Qāḍī, Shaykh al-Islām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī (may Allah have mercy on him) states regarding the definition of Sufism (taṣawwuf): "It is a science that teaches the states of purification of the nafs (the lower self), the purification of character (akhlāq), and the repair of the outward and inward, in order to attain Eternal Felicity (Saʿādat al-Abadiyya)."[1]
Shaykh Aḥmad Zarrūq (may Allah have mercy on him):
"Just as the science of jurisprudence (fiqh) is necessary for the rectification of actions, the preservation of order, and the manifestation of wisdom (ḥikma) through rulings; the science of the principles of tawhid (the oneness of God) is necessary for understanding matters of creed through proofs and adorning iman (faith) with certainty; the science of medicine is necessary for the preservation of bodies; and the science of grammar (nahw) is necessary for the rectification of language—so too, Sufism (taṣawwuf) is the science of rectifying the qalb (the heart) and detaching it from everything other than Allah, binding it to Him."
Junayd al-Baghdādī (may Allah have mercy on him), the leader and master of both the outward and inward communities, said:
"Sufism (taṣawwuf) is to act upon all noble character traits and to abandon all base character traits."
Some of the Sufis (mutasawwifūn) have said:
"All of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is nothing but (good) character. Whoever's character surpasses yours, his Sufism (taṣawwuf) is superior to yours."[2]
Ḥasan al-Shādhilī (may Allah have mercy on him):
Sufism (taṣawwuf): "is to train the nafs (the lower self) in servitude and to direct it towards the rulings of Allah, the Exalted."[3]
Ibn ʿAjība (may Allah have mercy on him):
"The path to Allah, the King of kings, is known through the science of Sufism (taṣawwuf). For Sufism (taṣawwuf) is to keep one's self pure from ignobility and to adorn it with various virtues. Its beginning is knowledge, its middle is action, and its end is Allah's bestowal of numerous favors without recompense."[4]
The author of "Kashf al-Ẓunūn":
"Sufism (taṣawwuf) is such a science that through it, the manner in which the people of perfection (ahl al-kamāl) among humankind ascend the degrees of felicity is known."
In a poem:
"Sufism (taṣawwuf) is such a science that only those who know the ḥaqīqa (inner reality),
And those who possess intellect, understand and know it,
Just as those whose eyes do not see cannot know the light of the sun,
So too, one who does not live Sufism (taṣawwuf) cannot understand or know it."
Shaykh Zarrūq (may Allah have mercy on him), in his book "Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf":
"Indeed, there are around two thousand definitions of Sufism (taṣawwuf). At their root, all of them refer to turning to Allah with sincerity (ṣidq). Nevertheless, each of these definitions emphasizes a different aspect of Sufism (taṣawwuf). The foundation of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is to purify the human qalb (the heart) from material impurities, and its support is to reach the Mighty Creator."
Sufi: is the one who keeps his qalb (the heart) and dealings pure for Allah, and thus the favor Allah bestows upon him is pure.
Notes
- In the marginalia of Risāla al-Qushayriyya, Shaykh al-Islām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī. He died in 929 AH.
- Shaykh Mustafa Medenī, al-Nusra al-Nabawiyya, p.22. Imām Junayd died in 297 AH.
- Shaykh Mustafa Medenī, al-Nusra al-Nabawiyya, p.22
- ʿAllāma Ḥamīd Sakar, Nūr al-Taḥqīq, p.93. Abū Ḥasan al-Shādhilī died in 656 AH in Egypt.
- Aḥmad b. ʿAjība Ḥasanī, Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf ilā Ḥaqāʾiq al-Taṣawwuf, p.4
- ʿAllāma Ḥājjī Khalīfa, Kashf al-Ẓunūn, vol.1, pp.413-414.
- Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf, p.2.
- ʿAllāma Ibn ʿAjība, Īqāẓ al-Himam fī Sharḥ al-Ḥikam, p.6. He died in 1266 AH.