Explanation of Ḥaqīqa and Sharīʿa (Sufi Terminology)

Introduction and definition:

In the well-known Ḥadīth of Gabriel, narrated by ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu), it is reported that the religion is divided into three pillars. The proof for this is the statement of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) to ʿUmar (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu): “That was Gabriel (ʿalayhi al-salām). He came to teach you your religion.”^[1]

1. The pillar of Islam: The practical aspect; acts of worship, transactions, and actions related to servitude. Its locus is the outward limbs of the body. In the terminology of the scholars, this is called sharīʿa (the sacred law). Jurists specialized in its disciplines.

2. The pillar of iman (faith): The aspect of the heart and belief; to have iman in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and in divine decree and predestination. Scholars of tawhid (the oneness of God, i.e., creed) specialized in its disciplines.

3. The pillar of ihsan (spiritual excellence): The aspect of the heart and spirit, which is to worship Allah as though you see Him; if you do not see Him, He certainly sees you. From this arise: aḥwāl (spiritual states), dhawq-i wijdāniyya (experiential spiritual tastes), maqāmāt-i ʿirfāniyya (stations attained through maʿrifa, experiential knowledge of God), and ʿulūm-i wahbiyya (knowledge acquired without formal instruction). In the terminology of the scholars, this is called ḥaqīqa (inner reality). The Sufi elite specialized in this field.

To clarify the relationship between sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa, let us take prayer as an example. Performing the movements and outward acts of prayer, adhering to its pillars and conditions, and fulfilling what the jurists have mentioned, represent the aspect of sharīʿa. This is the body of the prayer. The presence of the heart with Allah during prayer represents the aspect of ḥaqīqa, which is the spirit of the prayer.

The bodily acts of prayer are the body of worship, while khushūʿ (humble reverence) is its spirit. What benefit is there in a body without a spirit? Just as the spirit needs the body to live, so too does the body need the spirit to subsist. For this reason, Allah says in al-Baqara 2:110:

“Establish prayer and give zakah!” Establishing prayer is only possible with both body and spirit. That is why He did not say ‘perform prayer’ but rather ‘establish prayer’.

Just as the spirit needs the body and the body needs the spirit, so too is there a reliable bond between sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa. A complete believer is one who unites sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa. The Sufis direct all people toward this point, following the example of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and the noble Companions (ṣaḥāba).

Indeed, to reach this lofty station and attain perfect iman, one must traverse the tariqa (a Sufi path/order). This is only possible through striving against the nafs (the lower self), rising from deficient qualities to perfect ones. Ascending to the stations of perfection is only possible through the companionship of murshids (spiritual guides). Thus, Sufism (taṣawwuf) is a bridge leading from sharīʿa to ḥaqīqa.

Sayyid (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says in his “Taʿrīfāt”: “Tariqa is a journey specific to those who traverse the stations and ascend the maqāmāt (spiritual stations) toward Allah.”^[2]

Sharīʿa is the foundation, tariqa is its means, and ḥaqīqa is their fruit. There is harmony and perfection among these three. Whoever adheres to the first, traverses the second, and attains the third. There is no contradiction or opposition among them. For this reason, the Sufis say in their well-known maxim: “All realities (ḥaqāʾiq) that oppose the sharīʿa are heresy.” How could ḥaqīqa oppose sharīʿa, when ḥaqīqa is born from the application of sharīʿa? Imam Ahmad Zarrūq (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), the leader of the Sufis, says: “Sufism (taṣawwuf) is not possible without fiqh. For the outward rulings of Allah cannot be known without fiqh. Fiqh is only possible with Sufism. Action is only possible with sincerity and turning to Allah. Sufism and fiqh are only possible with iman. Without iman, neither is possible. Just as the body needs the spirit, so too do iman, fiqh, and Sufism need each other. In conclusion, the interdependence of these three is inevitable. Understand well that just as the body needs the spirit, so too do these elements need each other. The existence of each depends on the existence of the others, just as bodies depend on spirits.”^[3]

Imam Mālik (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “Whoever enters Sufism (taṣawwuf) without giving importance to fiqh becomes a heretic (zindīq). Whoever learns fiqh but does not accept the way of Sufism becomes a transgressor (fāsiq). Whoever combines fiqh and Sufism surely attains the truth (ḥaqīqa).”^[4]

The first becomes a heretic, for he sees ḥaqīqa as separate from sharīʿa. He speaks of compulsion (jabr), claiming that man has no choice in any matter. He gives the following example:

“A man is thrown into the sea with his hands and feet bound, and is told: Beware! Do not get wet!”

By doing so, he abandons the rulings of sharīʿa and acting upon them, and negates the wisdom and contemplation of the rulings.

The second becomes a transgressor, for he is preoccupied with the science of fiqh and gives no importance to Sufism, so the light of taqwa (God-consciousness), the secret of ikhlas (sincerity), the admonition of muraqaba (spiritual vigilance), and the path of muḥāsaba (self-accounting) do not enter his heart to prevent him from sin and to make him cling to the sunnah.

The third finds ḥaqīqa, for he unites all the pillars of religion gathered in the Ḥadīth of Gabriel: iman, Islam, and ihsan.

Just as the scholars of the outward preserved the boundaries of sharīʿa, so too did the scholars of Sufism preserve its etiquette and spirit. For the scholars of the outward, it is permissible to derive proofs, establish boundaries and branches, and issue rulings of halal and haram where there is no explicit text. Likewise, for the gnostics, it is permissible to establish etiquettes and programs to train murids (aspirants) and reform seekers.

The righteous predecessors and the true Sufis realized true servitude and sound Islam, for they united sharīʿa, tariqa, and ḥaqīqa. Thus, they became true adherents of sharīʿa and guided people to the right path. If the religion is deprived of ḥaqīqa, its root dries up, its branches and leaves wither, and its fruits spoil.

A. The Debate with Those Prejudiced Against the Sufis

Those who object to the Sufi elite:

- If they deny the division we have just explained (iman, Islam, and ihsan), then it is certain that by this denial they seek to separate the spirit of Islam from its body and to destroy one of the three essential pillars explained in the Ḥadīth of Gabriel. They are in opposition to the scholars of Islam and the great jurists.

Ibn ʿĀbidīn (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says in his famous marginalia “Radd al-Muḥtār”: “Tariqa is a path specific to seekers (sāliks) for traversing distances and ascending stations.” On the following page he says: “Ḥaqīqa is to witness lordship with the heart. It is said to be a limitless and directionless spiritual secret. Ḥaqīqa, tariqa, and sharīʿa are interconnected. For the path to Allah has an outward and an inward aspect. The outward is sharīʿa and tariqa; the inward is ḥaqīqa. Sharīʿa and tariqa, which are the essence of ḥaqīqa, are like the butter in milk. One cannot obtain butter without churning the milk. What is meant by these three (sharīʿa, tariqa, and ḥaqīqa) is that a person fulfills servitude as required.”^[5]

Shaykh ʿAbdullāh Yāfiʿī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “Ḥaqīqa is to witness the secrets of lordship. Its path is the strict observance of sharīʿa. Whoever traverses the tariqa reaches ḥaqīqa. Thus, ḥaqīqa is the culmination of the strict observance of sharīʿa. The end of a thing does not contradict it, nor does ḥaqīqa contradict the strict observance of sharīʿa.”^[6]

The author of “Kashf al-Ẓunūn,” discussing the science of Sufism, says: “It is said that the science of Sufism is also the science of ḥaqīqa. It is the science of tariqa, which purifies the nafs (the lower self) from base character and purifies the heart from base motives and desires. The science of sharīʿa without ḥaqīqa is idle (useless), and the science of ḥaqīqa without sharīʿa is bāṭil (invalid).

Knowing the science of sharīʿa and what pertains to the rectification of the outward is like knowing the requirements of ḥajj. Knowing the science of tariqa and what pertains to the rectification of the inward is like knowing the stations and obstacles of the path. Just as knowing the rules of ḥajj and the places of stay is not sufficient without actually traversing the necessary stations and preparing what is required, so too in the spiritual ḥajj, merely knowing the rulings of sharīʿa and the etiquettes of tariqa is not sufficient without performing the necessary deeds.”^[7]

- The objectors, even if they accept the aforementioned division (iman, Islam, and ihsan), do not accept the terms sharīʿa, tariqa, and ḥaqīqa.

- To the objectors we say: These terms—sharīʿa, tariqa, and ḥaqīqa—were coined by the scholars and accepted by the jurists, as we have explained. Ultimately, these are technical terms, and there is no dispute in terminology.

- Even if the deniers accept the division and the nomenclature, they deny the spiritual states, experiential tastes, and divinely bestowed knowledge of the Sufis.

We reply to them: “These are states that Allah bestows upon His sincere servants, truthful friends, and beloved ones. Nothing can hinder the divine power (qudra) of Allah in anything. These tastes, concepts, unveilings, and openings are Allah’s gifts to them. It is established from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) that knowledge is of two kinds: One is knowledge in the heart. In one narration, it is knowledge firmly established in the heart. This is the beneficial knowledge. The other is knowledge on the tongue, which is Allah’s proof against the people.”^[8]

Abū Nuʿaym, in his “Ḥilya,” narrates from Anas b. Mālik (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) the ḥadīth of Muʿādh b. Jabal (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu), which indicates this. Muʿādh b. Jabal (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) entered the presence of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger asked him: “O Muʿādh, how did you awaken this morning?” Muʿādh (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) replied: “I awoke as a believer in Allah.” The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Every statement has a confirmation, and every reality has a verifier. What is the confirmation of what you say?” Muʿādh (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) replied: “O Prophet of Allah! I never begin a day thinking I will reach the evening, nor an evening thinking I will reach the morning. I never take a step thinking I will take another. It is as if I see every community kneeling, their Prophet, their idols, and their books being summoned. It is as if I see the punishment of the people of Hell and the reward of the people of Paradise.” The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You have understood; continue.”^[9]

Just as Allah bestowed these unveilings upon Muʿādh (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) affirmed him, so too have the righteous, by adhering to the Book and sunnah, following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble Companions, and through fasting, prayer, striving against the nafs, and asceticism and taqwa in this fleeting world, attained unveilings and maʿrifa (gnosis).

Imam al-Shaʿrānī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), speaking of the Sufis who follow the path of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions, says: “O my brother! Know that the science of Sufism, when it is illuminated in the hearts of the awliyāʾ (friends of God) through acting upon the Book and sunnah, is a knowledge that flares up like a spark. Whoever acts upon the Book and sunnah, the spark of knowledge, etiquette, secrets, and realities is kindled in his heart, and tongues are incapable of describing it. A similar example is when the scholars of sharīʿa and rulings act upon what they know, and the fire of ḥikma (wisdom) is ignited in their hearts.”^[10]

The righteous predecessors acted sincerely upon what they knew. As a result, their hearts were illuminated and they were saved from the maladies that diminish the value of deeds. When these scholars passed away, those who succeeded them did not pay attention to sincerity in their knowledge and actions. Therefore, their hearts darkened and they became veiled from the states of the people. Thus, they went so far as to deny the states of the Sufis.

Here, those prejudiced against the Sufis cite the words of Ibn Taymiyya (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) to attack the Sufis, accusing them of giving importance to ḥaqīqa and neglecting sharīʿa, and of relying on their unveilings and understandings. All of this is false and a slander against the Sufis. The falsity of these claims is proven by the following words of Ibn Taymiyya. In the section on the science of sulūk in his “Fatāwā,” Ibn Taymiyya (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says regarding the Sufi elite’s adherence to the Book and sunnah: “The leading shaykhs of their time, such as ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (quddisa sirruhū) and others, commanded adherence to the sharīʿa, to its commands and prohibitions, to place sharīʿa above spiritual taste and predestination, and to abandon caprice and the will of the nafs. Error in the will of the nafs only occurs by fulfilling all its desires. The murshid would command the sālik not to do whatever the nafs desires, but rather to seek the will of the Lord. By the will of the Lord is meant, if it is known, the legal will (sharʿī irāda); if not, then the decreed will (qadarī irāda). The decreed will is realized either by the command of the Lord or by His creation. Creating and commanding belong solely to the Exalted Truth. This is the sound sharʿī tariqa.”^[11]

Ibn Taymiyya (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) also says: “The majority of the righteous sāliks among the early and later scholars, such as Fudayl b. ʿIyāḍ, Ibrāhīm b. Adham, Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī, Maʿrūf al-Karkhī, Sarī al-Saqaṭī, Junayd b. Muḥammad, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, Shaykh Ḥammād, Shaykh Abū’l-Bayān, and others, did not permit the sālik to go beyond the commands and prohibitions of the sharīʿa, even if he were to fly in the air or walk on water. Rather, they commanded doing good and abandoning evil until death. This is the truth indicated by the Book, sunnah, the consensus of the righteous predecessors, and the statements of many scholars.”^[12]

Here is a small selection of the statements of the Sufi elite’s imams, bearing witness to their adherence to the Book and sunnah:

B. The Sufi Elite’s Adherence to the Book and Sunnah

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (quddisa sirruhū) says: “Every ḥaqīqa that is not attested to by the sharīʿa is heresy. Fly to the presence of the Exalted Truth with the wings of the Book and sunnah, with your hand in the hand of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)!”^[13]

ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (quddisa sirruhū), disapproving of anyone who believes that legal obligations fall away at a certain station, says: “Abandoning obligatory acts of worship is heresy, and committing prohibited acts is disobedience. Obligations never fall away from anyone at any station.” Sahl al-Tustarī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “Our foundations are seven:

1. Clinging to the Book of Allah,

2. Following the sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him),

3. Eating what is lawful,

4. Avoiding causing harm,

5. Keeping away from sins,

6. Repenting,

7. Fulfilling rights.”^[14]

He also says: “If the unveiling you think you have contradicts the Book and sunnah, act according to the Book and sunnah, leave the unveiling, and say to your nafs: ‘Allah has guaranteed that I will be protected if I act in accordance with the Book and sunnah, but He has not guaranteed this for unveiling and inspiration.’”^[15]

Abū Saʿīd al-Ḥarrāz (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “Every hidden matter that opposes the outward is invalid.”^[16]

Abū’l-Ḥusayn al-Warrāq (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “A servant only reaches Allah by conforming to the sharīʿa of Allah and His Beloved. Whoever seeks the path to union without following the sunnah is led astray where he thinks he is guided.”^[17]

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “Indeed, the path of the people (the Sufis) is inscribed upon the Book and sunnah like gold and jewels. The sālik who traverses it needs the scale of sharīʿa in every movement and stillness.”^[18]

He also says: “The true path of the people (the Sufis) is knowledge and action. Its warp and weft are sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa. It is not achieved by sharīʿa alone or by ḥaqīqa alone.”^[19]

He further says: “Whoever looks carefully will know that the people of God have never departed from the sciences of sharīʿa. How could they, when it is the sharīʿa that brings them to Allah (ʿazza wa jalla) at every moment?”^[20]

When Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) was asked about the Sufi, he said: “The Sufi takes the Book of Allah in his right hand, the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah in his left, looks at Paradise with one eye and at Hell with the other, wears the world as an izār (lower garment) and the Hereafter as a ridāʾ (upper garment), and between the two says to his Lord: ‘Labbayk Allahumma labbayk (Here I am, O Allah, here I am).’”^[21]

What Abū Yazīd (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said refers to the ten obligations incumbent upon the body (the human being):

1. Performing the obligatory acts,

2. Avoiding the prohibited,

3. Humbling oneself for Allah,

4. Not harming brothers,

5. Advising both the good and the bad,

6. Seeking Allah’s pleasure in every action,

7. Seeking forgiveness,

8. Abandoning anger and wrath,

9. Abandoning pride, rebellion, and contentiousness,

10. Enjoining the nafs to prepare for death.^[22]

Nevertheless, when the spiteful hear something about the character of this group (the Sufis), they say: “This is peculiar to the Sufis; it is not sharʿī (in accordance with the sacred law).” An uninformed listener may think that Sufism is something other than the essence of sharīʿa. Yet, as you see, Sufism is the essence of sharīʿa. Whoever studies the unadulterated books of the Sufi masters will never find therein any character contrary to sharīʿa: Abū Nuʿaym’s “Kitāb al-Ḥilya,” Abū’l-Qāsim’s “Risāla al-Qushayriyya,” Kalābādhī’s “al-Taʿarruf li-Madhhab Ahl al-Taṣawwuf,” Ṭūsī’s “al-Lumaʿ,” al-Ghazālī’s “Iḥyāʾ,” Sulamī’s “al-Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya,” Muḥāsibī’s “al-Riʿāya li-Ḥuqūq Allāh,” Ibn ʿArabī’s “Waṣāyā,” and the like. For the Sufis are much engaged in self-accounting and prefer strictness over dispensations. The true path of this group is knowledge and action, with sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa as its warp and weft.

C. Warning Against Separating Ḥaqīqa from Sharīʿa

There are those who say that Sufism is nothing but falsehood and hypocrisy. They deviate from Islam and say: “The only purpose of religion is ḥaqīqa.” They abandon the rulings of sharīʿa, absolve themselves of obligation, consider opposition permissible, and say: “What truly matters is the rectification of the heart.” They also say: “We are the people of the inward, and they are the people of the outward.” These are misguided heretics, and it is not permissible for us to use their actions and states as proof against the sincere and truthful Sufi elite.

The imams of the Sufi elite have warned us to avoid them, to refrain from their company and gatherings, and to keep away from their ways and misguidance. Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said to some of his friends: “Rise, let us visit the man who is famous for sainthood.” That man was renowned for his asceticism and was much sought after. When they arrived, they saw him leave his house and spit toward the qibla on his way to the mosque. Bāyazīd (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) did not even greet him and turned back, saying: “It is not certain that this man adheres to the etiquette of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). How then can we trust his claims?”^[23] He also said: “If you see someone who has been granted karāma (a saintly wonder), even if he ascends into the air, do not be deceived by him. See whether he observes the commands, prohibitions, and boundaries of the sharīʿa.”^[24]

Shaykh Ahmad Zarrūq (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says in his “Qawāʿid”: “If any shaykh’s sunnah is not manifest, even if he considers himself sound and a million karāmas appear from him, it is still not valid to follow him, for the reality of his state is not established.”^[25]

Sahl b. ʿAbdullāh al-Tustarī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “Beware of associating with three types of people: 1) heedless tyrants, 2) sycophantic reciters, 3) ignorant Sufis.”^[26]

Seyyid Ahmad al-Rifāʿī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said: “Do not say, as some Sufis do: ‘We are the people of the inward, and they are the people of the outward.’ This noble religion encompasses both; the inward is the essence of the outward, and the outward is the container of the inward. If there is no outward, there is no inward; if there is no inward, there is no outward. There can be no heart without a body; if there is no body, the heart is corrupted, and the heart is the light of the body. What some call ‘the science of the inward’ means the rectification of the heart. Its beginning is acting with the limbs and affirming with the heart. If you claim to have a good intention and inner purity but at the same time kill, steal, commit adultery, consume usury, drink wine, lie, show arrogance, and speak harshly, what benefit is there in your intention and inner purity? If you worship Allah, are chaste, fast, give charity, and are humble, but conceal hypocrisy and corruption in your heart, where is the benefit of your action?”^[27]

Our master Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (quddisa sirruhū), as mentioned earlier, disapproves of anyone who believes that legal obligations fall away at a certain station, saying: “Abandoning obligatory acts of worship is heresy, and committing prohibitions is disobedience. Obligations never fall away from anyone at any station.”^[28]

The imam of the Sufis, Junayd al-Baghdādī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), says: “Our path is bound by the foundations of the Book and sunnah.”^[29]

He also says: “All paths are closed to the people except for those who follow the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), adhere to his sunnah, and consider his way necessary; for them, all paths of goodness are open.”^[30]

In Junayd’s presence, someone spoke of maʿrifa (gnosis) and said: “Those who attain maʿrifa of Allah abandon their deeds, considering this to be goodness and nearness to Allah.”

Junayd (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said: “The statement of the people who say to abandon righteous deeds is, in my view, the gravest sin. The one who commits adultery and theft is in a better state than the one who says this. For those who have maʿrifa of Allah receive their deeds from Allah and return to Him through their deeds. Even if I were to live a thousand years, I would not diminish even an atom’s weight of these good deeds, unless I were prevented by others.”^[31] Junayd al-Baghdādī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) also said: “We did not acquire Sufism from gossip, but from hunger, renouncing the world, abandoning bad habits, and cutting off what the nafs finds pleasing.”^[32]

Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad Nasrābādhī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) says: “The essence of Sufism is adherence to the Book and sunnah, abandoning caprice, desire, and innovations, showing great respect to the shaykhs, accepting people’s excuses, keeping good company with friends, serving people, behaving with good character, and maintaining regular recitations and dhikr without resorting to dispensations or interpretations. Only those with a corrupt beginning deviate from this path, for a corrupt beginning affects the outcome.”^[33]

D. Jurists Who Were Sufis

The jurists and hadith scholars of Islam walked in the footsteps of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), uniting sharīʿa, tariqa, and ḥaqīqa. They performed practical acts of worship with the secret of ikhlas, tasting their sweetness and comprehending their mysteries. They strove to discipline their nafs and rectify their hearts. With the righteousness, taqwa, and maʿrifa with which they adorned themselves, they attained these scholarly ranks. Allah granted them understanding of His Book and the depths of sharīʿa. Allah benefited the ummah with their knowledge for years and generations. It is as if they are alive through their everlasting works and blessed scholarly contributions.

According to the report of al-Ḥaskafī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), the author of “al-Durr,” Abū ʿAlī al-Daqqāq (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said: “I received this tariqa from Abū’l-Qāsim Nasrābādhī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh). Abū’l-Qāsim said: ‘I received it from Shiblī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh).’ Shiblī received it from Sarī al-Saqaṭī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), who received it from Maʿrūf al-Karkhī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), who received knowledge and tariqa from Dāwūd al-Ṭāʾī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), who received it from Abū Ḥanīfa (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh). All of these figures praised and acknowledged the virtue of Imām al-Aʿẓam (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh).”

The author of “al-Durr” then comments: “O my brother! I am amazed at you! Are not these noble ones a beautiful example for you? They were the imams of this tariqa, the people of sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa, and were sincere in their acknowledgment and pride. Those who came after them followed them in this matter. Those who opposed those whom they trusted are rejected and are people of innovation.”^[34]

You may be surprised to hear that the great Imām Abū Ḥanīfa al-Nuʿmān (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) transmitted this tariqa to these great Sufis, awliyāʾ, and righteous ones.

If only the jurists would follow this imam, as they benefited from his knowledge, and walk in his path, uniting sharīʿa and ḥaqīqa so that Allah would benefit them with their knowledge.

Ibn ʿĀbidīn (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), commenting on the words of the author of “al-Durr” in his “Ḥāshiya,” says regarding Abū Ḥanīfa (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh): “Abū Ḥanīfa (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) is the champion of this field. His knowledge of ḥaqīqa is based on knowledge, action, and purification of the nafs. The majority of the early generations described him thus. Aḥmad Ḥanbalī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said of Abū Ḥanīfa: ‘He was in a position of knowledge, piety, asceticism, and preference for the Hereafter that no one could reach. He was beaten with whips to accept the position of judge, but he refused.’ ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said: ‘No one is more worthy of being followed than Abū Ḥanīfa, for he was a God-fearing, pure, pious, and learned imam. No one has discovered knowledge with such insight, understanding, intellect, and taqwa as he did.’ Imām al-Thawrī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) said to someone who came from the presence of Abū Ḥanīfa: ‘You have come from the most devout person on earth.’”^[35]

From all this, we know well that the mujtahid imams and the scholars who acted upon their knowledge are the true Sufis.

If someone says: If the path of Sufism were a legitimate matter, the mujtahid imams would have written books about it. Yet we do not see any books from them on this subject?

To those who claim this, Imām al-Shaʿrānī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh) replies: The mujtahids did not write books on this subject because the people of their time were less afflicted with spiritual diseases and were free from ostentation and hypocrisy. If we suppose that the people of their time were not free from these diseases, such people were very few. This is not a deficiency. In that era, the main concern of the mujtahids was to collect the proofs that had spread to many cities and regions through the imams of the tābiʿīn and their followers. These proofs are the substance of every science. The principles of all rulings were known through them. Being occupied with collecting proofs was more important than debating the inner deeds of the heart whose outward signs were not apparent in some people. These deeds do not undermine the main ruling.

No intelligent person would say that Imām Abū Ḥanīfa, Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfiʿī, and Imām Aḥmad (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayhim) were afflicted in their souls with ostentation, self-admiration, pride, envy, and hypocrisy, and that they did not strive against or debate these. If they had known that they were not free from these afflictions and diseases, they would have preferred treating them over all other sciences.^[36]

Footnotes

1. Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Book of Faith; Imam Ahmad, Musnad, on faith, Islam, and ihsan, vol. 1, p. 64.
2. Taʿrīfāt al-Sayyid, p. 94.
3. Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf by Ahmad Zarrūq, 3rd principle, p. 3.
4. Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī, Sharḥ ʿAyn al-ʿIlm wa Zayn al-Ḥilm, vol. 1, p. 33.
5. Ibn ʿĀbidīn, vol. 3, p. 303.
6. Nashr al-Muḥāsin al-Ghāliyya, vol. 1, p. 154.
7. Ḥājjī Khalīfa (Kātib Çelebi), Kashf al-Ẓunūn ʿan Asāmī al-Kutub wa al-Funūn, vol. 1, p. 413.
8. Ḥāfiẓ Abū Bakr al-Khaṭīb, Tārīkh, with a good chain; ʿAbd al-Barr al-Namrī, Kitāb al-ʿIlm, from Ḥasan with a sound chain, mursal, as in Targhīb wa Tarhīb, vol. 1, p. 67.
9. Abū Nuʿaym, Ḥilya, vol. 1, p. 242.
10. Ṭāhā ʿAbd al-Bāqī Surūr (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), al-Taṣawwuf al-Islāmī wa Imām al-Shaʿrānī, p. 70.
11. Aḥmad b. Taymiyya (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, vol. 10, pp. 488–489.
12. Aḥmad b. Taymiyya (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, vol. 10, pp. 516–517.
13. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (quddisa sirruhū), Fatḥ al-Rabbānī, p. 29.
14. Sulamī, Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 210.
15. Ikāz al-Himam, vol. 2, pp. 302–303.
16. Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 27.
17. Sulamī, Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 300.
18. Shaʿrānī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), Laṭāʾif al-Minan wa al-Akhlāq, vol. 1, p. 2.
19. Shaʿrānī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), Laṭāʾif al-Minan wa al-Akhlāq, vol. 1, p. 25.
20. Ṭāhā ʿAbd al-Bāqī Surūr, al-Taṣawwuf al-Islāmī wa al-Imām al-Shaʿrānī, p. 71.
21. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Badawī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), Shaṭaḥāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 96.
22. Shaṭaḥāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 103.
23. Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 16.
24. Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 16.
25. Aḥmad Zarrūq, Qawāʿid, p. 76.
26. Ibn ʿAjība (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), Sharḥ al-Ḥikam, vol. 1, p. 76.
27. Seyyid Ahmad al-Rifāʿī (raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh), al-Burhān al-Muʾayyad, p. 68, d. 578 AH, Iraq, Umm ʿĀbida.
28. ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (quddisa sirruhū), al-Fatḥ al-Rabbānī, p. 29.
29. Sulamī, Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 159.
30. Sulamī, Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 159.
31. Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 22.
32. Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 22.
33. Sulamī, Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 488.
34. al-Durr al-Mukhtār, vol. 1, p. 43, with the marginalia of Ibn ʿĀbidīn (Muḥammad Amīn b. ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ʿĀbidīn al-Dimashqī, the jurist of Damascus, leader of the Ḥanafīs of his time; author of Radd al-Muḥtār ʿalā al-Durr al-Mukhtār, five volumes, known as the marginalia of Ibn ʿĀbidīn, and other works; born 1198 AH, died 1252 AH in Damascus).
35. Ḥāshiyat Ibn ʿĀbidīn, vol. 1, p. 43.
36. Shaʿrānī, Laṭāʾif al-Minan wa al-Akhlāq, vol. 1, pp. 25–26.