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     | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 04:27 am Bismillahi arahmani rahim. Please refrain from irralavent, abuse of this link. I am just sharing the possitive aspects of Sufism, if you have a negative perspective please feel free to start a link that expresses your view. All those that can project negativity are indeed negative, just like those who commit murder are guilty and deserve a criminal title. If you see evil everywhere you look then may be you should look inside yourself and see what is contained in your heart&mind! ********************************** http://mysticrider.com/G.1-3.htm The drum of the realization of the promise is beating, we are sweeping the road to the sky. Your joy is here today, what remains for tomorrow? The armies of the day have chased the army of the night, Heaven and earth are filled with purity and light. Oh! joy for he who has escaped from this world of perfumes and color! For beyond these colors and these perfumes, these are other colors in the heart and the soul. Oh! joy for this soul and this heart who have escaped the earth of water and clay, Although this water and this clay contain the hearth of the philosophical stone. (Mystic Odes 473) *************** If every thing you witness in red then maybe you should remove your red shades, instead of complaining about the colour of your world! That goes to those who see the negative in everything they encounter. Those that find something interesting about sufism are invited to share their feelings about sufism and anything that is positive withregards to sufism. Thankyou. Peace&love
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 05:54 am Imaam Ash-Shaa'fee on Sufism: "If a person excercized Sufism (Tasawafa) at the beginning of the day, he does not come to Dhuhur except an idiot." [Talbees Iblees]. "Nobody accompanied the Sufis forty days and had his brain return (ever)." [Talbees Iblees]. Concerning the famous Sufi leader, Al-Harith Al-Muhasbi, Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbaal (R) said: "Warn (people) from Al-Harith (a Sufi leader) the strongest warning!... He is the shelter of the Ahl Kalaam (people of rhetoric)." [Talbees Iblis]. The famous Sheikh Abu Bakr Ad-Djaza'iri stated: "Sufism is a shameful deception which begins with Dhikr and ends with Kufr. Its outward manifestation appears to be piety, but its inward reality forsakes the Commandments of Allah." [Illat-Tasawwuf Yaa Ibadallah]. Ash-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Rabee' ibn Haadee Al-Madkhalee, a well known teacher at the Islamic University of Medinah and the son of a well known scholar, brings in his book "Haqeeqatus Soofiyyah Fee Dau'il Kitaabi Was Sunnah", the following: Concerning the practice of the Sufiyyah in wearing woolen clothing as a sign of Zuhd (abstemiousness/disassociation from the wordly life) and in their attempt to mirror the Prophet 'Isa (AS): "Ibn Taymiyah (R) mentions in Al-Fataawaa (11/7) from Muhammad ibn Seereen (a famous Tabi'ee who died in 110H) that it reached him that a certain people had taken to wearing woollen clothes in order to resemble 'Isa ibn Maryam (AS), so he said: 'There are a people (Sufis) who have chosen and preferred the wearing of woollen clothes, claiming that they want to resemble Al-Maseeh ibn Maryam (AS). But the way of our Prophet (SAAW) is more beloved to us, and the Prophet (SAAW) used to wear cotton and other garments." Sheikh Al-Madkhalee goes on: "As regards the first appearance of Sufism, then the word "Sufism" was not known in the time of the Sahabah, indeed it was not well-known in the first three and best centuries. Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah (R), mentions that the first appearance of Sufism was in Basrah in 'Iraaq, where some people went to extremes in worship and in avoiding the worldly life, such as was not seen in other lands. [Al-Fataawaa (11/6)]." Commenting on the reaction of the early Sufis while hearing Qur'an being recited (it was their pratice to fall out and act dumb-struck), Ibn Taymiyah (R) says: "This was not found to occur amongst the Sahabah, so when it appeared a group of the Companions and the Tabi'een such as Asmaa bint Abi Bakr and 'Abd Allah Az-Zubair and Muhammad ibn Seereen criticsed that since they saw that it was an innovation and contrary to what they knew from the manners of the Sahabah." [Al-Fataawaa (11/6)]. Concerning the spread of Sufism, Ibn Al-Jawziyyah said: "Sufism is a way whose beginning was complete avoidance of the affairs of worldly life, then those who attached themselves to it became lax in allowing singing and dancing. Therefore, the seekers of the Hereafter from the common people became attracted to them due to the avoidance of the worldly life which they manifested, and the seekers after this world were also attracted to them due to the life of ease and frivolity which they were seen to live." [Talbees Iblis]. Shaikh Abu Zahrah (R) said concerning the reason for the appearance of Sufism and the sources from which it sprung: "1. The first source: Some worshippers amongst the Muslims turned all their attention to avoidance of the worldly life and to cutting themselves off in order to worship. This first began in the lifetime of the Prophet (SAAW) when some of the Sahabah decided to spend the night striving in Prayer and abandoning sleep. Others decided to fast every day without fail. Others decided to cease having marital relations with women. So when that reached the Prophet (SAAW) he said: "What is wrong with a people who say such and such. But rather I fat and I refrain from fasting, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah, then he is not from me (Al-Bukharee and Muslim). Furthermore, the innovation of living like monks (monasticism) is forbiddeen in the Qur'an. He said: "...the Monasticism which they invented for themselves..." [57:27]. However, when the Prophet (SAAW) passed on to join the company of the highest angels, and many people entered into Islam from the previous religions then the number of those who went to extremes in avoidance of worldly life and its blessings grew and Sufism found a place in the hearts of these people since it had come across a fertile planting ground. 2. The second matter which attracted peoples' souls was something which appeared amongst the Muslims in the form of two ideologies. One of them was philosophical whilst the other was from the previous religions. As for the first, then it was the view of the Illumist school of philosophers who held that knowledge and awareness is brought about in the soul by spiritual exercies and purification of the soul. As for the second ideology, then it was the belief that the Deity dwells in human souls, or that the Deity is incarnate in humanity. This idea began to find a place amongst those sects who falsely attributed themselves to Islam in the earlier times, when the Muslims became mixed with the Christians. This idea appeared amongst the Sabians and some of the Kaysaamiyyah, then the Qaraamitah, then amongst the Baatinees, then in its final shape it appeared amongst some of the Sufis...There is another source from which it took, and which causes the manifestation of Sufi tendencies, which is the idea that the texts of the Book and the Sunnah have an outer, apparent meaning and an inner, hidden meaning...it seems clear that they took this idea from the Baatinees." [Ibn Taymiyah by Abu Zahra]. Ibn Al-Jawziyyah said after criticising the Sufis for their impostition of hardship upon themselves and for their going beyond bounds of abstemiousness to the point of self torture: "So this self seprivation which went beyond bounds, which we have been forbideen from, has been turned around by the Sufis of our time, ie. the sixth century, so that they have become as deserious of food as their predecessors were of hunger, and they enjoy morning meals, evening meals and sweet delicacies, all of which or most of which they attain through impure wealth. They have abandoned lawful earnings, turned away from worship and spread out carpets on which they idly recline, most of them have no desire except for food, drink and frivolous activities. [Talbees Iblis]. Speaking of the false miracles claimed by many Sufi leaders, Ibn Taymiyah said: "It may also be done with the help of their devils as they are a people who are as closely attended by devils as they are by their own brothers... These people who experience these satanic happenings are under a great delusion, in their foolishness they are deprived of all blessings, they only increase that which is feared, they devour the wealth of the people in futile acts, they do not order the good, nor do they forbid evil, and they do not fight Jihaad in Allah's Cause." [Al-Fataawaa]. Futher, Sheikh Al-Madkhalee says: "Then I return to the point that when I saw that most of the callers were negligent of the most important aspects of Islam which is the call to Tawheed and the correction and purification of 'Aqeedah from all Shirk, which takes the form of worshipping the dead, attachment to the graves and calling upon the dead and the absent, and they remained silent about the other deviation of the present day Sufi orders which are very widespread in the lands of the Muslims, and anyone who travels outside this land will see the predominace that the Sufi orders ahve over the minds of the Muslims in Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Africa and India. Whether is is the Rifaa'ee order, or the Tijanis, or the Ahmadiyyah, or the Qaadiriyyah, or the Burhamiyyah, or the Shadhiliyyah, or the Khattaaniyyah, or the Darqaawees, or the Naqshabandis or whichever of the large number of Sufi orders...when I saw this I wished to remind of that which I held to be something very important. Likewise, I wished to provide my brothers, who study in the highly regarded Daarul Hadeeth, and they come from various Islamic lands where there are many Sufi orders, with some knowledge and some protection from the deadly sickness of Sufism." As for those authentic and well known books by the 'Ulemah that have refuted Sufism: Al-Fataawaa - by Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah Tabless Iblis - by Ibn Al-Jawziyyah, ibn Taymiyah's student Tanbeebul-Ghabee ilaa Takfeer Ibn 'Arabee - by Burhaanuddeen Al-Baqaa'ee Tahdheerul-'Ibaad min Ahlil-'Inaad bibid'atil-Ittihaad - by Al-Baqaa'ee (same as above - died in 885H). These are just some of the statements by scholars, past and present, concerning the Sufiyyah. There are many, many more...and the research goes on... The word “Sufism” was not known at the time of the Messenger or the Sahaabah or the Taabi’een. It arose at the time when a group of ascetics who wore wool (“soof”) emerged, and this name was given to them. It was also said that the name was taken from the word “soofiya” (“sophia”) which means “wisdom” in Greek. The word is not derived from al-safa’ (“purity”) as some of them claim, because the adjective derived from safa’ is safaa’i, not soofi (sufi). The emergence of this new name and the group to whom it is applied exacerbated the divisions among Muslims. The early Sufis differed from the later Sufis who spread bid’ah (innovation) to a greater extent and made shirk in both minor and major forms commonplace among the people, as well as the innovations against which the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us when he said, “Beware of newly-invented things, for every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is a going-astray.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who said it is saheeh hasan). The following is a comparison between the beliefs and rituals of Sufism and Islam which is based on the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Sufism has numerous branches or tareeqahs, such as the Teejaniyyah, Qaadiriyyah, Naqshbandiyyah, Shaadhiliyyah, Rifaa’iyyah, etc., the followers of which all claim that their particular tareeqah is on the path of truth whilst the others are following falsehood. Islam forbids such sectarianism. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and be not of al-mushrikoon (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, polytheists, idolaters, etc), Of those who split up their religion (i.e., who left the true Islamic monotheism), and became sects, [i.e., they invented new things in the religion (bid’ah) and followed their vain desires], each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.” [al-Room 30:31-32] The Sufis worship others than Allaah, such as Prophets and “awliya’” [“saints”], living or dead. They say, “Yaa Jeelaani”, “Yaa Rifaa’i” [calling on their awliya’], or “O Messenger of Allaah, help and save” or “O Messenger of Allaah, our dependence is on you”, etc. But Allaah forbids us to call on anyone except Him in matters that are beyond the person's capabilities. If a person does this, Allaah will count him as a mushrik, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “And invoke not, besides Allaah, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).” [Yoonus 10:106] The Sufis believe that there are abdaal, aqtaab and awliya’ (kinds of “saints”) to whom Allaah has given the power to run the affairs of the universe. Allaah tells us about the mushrikeen (interpretation of the meaning): “Say [O Muhammad]: ‘…And who disposes the affairs?’ They will say. ‘Allaah.’…” [Yoonus 10:31] The mushrik Arabs knew more about Allaah than these Sufis! The Sufis turn to other than Allaah when calamity strikes, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things.” [al-An’aam 6:17] Some Sufis believe in wahdat al-wujood (unity of existence). They do not have the idea of a Creator and His creation, instead they say that everything is creation and everything is god. The Sufis advocate extreme asceticism in this life and do not believe in taking the necessary means or in jihaad, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “But seek with that (wealth) which Allaah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world…” [al-Qasas 28:77] “And make ready against them all that you can of power…” [al-Anfaal 8:60] The Sufis refer the idea of ihsaan to their shaykhs and tell their followers to have a picture of their shaykh in mind when they remember Allaah and even when they are praying. Some of them even put a picture of their shaykh in front of them when they are praying. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Ihsaan is when you worship Allaah as if you can see Him, and although you cannot see Him, He can see you.” (Reported by Muslim). The Sufis allow dancing, drums and musical instruments, and raising the voice when making dhikr, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts…” [al-Anfaal 8:2] Moreover, you see some of them making dhikr by only pronouncing the Name of Allaah, saying, “Allaah, Allaah, Allaah.” This is bid’ah and has no meaning in Islam. They even go to the extreme of saying, “Ah, ah” or “Hu, Hu.” The Sunnah is for the Muslim to remember his Lord in words that have a true meaning for which he will be rewarded, such as saying Subhaan Allaah wa Alhamdulillah wa Laa ilaaha illa Allaah wa Allaahu akbar, and so on. The Sufis recite love poems mentioning the names of women and boys in their dhikr gatherings, and they repeat words such as “love”, “passion”, “desire” and so on, as if they are in a gathering where people dance and drink wine and clap and shout. All of this has to do with the customs and acts of worship of the mushrikeen. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Their salaah (prayer) at the House (of Allaah, i.e., the Ka’bah at Makkah) was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands…” [al-Anfaal 8:35] Some Sufis pierce themselves with rods of iron, saying, “O my grandfather!” So the shayaateen come to them and help them, because they are seeking the help of someone other than Allaah . Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allaah), We appoint for him a shaytaan (devil) to be a qareen (intimate companion) for him.” [al-Zukhruf 43:36] The Sufis claim to have gnosis and knowledge of the unseen, but the Qur’aan shows them to be liars. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the ghayb (unseen) except Allaah…’” [al-Naml 27:65] The Sufis claim that Allaah created the world for the sake of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but the Qur’aan shows them to be liars. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56] Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, addressed His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the words (interpretation of the meaning): “And worship your Lord until there comes unto the certainty (i.e., death).” [al-Hijr 15:99] The Sufis claim that they can see Allaah in this life, but the Qur’aan shows them to be liars. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “[Moosa said:] ‘O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You.’ Allaah said, ‘You cannot see Me…’” [al-A’raaf 7:143] The Sufis claim that they take knowledge directly from Allaah, without the mediation of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and in a conscious state (as opposed to dreams). So are they better than the Sahaabah?? The Sufis claim that they take knowledge directly from Allaah, without the mediation of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They say, “Haddathani qalbi ‘an Rabbi (My heart told me from my Lord).” The Sufis celebrate Mawlid and hold gatherings for sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but they go against his teachings by raising their voices in dhikr and anaasheed (religious songs) and qaseedahs (poems) that contain blatant shirk. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) celebrate his birthday? Did Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, the four imaams or anyone else celebrate his birthday? Who knows more and is more correct in worship, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Salaf, or the Sufis? The Sufis travel to visit graves and seek blessings from their occupants or to make tawaaf (ritual circumambulation) around them or to make sacrifices at these sites, all of which goes against the teachings of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Do not travel to visit any place but three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah], this mosque of mine [in Madeenah] and al-Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem].” (Agreed upon). The Sufis are blindly loyal to their shaykhs, even when what they go against the words of Allaah and His Messenger. But Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allaah and His Messenger…” [al-Hujuraat 49:1] The Sufis use talismans, letters and numbers for making decisions and for making amulets and charms and so on. The Sufis do not restrict themselves to the specific blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that were narrated from him. They invented new formulas that involve seeking his blessings and other kinds of blatant shirk which are unacceptable to the one on whom they are sending blessings. With regard to the question of the whether the Sufi shaykhs have some kind of contact, this is true, but their contact is with the shayaateen, not with Allaah, so they inspire one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception), as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies – shayaateen (devils) among mankind and jinns, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception). If your Lord had so willed, they would not have done it…” [al-An’aam 6:112] And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… And, certainly, the shayaateen (devils) do inspire their friends (from mankind)…” [al-An’aam 6:121] “Shall I inform you (O people!) upon whom the shayaateen (devils) descend? They descend on every lying, sinful person.” [al-Shu’ara 221-222] This is the contact that is real, not the contact that they falsely claim to have with Allaah. Exalted be Allaah far above that. (See Mu’jam al-Bida’, 346 –359). When some of these Sufi shaykhs disappear suddenly from the sight of their followers, this is the result of their contact with the shayaateen, who may even carry them to a distant place and bring them back in the same day or night, to mislead their human followers. So the important rule here is not to judge people by the extraordinary feats that they may do. We should judge them by how closely or otherwise they adhere to the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The true friends of Allaah (awliya’) are not necessarily known for performing astounding feats. On the contrary, they are the ones who worship Allaah in the manner that He has prescribed, and not by doing acts of bid’ah. The true awliya’ or friends of Allaah are those whom our Lord has described in the hadeeth qudsi narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (5/2384) from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah said, ‘Whoever shows enmity towards a friend (wali) of Mine, I declare war against him. My slave does not draw close to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties that I have enjoined on him, and My slave continues to draw close to Me with supererogatory (naafil) acts, so that I will love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.’” And Allaah is the Source of Strength and the Guide to the Straight Path. Shia Unvelied: http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/shia_fal.html "WAHABISM EXPOSED!" http://www.alharamain.org/english/index.htm THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SHEE'AH AND MUSLIMS WHO FOLLOW THE SUNNAH: http://www.alharamain.org/english/index.htm SUFISM UNVELIED: http://www.alharamain.org/english/index.htm In Defense of Sunnah: http://www.shariah.net/in-defense-of-sunnah/default.htm About Shi'a Sect: http://www.alsalafyoon.com/EnglishPosts/shclarsonshia.htm In the first half of the twelfth century (Hijra) the Islamic World had reached its extreme decline, degradation and utter fall. The atmosphere was very gloomy and darkness had covered all its regions. Moral degradation and corruption was rampant everywhere. As for religion it was decadent as everything else. The pure and austere monotheism (TAWHEED) of the Prophet (sal) had become corrupted with the burgeoning growth of superstition and mysticism. The mosques stood empty, unfrequented and even deserted. The ignorant multitude decked out in amulets, charms and rosaries listened to and blindly followed squalid faqeers and ecstatic dervishes. These men urged them to perform pilgrimages to the tombs of Saints and seek their intercession with Allah. As for the moral precepts ordained by the Qur’an they too were ignored as well as defied. Even the consumption of intoxicants and opium were well nigh universal. In all certainty the life had been bulldozed out of Islam, leaving behind naught but a dry husk of meaningless ritual and degrading superstition. The period of the Pious Predecessors being already passed, innovations and superstitions cropped up and vastly mushroomed. The people went back to their old practices of idolatry. They started paying homage to shrines and graves, so much so that they even directed their devotional prayers and supplications towards the graves to the exclusion of Allah. They gave precedence to the philosophical views and taqleed (blind following) over the Sunnah. They divested Allah of His essential attributes by making false interpretations on the Qur’anic texts. But, all praises to Allah, no generation, persistently beset with innovations and abominable Shirk was ever devoid of sincere reformers who revived the faith to its pristine purity. In such darkest hour, a voice came crying out of the vast Arabian desert, the cradle of Islam, calling the faithful back to the true path, the one and only way - the Qur’an and the Sunnah. That was the great Mujaddid and puritan reformer, the celebrated Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who kindled a fire, which spread and engulfed the remotest corners of the Muslim World, purging Islam of its decadence and reviving the fervor of days gone by. The morning of reformation had dawned and the great re-awakening of the Islamic world had begun. This peaceful, religious, revivalist movement of the Sheikh was obnoxious to the Turks and others for more reasons than one. They tried to crush this movement by force. They even killed some of the leaders, but could not destroy the movement outright. The movement lived on and is now growing all over the world. Everywhere in the Muslim world we are witnessing, the raising of the banner of Tawheed and the revival of the Call to the Qur’an and Sunnah. All around the Muslim world, we see some Muslims, individually and collectively proclaiming the Call to Tawheed and the return to the Qur’an and Sunnah in the face of opposition by the ‘Saint-worshippers’, `Grave-worshippers`, `the Sufis’ and the ‘Tariqat followers’. These deviant groups all purport or make the false claim to be Ahl us Sunnah wal Jam’aah and label the true callers to The Sunnah as `Wahhabis’ In view of the ignoble and false propaganda mounted against the reformatory movement of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab and the derogatory use of the word `Wahhabi’ for the movement ant its followers, we will Insha Allah in the course of this booklet, give a short account of the important events of his life and salient features of his creed and of his works. HIS LIFE STORY Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab ibn Sulaiman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rashid al Tamimi was born in the year 1155 A.H.(1703 C.E.) in ‘Ayina to the north of Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the reign of Abdulla ibn Muhammad ibn Hamd ibn Muammar. He excelled over his contemporaries in intelligence and physique and was able to commit the Quran to memory by the time he was ten years old. His father found him capable of leading the congregational prayers and decided to get him married that year. He studied the Hanbali Jurisprudence, Tafsir and Hadith from his learned father. During his childhood itself, he directed his full attention to the books on Tafsir, Hadith and Aqidah and particularly to the writings of Sheik al Islam Ibn Taimiya and Ibn al Qayyim and made a deep study of them. He left his native town to perform the Hajj and then proceeded to Madinah. At that time Sheikh Abdullah bin Ibrahim ibn Saif belonging to the progeny of Saif Najdi was chief of the scholars of Madinah. Sheikh Muhammad acquired a good deal of knowledge from him and came to be loved and held in high esteem by his teacher. His strong stand on Thawheed and his deep concern over false beliefs and evil deeds brought about a strong bond between the Sheikh and his teacher. He was so impressed by his student that Sheikh Abdullah granted him permission of narrating well-known hadiths of two of the authorities. Firstly on the authority of Ibn Muflih reporting from Sheikh Ibn Taiymiyyah and reaching up to Imam Ahmad. Secondly on the authority of Abd al Rahman bin Rajab, reporting from Ibn al Qayyim who narrated it from his teacher Sheikh ibn Taiymiyya reaching up to Imam Ahmad. Sheikh Abdullah also authorized him to narrate all the traditions reported by Sheikh Abd al Baqi Hanbali, the chief among the great teachers of his time. He also authorised him to narrate the traditions of the Sahih of Bukhari and the traditions of the Sahih of Muslim and commentaries of both, the Sunan of Tirmidhi, Nasa’ai, Abu Dawud, Ibn Maajah, the Muwatta of Imam Malik and the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. During this time he came to know and benefited from the knowledge of other scholars such as Ali Afendi Daghastanee, Ismaeel Ajluni and others. Then he moved on to Nejd, Basra and Syria for the purpose of acquiring further knowledge. He stayed for a long time in Basra, where he pursued his studies under a number of renowned scholars, among whom Sheikh Muhammad Majmui was most prominent. During this time he compiled and published many valuable books on the topic of innovations, superstitions and the supplication to the dead ones in the graves. He supported his treatises with manifest evidence from the Quran. The adherents of falsehood defamed, tortured and turned him out of Basra. They also persecuted his teacher Sheikh Majmui. He left for the town of Zubair in the scorching heat of the summer and was almost dying of thirst, when Allah sent to him a man called Abu Hamidan. He found the Sheikh to be a man of learning and righteousness. So he mounted him on his animal and took him to Zubair. Sheikh Muhammad thought of going to Syria to quench his thirst for more knowledge, but soon fell short of provision and was compelled to return to Nejd. He arrived at Ahsa and stayed with the Sheikh Abdullah ibn Abd al Latiff Shafi’i and studied under him. UN-ISLAMIC PRACTICES OF THAT TIME. Sheikh Muhammad then went to Harimala, a village of Nejd because his father had transferred there and stayed with him. He devoted himself fully to the learning of Tafsir and Hadith, particularly the works of Skeikh ibn Taiymiyyah and Sheikh ibn Qayyim. This immensely increased his knowledge and insight and infused in his heart a spirit of determination and steadfastness. With his deep insight he could visualize all the un-Islamic notions and corrupt practices prevailing in Nejd and the countries he had visited. Even in Madinah, he saw people invoking the Prophet (sal) and making supplication to him. He decided to disseminate the True message of Islam throughout the Arabian Peninsula. The Sheikh found that Nejd was infested with corrupt beliefs and religious practices repugnant to the fundamentals of the True Religion. There were a number of graves in the Nejd area which were attributed to some of the Companions of the Prophet (sal). People visited these graves and invoked them for help in their hour of need. In Jubila they visited the grave of Zaid ibn Khattab and seeking relief for their needs. In Manfuha, people sought mediatiothrouga male palm-tree believing that a spinster, who pays a visit to it, soon gets married. In Dariya there was a cave which people frequented. Similarly there was grave of Dirar ibn al Azwar in the valley of Ghabira. It was the same story as in Basra and Zubair where people worship idols of the pre-Islamic period. A similar sad state of affairs prevailed in Iraq, Syria Egypt and Yemen. He compared all these practices in the light of the Quran and the practices of the Prophet (sal) and his Companions and found them far removed from and inconsistent with the religion and spirit of Islam. This was the sorry state of affairs not only with the people of Nejd but of other places as well, in the Muslim world. CALL FOR REVIVAL OF PURE MONOTHEISM The Sheikh found that the people had abandoned their faith, and the more he studied their deviations, the firmer he grew in his conviction and determination that Muslims should inevitably change themselves and tread the path of the Pious Predecessors. The hadiths of Prophet (Sal) say as follows: `You must necessarily tread the path of those who lived before you’. `The last hour shall not come, until some of the people of my Ummah begin to worship idols.’ `Islam was born a stranger and shall return as a stranger in similar manner.’ Sheikh Muhammad had by now resolved to publicly declare unto his people that they had gone astray from the right path. He started with his call to the people in the town of Harimala, and made it clear to them, that he called them only unto Allah. He reminded the people that everything should be for Allah alone and that they should give up their wrong beliefs and practices. This naturally led to a dispute and struggle with the people and even with his father, who had been led away by the false sayings of the deviated followers. The Sheikh continued to pursue his cause undeterred by making speeches, writing as well as practically guiding the people. Eventually a good majority of his people accepted his views. His father and brother Sulaiman too were convinced after prolonged discussions. In the year 1153 A.H. his father Abd al Wahhab passed away. After the death of his father the people openly accepted the call of the Sheikh and forsook their false notions. They responded to the call for a return to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal) both in words and deeds. During this time his town was dominated by two tribes both claiming leadership but none able to take full control and maintain justice. These tribes were in the practice of keeping slaves and indulged in every mischief and sin. When the Sheikh thought of admonishing them, they got wind of it and set upon him but were prevented by the timely action of some good people. The Sheikh left Harimala for his native town Aiyna, where his forefathers once lived and ruled. Here he met one Uthman bin Hamd bin Muammar, to whom he explained his reformist movement based on the Quran and Sunnah. He explained the significance of Thawheed and how much the beliefs and actions of the people differed from the true path. He told Uthman that if he would uphold the cause of Allah and his word, he would soon come to the leadership in Nejd and crowned with eternal bliss. Uthman responded readily to the Sheikh’s call. Here again the Sheikh urged the people to return to the worship of Allah only (Thawheed) and a strict adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal). The Sheikh managed to cut down trees that were being worshipped in the area. He succeeded with the help of Uthman, in bringing down the dome over the grave of Zaid ibn al Khattab. He also carried out the prescribed punishment for adultery on a woman who had confessed to it. The Sheikh and his message came to be widely known, and his reputation spread far and wide and it also reached Sulaiman bin Muhammad bin Urai’ir, the Governor of Ahsa and the children of Khalid. This impudent and ignorant man sent a letter to Uthman bin Muammir saying, “this man who is with you is saying this and did that, and when you receive this letter slay him, if not we shall withhold your kharaj (revenue} which is with us in Ahsa.” This was a tricky situation for Uthman. To oppose Urair was too much for him. Fearing this threat and weak in his faith ibn Muammar ordered the Sheikh to be banished from his town. The Sheikh left the town on foot escorted by a horseman through the desert in the scorching sun, with only the thought of Allah, until he reached Dariya as the guest of Abd al rahman bin Suwailim. Through ibn Suwailim most of the prominent people of Dariya came to know of the Sheikh. They visited him in secret and he explained to them the real meaning and the significance of Thawheed. Among those who visited the Sheikh were the two brothers of Prince Muhammad bin Saud. These two brothers after much discussion and tutoring by the Sheikh were enlightened. They explained to their brother prince Muhammad that Sheikh Muhammad was staying with Ibn Suwailim and that he was a blessing from Allah sent to them. They urged the prince to meet the Sheikh. PRINCE MUHAMMED BIN SAUD ACCEPTS THE SHEIKH Prince Muhammad accepted the suggestion and met the Sheikh. He invited the Prince to Thawheed saying that it was the message, with which all the Messengers were sent by Allah. He also drew the attention of the Prince to the polytheistic practices and notions prevalent among the people of the Nejd. He wished that the Prince should assume leadership of the Muslims. The prince acceded to the wish of the Sheikh and offered him all help and assistance to carry out his task. He also promised to adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal) to command the good and to prohibit the evil. After the Sheikh had settled at Dariya, people began to throng to him from all sides even claiming kinship and accepting his Call. In the meantime Uthman ibn Muammar who exiled the Sheikh from his town came to know of Prince Muhammad’s acceptance of Sheikh Muhammad and his message. Now Uthman very much regretted what he had done to the Sheikh. Uthman ibn Muammar, accompanied by a large delegation came to Dariya and called on the Sheikh to tender their apologies. They requested the Sheikh to come back with them. He replied that it depended entirely on the wish of Prince Muhammad. Prince Muhammad refused to accede to their request and Uthman and his followers went back disappointed. SHEIKH GAINS A FOLLOWING Now people came in large numbers to the Sheikh, seeking pure knowledge without the adulteration of fables and falsehood. He explained to them the real meaning of “La ilaaha illallah” and its significance. He stressed the importance of the negation of all false deities and the affirmation of Allah and his attributes. The Sheikh communicated with people of other cities and invited them to accept his call and join his movement in order to eradicate Shirk and all its abominable practices. Some accepted while others rejected and some even ridiculed him and accused him of sorcery. He continued with his mission undeterred. The opponents exerted their utmost to rally their forces to destroy this nascent movement by any or all means. Sheikh Muhammad and the Prince had no alternative but to resort to the sword to defend this movement. This war went on for many years and village after village fell to the new alliance. Some opponents voluntarily began to accept them when they realized the true nature of the movement. All the efforts by the misguided group to rally their forces to destroy this nascent movement by any means miserably failed. After the conquest of Riyadh in 1187 A.H. the Sheikh entrusted the governing of the people to Prince Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud and devoted his time to worship, learning and teaching. Prince Muhammad and his son Abd al Aziz always consulted him before they undertook anything and he gave his ruling. After an arduous struggle and having reached his goal he passed away in Dhul Qa’dah of 1206. BOOKS WRITTEN BY SHEIKH MUHAMMAD The Sheikh was the author of a number of books, prominent among them being the celebrated KITAB AL TAWHID, which needs no introduction. The other books are Kash al Shubuhat, Thalabat al Usul, theMukhtasar al-Sal-Nabawiyyah, the Mukhthasar al-Insaaf, the Sharh al-Kabir fi’l Fiqh, the Nasihat al-Muslimin bi-ahadite Khatam al-Nabiyyin, the Kitab al-Kabair, the Ahadith al-Fitn and several other treatises and most of them were pertaining to the topic of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the work Unwan al-Majid that the Sheikh had many pupils amongst whom were his sons who later became eminent scholars. His four sons Hussain, Abdullah, Ali and Ibrahim established schools close to their homes and taught the young students from Dariya and other places. The fifth son had not studied under him and had died in his youth. Some for the students who benefited from his knowledge and rose to the position of Qadis and Muftis are as follows: Sheikh Abd al Aziz bin Abdullah al Hussein al Nasim who was a Judge in the territory of Al Washm. Sheikh Said bin Hijji who became Judge of Hauta of Bani Tamim, Sheikh abd al Rahman bin Nami, who became Judge of Aiyna Ahsa, Shaikh Ahmad bin Rashid al-Uraini the Qadi of Sudair. The most notable student was Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Rahman bin Hassan who was the grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. A SUMMARY OF THE STRUGGLE OF SHEIKH MUHAMMED Due to the Sheikh’s strong views on Tawhid he was a controversial figure throughout his life and after his death to this day. We will reproduce here some of his communications and excerpts of treatises he had written for the benefit of the readers. Here is what he wrote to al-Suwaidi one of the scholars of Iraq in reply to his letter: “From Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab to his brother in faith Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdalla- Peace be upon you and also the Mercy and the Blessings of Allah. To continue: I am pleased to receive your letter. May Allah make you one of the leaders of the pious people and also one of the missionaries calling people to the Religion of the Chief of the Messengers. I would like to inform you that I am by the Grace of Allah a follower of the Pure Religion and not a Mubtadi(Innovator). My Creed and Religion with which I obey Allah is the same Madhab as that of the Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah and as that held by the leaders of the Muslims such as the four celebrated leaders of law and their followers till the day of resurrection. However, I have laid emphasis on faithfulness and sincerity in following the Religion of Allah. I have asked the people not to invoke the living and the dead from among the saintly and pious people seeking help. I have also advised them to avoid committing acts of SHIRK (associating other objects in the worship of Allah) while offering devotion to Allah in such matters like slaughtering for sacrifice, making vows, trusting in anyone or in Sujood (Prostration) and such other matters which are exclusively reserved for Allah alone. None is to be taken as a partner unto Allah may he be an angel or a prophet commissioned by him. It is he alone that all the messengers from the first to the last were ordered to obey and worship. This is the Madhab followed by the Ahl al Sunnah wal Jama’ah. I have also told the people in clear words that the first and the earliest of people who introduced acts of SHIRK were the Rafidah (Shia extremists) who invoked Ali and others, seeking help for their needs and to rid them of their afflictions. I hold an office in my town where people listen to me and obey me. This was disliked by some of the chief magnates of the town as what I said was against their traditions. I lead the people in the stipulated prayers and induce them to pay their Zakat and to perform other acts of devotion to Allah. I forbade them to indulge in RIBA, in drinking wine and all other intoxicants. The people opposed these corrupt leaders and rose against them. This is the Thawheed I have been commanded to preach. These mischievous magnates of the town began to ascribe different kinds of fabrications to me. The mischief flared up and they attacked us with all the armies of Satan, the cavalry and the infantry. They allege that I branded all the people as `Kaafirs’ except those who follow me and that I have solemnized their marriages in a wrong and illegal manner. I wonder how a sane man can think of and say such silly things. I however, declare myself free from such calumnies in the presence of Allah. Such talks can only emanate from the mentally deranged. In short whatsoever is mentioned about me- except that I invite them to Thawheed and prohibit them from committing acts of Shirk, is absolutely false.” MATTERS TO WHICH THE SHEIKH INVITED THE PUBLIC AND WHICH GOT HIM INTO DISPUTE WITH SOME OF THE ULEMAS: 1.Tawhid al-Ubudiya- He explained to the people that Ibadah is nothing but exclusive obedience to Allah and compliance with His commands. This is a comprehensive term for everything that Allah loves and such words and deeds He is pleased with. The forms of Ibadah (Worship) which are to be offered to Allah alone are many, such as Salat (Prayers), Saum (Fasting), Zakat and Sadaqah, slaughtering of sacrificial animals, tawaf and invocation. He said that anyone who happens to direct any of these acts to anyone other than Allah becomes a Mushriq as Allah the Exalted says: “ And whoever invokes (or worships) besides Allah any other ilah (god) of whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely Al-Kafirun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah polytheists, pagans idolaters etc.) will not be successful.” Al Quran 23:117 2. Tawassul – This means a fervent plea and is of two types: the permitted and the prohibited. The permitted one is by means of faith and righteous deeds and the Glorious Names of Allah and his attributes. The prohibited one is entreaty using the name of the Messenger, pious people and saints. Here is what Allah the Exalted says: “O you who believe! Be mindful of your duty towards Allah and seek the means of approach and strive in His cause as much as you can so that you may be successful.” Al Quran5:35 3. Journeying to Mosques on Pilgrimage - He asked the people not to undertake any pilgrimages to mosques other then the three mosques as given in an authentic hadith. “Do not undertake a journey but to the three mosques - the Sacred Mosque Makkah) my mosque (Madinah) and the further Mosque (Al Aqsa).” 4. Construction over graves, covering and decorating them etc. - The Sheikh openly declared that to construct buildings over the graves is unlawful. So is to shroud the graves with beautiful coverings and decorating them. It is prohibited to burn candles over the graves or to set up stone inscriptions. He also declared that it is illegal to have custodians and caretakers of shrines. Visiting such places tantamount to idol worship and can lead to other prohibited actions such as kissing them and going round them. He supported his statements with numerous hadiths prohibiting such constructions, visiting them and praying in them. The Shaikh quoted the hadith of Abu ‘l-Hayyaj al-Asadi whom Ali ibn Abi Talib asked: “Should I not commission you with a duty with which the Messenger of Allah had commissioned me-to leave no statue but to crush it, and no grave raised above the surface of the ground but to level it down?” 5. Unity with respect of the Holy Names and Attributes of Allah- On this the Sheikh held the views of the Pious Predecessors and the four celebrated teachers of law and others who held the same view, namely the affirmation and recognition of the Names and Attributes of Allah without employing Tamtheel (finding similarity with Allah’s attributes) or Takeef. (e.g. To explain how Allah does some thing). 6. Innovations- The Sheikh very much disliked and spoke out against innovations (Bida’) especially: 1. The celebration and holding of gatherings on the Prophet’s Birthday. 2. Making Dhikr and salawath before pronouncing the Adhan. 3. Verbally pronouncing the Niyyah (intention) particularly before Takbir Tahrim. 4. Recital of a hadith of Abu Huraira before the Khatib ascends the Minbar. (Pulpit) The Sheikh also abhorred and condemned the innovated practices of Tariqas (Orders), Tawassuf (Mysticism) and other practices which have no authority or sanction eitfrom the Messenger (sal) or from the Companion(R.A). Several Ulema had compiled works on this subject even before Sheikh Muhammad such as Ibn-Waddah, al-Turthushi and al-Shatibi on these abominable innovated practices and heretical actions. This is a short biography of the best of reformers and the greatest of Mujahids and a renowned scholar of Islam, whom Allah blessed with deep insight. This reform movement was initiated by Sheikh Muhammad and not by Sheikh Abdul Wahhab. The correct name for this movement should have been “al-Muhammadiya” and not “al Wahhabiya”. In the light of the above facts it is left to the reader to judge whether the Sheikh initiated a new madhab or was reviving the deen of the Prophet (sal), his noble companions and their successors. Indeed all Praise and thanks be to Allah the Exalted, who has graced us with the favor of preparing this life sketch of the Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. May Allah be merciful to him and Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad (sal) upon his family, all his noble companions and their successors until the last day. Sufism Unveiled Friday, February 16, 2001 - 02:22 am -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sufism Unveiled Verily all Praise is for Allaah, we praise Him, seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides then there is none who can misguide him, and whomsoever Allaah misguides then there is none who can guide him. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, having no partners and I bear witness that Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) is His slave and Messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allaah be on the final Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam), his family, his companions and all those who follow in their footsteps until the last day. To proceed: This little booklet is a modest attempt to analyse and expose the teachings and practices of the Tariqat ul Naqshbandi in the light of the Glorious Qur’aan and Sunnah, and is done purely in fulfilling our obligation to enjoin the right and forbid the evil. Over the years many deviant movements have arisen in the Muslim world bent on corrupting the teachings of Islaam and thereby mislead the Muslims. One of the most dangerous of the contemporary movements is the group known as the Naqshbandi Tariqat. Like most deviant groups, they claim that the Muslim masses are ignorant and are therefore in need of a Sheikh (leader) who is supposed to possess the secret knowledge of the unseen. They also claim that all religious texts have an obvious outer meaning known to the masses and a hidden meaning known only to the Sheikh, and that the masses are unable to contact Allaah on their own and hence are in need of a intermediary (Sheikh) who will get them close to Allaah if given unquestionable and unconditional obedience. The greatest danger of this group lies in the fact that they, while wearing the cloak of Islaam, are striving to destroy it from within, in a vain attempt to extinguish the light of Islaam and divert the Muslims from the reality of the religion. Realizing the grave threat posed by this group, we have undertaken the task of exposing the falsity of this group, seeking only the pleasure of Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa), we hope that the absurdities, fallacies, and the extremely deviant nature of this group would be clearly exposed to those trapped in its clutches and as a timely warning to those contemplating to join them. The simple method we have adopted in exposing the group’s deviant beliefs is to quote what Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan and what His truthful Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) has said in the authentic Ahadith, and then to quote the group’s beliefs or position vis-a-vis the same issue, taken from their own publications printed by ‘Arafat Publishing House’, and where necessary commented upon. In all firmness to this group we have given the names of the books, along with the page number from where we have taken these quotes. Reference to the Qur’aanic Aayaat and authentic Ahadith too have been provided. Due to lack of space we are compelled to deal with only some of the serious issues of the group’s beliefs and teachings which are directly in conflict with the pure Islaamic teachings as revealed in the Glorious Qur’aan and authentic Sunnah. This booklet is by no means a complete exposition of the entirety of this group’s deviant beliefs and teachings and all Qur’aanic Aayaat quoted are only translations of the meanings of the Qur’aan. We pray this little booklet serves to remove the confusion and ignorance that the people are suffering from regarding this important issue and that it will save all those sincere seekers of truth from falling in to Shirk. 1.THE ISLAAMIC BELIEF: Allaah is the Only Truth. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan: "That is because Allaah - He is the Truth and it is He who gives life to dead." (Qur’aan, Chapter 22, Verse 6) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Aba Yazid al-Bistami is the Truth. On page 15 of the book ‘The Naqshbandi Way’ it reads : "Whoever recites this Ayah even a single time will attain a high rank and a great position, … he will get what the Prophets and saints could not get, and will arrive at the stage of Aba Yazid al-Bistami, the Imam of the order who said: "I am the Truth (al-Haqq)." The above statement ‘I am the Truth’ - is a clear example of Shirk (association) in the aspect of the Names and Attributes of Allaah, since Al-Haqq in the definite form, is one of Allaah’s unique attributes and is not shared by any created being or thing unless preceded by the prefix `Abd meaning "Slave of" or "Servant of". (In fact the Mystic al-Hallaaj was publicly executed as an apostate for daring to openly claim divinity in his infamous pronouncement "Anal-Haqq"- I am the Truth.) 2.THE ISLAAMIC BELIEF: None shares with the command of Allaah Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "Verily, His (Allaah’s) command, when He intends a thing, is only that he says to it, "Be! And it is!" (Chapter 36, Verse 82); And in another place in the Qur’aan, Allaah says; "They have no protector other than Him (Allaah); nor does He share His command with any person whatsoever." (Chapter 18, Verse 26) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh shares with the command of Allaah On page 33 of the book ‘Mercy Oceans - Part 1’, it reads : "The Power of the wali is such that he only needs to say Kun (be) and that will be." The above is another example of Shirk (association) in the aspect of the Lordship of Allaah, since the Islaamic principle of the Lordship of Allaah states that no created being can share in God’s attributes and infinite qualities, and any attempt to give the Divine attributes to creation is referred to as Shirk (association), the antithesis of Tawheed (singling out Allaah alone for worship). 3. THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: None could attain the Rank of the Prophets or their Companions. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) has said in a well known Hadith that, "The best of people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter…" (Saheeh Bukhaaree, Vol 5, Hadith #3, Arabic-English Trans.) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Certain people could attain a Rank higher than the Prophets and their Companions. On page 1 of the book ‘The Naqshbandi Way’ it reads, "Our master the Sheikh says that a person who manages to act on these principles in our times will achieve what earlier generations did not achieve … he who attains an exalted stage and a great rank, such a rank which the Prophets themselves and the companions were unable to attain." On page 4 of the book ‘the Naqshbandi Way’ it reads, "Especially those who hold to the Prophet’s Sunnah, will attain special stations that weren’t opened to earlier people - not even to the Prophet’s companions.’ The deviant claim of attaining the rank which the Prophets could not is a major deception of the Naqshbandiya as any Muslim with even the basic knowledge of Islaam will confirm. As regards the companions (May Allaah be pleased with them all), the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) in a hadith narrated by Anas bin Maalik (Radhiallaahu Anhu) said, "After me, you will see others given preference to you, so be patient till you meet me." (Saheeh Bukhaaree, Vol 5., Hadith #137, Arabic-English Trans.) He (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) also said in reference to his Companions (May Allaah be pleased with them all), "For by Him in Whose hand is my soul, if you were to spend the like of Uhud or of the mountains in gold, you would not reach their actions." (Saheeh Bukhaaree) 4.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: Allaah is above the heavens. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "Do you feel secure, that He (Allaah), who is above the heavens, will not cause the earth to sink with you." (Qur’aan, Chapter 67, Verse 16) And in a long Hadith found in Saheeh Muslim, it is narrated that the companion Mu`awiyah ibn al-Hakam, (Radhiallaahu Anhu) slapped his servant girl who used to tend his sheep, and as a result when to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) and asked what should be done as an atonement for having slapped her. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) replied, "Bring her to me" so Mu`awiyah brought her to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam). The Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) then asked her, "Where is Allaah?" and she replied "Above the Sky" then the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam ) asked her, "Who am I?" and she replied, "You are Allaah’s Messenger", so the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said, "Free her, for verily she is a true believer." (Saheeh Muslim, Vol 1, Hadith #1094, English Translation) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Allaah is Everywhere. On page 13 of the book Haqiqat ul Haqqani it reads, "Allaah Almighty is everywhere but specially in the Baitullaah as He has Himself called it the house of Allaah. For it to be called the house of the Lord, the Lord of the house must be in it." The concept of Allaah being everywhere is not Islaamic as the above Qur’aanic Aayah and the authentic hadith confirm. Indeed if Allaah was everywhere then there would be no need for the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) to go up through the seven skies on the night of Mi`raaj to meet Allaah - he would have been in the direct presence of Allaah in his very own house. 5.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: None has the knowledge of the Last Day except Allaah. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allaah (alone)." (31:34) And according to the well known Hadith, where Angel Jibreel (`alaihis salaam) came in the guise of man, we quote the part of the Hadith that is relevant to our matter, after asking about Islaam, Imaan and Ihsaan, Angel Jibreel (`alaihis salaam) asks Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) "then tell me about the hour (meaning the last day)", the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) replied, "The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner." (Saheeh Muslim, vol 1, Hadith #4, English Translation) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh has the knowledge of the Last Day. In the beginning of page 19 of the book ‘Mercy Oceans - part one’, it reads - "These signs have been given us indication that the Last Day is coming is nearly exactly now …we shall witness that great event within two years." The above book (Mercy Oceans) was published in 1987 and it I almost nine years since its publication, but the last day is still not witnessed. How could it be when indeed Allaah has clearly stated in the Qur’aan, "Say None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allaah." (Qur’aan, Chapter 27, Verse 65) 6.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: Believers and disbelievers are not equal. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "The likeness of the two parties (disbelievers and believers) is as the blind and the deaf and the seer and the hearer. Are they equal when compared? Will you not then take heed?" (Qur’aan, Chapter 11, Verse 24) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Believers and disbelievers are equal. On page 12 of the book ‘the Naqshbandi Way’, it reads; "Allaah does not distinguish between the non-believer and the faasiq (wrong doer) or between a believer and a Muslim. In fact they are all equal to him." Furthermore, on page 16 of the same book it reads, "Allaah does not distinguish between a kaafir or a hypocrite or between a saint and a Prophet." 7.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: No intermediary between Allaah and Man. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them in knowledge), I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me." (Qur’aan, Chapter 2, Verse 186) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh is intermediary between Allaah and Man. On page 23 of the book Haqiqat ul Haqqani it reads, "If there wasn’t Mowlana Sheikh Nazim between us and Seyyidina Mahdi (Alai), or between us and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sal), or between us and Allaah Almighty, no one would be able to reach to Divine knowledge… this is because Mowlana Sheikh Nazim is the intermediary between us and these stations." [It should be known that the practice and belief of having an intermediary between man and God is a pagan practice, borrowed directly from other religions like Christianity which believes the Pastor or the church priest to be an intermeidary between man and God and hence confession of one’s sins is done to them and not directly to God. 8.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: No spokesman between Allaah and Man on the Day of Judgment. Adi bin Hatim (radhiallaahu `anhu) reported that the Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said, "There is none of you but his Lord will certainly talk to with him without any Spokesman between him and his Lord." (Sunan Ibn Maajah, Vol 1, Hadith #185, English Translation) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh will be a spokesman between Man and Allaah on the Day of Judgment. On page 11 of the book Haqiqat ul Haqqani it reads, "When a person takes Bayyat from Mowlana, Mowlana will be with that person. Even until he reaches in front of Allaah Almighty will Mowlana be with him, when Allaah Almighty questions this person Mowlana shall answer all questions instead of him." 9.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: (For anything to happen) it is only what Allaah wills. Once a companion of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) concluded his statement to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) with the phrase "It is what Allaah wills and you will." The Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) immediately corrected him saying - ‘Are you making me an equal with Allaah? Say it is what Allaah alone wills.’ (Collected by Ahmad - Arabic) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: It is what Allaah and the saint wills. On page 23 of the book "Quthub us Sailan" which is written by the local head of the group, it reads "One morning in the newspapers, I read that the wakf board had taken over the Dewatagaha Mosque seeking the chief trustee at the time, chairman of the welfare committee and chief trustee, M.I.M. Shaukat came to my place a couple of days later to find out what he could do in that matter as chief trustee, I told him that if it was the will of Allaah and the saint, well nothing could be done on his part." 10.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: Allaah is in charge of creation. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "And Allaah is a Wakil (Guardian) over all things." (Qur’aan, Chapter 11, Verse 12) And in another place, Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says, "He (Allaah) arranges (every) affair from the heavens to the earth." (Qur’aan, Chapter 32, Verse 3) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh is in charge of creation. On page 15 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ it reads, "Every thing that you know of is under the spiritual control of the Sultan al Awliya, he is the one who is in charge of all mankind in this universe, he is also in charge of all the world of Jinns and Angels." Again the above belief is one of Shirk (association) in the aspect of the Lordship of Allaah, as has been explained before. 11.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: None can change a bad situation except Allaah. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He…" (Qur’aan, Chapter 6, verse 17) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh can change a bad situation. On page 26 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ in the 2nd paragraph it reads, "If a bad situation is to come to a mureed of his, Sheikh has the power to change it." 12.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: None can make anyone enter paradise or save from hell, except Allaah. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said in an authentic Hadith, "O People of Quraysh, secure deliverance from Allaah (by doing good deeds). I cannot help you at all against Allaah. O sons of Abdul-Muttalib, I cannot help you at all against Allaah; O (my uncle) Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib, O (my aunt) Safeeyah, I cannot help you at all against Allaah; O Faatimah, daughter of Muhammad, ask me whatever you like, but I have nothing which can help you against Allaah." (Saheeh Muslim, Vol 1, Hadith #402, English Translation) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh can make one enter paradise and save one from hell. On page 30 of the book Haqiqat ul Haqqani, in the 3rd paragraph, it reads - "Sheikh will not allow any of his mureeds to enter hell, … Sheikh Nazim will make all the followers to enter into this paradise." 13.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: The Angel of death will take the soul of the dying. Allaah (Subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur’aan, "Say the Angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls, then you shall be brought to your Lord." (Qur’aan, 32:11) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh will take the soul of the dying On page 35 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ under the heading ‘No questioning in the grave’, it reads; "As for anyone who is related to Mowlana Sheikh Nazim as a mureed, the Angel of Death Israel (Alai) will have nothing to do with him, the soul of this mureed at the time of his death will be taken by Mowlana Sheikh Nazim, he shall look at the mureed and immediately the soul of that mureed will leave his body. There is nothing for either the Angel of death or for the Angels of the grave to do with the mureeds of Sheikh Nazim." 14.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: No hidden knowledge in Islaam, everything is given in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said in an authentic hadith, "I have not left anything which Allaah ordered you with, except that I have ordered you with it, nor anything that Allaah forbade you, except that I forbade you from it." (Saheeh, al-Baihaqee 7:76, Arabic) THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh has hidden knowledge. In spite of the above clear hadith, the deviant Naqshbandi claim that there is ‘secret knowledge’ with the Sheikh, for example on page 60-61 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ in the 3rd paragraph it reads; "Vast amounts of hidden knowledge have been communicated to his mureeds by Mowlana Sheikh Nazim in this manner. Questions by these mureeds regarding day to day life, or questions relating to religion … and also many other subjects have been answered by Mowlana Sheikh Nazim. When this type of communication has been granted to a mureed, he no longer needs to resort to books to further his knowledge." 15.THE ISLAMIC BELIEF: When Allaah loves a person… The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said as narrated by Abu Huraira (radhiallaahu `anhu) that, "…Allaah said…the most beloved things with which my slave comes nearer to Me, is with what I have enjoined upon him, and my slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips…" (Saheeh Bukhaaree, Vol 8, Hadith 509, Arabic - English Trans) [The above hadith should not be misinterpreted by the reader. What it simply means is as has been explained by the Scholars of Hadith is that, when Allaah becomes his sense of hearing means the servant will only hear Halaal speech and will keep away from hearing forbidden speech. And regarding sight, then it means he will only see that which is permissible to see and keep away from seeing that which is Haraam and in the case of the hands then it means he will only touch and use his hands in that which is Halaal and will refrain from touching and doing Haraam with it.] THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Directly contradicts the above hadith. On page 62 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ in the last paragraph it reads, "Certain of the mureeds of Mowlana Sheikh Nazim experience that Mowlana appears within them, when this happens, they are no longer conscious of themselves as themselves, they lose their identity and are conscious of themselves as their Sheikh. They see through Mowlana’s eyes when the look, they hear through Mowlana’s ears when they hear, and they speak Mowlana’s words when they speak.." 15a THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh can be in any place at the same time. On page 33 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ it reads, "Mowlana Sheikh Nazim can also be present in his shape and body in several places at the same time." Also on page 65 of the same book it reads in the 2nd paragraph, "Sometimes, mureeds have been transported to other countries and places. For example, they may be transported in a moment to London…some are known to have visited Mecca, Medina, London and Baghdad in moments by the power and the grace of Sheikh Nazim." THE ISLAMIC POSITION : on the above Naqshbandi position In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said, "There are three types of Jinn, one type flies through the air…" (Transmitted by al-Haakim, Tabaraani and al-Baihaqi, Arabic) And Allaah says in the Qur’aan, "And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the masculine among the jinns, but they (jinns) increased them (mankind) in sin and disbelief." (Qur’aan, 72:6) 15b THE NAQSHBANDI BELIEF: Sheikh has two faces. On page 21 of the book ‘Haqiqat ul Haqqani’ in the first paragraph describing Sheikh Nazim, it reads, "He (Sheikh) now has a face towards the creatures and a face towards Allaah Almighty, therefore he is with Allaah Almighty all the time!" THE ISLAMIC POSITION: on the above Naqshbandi belief The Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) rightly said, as reported by the companion Abu Huraira (radhiallaahu `anhu) who said that Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said, "The worst amongst the people is the double faced one." (Saheeh Muslim, vol 4, Hadith #6300 - English Translation) Also, the companion Ammaar (radhiallaahu `anhu) reported the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) as saying, "He who is two faced in this world, will have two tongues of fire on the day of resurrection." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol 3, Hadith #4855 - English Translation) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the preceding, concise presentation of the Naqshbandi group’s deviant beliefs, in shaa’ Allaah, there should not remain even the slightest inkling of a doubt in the mind of the sincere reader about the group’s deviant nature and falsehood. It is only the ignorant, grossly biased and dishonest sympathizers of the group who will still maintain the view that the group’s teachings and beliefs are in accordance with the Qur’aan and Sunnah, since it has been clearly and decisively proven to be just the exact opposite. In the foregoing article, the reader would have noticed that every thing of the pure Islamic Belief mentioned has been contradicted by this deviant group. In fact the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) had warned us about the appearance of such deviant groups, when he said in an authentic narration reported by Abu Amir al-Hawdani (radhiallaahu `anhu), "Indeed those who were before you, from the people of the book (Jews and Christians) split into seventy sects, and this religion will split into seventy three; seventy two will go in to the hell fire, and one of them will go to paradise, and it is the Jamaa`ah." (Abu Dawud, vol 3, Hadith #4580, English Translation) [ The term Jamaa`ah was explained by the companion `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood (radhiallaahu `anhu) as meaning that which agrees with the truth. He said in his famous statement, "The jamaa`ah is that which agrees with the truth, even if it is a single person." (Reported by ibn Asaakir in Tareekh Dimashq - Arabic) ] Then there is no doubt that each of these groups claims for itself that it is the saved group, and that it is correct and that it alone follows the Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam), but the way of truth is a single way and it is the one which leads to salvation, and any other way is one of the ways of misguidance which leads to destruction as has been clearly explained by the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) in another hadith, reported by the companion `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood (radhiallaahu `anhu), who said, "Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) drew a line with his hand and said, "This is the straight path of Allaah." He then drew lines to its right and to its left and said, "These are the other paths, which represent misguidance and that at the head of each path sat a devil inviting people to it (path)." He then recited, "And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path." (Reported by Ahmad, an-Nasaa’ee and ad-Daarimee and collected in Miskhaat ul-Masaabih, Vol 1, Hadith #166, Arabic-English Translation) So the path is to stick to the Book of Allaah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam), as occurs in the following hadith. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said, "I have left you with two things, as long as you hold to them, you will never go astray, they are the Book of Allaah and My Sunnah." (Collected by Imaam Maalik, rahimahullaah, in his Muwatta, the Book of Decree. Hadith #3, Page 434, English Translation) So the criterion to judge the claim of any group or individual who claims to be on the right path, is to see how close its beliefs and teachings are in accordance to the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The external deceptive claim of the Naqshbandi group, under the guise of Islaam should not be a means of confusion to anybody, as to the reality of its deviant nature. History is a witness to the well-known slogan, "If you cannot beat them, then join them" - this is exactly what the group is doing. Its aim is to destroy Islaam from within, wearing the cloak of Islaam. A serious effort should be made to enlighten those of the group’s followers who may be genuinely seeking the light of pure Islaam, but as a result of the group’s brainwashing have fallen into its clutches. Whatever has been said in this booklet is not to be taken lightly, since this is a matter that could take a person completely outside of the fold of Islaam into Kufr (disbelief). This is not mere opinion of laymen but the verdict of the Ulamaa’ of Islaam, who have pronounced anyone holding such weird beliefs, which contradict the very fundamentals of Islaamic belief, and continue to persist in such beliefs even after the evidence has been clearly shown to them, risks falling outside of the fold of Islaam. It should be kept in mind that the above statements are being made for conveying knowledge only and not to make declaration of Kufr (disbelief) of any people. It is compulsory on the `Ulamaa’ to make an effort to inform the public through all means available about the group’s deviant nature. Articles exposing the group should be written and distributed. Many Muslims have passively sat by for a long time, believing that the group would soon fizzle out and disappear. Instead, its cancerous growth has continued unabated and unchecked. As for those who in spite of what they have read, continue to have misgivings about exposing the group due to their desire to maintain an image of unity with respect to Islaam, then let them reflect on the following incident, "When some people mentioned to Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimahullaah) that they felt uneasy about criticizing people (who had deviated in their beliefs), he replied - "If I were to remain silent, how then would the masses know truth from falsehood?" (Reported by Imaam Ibn Taymeeyah in Majmoo`ah ar-Rasaa’il wa al-Masaa’il, vol 4, Page 10, Arabic). According to the unanimous agreement of Muslim scholars, those who introduce deviant writings and religious rites, contrary to the Qur’aan and Sunnah have to be exposed and the Muslm nation warned against them. In fact, when Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimahullaah) was asked if one who fasted, prayed and secluded himself in the Masjid was dearer to him than one who spoke out against people involved in deviations, he replied, when one fasts, prays and secludes oneself, he does so for himself alone; but if he speaks out against deviations, he does so for Muslims in general, which is more noble. With this we end this article. After having read this article, if you believe it is your duty and responsibility to Allaah, to warn your brothers and sisters, then please do not be a silent spectator, spread the truth to the best of your ability. Perhaps you may save a soul or two from the deviant clutches of the group. Finally, we ask Allaah to give all of us the towfeeq to recognize the truth, to understand it, to implement it and to call to it.
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 07:01 am Anon thankyou bro. Much love to you for your addition, forgive me for not reading most of it but you sure have a lot of negativity within you to deal with. I clearified to those who do not wish to add anything positive to refrain from pasting! I am only intersted in seeing contripution from those who have a positive info about sufism! is that too much to ask? *************** NOTES 1. Quoted in the Introduction to Awakened Dreams by Ahmet Hilmi (Putney, VT: Threshold, 1993), p.x . http://www.lumen.org/intros/intro30.html Glossary of Common Sufi Terms One difficulty facing those who approach Sufism for the first time is the prevalence of foreign terms, most of them originally Arabic. A further complication is that the same term may be spelled slightly differently according to its Arabic, Turkish, or Persian usage. To simplify matters we have favored the most common Arabic transliterations of the terms below and elsewhere in this issue. Adab (literally "courtesy" ). Appropriate behavior. This may range from showing respect for one's elders to "doing the right thing at the right time." It implies keeping attentive to one's actions and their effects on others. Barakah Grace or blessing. A spiritual influence or energy infusing the universe. Saints, spiritual teachers, and Sufi orders are considered to be conduits for barakah to others. Dervish ("poor one" ). A student of Sufism, usually initiated within a specific Sufi order. Dhikr or zikr (literally "remembrance" ). The chanting (either aloud or silently) of names of God or Qu'ranic phrases as a means of prayer and meditation. A common Sufi practice, often done weekly at group meetings. Fana (literally "extinction" ). The experience of the effacement of the ego or sense of self that occurs when the mystic attains union with God or realization of the Absolute. Often referred to as "annihilation." Hadith (literally "report" ). Advice or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that supplement or clarify the wisdom of the Qu'ran. Certain hadiths form the key concepts behind much Sufi teaching. Haqiqah ("the domain of truth [haq]" ). Refers to both the ultimate "Reality" and the mystic's station of attainment to that level of truth. al-Insan al-kamil (literally the "perfected man" ). The title for the human who has been fully realized and has become one with all of God's attributes. According to some Sufi teachings, this is the ultimate destiny of all conscious humans. Ma'rifah (literally "knowledge" ). Also translated as "gnosis." The inner knowing of divine reality. Murid A disciple or student of Sufism who is under the leadership of a developed teacher. Murshid (literally "director" ). An accomplished Sufi master who instructs his murids. Nafs The soul or psyche. The term is typically applied to the conditioned or habitual self which the dervish on the path must overcome in successive stages of unfoldment. Qutb (literally "axis" or "pole" ). According to tradition, there is one person in each age who serves as the spiritual anchor for humanity. The Qutb resides at the top of the hierarchy of the saints and is said to exert significant unseen influence on human affairs. Sama (literally "hearing" ). In Turkey (where it is spelled sema) it is synonymous with the spinning dance ceremony of the Mevlevi Order, the "whirling dervishes." In general usage it refers to a concert of mystical music and dance. Shaikh (literally "elder" ). There are several varieties of shaikhs. In some Middle Eastern towns or tribes, the title simply refers to a local leader. Within Sufism, "shaikh" refers to someone appointed to represent the order, or to someone who has successfully completed the order's path of study and can now teach it reliably. The highest shaikhs have reached illumination, but this is not true of all who bear the title. Similar titles in some orders include Baba (father) and Dede (grandfather). Shariah Islamic law. The exoteric rules of the religion, intended to guide society in a moral direction. Sufis sometimes interpret components of the shariah in an esoteric fashion that may seem to conflict with orthodox interpretations. Silsilah (literally "chain" ). The "chain of transmission" of an order, stretching from the dervish back to the order's founder and Muhammad. Each order's silsilahis often considered to carry its own unique barakah. Sufi A name technically reserved for those who have completed the path of Sufism and mystical union. However in common parlance, the term gets applied to many dervishes or murids who are still far from completion. (The name is sometimes said to be derived from the Arabic word for "wool" suf, or the Persian word for "pure," saf.) Tariqah (literally "path" ). A Sufi order or brotherhood. The Naqshbandis, Chishtis, Mevlevis, etc. are each a different brotherhood reflecting the path first delineated by their respective founders. Tasawwuf (literally "self-purification" ). Islamic mysticism or Sufism. The term Sufism is a relatively recent name coined by Western scholars. Tekke (literally "corner" ). A lodge or center of Sufism, also known as a khaneqah. In the Middle Ages, tekkeswere often significant social centers where many dervishes lived and worked. In Turkey, Kemal Ataturk closed the tekkesin the mid-1920s as part of his modernizing revolution following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. http://www.lumen.org/intros/intro30.html ******************** The ignorant man will fear everything that is unfamiliar to him. What is stupid and totaly cofussing is what confort this man finds in having every body else share his fears??? He who asociates negativity with the worship of allah[swt] or the praise or the search for the knowledge to better worship allah[swt] surely must know that he does disservice to himself alone. Bros/sis any sin commited by you as a result of your negativity towards a purely sincere attempt to gain a better understanding and share the positive aspects of sufism, will be upon your heads alone. Once again i ask anyone who has only a negative perspective to leave without sabotaging this link! Please show some maturity
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 07:09 am Mystick Is that you Kamaaldin? The one who claimed to have come here with a "child-like curiosity"? Looks like you know exactly what you came here for: to propagate sufism. Good luck. But a little honestly would do no harm. Don't go around critising others and playing victim when it is clear what your motive is.
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 07:29 am Mystic.Kamal, have you ever been to these sufi song, dance, music and worship, sex love circles? http://homepages.together.net/~seren/ ? Song and Dance in religion, by Sufi. All you need is love. In this circle of love I am lifted above fear and pain, once again In this circle of Light, in your loving sight I see my friends, I'm home again Lifted up into the Light Sharing another healing night Dancing in this circle of love Dancing in this circle of love you said you only want to hear possitive like love, mystics, musim, sex of sufism. Here it is: Welcome to the Home Page for Seventh Circle, a Journal of Circle Dance in the U.S. and Canada This page includes: * extracts from recent issues of Seventh Circle, a quarterly journal about (sacred) Circle Dancing. * Contacts for Circle Dancing in the U.S. and Canada * Links to other Circle Dance sites you might like to visit on this page, too. Articles, illustrations, letters, poems etc are welcome. Please submit any material for Seventh Circle and the web page to me, Julia Lynam, at seren@together.net If you'd like to dance in this stone circle at Swinside in the English Lake District in May 2001, follow the link for more information. Circle Dancing is based on traditional dances from all over the world and throughout time - mixed in with some new choreographies. It's a very warm, friendly, inclusive sort of dancing, done in circles, holding hands, and it generates a very lovely energy and feeling of community. This is participatory dancing, with no performance aspect, and people from infancy to old age can join in. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seventh Circle, A Quarterly Journal of Circle Dance, February, 2001 Selected Highlights Dancing with the Source - Freidel Kloke-Eibl Nightwalking - A Dance Book Review: Meandering with Lynn Calendar of events 2001/2002 How to find Circle Dancing in your area Paneurhythmy Listings To subscribe to Seventh Circle Links to other Circle Dance sites you might like to visit A Circle Dance CD to Savor Neskaya Favorites, an eclectic CD of 18 dances beloved by those who frequent the cosmic Circle Dance center in Franconia New Hampshire, is now available at a cost of (US) $20 + $2 p&p. Order it from: Jenny Deupree, Neskaya, PO Box 634, Franconia NH 03580, USA. Proceeds will help pay for a new furnace! The tracks include such delights as: Kos Drum (Ena Mythos with the big drums!); New Moon Bride; Stivell An Dro;Snosti Vecer Jano Mori; Oy Komushki Golobushki (The Four Walls); Omal Mektup; Santiago (live); Sephardic Lament; Cantique de Jean Racine; Dar Gorani; Joc de Sinciene; Caravan and Midwives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Video Footage Ashara Stansfield has five different Circle Dance teaching videos available at a cost of $10 each. These videos feature live teaching of many dances at Dance Camp New England 1997, 1998 and 1999. For full details contact: Ashara Stansfield, 40 Parsonage Lane, Topsfield, MA, 01983 phone: 978 887 9708, email Ashara@aol.com Dancing with the Source by Jane Buchan She stands erect, her face an aging version of Botticelli's Venus, her beautiful blue eyes carrying light and mischief, her body transmitting the Soul of the dance coupled with her own luminous Spirit. This was Friedel Kloke-Eibl poised on the edge of leading us in a grace-filled weekend of dance last September. It was her first trip to North America and she danced in Massachusetts, in Kitchener, Ontario and in Edmonton, Alberta. This small hymn to her virtues comes from Kitchener where in a few short hours she initiated us into The Dance as it was conceived by Sacred Circle Dance's creator, Bernard Wosien. Friedel studied with Wosien before he took his folk dances to Findhorn in the mid '70s. She was with him when he described dance as prayer . . . "not only in the silent stepping of the andante, but also in the joyful leaps of the allegro vivo . . . an expression of worship through form and symbol." She became his partner in the dance and now, many years after his death, continues to exemplify his belief that "in the dances we walk a path which leads to experiences both of our own individual selves and also of the life of the group, the community . . . dances leading to healing and wholeness." The dances themselves were wondrous (she shared mostly her own and Wosien's) . . . graceful choreographies to exquisite music, some classical, some Celtic, some contemporary . . . dances that deserve to be danced rather than described. Most remarkable was her teaching technique. She had us do a great deal of dancing but offered very little instruction . . . the directions she did give were more about listening to the music and finding that place from which the dance took root. In this way she led us to discover each dance . . . and a breathtaking deepening of the dancing circle. Playful, generous with her knowledge, and very convinced of what dance is not . . . "following steps one, two, three, four, no no, no, no!" . . . she talked about watching arms instead of feet to determine a person's relationship to dance, and about having to overcome classical training and expertise in order to open trained dancers to the Spirit of the Dance. She was an inspiration to all of us who facilitate circles and provided a deeply moving dance experience for all participants. May she come back to us soon and often! Back to Highlights -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nightwalking Marina Bear's story of the dance she choreographed to music by R.Carlos Nakai. "Every step we take upon Mother Earth should be done in a sacred manner. Each step should be as a prayer. The power of the pure and good soul is planted as a seed and will grow in man¹s heart as he walks in a holy manner." (From "The Sacred Pipe" by Black Elk) Marina writes: We had been visiting cousins in Phoenix, Arizona. An older couple, they had retired to that city with so hopeful a name, but had brought with them a completely urban way of life so that in the days we spent with them we had seen the desert only through the windows of an air-conditioned car. On our last day I suggested we go to the Heard Museum with its unique collection of Native American artifacts. They strolled through the exhibition rooms, talking of other things. Meanwhile, there was music. It drifted hauntingly from a central room over the tops of the walls and when I noticed a small sign by the cashier¹s desk offering the tape for sale I pounced on it. Next morning, driving alone through that vast and living desert from Phoenix to Tucson, I listened to it over and over again. There was one piece that was different from the others. As I listened to it for the first time I thought: "There's a dance in there". And so I found myself drawn back to it, watching the rising heat shimmer at the edge of the hills where they become flat against the intense blue of the sky, feeling the stillness of the gesture, half prayer and half salutation, in the upraised arms of the giant saguaro cactus by the roadside. I can honestly say that as I drove with the sound of the piece "Creativity", playing and replaying, the dance and its name simply came to me, whole and ready to be offered. Of course there is more that can be said: I love the desert, especially in the night; I have seen tribal dances; I have studied Native American thought; years ago in Glastonbury David Ure, who was told by the Hopi Grandmothers to go out and bring what he could of their teaching to the white people, taught the Ghost Dance and took us on a trance journey that now, a thousand journeys later, remains the most vivid. I have "made up" other dances, matching steps to counts and adding an "uplifting gesture" here or a turn there when the song suggested it. This was quite different. Perhaps the dance was waiting to be found, in the music or the stones and sagebrush. Perhaps it needed someone fleeing from the controlled atmosphere of retired civilization into the wild desert, the hot wind tearing through open car windows, heart open, mind blank. And now it belongs to all of us. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dance . . . . . . is in two parts. It can be done all together, alternating parts one and two, or the circle can be divided into two groups by counting off one-two around the circle. Then, group one starts with Nightwalking and group two with Raising the Moon. It doesn't matter if there's an odd number of people. The introduction begins with the theme played on a Navajo flute, followed by four "Thump tap-tap" sets. The dance begins with the theme on the flute again. Part One: Nightwalking You are walking in the desert, at night, each alone (no hand hold). There is only starlight, the moon has not yet risen so you walk with your head down, helping your feet to see in the dark. You are facing to the Right around the circle and begin to move in the "Thump tap-tap" rhythm to the Right with the Left foot. Step Left Bring ball of Right foot alongside the Left Shift weight onto and off it Step Right Bring ball of Left foot alongside the Right Shift weight onto and off it Continue Nightwalking for a total of eight steps forward (four on each foot); on the last step forward, turn to face the center and do the shift-shift facing center. The beat is very clear. Part Two: Raising the Moon Take eight small shuffling steps forward, starting on the Left, towards the center. As you move, your Right arm comes up with your palm facing the center. Your palm is the full moon rising. Come quite close together, almost shoulder to shoulder, so you can move as one body, one tribe. Circling the Heavens:Using the Ghost Dance step, move to the Left. Beginning with feet together, gently tap the Left foot flat on the ground then step Left (that's "step one"; tap the Right foot before you bring it to join the Left, then join Left (that's "step two". Continue for eight tap-steps. Right hands remain raised. With a small circle the hands almost meet - creating beautiful pattern like tipi poles on the ceiling if your darkened room is lit by a central candle. The Moon Sets: Back out of the circle in eight small shuffling steps, beginning on the Left, slowly lowering your Right hand. On the eighth step, turn to the Right to be ready to begin Nightwalking. (If we dance with half the circle going in while the other half goes round we ask those who are on Earth to take care and make a place for their siblings who are descending from the heavens.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The music for Nightwalking is "Creativity" from "Cycles" by R Carlos Nakai. To learn more about the Ghost Dance movement in Native American history, please refer to the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown, 1970. This article reprinted from Grapevine, Summer 1992 Back to Highlights -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meandering with Lynn A book review by Jane Buchan A Fool's Meander: A Labyrinthine Journey to the Throne of Elderhood is the title of Lynn Hartwood's* book. Like the labyrinth itself, this story takes you on a little wander . . . and when you wander with Lynn you can be sure of only one thing: surprises. Initially, we're led to the heart of the labyrinth by chickadees who have a special relationship with the narrator because he has unintentionally killed one. In his remorse, he learns the responsiveness of a valued natural world, a responsiveness that changes his life and is the gateway through which he passes into elderhood. He meets the personification of all Labyrinths - The Lady - who tells him how to experience the labyrinth's healing power. She also tells how Earth calls labyrinths to certain places and what happens when sacred place and healing tool come together. This section of the book contains a very lyrical story in which Earth speaks of watching humans evolve and of deepening Her relationship with us as we learn to heed Her call and make our response. The narrator - now a man who knows he is called to create labyrinths - responds to the Lady's teaching with a story of his own. He offers Her a story which takes us from the bliss of symbiosis to the outer reaches of separation and on to the unity of all creation experienced by fully conscious beings. It¹s a creation myth unlike any ever written before. A Fool's Meander is by turns funny, whimsical, moving, and hopeful. It offers the reader a very reverent and gentle way of being in the world and will change forever the way you relate to chickadees. It also expresses the deeply spiritual nature of dance. The book will be available after March 1. Those who contributed to printing costs can expect their copies shortly thereafter. To order A Fool's Meander, send check or money order for $20 US or $30 Canadian to: Blue Crow Books, PO Box 40091, 75 King Street South, Waterloo, ON N2J 4V1, Canada *Lynn used to be known as Lynn Shelton; in the process of disentangling himself from patriarchy, he's changed his name to Lynn Hartwood. He can be found dancing under the full moon at the Awakening Sanctuary in Monkton, Vermont, and dancing under other phases of the moon in Kitchener, Ontario. If you'd like to talk to him about A Fool's Meander (or anything else) you can email him at lynn@confluences.com Back to Highlights Paneurhythmy Contacts California Palo Alto: Elizabeth Weiss egweiss@mtrinc.com Massachusetts Newburyport: Gwyn Peterdi, 978 499 1869 dance@greennet.net New York New York City and Long Island, call 516 379 9535 Tennessee Nashville: Dancing Fox 615 292 4430 Back to Highlights Dance, Dance, Dance, at these Events (* recurring contacts listed at end ) This Year, 2001 February 23 to 25, Mystic CT: Join the Mystic Circle at the Dragon's Egg to celebrate the Spring with Circle Dances and live music from all over the world! $100 for the weekend. MoonRaven and Alder 860 536 7398 or SeaFire, cauldronsk@altavista.com March 3 to 4, San Francisco: Stefan and Bethan Freedman lead a joyous weekend of dance. Howard Seigel 650 359 0207, hms50@sirius.com March 10, Neskaya, Franconia NH: All-day dance 12 noon to 8 pm. Bring food for potluck supper. Donation $0-$10. Jenny* March 16 to 17, (Friday evenng and Saturday)Neskaya, Franconia NH: Sacred Circle Dance and Shamanic Journeying with Jenny Deupree and Claire Von Karls. Deepen your connection with the soul of the dance and the dance of the soul. Jenny* March 18, Neskaya, Franconia NH: Equinox celebration. Potluck supper 5 pm, dancing 6 to 8 pm. Donation $0-$5. Jenny* March 24 to 26, Edmonton, Canada: A chance to dance with English dancers and musicians Judy King and Mandy deWinter. Mair* March 31 to April 1, Antwerp, Belgium: Bethan and Stefan Freedman lead the dance - English French and Flemish spoken! Bethan and Stefan Freedman* April 6,7,8, Dance, music and song at Neskaya, Franconia, NH with Judy King and Mandy de Winter. Optional workshop on Friday April 6, either Classical Circles with Judy, or Music Making with Mandy. Jenny* April 14 to 21, Findhorn, Scotland: Visionary Voices, Easter conference on song, sound, healing and story with leading international teachers. Findhorn* April 20 to 22, Kitchener, Ontario: The California Bears, John and Marina will lead the dance in the beautiful Victoria Park pavilion. The Bears are legendary among circle dancers and have facilitated the west coast circles in California since 1984. Catherine Maine, 102 Roxborough Ave, Kitchener ON N2M 1P7 Canada April 21, Neskaya, Franconia NH: All-day dance 12 noon to 8 pm. Bring food for potluck supper. Donation $0-$10. Jenny* May 5 to 6, Neskaya, Franconia NH: Dancing the Sacred Calendar. Celebrate Beltane by dancing through the festivals of the Sacred Year in the space of one 24-hour day. Jenny* May 11 to 18, Cumbria: England, "Stone Circles II"- dance in ancient stone circles among beautiful English countryside. We¹ll stay in an old stone house and a converted barn and dance in an 18th century Quaker meeting house ($340 - $400) Julia* May 19 to 26 and May 27 to June 2, Cortijo Romero, Spain: "Sunfeast" Glorious gardens, mountain views, fun, relaxation and lots of dance and music. Bethan and Stefan Freedman* June 20 to 26 Kerry, Ireland"Harp of Gold" A week of dance and celebration in the warm heart of Ireland. Bethan and Stefan Freedman* August 4 to 9, Bury St Edmunds, England: "Wings" spacious dance hall, gracious lawns and gardens! Camp or stay indoors. Bethan and Stefan Freedman* August 18 to 25, Stonehenge (among other places) England. "Dancing with the Dragon" in stone circles, churches, moors and by sacred wells, with Lynn Hartwood. Glenn Broughton, 802 985 5666 enquiries@sacredbritain.com August 31 to September 2, Edmonton, Canada, a weekend with Gabriele Wosien from Germany. She¹s the daughter of Bernhard Wosien who inspired the modern Circle Dance movement. Mair* September 8 to 15, Montpellier, France: Cup of Bliss: A week of "living in soft time" - dancing, singing, swimming, eating, watching time unfold in charm and comfort. Bethan and Stefan Freedman*. Next Year: 2002 (!) April 27 to May 4, Bali, Indonesia "Firebird": Mandy de Winter and Judy King take their inimitable blend of Circle Dance, music and song to the most exotic place they can find! Judy* ,HR> *Who to contact for dance events: Bethan and Stefan Freedman: Contact Barbara-Ann Fields, 5 Yeoman Rd, Felixstowe, IP11 8PY England, Phone 011 44 1394 276422 Brigitte: Brigitte Evering 905 372-1834 email moonfire@eagle.ca Findhorn: Accommodations, Findhorn Foundation, Cluny Hill College, Forres, IV36 2RD Scotland. Phone 011 44 1309 672288 http://www.findhorn.org/ Gwyn: Gwyn Peterdi, c/o 21 Marcelle Ave. South Portland, Maine, 04106, email dance@greennet.net Jenny: Jenny Deupree 603 823 5828 email neskaya@earthlink.com Judy: Judy King, 3 Brandywell Rd, Broseley, Shropshire TF12 5ST England. Phone 011 44 1952 883242 email mandyandjudy@easynet.co.uk Julia: Julia Lynam 802 863 1008 email seren@together.net Mair: Mair Smith 403 433 1661 email msmith@interbaun.com Mara: Mara Morris 860 365 0465 email MaraCircle@aol.com Mooneagle: Mooneagle Arndt 610 434 2236 email ARNDTCM@msn.com Shaker: Shaker 413 527 8723 email shaker@sacredcircles.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are many, many Circle Dance events in Europe - too many for me to list. If you¹re interested, the place to find them is in Grapevine, the British Circle Dance magazine. Contact Sally Maxwell, 60 Bishop Road, Bristol BS7 8LT England. Phone 011 44 1179 232115, email Back to Highlights Subscriptions The current hard copy issue of Seventh Circleis dated Spring 2001. The next issue will be in May 2001 (ish). If you'd like to subscribe and get your copy by mail four times a year, please send US$8 or Can$14 to me at: Julia Lynam 412 North Street, Apt 1 Burlington, VT 05401 Back to Highlights -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Circle Dance sites, and associated sites, you might like to visit . . . deeper into the Dance with Shaker . . . Circle Dance history and details from New Haven CT . . . Neskaya, New Hampshire, a sacred space for circle dance and other moving meditations . . . The Findhorn Community . . . Circle Dance in Virginia . . . mysteries and magic with Jane and Lynn . . . South American Circle Dance celebrations . . . Great catalog of Circle Dance music, recordings and more http://homepages.together.net/~seren/
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 07:40 am Night of the Whirling Dervishes Well I am working all day tomorrow and got this part done - one more folks and then the trip is over. Boo!!!! Then maybe I can get started on the 19 rolls of film????? All I can say about the Dervish ceremony was "an experience that we will remember forever". Again, just like so many other things we saw in Turkey, the ceremony has to be seen in person to be appreciated. Early evening of DAY 16 TAXI!!! And off to Nurdogan's. We went to Nurdogan's shop, but he wasn't there at the moment so we took this precious time to walk again near the Blue Mosque. It had little white lights on the six minarets and also flood lights that showed a gorgeous shade of blue and I believe also a bit of yellow. It was an exquisite site and they have benches where you can sit down and look at either the Blue Mosque or the Aya Sophia. I could have stayed there for a very long time just gazing at the Blue Mosque. It is a site to behold inside and outside. At night it is majestic and hypnotic. I then tore myself away and we went to meet Nurdogan. Before I get into the actual ceremony, I will give you all a little background. Known to the west as Whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevi Order was founded by Mevlana Rumi in the 13th century. The Order wrote of tolerance, forgiveness, and enlightenment. They survive today as a cultural brotherhood. They are not theatrical spectacles but sacred rituals. The ritual of the Mevlevi sect, known as the sema, is a serious religious ritual performed by Muslim priests in a prayer trance to Allah. Mevlevi believed that during the sema the soul was released from earthly ties, and able to freely and jubilantly commune with the divine. Dervish literally means "doorway" and is thought to be an entrance from this material world to the spiritual, heavenly world. The Whirling Dervishes played an important part in the evolution of Ottoman high culture. From the fourteenth to the twentieth century, their impact on classical poetry, calligraphy and visual arts was profound. Rumi and his followers integrated music into their rituals as an article of faith. Rumi emphasized that music uplifts our spirit to realms above, and we hear the tunes of the Gates of Paradise. The first part of the ceremony is The Sema, which represents a spiritual journey; the seeker's turning toward God and truth, a maturing through love, the transformation of self as a way of union with God, and the return to life as the servant of all creation. The Semazen (with a camel's-felt hat representing a tombstone of the ego; and a wide, white skirt symbolizing the ego's shroud), upon removing his black cloak, is spiritually reborn to Truth. The semazens stand with their arms crossed, ready to begin their turn. Each rotation takes them past the sheikh. This is the place of Mevlana Rumi, and the sheikh is understood to be a channel for the divine grace. At the start of each of the four movements of the ceremony, the semazens bow to each other honoring the spirit within. As their arms unfold, the right hand opens to the skies in prayer, ready to receive God's beneficence. The left hand, upon which his gaze rests, is turned towards the earth in the gesture of bestowal. Fix-footed, the Semazen provides a point of contact with this earth through which the divine blessings can flow. We all met at Nurdogens place and left in two taxies to the (Tekke) where there is a branch of Mevlevies. They call it the Nurettin Dergahi and it is a 300-year-old mosque. We arrived and had to take off our shoes and I was given a head scarf as I had forgotten mine. We were then ushered into a separate waiting room where we waited about 20 minutes or so. We then were taken past a room or two and into the main area where the religious ceremony would be performed. We women were taken to one side, up a step and behind a banister. The men were taken to the same area, but had to sit away from us. Above us was a small balcony that was latticed and behind it we could see some Muslim women. The lady journalist said that the last time she came with Nurdogen's, which was about a year ago, she was taken up to the latticed part, but for some reason we were taken to this superb spot which was only about a foot away, if that, from where they would be performing. I felt very fortunate to be able to observe this from this open area. In another room next to the whirling area was a group of about 70 to 80 men all dressed in white with white hats on. They were all kneeling except for the musicians. Since their backs were to us, I wasn't able to see much, but could hear the music. I think I heard harmony from a zither, whispering flutes, drums and soft percussion instruments. Also while this mesmerizing music was being played, they brought a blind man into the room where the musicians were. Nurdogan told Ed to wait till he hears him sing as "He has the voice of a baby". The music and chants coming from the other room were so in unison that I thought at first it must be a recording. The Sufi music is played not for pleasure but for cleaning the mirror of the heart. Waiting with great anticipation, the Whirling Dervishes came into the room. They were led by the semazenbashi (dance master), who stood at his "post". It is the highest spiritual position, marked by a red rug indicating the direction of Mecca. The dervishes took their places to his left with heads bowed. The semazenbashi wears a white sikke (felt hat). The other eight had the tan sikke. Then I heard a drum and the slap of glory, calling the semazens to awaken and BE. This began the procession of the semazens around the dance master. It is the salutation of one soul to another, acknowledged by bowing. Then begins the Sema ritual itself. During the Sema itself there are four selams, or musical movements, each with a distinct rhythm. At the beginning and close of each selam, the semazen testifies to God's unity. The first selam is the birth of truth by way of knowledge. The second expresses the rapture of witnessing the splendor of creation. The third is the transformation of rapture into love; complete submission and communion with God. The fourth is the semazens coming to terms with his destiny and his return to his task in creation. Then they cast off their black robes and revealed the wide bell-like skirts. They stepped forward, arms crossed in front of their chest. Raising their arms, holding their right palm upward toward heaven and their left palm downward toward earth, they gradually started whirling in a counterclockwise direction. No one rushed, every step looked measured. With the scarf on my head, I had become warm, but when the semazens began to twirl, their billowing skirts was like a giant wind blowing in and it made me feel very cool. Their twirling is magnificent to watch. The dancers are not seeking ecstasy. Instead, they enter a hyperconscious state and tempt to maintain their physical axis (thus the lack of dizziness among the dancers) while contemplating the shaikh in the center of a circle of dancers. The shaikh represents their link to Rumi and their love of God. They must train for years before they are permitted to take part, whirl as a reflection of the natural revolutions that move all things. Through the whirling they seek to achieve a union with God. The dervishes silently perform the sema, making small, controlled movements of hands, head and arms as they whirl. They are accompanied by music, often dominated by the sound of the reed pipe as well as drums and chanting as the ritual gradually transforms itself into rapid, spinning ecstasy. The twirling which was done in three sessions - each one lasting about fifteen minutes. As their wide, white skirts floated past me like giant waves, I could see their black shoes and feet under the white skirts and their movements were so small and graceful. While one foot remained firmly on the ground, the other crossed it and propelled the dancer round. A secret turning in us Makes the universe turn. Head unaware of feet, and feet head. Neither cares. They keep turning. ---Rumi The seemingly endless rotations of its dancers are intended not for us, but for Allah. Twirling 20 to 30 times a minute - after a time their movements also seemed to melt into one another. Their dancing became a prayer and I think most of us there became a part of it. At one point I noticed one of the dancers at the side with his cloak on. Later I found out from Nurdogan that the shaikh goes from one Semazen to another and can tell if he is getting tired and if so, he nods for him to quit. I was so entranced by the dancers that I didn't even notice this happening. Near the end, the sheikh enters the circling dervishes, where he assumes the place of the sun in the center of the circling planets. With this part of the ceremony over, the dervishes returned side by side right in front of me and knelt down. Their black cloaks were put on them to again represent the material world. The men in the other room, who had never stopped kneeling, then started to bob their heads and chant in perfect unison again. Their voices just fusing into one. I found out they were saying the 99 names of God. The ceremony ended with a prayer for the peace of the souls of all prophets and believers. To God belong the East and the West, And wherever you turn is the face of God. He is the All-Embracing, the All-Knowing. Nurdogan told us later that they had prayed for the visitors among them this evening. The sheikh and dervishes complete their time together with the greeting of peace and then depart, accompanied by joyous music of their departure. They silently go to their rooms for meditation. One of the beauties of this seven-centuries-old ritual is the way that it unifies the three fundamental components of man's nature; mind, emotion, and spirit, combining them in a practice and a worship that seeks the purification of all three in the turning towards Divine Unity. But most significantly, the enrichment of this earth and the well being of humanity as a whole. Our group left this unforgettable ceremony and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Turkey. I had seen pictures of the Dervish Ceremony which is performed in Konya once a year for spectators by the thousands, but this was the real thing and very personal. I give special thanks to Nurdogan Senguler who kept his promise to me to take us to this ceremony. I had been in email contact with him for about eight months before our trip and true to his word, he made this possible for us. I have many Muslim friends and they are like family to me. I love them dearly. They are generous, giving and honest people. I have a little knowledge of their religion and I find it fascinating. I was asked many times, why Turkey? Why not? I found the Turkish people to be very friendly; hard working people and the many faces of its landscape was stupendous. I can also throw in Istanbul, which is one of those cities that have an enormous sense of history. It is a country that would draw me back again. I also find the mystery of the Middle East luring me back to those countries. I personally feel very safe in the Muslim countries I have been fortunate enough to visit. After the ceremony, we got a taxi back to our hotel. By then it was about 11:00 and we hit the bed for some sleep. Tomorrow would be our last day in this marvelous country. Boo Hoo!!!! I don't want to leave! http://www.lesartsturcs.com/whirling_dervishes/jgreene.html
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 10:36 am @anons Can i assume you have an interest in sufism? In that case can you explain what your personal feelings are? all you have done is paste something that some else has writen? Ru affraid of the unknown?
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 10:53 am I think sufsim is a funy belief. Sufism is an interest belief to read. Men and women mixing dancing and music with worship. Is it funny to you? I do not know anything about Sufism excpet what you shared with me and what you told me to read and what others wrote about it. Since you are into Sufism, the possitive, love, music, and dacing, asked you a question but you diddn't answer it. Mystic.Kamal, have you ever been to these sufi song, dance, music and worship, sex love circles? like this one: http://homepages.together.net/~seren/ ?
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| | Thursday, March 29, 2001 - 11:19 am I have no knowledge of sufi practices bro/sis belief me. It seems there are a lot of people who have negative opinions about sufis and sufism. No i have never been to any of their so called mixed dances, nor have i encountered any such practice. It is most improper to attack everything that is different from you. Do you believe you have more of a right to worship allah? Then why do you hate those that are only trying to worship. What i understand of them(sufis): *They work on internal jihad more then the external one. *They seek to increase their ikhlas. @Anon can you say anything positive about them? Another thing what "sufism" are you refering to? I am sure just as humanity finds ways to sub-divide itself on every issue and cause in life "sufism" does not represent a singular way of life. There are many differing practices that are all summed up into sufism only further causing confusion for those that know little of the true meaning. "True meaning" of sufism and how it represents something that any muslim should be proud of, is what i am trying to find! So if you find anything that resemples what i seek please let me know, i would be most gratefull to you for your help. Thanks anon
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| | Friday, March 30, 2001 - 01:58 am Mystic.K, You say you have no knowledge of sufi practices, but you want only talk about the positive site of it. I'll make a deal with you. Go ahead talk about what you think is the positive site of sufism and I will talk about the other site of sufism that way we will have balance coverage. HEHEHEHEH http://www.qss.org/articles/sufism/toc.html
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| | Sunday, April 01, 2001 - 04:47 pm Agreed! Sorry if i made it appear as if i owned the term "sufism" it is just a name, hence holds little value in my eyes. http://mto.shahmaghsoudi.org/intro_english.html Sufism and Wisdom Having been trained in the discipline of Sufism since childhood, under the guidance of my grandfather and father, the fortieth and the forty-first Masters of Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi, I have learned that the true scholar is not satisfied with the result of other people's findings, but makes every effort to discover truth for himself. The human quest for knowledge is only valid when its goal is to discover the reality behind the surface value of words, things, entities, etc. *pages 9-10. But what is the essence of the teachings of the Prophets, how is it related to Sufism, and what is its relevance for today? If we look objectively and with sincerity at the lives and teachings of the Holy Prophets, it will be very clear that their lives were devoted to announcing, and sharing with others, their unique discovery. The method through which they had arrived at their discovery was not because of what others had said before them, nor because they feared or trusted someone. Instead, they had an innate unquenchable urge to "know" which could not be satisfied except through personal experience. *page 15. One of the basic principles of Sufism is that you cannot know anything that is outside of you, because to know something in its totality requires that you be the entity. Since our recognition of things is based on contracts and our understanding of those symbols, and because our feelings keep shifting and our senses are continuously activated, we cannot know anything outside of ourselves. Therefore, the best place to look for the answers to our being is right within the unbounded reality of ourselves. In this context, each person is the researcher, the laboratory, and the subject of study. *page 18. Sufism is a discipline, a method and a way that teaches humans how to attain their true state of dignity as stated by the Prophets. Therefore, Sufism is the reality of religion. Sufism is the method through which the Prophets attained the cognition of God, and their true self and personality. The accurate word for Sufism is irfan, derived from the Arabic word ma'rifa, meaning cognize, to know.....Perhaps, the best way to describe Sufism is to say, it is the School of Self Knowledge. It teaches its students to discover their hidden talents and abilities; expand their perception; break the boundaries of limitation; and ultimately journey through the heavens of their being. *pages *20- 21. The seeker's ultimate goal is to dissolve in the Absolute Truth - God. The directions and instructions he receives from the Pir are to guide him to reach the stage of cognition as stated in the Holy Qur'an (24:37), the "Men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the remembrance of God, nor from regular Prayer". Bayazid Bastami, a disciple of Imam Ja'far Sadegh (peace be upon him) has said, "No other but God is within my robe." As you can see from the above, Sufism is a discipline, a system of education that transforms humans from their base state, to their divine state. Each of the stages brings with it a change, a revolution and evolution for the seeker. *page 24. There are many layers connecting the physical body to the spiritual realm. These levels are directly connected to the electromagnetic centers existing in different locations in the human being, each serving a specific function as well as working in a continuous relationship with the various organs and glands. There are thirteen main electromagnetic centers and numerous minor ones. The main center is located in the heart, and has been called by my father the source of life in the heart. This center is very important in the teachings of the School of Islamic Sufism. Amir al-Mo'menin Ali (peace be upon him) has said, "The heart is an open book." *page 25. The heart is the seat of knowledge in the teachings of Sufism. This is why meditation in the heart is so crucial and important. It is returning to the source of our being, the source of knowledge and our true identity. *pages 25-26. *From the book Sufism and Wisdom by Molana-al-Moazam Salaheddin Ali Nader Shah Angha ************************************************ When i look at the essence of the practices of sufis, i always reach the conclusion that, if you look at it with an open mind you will see for sure they are better in their worship to allah then most! Only reason why anyone would be negative is because they fail to achieve such higher state of worship, purity of rememberance. Anon can you honestly say that in your worship of allah[swt] your thought is always singular towards allah[swt]??? i mean while you are in worship[prayer] is it possible for you to not think of any other then allah??? If you think of anyone other then allah while you are praying, do you feel that you are fullfilling your duties to the best of your ability??? I don't even know where you are abroaching me from! what is faith? do you pray? what is your level of understanding of islam?
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| | Monday, April 02, 2001 - 04:00 pm Mystic k. I dont think u should get personnal with annonymous. Whether he prays or not is for Allah to judge. I have been thinking and can't think of anything positive to say about sufism....U say u are not a sufi, and u mannage to say alot of "negative" things about other so-called sects. But why single out sufism? U say u have a childlike curiosoty in Islam but it seems brother that u are not interested in learning Islam, it seems (and I may be wrong) that u only want to learn about sufism. The fact remains that Sufism (which is what u refer to it as) has many downfalls. It involves shirk and kufr. If u truely want to learn Islam and find true knowldge and want o worship Allah the way he should be worshied "alone with no partners" then I suggest u start with Tawhiid. Only then will u understand why there are very few, if any, positive things to say about sufism. "The seeker's ultimate goal is to dissolve in the Absolute Truth - God. " I can only interpret this to mean that we must dissolve in Allah???? Subhanallah! I dont see the difference between this statement and what the Christians believe, that Allah and Jesus are One. It's like saying u are becoming a part of Allah???? Do u actually believe ur goel is to dissolve in Allah? Ur goal is to worship Allah "And I (Allah) did not Create the Jinn and Mankind except for My worship" Az-Zariyat, 51:56. That is your goal. To worship Allah not to be apart of Him, Subhanallah. And to have complete knowledge of Allah is beyond man's ability "They (mankind) cannot encompass Him (Allah) with their knowledge" Ta-Ha, 20:110 U asked what is faith. Narrated Abu Huraira: One day while the Prophet was sitting in the company of some people, (The angel) Gabriel came and asked, "What is faith?" Allah's Apostle replied, 'Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, (the) meeting with Him, His Apostles, and to believe in Resurrection." Then he further asked, "What is Islam?" Allah's Apostle replied, "To worship Allah Alone and none else, to offer prayers perfectly to pay the compulsory charity (Zakat) and to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan." Then he further asked, "What is Ihsan (perfection)?" Allah's Apostle replied, "To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you." (Bukhari) Peace
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| | Tuesday, April 03, 2001 - 01:10 am Thankyou for the excellent advice Sister-x. You get no agruement from me! What is simple to understand is:- 1)relationship between man and creator 2)relationship between man and creation[including man] 1)is unique for no two humans were created equal, so it would be pointless for us to argue about who has best relationship with his/her creator. So we can leave that decision to allah. 2)I total disagree with many of the actions of some of the people who are hiding behind Islam and judging everyone around them. It is true you have to call people to islam, man can't call others to Mysticism. Nothing i say is in any way a call to mysticism. Adab General meanings: politeness, courtesy, good manners, refined manners, good breeding, respect, reverence; correct behavior, proper conduct, modest behavior; being courteous, polite; discipline, correction, chastisement; the science of polite learning; culture of mind, literature, literary pursuits. http://www.hayatidede.org/adab1.html You can't be called to Mysticism, but you can be informed about it!
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