The Science of Sufism

Sufism is based on the assumption that the method of the Sufis was always the path of truth and right guidance by:

• the important early Muslims,
• the men around Muhammad,
• the men of the second generation, and
• those who came after them

The Sufi approach is based on:

• constant application to divine worship
• complete devotion to God
• aversion to the false splendor of the world
• abstinence from the pleasure, property, and position to which the great mass aspires, and
• retirement from the world into solitude for divine worship.

These things were general among the men around Muhammad and the early Muslims.

Then, worldly aspirations increased in the 8th century and afterwards. People now inclined toward worldly affairs. Back then, the special name of Sufis (Sufiyah and Mutasawwifah) was given to those who aspired to divine worship.

Al-Qushayri says:

It is a nickname. Theories derive the word from:

• as-safa’ (purity, sincerity), or
• as-suffah (bench), or
• as-saff (row)

Al-Qushayri) continued:

The most obvious etymology is “as-suf” because Sufis were characterized by their woolen garments. They were opposed to people wearing gorgeous garments, and so chose to wear wool.

The Sufis came to represent:

• asceticism,
• retirement from the world, and
• devotion to divine worship

Then, they developed a kind of perception coming from ecstatic experience. 457 This comes as follows.

Man is distinguished from other animals by his ability to perceive, which is of 2 kinds.

1. He can perceive sciences and matters of knowledge, and these may be certain, hypothetical, doubtful, or imaginary.

2. He can perceive “states” persisting in himself, such as joy and grief, anxiety and relaxation, satisfaction, anger, patience, gratefulness, and similar things.

The reasoning part active in the body originates from perceptions, volitions, and states.

Thus, knowledge originates from evidence, grief and joy from the perception of what is painful or pleasurable, energy from rest, and inertia from being tired.

In the same way, the exertion and worship of the Sufi novice must lead to a “state” that is the result of his exertion. That state may be a kind of divine worship.

Then, it will be firmly rooted in the Sufi novice and become a “station” for him. Or, it may not be divine worship, but merely an attribute affecting the soul, such as joy or gladness, 460 energy or inertia, or something else.

The “stations” (form an ascending order). The Sufi novice continues to progress from station to station, until he reaches the recognition of the oneness of God (tawhid) and the gnosis (ma’rifah) which is the desired goal of happiness.

Muhammad says:

Thus, the novice must progress by such stages. The basis of all of them is obedience and sincerity. Faith precedes and accompanies all of them. Their result and fruit are states and attributes. They lead to others, and again others, up to the station of the (recognition of the) oneness of God and of gnosis (‘irfan).

If the result shows some defect, then it comes from some shortcoming that existed in the previous stage. The same applies to the ideas of the soul and the inspirations of the heart.

The novice, therefore, must scrutinize (muhasabah) himself in all his actions and study their concealed import, because the results, of necessity, originate from actions, and shortcomings in the results, thus, originate from defects in the actions.

The Sufi novice finds out about that through his mystical experience. He scrutinizes himself as to its reasons.

Very few people share the self-scrutiny of the Sufis, for negligence in this respect is almost universal.

Pious people who do not get that far perform, at best, acts of obedience freed from the juridical study of how to be satisfactory and conforming in the execution of the acts of divine worship.

The Sufis, however, investigate the results of acts of obedience with the help of mystical and ecstatic experience, in order to learn whether they are free from deficiency or not.

Thus, the Sufis’ path totally depends on:

• self-scrutiny with regard to what they do or do not do
• discussion of the various kinds of mystical and ecstatic experience that result from their exertions.

This, then, crystallizes for the Sufi novice in a “station.” From that station, he can progress to another, higher one.

The Sufis have their peculiar form of behavior and a peculiar linguistic terminology used in instruction.

Linguistic data apply only to commonly accepted ideas. When there occur ideas not commonly accepted, technical terms facilitating the understanding of those ideas are coined to express them.

Thus, the Sufis had their special discipline, which is not discussed by other representatives of the religious law.

As a consequence, the science of the religious law came to consist of two kinds. One is the special field of jurists and muftis. It is concerned with the general laws governing the acts of divine worship, customary actions, and mutual dealings. The other is the special field of the “people” (Sufis).

It is concerned with pious exertion, self-scrutiny with regard to it, discussion of the different kinds of mystical and ecstatic experience occurring in the course of (self-scrutiny), the mode of ascent from one mystical experience to another, and the interpretation of the technical terminology of mysticism in use among them.

When the sciences were written down systematically and when the jurists wrote works on jurisprudence and the principles of jurisprudence, on speculative theology, Qur’an interpretation, and other subjects, the Sufis, too, wrote on their subject.

Some Sufis wrote on the laws governing asceticism and self-scrutiny, how to act and not act in imitation of model (saints). That was done by al-Muhasibi, in his Kitab ar-Ri’ayah. 467 Other (Sufi authors) wrote on the behavior of (Sufis) and their different kinds of mystical and ecstatic experience in the “states.”

Al-Qushayri in his Kitab ar-Risalah, and as-Suhrawardi 468 in the Kitab Awarif al-maarif, as well as others, did this.

Al-Ghazzali combined the two matters in the Kitab alIhya’. In it, he dealt systematically with the laws governing asceticism and the imitation of models.

Then, he explained the behavior and customs of the people (Sufis) and commented on their technical vocabulary.

Thus, the science of Sufism became a systematically treated discipline in Islam. Before that, mysticism had merely consisted of divine worship, and its laws had existed in the breasts of men.

The same had been the case with all other disciplines, such as Qur’an interpretation, the science of tradition, jurisprudence, the principles of jurisprudence, and other disciplines.

They were only later on treated systematically.

Mystical 469 exertion, retirement, 470 and dhikr exercises 471 are as a rule followed by the removal of the veil (kashf) of sensual perception. The Sufi beholds divine worlds which a person subject to the senses cannot perceive at all. The spirit belongs to those worlds. The reason for the removal of (the veil) is the following.

When the spirit turns from external sense perception to inner (perception), the senses weaken, and the spirit grows strong. It gains predominance and a new growth. The dhikr exercise helps to bring that about. It is like food to make the spirit grow. The spirit continues to grow and to increase. It had been knowledge.

Now, it becomes vision. The veil of sensual perception is removed, and the soul realizes its essential existence.

This is identical with perception. (The spirit) now is ready for the holy gifts, for the sciences of the divine presence, and for the outpourings of the Deity. Its essence realizes its own true character and draws close to the highest sphere, the sphere of the angels. The removal of (the veil) often happens to people who exert themselves (in mystical exercise). They perceive the realities of existence as no one else (does).

They also perceive many future happenings in advance.

With the help of their minds and psychic powers they are active among the lower existentia, which thus become obedient to their will. The great Sufis do not think much of the removal of the veil and of activity (among the low existentia). They give no information about the reality of anything they have not been ordered to discuss.

They consider it a tribulation, when things of that sort happen to them, and try to escape them whenever they afflict them.

The men around Muhammad practiced that kind of mystical exertion.

They had a very abundant share in the acts of divine grace, but they did not bother with them. The description of the virtues of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Ali contain much information to this effect.

They were followed in this respect by the Sufis who are mentioned in the Risalah of al-Qushayri, and their later successors.

Recent mystics, then, have turned their attention to the removal of the veil and the discussion of extra-sensory perceptions.

Their ways of mystical exercise in this respect differ.

They have taught different methods of mortifying the powers of sensual perception and nourishing the reasoning spirit with dhikr exercises, so that the soul might fully grow and attain its own essential perception.

When this happens, they believe that the whole of existence is encompassed by the perceptions of the soul, that the essences of existence are revealed to them, and that they perceive the reality of all the essences from the divine throne to light rain.

This was said by al-Ghazzali in the Kitab al-Ihya’, after he had mentioned the forms of mystical exercise.