Warning from the ignorant “Sufi-Claimers”

Bearing in mind that Sufism is the methodology implemented by the true Sufis following the example of Prophet Muhammad, let us expound on what we have named “claimed-Sufism.” Be warned against the “Sufi-claimers,” for there are many people today who claim to be Sufis yet do not have a drop of piety in them. They are dangerous people who delude others into following their misguidance by their false appearance of piety. They exaggerate to give the appearance of being humble, and their superficial efforts are to lower their heads and their gaze and to close their eyes whenever they say statements to remember Allah (dhikr). They worry about appearances and settle for using the dhikr-beads. For all their concern about their appearance, these “Sufi-claimers” are a people who did not learn the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion. As a result of their ignorance, they do not follow the Messenger of Allah in what is lawful nor do they avoid what is unlawful. Rather, they follow their own desires and that which the devil embellishes for them. They are liars and false-claimers and are drowning in their own ignorance.

Those “Sufi-claimers” claim to love the Prophet, when really they belie him and oppose him. Their hearts are attached to the love for leadership, power, and recognition. They want fame, titles, money, and other than that among the worldly matters. They try to camouflage their true goals by appearing sincere and humble. However, they misinterpret the matters of the Religion to suit their own desires and as a result, they pervert these rules and are drawn into sinning. They breach the laws of the sound circles of remembering Allah, and falsify the sound rules of followship under the tariqah. When they get in circles to remember Allah, they pervert His name and say, ” Ah, Ah,” instead of saying, “Allah, Allah.” In their circles, they move their bodies in unlawful motions, similar to the dance of the enormous sinners, ignoring it is forbidden in the Religion to dance in that manner.

SOME MISGUIDED INTERPRETATIONS OF THE “SUFI-CLAIMERS”

Those “Sufi-claimers” are not interested in acquiring the knowledge of the Religion. They are ready to misinterpret the verses of the Qur’an and the hadiths of the Prophet to suit their own desires and to justify their bad inclinations and the enormous sins they commit. As a result, they commit the unlawful. For example, some among those ignorant “Sufi-claimers” misinterpret the Qudsiyy hadith related in Sahih al-Bukhariyy from the route of Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet said Allah said:

“وما تقرب إليّ عبدي بشيء أحب إليّ مما افترضت عليه، وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إليّ بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها، ورجله التي يمشى بها. ولئن سألني لأعطينه، ولئن استعاذ بي لأعيذنه”

Shaykh Abu ^Uthman al-Hiriyy interpreted this hadith as:

The best thing the slave of Allah can do to become closer in obedience to Allah is to perform that which Allah made obligatory on him. After that, the person would perform plenty of the supererogatory acts of worship until he gains the love of Allah . Once he is at that stage, his matters would be answered faster than the things that he hears, faster than the things he sees, faster than the action he does with his hand, and faster than the walking he does with his legs; and if that person should seek refuge with Allah, Allah would protect him.

Abu Sulayman al Khattabiyy explained that hadith to mean: “Such a person would be guided to use his body in what is acceptable to Allah, and his supplication would be answered quickly.” Thus, if he uses his hand, he would be guided to use it in obedience to Allah; likewise, when he uses his ears, eyes, legs, and other organs.

This is how some of the scholars of Islam interpreted this hadith, but those ignorant “Sufi-claimers” believe Allah unites with the creations so they misinterpret this hadith and say it means, “If Allah loves the slave then Allah becomes his hand, leg, ear, and eye.” Some of these “Sufi-claimers” believe Allah dwells in the slaves; and some others believe the universe is Allah, and every person, animal, or thing is a part of Him. One of them would even have the audacity to say about himself, “I am Allah.” A man named al-Hallaj, who lived over 1000 years ago, said he is Allah. If one of those “Sufi-claimers” goes to visit a friend and is asked who is at the door, he might say, “Allah,” because he believes that Allah dwells in the bodies.

Some of those blasphemers who say Allah unites with His creation said, “The Christians committed blasphemy because they limited Allah to the body of ^Isa and the body of Jibril.” They said, “Had the Christians generalized and said, ‘Allah is in all things,’ they would have escaped blasphemy.” May Allah protect us from their evil.

Shaykh Zayni Dahlan, who was the Mufti of the Shafi^iyy school in Makkah more than one hundred years ago, pronounced the one who holds such a belief a blasphemer and in this he agreed with Shaykh Ibn Hajar, who lived more than 300 years before him. Al-Qadi ^Iyad also pronounced them as blasphemers and conveyed the consensus (ijma^) on their blasphemy. Shaykh ^Izzud-Din Ibnu ^Abdis-Salam, Fakhurd-Din ar-Raziyy, as-Suyutiyy, al-Junayd, Shaykh Abul Huda as-Sayyadiyy al-Baghdadiyy, and ar-Rifa^iyy all pronounced them as blasphemers. Imam Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy said: “Had al-Hallaj been on the right path, he would not have said, ‘I am Allah’.”