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Sayyed Muhammad Ibn Ali al sanusi laid the foundation of his order which he (later) developed into an Islamic revivalistic movement on the religious orthodoxy of Muhammad Ibn Abdul wahab al Najdi and the purified tassawuf of Shaikh Abdul Qadir jilani and Ahmad Sarhindi.He was definitely influenced by the life of Shaikh Abdul Qadir but he might have gone through Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi,s epistles which were not only available in Arabic but also popular in the Sufi circles of the Arab world.
Muhammad Ibn Ali al sanusi,as is well known,,had been initiated in a number of Sunni Sufi orders and thus was able to amass a wealth of principles and teachings he considered vital to his new "master order".In his book Al salasabil he looks at the salient features of these orders from a rational angle.
Al salsabil al Ma'in is almost a summary of Al shmus al shariqa,a comparatively longer work,and details more than 40 Sufi orders.Both the works are valuable for the reason that one gets a detailed knowledge and and a clear idea of the influence of Sufism upon the author.He believes that difference only lies in approach or outlook,otherwise all Sufi orders are fundamentally the same,and lead to one and the same goal,viz,spiritual perfection and nearness to the Almighty.
A critical study of the 'master order ' reveals,that besides incorporating some doctrines of other orders he also sufficiently enriched it with his own ideas and experiences.It was not a medley of the already existing orders nor was it an offshoot of some of them rather it was a "consistent and carefully thought out way of life"
His order combined what he considered to be the best elements of the earlier Sufi writings and practices,and the aim underlying this endeavour was to evolve "The crown of Sufi thought and practice".
The grand sanusi was initiated in about 65 Sufi orders which prevailed in Muslim world of that time,But the chief aim of the sanusi order always remained to make a man good Muslim rather than a good mystic or an ascetic.To the sanusis,Sufism meant orthodox Muslim faith and practices,instead of a substitute of it.
The writings of the Grand Sanusi show that he closely follows the Ghazali example in his attempt to harmonise the sharia with the tariqa,both consider Sufism as the 'inwardness' of the sharia,but according to some The Grand Sanusi has an edge over Ghazali in the sense that he presents a good synthesis of the inner, and outward dimensions od Islam in his book BAGHYAH AL-MAQASID.In one place The Grand Sanusi elaborates this problem:
"What we are supposed to do is to carry out the duties and obligation for which we have been created.We should constantly see if we are free from our obligations regarding matters of Allah,s worship and escape the vengeance of His displeasure.This objective can be achieved only by moulding our demeanour within the framework of the prophetic Sunna,and by submitting to Allah in all matters.This submission,which is the essence of the Prophet,s doings and sayings,can be effected in it's true sense only if we keep improving the inner working of our mind by perpetual vigilance and meditation and by remaining devoted to Allah swt in all our doings"
" We should take care wether Allah is pleased with what we say or do,and leave all that in case it is otherwise.Furthermore,both our words and deeds should be free from the touch of all evil.Allah,s pleasure alone should be the focus of our care and not that of anyone else.He should always remain at the centre of our observation and vigilance.We should constantly meditate on HIM,till the seer vanishes in the person of the seen,and the created conceives the creator in his own person.And when you are blessed with the vision of the creator,all animate and inanimate things will be at your commond.The achievement of this position is contingent upon unceasing meditation and active performance of virtuous acts in the light of the Prophet,s Sunna.
"Now there are two ways to attain to this 'summam bonum'
1.To enter the gate of the knowledge of the sharia through a thorough and deep study of Hadeeth,Tafsir and Fiqh as elucidated bt the salaf and inherited by the khalaf.This is the perfect way established by reasoning and observation,and hence the best.
2.To enter the gate of spiritual exercise (Mujahida).This means to brave hardships,to resist carnal desires,to experience distress and tribulations,to remain perpetually busy in Zikre,invocatory prayers and duplication and lamentation,and to send greetings to the holy prophet (PBUH) day and night.This is to be continued till the divine light illuminates the heart of the Zakir,and he strictly starts following sharia"
"This is the way of illumination (ie Tariqa Al Ishraq);Now you are at liberty as to which way you adopt to achieve nearness to Allah.Both the ways are true and right.Beware that you may not give up both of them or adopt any way other than these two,and become whole heartedly dedicated to the negligent people"
Cont.......("with thanks to mahmood Ahmad Ghazi"------"The Sanusi movement of north Africa")