The Nature of Idols
With a few exceptions, the vast majority of the Muslim groups, organizations, professionals, and individuals I contacted with respect to the web site and e-book concerning spiritual abuse in relation to the Sufi mystical tradition have not replied back to my overtures. I’m sure there are many reasons for their failure to communicate, but one of the reasons for what is going on is fear.
Just as the so-called leaders of the Catholic church were reluctant to rigorously investigate the allegations of sexual abuse which surfaced in many parts of the world for more than sixty years, so, too, Muslims, in general, as well as the Sufi community, in particular, do not want to look into the abyss created by the many dark, troubling questions which are raised through the presence of the many forms of spiritual abuse being perpetrated across an extensive number of Muslim and Sufi communities around the world. Muslims would rather criticize Israelis for the latter’s occupation of Palestine than criticize themselves for permitting hundreds, if not thousands, of honor killings to continue within Muslim communities, or to permit mutilation of female genitalia to be passed off as an ordinance of God rather than a whim of some very sick individuals. Muslims would rather criticize America for its imperialistic and oppressive behaviors than criticize the Taliban in Afghanistan, or the Wahabis in Saudi Arabia, or the many strains of dogmatic, rigid, cruel forms of Muslim fundamentalism which oppress Muslims in many part of the world, and, even now, seek to gain hegemony within American, European, and Canadian Muslim communities through their own fundamentalist brand of imperialism. Many so-called Sufis would rather point a condescending finger at exoteric theologies rather than examine the abuses which are being perpetrated in the name of esoteric possibilities.
Many alleged Sufis do not want the whole issue of spiritual authenticity opened up for discussion. They wish to continue to enjoy their status, influence, and self-image as being not like “ordinary” Muslims, but, somehow better ... more elite ... more in the know ... more self-realized, more in tune with the music of the spheres.
Many so-called Sufi shaykhs do not want their self-serving interests called into question - whether this has to do with power, prestige, authority, or the sexual and financial exploitation of people who are seeking truth, but encounter a form of truth for which they had not bargained in the locus of manifestation who refers to himself or herself as a mystical master. Many so-called mureeds do not want to have to question whether the path they are on is, or is not, authentic ... or whether they have been wasting their time ... or spending some portion of their lives being deceived and living in blissful ignorance of the real truths which are hidden potentials within a human being.
In a lot of respects, many people who fancy themselves to be Sufi have become idol worshipers. They worship their shaykhs as if the latter were the Creator rather than among the created. They worship their own egos as reflections of Divine light when, in truth, more often than not, there is nothing but darkness parading as light.
The situation, in some ways, is similar to what is going on in Jerusalem. More specifically, Muslims consider the Dome of the Rock as being the third holiest place in Islam. It is considered sacred because, among other things, the Prophet is believed to have offered up prayers within the cave (which is in the rock) with all the Prophets who proceeded him and, then, departed from that location when he went on miraj or ascension, following his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem.
Jewish people consider the space occupied by the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque sacrosanct because, among other things, it not only marks the location where Abraham (peace be upon him) and his son were each, in their own way, prepared to offer up a Divinely commanded sacrifice, but as well, the location marks the place where two previous temples of the Jewish Nation lie and, as well, the place where they believe they must build the third temple. Building the Third Temple is of supreme importance to the religious minded among the Jewish people for a variety of reasons.
To begin with, of the roughly 613 commandments in the Torah, the Temple service accounts for about 240 of these. In effect, Jewish people cannot fully observe their religious obligations without the reconstruction of the Temple, first constructed by, Solomon, the son of David, (peace be upon them both).
Secondly, Midrash Tanhuma, which is a compilation of various interpretations of the Torah given by different rabbis over a period of time, indicates that Israel is the center of the world and the Temple Mount is said to be the center of Jerusalem. Moreover, the center of the Temple is referred to as the Holy of Holies, and at the center of the Holy of Holies is the Ark of the Covenant, and the Foundation Stone is in front of the Ark and this stone constitutes the point of Foundation for the world with respect to Divinity.
Jewish people believe the promised Messiah will rule from the Temple Mount, and through this rule, all the pain which has been experienced by the Jewish nation will be removed. The Jewish people believe this will be the source of redemption and salvation for the Jewish nation.
When, as a result of the Six Day War of June, 1967, Israel gained control over large portions of the biblical territory of Samaria, Judea, Gaza and Sinai, a variety of radical, fundamentalist rabbis began to urge people to settle into these lands in order to hasten on the time for the appearance of the Messiah through whom the Jewish people would be redeemed.
Samaria, Judea, Gaza and Sinai are not necessary for Jews to practice their faith. This land grab is the result of a belief of some fundamentalist Jews who feel they can speed up God’s time table through pursuing actions which are a violation of the Ten Commandments as well as the covenant that was originally made between God and the Jewish people and is at the heart of the Sacred Temple, within the Holy of Holies.
However, the construction of the Third Temple is an integral part of the Jewish people being able to pursue the essential tenets of their faith. Without the Temple, more than a third of the commandments which believe have been enjoined upon them by God cannot be observed - in a way, it would be like some hostile force taking control of the Kaaba and refusing to let Muslims perform Haj - which constitutes one fifth of the basic, spiritual requirements of a Muslim.
Unfortunately, just as there are people among the Jewish nation who treat Judea, Samaria, Sinai, and Gaza as if they were idols to be worshiped at any cost, there are many Muslims in Palestine, and elsewhere, who treat the Dome of the Rock as an idol to be preserved at all costs. Yet, in neither instance - that is, in the case of Jews, Greater Israel, nor in the case of Muslims, the Dome of the Rock - is any essential religious obligation at stake.
The Prophet did not say - Muslims must preserve the cave within the Dome of the Rock at all costs ... this is your sixth pillar of faith. The Qur’an does not say all Muslims have an obligation to protect the Dome of the Rock ... what demands this is idol worship.
The First Temple was erected at some point near 1000 BC. This temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, a Babylonian king, around 586 B.C., when he both enslaved the Jewish people, as well as sent them into Babylonian exile.
Some seventy years later, Jews returned from exile and rebuilt the Second Temple. The Romans burnt the Second Temple to the ground in 70. A.D., and in between the Jewish people worshiped at the Temple for centuries.
Between 688 and 691 AD, the caliph Abd al-Malik ordered the construction of the Dome of the Rock. Consequently, in terms of temporal priority, both the First and Second Temples existed long before the Dome of the Rock or al-Aqsa mosque. Furthermore, in terms of spiritual priority, neither the Dome of the Rock nor al-Aqsa mosque play as essential a role within Islam as does the Sacred Temple within Judaism. Muslims can say prayers anywhere on the face of the Earth - indeed, this is one of the gifts which has been bequeathed to Muslims, but for the Jewish people the 240 different commandments involving the Sacred Temple in Jerusalem need to be observed if their faith to be fully and properly observed.
If the Jewish and Muslim people were truly interested in securing peace - and, unfortunately, there are many people on both sides of the issue who are driven by dogmatic theology rather than spiritual necessity - then, a deal would be struck in which Palestinians would be given back the land which was taken from them and, in exchange, the Jewish people would be permitted to build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount. If the Jewish people were really sincere and wise, they would try to find some way of incorporating, if possible, the Dome of the Rock - or, at least, the central cave - and al-Aqsa mosque - or, at least part of it - into the design of the Third Temple, but whether they did this or not, Muslims should be prepared to let go of their idols, just as those among the Jewish people should be prepared to let go of their idols ... namely, the land which they have taken from Palestinians and which is being used to further a dogmatic, radical, fundamental theology which says that by stealing land and abusing Palestinians, God will speed up the process of sending a Messiah to redeem the Jewish nation.
Most Muslims would be shocked and outraged at the suggestion which is being made above, and, yet, I feel confident that if the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) walked the Earth today in physical form, he would be the first to sacrifice mere rocks and buildings for the sake of lasting peace and the cessation of bloodshed. After all, it was the Prophet (peace be upon him) who is reported to have said: “Shall I not inform you about a better act than fasting, charity, and prayer? ... making peace between one another. Enmity and malice tear up heavenly rewards by the roots.”
Here, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is clearly indicating there is something more important that three of the five pillars of Islam. And, surely, settling the Palestinian/Israeli internecine hostilities would, God willing, bring peace to a troubled land.
Of course, there will be those who will try to claim such things as: the Prophet (peace be upon him) was only addressing Muslims, or the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not really mean that making peace was better than three of the five pillars ... it was just a way of talking. I have one thing to say to such people ... prove it. Show me that you understand the Prophet (peace be upon him) better than he understands himself. And, then, show me where the Qur’an states that Jewish people are not people of the Book and, as a result, are not to be treated with respect or that it is okay to oppress the Jewish people as they attempt to carry out their spiritual duties.
There are numerous other teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Qur’an which can be called upon that are completely consistent and resonant with the foregoing Hadith. There is very little - although there are a few things of which I am aware in either the Hadith or Qur'an which might serve as a contraindication to what is outlined in the foregoing. For example, the Prophet is reported to have said that the place which marks the location from which the Prophet went on miraj constitutes one of the three places where travel for spiritual purposes is permitted ... the other two being Mecca and Medina. However, since neither the Dome of the Rock nor al-Aqsa mosque existed during the lifetime of the Prophet, it is the spot at which he led the prayers and from which ascension began to which one is being directed, rather than buildings or structures per se. Furthermore, the matter of visitation is a Divine permission which is being given and not a religious obligation.
In legal circles one speaks in terms of the weight of precedence with respect to any given issue. In essence, this means one weighs the principles which support a given action and measures this against those principles which might lend support to some other action.
I believe the weight of precedence is - by a considerable and substantial amount - in favor of what has been provided in overview above. Surely, it would be totally in keeping with the spirit of the Treaty of Hudaibiya when, despite the grumbling of some of the Companions about what a bad deal it was, the Prophet (peace be upon him) considered it a great victory because, among other things, the treaty established a peace within which Islam could grow and thrive ... and history has proven the Prophet (peace be upon him) to be correct in his assessment of the treaty.
Moreover, there are two other facets of the Treaty of Hudaibiya which are
of relevance here. First, the Meccan leaders objected to the words: "Bis-mil-laa-hir Rah-maan-ir Ra-heem" appearing on the Treaty. They said they didn't believe in such things, and, so, they wanted these words removed from the Treaty. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) complied with this stipulation.
Secondly, not only did the name Muhammad appear on the treaty, but, as well, there were words present which indicated that he was the Messenger of Allah. The Meccan negotiators also wanted the words "Messenger of Allah" removed because they did not believe Muhammad was such a Messenger - indeed, it was one of the primary sources of contention between Muslims and non-Muslims at that time.
The Prophet asked Hazrat 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) to cross out the words which were unacceptable to the Meccan chiefs. Hazrat 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) could not bring himself to do this. Since the Prophet was unlettered and, as a result, could not read nor write the Arabic language, he asked for the 'problematic' words to be pointed out to him. He, then, proceeded to scratch them out.
What is the connection between the foregoing semi-digression and the present state of the Sufi community? In a phrase: “idol worship”. All too many people who allege to be on, or interested in, the mystical path of tasawwuf are not prepared to closely examine their own souls or the behavior and teachings of those who claim to be shaykhs in order to determine whether, or not, idols are being worshiped rather than the Truth, just as all too many Palestinians and Jews are unwilling to look critically at their own beliefs in order to determine the extent to which idols have taken over their respective forms of worship, and, thereby, hold peace hostage to dogmatism and to beliefs which have nothing to do with being able to pursue spirituality.
Surely, if the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) can strike out the words "Bis-mil-laa-hir Rah-maan-ir Ra-heem" and if he can strike out the words "Messenger of Allah", then, if necessary, Muslims should be ready to release their hold on material things - namely, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa - which are standing between them and peace. If necessary, it is better to live in peace without the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa than it is to live without peace and maintain attachment to rock and walls rather the spirit of the principles by which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived.
We honor the Prophet, and ourselves, by living in accordance with the sunnah of the Prophet. We honor neither by living in accordance with theologies which bow only to belligerence, war-mongering, bloodshed, pride, and oppression.
Similarly, it is better for the Jewish people to give up their claim on large portions of Samaria, Judea, Gaza and Sinai in order to permit Palestinians to have their own state in return for the Jewish people being permitted to build the Third Temple so Jews can fully observe the requirements of their faith. Moreover, great good would be established if the Jewish people could, somehow, permit as much of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque to be preserved as possible ... to become incorporated into the design of the Third Temple.
Yet, even if the foregoing accommodations were not, for some reason, possible, nonetheless, in words which are attributed to Prophet Isa (peace be upon him): 'blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.' Seeking the barakah of God is far, far more important than seeking to preserve rocks, caves, walls, earthly rivalries, conflicts, grudges, tribal warfare, heartache, bloodshed, self-righteousness, or the narrowness and rigidity of dogmatism.
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Dream not of lights,
Of marvels, of miracles
For your miracles are contained
In worshiping the Truth;
All else is pride, conceit,
And illusion of existence.
Shabistari
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