Q. What is Sufism? What are its main tenets and traditions? Does Islam approve of it? Is there a concept of mentor and disciple, or Pir and Mureed, in Islam?
S. M. Munawar, Jeddah
A. Sufism is a host of ideas or disciplines which seek to enable a person to be closer to God through worship, glorifying God’s name and offering voluntary prayers as well as the remembrance of God’s name and attributes in all situations. It also aims, through the same actions, to purify one’s soul and weaken one’s worldly desires. This is the general idea, but there are numerous Sufi or mystic schools which differ in their main ideas and detailed practices. Hence, it is difficult to apply any generalization to all Sufi trends. Whatever we may say about Sufism, we may find a group here or there to which the description does not apply, yet that group remains a Sufi group.
It can be safely said that under Sufism people seek to win God’s pleasure without having to fight for God’s cause. The traditional trend of Sufism when Islam had to fight its enemies was to sit in mosques or private places where the Sheikh, or Pir, would be surrounded by his disciples and they spend many hours in what they call, thikr, or the remembrance of God, glorifying and praising Him so many times in different formulas and texts. Moreover, they praise the Prophet in superlative terms which may often be unacceptable from the Islamic point of view.
Having said that, I realize that there were Sufi groups in different parts of the Muslim world who fought for Islam, particularly against colonial authorities. A prime example is that of Sudan where Sufi tradition was leading the fight against the British imperialist army. But perhaps these examples are the exception that proves the rule, and most Sufis throughout history tended to overlook the concept of fighting for God’s cause in order to dedicate themselves to worship, adding to it methods, phrases and statements which the Prophet did not teach.
Some of the Sufi groups went into excess with regard to their beliefs and concept of God. They advocated the concept of pantheism, or the unity between God and universal existence, so as to consider everything and all beings God, who is present everywhere, in all places and all objects. This is, no doubt, a deviation from the proper Islamic concepts and beliefs. The more they went into this, as some of their leading figures did, the further away from Islam they went. Thus, they no longer believed in God’s oneness and transcendence.
As such, they could no longer be Muslims. Hence, we should be very careful if we deal with any Sufi group. We must establish first of all what they say about pantheism. If we discover any trace of it in what they advocate, then we must have nothing to do with them, even though their activities may be appealing.
All Sufi groups rely heavily on the relationship between the Sheikh, or Pir and his disciple, or Mureed. They instill in their followers the need of blind obedience to the Pir, who may have inspiration from God on matters that affect his disciples and the community at large. They do not equate such inspiration with revelation received by prophets, but they raise the Sheikh, Pir or mentor to a status higher than that of a human being. Hence, obedience of his orders is obedience offered to God. In some Sufi circles, the Pir relies on the ignorance or the trust of his disciples to defraud them of their money or to do things that may be prohibited by Islam.
Needless to say, there is no such concept in Islam. Every one of us is responsible for his or her deeds, and the only guidance that should be followed is that provided by the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Sufis may say that their mentors only follow these for guidance, but the fact remains that many of these mentors have very little knowledge of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. They like the privileges associated with their position and they are very reluctant to give them up. Hence, they become guilty of deception and fraud. Their disciples are ignorant of this fact and allow themselves to be led without thinking. In the end they find themselves ruined.
The only proper way is to increase one’s knowledge by studying Islam under trustworthy and knowledgeable scholars. When one has sufficient knowledge, he or she can judge what is being said properly and steer away from what is in conflict with the Prophet’s Sunnah. There is much in the Sufi tradition that is in such conflict.
Women’s prayer (Used on Nov. 30, 01)
Q. I have noticed that people in India stress that women should pray differently from men, such as they must not bow with their backs straight, rather, they should bend less than men, and that they should put their elbows on the floor in prostration. Please comment.
F. Barmem, Jeddah
There are no difference in what is required in prayer for men and women, except that a woman is advised to keep herself together, in the sense that she keeps her hands and arms close to her body throughout her prayers. The Hadith which teaches us how to pray addresses us all, men and women. In this Hadith, the Prophet says: "Pray as you have seen me pray." This means that the same form of prayer is applicable to both men and women. People who make different requirements must rely on evidence from the Hadith. If there is no such difference, then the same rules apply. Thus, when a woman bows in rukoo’, she should have body forming a right angle with her legs, and when she prostrates herself, she brings her arms close to her body, without putting her elbows on the floor, because the Prophet has told us not to do so.
Failure in marital duties
Q. May I put to you the case of a married woman whose husband provides all the material needs of the family, but fails to have any conjugal relationship with his wife. She is almost certain that he gets all his needs in this area outside the family home. When she speaks to him about this, he accuses her of being ungrateful, since he provides for her and their children. What course is open to her?
(Name and address withheld)
A. There are two issues involved here: the lack of the relationship and the suspected extra-marital affair. Both husband and wife are required to give each other fulfillment of their sexual desire so as to help each other maintain their chastity. Failure in this area is regarded in the same way as failure in other important duties, such as the provision of an appropriate standard of living, a home, etc. Scholars even define the minimum requirement of one sexual intercourse in every monthly cycle. Needless to say, this must be outside the woman’s period, because intercourse during the period is forbidden.
What this means in the case of our reader is that she has a genuine complaint which must be redressed. It is best solved between the married couple themselves, if possible.
The woman should try to get her husband round to change his attitude by any suitable means. If this proves impossible, then she may involve a close relative or friend.
However, there may be reasons not to do so, if the husband takes this as an excuse to blame his wife for involving others in something that is, by nature, very private. Hence, my advice is that she should try and solve it directly with her husband, even if this requires taking a strong stand.
The fact remains that this is a serious matter, because a husband who abandons his wife, and she suspects that he has outside affairs, practically encourages her to do likewise. Let us hope that there is no question that the lady in this case would ever be tempted to sin. May she have the strength necessary to resist any such temptation.
Scholars consider such failure by the husband to be sufficient grounds for divorce, should the wife apply for it. This means that it is open to the wife to apply for divorce on grounds of lack of attention to her needs.
The other issue is that of the woman’s suspicion that her husband is unfaithful. Let me say to her that suspicion is detrimental to marital relations. Therefore, she should not give way to suspicion, unless she has clear proof.
If she has such proof, then she has a very serious situation to consider. She may wish to discuss the matter with her family first and agree with them what to do. May God guide her to the best solution to her problem.
