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salmant
PAKISTAN
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 Posted - Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 6:24 AM 
Dear Usmani,
It is always useful to resort to questions, it allows the other person to clarify his/her point better. I am glad you asked a question instead of trying to present a rebuttal, which I am very sure you are capable of doing. So thank you for asking first.
You have asked, if you allow me to re-word it, that why is this question important? and how useful its answer would be in making an opinion about Tasawwuf. Tasawwuf, as you have also mentioned, and as I have observed from reading established scholars of this discipline, claims to be all about getting close to Allah. It has been a subject just like others such as Fiqh, or Tafseer etc. traditionally. However there is also a claim by its opponents that it tends to go beyond boundaries of islam, and hence creating room for Bida'aat.
Now, for the purpose of analysis, you would agree with me, that whether Tasawwuf is within or out of Islam's boundaries depends on the definition of the boundaries of Islam. You would also agree with me that the unquestionable sources of Islam are Quran and Sunnah. Then where is the difference?. Why the definitions of Islam differ? Obviously because there is a difference of interpretation (If we assume that both groups are sincere in their approach). Let me further clarify how the question I have asked changes things. For example, the 'ilqa' is similar in certitude to Wahi, the recipient of it gets a similar religious authority as that of a prophet (although his status is lower). In addtion to that, as it seems an established scholar such as Imam Ghazali is claiming, the boundaries of Islam are quite open for things like Sama a', Wajd, and Dancing for religious purpose (As practised in Shadhilli Silsila, Nuh Keller belongs to it, if I am not wrong). Why? because there will be a Divine sanction on these activities coming from the same source as that of Quran and Sunnah. Hence making it permissible.
However, if 'ilqa' is not similar to 'wahi' in terms of certitude, then the boundary becomes narrower. In that case any such activity will be compared to the times of the Prophet (sws) and religion suggested by him. If it seems to be even slightly different from what seems to be coming directly from the Prophet, it will be termed out of the boundary of Islam.
I hope I have clarified this concern, and explained why is it important to answer this question (asked in my last post) before justifying Tasawwuf as a valid part of Islam.
Regards,
Salman |
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usmani790
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 7:48 AM
Brother Imran
Quote:-It means that Islam in its own doesn’t mention all the necessary directions and directives to the ultimate devotion of God. Even if it does its incomplete.
We do have very clear directions about it in Quran and in the life of our Prophet(pbuh).If these directions are there,so they could not be incomplete,I hope you will be agreed on that they could not be incomplete.Some times when read them there so we may thought that these all are here just for the reading purpose and we very seldom feel that these things are here for us to implement them to our lifes.And when we don’t implement them in our lifes so we even forget that we ever red them in Quran and Ahadith.
Quote:-And what about Momin? Do we need any other terminology apart from that. Do we have any doubts in devotion to worship of God by Momin . If yes then of course Sufi will have some extra characteristics and if not then why support sufi why not Momin.
Momin is the person who qualify the basic demands of the religion.A sufi is the person after qualifying the basic demands and he performed exrta worship to Allah within the framework of extra ibadith which are already there in Quran and Sunnah.
Quran give us four categories of blessed people,they are 1)Prophets 2) Siddiqeen 3) Shohada 4) Sahliheen.The door of Prophet is closed now.A sufi is the person who is in the straggle to strive for the best.We are already sufees as far as the our straggle for achieving the wordily gains and benefits are concern.Why not we straggle to achieve the benefits of hereafter which are ever lasting.
This is the only time we have for the both lifes to performed.As Prophet(pbuh) said(in my own words) straggle for this world as much you have to stay here and strangle for hereafter as mush you have to stay there.
Quote:-All the new disciplines you yourself has called them “science of …..”. Do all the disciplines are Islam in their own?
Is this is Islam now a days we practicing?Praying five times a day and when involve in wordily affairs we taking bribe,lying to peoples just for small benefits all sort of sins we are involve in.
Quote:-Now come to tasawaff. What does it say? What is it for?
It says that this is not the real Islam which we should be practicing and ask us to follow the real Islam.We need to understand the Quran,ahadith and we must study the life of sahabah.Surely we can not be like them but when have all this things in front of us then only our journey towards real Islam could begun. |
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imran776
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 10:06 AM
Brother Usmani
Quote:- We do have very clear directions about it in Quran and in the life of our Prophet(pbuh).If these directions are there,so they could not be incomplete,I hope you will be agreed on that they could not be incomplete.
Absolutely the directives are not only complete but also the define boundaries of those directives. If one is not implementing that it’s a separate issue and is not under discussion. We must teach people to go back to Quran and act accordingly rather than teaching them to be a Sufi (the terminology which prophets and books of God never used).
Prophet (PBUH) wasn’t the first messenger of God, rather he was the last. The people at Prophets times were not only aware of the previous teachings of books of God rather some of them were actually practising them (although very few) and the rest had included Bidahs in them and have deshaped the whole religion according to their own desires, lust etc.. Now what did Prophet do? Regardless of whether he did was right or wrong (I am just saying this due to the fact that currently I am focusing on what he actually did. It was of course right and can be proven not only in terms of Quran but also on intellectual and natural grounds of human beings) , as a Muslim we have to follow them. He didn’t give them a new terminology. He never called them Sufis rather he referred them back to the sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and removed all the bidahs and misconceptions introduced by them.
Quote:-Momin is the person who qualify the basic demands of the religion. A sufi is the person after qualifying the basic demands and he performed extra worship to Allah within the framework of extra ibadith which are already there in Quran and Sunnah.
The person who is fully devoted to God and always keeps the life hereafter as his primary objective is termed as Momin by Quran. He is a person who not only is devoted to God in terms of worships but also follows the teaching of Islam in his complete perspective of life. If you say that these are just the basic demands, then brother I am sorry to say that in my opinion these are the only demands from Quran for a person and these are the demands which Prophet fulfilled. Prophets life is the remarkable symbolic representation of a person that Allah wants us all to be.
You said that “he performed extra worship to Allah within the framework of extra ibadith which are already there in Quran and Sunnah.”
If they are in Quran and Sunnah then they are not extra and are not just basic and we don’t need any Sufism to teach us those extra demands.
As far as Ibadahs are concerned these are not left to one human beings to determine the boundaries. Rather Quran and Sunnah is absolutely clear in describing them and their boundaries. Some are made compulsory by making them Shariah and then further promoted on moral and intellectual grounds to do more. The ultimate remarkable authority of that extra is the life of Prophet. Any little addition exceeding the boundary of that is not expected but he is the one to be followed.
For the people following the Shariah Quran has used the terminology of being Musliam while for the ones for whom the Iman has reached their hearts Quran has used Momin. What else we need.
Quote: Quran give us four categories of blessed people,they are 1)Prophets 2) Siddiqeen 3) Shohada 4) Sahliheen.The door of Prophet is closed now.A sufi is the person who is in the straggle to strive for the best. We are already sufees as far as the our straggle for achieving the wordily gains and benefits are concern. Why not we straggle to achieve the benefits of hereafter which are ever lasting.
I do agree to that point but why be sufi to achieve hereafter why not adhere to Quranic terminology and be a momin. I can’t understand your efforts to stick to Quran and Sunnah and at the same time your insistance on being Suifs. Why not Siddiqeen, Shohada, Sahliheen, muslims, momins the terminologies from Quran.
Quote:- Is this is Islam now a days we practicing? Praying five times a day and when involve in wordily affairs we taking bribe,lying to peoples just for small benefits all sort of sins we are involve in.
Are we talking of the way Islam is being practised now-a-days or are we trying to understand the tasawaff and Islam. Even if I take your quote what I will say that teach people how Prophet acted on Islam and became practicing symbol for the rest of humanity.
Quote:- It says that this is not the real Islam which we should be practicing and ask us to follow the real Islam.We need to understand the Quran,ahadith and we must study the life of sahabah. Surely we can not be like them but when have all this things in front of us then only our journey towards real Islam could begun.
Is this the way Prophet conveyed his message to non-believers by teaching them tasawaff or be sufi. Do tazkeer through Quran and you will achieve your purpose. |
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usmani790
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - 10:45 AM
Brother Imran
Quote:- We must teach people to go back to Quran and act accordingly rather than teaching them to be a Sufi (the terminology which prophets and books of God never used).
This will won’t help much to the people to ask them this,they already knows that.We need to find out the causes why people being a Muslim not even full filling the basic demands of the religion.This what the prolem is and sufia has the answer and the solution of it.
What about the the Islamic universities ,darul ulooms,madersas were as well not there neither these terminologies were used by them and by God either.If there are few institutions ‘of heart disease and practical application of the religion “ and if a person teach there, given this name its ok.
Quote:- rather he referred them back to the sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and removed all the bidahs and misconceptions introduced by them.
It is a news for me,could you please elaborate it further.
Quote:-If you say that these are just the basic demands, then brother I am sorry to say that in my opinion these are the only demands from Quran for a person and these are the demands which Prophet fulfilled. Prophets life is the remarkable symbolic representation of a person that Allah wants us all to be.
There are some obligatory demands for a muslim.Then there are aslo voluntary work which bring one person closer to Allah.
Quote:-If they are in Quran and Sunnah then they are not extra and are not just basic and we don’t need any Sufism to teach us those extra demands.
Common muslims todays who have the chance to follows any scholars others than the traditional scholars or people of Tasawwuf,they very seldom teach them on the illness of the heart like Keena,Hasad,Ghebat,Hube jah,Takabbur,Tawakal,bedgumani,hrss and so on.These illness are already mentioned in Quran and Sunnah.I just talk about regarding some illnesses of heart only there are many other things like love God,fear of God ,love of his Prophet(pbuh) it seems are not much concerns of these schelars.Take the example of the courses offered here at this site.There is not a single course which address these issues.When these issues are not so important for the scholars then how people will learn about them?You may be not felt the need of sufia but there are still few of people who recognized the importance of sufia and felt that they are the blessing of God for them.
The emphasis is given to the intellect in the discussions here.If intellect is the only thing through we can understand the religion better so to me there must more muslim in the develop world.Having the knowledge is one thing but to implement it in one’s life the actual success.Mufti Shafi Usmani sahib once, while talking the class of his student told the definition of knowledge “ if a person comes to know some thing about deen,so he can not sit with peace until he bring it in his practice as well.There was a time when students of darul uloome deobund have attend a shaikh for certain period of time after completing their education and then only the degree awarded to them.
Quote:-I do agree to that point but why be sufi to achieve hereafter why not adhere to Quranic terminology and be a momin.
I don’t have any problem with that but remember this term have not adopted by the sufia but this term is given by the people to them.This term is not that important for me that I can’t sacrifice it for you. Only thing is that when I will use the term :momin” in place of sufi during the discussion, people will not understand that to whom I am referring to,so this will not be a fear thing to do I guess.
Quote;-Is this the way Prophet conveyed his message to non-believers by teaching them tasawaff or be sufi. Do tazkeer through Quran and you will achieve your purpose.
Not to the non believers but to believers yes.It was one of the job fuction of the Prophet(pbuh) to do tazkia-e-Nafs and to teach wisdom to the believers.Sufia are doing these both things and their way to preching by conducting the Magalis is more closer to the Prophet(pbuh) way as compare to the other ways islamic education these days.
So are you now going to suggest the admin here to include atleast one more courses on the “illness of hearts” as it is missing here.
Regards,
Edited by: usmani790 on Thursday, February 22, 2007 11:34 AM |
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usmani790
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - 11:50 AM
Salman
Quote:-I hope I have clarified this concern, and explained why is it important to answer this question (asked in my last post) before justifying Tasawwuf as a valid part of Islam.
We don't need to worry about how Imam Gazali or any one else explain Tasawwuf if it looks agaisnt the basic sources of Islam.We should stick to the basic source how they explains it.We must make sure that we don't cross the boundries of main sources.Others explanations are not hujjat for us.
Regards |
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imran776
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Thursday, February 22, 2007 - 1:01 PM
Brother Usmani,
Quote:- This will won’t help much to the people to ask them this,they already knows that.We need to find out the causes why people being a Muslim not even full filling the basic demands of the religion.This what the prolem is and sufia has the answer and the solution of it.
I guess this is not the case. They don’t know that. Look at all the institutes where religion is taught and the significance of Quran in them. Fiqah, Hidath etc are the main topics taught. We need to give Quran in people’s hand so that they can not only understand Shariah but also Eman and morality.
Quote: What about the Islamic universities ,darul ulooms,madersas were as well not there neither these terminologies were used by them and by God either.If there are few institutions ‘of heart disease and practical application of the religion “ and if a person teach there, given this name its ok.
The Islamic universities ,darul ulooms,madersas all teach Islam. These are institutions not the schools of thoughts. I agree to the fact that each university or darul ulooms etc may be teaching one school of thought. You can’t say that madrasa is equivalent to tasawaff. Madrasa is a place where you teach Islam (or any school of thought of Islam) and Tasawaff is supposed to be a school of thought.
Quote:- rather he referred them back to the sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and removed all the bidahs and misconceptions introduced by them.
It is a news for me,could you please elaborate it further.
What is Salah, Fasting, Hajj etc. These are all the practices which are Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and continued by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) after rectification as a deen in his followers and are not originated by Quran.
Quote:- There are some obligatory demands for a Muslim. Then there are also voluntary work which bring one person closer to Allah.
Whether obligatory or voluntary the source for both is Quran not Tasawaff.
Quote:- Common muslims todays who have the chance to follows any scholars others than the traditional scholars or people of Tasawwuf,they very seldom teach them on the illness of the heart like Keena,Hasad,Ghebat,Hube jah,Takabbur,Tawakal,bedgumani,hrss
Does this all lead to the need of creating a new school of thought or a new terminology? Scholars are not focusing on the main true spirit of Islam and stuck in Fiqah and now you are telling ordinary Muslims to go to scholars of Tasawaff. What a utter confusion is that?
Quote:- I don’t have any problem with that but remember this term have not adopted by the sufia but this term is given by the people to them.This term is not that important for me that I can’t sacrifice it for you. Only thing is that when I will use the term :momin” in place of sufi during the discussion, people will not understand that to whom I am referring to,so this will not be a fear thing to do I guess.
Yes that’s true because they don’t read Quran. Tasawaff has very big impact on the religious understanding of people specially in sub-continet. As a result they are more used to terminologies like ‘Poonchay hoyee sarkar’, ‘Allah Look’ etc etc. Its very difficult for them to realise and ordinary person or a labourer following Quran being so high in takwa that he may have superceeded anyone else in the world.
Quote;- So are you now going to suggest the admin here to include at least one more courses on the “illness of hearts” as it is missing here.
That is a good suggestion to be honest. Probably we already know the diseases of heart, we need to address them in the way Quran has address them with the solutions.
Brother like all other terminologies like wahabee, baralwee etc (I am using these terminologies because these can be compared to Tasawaff unlike universities, or madrassas) all teach Islam but according to their point of view and each has set of principles, guidelines on which that school of thought is based. When someone says wahabee I can understand what it means. This is what I initially requested from you regarding tasawaff. Saying that it teaches Islam is not enough.
Regards,
Imran |
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salmant
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 5:42 AM
Quote: We don't need to worry about how Imam Gazali or any one else explain Tasawwuf if it looks agaisnt the basic sources of Islam.We should stick to the basic source how they explains it.We must make sure that we don't cross the boundries of main sources.Others explanations are not hujjat for us.
Reply: I wonder whether you really read what I have written or not. What are the "boundaries of the main sources" is what is being discussed here. When I mention "Tasawwuf", I mean the concept as understood by the established scholars of this discipline (Imam Ghazali is one of them). I am arguing on the basis of that concept. What is your own personal and private understanding of the concept, is irrelevant here. I think the topic of the discussion was "The Place of Tasawwuf in Traditional Islam" and not "Tasawwuf as Mr. Usmani thinks of it". |
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usmani790
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 10:07 AM
Dear Salman
My main intention to open up this forum was to remove misconceptions of people regarding Tasawwuf.So they may start looking at it in a friendly manners.I am not presenting my personnel views on Tasawwuf here rather connecting its link to Quran and Sunnah.
If you think that Imam Gazali's concept is breaking the limits set by the main sources,so please show us how and where.
Regards, |
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aboosait
INDIA
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 11:49 AM
quote:
Dear Salman.....If you think that Imam Gazali's concept is breaking the limits set by the main sources,so please show us how and where.
Muhiyddin Ibn Arabi, one of the leading authorities on Sufi mysticism wrote,
"Some works I wrote at the command of God sent to me in sleep, or through mystical revelations."(!)
The other striking impression that Ibn Arabi wanted to leave on the readers of his Meccan Revelation is that he, too, as a spiritual and mystical figure, experienced the heaviness of revelation, resembling that of the Prophet (s.a.w).
He noted that sometimes the pressure of mystical revelation was so strong that he felt compelled to finish a work before taking a rest.
Allah the Exalted particularly condemns such claimants, saying: which means,
"And who is more disbelieving than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says, 'It has been revealed to me,' when nothing has been revealed to him, or who says, 'I will send down the like of which Allah has sent down.'"
Three fundamentals of Sufism which are innovations not sanctioned by the Qur'an or the Sunnah:-
* The division of knowledge into exoteric, or manifest, asoteric, or hidden;
* The division of Islam into shari'ah (religious sciences) and the sciences of truth; and
* the addition to Islam of the Sufi order as the path leading to the truth. |
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usmani790
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 11:57 AM
Brother Imran
Quote:-We need to give Quran in people’s hand so that they can not only understand Shariah but also Eman and morality.
Quran is already in the hand of people but it is in Arabic, how they will understand it without a teacher.Even just by reading the translation they can not fully benefited from it.
Quote:-Madrasa is a place where you teach Islam (or any school of thought of Islam) and Tasawaff is supposed to be a school of thought.
That is where you are not correct my dear brother,it is not a school of thought.The best I could defined tasawwuf is,they do not mush teach you about the religion as thought in other institutions ,rather they teach how to apply the knowledge of deen in ones own self,in the society how must our dealing with the other fellow Muslims must be and try to improve the level of ones behavior and attitude with others.
Few month back I was attending the maglis of my shaikh.He asked us when ever you took some thing even in your own house which is also used by other family members as well, make sure you put it back on the same place after you use it.So others family member don’t have problem when they need to use it as well.
Quote:-What is Salah, Fasting, Hajj etc. These are all the practices which are Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and continued by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) after rectification as a deen in his followers and are not originated by Quran.
As far I know every Messenger has brought his own shariah for his people,Salah and fasting was there in every shriah of the all Messngers.Hajj may be not there due to the travelling problem those days since prophets have came to every nations.
Quote:-Whether obligatory or voluntary the source for both is Quran not Tasawaff.
I am surprised you still stucking in that.Other Islamic learning institutes teaches how to learn and understand Quran and Sunnah,Tasawwuf thought them how to apply this in ones life.Please try to realize the importance of it.Prophet(pbuh) were doing the both jobs but the part which people of Tasawwuf are doing not much some one doing in the others Islamic educational institutions.
Quote:-Does this all lead to the need of creating a new school of thought or a new terminology? Scholars are not focusing on the main true spirit of Islam and stuck in Fiqah and now you are telling ordinary Muslims to go to scholars of Tasawaff. What a utter confusion is that?
In the current time it will be an ideal situation if the ordinary people can learn the basic knowledge of deen which is essential to know by a Muslim and then join the people of tasawwuf so the person could be able to practice them as well.On the day of Judgment,the person will be seen by Allah that how much one knows and on how much he have practiced.
Quote:-When someone says wahabee I can understand what it means. This is what I initially requested from you regarding tasawaff. Saying that it teaches Islam is not enough.
So far what people of Tasawwuf do I have already told here quite a bit.Whats wrong in Tasawwuf you have not told a single thing only word Tasawwuf you did not like.
Regards,
Usmani |
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aboosait
INDIA
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 12:10 PM
quote:
Whats wrong in Tasawwuf you have not told a single thing only word Tasawwuf you did not like.
The answer to this question (what is wrong in tasawwuf) has been made clear in some of my previous posts and repeated today Friday, February 23, 2007 - 11:49 AM .
Again why do you insist that brother Imran should give you the answer to the same question? |
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salmant
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 12:27 PM
The link of Tasawwuf with Quran & Sunnah, if there is any, is a claim put forward by some scholars. It is not something that has been invented here and now. So their views have to be analyzed for this or not?
When you are "connecting its link to Quran and Sunnah" are you doing this in the light of the arguments and opinions put forward by the established scholars? or merely on the basis of your own ability to link things? If you are going for former, you will have to defend everything that these scholars said, in order to defend your claim on Tasawwuf. If you take the latter, you will have to present your scholarly qualifications for justifying a position that is independent of earlier scholarly thoughts on the subject.
Regarding Imam Ghazali, I am quite surprised at your indifference towards his views, you said
"We don't need to worry about how Imam Gazali or any one else explain Tasawwuf"
If not people like Imam Ghazali then who? Almost all traditional scholars I know, who follow Tasawwuf as well, consider him to be a very respected and established scholar of Tasawwuf and Islam. |
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salmant
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 12:32 PM
Qoute: If you think that Imam Gazali's concept is breaking the limits set by the main sources,so please show us how and where.
Reply: In addition to what Brother aboosait wrote, I would like to quote from the article whose link I had sent twice, and yet it seems from your statement that you never read.
Quoted from the article, the author writes....
The question is not only about the source of the knowledge but also about the certitude that is ascribed to it. Sufis claim direct knowledge for themselves through the same Divine source that was the basis of Divine guidance given to the Messengers of God and His prophets (For example see, Shah Muhammad Isma‘il, ‘Abaqat, ‘Abaqah 11, al-Isharah al-ijmaliyyah ila maratib kamal al-nafs). In al-Munqad min al-Dalal, Ghazali explains the level of certitude that the Sufi attains (which by no means is less than the certitude in religion granted to the Prophets of God):
In the next place I recognized that certitude (al-‘ilm al-yaqini) is the clear and complete knowledge of things, such knowledge as leaves no room for doubt nor possibility of error and conjecture, so that there remains no room in the mind for error to find an entrance.
In case there is any doubt about the source of such certitude, consider what he writes in the same treatise:
From the time that they set out on this path, revelations commence for them. They come to see in the waking state angels and souls of prophets; they hear their voices and wise counsels. By means of beholding heavenly forms and images they rise by degrees to heights which human language cannot reach, which one cannot even indicate without falling into great and inevitable errors. The degree of proximity to Deity that they attain is regarded by some as intermixture of being (hulul)), by others as identification (ittihad), by others as intimate union (wasl). But all these expressions are wrong, as we have explained in our work entitled, ‘The Chief Aim’. Those who have reached that stage should confine themselves to repeating the verse ‘What I experience I shall not try to say’; Call me happy, but ask me no more. In short, he who does not arrive at the intuition of these truths by means of ecstasy knows only the name of inspiration (haqiqat al-nabuwwah). The miracles wrought by the saints are, in fact, merely the earliest forms of prophetic manifestation (bidaya al-anbiya’).
I hope you will read this time. Thanks. Salman |
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aboosait
INDIA
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 1:02 PM
Brother Usmani,
Please read all the previous posts. Brother Salmant also has expressed his feelings about this and repeated the following from one of his old posts:quote:
salmant PAKISTAN Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 12:32 PM
From the time that they set out on this path, revelations commence for them.......I hope you will read this time. Thanks. Salman
Let me also repeat a few passages for you which suppliment the above.
quote:
Muhiyddin Ibn Arabi, one of the leading authorities on Sufi mysticism wrote,
"Some works I wrote at the command of God sent to me in sleep, or through mystical revelations."(!)
The other striking impression that Ibn Arabi wanted to leave on the readers of his Meccan Revelation is that he, too, as a spiritual and mystical figure, experienced the heaviness of revelation, resembling that of the Prophet (s.a.w).
He noted that sometimes the pressure of mystical revelation was so strong that he felt compelled to finish a work before taking a rest.
Allah the Exalted particularly condemns such claimants, saying: which means,
"And who is more disbelieving than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says, 'It has been revealed to me,' when nothing has been revealed to him, or who says, 'I will send down the like of which Allah has sent down.'"
In order to substantiate his theosophical and pantheistic doctrine and make it appear Islamic, Ibn Arabi resorted to ta'weel, which is giving far-fetched interpretations to selected verses of the Qur'an or Prophetic traditions from the Sunnah, changing their apparent meaning to one which falls in line with his beliefs, a technique which was used before him by all the 'Batini' or secretive sects that strayed away from the path of Islam. He referred to Almighty Allah as "Creator-Creature," and took pains to present the Divine Being in a theosophical context, and to convince his readers that Allah's creation springs from nothing other than His "fundamental being."
Thus, the god that Ibn Arabi believed in is, in reality, all the elements that constitute the universe: human, animal and every other existing thing. As an example he depicted his own master, as a divine reality. And to make sure his readers did not misconstrue his heresy, he further emphasized: "In relation to existence, He (God) is the very essence of existing things. Thus in a certain sense, relative beings are elevated in themselves, since in truth they are none other than He who bears the name Abu Said al-Kharraz."
From this heretical concept of Allah, one may deduce without limit, principles which contradict the prescripts and fundamental tenets and creeds evident in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. For example, man, as alleged by "Son of Plato," is nothing less than God Himself, and since Fir'awn (Pharaoh) was a man, his declaration of being a god would have been true according to Ibn Arabi's pantheistic doctrine....contd.. |
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aboosait
INDIA
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Posted - Friday, February 23, 2007 - 1:09 PM
...contd from previous page....Furthermore, if nothing exists in reality but God, then every animal, regardless of its family, is in reality god also. And since all existing things have one essence, wine is nothing but water, and every forbidden (haram) thing is lawful or (halal).
There can never be more abhorrent heretical belief than pantheism. Allah the Exalted is far removed from what Ibn Arabi and his followers ascribe to Him. Allah says: which means, "There is none like unto Him; He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. "And it does not befit believers to make far-fetched interpretations of the essence of Allah or His attributes. True Muslims accept them as they are given in the Qur'an or in the authentic traditions of the Prophet (s.a.w).
The above verse is an informative statement which connotes a command from Allah to the believers not to impute to Him any attribute or name other than those given to Him by Himself or by His Messenger Muhammad (s.a.w) in authentic traditions. Nor are they allowed to subject Allah to similitude or examples. There is a clear warning in Allah's word: which means, "So strike not similitude for Allah, surely Allah knows and you know not."
The Sufis, like their masters, would have us believe that their doctrines originated in the Qur'anic verses. They interpret certain verses freely, both linguistically and theologically, to corroborate their beliefs and give them Qur'anic sanction. Besides giving Qur'anic verses different interpretations, they also reduce them to symbols and codes and juxtapose them in a metaphysical perspective. To give an example of the seriousness of this perversion of language by the Sufis, the following verse is cited: which signifies, "O mankind, reverence your Lord Who Created you from a single person, and created there from his (female) mate, and from them both (Adam and Eve) scattered countless men and women."
From these straightforward words, one can easily understand that Allah created Adam first, and, according to numerous verses, He fashioned him from earthly matter, and subsequently he created Eve from one of Adam's ribs, as stated in the authentic traditions. In an attempt to substantiate his pantheistic beliefs, Ibn Arabi gave the above verse the following meaning: "From him (Adam) came forth the mate and child, who all came from the 'Universal Nature,' that is, God, Who is manifested in her (Nature's) many forms in the form of Adam, in the form of Eve and in the form of the progeny. "The Divine element, according to him, inhabits every being. "Glory be to God," Ibn Arabi exclaimed, "Who created things, being Himself their essence." |
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usmani790
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 5:17 AM
Dear Abusait
Could you please give me the referance of the following verse, you have quoted in your earlier post.
And who is more disbelieving than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says, 'It has been revealed to me,' when nothing has been revealed to him, or who says, 'I will send down the like of which Allah has sent down.'" |
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