Sufism is the path of pious people who try in every way to follow the teachings and personal example of the best man in the world - the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
He taught us to look at this life correctly, to use what has been given to us in order to receive more reward in the future eternal world in the Other World. The Prophet ﷺ taught us to do as many good deeds as possible with a sincere intention for the sake of the Most High in the hope that this will become the reason for our salvation on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, the concept of Sufism includes not only knowledge and observance of the obligatory issues of Religion, but also the maximum performance of additional good deeds for the sake of Allah.
Sufism teaches us not to delve into worldly pleasures and not to chase the disappearing riches of this life, but to take care that within the framework of what is permitted to take the best out of this life - to fill the time allotted to us with good deeds with the hope of dung reward from the Creator.
Therefore, you do not need to bind your heart to worldly pleasures, and it is even better to give up even some of the permissible pleasures of this life, if they take up time and interfere with spiritual development.
Sufism teaches to purposefully and consciously use the time and opportunities of our life, leaving all unnecessary affairs, acting on priority, improving spiritual qualities and better observing the Laws of God. The pious theologians of Islam conveyed from the Prophet himself ﷺ how to live correctly and what to avoid in this life. They urged to use their body, their capabilities, their time to worship Allah Almighty, strengthen in the heart hope in the Creator, strengthen love for the Almighty and for the sake of Allah endure the difficulties of this life, as well as get rid of bad qualities - such as arrogance, hatred, hypocrisy , deceit and others that negatively affect our behavior. And, of course, a person who wants to follow the path of godliness must restrain himself from all sins, both large and small.
Sins are disgusting deeds that can cause punishment in the Other World. You cannot think that a small sin is just a minor violation! No!
Any sin is a transgression of the Law of the Most High, Who created us, gave us life, health, time and everything that we have.
It is necessary to really feel the fear of violating the Laws of God - this will help a person to keep himself from sin, even a small one. Pious people treated even small sins as a huge rock that hangs over them and can collapse on them at any moment. This indicates a great right to live and what to avoid in this life. They urged to use their body, their capabilities, their time to worship Allah Almighty, strengthen in the heart hope in the Creator, strengthen love for the Almighty and for the sake of Allah endure the difficulties of this life, as well as get rid of bad qualities - such as arrogance, hatred, hypocrisy , deceit and others that negatively affect our behavior.
If a person has already sinned, then in this case one cannot lose hope for the Creator's forgiveness. Even if he committed a great sin, then one should not think that he will no longer have the Grace of Allah. A Muslim should always rely on the Grace of the Almighty and be afraid of punishment for committed violations.
You cannot go to extremes: to lose hope for the Creator's forgiveness or to think that if a person is a believer, then sins do not affect his condition.
It is necessary to adhere to the "golden mean": to be afraid of punishment and hope for forgiveness, and this is the conviction of all Muslims - Ahlus-Sunnah.
The beginning of this path is obtaining true knowledge, the next step is observance according to knowledge, and the result is mahibat (a special gift from Allah). Sufism has its own concepts and terms that have a deep meaning. Mawhibat (a special gift from Allah) is the fruit that a Sufi receives as a result of the development of a spiritual state. The peculiarity of the Sufis is the result of their great work on themselves. Muslim theologians explained the way of Sufism as follows: “Sufis know the results of states that are the consequences of good deeds” (For example, when a person commits a sin, his spiritual condition worsens, and when he observes the orders of the Almighty, his condition improves).
In order for the actions to be correct, first of all, you need the correct KNOWLEDGE of the foundations of the Faith: about the Creator and the Messengers, about observance of the Commandments of the Almighty (for example, Namaz, Fasting) and other issues that you need to know, as well as additional knowledge about what brings benefit. A wise person tries to choose those deeds that will bring him more reward and help him achieve a high degree. And this requires knowledge of what can harm him and how to re-educate himself, as well as what can develop piety.
Imam al-Kushayriy explained that the behavior and degree of Sufis depends on the level of knowledge and compliance with the following issues:
1. Monotheism, i.e. first of all, you have to be a believer.
It is said in the Sacred Qur'an (al-Bakara / 163):
﴿وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لاَّ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ﴾
This means: "Your Lord is the One-Only God, there is no creator, except Him - the Most Merciful for everyone in this world and only for believers in the Other World."
The great teacher of Sufism, Imam al-Junaid, said: "Monotheism means not likening the One, the Eternal without beginning to what has entered into being, that is, to the created."
- Also Imam 'Ali al-Bushanji said about monotheism that this is a confirmation of the Existence of the One Who has no likeness, and at the same time there should not be a denial of His Attributes.
- Imam al-Kushayriy said that monotheism confirms that the Almighty God is One.
- Imam al-Junaid spoke about monotheism, that it is the belief that Allah is the One and Only, He is the One Who did not give birth and was not born. It is a denial of the existence of a rival that is opposed and similar to Him. It is impossible to
- imagine Him, He does not look like anyone or anything.
- Imam Ahmad ar-Rifa'iy said: “Tawhid (Monotheism) is when there is [the feeling of] exaltation of [Allah] in the heart, which does not give to deny the existence of the Creator or to liken Him to those created. "
2. Knowledge of Allah
- In the Sacred Kur'an it is said that the essence of God is not known by anyone except God himself. And people have only that knowledge (about Allah and His Syfat) that Allah gave us to know.
- Imam al-Ghazaliy said that worship will not be accepted until you know Who is worthy of worship, i.e. e. the highest degree of humility and obedience.
- Imam al-Kushayriy said: “Every knowledge comes from science [1], and every science gives knowledge. Any believer is one who has cognized Faith in God. It is necessary to know about Allah and His Syfats (Attributes). And then - to be truthful in the Faith and honestly observe, as well as cleanse oneself from shortcomings, improve morality, control the heart and rely on God in all matters. ”
- Zun-nun al-Misriy said:“ He who knows about Allah has three qualities: his knowledge is not at odds with deeds; he is convinced that no one has hidden knowledge contrary to the Shari'a; he brings the accumulation of worldly wealth to such an extent that he begins to overstep the bounds of what is permissible and weaken observance. "
3. Contentment with what Allah has given (Kana'at)
True wealth is contentment. Be content with what you have and limit yourself to what Allah has given. Remain calm even when you are missing something.
- Imam Abu 'Abdullah ibn Hafif said: “Contentment means getting rid of the desire to achieve what is not feasible and limiting ourselves to what Allah has given.”
- Imam Muhammad ibn' Ali at-Tirmiziy said: “Kana'at - it means to be content with the portion that is predetermined by God. "
- Theologians said:" Kana'at is when a person is satisfied with what he has, and he has no thirst and desire to increase the benefits of life that are inaccessible to him. " .
- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that little and enough is better than having a lot and being distracted from what is most beneficial. This dictum was transmitted by Abu Yamal.
Many people in poverty pray, and when they become rich, they forget about it, so for many people wealth is not a medicine, but on the contrary - a disease. Contentment is a true treasure, and whoever owns it is truly rich.
The scholars said: “Allah Almighty has put into the following five qualities, respectively, five actions: dignity in obedience; humiliation in sin; piety and dignity in additional Namaz at night; wisdom in an empty stomach; wealth in contentment. "
4. Trust in Allah (Tawakkul)
The place of hope is in the heart, and external efforts and actions do not contradict the internal hope of the heart. Even if something in life does not work out, then the servant of God must be convinced that it is so destined.
- Sheikh Sahl ibn 'Abdullah said: "He who condemns aspirations and actions, acts contrary to what is said in the Shari'at, and who neglects hope, his faith in his heart weakens."
- Imam Ahmad ibn Masruk said : "Relying on Allah means completely surrendering to Destiny and trusting the Creator with all your heart." Allah gives such a person protection and tranquility.
5. Gratitude (Shukr)
Gratitude to the Creator for everything that he has bestowed means not using the benefits given by Allah to commit sin.
- Imam al-Junaid said that when he was seven years old, he played next to al-Sariy, who was surrounded by other men.
- When they spoke of gratitude to Allah, al-Sariy asked al-Junayd: “Oh boy! What is gratitude? ”, And he replied that gratitude to Allah means not to sin, using the blessings given by Allah. As-Sariy said that gratitude means not using any of the blessings given by Allah, violating His commands.
- Imam Zun-nun al-Misriy said: “Confidence (that is, strong trust in Allah) leads to asceticism, the result of which is wisdom, and wisdom makes it possible to foresee some of the consequences of actions (foresight). " He also said: "There are three signs of the strength of the Faith: it is not enough to communicate with people (with those who do not help to develop spiritually), not to praise for gifts and not to scold those who don’t give anything."
6. Patience (Sabr)
Patience and dignity must be maintained in all trials, tribulations, and losses.
- It is said in the Sacred Kur'an that means: “And may you have patience sincerely for the sake of the Almighty.”
- Imam al-Junayd (he was an ascetic and a Sufi) was asked: “What is patience?” He replied : “Patience means accepting bitterness without changing facial expressions.”
- Imam Zun-nun al-Misriy said: “Patience means distance from violations and maintaining dignity in poverty (that is, not complaining about poverty) ".
- Imam Ibrahim al-Hawvas said that patience means steadfastly trusting in Allah and, in the event of troubles, maintaining gratitude and praising the Almighty (since patience is a reward or expiration of sins).
- Also Imam Zun-nun al-Misriy said: “Patience is turning to Allah for help.”
- Sheikh Ibn 'Ato said: “Patience is to meet adversity while maintaining dignity and high culture”. Patience means that when trouble arises, be extremely diligent and not complain.
- Imam Anas ibn Malik said that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, patience is manifested precisely at the moment of impact,” that is, at the very beginning of the test. Narrated by Al-Bukhariy.
7. Self-control (Murokoba) is a constant monitoring of the state of the heart, so as not to go beyond the boundaries of what is permitted, and to beware of dubious matters. While controlling yourself, you should remember that Allah knows everything about you and sees your every move.
- It is said in the Sacred Qur'an that means: “Verily, Allah is All-Knowing.”
- Imam Muslim narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Despite the fact that we do not see Allah in this life, but verily Allah sees us. ”
- Imam Ibn 'Ato was asked:“ Tell us about the best obedience, ”and he replied:“ Make sure that your actions are constantly within the Shari'at. ”
- Imam Zun-nun al-Misriy said: “The sign of self-control is the preference for what is preferable in Religion, the exaltation of what is exalted in Religion, and an attitude with humiliation towards that which is humiliated by Religion.”
- Imam Ibrahim an- Nasr-Abaziy said: “Hope leads to obedience, fear drives away from sins, and self-control leads to the path of clarity (special piety).”
- Sheikh Ibrahim al-Hawvas said: leads to the fact that a person is equally truthful both in solitude and in public. "
- Imam Ahmad al-Haririy said:" The attainment of piety is based on two qualities: obligatory self-control and actions according to the Shari ‘a’.
8. Satisfaction (Rideau) - that is, calmly submit to fate and not be indignant at what is destined by God.
- Imam Abu 'Abdullah ibn Hafif said: “Contentment is a calm attitude of the heart towards what is destined, and agreement in the heart with what Allah has given us and approved by Him.”
Sheikh Ruuaym said: “Satisfaction is accepting what is destined with joy. ”
Theologians said:“ Whoever is content with what Allah has given does not resent the predestination of the Creator and His Laws. ”
Abu 'Ali ad-Dakak said:“ Satisfied is not the one who does not feel trouble, but the one who does not resent and does not oppose what is predetermined. "
9. Worthy Worship (‘Ubudiyya) is a manifestation of the highest degree of humility and obedience in accordance with the Shari'at.
The Sacred Qur'an says (Surah 15 Al-Hijr, ayah 99):
﴿ وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ ﴾
This means, "And worship your Lord until death comes."
- Some theologians have said: “Worthy worship means firmly holding the path that Allah has commanded to walk, and restraining oneself from the forbidden.”
- Imam Ibn 'Ato said: “Worthy worship includes four qualities: sincerely fulfilling the promised ; fulfill duties and not go beyond what is permitted; be content with what you have; endure with losses. "
10. Willpower (Irada), that is, overpowering oneself and leaving habitual deeds that will not benefit in the Other World - this is the beginning of the path of Sufism.
- Sheikh Muhammad al-Kittaniy said: “A murid (a disciple following the path of Sufism) should have three special qualities: sleep - when tired, food - when hungry, speech - if necessary.”
- Sheikh Junayd al-Baghdadiy said: "Whom Allah loves, he gives him to be a Sufi."
Scientists said: “Willpower is when people give up the habitual, because people's habits often lead to neglecting important issues and following their passions, as well as seeking temporary pleasures. And the murid must isolate himself from all this, and if he manages to leave the usual, then this is a sign of willpower. And his sincerity is when his heart strives for what is approved by Allah. "
[1] we are talking about real science - the science of religion Islam