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TAAWWUF
Meaning of Taawwuf
Evolution of the Word Taawwuf The term Taawwuf evolved as did the terms fiqh, kalm, etc. The word f is derived from:

( wool) uffah ( Ahl a-uffah) aff ( i.e. aff Awwal First Row) ifah ( good quality/virtue) afwah ( elite/best choice)
f Tne word

may have come from: = = = = was first used for Ab Hshim, of Syria (d. 150 AH)

The word f

The first to define the ideologies of Taawwuf was Dhun-Nn al-Mir (d. 245 AH) The word f became popular after 200 AH. The term f was first opposed after 600 AH.

Who wrote on Taawwuf / Zuhd1

Imm Muslim ibn al-allj (206 AH / 821 CE 261 AH / 875 AH) Imm Amad ibn anbal (164 AH / 780 CE - 241 AH / 855 CE) Imm Ab Dwd (202 AH / 818 CE - 275 AH / 889 CE) Imm Wak ibn al-Jarr (d. 197 AH / 813 CE) Imm al-Bayhaq (384 AH / 994 CE - 458 AH / 1066 CE) Imm Abdullh ibn al-Mubrak (118 AH / 736 CE 181 AH /797 CE) and others. The Holy Qurn does not use the word Taawwuf rather, it uses other words that are synonymous such as Tazkiyah, Khashyah and Taqw, etc. 1. Tazkiyah: cleansing oneself The Holy Qurn says:

Truly he succeeds who purifies (his soul). (Srat ash-Shams (91):9)

1

Zuhd

Renunciation the conviction that possessions do not enrich us in any way.

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2. Khashyah or khashiyyah: fear of Allh The Holy Quran says:

Those who fear Allh will remember (the advice). (Srat al-Al (87):10) 3. Taqw: Piety, Righteousness, Godwariness The Holy Qurn says:

Righteousness is that one remains Allah-wary. (Srat al-Baqarah (2):189)

And whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord. (Srat al-Kahf (18):110)

And none hath with him any favour for reward, Except as seeking (to fulfil) the purpose of his Lord Most High. He verily will be content. (Srat al-Layl (92):19-21)

Taawwuf in the Holy Qurn

1.

Who have believed and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of Allh do hearts find rest! (Srat ar-Rad (13):28)

Allh verily has shown grace to the believers by sending to them a messenger of their own who recites to them His revelations, and purifies them, and teaches them the Scripture and wisdom; although before (he came to them) they were in flagrant error. (Srat l Imrn (3):164) a. Recitation of scripture outward aspect of prophethood. Muslim Scholars, Jurists, adth Masters, Preachers continue this. b. Purification inward aspect of prophethood. Including (a), this was continued by Saints, Ascetics, etc. (Ghawth, Abdl, etc.) Both (a) and (b) emanate from the Holy Qurn, and hence, without following the Holy Prophet , they are impossible to adopt. It is imperative for a Spiritual Doctor to be learned in both. 3.

2.

Say, (O Muammad, to mankind): If you love Allah, follow me; Allh will love you and forgive you your sins. Allh is Forgiving, Merciful. (Srat l Imrn (3):31)

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Restrain yourself along with those who cry to their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Countenance; and let not thine eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his own lust and whose case has been abandoned. (Srat al-Kahf (18):28)

4.

Men whom neither merchandise nor sale sways away from the remembrance of Allh and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned. (Srat an-Nr (24):37) 6.

5.

Except if Allh will. And remember your Lord when you forget, and say: It may be that my Lord guids me to a nearer way of truth than this. (Srat al-Kahf (18):24)

And they are not ordered but to to serve Allah, keeping religion pure for Him, as men by nature upright, and to establish worship and to pay the poor-due. That is true religion. (Srat alBayyinah (98):5)

7.

Taawwuf in adth and Sunnah

1. adth Jibrl:

" : ( ) : " " : " " : ( ) : " " : " " : ( )

So tell me about Isn. The Prophet replied: That you worship Allh as though you see Him, or else He does see you. (Muslim, Mishkt) According to this adth, the pillars of Taawwuf are 3:

meaning obedience (ah) and worship (ibdah), ii. mn meaning belief (aqdah) and light (nr) , iii. Isn devotion (murqabah) and witnessing (mushhadah).
i. Islm 2. adth Qalb:

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Verily, in the body is a lump of flesh; when it is well, the whole body is well when it is unwell, the whole body is unwell it is the heart! (Al-Bukhr, Muslim, Ibn Mjah) 3. adth uwari-kum:

Verily, Allh does not look at your bodies and nor at your appearances, but rather, he looks at your hearts and at your actions. (Muslim)

Types of Nafs (Self)

Three types of Nafs (Self / Soul): 1. Nafs Ammrah

( The Self the Incites to Do Evil)

The Lower Self or the Base Desires Rm compares the Nafs to a camel, and the Intellect to Majnn, where the latter strives to turn the former in the direction of his Beloved who is Allh . 2. Nafs Lawwmah The Conscience 3. Nafs Mumainnah

( The Self-Accusing Self) ( The Tranquil Soul)

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The ego that is content with the will of Allh

( the Inspired Soul), (5) nafs raiyyah ( the Pleased Soul), (6) nafs mariyyah ( the Pleasing Soul), (7) nafs fiyah ( the Pure Soul).
Further types of nafs include; (4) nafs mulamah

Scholars Who Wrote in Favour of Taawwuf

Jalluddn as-Suy, Ibn ajar al-Asqaln, Badruddn al-Ayn, Ibn Khaldn, Taqiyuddn as-Subk, Ibn ajar al-Haytam, al-Baydw, a-w, Abus-Sud, al-Baghaw, Ibn Kathr, atTaftzn, an-Nafas, ar-Rz, al-Bukhr, Muslim ibn allj, etc. Ibn Khaldn, a Muslim statesman, jurist, historian, and scholar of the fourteenth century, devoted a long section of in his monumental work, al-Muqaddimah of History, to discuss the science of Taawwuf. He writes: Taawwuf belongs to the sciences of religious law that originated in Islam. It is based on the assumption that the practices of its adherents had always been considered by the important early Muslims, the men around Muammad and the men of the second generation, as well as those who came after them, as the path of true and right guidance. The f approach is based upon constant application to divine worship, complete devotion to God, aversion to false
2

Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human soul) certainly is prone to do evil, unless my Lord bestows His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Srat Ysuf (12):53)
3

(It will be said to the obedient person) O content soul, Come back to your Lord, well-pleased (with Him), well-pleasing (to Him). So, enter among My (special) servants, And enter My Paradise. (Srat al-Fajr (89):27-30)
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. And I certainly call to witness the self-reproaching soul. (Srat al-Qiymah (72):2) .

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splendor of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, property, and position to which great mass aspires, and the retirement from the world into solitude for divine worship. These things were general among the men around Muammad and the early Muslims. Then, worldly aspirations increased in the second (eighth) century and after. At that time, the special name of fs (Sfiyyah and Mutaawwifah) was given to those who aspired to divine worship. The fs came to represent asceticism, retirement from the world, and devotion to divine worship. They developed a particular kind of perception which comes about through ecstatic experience. When the sciences were written down systematically and when the jurists wrote works on jurisprudence and the principles of jurisprudence, on speculative theology, Qurn interpretation, and other subjects, the fs, too, wrote on their subject. Some fs wrote on the laws governing asceticism and self-scrutiny, how to act and not act in imitation of model (saints). Al-Ghazzl, in the Iy Ulm adDn, dealt systematically with the laws governing asceticism and the imitation of models. Then, he explained the behavior and customs of the fs and commented on their technical vocabulary. Thus, the science of Taawwuf became a systematically treated discipline in Islam. Before that, mysticism had merely consisted of divine worship, and its laws had existed in the breasts of men. The same had been the case with all other disciplines, Qurn interpretation, the science of tradition, jurisprudence, the principles of jurisprudence, and other disciplines.
Ibn Khaldns al-Muqaddimah (of History), translated from the Arabic into English by Franz Rosenthal, 3 Vols., Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1967 [vol. 3, pp. 76-81].

Ibn Taymiyyah5: Ibn Taymiyahs general attitude to Taawwuf is disclosed in this passage: Some people accept everything of fsm, what is right as well as what is wrong; others reject it totally, both what is wrong and what is right, as some scholars of kalm and fiqh do. The right attitude towards Taawwuf, or any other thing, is to accept what is in agreement with the Quran and the Sunnah, and reject what does not agree. [Majm Fatw Shaykh al-Islm, vol. 10, p. 82].

Stories of fs
Jalluddn Rm and Shh Shams Tibrz Rm story of Majnn writing on sand Story of Majnn wandering and walking past a worshipper

Principles and Rules of Taawwuf

In his Al-Maqid, Imm an-Nawaw, the great Shfi scholar, discusses Taawwuf at great length. His conclusions may be summarized as follows: "The basic rules of the way of Taawwuf are five:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Being Allh-wary privately and publicly, Living according to the sunnah in word and deed, Indifference to whether others accept or reject one, Satisfaction with Allh in scarcity and plenty, and Turning to Allh in sorrow and in joy.

Ibn Taymiyyah: He is Taqiuddn Abul-Abbs Amad ibn Abdulalm ibn Abdussalm Ibn Taymiyyah al-arrn (661 AH / 1263 CE arrn (Turkey) - 728 AH / 1328 CE Damascus (Syria)) 5 of 6

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The foundations of all of these consist of five things:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

High aspiration, Keeping the reverence of Allh , Giving the best of service, Keeping one's spiritual resolves, and Esteeming the blessings of Allh .

On an individual, the signs of the principles of Taawwuf are also five:

1. Seeking knowledge of the Sharah in order to perform the commands of Allh ; 2. Keeping the company of spiritual guides and fellow disciples in order to see with insight; 3. Forgoing both dispensations from religious obligations and figurative interpretations of 4. Organizing one's time with spiritual works to maintain the presence of heart; and 5. Suspecting the self in all matters, in order to free oneself from caprice and be safe from
destruction. scripture, for the sake of cautiousness;

What Taawwuf is Not

B-Yazd al-Busm (188 AH / 804 CE - 264 AH /878 CE) People said to Sayyidun B-Yazd al-Busm: You are a performer of many miracles. You walk on the surface of water. He replied: This is no miracle. Twigs also float on water. People said: But you fly in the air. He replied: This too is no miracle, for tiny insects too fly in the air. People said: It is indeed a great miracle that within a single night you travel to Makkah. He replied: This too is nothing. Sorcerers journey in a single night from Hindstn to Mount Diynand. People said: What then is a miracle? He replied: A miracle is engrossment of the heart with none besides Allh . Junayd al-Baghdd (214 AH / 830 CE 297 AH / 910 CE) Sayyidun Junayd al-Baghdd says: All avenues besides the strict following of Raslullh are closed to mankind.

Objectives of Taawwuf
Love for the poor. Purity of heart/intention. Generosity. Loyalty. Inclination towards the Beloved, i.e. Allh . Truth and honesty in conducting affairs. Prostration to Allh . Fear and hope of Allh . Adopting silence is gold. Forgiving others. Clean thoughts and actions. Seeking companionship with the pious. Knowledge, wisdom, observation, guidance, training, discipline, cure of illnesses, piety, steadfastness, patience, striving hard, avoiding worldly temptations, purity in worship. To chieve the nafs mumainnah, one needs to combat the following:
Takabbur (False pride) Hir (Greed) Haad (Envy) Shahwah (Lust) Ghbah (Backbiting) Bukhl (Stinginess) Knah (Malice)

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