DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi

**Rabbahpuptiopp** · 06-13-2011, 11:43 AM

Even the word "Sufism" (Tasawwuf) is problematic. Sufi literally means a person who is attached to wool. The first deviant ascetics began to wear wool as a way of rejecting the world. They indeed had good intentions, but it was a deviation from the Sunnah of the Prophet who preferred other fabrics to wool. These early deviants were trying to follow the supposed Sunnah of Eesa ibn Maryam while ignoring the Sunnah of Rasoolullaah who said that even if Moses were to be alive, he would have no choice but to follow the Prophet

Returning to the Sunnah is the true asceticism and purification of the soul. It is the true Tareeqah, not the Turuq of Naqshbandi, Qaadiri, Shadhili, Rifa'i, etc. Take the notion of Sabran Jameela for example. It means beautiful patience and not to complain or ask from anyone except Allaah. The Sufis have so deviated from this concept that not only do they encourage people to even ask from the dead, but if they were true ascetics, they would encourage everyone to only ask from Allaah.

I don't know about other turuq, but the naqshbandi mujaddidis are all about returning to the sunnah. What you are saying sounds just like the people who say, "I don't follow Imam Abu Hanifah or Imam Malik, I follow the sunnah!" What do you think the aimmah were following? Forgive me, but that's my perception of that statement of yours.

I don't understand why people are unwilling to accept that you cannot lump all "sufis" together into one group. Just because someone calls himself a sufi, doesn't make it so, the same way just because a Qadiani calls himself Muslim, doesn't mean he is.

You bring up the issue of the word "sufi" being problematic, and claim that it comes from "suf", or wool, but then completely leave out the other etymology which is safa/tasfiyah. If you did that on purpose, it was a very dishonest thing to do. Wearing wool is a deviation from the sunnah? Are you serious? What do you say about the salafis who drape checkered cloths over their heads instead of wearing turbans. Are they deviating from the sunnah, too?

And not all sufis do istigatha, as someone already mentioned, so why even bring that up? If it doesn't apply to all sufis, you cannot use it to criticize tasawwuf as a whole. And if asking others for help is against the sunnah, then would the sahaba have done it? Did they not occasionally complain to the Prophet of their problems?

All of the points you made are basically red herrings or straw-man arguments.

No one is denying that there are indeed people who call themselves sufis who do things that contravene the sunnah. But to lump all Sufis together and make blanket statements against tasawwuf as a whole is highly disingenuous.

06-13-2011, 11:43 AM	#37
Rabbahpuptiopp Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 462 Senior Member	Even the word "Sufism" (Tasawwuf) is problematic. Sufi literally means a person who is attached to wool. The first deviant ascetics began to wear wool as a way of rejecting the world. They indeed had good intentions, but it was a deviation from the Sunnah of the Prophet who preferred other fabrics to wool. These early deviants were trying to follow the supposed Sunnah of Eesa ibn Maryam while ignoring the Sunnah of Rasoolullaah who said that even if Moses were to be alive, he would have no choice but to follow the Prophet Returning to the Sunnah is the true asceticism and purification of the soul. It is the true Tareeqah, not the Turuq of Naqshbandi, Qaadiri, Shadhili, Rifa'i, etc. Take the notion of Sabran Jameela for example. It means beautiful patience and not to complain or ask from anyone except Allaah. The Sufis have so deviated from this concept that not only do they encourage people to even ask from the dead, but if they were true ascetics, they would encourage everyone to only ask from Allaah. I don't know about other turuq, but the naqshbandi mujaddidis are all about returning to the sunnah. What you are saying sounds just like the people who say, "I don't follow Imam Abu Hanifah or Imam Malik, I follow the sunnah!" What do you think the aimmah were following? Forgive me, but that's my perception of that statement of yours. I don't understand why people are unwilling to accept that you cannot lump all "sufis" together into one group. Just because someone calls himself a sufi, doesn't make it so, the same way just because a Qadiani calls himself Muslim, doesn't mean he is. You bring up the issue of the word "sufi" being problematic, and claim that it comes from "suf", or wool, but then completely leave out the other etymology which is safa/tasfiyah. If you did that on purpose, it was a very dishonest thing to do. Wearing wool is a deviation from the sunnah? Are you serious? What do you say about the salafis who drape checkered cloths over their heads instead of wearing turbans. Are they deviating from the sunnah, too? And not all sufis do istigatha, as someone already mentioned, so why even bring that up? If it doesn't apply to all sufis, you cannot use it to criticize tasawwuf as a whole. And if asking others for help is against the sunnah, then would the sahaba have done it? Did they not occasionally complain to the Prophet of their problems? All of the points you made are basically red herrings or straw-man arguments. No one is denying that there are indeed people who call themselves sufis who do things that contravene the sunnah. But to lump all Sufis together and make blanket statements against tasawwuf as a whole is highly disingenuous.
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