The Way of the Sufis is The Best

I began to realise by now that the best practising Muslims are actually the Sufis, for in them all components of “al-din” of Islam are manifested: Islam, Iman and Ihsan as mentioned in the famous ‘Hadith of Gabriel’. The exoteric and esoteric aspects of Islam are realised in them. They are people who are not only concerned with the validity of their ritual worship (fiqh) which is required by the pillars of Islam, AND the correctness of their doctrinal belief and creed (‘aqīdah) as is mandatory in the pillars of Islam, BUT ALSO busy themselves with the states of their heart (ahwāl) at the level of Ihsan. It reminds me now of what my teacher, Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (may Allah preserve him) used to say, something like: "Tasawwuf is the practice of ibadah at the level of Ihsan".

Modelling the Perfect Man (al-insān al-kāmil) (may Allah shower upon him peace), the Sufis are continuously striving both internally and outwardly. Internally, they are trying to attain the purest and pristine state of the spiritual heart, while outwardly, adorning themselves with good ethical conduct (akhlāq) of the Best Creation (s.a.w)

For that reason, Imām al-Ghazālī (may Allah sanctify his soul) said:

“The Sufis are those who uniquely follow the way to God, their mode of life is the best of all, their way the most direct ways, and their ethic the purest” (al-Ghazālī, al-Munqidh)

It is very unfortunate that these days people are more interested in debating on trivial matters, ignoring their ‘sick heart’ that requires more attention and purification from all forms of spiritual diseases: greed, love for the world, ostentation, miserliness, envy, hatred, treachery, rancour, malice, arrogance and many more. (Read: Hamzah Yusuf’s Purification of the heart)

Sorely today too the Sufis were misrepresented by numerous deviant pseudo-Sufis who have tarnished the beauty of Sufism to the degree that the general people view the Sufis as a group of people who reject the world, unsocial and prefer to leave in seclusion or isolation. Sufis’ name is mud because of these false Sufis or ‘pseudo-Sufis’.

If one wants to be a Sufi, then follow the way of Imam al-Ghazālī which combines both the Shariah and Haqiqah, for one without the other is just like a body without soul. In the same manner, Imam Malik (may mercy be upon him) succinctly puts it:

“man taSawwafa wa lam yatafaqqah fa-qad tazandaqa
wa man tafaqqaha wa lam yataSawwaf fa-qad tafassaqa
wa man jama'a bayna-humA fa-qad taHaqqaqa.”

[Whoever studies Tasawwuf and does not study Fiqh will be a heretic. Whoever studies Fiqh and does not study Tasawwuf will be corrupted. Whoever combines the two will have the truth.]

And Only Allah knows best!