Dr. Ahmed Alveş (may Allah have mercy on him): "Many have claimed that in the earliest period of Islam (the time of the Companions, ṣaḥāba), there was no appearance of Sufism (taṣawwuf) nor any invitation to it; rather, they say, it began only after the period of the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿīn). They have investigated and inquired into the reason for this. In response, we say: Truly, in the earliest period of Islam, there was no need for it. For the people of that era were people of taqwa (God-consciousness), people of warāʿ (scrupulousness), and possessed of spiritual struggle, and by their very nature and their closeness to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), they were inclined toward worship. They competed with one another in following the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), in goodness, and in every matter. There was no need to call them to knowledge or to guide them, for they were living Sufism in practice. They were like the pure Arabs who, having inherited the Arabic language from their ancestors, even composed eloquent poetry. They would compose poetry by innate talent and natural disposition, without having learned the rules of language, syntax, meter, or poetry. They had no need to study grammar or eloquence. However, over time, as erroneous speech and weak expressions became widespread, or as non-Arabs
began to
understand
and
seek to learn
Arabic, the rules of grammar, vocabulary, and poetry became necessary for those who wished to learn. Just as other sciences arose out of the needs of Muslims living for centuries in changing circumstances, so too did the science of Sufism (taṣawwuf) emerge as a necessary need. Even though the Companions and Followers were not called Sufis (mutasawwif), they were in fact living Sufism in practice.
If a person lives not for his own self (nafs), but for his Lord, makes servitude incumbent upon himself, adorns himself with asceticism, and at every moment turns to Allah with his spirit (ruh) and heart (qalb), he will spiritually ascend to the other perfections attained by the Companions and Followers, and if he is with Allah and reaches the highest degrees, what more could be desired from Sufism (taṣawwuf) that serves as a means to this?
The Companions did not suffice with merely affirming the creed of iman (faith) and fulfilling the obligations of Islam; rather, they brought affirmation closer to spiritual taste and inner feeling. They fulfilled the obligatory acts and performed supererogatory acts of worship that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) deemed recommended, in abundance. They avoided not only the forbidden but also, to an even greater extent, the disliked. Indeed, their spiritual insight (baṣīra) was illuminated, fountains of wisdom (ḥikma) gushed forth from their hearts, and divine secrets overflowed from their surroundings. Such was the state of the Followers and the Followers of the Followers. Certainly, these three generations were the best and brightest era of the Islamic centuries.
On this matter, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people are those of my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them."[1]
Over time, various nations and countless people entered the fold of Islam, the scope of the sciences expanded, and knowledge was divided and disseminated among specialists. Each community began to engage in writing the sciences and disciplines in which they excelled. In the earliest centuries of Islam, the science of grammar was written. Other sciences such as jurisprudence (fiqh), the science of tawhid (the oneness of God), hadith, principles of religion, tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), logic, principles of hadith, principles of science, and inheritance law (farāʾiḍ) emerged. After this period, spiritual influences gradually weakened. People began to forget the necessity of turning to Allah with wholehearted servitude. This led those devoted to asceticism and spiritual discipline to write about Sufism (taṣawwuf), to demonstrate its honor, loftiness, and superiority over other sciences. The activity of compiling Sufism was not, as some Orientalists mistakenly suppose, a dry debate or polemic in imitation of other groups compiling their own sciences. Rather, the compilation of Sufism was necessitated by the need to fill deficiencies, to fulfill religious needs in all areas of activity, and to cooperate in preparing the means of taqwa (God-consciousness) and goodness.[2] As is established in Islamic history, the first Sufi imams founded the principles of the tariqas (Sufi paths) by transmitting them from the great scholars. However, the history of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is made clear in the following legal opinion of Imam Hafiz Sayyid Muhammad Siddiq Gummari (may Allah have mercy on him). Once, he was asked: "Who was the first to establish Sufism? Was Sufism established by a heavenly revelation?" He replied: "As for the first to establish the tariqa, know well that the tariqa was established by a heavenly revelation among the foundations of the Muhammadan religion."
Undoubtedly, the station of ihsan (spiritual excellence) is one of the three pillars of religion. At the end of the hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the religion in detail, he said: "This is Gabriel (peace be upon him); he came to teach you your religion."[3] This religion consists of Islam, iman (faith), and ihsan (spiritual excellence). (When these three pillars are combined, a person becomes complete in his religion.)
Islam is obedience and worship. Iman is light and belief. The station of ihsan is vigilance and witnessing: "It is to worship Allah as if you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you..."
Based on this noble hadith, Muhammad Siddiq Gummari said: "Religion consists of three pillars. Whoever undermines ihsan, which is the essence of the tariqa, undoubtedly renders his religion deficient by abandoning one of its pillars."
In conclusion, after correcting and clarifying Islam and iman, the goal and point to which the tariqa invites and guides is the station of ihsan.[4]
In his "Muqaddima," Ibn Khaldun says: "The science of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is among the religious sciences that arose later in the religion. The origin of this path is the true and rightly guided way of the Companions, the Followers, and the early generations of the community after them. The essence of Sufism is to strip away the adornments and ornaments of the world and to turn to Allah, never separating from acts of worship. It is to turn away from pleasure, wealth, rank, and status, and to return to the Truth, preferring seclusion for worship. This was the way of the Companions and the later friends of Allah (awliyāʾ)."
In the second and subsequent centuries of Islam, turning toward the world became widespread. People became involved in and inclined toward worldly matters. Thus, the name Sufi was specifically given to those who turned to worship."[5]
From Ibn Khaldun's final sentences, we can conclude that in the second century after the Hijra, as people inclined toward the world and its people and fell into heedlessness, those who separated themselves from the distractions of the transient world and turned to worship were called "Sufi" (practitioner of Sufism).
Abu Muhammad Siddiq Gummari (may Allah have mercy on him): Kindi, one of the fourth-century scholars, supports Ibn Khaldun's dating of the emergence of the concept of Sufism in his work "Wuslat al-Misr," when describing the second century after the Hijra: "In Alexandria, a community called Sufis appeared, who enjoined good." Al-Masudi, in his work "Muruj al-Dhahab," narrates from Yahya b. Aktham: "One day, while Ma'mun was sitting, the chamberlain Ali b. Salih suddenly entered and said, 'O Commander of the Faithful! At the door stands a man in thick white clothing who wishes to debate with you. As far as I know, he is one of the Sufis.'" These two accounts, as narrated by al-Masudi and Kindi, clearly indicate the date of the emergence of the term Sufism as stated by Ibn Khaldun. It is also mentioned in "Kashf al-Zunun" that the first person to be called Sufi was Abu Hashim al-Sufi (d. 150 AH).[6]
The author of "Kashf al-Zunun," when discussing the science of Sufism, quotes Imam Qushayri as saying: "Know that after the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), for the Companions and the foremost virtuous ones, what name could be more exalted in that era than being called the Companions of the Prophet? Thus, they were called Companions. After that, as people differed and stations became distinct, those among the elite who were devoted to religious matters were called ascetics and worshippers. Then innovations appeared, and challenges arose among the sects. Each group claimed to be ascetics. Those who sought to keep their souls with Allah and protect their hearts from the paths of heedlessness were distinguished from other groups by the names Sufism (taṣawwuf) and Sufi. The attribution of this name to these great figures and its fame dates back to before the second century after the Hijra."[7]
The science of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is not, as claimed by Orientalists hostile to Islam and their students who invent new names, derived from sources unrelated to Islam. They have tried to explain the name Sufism by reference to Buddhist monasticism, Christian prophecy, and Indian magic. They have described this science, which is among the essential sources of Islam, as Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, or Persian Sufism. Their aim is, on the one hand, to corrupt Islamic Sufism, and on the other, to accuse this movement by claiming that its source and spread derive from these ancient misguided philosophies. In truth, a believer does not fall for the evil ideas that arise in their hearts or their deceitful traps. The believer knows such matters clearly and, by speaking of the inner reality (ḥaqīqa), brings his affairs to a sound conclusion. He realizes that Sufism (taṣawwuf) is the practical application of Islam. He knows that nothing from them has mixed into Islamic Sufism. (We believe that the information we have provided is sufficient for those who approach the matter without prejudice.)
Notes
- This hadith is narrated by Bukhari in the Book of Testimonies and by Muslim in the Book of the Virtues of the Companions, from Ibn Mas'ud.
- Muslim, Majallat al-ʿAshirat al-Muḥammadiyya, Muharram 1376 AH issue, taken from Dr. Ahmed Alveş's research on Sufism. He was among the pioneers who translated the Sufi realities of Islam into foreign languages. He wrote his book "Islamic Sufism" in English. He had a great impact in correcting and refuting the ideas of Orientalists. He also wrote a comprehensive book about Islam, which responded to slanders against Allah's religion and served this religion on a wide scale.
- Muslim, in his Sahih, in the Book of Faith, narrated from Umar b. Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). This is a part of the hadith.
- Hadith scholar Muhammad Siddiq Gummari, Al-Intisar li Tariq al-Sufiyya, p. 6
- Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddima, Science of Sufism, p. 329
- Hadith scholar Gummari, Al-Intisar li Tariq al-Sufiyya, pp. 17-18
- Haji Khalifa (Katib Celebi), Kashf al-Zunun ʿan Asami al-Kutub wa al-Funun, vol. 1, p. 414