CRITIQUE
Scholars of Taṣawwuf (Sufism) in West Africa must be very intentional about correcting the many errors associated with Taṣawwuf today. Among such problems are:
1. A very large scale ignorance among the majority of those who claim to be Sufi today;
2. Hero worship: lovers of Sufi Shaykhs go extreme in most cases. Sometimes, one wonders who is more beloved to the many Sufi of our time, the Rasūl SAW or their Shaykh. It is part of their excesses that Shaytān uses to create illusions for them so they claim that they see the picture of Shaykh on the moon, walls and so on. Many of them hang the picture of Shaykhs on their necks, bodies, homes, cars and even Masājid. In their excessive blind love for Shaykh, they fall into the sin of Kufr and sometimes, Shirk without knowing it. For many of them, they would rather call upon Shaykh or Rasūl SAW than call upon Allah in times of difficulty;
3. The assumption that one could achieve gnosticism (Ma'rifah) without necessarily following the Sharī'ah. The Sufi in the past believed that no one should even begin the journey of Taṣawwuf without first mastering the Sharī'ah and his/her chosen madhab or the prevailing madhab of his people;
4. The excessive desire to become a Waliyyu or be called a Shaykh has led many into Shirk by calling upon Jinn assuming that they are calling some Ism al-'azam;
5. Many of the present day Sufi prioritise big dresses, big cars and luxuries as a means of showing grace. With this mindset, many of them lost the essence of Taṣawwuf;
6. The unfettered freedom given to women to sing and dance to the glare of non-Mahram men with the claim that it is Dhikr is one of the biggest problems associated with Taṣawwuf in our time and region;
7. The assumption that Taṣawwuf is distinct from Sunnah is another big problem among the claimants of Sufi in our time and region;
8. Widespread of evil innovations among the claimants of Sufi of our time and region: among such is the belief that at the mention of the name of a Shaykh, one must hold his head; Mawlid of Shaykh; heretical utterances; extortion in the name of having or giving blessings to people; claims of seeing Angels or possessing knowledge of the unseen; arrogance against established principles of the Sharī'ah and Taṣawwuf; and so on.
9. The practice of geomancy, soothsaying, magic and associating with the idolaters is common to the claimants of Sufi in our region.
As teachers, we identify these problems and discuss them with our students in the classrooms. We also write academic papers to address them. However, the real renaissance can only be championed by sincere traditional Sufi practitioners. Whatever goes against the Sunnah does not have a place in Islam. Whatever does not have a place in Islam cannot and should never be a part of Taṣawwuf.
#Sufism #Tasawwuf #WestAfrica
#Nigeria #Sufi #Muslims
Critique by: Dr. Idris A. Oni
REBUTTAL
Summary Response
The problems identified are not the only ones existent. However, I will limit my response to only the ones identified by the critic.
1. The large scale ignorance is a general problem of Muslims and not just Sufis. However, for Sufis, it's more important to be conscious of the bases of their practice so as not to be consistently misunderstood as they often are. Knowledge helps to dispel doubts and queries by non-Sufis.
2. Hero worship is based on the low level of understanding of the deen, which I addressed earlier. Ancient Sufis made indepth (or at least percussory) knowledge of the Shariah a prerequisite condition for initiation. That will help Sufi initiates to know the proper etiquette that draws the line between admiration and idolatry.
However it must be explained that the love of the Shaykhs is actually born out of, and is a manifestation of the love of Rasool(SAW) which in turn is born by the love of Allah(TWT). The ultimate object of love is Allah, but because we can't see him, He ordered us (in Surah Al-Imran Q3:31) to express the love in His prophet. Thus, as these generations of belieivers can't see the Rasool either, they manifest his love in the Shaykhs.
There is nothing like too much love. If there were, Rasool (SAW) would not have told Umar, on sequential answers, the culminating reply that: *"none of you is a believer, until I am more beloved to him than his father, mother and even his own self"!* That means Muslims must love him over, above and beyond all else!
There is a world of difference between Tawassul/Istigatha (which by the way is very Halal), and Kufr/Shirk. The critic needs to learn that first before coming to the debate table. Calling on other than Allah will not be wrong if the reasons are acceptable to Allah. There are many classical examples of this in the Sunnah. Some of these that stand out are the story of the blind man whom Rasool taught Istigatha/Tawassul, that of the blind man and Caliph Uthman (RA), and that of Khalifah Umar(RA) supplicating for rain with the personage of the uncle of Rasool(SAW) named 'Abbas(RA) at the time of droughts that occured during his tenure .
3. Following the Shariah is the foundation for any form of Ma'arifah. However, the critic did not say who is making assumption. If he means all Sufis, then he is wrong. But for those who fall into the category that makes the error he alludes to, even they can be excused based on the fact that *"for every rule, there is an exemption"*. In rare cases, Ma'arifah has been attained with absolutely no regards to the Shariah. So, we must separate the baby from the bathwater. Otherwise, what can one say of the Tabi'i Uways al-Qarni whom Rasool (SAW) instructed the blessed Sahabah to seek blessings from, and who was not found until the tail end of Umar's reign?!
4. He wouldn't be too wrong on this point as it is partly true. However, the distinction has to be made. There is nothing wrong with excessive desire to be a Waliyy or Shaykh if for the right readons. But there is everything wrong to desire it just for show-off. Therefore, it is important to have purity of intentions on all deeds first, then follows tutelage/training under a properly certified spiritual guide.
The knowledge of Ism al-a'zam is a wide field that is not for the layman. The use of names of spiritual beings like celestial angels (Malak 'Uluwiyy), terrestrial angels (Malak Sufliyy), demi-angels (Rawhaniyyun), servitors(Khuddaam), Genies (Jinns), demons (Shayateen), etc is an intricate field that is best reserved for experts. Hence wholesale commendation or condemnation is not advisable for the laymen.
5. Since the critic said many, that doesn't mean all. Just as having many Muslims who believe in prosperity (rightly or wrongly) doesn't speak for all Muslims. Truly the essential core of Tasawwuf is simplicity/piety/asceticism. However, Sufi science has evolved to the point where having prosperity and affluence does not deter one from being a true Sufi. Therefore, the distinction should be made that regardless of those who missed it, the essence of Tasawwuf doesn't preclude prosperity and affluence if Allah so decrees it.
From the prophetic era, some of the greatest ascetics were yet prosperous without one affecting the other negatively. Al-Arqam bn Abu al-Arqam, Abdu-Rahman bin 'Aof, Sad bn Abul Waqqas, etc are examples.
6. Yes, he has a point. But let's not forget that the restrictions placed on women is only physical. Spiritually, women are at par with men if they are granted that opportunity by Allah. Maryam, Asiyah, Aisha, Fatimah were giants compared to their male contemporaries. Later, female saints like Rabiah Al-Adawiyyah, Sukaynah, Jariyah, Bahlul, Layla of Majnun fame etc also attained similar status in Islamic lore.
The issue of singing and dancing to the glare of men is not Haram, but is to be very much controlled. Q case in point is the singing and dancing of Aisha and her handmaids in the presence and to the approval of Rasool(SAW) with some companions on Eid day. When Umar bn Khattab(RA) came in chiding and scolding, and they hid their drums out of fear, Rasool(SAW) reprimanded him to cut them some slack as *" every nation has their festival day, this is our festival (Eid) day.....!"* Those were his exact words.
On another occasion, Aisha(RA) attended a wedding and came back with tales of the songs they sang at the event, to which Rasool(SAW) taught her better words/lyrics for the songs, rather than condemn their action.
So, women singing in public is not Haram, it just requires tact and proper censorship. The critic would therefore be better off by advising on how to regulate such the way the prophet (SAW) did, to the admiration of all.
7. Again, the critic did not clarify who is making that assumption. However, if he means all of todays Sufis, then he is very far from reality. But if his intent is for Pseudo-Sufis, then such claimants are just that: Fake-Sufis who cannot be taken for the real ones. Real Sufis adhere to the Sunnah otherwise they have no claim to legitimacy. Tasawwuf is founded on the Qur'an and Sunnah. All else is marketplace noise!
8. This particular point reeks of enmity or at best dislike for anything Sufi. Banding different things together to castigate "claimants of Sufi" is like calling a dog a bad name so as to justify hanging it.
"Evil innovations" are generally frowned at by all true Muslims, of which real Sufis are among the foremost. However, every innovation has to be considered in the light of Shariah and Haqiqah before labeling it "God", "bad" or "evil".
Holding the head at the mention of some names is a sign of respect, reverence and deference to the personality of the personage.
Mawlid (of the Prophet and of Shaykhs) is an acceptable and rewarding noble act if and when properly conducted, while it is reprehensible if wrongly done.
Heretical utterances (I guess he means "Shata-hat") have been variously explained as often misunderstood statements by those intoxicated by and in the throes of love for God. The lives and times of people like Ibn 'Arabi al-Hatimi, ql-Hallqj bin Mansur, Tayfur Abu Yazeed al-Bistami, Abu Hameed al-Ghazzali, etc have shown that they were right in the end and their detractors and persecutors were in the wrong.
Again, he ambiguously didn't specify his intent on the "extortion". But I guess he meant the collection of financial gratification for blessings. If he does, that is totally Halal if and when force or compulsion is not involved. Allah (SWT) commanded it (e g in Surah Tawbah Q12:103, Surah Talaq Q65: 7, and Surah al-Imran Q4:92). Rasool (SAW) obeyed and taught it severally, as he was known to reject alms(Sadaqah) but accept and cherish gifts/tokens (Hadiyah). That is what the true Sufis adopt.
As for claims on knowledge of the unseen, or "Ilm Ladunni (intimate instructions)", let him read Surah Kahf Q18:65 relating the story of Musa and Khidr, as well as Surah Jinn Q72:26-28. The right perspective is that only Allah decides whom, where, what, when, why and how he accords it to anyone.
As for his accusations of arrogance against established principles of the Shariah and Tasawwuf, I think he needs to expatiate better as that is neither here nor there.
9. Geomancy is an ancient empirical and exact science, the origins of which is divine. It is often confused with Astrology (Soothsaying or stargazing) and not Astronomy (Time calculations). Those who are ignorant of it condemn it out of baseless enmity, stark ignorance and general disorientation. However, it is *NOT* (a prerequisite) part of Tasawwuf. Many Sufis even frown at it because of the elements of uncertainty involved in it. Magic/Sorcery is a condemned item in Islam. But there are similarities to it, in some Halal knowledge of Islam, hence the confusion. This is a general Muslim thing not peculiar to Sufis. Nor is it situated in our "time and region" as the critic would have readers wrongly believe, but a widespread notion all over the world.
Associating with idolaters is not the problem, but the bases of the association matters. Islam does not forbid learning from idolatrous teachers, nor treatment from idolatrous doctors, or certification by idolatrous governments. What Islam demands is protecting our Islam regardless of such associations.
10. I agree in totality with this last point especially the part which says that the *"real renaissance can only be championed by sincere traditional Sufi practitioners"* Hence, we can only try to dispel the dark clouds of ignorance by bearing the torch of illumination using the divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the classical Scholars of Islam.
May Almighty Allah safeguard us all and perfect our Islam for us. More importantly, may He accept our humble acts of 'Ibadah and reward us all abundantly.
Rebuttal by: Shaykh Sulaymān Odetayo 
