachings of
the Prophet in accordance with one’s spiritual capacity to do so.
The author also is
incorrect when he claims that a true Sufi is someone who "is inwardly drunk with God
and outwardly sober with the world." There are some accomplished travelers of the
Path who have risen, by the Grace of God, to the highest spiritual echelons but who have
neither experienced intoxication nor have they undergone any ‘mystical’
experience along the Way.
While the goal
of Deen, or spiritual praxis, is to realize one’s primordial capacity, the nature of
Deen, in and of itself, is not about spiritual realization. Deen is about purification,
cleansing, and preparing the individual to be in a position to receive if,
and when, Divinity wishes to confer blessings of this or that state, condition, or
station.
The measure of
‘distance’ traveled on the Path is not a function of the quantity or quality of
mystical states or conditions experienced by an individual. Spiritual progress is
determined by the extent to which one becomes fully ready, in accordance with one’s
capacity, to participate in the Divine Purpose.
The Qur’an states:
"I have not created human beings nor jinn except that they may worship Me."
(51:56-57). In a previously cited Hadith Qudsi, God states: "I was a Hidden Treasure
and loved to be known, so I brought forth Creation."
The proper way to worship
Divinity is only realized through knowledge of the Hidden Treasure. This knowledge gives
expression to both the means of how to worship Divinity, as well the ‘Object’ of
worship.
The key to the
‘how’ of worship, as well as the ‘Object’ of worship is contained
within the potential of fitra, or our essential, primordial, spiritual capacity. Yet, in
order to access this ‘how’, we must be capable of being receptive, or open, to
knowledge concerning the quintessential nature of worshiping That (i.e., the Hidden
Treasure) which is to be worshiped, and to do this we must truly be what we have the
spiritual capacity to be - without impediments, distractions, impurities, or obstacles.
Spiritual stations such
as: repentance, longing, patience, dependence, gratitude, fear, and even love are all
preparatory in nature. These stations may have mystical experiences associated with them,
but such experiences are not necessary conditions of these stations.
Consequently, an
individual might travel, God willing, through all of the aforementioned stations and
acquire a deep, rich, abiding faith and understanding concerning the collective and
synergistically interacting teachings of each of these stations. Nonetheless, this person
may not have had one, overt, mystical experience, nor ever been brought into a state of
intoxicating ecstasy, at any point during the time of traversing these stages and
stations.
The defining issue of
mystical science or methodology is not a function of certain sorts of anomalous or
‘otherworldly’ experiences. The sine qua non of the mystical Path is arriving at
a point where all necessary and requisite processes of purification and preparation have
been successfully completed, by the Grace of God, so that one’s spiritual potential
is ready to receive - according to its inherent capacity - whatever Divinity wishes to
disclose of the Hidden Treasure.
Therefore, the
experiences of Divine disclosure, unveiling, realization, fana, baqa, tawhid (unity), and
so on, must be considered separately from the issue of spiritual preparation. Whenever God
wishes, the former may take place, but irrespective of whether, or not, they do occur, the
preparation must go on - experiences or no experiences.
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Be careful concerning the vision of a
mo’min (person of deep faith) because that person sees by the Light of Allah."
When an individual, who is a mo’min, sees by the Light of Allah, must one suppose
that this person, necessarily, is aware, in some mystical manner, of what is going on with
her or his vision and that unless this kind of awareness is present, then, the individual
cannot see by the Light of Allah?
The answer to this
question is, of course, no. Divinely inspired ‘vision’ does not need to arrive
on the wings of mystical experience - although, from time to time, this may be what does,
in fact, take place.
Similarly, there are many
kinds of spiritual understanding, insight, and wisdom which can frame, shape, orient, and
color individual phenomenology, without there necessarily being any sort of mystical
‘aura’ which surrounds or permeates an individual’s Divinely inspired
understanding or insight. In other words, spiritual understanding - like vision - is not a
function of mystical experiences even though, as God wishes, some manner of mystical
experience or condition of awareness may accompany a Divinely inspired understanding or
insight.
Unfortunately, many
people, including the author of Sufism - A Short Introduction, confuse
mystical experience with the Path and, oftentimes, either reduce the latter to the former
or make the Path a function of mystical experience. As a result, the esoteric Way often
becomes primarily identified as a source of extraordinary or anomalous experiences rather
than as a source of preparation for receiving knowledge leading to, or concerning, the
‘how’ and ‘Object’ of proper worship - that is, the kind of worship
which was at the heart of Divinity’s original Intention and Purpose concerning
Creation with respect to the Hidden Treasure.
The author often uses the
phrase "outwardly sober with the world" in relation to those who are
experiencing on-going spiritual intoxication, while observing the concomitant adab or
etiquette concerning the concealment of whatever Divine secrets may be disclosed through
such intoxication. Generally speaking, when the author uses the foregoing phrase, he is
alluding to processes involving both compliance with the "do’s and
don’ts" of Shari‘ah or Divine Law, as well as reliance on rational
discernment with respect to judgements about how to proceed in the world.
In truth, spiritual
intoxication is not just an expression of joy or ecstasy. This condition also contains
experiential currents of understanding, insight, and knowledge. One’s heart and
spirit soar with the unveiled Presence of some dimension of Divine manifestation, but
through this Presence, truth concerning the nature of Reality also is being dispensed.
Consequently, when a
spiritually intoxicated individual is "outwardly sober with the world", this
entails more than just a recognition of, and compliance with, what the "do’s and
don’ts" of sacred law are. The depth and intensity with which Shari‘ah is
engaged by such an individual permits the nature and purpose of Divine Law to be
understood from a variety of spiritual perspectives, and on a number of different levels,
as something more than a codex of rules.
A Sufi shaykh is reported
to have said that one of the purposes of the Sufi Path is to enable an individual, God
willing, to come to understand Shari‘ah in an essential way. The implication here is
that prior to spiritual realization, a person’s grasp of, and insights into, Divine
Law are quite limited.
In truth, the surface
rules of Shari‘ah (the so-called "do’s and don’ts") are rooted in
a framework of deeper spiritual principles, and, in turn, these latter principles, are
nurtured by the Divine Intention and Purpose underlying the reason for which Creation was
brought forth. An individual of spiritual realization understands, if God wishes, how
Shari‘ah is linked to that original Intention, whereas a person who is complying with
the various ‘do’s and don’ts’, for purposes of attaining heaven and/or
avoiding hell, is veiled from such understanding.
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Everyone of you is a guardian, and
everyone of you shall be questioned about that which you are guarding." Since the
most fundamental expression of Shari‘ah is, God willing, to realize‘fitra’
or primordial spiritual potential, then, that which we have been entrusted to guard is
none other than ‘fitra’.
We are not guardians of
Islam. Instead, we are guardians of that for which Islam was given as a means of creating
space within which to realize the essence of Shari‘ah - namely, the amanat or trust
of ‘fitra’.
The Qur’an states:
"O Mankind! There has come to you a direction from your Lord, and a healing for the
diseases of the hearts, and a guidance, and a mercy for the Believers." (10:57) The
direction, healing, guidance and mercy which come from our Lord all have outer (exoteric)
and inner (esoteric) dimensions.
The surface forms of
Shari‘ah - that is, (a) the voicing of Shahadah, (b) five-times-a-day-prayers, (c)
fasting during the month of Ramadan, (d) the paying of zakat or charity, and (e) going on
Hajj or Pilgrimage - help to establish ‘space’ within which the seed of
‘fitra’ may be cultivated. However, the process of establishing such spiritual
space and the process of cultivating the seed of fitra are not synonymous processes -
although, clearly, they have a complementary relationship.
Some of the differences
between establishing ‘space’ and cultivating ‘fitra’ can be
demonstrated in the following manner. For example, when someone takes the first step of
submission through declaring the Shahadah, then, truly, "The one whose breast God has
expanded unto Islam enjoys a light from one’s Lord," (39:22) but this form of
bearing witness is only the first step of a very long journey during which, if God wishes,
one may come to understand, at some point, the depths of meaning contained within the
Shahadah.
When one, by the Grace of
Allah, voices the Shahadah, one is wading along the shallows of an ‘Ocean without
shores’. When one, by the Grace of Allah, comes to realize the meanings inherent in
the Reality to which the full Truth of Shahadah gives expression, one has drowned in that
same Ocean. Wading and drowning are not the same thing.
Or, consider the matter
of the five-times-a-day prayers. These are important because as the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Between a person and apostasy, there
is only the giving of Salat (formal, ritual prayers)." Furthermore, the Qur’an
indicates that "surely (ritual) prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil"
(29:45).
However, the Qur’an
continues on to state that: "certainly the remembrance of Allah is the
greatest." (29:45) In other words, as crucial as ritual prayers may be in helping to
protect an individual against various forms of indecency and evil, there are issues beyond
ritual prayers - such as zikr, or remembrance of Allah - which are even greater and more
important than ritual prayers.
The observing of ritual
prayers may be an additional modality of bearing witness to the Shahadah that extends
beyond the initial verbal declaration that marked the beginning of struggling toward
submission, but coming to a realization of the full significance and meaning of Shahadah
requires more than saying ritual prayers. Ritual prayers helps to create a space of
protection against the probing fingers of indecency, evil, and apostasy, but there are
other activities, beyond prayers, which need to be done within the space that has been
cleared through compliance with the Pillars of Islam if an individual’s essential
role in the Purpose of Creation is to be realized.
Similarly, with respect
to another Pillar of Islam, the Qur’an states: "Fasting is prescribed for you as
it was prescribed for those before you that you may ward off evil. (2:218) The Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Whoever has fasted with Iman
(faith) and Ihtisah (trust in Divine recompense), that person’s previous sins will be
forgiven." On another occasion, the Prophet is reported to have said:
"Everything possesses a door, and the door of worship is the fast."
Like ritual prayer,
fasting is a means of warding of evil and obtaining forgiveness. In fact, these two
Pillars of Islam lend mutual support to one another and, thereby, help enhance the
defenses which are intended to continue to help maintain and keep open, God willing,
spiritual space so that such space is relatively free from intrusions by destructive
forces that can undermine and interfere with more essential spiritual activities.
Nonetheless, warding off
evil and being forgiven for previous sins are, to a very large degree, purely defensive
measures. Realizing the Purpose of Creation by fulfilling, God willing, the potential of
‘fitra’ involves a different, though related, set of processes which are
constructively pro-active with respect to an array of spiritual activities that involve
much more than being just defensive or protective in nature.
The dikes of Holland may
keep out the sea, and, thereby, create space within which a culture has an opportunity to
develop. However, building a country requires something more than just holding back the
sea - and the same is true of realizing the potential of ‘fitra’.
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