Transcript What is Sufism?

What is Sufism?
Ahmed Mirza M.D.
Naqshbandiya Foundation for
Islamic Education (www.nfie.com )
In The Name of God,Most
Compassionate,Most Merciful
Greetings of Peace
Assalam-o-Alaikum
Peace be with you
Al-Fatiha-Opening Surah
In the Name of God,the Compassionate,the
Merciful
The Owner of Day of Judgement
Thee we worship&inThee we seek refuge
Guide us upon the straight path
The path of those to whom Thou art gracious
Not of those upon whom Thine anger has fallen,
Nor of those who are stray
Amin
Terminology
Tasawwuf
–
–
–
–
“Islamic Spirituality”
“Sufism”
“Islamic Mysticism”
“Esotericism”
Tazkiya
– Purification of the heart
Ihsan
– Perfection and excellence
– Most Beautiful
Sufism:Terminology
Ilm-al-Yaqin
– Knowledge of Certainty
Ain-al-Yaqin
– Vision of Certainty
Haqq-al-Yaqin
– Essence of Certainty
Terminology (contd.)
Shariah
– Islamic law
Tariqah
– Sufi path, Way
Marifah
– Gnosis
Haqiqah
– Truth, Reality
Origin of Sufism
Safa
– “Purity”- to purify the heart
Saff
– “The First Rank”
Ashab-us-Suffa
– “Companions of the bench”
Suf
– “wool”
What is Tasawwuf(Sufism)?
A.Godlas
What is Tasawwuf? Good character and
awareness of God.
That’s all Tasawwuf is. And nothing more
.What is Tasawwuf? Love and affection.
It is the cure for hatred and vengeance. And
nothing more
What is Tasawwuf? The heart attaining
tranquility–
which is the root of religion. And nothing
more.
What is Tasawwuf(Sufism)?
A.Godlas
What is Tasawwuf? Concentrating your mind,
which is the religion of Ahmad (pbuh). And nothing
more.
What is Tasawwuf? Contemplation that travels to the
Divine throne.
It is a far-seeing gaze. And nothing more.
Tasawwuf is keeping one’s distance from
imagination and supposition.
Tasawwuf is found in certainty. And nothing more.
What is Tasawwuf(Sufism)?
A.Godlas
Surrendering one’s soul to the care of the
inviolability of religion;
this is Tasawwuf. And nothing more.
Tasawwuf is the path of faith and affirmation of
unity;
this is the incorruptible religion. And nothing more.
Tasawwuf is the smooth and illuminated path.
It is the way to the most exalted paradise. And
nothing more.
What is Tasawwuf(Sufism)?
A.Godlas
I have heard that the ecstasy of the wearers of wool
comes from finding the taste of religion. And nothing
more.
Tasawwuf is nothing but shari’at.
It is just this clear road. And nothing more.
Foundation:
Quran & Sunnah
“One
cannot be a Benedictine
without being a Christian or a
Sufi without being a Muslim.
There is no Sufism without
Islam.”
William Stoddart
Foundation
“He who practices Sufism without
learning Islamic Law (Shariah)
corrupts his faith, while he who learns
Islamic Law without practicing Sufism
corrupts himself. Only he who
combines the two proves to be true.”
Imam Malik
Shariah(Law)&Tariqah(Way)
Shariah consists of 3
parts,Knowledge(ilm),Deeds(amal)&Sincerity(i
khlas)Until all 3 are realized,Shariah cannot be
fulflled. When Shariah is fulfilled,the pleasure of
God Almighty results&this is superior to all forms
of happiness.The Shariah is gaurantor of all
happiness both in this world&hereafter.Tariqah is
servant of Shariah&perfects the
Sincereity(Ikhlas). Ahmad Sirhindi (d.1624)
Shariah,Tariqah,Haqiqah
Law,Way,Experience
“ Shariah is my words
(aqwali) ,
Tariqah is my my actions
(amalie),
Haqiqah is my interior states
(ahwali)”
Hadith
Shariah (Law),Tariqah (Way)and
Haqiqah(Experience)are mutually interdependent
Misconceptions
Universal
– No organic link with Islam
Racist Theory
– European Orientalists
Bad Innovation
– Muslim Fundamentalists
Islamic Mysticism
– Paranormal State
Islamic Esotericism
– Inner Dimension without Outer
Social Withdrawal, Opium
Hadith Gabriel
What is Islam? Submission,Surrender
What is Iman? Faith,Belief.
What is Ihsan? Perfection&Excellence
“A state of being such that when you pray you
so adore God as though you see Him or at
least realize inwardly that if you do not see
Him, He nevertheless sees you.”
Ihsan means doing good and being kind to
others.Enlightenment
Islam,Iman,Ihsan
Body, Mind,Spirit
Islam
Doing
Rituals,
Social,
Personal
Five Pillars
Fiqh
Jurist
Iman
knowing,
faith,
reason
Articles of Faith
TheologyPhilosophy
Theologian,
Philosopher
Ihsan:Spirit
Ihsan,being,actualization
virtue&goodness,deepest awareness of
self&direct communion with Ultimate
Reality- God.
Developing traits&virtues of Prophets,
Adam --to- ---Muhammad
Love,generosity,nobility,justice,sincerity,
forgiveness
Tasawwuf,Sufism
Sufi
Goals of Sufism
“Acquire attributes of God”
– Takhhaluque bi akhlaquillah
“Die before your death”
– Mootoo qabla unta Mootoo
“The faithful is the mirror of the faithful”
– Al-mumin mirat al-mumin
To acquire nearness of God (Qurb)
– Practice Ihsan
Goals of Sufism
To achieve contented self (Nafs-ulMutmainna)
To cultivate God awareness (Taqwa)
To transform self (Tazkiya-e-Nafs)
– Removing the bad habits and acquiring the
good manners
Sufis:Love ofGod&His Creation
All people are the children of God on earth
“ Oh God! I bear witness that all Thy creatures
are brothers”Hadith
“ Why this meaningless talk about the
believer,
the kafir, the obedient, the sinner,
the rightly guided, the misdirected, the
Muslim,
the pious, the infidel, the fire worshipper?
All are like beads in a rosary.”
Abdul Quddus of Gangoh
The Contribution of Indian Sufis to Peace and Amity.K.A.Nizami
Sufis:Love of God&Creation
Adopt the ways of God
To reflect in one’s own thought and activity the
attributes of God.
“ Higher spiritual life is nothing but service of
humanity, It is not (chanting) the rosary,
(remaining on the) prayer carpet or (wearing)
coarse garments.”Nizamuddin
To identy service of God with the service of
man
The Contribution of Indian Sufis to Peace and Amity.K.A.Nizami
Sufis:Love of God&Creation
Unity of Divine Revelation.
“Say: We make no difference between them (prophets of
God)” Quran:3:78
“All these religions and faiths are branches of the same
tree,They have sprouted from one and the same
root.”Shah Niaz Ahmad
“Learn from the eyes the way to develop,unity and
oneness.The two eyes appear different
but their vision is one.”
The Contribution of Indian Sufis to Peace and Amity.K.A.Nizami
Words of Wisdom
The intension of Fasting&Prayer is to transform
the earthly qualities into higher qualities & to
discover the essence of Humanity within &
becoming knowledgeable of the essence of self,
a doorway to understanding Divine,as
“Whoever knows one’s self,knows one’s
God”&”Whoever purifies one’s self for forty
days,the spring of knowledge will flow from his
heart onto his tongue” Said the Prophet(PBUH)
“The best people are those
who are useful to
others”.‘hadith
Junaid Baghdadi(830-910)
'The Eight Qualities of the Sufi'
Liberality such as that of Abraham;
Acceptance of his lot, as Ismail accepted;
Patience, as possessed by Job;
Capacity to communicate by symbolism, as
in the case of Zachariah;
Estrangement from his own people, which was
the case with John;
Woollen garb like the shepherd's mantle of
Moses;
Journeying, like the travelling of Jesus;
Humility, as Muhammad had humility of spirit
Practice
Perfection&Excellence in Shariah
Dhikr:Spiritual method to cleanse Heart
“ Invocation,Remembrance, Mention.”
Allah,Lailaha illalah,99 Names
Salutations on Prophet
Dhikr:Quran
“Invoke the Name of thy Lord and devote
thyself to him with utter devotion” (Sura of
the Enshrounded one, 8)
“Verily in the remembrance of God do
hearts find rest” (Sura of the Thunder, 28)
“Remember Me and I shall remember you.”
(152)Sura of the Cow,
Sufi Orders
Qadriya
– Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (d.561/1166)
Suhrawardiyya
– Abdul Qadir Abu Najib as-Suhrawardi (d 564/1168)
Shadhiliya
– Abul Hasan ash-Shadhli (1196-1258)
Chishtiya
– Muinuddin Chishti (d.633/1236)
Naqshbandiya
– Bahauddin Naqshband (1317-1389)
Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani
(1077-1166)
Eminent Scholar of
Shariah(Islamic
Law)&Tariqah(Sufism)
Founder of the Qadiriya Sufi
order, Spiritual Pole of his
time , Al-Gaus al-Azam
Suhrawardiya Order
Shaykh Shihab al-Din
`Umar b. `Abd Allah
al-Suhrawardi (11441234)was a model of
orthodox moderation,
founder of the great
Suhrawardiya Sufi
order,
He is the author of the
celebrated 'Awarif alma'arif, an excellent
text of Sufism.
KNOWLEDGE for
ENCOUNTERING GOD:
Qamar-Ul Huda, Fons Vitae
Chishtiya Order
Muin ad-Din Chishti (1141-1230) known as
Gharib Nawaz is the most famous Sufi saint
of the Chishti Order of South Asia.He
taught,renunciation, strict self-discipline,
personal prayer; Sama, independence from
rulers, generosity to others,
tolerance and respect for religious
differences.
Muin ad-Din Chishti
“to develop river-like generosity, sunlike affection and earth-like
hospitality.” The highest form of
devotion, according to him, was “to
redress the misery of those in distress
– to fulfill the needs of the helpless
and to feed the hungry.”
Shah Shahidullah Faridi (1915-1978)
Born in England,Studied at Oxford,read the
Sufi treatise Kashful Mahjub, left his home in
search of a Sufi shaikh. In India, he met Syed
Zauqi Shah.,became his spiritual
successor&lived in Karachi,Pakistan for 30
years.He was a renowned writer on spiritual
matters, and was regarded as having great
clarity and insight. One of his most famous
books is Inner Aspects of Faith.
Naqshbandiya Order
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari,(13181389)Initiatic chain, from the Prophet
Muhammad to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, use of
the silent invocation of God (dhikr); and a
strong adherence to the shariah( Islamic
Law).
Naqshbandiya Order
Naqshband”naqsh= "engraving“=engraving the
name of Allah in the heart, Band="bond“=link
between the individual and his Creator.
Naqshband means "image-maker," "Pattern
Maker“ "Reformer of Patterns",Way of the
Chain" or "Golden Chain”. Naqshbandi follower
has to practice his prayers and obligations
according to the Glorious Qur'an and the
Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to keep the
Presence &Love of Allah alive in his/her heart all
the times with practice of silent dhikr.
(FAITH, PRACTICE and PIETY,BOOK REVIEW by Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph.D., )
Naqshbandiya Branches:
Yasavi- Ahmad Yasavi,d.1167
Mujaddidi- Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi d.1624
Khalidi,- Mawlana Khalid Baghdadi d.1827,
The Khalidi Sufi network spread throughout
the Turkish,Central Asian, and Arab world but
was strongest in Anatolia and Kurdistan.
Shaykh Muhammad Masum
Naqshbandi.d.01/8/2007
Spiritual guide of Naqshbandoya
Foundation,Islamic scholar renowned for
his depth of spiritual wisdom, radiated a
sincere, humble, yet uncompromising
piety. He transformed the lives of people
over six decades. He was living example
of “The learned scholars of my community
are the heirs of the prophets”Hadith.
Shaykh Muhammad Masum
Naqshbandi(R.A)
Mawlana Khalid Baghdadi(1779-1827)
Shaykh ‘Uthman Siraj ad-Din (1781-1867).
Shaykh Muhammad Baha’ ad-Din (1837-1881),
Shaykh ‘Umar Diya’ ad-Din (1839-1901), Shaykh
Muhammad Najm ad-Din (1863- 1918),
Shaykh Muhammad ‘Ala’ ad-Din(1863- 1954)
Shaykh Uthman Sira al-Din 11(1896-1997)
Shaykh Muhammad Masum Naqshbandi d.2007
Shaykh Masum Naqshbandi(R.A)
Shaykh Masum
Biarah,Khanqah
Shaykh Muhammad Masum(R.A)
Biarah Naqshbandi Khanqah-Mosque
Shaykh Muhammad Masum(R.A)
Shaykh Masum at Mawlid-un-Conference,Chicago
with Shayukh of Qadriya,Rifaiya,Chishtiya
Abu’l-Hassan ash-Shadhili d.1258
Shadhiliya Order -Principles
In solitudity and in public,
should always be afraid of
God.
Should follow Shariah in
speech and deed.
In prosperity and poverty,
happiness and sorrow, good
and bad, should not beg to
the creations but to the
Creator.
When God shows his mercy
less or more, should be
Thankful to God.
In joy and sorrow, fortune
and misfortune ,should
believe that everything is
from God.
Shaykh Nooruddin Durkee
Founder of the Lama
Foundation,Islamic
Study Center(ISC),Dar
al-Islam Foundation in
Abiquiu New Mexico
Director of an-Noor
Educational Trust and
Green Mountain School.
Books : The
Transliterated Tajwidi
Qur'an,Madrassah
Shadhuliyyah,
"Orisons" and
"Origins“, Embracing
Islam"
Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
American Muslim,Born in 1954 in Odessa,WA
Educated at U of Chicago and UCLA., studied
traditional Islamic Sciences at Al-Azhar.
Books
Umdat al-Salik (Reliance of Traveller)
Al-Maqasid: Imam Nawawi's Manual of Islam;
Sunni Path: A Handbook of Islamic Belief;
Tariqa Notes (on the Shadhilli path).
Imam Nawawi's Kitab al-Adhkar (Book of
Rememberance of Allah)
Shaykh Nuh Mim Keller
Shaykha Fariha Jerrahi
Born into a socially committed, eclectic Catholic
family in Houston, in 1947. At the age of 19 she
began a conscious search for God. Ten years
later she met her teacher, Shaykh Muzaffer
Ozak of Istanbul. became the disciple of Lex
Hixon, called Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi. Nur
envisioned a radical and illumined path of the
heart which he called Universal Islam. When
Shaykh Nur passed in 1995, Fariha took on the
role of guiding the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order.
Shaykha Fariha Jerrahi
Through this lineage, she and her
representatives offer the nectar of teachings of
the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
which guide the seeker to self-knowledge and
immersion in God. The sacred practices of zikr,
prayer, charitable living, fasting and retreat are
all embraced.
Every Thursday, Fariha with her husband Ali and
the dervishes invite all seekers into the circle of
zikr at the Masjid al-Farah in New York City
Conclusion
Sufism is the way of love
“My heart has opened unto ever form: it is
a pasture for gazelles, a cloister for
Christian monks, a temple for idols, the
Ka’ba of the pilgrim, the tables of the
Torah, and the book of the Quran. I
practice directions its caravans advance,
the religion of Love shall be my religion
and my faith.”
Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyi ‘d-Din ibn ‘Arabi
Come, come, whoever you are,
Wanderer, idolater, worshiper of fire,
Come even though you have broken your
vows a thousand times,
Come, and come yet again.
Ours is not a caravan of despair
Rumi
Be Tolerant Like Sea: Rumi
In generosity and
helping others, be like a
River
In compassion and
grace, be like the Sun
In concealing other's
faults, be like the Night
In anger and fury, be
like Dead
In modesty and
humility,be like the
earth
In tolerance be like Sea
Either apear as you
are,or be as you appear
Thanks To My Son
JUNAID MIRZA
For Making This PowerPoint Presentation