,
which encompasses the beliefs, devotion, worship and ethics of a person. And all
this is clarified in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Therefore, it is the provision
no true Mu’min can do without.” (Vol. 19 Pg. 273)
The righteous Ulema and religious scholars have always acknowledged and
affirmed the necessity of the true from of ‘Tasawwuf’. Some excerpts from
the monumental Islamic jurisprudic encyclopaedia of the reputed scholar, Ibn
Taimiyyah rahmatullahi alihi, regarding the positiveness and
necessity of ‘Tasawwuf’. He says: “ Verily, Sulook (a synonym for Tazkiyah,
Ihsaan or Tasawwuf) is the path ordained by Allah and His Messenger ,
which encompasses the beliefs, devotion, worship and ethics of a person. And all
this is clarified in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Therefore, it is the provision
no true Mu’min can do without.” (Vol. 19 Pg. 273)
He also states: “In Sulook, there are some points debated by the Mashaikh,
but there is abundant evidence in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah substantiating
the stance adopted by the majority of the scholars, for the precepts of Sulook
are of the same category as the Islamic doctrinal code, all elucidated and
resolved in a crystal-clear fashion in both the divine sources of Islamic
Theology.” (Vol. 19 Pg. 274)
We find him uttering these words in his discourses: “…And similarly,
whosoever bases his devotion, worship, and actions, relevant both to his inner
status and his outer execution of deeds, on the foundation of pure Faith and
Sunnah, and on the path of the Prophet
and his Companions
radiallahu anhum, then without any doubt, he has achieved the pathway
laid down by the Prophethood. And this is the very path the righteously guided
scholars of Deen follow.”
In his enlightening speeches, he goes on to explain: “All the actions of
heart and soul, called ‘Maqamat’ (levels of perfection) and
‘Ahwaal’ (states of illumination) - for example, the love for Allah and His
Prophet ,
sincerity of intentions in His worship, ultimate trust unto Him, sense of total
gratitude for Him, utmost patience and absolute contentment on His decree, the
equivalent mélange of paramount fear of Him, unsurpassable anticipation of his
all-embracing mercy and all other similar conditions that occur to a living
human soul in regards to his Master and Creator – are in their entity,
incumbent on all humankind, especially believers. Its attainment is compulsory
upon the people according to their stages; in depth for the people of
distinction and basically for the normal layman, for the hearts and souls of all
humans are not the same in their capability to achieve perfection through the
medium of these ‘Maqamat’ and ‘Ahwaal’.”
Sheikh Moulana Muhammad Manzoor Ahmed No’mani rahmatullahi alaihi quotes Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab rahmatullahi alaihi commenting on Tasawwuf in his book ‘Dia’ayat Mukaththafah dhidd Ash-Sheikh Muhammad…’(Pg. 85). The Sheikh has said: “We do not condemn the path of the Sufiya outright. We only assert that the keyword should be moderation. We agree to their practice provided it does not contradict the basic elementary tenets of Shari’ah.”