The Scholars and Tasawwuf

The Salaf as-salih and the ‘ulama on
Tasawwuf

The best compilation to date of quotations from the GIANTS of our Deen and others on Tasawwuf/sufism

Compiled by brother Superfaa of Sweden

“He has succeeded who purifies himself” (Qur’an 87:14).

Let us first of all define what a sufi is:

Sufyan al-Thawri explained: One who follows the path of tasawwuf, “He who gazes at the Real in proportion to the state in which He maintains him” (Bundar). They wore wool (sûf): “I found the redress of my heart between Makka and Madina with a group of strangers ­ people of wool and cloaks” (ashâb sûf wa `abâ’). [cited from Khalaf ibn Tamim by al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' (Dar al-Fikr ed. 7:203)].

`Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi mentioned the two terms zahid and sufi interchangeably so the term “sufi” is a second-century name applied to a type of Muslim earlier known as “zahid.” (`Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, al-Farq Bayn al-Firaq ( Beirut : Dar al-Kutub al-`Ilmiyya, n.d.) 242-243).

Abu `Ali al-Rudhabari said: “al-sufi man labisa al-sufa `ala al-safa- The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity.” (Suyuti, Ta’yid al-Haqiqat al-`Aliyya (Cairo: al-matba`a al-islamiyya, 1352/1934) p. 15).

Hasan al-Basri :

Ibn al-Jawzi wrote in Adab al-Shaykh al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Basri that al-Hasan al-Basri left behind a white cloak (jubba) made of wool which he had worn exclusively of any other for the past twenty years, winter and summer, and that when he died it was in a state of immaculate beauty, cleanness, and quality. (Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat al-safwa 2(4):10 (#570).

Ibn Qayyim relates a story about the qualities of Hassan al-Basri in his biographies of Sufis entitled Hilyat al-awliya’ (The adornment of the saints). (Ibn al-Qayyim, Rawdat al-muhibbin p. 225).

The muhadith Abu Nu`aym al-Isfanahi (d. 430) mentions in his biographies of Sufis entitled Hilyat al-awliya’ (The adornment of the saints) that it is Hasan al-Basris student `Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd (d. 177) who was the first person to build a Sufi khaniqa or guest-house and school at Abadan. (Abu Nu`aym, Hilyat al-awliya’ 6:155).

Imam al-Ghazali relates al-Hasan’s words(that’s is narrated by Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah) on Jihad al-nafs in the section of his Ihya’ entitled Kitab riyadat al-nafs wa tahdhib al- akhlaq wa mu`alajat amrad al-qalb (Book of the training of the ego and the disciplining of manners and the healing of the heart’s diseases).

Sufyan al-Thawri :

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya relates in Madarij al-salikin, and Ibn al-Jawzi in the chapter entitled “Abu Hashim al-Zahid” in his Sifat al-safwa after the early hadith master Abu Nu`aym in his Hilyat al-awliya’, that Sufyan al-Thawri said:

“If it were not for Abu Hashim al-Sufi I would have never perceived the presence of the subtlest forms of hypocrisy in the self… Among the best of people is the Sufi learned in jurisprudence.” (Ibn Qayyim, Madarij al-salikin; Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat al-safwa ( Beirut : dar al-kutub al-`ilmiyya, 1403/1989).

Imam Malik :

و من تصوف و لم يتفقه فقد تزندق

من تفقه و لم يتصوف فقد تفسق

و من جمع بينهما فقد تخقق

“He who practices Tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who learns Sacred Law without practicing Tasawwuf corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true.”

It is related by the muhaddith Ahmad Zarruq (d. 899)[Ahmad Zarruq, Qawa`id al-tasawwuf (Cairo, 1310)], and the hafiz `Ali al-Qari al-Harawi (d. 1014)[ Ali al-Qari, Sharh `ayn al-`ilm wa-zayn al-hilm (Cairo: Maktabat al-Thaqafa al-Diniyya, 1989) 1:33], the muhaddiths `Ali ibn Ahmad al `Adawi (d. 1190)[ Ali al `Adawi, Hashiyat al `Adawi `ala sharh Abi al Hasan li risalat Ibn Abi Zayd al musammat kifayat al talib al rabbani li risalat Ibn Abi Zayd al Qayrawani fi madhhab Maalik (Beirut: Dar Ihya' al Kutub al `Arabiyah, <n.d.>) 2:195] and Ibn `Ajiba (d. 1224)[Ibn `Ajiba, Iqaz al himam fi sharh al hikam (Cairo: Halabi, 1392/1972) p. 5 6.].

Imam al-Shafi`i :

Imam Shafi’i said: “[Be both] a faqih and a sufi[sufiyyan ]: do not be only one of them, Verily, by Allah ’s truth, I am advising you sincerely.” (al-Shafi`i in Diwan, p. 47 see also: Diwan p. 66 where Imam Shafi’i gives the advise to be both a faqih and sufi).

Imam Shafi`i said: “Three things in this world have been made lovely to me: avoiding affectation, treating people kindly, and following the way of tasawwuf.” (The muhaddith al-`Ajluni also relates that in Kashf al-khafa wa muzil al-albas (1:341 #1089).

Imam al-Shafi`i said: “I accompanied the Sufis and received from them but three words: their statement that time is a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you; their statement that if you do not keep your ego busy with truth it will keep you busy with falsehood; their statement that deprivation is immunity.” (Ibn al-Qayyim in his Madarij al-salikin (3:128) and al- Suyuti in his Ta’yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya (p. 15)).

Imam abu Hanifa :

Ibn `Abidin relates in his al Durr al mukhtar that Imam Abu Hanifa said: “If it were not for two years, I would have perished.”

Ibn `Abidin comments: “For two years he accompanied Sayyidina Ja`far al-Sadiq and he acquired the spiritual knowledge that made him a gnostic in the Way… Abu `Ali Daqqaq (Imam Qushayri’s shaykh) received the path from Abu al-Qasim al-Nasirabadi, who received it from al Shibli, who received it from Sari al-Saqati who received it from al Ma`ruf al Karkhi, who received it from Dawud at Ta’i, who received the knowledge, both the external and the internal, from the Imam Abi Hanifa.” (Ibn `Abidin, Hashiyat radd al-muhtar `ala al-durr al-mukhtar 1:43).

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal :

Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffarini al-Hanbali (d. 1188) relates in his Ghidha’ al-albab li-sharh manzumat al-adab from Ibrahim ibn `Abd Allah al-Qalanasi that Imam Ahmad said about the Sufis: “I don’t know people better than them.” (al-Saffarini, Ghidha’ al-albab li-sharh manzumat al-adab (Cairo: Matba`at al-Najah, 1324/1906) 1:120).

al-Harith al-Muhasibi :

The teacher of al-Junayd, al-Harith al-Muhasibi was a sufi. `Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, Taj al-Din al-Subki, and Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi all reiterate the statement whereby “Upon the books of al-Harith ibn Asad al-Muhasibi on kalam, fiqh, and hadith rest those among us who are mutakallim (theologian), faqih (jurist), and sufi.” (’Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, Kitab Usul al-Din p. 308-309; Taj al-Din Subki, Tabaqat al-shafi`iyya 2:275; Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi, Tabaqat al-Shafi`iyya 1:(#9)26-27).

al-Qasim ibn `Uthman al-Ju`i :

al-Qasim ibn `Uthman al-Ju`i took hadith from Sufyan ibn `Uyayna. Al-Dhahabi writes about him in Siyar a`lam al-nubala’: “al-`Abdi, known as Qasim al-Ju`i: The Imam, the exemplar, the saint, the Muhaddith… the Shaykh of the Sufis and the friend of Ahmad ibn al-Hawari.” [#506] (al-imam al-qudwa al-wali al-muhaddith Abu `Abd Al-Malik Al-Qasim ibn ‘Uthman al-`Abdi al-Dimashqi, Shaykh as-sufiyya wa rafiq Ahmad ibn al-Hawari,’urifa bi al-Ju’i).

Imam al-Junayd al-Baghdadi :

al-Junayd al-Baghdadi, said: ”The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity, followed the path of the Prophet( ittaba`a tariq al-mustafawa), endured bodily strains dedicating his life to worship and reclining from pleasures, and left behind all that pertains to the world.” (In `Afif al-Din Abu Muhammad `Abd Allah Ibn As`ad al-Yafi`i (d. 768), Nashr al-mahasin al-ghaliya fi fadl mashayikh al-sufiyya ( Beirut : Dar Sadir, 1975).

Imam Abu Mansur `Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi :

Imam Abu Mansur `Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi said:

“Know that Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a are divided in eight groups of people… the sixth group being the Sufi Ascetics ( al-zuhhad al-sufiyya), who have seen things for what they are and therefore have abstained, who have known by experience and therefore have taken heed truly, who have accepted Allah ’s allotment and contented themselves with what is within reach. Their religion is the declaration of singleness and the disavowal of similitude. Their school is the commital of matters to Allah , reliance upon Him, submission to His order, satisfaction with what they have received from Him, and shunning all objection to Him. “Such is the bounty from Allah , He bestoweth it upon whom He will, and Allah is of infinite bounty”. (`Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, al-Farq bayn al-firaq ( Beirut : dar al-kutub al-`ilmiyya, n.d.) 242-243).

He also says the following: “The book Tarikh al-sufiyya [History of the Sufis, more commonly known as Tabaqat al-sufiyya or layers of the Sufis] by Abu `Abd al-Rahman Sulami comprises the biographies of nearly a thousand sheikhs of the Sufis, none of whom belonged to heretical sects and all of whom were of the Sunni community, with the exception of only three of them: Abu Hilman of Damascus, who pretended to be of the Sufis but actually believed in incarnationism ( hulul); Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, whose case remains problematic, though Ibn `Ata’ Allah , Ibn Khafif, and Abu al-Qasim al-Nasir Abadi approved of him [as did the Hanbalis Ibn `Aqil, Ibn Qudama, and al-Tufi]; and al-Qannad, whom the Sufis accused of being a Mu`tazili and rejected, for the good does not accept the wicked.” (`Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, Usul al-din p. 315-16).

Imam al-Ghazali :

Imam Al-Gazali says: “The Sufi path consists in cleansing the heart from whatever is other than Allah … I concluded that the Sufis are the seekers in Allah ’s Way, and their conduct is the best conduct, and their way is the best way, and their manners are the most sanctified. They have cleaned their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers to run, carrying knowledge of Allah .” (al-Ghazali, al Munqidh min al dalal, p. 131).

Imam Fakhr al-Din Razi :

Imam Fakhr al-Din Razi wrote: “The summary of what the Sufis say is that the way to the knowledge of Allah is self-purification and renunciation of material attachments, and this is an excellent way… Sufis are a folk who work with reflection and the detaching of the self from materialistic trappings. They strive in order that their inner being be solely occupied with the remembrance of Allah in all of their occupations and their actions, and they are characterized by the perfection of their manners in dealing with Allah . Verily these are the best of all the sects of human beings.” (Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, I`tiqadat firaq al-muslimin p. 72-73).

Imam Nawawi :

Shaykh al-Islam Imam Muhyiddin Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi writes in his short treatise entitled al-Maqasid fi al tawhid wa al-`ibada wa usul al-tasawwuf (The purposes in oneness, worship, and the foundations of self-purification): The specifications of the Way of the Sufis are five:

“to keep the Presence of Allah in your heart in public and in private; to follow the Sunna of the Prophet by actions and speech; to keep away from people and from asking them; to be happy with what Allah gave you, even if it is less; to always refer your matters to Allah .” (Al-Maqasid: Imam Nawawi’s Manual of Islam(Evanston: Sunna Books, 1994) p. 85-86).

The Imam also started writing a book on Tasawwuf, but unfortunately died before he could complete it. The title of the book is: Bustan al-`arifin fi al-zuhd wa al-tasawwuf (The garden of the gnostics in asceticism and self-purification). (see al-Nawawi, Bustan al-`arifin (Beirut: dar al-kitab al-`arabi,1405/1985). see also: al-Majmu: sharh al-Muhadhdhab. 20 vols. Cairo n.d. Reprint. Medina: al-Maktaba al-Salafiyya, n.d., 1.1718.

Sultan al-`ulama’ al-`Izz ibn `Abd al-Salam al-Sulami:

al-Dhahabi calls him: “The shaykh, the imam, the scholar, the zahid, the knower, the Muhaddith, Shaykh al-Islam, the Peerless One of the Sufis…”( al-Dhahabi, Siyar a`lam al-nubala’ [#969]).

al-`Izz ibn `Abd al-Salam al-Sulami who’s nickname is “Sultan al-`ulama’”(”Sultan of the Scholars.”) mentions that the Sufis are those meant by Allah ’s saying:

“Allah ’s party” ( 5:56 , 58:22), and he defines tasawwuf as “the betterment of hearts, through whose health bodies are healthy, and through whose disease bodies are diseased.” He considers the knowledge of external legal rulings a knowledge of the Law in its generalities, while the knowledge of internal matters is a knowledge of the Law in its subtle details.” (al-`Izz ibn `Abd al-Salam, Qawa`id al-ahkam (Dar al-sharq li al-tiba`a, 1388/1968) 1:29, 2:212).

Taj al-Din al-Subki :

He says the following in Mu`id al-ni`am under the chapter entitled Sufism: “May Allah give them life and greet them (Sufis), and may He place us with them in Paradise . Too many things have been said about them and too many ignorant people have said things which are not related to them… The truth is that those people left the world and were busy with worship. ” (al-Subki, Mu`id al-ni`am wa mubid al-niqam p. 190.)

Imam Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi al-Maliki :

He writes in his book al-I`tisam: “Many of the ignorant think that the Sufis are lax in conforming to Shari `a. Far be it from them to be attributed such a belief! The very first foundation of their path is the Sunna and the avoidance of what contravenes it! ” ( al-Shatibi, al-I`tisam min al-kutub, quoted in al-Muslim: majallat al-`ashira al-muhammadiyya (Dhu al-qi`da 1373).

Imam al-Shatibi also rejected the categorization of sufis and tasawwuf as an innovation in Islam according to his criteria. ( Al-Shatibi, al-I`tisam (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-`Ilmiyya, 1415/1995) p. 150-159).

Ibn Khaldun :

Ibn Khaldun said in his famous Muqaddima:

“Tasawwuf is one of the latter-day sciences of the Law in the Islamic Community. The foundation of tasawwuf, however, is (more ancient, as seen in the fact) that these folk and their way have always been present among the Salaf and among the most senior of the Companions and the Successors, and their way is the way of truth and guidance.” (Muqaddimat ibn Khaldun, p. 328.Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M. Hisham Kabbani’s).

Imam al-Sakhawi :

Imam Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Rahman al-Sakhawiis the greatest student of Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani and In the section of his al-Jawahir al-mukallala fi al-akhbar al-musalsala devoted to the transmission of hadith through chains formed exclusively of Sufi narrators, Sakhawi states that he himself had received the Sufi path from Zayn al-Din Ridwan al-Muqri’ in Cairo. (A.J. Arberry, Sakhawiana: A Study Based on the Chester Beatty Ms. Arab. 773 (London: Emery Walker Ltd., 1951) p. 35).

Zakariyya ibn Muhammad Ansari :

Zakariyya ibn Muhammad Ansari was Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami’s teacher. In his commentary on Qusayri Ansari gives the following definitions for tasawwuf:

“Tasawwuf is the abandonment of deliberation. It is also said: It is the guarding of your senses and the mindfulness of your every breath; also: it is complete earnestness in the progression towards the King of all kings; also: it is the devotion to works of good and the avoidance of defects; and other explanations… The sufiyya or Sufis are called thus because the Truth — Allah — has made them pure (safahum) and has favored them unreservedly (akhlasa lahum al-ni`am) through what He has allowed them to look upon.” (Zakariyya al-Ansari, Sharh al-risala al-qushayriyya (Cairo: dar al-kutub al-`arabiyya al-kubra, 1330/1912) p. 126).

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami :

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami was a student of Zakariyya al-Ansari. He was once asked about the legal status of those who criticizes Sufis: Is there an excuse for such critics? He replies in his Fatawa hadithiyya:

“It is incumbent upon every person endowed with mind and religion not to fall into the trap of criticizing these folk (Sufis), for it is a mortal poison, as has been witnessed of old and recently.” (Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Fatawa hadithiyya (Cairo: al-Halabi, 1970) p. 331).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami answers those who slander sufis in his fatwa entitled: “Whoever denies, rejects, or disapproves of the Sufis, Allah will not make his knowledge beneficial.” (al-Haytami, Fatawa hadithiyya p. 52-54.)

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani :

Ibn Hajar praises the Futuhat al-Makkiyya(Lisan al-Mizan (5:315)). He received from Abu Hurayra Ibn al-Dhahabi, from his father Imam al-Dhahabi, the Sufi cloak of Shaykh Muhyi al-Din Ibn `Arabi according to Abu al-Mahasin al-Qaraqji (d. 1205) in “Kitab Shawariq al-Anwar al-Jaliyya fi Asanid al-Sadat al-Shadhiliyya” (Damascus 1522 fol. 59b.).

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti :

Shaykh al-Islam al-Suyuti, the Renewer of the Eighth Islamic century and Mujtahid Imam said in his book on tasawwuf entitled Ta’yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya wa-tashyid al-tariqa al-shadhiliyya (The upholding of the lofty truth and the buttressing of the Shadhili path):

Tasawwuf in itself is a most honorable knowledge. It explains how to follow the Sunna of the Prophet and to leave innovation, how to purify the ego… and submit to Allah truly… I have looked at the matters which the Imams of Shari`a have criticized in Sufis, and I did not see a single true Sufi holding such positions. Rather, they are held by the people of innovation and the extremists who have claimed for themselves the title of Sufi while in reality they are not… ( al-Suyuti, Ta’yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya wa-tashyid al-tariqa al-shadhiliyya, ed. `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Siddiq al-Ghumari al-Hasani. (Cairo: al-matba`a al-islamiyya, 1934), p. 56-57.Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M. Hisham Kabbani’s The Repudiation of “Salafi” Innovations (Kazi, 1996) p. 386).

Junayd ibn Muhammad Abu al-Qasim al-Khazzaz (d. 297 AH/ 909-910 CE) :

Sulami stated that Junayd used to say, “We did not learn (lit. take) Sufism by discourse, rather by hunger, abandoning the world, and severing [one's attachments to] familiar and pleasant things; since Sufism consists of purity of [one's] relationship with God. Its foundation is in turning away from the world, as Harith [al-Muhasibi] said, ‘My self (nafs) has turned away from the world; so I have spent my nights in wakefulness and my days in thirst.” (al-Sulami, Tabaqatal-Sufiyah, pp. 155-163).

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Qassab (d. 275 AH/ 888-89 CE):

“Sufism consists of noble behavior (akhlaq karima) that is made manifest at a noble time on the part of a noble person in the presence of a noble people.” (al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 3, p. 62).

Ruwaym ibn Ahmad ibn Yazid, Abu Muhammad, al-Baghdadi (d. 303 AH/ 915-16 CE):

“It is safer for you to sit with all [other] classes of people than it is for you to sit with Sufis. All people sit in accordance with “customary forms” (rusum), while Sufis sit in accordance with the truths (haqa’iq). (Tabaqatal-Sufiyah, selected from pp. 180-82).

Ibn Taymiyya :

Ibn Taymiyya claimed to be a Qadiri Sufi in a direct line of succession to Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani. He had great admiration for `Abd al-Qadir Gilani (commentary on Futuh al-ghayb volume 10:455-548 of the first Riyadh editionof the Majmu` fatawa Ibn Taymiyya) and in a manuscript of the Yusuf ibn `Abd al Hadi al-Hanbali entitled Bad’ al ‘ilqa bi labs al khirqa (The beginning of the shield in the wearing of the Sufi cloak), Ibn Taymiyya is listed within a Sufi spiritual genealogy with other well known Hanbali scholars. The links in this genealogy are, in descending order: `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani (d. 561) - Abu `Umar ibn Qudama (d. 607) - Muwaffaq al Din ibn Qudama (d. 620) - Ibn Abi `Umar ibn Qudama (d. 682) - Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728) - Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya (d. 751) - Ibn Rajab (d. 795)(Both Abu `Umar ibn Qudama and his brother Muwaffaq al-Din received the khirqa directly from Abd al-Qadir himself.) And in Ibn Taymiyyas own words: “I have worn the Sufi cloak of a number of shaykhs belonging to various tariqas (labistu khirqata at tasawwuf min turuqi jama’atin min al shuyukhi), among them the Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al Jili, whose tariqa is the greatest of the well known ones. Further on he says: The greatest Sufi Way (ajall al-turuq) is that of my master(sayyidi) `Abd al-Qadir al Jili, may Allah have mercy on him.” (Ibn `Abd al Hadi, Bad’ al ‘ilqa bi labs al khirqa, ms. al-Hadi, Princeton Library Arabic Collection, fols. 154a, 169b, 171b 172a; and Damascus University, copy of original Arabic manuscript, 985H.; also mentioned in at Talyani, manuscript Chester Beatty 3296 (8) in Dublin, fol. 67a). And in one of Ibn Taymiyyas own books he writes “I wore the blessed Sufi cloak of `Abd al-Qadir, there being between him and me two shaykhs.” (Manuscript Damascus, Zahiriyya #1186 H).

Another saying of Ibn Taymiyya: “As for the Sufis, they affirm the love (of Allah ), and this is more evident among them than all other issues. The basis of their Way is simply will and love. The affirmation of the love of Allah is well-known in the speech of their early and recent masters, just as it is affirmed in the Book and the Sunna and in the agreement of the Salaf.” (Ibn Taymiyya, al-Ihtijaj bi al-qadar (Cairo: al-matba`a al-salafiyya, 1394/1974) p. 38).

Another saying of Ibn Taymiyya: The lawful is that by which one approaches near to Allah . It is the way of Allah . It is righteousness, obedience, good deeds, charity, and fairness. It is the way of those on the Sufi path (al-salikin), and the method of those intending Allah and worshipping Him; it is that which is travelled by everyone who desires Allah and follows the way of self-denial (zuhd) and religious practice, and what is called poverty and tasawwuf and the like. (Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu`at al-rasa’il wa al-masa’il ( Beirut : lajnat al-turath al-`arabi) 5:83).

Another saying of Ibn Taymiyya: “The word sufi was not well-known in the first three centuries but its usage became well-known after that. More than a few Imams and shaykhs spoke about it, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Sulayman al Darani, and others. It has been related that Sufyan al-Thawri used it. Some have also mentioned that concerning Hasan al Basri.” (Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu`a al-fatawa al-kubra 11:5).

And: “If the Sufi wayfarer has creatively employed his efforts to the external shar`i indications and sees no clear probability concerning his preferable action, he may then feel inspired, along with his goodness of intention and reverent fear of Allah , to choose one of two actions as superior to the other. This kind of inspiration (ilham) is an indication concerning the truth. It may be even a stronger indication than weak analogies, weak hadiths, weak literalist arguments (zawahir), and weak istisHaab which are employed by many who delve into the principles, differences, and systematizing of fiqh. (Majmu` fatawa Ibn Taymiyya 10:473-474).

In his commentary Ibn Taymiyya stresses that the primacy of the Shari `a forms the soundest tradition in tasawwuf, and to argue this point he lists over a dozen early shuyukh. (Majmu` fatawa Ibn Taymiyya 10:516).

Elsewhere also, such as in his al-Risala al-safadiyya, Ibn Taymiyya defends the Sufis as those who belong to the path of the Sunna and represent it in their teachings and writings. (Ibn Taymiyya, al-Safadiyya (Riyad: matabi` hanifa, 1396/1976) 1:267).

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya :

Ibn Qayyim said: “Religion consists entirely of good character (al-dinu kulluhu khuluq). Whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in religion, and the same is true of tasawwuf. Al-Kattani said: “Tasawwuf is good character (al-tasawwuf khuluq). Whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in tasawwuf.” (Madarij al-salikin (2:307)).

Maulana Abul ‘Ala Maudoodi :

“Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (s), where one absents oneself for their sake, and one is annihilated from anything other than them, and it is to know how to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (s). ..Tasawwuf searched for the sincerity in the heart and the purity in the intention and the trustworthiness in obedience in an individual’s actions.”

The Divine Law and Sufism: “Sufism and Shariah: what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Divine Law, and the spirit is the internal knowledge.” (Mabadi’ al-Islam, p. 17).

Muhammad ‘Abduh :

“Tasawwuf appeared in the first century of Islam and it received a tremendous honor. It purified the self and straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the Wisdom and Secrets of the Divine Presence.” (Majallat al-Muslim, 6th ed. 1378 H, p. 24).

Rashid Rida’ :

“Sufism was a unique pillar from the pillars of the religion. Its purpose was to purify the self and to take account of one’s daily behavior and to raise the people to a high station of spirituality.” [Majallat al-Manar, 1st year, p. 726].

Abul Hasan ‘Ali an-Nadawi :

“These Sufis were initiating people on Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to repent from their sins and to be away from every disobedience of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall. Their guides were encouraging them to move in the way of perfect Love to Allah ‘Azza wa Jall.

“…In Calcutta India, everyday more than 1000 people were taking initiation into Sufism ...”by the influence of these Sufi people, thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands in India found their Lord and reached a state of Perfection through the Islamic religion.” (Muslims in India, p. 140-146).

And even Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab said:

“The adherents of religion are as follows: among them are those who concern themselves with learning and fiqh, and discourse about it, such as the jurists; and among them are those who concern themselves with worship and the pursuit of the Hereafter, such as the Sufis. Allah has sent His Prophet with this religion which encompasses both kinds, that is: fiqh and tasawwuf.” (volume 3 of his complete works published by Ibn Sa`ud University, on page 31 of the Fatawa wa rasa’il, Fifth Question).

“My father Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and I do not deny or criticize the science of Sufism, but on the contrary we support it, because it purifies the external and the internal of the hidden sins, which are related to the heart and to the outward form. Even though the individual might externally be on the right way, internally he might be on the wrong way. Sufism is necessary to correct it.” (ad-Dia’at mukathaffa did ash-shaykh ibn Abdul Wahhab, p. 85).

Here is a list of 13 of 35 Hanbali Scholars who were on the path of Tasawwuf

• Abdul Ghani ibn Abdil Wahid ibn Ali ibn Surur ibn Hasan ibn Ja’far al-Jama’ili al-Madisi
  • Born 541 Hijri
  • The Hafidh, the Muhaddith, jurist, ascetic.
  • Ibn an-Najjar said of him: “He narrated form many and authored beautiful works in the field of Hadith, and he was strong in memory and from the people of mastery and Tajwid. He was well grounded in all of the sciences of Hadith, knowing its rules, its fundamentals, its hidden defects, its authentic and inauthentic, its abrogating and abrogated, its rare wordings and its proper pronouciation, its Fiqh and its meanings, and (he was well grounded) in precision with narrators and their conditions.
  • Al-Imam al-’Ulaymi said in his work, al-Manhaj al-Ahmad (2/191): “al-Muwaffaq (Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi) said: ‘al-Hafidh Abdul Ghani and I both donned the Khirqah upon the hand of Shaykh ul Islam Abdul Qadir (al-Jilani), and the both of us obtained Fiqh from him and benefit from his companionship, even though we only saw him for fifty nights of his life.”

• Muwaffaq ad-Din Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Qudamah ibn Miqdam ibn Nasr ibn Abdillah al-Maqdisi ad Dimashqi as-Salihi
  • Born 541 Hijri
  • Al-Imam al-Ulaymi said in al-Manhaj al-Ahmad (2/361): “The jurist, the ascetic, the Imam, the Rabbani, the Imam of Ahlus Sunnah, Mufti of the Ummah, Shaykh ul Islam, leader of the notable scholars, the notable of the devout worshippers and ascetics, the Imam of the Muhaddithun and the last of the Mujtahidun.”
  • Shaykh ul Islam Ahmad ibn Taymiyah said: “No one after al-Awza’i has entered the Levant (Sham) possessing more fiqh than ash-Shaykh al-Muwaffaq.”

• Muhammad ibn AHmad ibn Abdillah ibn ‘Isa ibn Rijal Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Yunini al-Ba’li
  • Born 572 Hijri
  • Imam Ibn Kathir said in al-Bidayah wan Nihayah: “Taqqiyuddin, the jurist, the Hanbali, the Hafidh, the benefitial, the well versed, the pious worshipper. He heard from al-Khushu’i, Hanbal, Kindi, and al-Hafidh Abdul Ghani al-Maqdisi - who used to compliment him. He gained Fiqh from al-Muwaffaq (Ibn Qudamah), stuck with Shaykh Abdullah al-Yunini, bring him in the front (of the gatherings) and follow him in legal verdicts. He donned the Khirqah from the Shaykh of his Shaykh; Abdullah al-Bata’ihi, and became renowned in the science of Hadith…”
  • Imam Ibn Muflih said in al-Maqsad al-Arshad (2/357): “And he donned the Khirqah of Tasawwuf from Shaykh Abdullah al-Bata’ihi - a companion of Shaykh Abdul Qadir (al-Jilani). He stuck closely with Shaykh Abdullah al-Yunini, the ascetic, the possessor of states (Ahwal) and miracles who was called the lion of Sham.”

• Yusuf ibn Abdir Rahman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hammad ibn al-Jawzi al-Qurashi at-Tamimi al-Bakri al-Baghdadi
  • The Jurist, the Scholar of Usul, the Exhorter, Born 580 Hijri
  • Al-Ulaymi said: “He donned the Khirqah from Shaykh Diya’ ad-Din Abdul Wahab ibn Sakinah.”

• Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abdillah ibn ‘Isa
  • Burhanuddin said in al-Maqsad al-Arshad (2/356): “He was a possessor of states (Ahwal), miracles, litanies (Ar. Awrad), and acts of worship that he never left off or delayed past their time by anyones appearance-even if that person was from the kings. He did not believe in manifesting miracles. He used to say: ‘Just as Allah ordered the Prophets to manifest their miracles (Mu’jizat), he ordered the Awliya’ to conceal their Karamat.”

• Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Waddah ibn Abi Sa’d
  • Ibn Muflih said in al-Maqsad al-Arshad (2/261): “The jurist, the Muhaddith, the grammarian, the ascetic, the writer and linguist…”
  • Then he said: “…He heard from the Gnostic Shaykh Ali ibn Idris al-Ya’qubi, and donned the Khirqah from him.”
  • al-Ulaymi said about him: “He accompanied the righteous and donned the Khirqah of Tasawwuf.”

• Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn ‘Umar ibn Abil Qasim al-Baghdadi
  • Born 623 Hijri
  • Ibn Muflih said in al-Maqsad al-Arshad (2/424): “…and he donned the Khirqah of Tasawwuf.”

• Muhammad ibn Abdillah al-Ba’li
  • Born 1104 Hijri
  • In an-Na’t al-Akmal it states about him: “…the Shaykh, the righteous, the Sufi, Abus Sa’adat.”

• Ahmad ibn Ibrahim ibn Nasrillah ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil Fattah ibn Hashim al-Qadi al-Kinani al-Asqalni
  • Born 800 Hijri
  • Ibn Humayd said in as-Suhab al-Wabilah (1/87): “And he donned the Khirqah of Tasawwuf with Talqin of Dhikr from az-Zain Abu Bakr al Khawwafi. He also accompanied al-Burhan al-Adkawi and donned it (the Khirqah) from his maternal uncle.”

• Abdul Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Abdir Rahman ibn Yusuf ibn ‘Isa ibn Taqiyyuddin Abdul Wahid ibn Abdil Rahim ibn Hamad ibn Abdil Majid al-Qurashi al-’Umari al-’Ulaymi
  • Born 860 Hijri
  • The author of the book al-Manhaj al-Ahmad fi Tarjim Ashab al-Imam Ahmad
  • Ash-Shaykh al-’Ulaymi said in his above-mentioned book that he donned the Khirqah with a high connected chain all the way to Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. He said: “And I took the nobel Khirqah with a high and connected chain from as-Sayyid al-Jalil Muhyiuddin Abdul Qadir al-Jili (radiaAllahu ‘anhu) from our Shaykh- the Shaykh and Imam, the remnant of the notable scholars, the blessing of the era and worshippers, the Shaykh of the reciters in al-Quds ash-Sharif and in all of the other lands: Shamsuddin Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Musa ibn ‘Imran al-Muqri al-Hanfi - May Allah envelop him in His mercy and enter him into His spacious gardes. He clothed me with it (the Khirqah) with his own two blessed hands on Yawm al-Ahad (i.e. Sunday) after Dhuhr, the 16th of Sha’ban, in the year 871 in the noble Masjid al-Aqsa - may Allah honor it and magnify it - at the gate of al-Hadd from the western side…”

• Ahmad ibn ‘Abdil Aziz ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Rashid ash-Shihab al Qahiri
  • Born 861 Hijri
  • In ad-Daw’ al-Lami’ (1/349): “He was born approximately on one of the two Jumadas (Jumad al-Uwla or Jumad ath-Thaniyah) in the year 861. He grew up on the outskirts of Akka in Cairo. There, he grew up and memorized the Qur’an and other books suck as: al-’Umdah, al-Mughni, the Alifyah in grammar, the Mulhah, most of at-Tufi and the Shatibiyyah.”
  • ash-Sha’rawi said, as quoted by Ibn Humayd in as-Suhab al-Wabilah (1/159): “In the beginning of his days, he used to censure the Sufis, but when he gathered with Sidi Ali al-Khawwas and others, he listened to them attentively and believed them. After that, he used to severely regret not formerly gathering with them in the beginning of his days. After this, the path was opened for him and he was given a mighty Kashf (unveiling-disclosure) before his death.”

• Ahmad ibn Abdillah ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Halabi al-Ba’li ad-Dimashqi
  • Born 1108 Hijri
  • Al-Imam al-Muradi said of him in Sulk ad-Durrar (1/131): “He is the Shaykh, the Imam, the ascetic, the abstemious, the jurist. He was a virtuous scholar acting according to his knowledge. He was a devout worshipper, humble, submissive, the remnant of practicing scholars, a scholar of inheritance and Usul. There was no one that we reached that was on his path despite the virtue which is undeniable…”
  • Then he said: “He took the Khalwatiyyah path from the Ustadh, the Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Isa al-Kinani as-Salihi al-Hanbali and Shaykh Muhammad Aqilah al-Makki and Shaykh Abdullah al-Khalili…”

• Ahmad ibn Atiyyah ibn Abdil Hayy al-Qayyum ibn Abi Bakr ibn Dhahirah al-Makki
  • Born 879 Hijri
  • Shaykh Jarullah ibn Fahd said, as quoted by Ibn Humayd in as-Suhab al-Wabilah (1/187): “He took the path of Tasawwuf and for it, he travelled to the Mashayikh of Yemen, taking from Shaykh Isma’il al-Mushir’, and his brother Shaykh Junayd. He obtained Jadhab (divine pulling - a sufi term) and then he came to- and then his clothing became tattered. He stuck to the Mashayikh of Dhikr with seriousness and contentedness.”

“a day when wealth will not avail, nor sons, but only him who brings Allah a sound heart“

(Qur’an 26:88).