The "well established" brotherhood and humanity that you see now in the Indian society has only been possible because of the hard-work and dedication of the Sufis. They helped frame the base upon which the Muslim communities are able stand tall today. The radiant and peaceful Sufi Dargahs in every corner of India is living evidence of the mentioned fact. People from all around the world, with different race and religion visit these enlightened Dargahs to witness the peace and serenity, these Dargahs have to provide. However, it is very unfortunate that some contemporary journals attempt to fabricate the truth and mislead the origins of the Sufis.
Islamic rituals can be basically divided into two major pillars, (i) Shariah and (ii) Thariqa When translated literally, both words translate to mean, “The path” or “the way”. Shariah is the external core which includes Islamic rituals like the purification of the body (better known as Wudhu/Ablution), Salah, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj. All of these are learnt by a Muslim via religious schools and institutions, etc.
As Shariah is about physical aspects (body or visible actions), Thariqa is for the heart and soul. Like in Shariah, Thariqa also consists of its own rituals that include purification of heart, offering Salah, Fasting, offering Zakat and performing Hajj. A Muslim has to learn these rituals (Thariqa) with the help of an Imam or gnostic of the spiritual family, who help perceive and purify the heart of a human being.
Shariah consists of customs that should be practiced by any human on the earth. It is a set of rules and guidance on how to live in this world. For the heart and soul are active parts of a human being, and do not remain lifeless when human body dies. Hence, it is a mandatory for everyone to keep their inner core alive and perpetual. To sum everything up in a simple sentence, it is a responsibility of a believer to interpret/perceive the Hadith and Quranic verses in both internal and external aspects (Thariqa and Shariah respectively)
According to Shariah, physical purification can be achieved by Ablution (Wudhu) and Ghusl (bath). Hence, the Quran and Hadith instruct a Muslim to perform ablution i.e., cleansing/washing of hands, face, head, arms, ears & legs before performing any Salah. Whereas according to Thariqa, an ablution should be performed to purify our internal core viz., the heart and soul. And, obviously, since we all have a heart, it becomes a compulsion for a true believer(Mu’min) to attain purification of heart and soul as it is ordered upon a believer to gain the knowledge by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SA).
Various aspects and rituals of Shariah can be learnt from our family or guides/mentors available in religious schools all around the world. However, one should note that when our Prophet Muhammad (SA) advised us to gain knowledge, he meant gaining knowledge from both Shariah and Thariqa .And the knowledge of the true path (Thariqa) can only be gained through an Imam of the spiritual heredity.
In Shariah, if offering Salah has been rendered mandatory on all Muslims, it is equally mandatory to perform Salah in Thariqa. As there are conditions to perform Salah with the body, there are conditions to perform Salah with heart as well. The same logic is applied to all other pillars of Islam viz., Fasting, Zakah and Hajj. The rituals we perform physically can be learnt from Kitabs (Books), whereas, the rituals we practice with hearts can only be learnt from an Imam or the spiritual Sheikhs. By now it is clear to us that a Muslim must approach and study the “printed” books to learn the ways of Shariah and approach the book written with the heart to learn about Thariqa.
Thariqa and Shariah are two sides of the same coin in Islam. If one continues in his way thinking that Shariah is the only part that comprises Islam, then he is merely rejecting the proper existence of the coin of Islam, and hence his actions will not be accepted by Allah. Same is the case if one considers Thariqa to be the only side of the coin to Islam. Customs and traditions like marriage, law and order and similar activities in the society are also parts of Thariqa. Both Shariah and Thariqa are equally important in Islam and cannot be avoided. In the present day world, most of the Islamic organizations avoid Thariqa in their teachings/discussions by only following Shariah. That is just one ‘layer’ of Islam but not Islam altogether. To give you an example, it is just like trying to buy something with a coin that has only one side to it, torn into half. These specific kinds of people then argue about this aggressively causing commotion amongst the youth and followers. Islam doesn’t support certain kind of Thariqa as well.
Terrorism and Fundamentalism have emerged in this world because of certain people preaching religions wrongly. These people just see and accept one part of the coin and oppose anyone else who denies their methods. Many Islamic organizations only preach one part of the Islam, misleading the society and causing conflicts/terrorism and then later, raise their voices to fight terrorism without even knowing what terrorism actually means.
Sufis like Khwaaja Mueenudheen Chishthi(r.a) of Ajmeer, Khwaja Nizamudheen(r.a) of Delhi, Bhu Ali Shah Khalandhar(r.a)of Panipat, Ibrahim Badshah(r.a) of Ervadi, Malik Ibn Deenar(r.a) of Kerala and Dhada Hayath Khalandhar(r.a) of Karnataka gained the true knowledge of Islam (in both internal and external aspects) preached the same to their people and urged them to practice it. They were the real Islamic leaders. But unfortunately, the so-called Islamic organizations and their leaders of the last century did not preach the real core of Islam (as taught by the great Sufis) and hence have not earned the same respect in/after their lifetime in comparison to the great Sufis named earlier.
People from different religions and caste join Sufi (Islamic) community and visit Sufi Dargahs. Sufis are the real leaders of Islam in all aspects and in conclusion, no falsified information/act has been committed by them. Holy sages, saints and wise people will bow their head before the truth. The culture of our country was molded by each of the previously mentioned noble Sufis and hence many rulers and administrators were their followers. They were all attracted towards the noble Sufi leaders like bees to honey.
Those who protest against Sufism and spread rumors about Sufi paths are creating a great oppression to the country and disrespecting the efforts of those noble saints that helped form the soul of our country. Over the last few years, the so-called Islamic scholars and organizations have been suppressing the Sufi and preventing their upcoming by amalgamating with the political parties and media as they are worried of how the members of their organizations will learn the true face of Islamic path and abandon the misleading group to join the enlightened group of Sufis.
Sufi nobles have always had a special place in the hearts of Indian people. But in the recent times, the number of different organizations being built in the name of Islam and misguiding their disciples in to destroying Sufism. These organizations has caused the Sufis to move back to their residencies and mold with Allah causing a huge loss to this society with their absence. This is also another reason for the upcoming of terrorism and hostility. Witnessing all the violent acts of aggression and destructions and causalities, the Sufis have decided to come out and reach the misguided souls by offering their hands and making them feel safe by educating them. The so-called organizations are trying to grasp on to this society with their false morals and faulty concepts as they are afraid of being flushed away from the society, if the true face of Islam and Sufism were revealed to all. If anyone seeks or needs to be in front of Allah, they need the assistance of the Sufis to achieve what they long.
Translation: Arif Yasin Qadiri
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