PATH OF MISGUIDANCE—SUFISM

(Part 1 of 3)

Sufism reached its most organized form by the end of the third century after the
Hijrah (which occurred in 623 AD), when one of the well-known and infamous
Sufi teachers, Al’Husayn ibn Mansoor Al-‘Hallaj, announced his most deviant and
un-Islamic beliefs. The scholars of Islam during that time issued several Fatwas that
declared Al-‘Hallaj’s beliefs and ideas as clear Kufr. Consequently, he was executed
in 309 AHI, and was crucified on Baghdad’s bridge. In spite of what had happened
to Al-‘Hallaj, Sufism continued to spread in many areas such as Persia, in
particular, and also in Iraq. As for Persia, Abu Sa’id Al Mayhani was instrumental
in spreading Sufism, as he established a special order for Sufis, which he called
“Al-Khanat,” which served as Sufi social clubs. Later on, other Sufis adopted this
practice of establishing their own Khanat, and hence the Sufi Turuqh—pl. for
Tariqhah, each of which is considered a distinct Sufi school of thought—started to
appear in the fourth century after Hijrah, especially in Egypt, Iraq and Morocco.

During the sixth century AH, many Sufis who have started their own Turuqh
claimed that they were direct descendants of the Messenger of Allah. They did so
in order to gain the support and loyalty of the common-folk, so they will be
receptive to the Sufi methodology. Thus, many people embraced the Sufi Turuqh,
such as the Turuqh of some infamous Sufi teachers as Ar-Rifa’i in Iraq, and
Al-Badawi and Ash-Shathili in Egypt. Many other Sufi Turuqh then appeared and
spread throughout the Muslim World.

During the period between the sixth and the eighth centuries after the Hijrah, the
Sufi Turuqh became very popular with many ignorant and misguided Muslims.
Many more new Sufi sects appeared and, as a consequence, many monuments were
built around the graves, to fulfill the Sufi urge to call the dead in supplication
instead of Allah. The Fatimiyyat dynasty, which appeared in Egypt, Syria and
other parts of the Muslim World, and who claimed to be direct descendants of the
Prophet’s daughter, Fatimah, helped significantly in spreading Sufism. Hence, the
practice of erecting monuments around the graves became even more widespread,
such as the monuments that were built around the claimed grave-site of
Al-‘Husayn ibn Ali, and around the grave of As-Sayyidah Zaynab, a grand
daughter of the Messenger of Allah. Also, the Fatmis started the innovation of
celebrating the Prophet’s birthday, along with inventing many other Bid’ahs an
deviated, misguided practices. The Fatimiyya Caliphate set free a numerous
number of Sufi sects in the Muslim World so that they would transfer and preach
the Sufi misguidance everywhere the go. When the eleventh century after the
Hijrah started, there were already thousands of Sufi sects operating in the Muslim
World. This sad situation continued until the present time ‘ where it is said that
there are currently more than 60,000 Sufi Turuqh spread throughout the world,
not only within the Muslim countries as before.

During the eighth century AH, a great Imam of Islam was especially active in
fighting all types of deviation in belief and practice, both with his tongue and pen.
His defending the true Islamic Faith and the correct ‘Aqeedah, against sufism in
particular, has had and still have a tremendous impact on the successive
generations that came after him.

He was Imam ibn Taymiyyah, who was succeeded by his famous students, all Imams
in their own right, such as ibn Al-Qayyim, ibn Kathir, Ath-Thahabi, Al-Mazzi,
among many others. These very well known students of ibn Taymiyyah carried the
legacy of their great teacher and defended the integrity of the Islamic Faith against
both the Sufis and their innovated, deviant beliefs and practices. In the twelfth
century after the Hijrah, Allah raised yet another Imam and defender of the true
Taw’hid, Imam Mohammad ibn Abdil-Wahhab, who exposed the utterly misguided
way of thought, heretic beliefs and deviant practices of the Sufis, which almost
engulfed the entire Muslim world then. This is why Imam Mohammad ibn Abdil
Wahhab was called, “The Mujaddid (reviver) of Da’wah (the call) of Taw’hid.”

FIRST: THE SUFI CREED

1. With regards to Allah: The Sufis have different types of belief in Allah.
Al-‘Hallaj and those who followed his misguided way, believed in incarnation and
that Allah’s Soul appears in all types of shapes, even animals, such as cows, pigs,
donkeys, etc. Allah is praised from the Kufr and Shirk that the disbelievers
attribute unto Him. Abu Yazid Al-Bustami, a renowned yet deviant Sufi teacher
said, “Allah once ascended me (meaning to Him!) and raised me between His
Hands, and then said to me, ‘O Abu Yazid! My creation like to gaze at you.’ So I
said, ‘Bestow Your Oneness unto me, and make me wear Your Selfishness, so that
when Your creation see me, they will say, ‘We have seen You (meaning Allah),’ so
You will be him (meaning 1), while I will not be here! “’ [Al Luma’, p. 461].
As evil and utterly deviant this belief certainly is, many other Sufis have even gone a
step further in Kufr and Shirk, as they believe that everything and everyone is Allah
Himself! They say that there is no difference between the Creator and the creation.
This polytheistic belief appeared in the third century and took its final shape by the
hand of such infamous, deviant Sufi teachers as ibn ‘Arabi, ibn Sab’een, At-Tilmisani,
Al-Jeely, Abdul-Ghani An-Nabulsi, and others. The majority of the Sufi teachers in
the present time and a numerous number of their followers adopt this very clear type
of Kufr and Shirk which, and as ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars have attested, is
worse than the Kufr of the Christians, who claim that Jesus is god, or the son of God.
In contrast, the Sufis who believe in Wa’hdat Al-Wujud (that everything and
everyone is Allah Himself), as compared to the Jews and Christians, claim that
everything and everyone is Ilah! Ibn ‘Arabi said in his book, Fusus Al-‘Hikam,
“Moses had more knowledge than Aaron, because Moses knew what his people had
worshipped in reality (when they worshipped the golden calf) (refer to the Quran,
2:54), meaning they only worshipped Allah Himself, for Moses knew that Allah has
decreed that none should be worshipped except He (refer to 17:23 in the Quran), and
what Allah wills, occurs. (Thus, Ibn ‘Arabi twisted the meaning of this Ayah, so that
its meaning becomes, “None is being worshipped except He,” instead of, “None
should be worshipped except He!”) So Moses criticized his brother, because of
Aaron’s rejecting (worshipping the calf by the Jews) and because he did not have
wide knowledge, for the ‘Arif (who truly knows) sees the ‘Haqq (meaning Allah) in
everything. In fact, he sees that He is everything!” [Al-Fusus, p. 192].

2. The Sufi belief in the Prophet: Again, the Sufis have various types of beliefs with
regards to the Messenger of Allah:

a. Some Sufis claim that the Messenger neither reached their status, nor did he
acquire the knowledge that the Sufis have acquired, as Al-Bustami has stated, “We
went into a sea which the Prophets could only reach its shores!”

b. Some Sufis believe that the Prophet is the dome of the universe and that he is
Allah Who is settled on the Throne, and that all the creation were created from his
light. This is the creed of ibn ‘Arabi and those who accepted this utter deviation
from the truth. Ibn ‘Arabi said, “The creation started with the Habaa’ (atoms), and
then the first to come into existence was the true, beneficent Mohammadan
essence, and which is described as being settled on the Throne of the Most
Beneficent, which is the Lord’s Throne!” [Al-Futu’hat Al-Makkiyyah, v. 1, p. 152].
c. Some Sufis claim that Prophet Mohammad’s light is the first created existence,
and that the rest of the creation were created from the Prophet’s light. Ahmad ibn
Mubarak AsSuljumasi, in his book “Al-lbreez,” related that his teacher,
Abdul-Aziz Ad-Dabbagh, said, “...the first of all that which Allah has created, was
Mohammad’s light. From him (meaning from Mohammad’s light), He then created
the Qalam (the Pen, which Allah has commanded towrite all what will occur in the
universe from beginning to end), the seventy veils, and their respective angels
(meaning who attend each veil!). He then created Al-Law’h (in which all what will
occur is duly recorded)...”

d. Some Sufis claim that the Prophet’s light was the first to exist, and that Allah
created everything for Mohammad’s sake, but they do not state that everything
was created from Mohammad’s light. Al-Booseiry said, in his Burdah, which is a
well-known poem, among the Sufis that is, and which is still frequently recited
until today, especially during the Prophet’s birthday! This poem contains several
deviant beliefs, “Among your (meaning the Prophet’s) favors (that he has
generously gave away, so Al-Booseiry claims), is the Dunya (the life of this world)
and its Dharrah (it means here the Last Life), and among your knowledge, is the
knowledge of Al-Law’h and Al-Qhalam.”

Al-Booseiry has thus stated that the Prophet gave up the Last Life, although the
Prophet strived hard to gain the good of the Last Life, by worshipping Allah more
than any other human being. AlBooseiry has also claimed that the Prophet has
possessed knowledge of the Unseen, which Allah has reserved for Himself.