! Again, they say: Say: Allah! Then leave them to play in their vain discourse. (al-Anʿām 6:91)
They resemble the ʿubbād (those who engage much in worship) in matters such as seriousness, striving, waraʿ (scrupulousness), zuhd (asceticism), and tawakkul (reliance upon God). However, they also witness those who surpass themselves in terms of aḥwāl (spiritual states), maqāmāt (spiritual stations), sciences, secrets, unveilings, and karāmāt (saintly wonders). Their ghayra (spiritual zeal) is tied to what they have attained. When they attain such a thing in the category of karāma, they manifest it to the common people, for they see none but Allah. These are the people of the masses and futuwwa (spiritual chivalry). This group is called the ṣūfiyya (the Sufis). (Futūḥāt, III, 36)
The ṣūfiyya distinguish themselves before the common people by their claims, by expressing what is in their hearts through words, by the acceptance of their supplications, and by extraordinary events such as eating from the table of the cosmos. They do not hesitate to manifest even the smallest extraordinary event that would lead people to maʿrifatullāh (experiential knowledge of God) and bring them closer to Him. ṣūfiyya do not observe the claims of the common people, but only witness Allah. Thus, a great knowledge is veiled from them. The state they are in is one from which escape from entrapment and istidrāj (gradual delusion) is rare. (Futūḥāt, III, 37)
The early generations (salaf) called the people of religion and knowledge the qurrāʾ. Accordingly, scholars and devout worshippers were included among them. Later, the names ṣūfiyya and fuqaraʾ (the poor, i.e., spiritual aspirants) emerged. The name ṣūfiyya is a designation given in relation to the wool (ṣūf) garment. This is the correct view. It has also been said that the name was given in relation to the purity (ṣafā) of the jurists, or to an Arab tribe known for their worship, the tribe of Ṣafwat Murr Edd Ṭābiḥa. Another opinion is that it was given in relation to the People of the Suffa, or to the people of purity (ṣafā), or to ṣafwat, or to the foremost rank in the presence of Allah Most High. All these views are weak, for if the name had been given in relation to these, it would have been suffī, ṣafāt, ṣafawī, or saffī. For this reason, it is not called savfī either.
Ṣūfiyya became the name of the fuqaraʾ, that is, the people of sulūk (spiritual journeying). This is a later definition. People have disagreed as to whether those called ṣūfī or faqīr are superior, just as they have disagreed about whether the grateful rich or the patient poor are superior. (al-Furqān 25:42)
The mutaṣawwifa (those who claim Sufism) and those among them who are deluded have split into various groups. Some have been deceived by clothing, speech, and outward form, trying to resemble the apparently sincere Sufis, but have not engaged their nafs (the lower self) with spiritual struggle and ascetic discipline. Another group claims to possess the science of maʿrifa, to witness the Real (al-Ḥaqq), and to have traversed stations and states to reach the station of proximity (qurb) to Allah. What they know of all this is only names. You see one of them reciting these names, thinking this knowledge is higher than that of all past scholars. For this reason, they look down on the common people and on scholars of fiqh, hadith, and other sciences. Some among the common people spend long periods with them, learn these false words, repeat them as if they were receiving revelation, and belittle all scholars and people. Then they claim to be protected by Allah, to have reached the Real and become among the muqarrabūn (those brought near). Yet, in the sight of Allah, they are among the wicked hypocrites, and in the view of the people of the heart, they are foolish ignoramuses. They have not established their knowledge, purified their character, done nothing but follow their whims and memorize nonsense, and have not engaged in watchfulness over their qalb (the heart).
Another group has folded up the carpet of sharia (the sacred law), rejected its rulings, and considered the lawful and unlawful as equal. Some of them say: 'Allah has no need of my deeds, so why should I tire myself?' Another says: 'Deeds performed by the limbs have no value; the matter is with the heart. Our hearts are bewildered by the love of Allah Most High and have reached Him. We are immersed in the world (dunyā) with our bodies, but our hearts are attached to the divine presence. We are only outwardly with desires, not inwardly.' These claim to have surpassed the level of the common people and to have no need to purify the nafs through bodily acts, thinking that their strength means that shahawāt (carnal desires) cannot divert them from the path of Allah. They see themselves as superior to the prophets, for the prophets wept for years over a single mistake. The arrogance of the people of ibāḥa (those who consider everything permissible) knows no bounds. Satan has deceived them with all this nonsense and delusion because they engaged in spiritual struggle before properly learning knowledge and following a shaykh (spiritual guide) who possesses knowledge and proper religious practice.
Another group among these have traversed these paths, engaged in spiritual struggle, and entered the tariqa (Sufi path). Of course, the door of maʿrifa has been opened to them as well. When they first inhale the breeze of maʿrifa, they are pleased by it, and when they love its strangeness, they turn towards it. As a result, their hearts and thoughts become fixated on the fact that the door of maʿrifa has been opened to them but closed to others. All this is but a delusion, for the wonders of the path to Allah Most High are endless. (Qudāma, 256)
The Sufis have degrees. First, when tajrīd (isolation from worldly attachments) is achieved...