Basic Elements of Islam - Research Paper Example

The Sufi Path of Knowledge 1.0 Introduction Islam is essentially a simple religion with very few tenets for its followers. The first element of faith is the belief that God [Allah] is One and that HE is all powerful, creator, infinite entity who has created human beings to live in this world and for this He has sent His guidance in the form of the Holy Book, the Quran. The second element of faith is the belief that Mohammed (pbuh) is His last Messenger. This Messenger or Prophet lived his life entirely according to the Quran and for this reason Allah declared that he is the perfect example for all Muslims (Holy Quran 33:10) and it is binding on Muslims to emulate him in order to be successful (Holy Quran 64:12). There are few laws in Islam but an entire way of life is laid down in the Holy Quran and can be seen in the practice of the Prophet. For the Muslims therefore the person of the Prophet is the icon they must follow. Unfortunately after the passing away of the Prophet the Muslims got divided amongst themselves into various sects, one of which is Sufism. Each sect has adopted some of the Prophet’s actions and deeds and has made them to seem more important and prominent than his other deeds and actions. The reason is very straightforward. Seeking power and prominence is inherent in humans and sectarian leaders vie with each others to gain recognition in the public eye. 2.0 The Nature of Law under Islam “Under Islam the Divine Law is a religious obligation and is enforceable even if there is no ruler to impose it (Fitzgerald 1955). This law comes directly from the Holy Quran. But the major source of the application of the law comes from the Hadith which is the divinely authorized source of this law (Khadduri 1961). Unlike the law made by humans the Divine law is such that it is not possible to separate political or juristic theories from the Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) that establish the rule of conduct in religious, domestic, social and political life (Jackson 1955).” [cited from Islamic Studies: "An introduction in understanding Prophet Mohammad's Texts (Hadith), Causes and Political Influences"]. Allah has further put a seal of finality in the Prophet’s lifetime that all Devine laws have been sent for mankind and that there will be no need for any additional law in the future, "This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (Holy Quran 5:3) The Law is also known as the Sharia and has been interpreted by scholars throughout the period from the demise of the Prophet. Due to differing interpretations various sects have been formed; major among them being Sunnis and Shiites. These have been subdivided again into various sub-sects. One of the sub-sects of Sunnis is the Sufi sect. 3.0 Islam as the Way of Life Since the Prophet lived his life in accordance with the Holy Quran, his deeds, actions and practices have become a role model of how a Muslim ought to lead his life. The entire life of the Prophet has been written down by several authors, both Muslims and Non-Muslims and all facets have been thoroughly covered. While there is no dispute about the words of the Holy Quran as it is a revelation that came directly to the Prophet, there are slightly differing versions of the sayings or Hadith of the Prophet as they were mostly recorded much after his passing away. It is the disparity between them that has been the main cause for sectarian Islam. The differing sects have chosen some Hadith over others to emphasize the importance and relevance to support their views, one of them being the Sufi sect. By this logic itself it is clear that Sufism cannot be intrinsic to Islam as other sects too have the same claim; indeed none can claim to be central, fundamental or basic to Islam as the Prophet had not spelled out any sect. The fact is that with great sadness he predicted in his lifetime that after him Islam will unfortunately be divided into several sects and that Bida (adoption of new practices) will be the cause of this unfortunate phenomenon. The Prophet further said "Listen! Indeed, the best book is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the Guidance of Muhammad (pubh) [the Prophet of Allah] and the worst of all things are those which are new to this religion and every new thing leads [a man] astray." (Muslim, Kitab-ul-Jum`ah). By creating new things or Bida; the sects have indeed strayed from the true teaching of Islam as preached and practiced by the Prophet. 4.0 The Principles of Faith There are five principles of Islam, more commonly known as the five Pillars of Islam. They are Tawheed, belief that Allah is only One and One of a Kind and Prophet Mohammed is his Slave and Messenger; Salat or worship five times daily is only for Allah; Fasting is only for Allah which means sacrifice can only be offered in the name of Allah; Zakat is ordained by Allah for the needy; and Haj is a major worship of Allah, to be performed once in a lifetime by those who are able to bear the expense. Any shortfall is punishable by Allah and any excess is forbidden by the Prophet. The Prophet himself preached and practiced the above. Any deviation from any one of them is Bida and is un-Islamic. 5.0 Sufism and Islam The impression that Sufism is intrinsic to Islam is completely wrong. The intrinsic values of Islam are faith in Allah and following the way of the Prophet. The Prophet never called himself a Sufi. This in itself should be a negation of Sufism. However even if is argued that Sufism is the way of certain practices that were observed by the Prophet then the same should hold good for other practices by the Prophet that are followed by other sects. This would that mean that every sect has something in common with the practices of the Prophet and in such a case no single sect can claim that it is intrinsic to Islam. Unfortunately the Sufi sect or rather the cult, as it should be called, claims that the Sufism is the psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam, a state that was ultimately achieved by the Prophet. They base it on the principle extracted from the Hadith (saying) of the Prophet quoted by Ibn Arabi, “He who knows himself (or his-self, his soul, his mind) knows his Lord” (Ibn-Arabi) 6.0 The Sufi Concept The Sufi sect believes that there are two sides of a human being; the outer self, the human form, and the inner self, the soul. So far there is no conflict with the Islamic thought as it is well known that the soul is directly set in the human body by Allah Himself. The deviation arises when the Sufi’s claim that by purifying one self the human being reconciles both the forms and are able to become one. This concept is called Wahdatu’l-Wajud (Unity of Being). Once the human reaches this stage he attains the Ultimate Reality and becomes nearer to Allah. Allah is considered as the Ultimate Reality, which is transcendent (beyond shape and form) but His essence is imminent in His Creation (Shah Muhammad Isma‘il). There is another version of this concept and is called Wahdatu’l-Shahud (Unity of Appearance). The Sufis believe that Allah is the only Reality, and everything else is illusion. According to Shah Muhammad Isma‘il the real meaning of Tawheed, is”only Absolute Reality is absolutely real”. Tawheed under this takes a different meaning altogether; ‘there is nothing except God’. The realisation of this Reality through self-denial and self-control thus becomes the ultimate goal of life for a Sufi. As against this the purpose of man's life is worship and servitude to God (Quran 51-56). In Sufism, therefore, purification of the soul becomes the ultimate target of the Sufi’s life instead of following the tenets of Islam. For this purification the Sufis have invented new rituals and methods like singing and dancing, music and others beyond those recommended or demanded by Islam. Humans were created to be servants of Allah, as stated unambiguously in the Shahdah itself, instead the servant tries to become the Master. 7.0 Conclusions The obvious contradiction in belief that humans can achieve a state of Unity of Being with Allah himself is a negation of the fundamentals of Tawheed. Allah is not only one but is also unique. If anyone believes that he too can become unique or even can attempt to be like the unique Allah, he cannot be part of Islam. Similarly Allah is the Creator and He is above His creations. To believe that there is nothing but Allah is to negate his powers of creation and again this is not part of Islam. Just two examples are enough proof that Sufism indeed cannot be intrinsic to Islam; indeed in its extremity it is likely to be outside Islam. [1508 words]. Bibliography Al-Arabi, Futûhât al-Makkiyyah; Fusûs Al-Hikam; Cited by Ralph Austin, A., (1980), The Bezels of Wisdom, Paulist Press / SPCK; and also by Chittick, C. William., (1989), The Sufi Path of Knowledge, State University of N.Y. Press. Fitzgerald, S.V., (1955), Nature and Sources of Shariah in Law in the Middle East, Washigton Holy Quran 33:21 Holy Quran 5.3 Holy Quran 51:56 Holy Quran 64:12 Jackson, R.M., (1955), Foreword to the Law in Middle East by Fitzgerald, Washington. Khadduri, M., (1961), Islamic Jurisprudence, Shafi’is Risala, Baltimore Muslim, Kitab-ul-Jum`ah Shah Muhammad Isma‘il ‘Abaqat, ‘abaqah 20, al-isharah u’l-awwal Read More