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| 786 The Zahuri Sufi Web Site: Articles |
These notes were made in response to a request by an American Research Scholar
for a video interview about Sufism that could be used for students in America who
would have little or no background to the topic. I have subsequently amplified the
original. They are introductory notes only. For a full introduction to the Sufi way the
reader is referred to The Culture of the Sufis by Hazrat Zahurul Hasan Sharib. (see
forthcoming publications)
for a video interview about Sufism that could be used for students in America who
would have little or no background to the topic. I have subsequently amplified the
original. They are introductory notes only. For a full introduction to the Sufi way the
reader is referred to The Culture of the Sufis by Hazrat Zahurul Hasan Sharib. (see
forthcoming publications)
Some brief notes introducing the subject of 'The Sufi Way' to American college
students.
by Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri
If you ask 'what is Sufism? ' you may be meaning how do you fit 'Sufism' as a piece of
knowledge into the overall curriculum consisting of many different branches of
knowledge about the universe and how it works. Then you must understand that it is a
way, quite a direct way, into what might be described as the wholeness underlying that
curriculum.
Let me explain. Your curriculum contains many subjects, art, music, poetry,
psychology, social sciences, pure and applied science, biology, medicine, history,
geography, engineering, agriculture etc. The list is enormous. None of these is in
themselves the whole of the curriculum. Even all of them added together would not be
the same as the whole of which they are a part. Each relies on an underlying
wholeness, a universality of which each is a particular manifestation. You may be
familiar with the expression that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Sufism
concerns itself with the underlying whole - you can say with the underlying nature of
reality or truth, in a quite direct way.
This may sound at first as if we are talking about philosophy, but it is not philosophy
since Sufism relies on an extra faculty rather than on logical deductive reasoning. The
extra faculty is called taste or a particular type of direct experiencing. No amount of
talking or writing about it will be sufficient. For example, it will be very clear to you that
you could not explain the sense of sight, adequately to someone who is blind from
birth. The way in which this is usually illustrated in Sufism is this. The Sufis point out
that if you try to explain to someone who has never had it, how sugar tastes, then,
however you try, the person cannot understand you, but when they taste the sugar all
confusion or doubt is cleared away without need of explanation. So in certain respects
Sufism utilises this special faculty of taste to apprehend the nature of the reality on
which all knowledge in the curriculum, so to speak, is based.
Of course taste is only a metaphor. Sensory experience is but a part of the whole and
tasting here refers to a faculty which is quite distinct from, but in a way contains, all the
sensory faculties such as hearing, taste, touch sight and smell. Sufism has been
called the science of Reality. In many respects it is quite distinct from the natural
sciences but it shares their concern for Truth.
The fruits of Sufism, in other words the benefits it brings if followed and practiced
assiduously, have been described by Hzt* Zahurul Hasan Sharib as 'better living' 1.
footnotes
The explanation I have given above can hardly be entirely satisfactory to you and in
any event applies broadly to mysticism of many types. We will therefore restrict
ourselves to talking about Sufism largely as if it were a single subject in the curriculum.
But you should bear in mind during this discussion that it is really a way or a path to
the Universal Real and perhaps beyond that since at a certain point word/concepts fail
us. Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, a great Sufi saint, said somewhere that whatever stage
is reached on this path always ask if there is more.
Taking Sufism for now as if it is a subject in the curriculum, what are its
characteristics? Firstly we may say that its historical origins are believed to lie in the
revelations to the holy Prophet Muhammed. Of course these days some of the various
ways in which Islam is practiced and also the ways in which it is represented in the
western media, may produce a negative response in you, if you are not a Muslim - and
perhaps even if you are. I must leave you to deal with those feelings in your own way,
and to use your own intelligence to ascertain the truth behind the fiction or to suspend
your judgment whilst you learn.
To get to know something about Sufism may require a willingness to, temporarily at
least, suspend judgment and preconception. One great medieval scholar called
Al-Ghazzali2 was known as the most learned man in all the major sciences of his day
yet he set aside his knowledge in order to ascertain the truth about Sufism from within.
He became a great Sufi himself and gave recognition of, and scholarly validity to, the
Sufi approach. footnotes
The meaning of the word Islam is often described as submission to Divine Will.
Muslims believe that Almighty God (usually through the medium of the angel Gabriel)
revealed His message for mankind to the holy Prophet Muhammed. Sufis consider that
those revelations consisted not only of the things openly spoken about but of a deeper
hidden truth. They believe that this hidden part of the revelations to the Holy Prophet
were passed by him to his son-in-law, Hazrat Ali. The explicit part of that revelation
they called The Holy Law and this was enshrined in Islamic beliefs and practices, such
as ritual prayers, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, the organizing of society and the
establishment of a moral and legal code. The implicit part of the revelation was passed
by Hazrat Ali to others found worthy to bear it, who in turn passed it on to worthy
successors, who in their turn similarly passed it on. One of the earliest mystics to
establish a recognisable sufi code was Hzt Junaid of Baghdad who is sometimes
called the Lord of the Tribe of Sufis.
You must understand that the 'passing on' of the hidden or implicit aspect of revelation
was not done in the way in which ordinary knowledge is passed on, by a process of
instruction, practice and learning. Nor did it consist of secret verbal formulae which
could be learned. Where such exist they are a manifestation and not the reality behind
it. It was transmitted in a way that cannot usefully be described, but, once known, it is
as clear as the tasting of sugar to which we earlier referred. If we say it is passed from
heart to heart that only partly describes it.
Often the transmission was accompanied by the passing on of holy relics such as a
cap, or coat, or prayer carpet, used by the spiritual predecessors.
What you must bear in mind is that the historical perspective is limited. In reality the
message, as it is called, that was given to the Holy Prophet, was in essence, if not in
specifics, the same as that revealed from time to time throughout history. The holy
Qur'an, which is the sacred book of Muslims, makes this clear - referring to other great
Prophets such as Hzt Jesus, Hzt Moses, Hzt Abraham, Hzt Noah and Hzt Adam and
many more as people who have submitted themselves to the Divine Will (i.e. Islam). In
reality, in their true nature, these revelations are not limited by conventional
understandings of time or space or thought. They are universal and stand outside of
our normal bounded human perspective or perception.
Perhaps therefore the easiest way to think of Sufism is as an Islamic form of universal
mysticism or as a mystical form of universal Islam. Both ways of thinking have some
truth. If you come to think of it only as a specific sect or cult attached to a specific
religion then to some extent you have missed the point. To describe it as a tradition of
spirituality or spiritual development might be a little closer.
The Sufis believe that Almighty God has been so Gracious as to pour His Mercy into
particular souls in such a way that they acquired a level of development that enabled
them to influence and train other souls to be able to receive His Benevolence and thus
reach perfection. These souls also act as a vehicle for dispensing Almighty God's
Benevolence and Mercy to society in general, consciously or not. Indeed Sufis believe
that this is one of the ways Almighty God has chosen to develop His plan for mankind.
Without such beneficial, if hidden, influences, it is thought mankind would deteriorate
to living an animal like existence, trapped within its own lower nature. Religion, the
Sufis believe, has a social purpose and functions so as to ensure that the persons
who follow it can make the best of this life and avoid the serious consequences in the
life after death or on the Day of Judgment. It limits the negative effects of man's lower
self. Mysticism the Sufis believe goes beyond that and can take man to a higher level
of existence. If someone says to you that life is about 'the survival of the fittest' then
they are actually describing our lower nature, for in the animal, vegetable and mineral
kingdoms this is the law. To the sufis humans also have a higher, you can say angelic,
potential and this, they affirm, is governed by the law of Love.
Under Almighty God's inspiration some of the perfected souls developed methods for
increasing the effectiveness of their influence. One such method was the developing
of Sufi orders. At any given point in time an order would seem to consist of a spiritual
master, sometimes called a Shaykh or Pir, his disciples and a spiritual genealogy or
line of predecessors which trace their authority back to Hazrat Ali and thus to the Holy
Prophet. Frequently there were associated buildings or Khanqas (sometimes
misleadingly translated as monasteries). These orders developed a style of living
which usually included techniques and rituals to aid the process of perfecting
individuals and establishing communities that lived according to both the hidden and
known Laws of God. Often these techniques or rituals were secret things themselves
but this was because they could be harmful if the novice was not properly prepared
and trained or guided. This was a wise precaution, but nowadays so many techniques
have leaked into the public domain - often only partially understood - that some Sufis
at least have spoken more openly in order to set straight the many resulting
confusions 3. Sufi teachings were essentially based on the Holy Law as mentioned
above, but developed beyond the limited application which the Holy Law recommends
for everyone. It is true to say that Sufism is not for everyone - indeed at certain levels it
may only be suitable for a very few. Nevertheless at certain points in history
membership of some Sufi orders in some places would be counted in hundreds of
thousands at least. It is the heads of the Sufi orders or their caliphs (deputies) who
received and, it appears, passed on the spiritual message and authority given to them.
When we refer to Sufism as a historic thing we generally, though not entirely, mean
these orders and their associated features. footnotes
Islam, as a religion, prides itself on crossing national, racial, social, gender, class or
ethnic boundaries and thus in creating a single universal brotherhood. Within that
Islamic brotherhood the Sufis, it seems, saw themselves as a more specific
brotherhood dedicated to maintaining the spiritual vitality of the religion, rather than
just its more formal aspect. They also saw the idea of universal brotherhood as
referring to the brotherhood of mankind in a wider sense - in the sense that we are all
children of Hzt Adam, i.e. all human. Further than that many saw themselves as
belonging to a brotherhood of mystics or developed souls, irrespective of religious
affiliation. Indeed Sufis often came into conflict with religious bigotry and narrow
mindedness and were not infrequently outlawed, persecuted and reviled by some
fellow Muslims and still are.
The orders themselves branched out and formed new orders based on the teaching or
spiritual influence of some particular perfected soul or saint**. This tended to happen
when more than one disciple was found worthy of guiding their own disciples. Of
course as Sufism became overtly politically influential, as it did at times, it also
suffered corruption and deterioration not to mention acquiring a charlatan element,
and many of the great sufis are at least as scathing of 'so called Sufis' as they are of
the false piety of many of the clergy. You will get a sense of this if you read the
sublime poetry of the Persian mystic Hafiz 4 footnotes. Despite these corrupting
factors some element of spiritual vitality continued and at times flourished, albeit
changing in form, though not in essence, according to the needs of the time.
We should not be too distracted by the historical view for it must be realized that, to
sufis, the masters who passed on from this life are not in fact dead, but live and
continue to influence the development of individuals and the ordering of society from
the unseen world, even centuries after the death of their corporeal selves. They
should not really be thought of as a kind of continuing 'ghostly' presence though, for it
is this world, i.e. our 'normal' perception, that is unreal or at least transitory and
shadowy. It is the unseen world that is the real substance - this world and the events
in it are but a shadow of that. Indeed it is the view of Sufis that there is an inner or
hidden government which by divine dispensation rules the fates of nations and
individuals to the benefit of mankind. Do not imagine this means a secret cabal of
persons meeting in some hidden room utilizing magical powers. No! This refers to
those perfected souls who continue to live in the unseen beyond their corporeal death
and they can function only within and according to the Will of Almighty God. However
some living saints or highly developed persons are able to access their discussions if
and when they permit it.
You may want to know what do Sufis do. Well of course this is no more easily
answered in a few words than asking what it is American or European people do.
However I will not entirely duck the question but try very briefly to give a hint of the
flavour of some practices of which I am aware.
Firstly it should be said that authentic Sufi orders tend to encourage the conventional
practices also carried out by Muslims in general. Affirming the unity of God, ritual and
private prayer, fasting, pilgrimage (though this is sometimes to the shines of saints as
well as the more usual pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca), charitable acts, reading or
reciting of the Qur'an, ritual purity etc. However the extent to which this is overtly
insisted upon varies. My own spiritual guide used to say that Islam is very simple - its
essential requirement is that you believe that there is only one God.
In general I think it would be fair to say that the true Sufi guides are not formulaic in
their attitude. They see deep into the state of their disciple and instruct them
accordingly. In many cases it may be that their spiritual influence is more potent in
awakening a desire to follow Islamic law than anything said to the disciple. Some
disciples are, consciously at least, ambivalent about their religious affiliations.
However even the least orthodox true Sufi guide will not overtly contradict the spirit of
their own understanding of Islamic law in instructing disciples. They may or may not
tell the disciple to pray five times a day according to the Islamic law, but they will never
say do not do so. In any event the outward following of Islamic law is not the goal but
is at its best a means of getting nearer to the goal - which is spiritual development or
nearness to God.
It can be said that the observation of morality in conduct is an essential prerequisite of
progress, as is self-examination and repentance. In this respect the difference
between the Sufi and the orthodox religious believer is often in their commitment to the
spirit of the basic Islamic tenets. To give an example. A Muslim is expected to pay 2.5
% of his income to charity. The Sufi who is a little advanced however, it is said, retains
only 2.5% for his own use and gives the rest to charity. The Sufi who is really
advanced is said to give 100% and depends entirely on God. Khawaja Muinuddin
Hasan Chishti distinguishes between real fasting - which is giving up of worldly
desires or even the desire for reward in the next world, and unreal fasting which is
merely giving up of food and drink etc. for a short period footnotes 8. The same
distinction is made in regard to love. The ordinary love of one person for another, as
for instance between parent and child or between man and woman is regarded as
unreal love. It may be good but at best it is only a stepping stone to real love which is
the love of God.
All of this may appear not very exotic and interesting to you, as you may still feel
concerned to find out what the Sufis actually do, in the sense of what esoteric and
exotic customs do they follow. But one note of caution before I indicate one or two of
these. I once witnessed a very enthusiastic and nice lady from the west who was
visiting the house of a Sufi. Cornering a disciple she asked with great earnestness
when and where the secret practices of the Order were carried out. It appeared she
had tried in vain to discover when the disciples met to carry out their secret rituals
which she had not been able to witness. The disciple told her with great politeness
and patience that there were no such secret rituals and that what she had seen was
what happened. Yes it was true that sometimes the disciples sat late into the night
talking but there was nothing secret about this. The more such secret rituals were
denied the more she appeared convinced that they existed. In fact the patience that
the disciple attempted to demonstrate in responding was as much a 'secret practice' as
anything she was looking for. By all means seek to understand mysticism but don't
seek mystification.
One well known tradition is a custom of spiritual retreats for various periods, usually
forty days and nights, often with fasting. Sometimes this is carried out near the tomb of
some venerated saint. Another is the remembrance of God by repeating the name of
His essence, Allah, or of one of his attributes such as Mercy. This may be done, out
loud or silently, privately or collectively in a circle and is called Zhikr (remembrance).
There is verse in the holy Qur'an which talks of :-
'men who are not distracted from the remembrance of God either by trade or
commerce or buying and selling'. (Qur'an 24:37)
Some orders, such as the Mevlevi associated with Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, use a
whirling dance which can bring about states of spiritual ecstasy, others such as the
Chishtis, of which the Gudri Shahi Order is a branch, listen attentively to music in
praise of God, His Prophets or His saints or telling stories of Divine Love (Ishq) with
the same effect. To do this however they follow strict rules of etiquette which make it
quite different from just going to an ordinary concert or partaking in dance in an
ordinary way. Usually quite strict conditions have to be met. You will probably be able
to find descriptions of these gatherings in the literature on Sufism.
For some advanced Sufis spiritual elevation can exist without such props. Mevlana
Jalaluddin Rumi was said to go into ecstatic transport on hearing some phrase in the
street or the sound of the hammering of the goldsmith. In general it can be said that
very advanced mystics do not have to be bound by all the rules that apply to the
novice. That they appear to do so at times may be for the benefit of the disciples.
Sitting in the company of saintly or good people with or without conversation is
another custom which is given great emphasis.
However the performance of all or any techniques or rituals are not what constitutes
the essence of sufi practice and the mere carrying out of them can have little benefit
without the spiritual power and blessings of the guide. Service to the spiritual guide is
the cornerstone of Sufism.
Performing social service, acts of kindness, neighbourliness, bearing suffering with
patience, honest hard work, marriage and the raising of a family are all usually thought
of as part of the Sufi way. In short all the good manners and social graces, honesty,
cleanliness of body and heart and mind, moral courage, love of justice, humility,
generosity etc., which most 'civilized' societies proclaim more loudly than they
practice, are expected to be observed assiduously by one following the Sufi path, and
to be practiced quietly and without making claims to piety or having feelings of
superiority. The two great commandments given by Lord Jesus - to love the Lord thy
God and to love thy neighbour - sum this up very well indeed. It may be said that
learning to give and receive pure love is a quintessential practice in sufism. In truth
this may have more importance than specific rituals or practices but in fact both have
their place and are not contradictory.
Sufis, whilst being advised to live in the world rather than withdraw from it to a
monastery, are exhorted not to be part of this world. As my spiritual guide said, they
should float like a leaf lightly on the surface of a stream - following its currents but not
being dragged into its depths. One great saint has said (loosely paraphrased) that
worldliness is not beautiful women, big mansions, fast cars and jewels or good food,
but the forgetting of God.
A common practice amongst Sufis is the telling of stories. These convey lofty ideas
through a simple medium and when told by a spiritual guide they have a great, if
sometimes hidden, effect on the mind and the heart. The parables of Lord Jesus are of
course a wonderful model for this. It is hoped that some of these stories will be
featured on this website in the future but of course their effect can be quite different
according to the circumstance of their telling. Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi used to say
that these stories are like bread - better when they are fresh.
I have mentioned the idea of sitting in good company, but you may imagine this means
only sitting physically with good and like minded persons. It is this, but it is more. In
fact when students of Sufism talk together they often discuss the lives or sayings of
Prophets or great saints. This is another form of good company, since if we talk
respectably of such persons Sufis believe a beneficial influence from them occurs and
elevates the spirit of those talking, and in effect they gain the spiritual company of
saints. Nor is this practice restricted to discussing religious figures. Sufis tend to
recognize an affinity with great minds so discussion of great thinkers, poets or mystics
from other traditions may also figure. The reading of good books can also be a way of
getting good company - though Sufism cannot be learned just from books. Bringing to
mind the mental image of the spiritual guide is another common practice. In Sufism
concentration is important - whether it is reading the newspaper, watching the news
etc. on TV or focusing on a mental image or an external object.
Much can also be conveyed through a look (of grace) or through presence. When I sat
with my own spiritual guide, Hzt Zahurul Hasan Sharib (usually referred to
affectionately and respectfully as Zahurmian), who was the head of the Gudri Shahi
Order of Sufis, we often sat in silence or talked only of incidental things and yet,
through this, he conveyed more than could have been learned from sermons. Also
when he did talk to me he would sometimes slip into a language he knew I could not
follow and yet I still felt he was communicating to me most effectively. I also met a
great Shaykh in Konya, Turkey, called Nuri Baba who had a similair effect on me.
However I do not want to go into personal experiences, they might interest you but
may not help you much. As a matter of fact it is said that when a true Sufi Shaykh or
guide speaks to a disciple, or a group of disciples, he is not speaking from self
interest, for it is believed that he has died to his own desires and he is acting, so to
speak, as a mirror, reflecting in his words and actions the disciples' needs. Another
way of describing this is to see the words as waves on an ocean. The Shaykh has
become the ocean and his words and actions are like waves that rise and disappear
back into the ocean. They arise not from the ocean but from the effect of the wind
blowing on the surface of the ocean. When the disciples' thoughts have become stilled
the ocean is calm.
One of the customs of Zahurmian was to visit daily the tomb of the towering saint
Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti who is the focus of attention for Sufis belonging to
the Chishti Order, which is widespread in India and Pakistan. Zahurmian would circle
the tomb and then sit nearby for some time. He would sit in the same spot everyday at
the same time. The visiting of tombs has a long tradition in Sufism and, provided it is
accompanied by appropriate respect, can be said to be of great spiritual and
sometimes material benefit. His disciples would sit attentively and respectfully near by.
The Sufis see themselves as sitting in a great spiritual court at which great matters are
discussed and benefits bestowed, unseen to most and unheard by most but seen and
heard by the Shaykhs. The tombs of saints such as this are open to all who seek their
help sincerely, irrespective of religion etc. There is a great verse by Mevlana
Jalaluddin Rumi (here loosely translated) which expresses this spirit:-
'Come, come, whatever you are, it doesn't matter,
Whether you are an infidel, an idolater or a fire worshiper,
Come, our court is not a place of disappointment, come,
Even if you have broken your vows a hundred times, come again. '
Another practice amongst some Sufis is to show deep respect at the tomb of a saint by
kneeling and kissing the ground near where the saint's feet would be. This is a point of
some controversy with orthodox Muslims (and some Sufis) as from outside it can look
like worship and Islam specifically rejects the worship of anything but God. Others see
it as a deep form of respect and devotion and point out that it was not uncommon for
Muslims in the past to show this sort of respect even to mere worldly rulers. There are
numerous other arguments in support of or opposition to this practice. Another option
is to make a short recitation of some Qur'anic verses with the hands uplifted followed
sometimes by a personal request for intercession by the saint.
You may be expecting me to talk about how the Sufis do things like meditation or
practices with holding the breath, etc. Of course there are many such techniques and
they have been written about - some safer ones, which are of great practical value,
you can find in the series of lectures which Hzt Zahurul Hasan Sharib has written
footnotes 5. His spiritual guide Hzt Nawob Khadim Hasan Sahib has also written a
short book with some descriptions of Sufi practices 6. Techniques have their place but
in my view we westerners are frequently a little more interested in exotic techniques
than is always entirely good for us. A practice often recommended is simply to eat
less, sleep less and talk less. Many of the safer practices are already well known to
you. Have you ever sat and literally 'counted your blessings'? The rule of moderation
is valuable. To undertake practices without proper guidance is not wise.
The most basic lesson of Sufism is sometimes said to be to learn to sit properly. Some
think that perhaps it is also one of the most advanced lessons.
A not uncommon experience when maintaining the company of the guide with
faithfulness is that such techniques as are needed may be gifted to the person. That is
to say, they gain the 'technique' apparently from within themselves, without overt
teaching and, though the technique may or may not require effort, the ability to make
any effort needed is also gifted. There are ways between soul and soul which cannot
be described with advantage but which it is not beyond the power of man to
apprehend. It is also said that Love is a gift.
But people are different and some people require external technical help and where a
real need arises the guide supplies that. He may give some formula to recite a fixed
number of times each day. He may advise specific periods or types of meditation. He
may interpret a dream for you. He may give a straightforward piece of practical advice.
He may tell you to fast or he may tell you to eat. He may give you some task to
complete, suggest some book to read or some place to visit. Or he may just smile!
Sometimes the disciple stands in legitimate need of material help. In this case the
master's prayers are believed to be of great help in obtaining that, and, whilst the
logically oriented mind will reach quickly for words like coincidence in order to explain
away the ensuing events, the sheer plethora of these 'coincidences' will leave any
reasonable person in little doubt that the normal course of events has been altered.
Another practice is called fatiha, this is a sort of communal (or sometimes private)
'prayer' consisting of recitation of Qur'anic verses over food and in one form or another
is common amongst Muslims generally. In the Gudri Shahi Order, based in Ajmer,
India, this incorporates both Qur'anic recitation and respectful invocation of God's
blessing on the souls of the holy Prophets and the saints of the spiritual genealogy of
the order. Sometimes this takes the form of a kind of chanting. It may be done for the
benefit of some person who has died or to commemorate the anniversary of the
passing of some saint. At the end everyone present partakes of some of the food.
One custom that may interest you is the ritual of initiation as a disciple. This usually
consists of a short recitation of some Qur'anic verses, some form of words indicating
the acceptance by the disciple of the unity of God and the authority of the holy
Prophet, Hazrat Ali and the Shaykhs of the order. There is usually the taking of the
hands of the disciple between the hands of the guide who may offer some prayer for
the disciple's acceptance. A nominal offering from the disciple of perhaps a
handkerchief, sweets and some flowers may be accepted. The ritual varies between
orders and the form of words may differ from occasion to occasion. The disciple is
usually presented with a written copy of the list of spiritual successors with verses
from the Holy Qur'an and respectful salaams (greetings) or invocations of God's
blessings on the holy Prophet and the saints. This is signed by the guide. The ritual
usually lasts just a few minutes.
Sometimes when the guide deems it appropriate he may give some article such as a
coat or hat to the disciple - the most valued of these are the ones that have been worn
or used by the guide. They are generally taken to indicate that the guide is pleased
with that person's progress.
Leaving customs and rituals I will touch briefly upon some other areas. Firstly, you will
no doubt come across the term wine used in Sufi literature. In general it is thought that
this does not refer literally to alcohol, which is neither permitted in Islam nor generally
approved in Sufism, but to a kind of feeling of spiritual elation which may come as the
reward of some endeavor or from close association with the spiritual guide or by some
other means. One of the great advantages of spiritual intoxication is that it tends to
drown out and silence harmful negative thoughts and if it creates a sense of
dependency, it is dependency on God or spiritual effort rather than on material means
to alter consciousness. Some Sufis give great emphasis to this kind of intoxication.
Others however maintain that there is a stage of sobriety which is even better than
that.
Something may also be said of specifically intoxicating drugs. In the course of spiritual
development most, though not all, followers of the Sufi way find themselves enveloped
in transitory states which appear to arise from within themselves. However these
states are not the purpose of Sufism. If the person undergoing these states is properly
trained and guided they may be of benefit by giving encouragement and internal
evidence of progress, if not they can have a harmful effect on long term, real progress.
It need hardly be pointed out that to pursue 'altered states of consciousness' by the aid
of artificial intoxicants may have much more harmful effects on spiritual development. It
has been said that the behaviour of the truly well established Sufis appears exactly as
the behaviour of anyone else and that they appear quite indistinguishable from their
neighbours, exhibiting no outward signs of altered states of awareness. The difference
lying in the presence of spiritual power residing in the saint which makes the ordinary,
extraordinary. However circumstances vary.
Mysticism is sometimes associated with secrecy. Do Sufis keep secrets - or tell lies?
My understanding of this is that in one sense they may appear to do so, but the sense
is this. Suppose a very young and innocent child comes to you and questions you
about the sensations associated with physical intimacy in connubial bliss? What will
you say (assuming you have experience of this)? If you deny knowledge of it you will
be lying and you are certainly keeping a secret. If you try to explain it openly the child
will not be able to grasp what you are saying and will think you are talking nonsense
or form a very distorted view of it. If you make a comparison suited to the child's
understanding and say it is something which adults find as enjoyable as the child does
sweets then you may also feel that you are telling a kind of lie since you know very
well that it is not comparable to tasting sweets. If you refuse to answer you may only
stimulate the child's curiosity. Another problem is that this may be an intensely
personal thing shared with a beloved and you do not wish to trivialize or betray it by
verbal description to another. You may also be aware that it cannot satisfactorily be
described anyway. Yet another problem is that even if you do manage some sort of
communication will the child then be inclined to misrepresent this to other children who
will become confused? Most adults will use every means to avoid this situation until
they judge the child has become mature and adult enough to benefit from some
explanation.
In this sense, and in this sense only, the real developed Sufis may appear to belong to
a conspiracy of either silence or 'implicit lies', as they are effectively adults mostly
surrounded by innocent children, quite irrespective of apparent chronological age. But
this is of course very different from the lie that is used for personal advantage or the
secret that is kept from feelings of guilt or to mislead. In every other respect the real
Sufis seem to value truthfulness, integrity and sincerity as indispensable virtues and
even candor has its place. There is a tradition that the holy Prophet advised people
not to ask him questions that, if answered would be a great difficulty to them. Perhaps
we can express all of this simply by saying that what God hides from most people, he
hides for His good purpose (which is to say for their benefit). What He reveals to some
he reveals for His own good purpose.
I will add one caveat here, in case you think that any of this supposes a sense of
superiority in sufis. Contradictory as this may appear, Sufis do not think of themselves
as superior. In fact they have a well established mode of perception which regards
everyone else as superior to themselves. If anything they perceive themselves as
child-like in an adult world - but to go further into this apparent paradox is not the
purpose of these notes.
Perhaps you would like a little glimpse into the thinking of the Sufis on the important
points of spiritual purity and human choice.
From what I have been able to discover Sufis tend to think along these lines. One of
God's requirements is faith and belief, in the absence of concrete proof. Without the
existence of doubt and disbelief there would be no such thing as faith or belief - thus
He allows doubt and disbelief. However He condemns doubt and disbelief and
approves faith and belief. Thus he leaves us with some degree of apparent choice,
either to seek His pleasure or His displeasure, to have faith or to doubt, to have belief
or disbelief. If successful the struggle that this produces within us can help to lead
towards what is termed in Sufism as purification. Some Sufis have described it thus.
There is a 'place' where each of us is represented in the form of a pure spirit-body7.
The image of the spirit-body appears either to consist of a shining white light
substance or as black and 'dirty', or as some mixture of the two. Each good effort we
make, such as acts of faith, or belief, or pure love which are acceptable to God,
causes that spirit-body to acquire a spot of light. Worldly or sinful acts which draws us
away from God produce a black or dirty spot. The removal of all black spots, leaving
that spirit-body represented as pure white light, is a matter of great moment to the
sufis. Indeed the term 'sufi' is often thought to derive from the same root as the word
for purity. For them one of the best aids to this spiritual purity of thought and action, to
faith, belief , love etc., is the company of those who are pure, for without doubt we are
affected by that with which we surround ourselves. For them the true and pure spiritual
guide is the best of company.
What I have said in these notes is hardly a hint of a hint of the aroma of the wine of
Sufism - let alone its flavour. I have spoken to some extent as if Sufism could be
considered as just another subject in the curriculum, but I have tried to make clear that
it is more than that. If you merely wish to add it to your trophy belt of subjects studied
then what is written here will not be enough for you, but there is quite a lot of scholarly
literature that will help you to feel you have done just that. If your deep and sincere
interest is to find out what Sufism is really about then you are actually seeking God
and it may be that your search has yet to begin. It may take you a lifetime of
commitment and striving and, if in His Grace He wills it, provide you with benefits
which will surprise you not a little.
Words and thoughts have a great power. Sufis take what they think, say and do
seriously, since they expect to be judged by God on this. Therefore they often include
a prayer at the end of their writing. I will follow their practice to the extent of offering my
earnest hope and prayer that if I have said anything misleading, that Almighty God will
forgive it, cover my fault, and remove any ill effect my words might cause and change
that bad effect into good as only He has the power to do. Amen.
Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri 4, Polygon Court , The Polygon, Southampton.
September 16th 1998
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Footnotes
* It is the custom in eastern literature to make plentiful use of honorific titles out of respect. I have abbreviated here the word
Hazrat which is just such a term, in order to attempt to make it easier for the western reader who will probably be struggling
with the unfamiliar names anyway. However I cannot bring myself to drop these entirely as the reasons behind their use I find
quite valid.
** The term saint is not awarded by formal process as happens in some Christian traditions, but is used to refers to a person
generally thought to be saintly. In truth however it is really a term which can only be conferred by the grace of God.
1. The Psalm of Light: The Psalm of Love: The Psalm of Life: all published by Sharib Press. 1990
2. The Confessions of Al-Ghazzali: Translated by C. Field. Kitab Bhavan. India. 1992.
3. The Sacred Knowledge: Shah Wali Ullah: Translated by G. N. Jalbani. Octagon Press. 1982.
4. The Hafez Poems of Gertrude Bell: Iranbooks. 1995.
5. Lectures of the Society of Mystics: The Society of Mystics. Sharib House, Jhalra, Ajmer.1975-1996.
6. The Path of Tasaawuf: Hzt. Khadim Hasan. East West Publications.
7. The Sacred Knowledge: Shah Wali Ullah: Translated by G. N. Jalbani. Octagon Press. 1982.
8. The Meditations of Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti: Z. H. Sharib. Sharib Press. 1994.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------.
Copyright Sharib Press. 1998.
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students.
by Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri
If you ask 'what is Sufism? ' you may be meaning how do you fit 'Sufism' as a piece of
knowledge into the overall curriculum consisting of many different branches of
knowledge about the universe and how it works. Then you must understand that it is a
way, quite a direct way, into what might be described as the wholeness underlying that
curriculum.
Let me explain. Your curriculum contains many subjects, art, music, poetry,
psychology, social sciences, pure and applied science, biology, medicine, history,
geography, engineering, agriculture etc. The list is enormous. None of these is in
themselves the whole of the curriculum. Even all of them added together would not be
the same as the whole of which they are a part. Each relies on an underlying
wholeness, a universality of which each is a particular manifestation. You may be
familiar with the expression that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Sufism
concerns itself with the underlying whole - you can say with the underlying nature of
reality or truth, in a quite direct way.
This may sound at first as if we are talking about philosophy, but it is not philosophy
since Sufism relies on an extra faculty rather than on logical deductive reasoning. The
extra faculty is called taste or a particular type of direct experiencing. No amount of
talking or writing about it will be sufficient. For example, it will be very clear to you that
you could not explain the sense of sight, adequately to someone who is blind from
birth. The way in which this is usually illustrated in Sufism is this. The Sufis point out
that if you try to explain to someone who has never had it, how sugar tastes, then,
however you try, the person cannot understand you, but when they taste the sugar all
confusion or doubt is cleared away without need of explanation. So in certain respects
Sufism utilises this special faculty of taste to apprehend the nature of the reality on
which all knowledge in the curriculum, so to speak, is based.
Of course taste is only a metaphor. Sensory experience is but a part of the whole and
tasting here refers to a faculty which is quite distinct from, but in a way contains, all the
sensory faculties such as hearing, taste, touch sight and smell. Sufism has been
called the science of Reality. In many respects it is quite distinct from the natural
sciences but it shares their concern for Truth.
The fruits of Sufism, in other words the benefits it brings if followed and practiced
assiduously, have been described by Hzt* Zahurul Hasan Sharib as 'better living' 1.
footnotes
The explanation I have given above can hardly be entirely satisfactory to you and in
any event applies broadly to mysticism of many types. We will therefore restrict
ourselves to talking about Sufism largely as if it were a single subject in the curriculum.
But you should bear in mind during this discussion that it is really a way or a path to
the Universal Real and perhaps beyond that since at a certain point word/concepts fail
us. Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, a great Sufi saint, said somewhere that whatever stage
is reached on this path always ask if there is more.
Taking Sufism for now as if it is a subject in the curriculum, what are its
characteristics? Firstly we may say that its historical origins are believed to lie in the
revelations to the holy Prophet Muhammed. Of course these days some of the various
ways in which Islam is practiced and also the ways in which it is represented in the
western media, may produce a negative response in you, if you are not a Muslim - and
perhaps even if you are. I must leave you to deal with those feelings in your own way,
and to use your own intelligence to ascertain the truth behind the fiction or to suspend
your judgment whilst you learn.
To get to know something about Sufism may require a willingness to, temporarily at
least, suspend judgment and preconception. One great medieval scholar called
Al-Ghazzali2 was known as the most learned man in all the major sciences of his day
yet he set aside his knowledge in order to ascertain the truth about Sufism from within.
He became a great Sufi himself and gave recognition of, and scholarly validity to, the
Sufi approach. footnotes
The meaning of the word Islam is often described as submission to Divine Will.
Muslims believe that Almighty God (usually through the medium of the angel Gabriel)
revealed His message for mankind to the holy Prophet Muhammed. Sufis consider that
those revelations consisted not only of the things openly spoken about but of a deeper
hidden truth. They believe that this hidden part of the revelations to the Holy Prophet
were passed by him to his son-in-law, Hazrat Ali. The explicit part of that revelation
they called The Holy Law and this was enshrined in Islamic beliefs and practices, such
as ritual prayers, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, the organizing of society and the
establishment of a moral and legal code. The implicit part of the revelation was passed
by Hazrat Ali to others found worthy to bear it, who in turn passed it on to worthy
successors, who in their turn similarly passed it on. One of the earliest mystics to
establish a recognisable sufi code was Hzt Junaid of Baghdad who is sometimes
called the Lord of the Tribe of Sufis.
You must understand that the 'passing on' of the hidden or implicit aspect of revelation
was not done in the way in which ordinary knowledge is passed on, by a process of
instruction, practice and learning. Nor did it consist of secret verbal formulae which
could be learned. Where such exist they are a manifestation and not the reality behind
it. It was transmitted in a way that cannot usefully be described, but, once known, it is
as clear as the tasting of sugar to which we earlier referred. If we say it is passed from
heart to heart that only partly describes it.
Often the transmission was accompanied by the passing on of holy relics such as a
cap, or coat, or prayer carpet, used by the spiritual predecessors.
What you must bear in mind is that the historical perspective is limited. In reality the
message, as it is called, that was given to the Holy Prophet, was in essence, if not in
specifics, the same as that revealed from time to time throughout history. The holy
Qur'an, which is the sacred book of Muslims, makes this clear - referring to other great
Prophets such as Hzt Jesus, Hzt Moses, Hzt Abraham, Hzt Noah and Hzt Adam and
many more as people who have submitted themselves to the Divine Will (i.e. Islam). In
reality, in their true nature, these revelations are not limited by conventional
understandings of time or space or thought. They are universal and stand outside of
our normal bounded human perspective or perception.
Perhaps therefore the easiest way to think of Sufism is as an Islamic form of universal
mysticism or as a mystical form of universal Islam. Both ways of thinking have some
truth. If you come to think of it only as a specific sect or cult attached to a specific
religion then to some extent you have missed the point. To describe it as a tradition of
spirituality or spiritual development might be a little closer.
The Sufis believe that Almighty God has been so Gracious as to pour His Mercy into
particular souls in such a way that they acquired a level of development that enabled
them to influence and train other souls to be able to receive His Benevolence and thus
reach perfection. These souls also act as a vehicle for dispensing Almighty God's
Benevolence and Mercy to society in general, consciously or not. Indeed Sufis believe
that this is one of the ways Almighty God has chosen to develop His plan for mankind.
Without such beneficial, if hidden, influences, it is thought mankind would deteriorate
to living an animal like existence, trapped within its own lower nature. Religion, the
Sufis believe, has a social purpose and functions so as to ensure that the persons
who follow it can make the best of this life and avoid the serious consequences in the
life after death or on the Day of Judgment. It limits the negative effects of man's lower
self. Mysticism the Sufis believe goes beyond that and can take man to a higher level
of existence. If someone says to you that life is about 'the survival of the fittest' then
they are actually describing our lower nature, for in the animal, vegetable and mineral
kingdoms this is the law. To the sufis humans also have a higher, you can say angelic,
potential and this, they affirm, is governed by the law of Love.
Under Almighty God's inspiration some of the perfected souls developed methods for
increasing the effectiveness of their influence. One such method was the developing
of Sufi orders. At any given point in time an order would seem to consist of a spiritual
master, sometimes called a Shaykh or Pir, his disciples and a spiritual genealogy or
line of predecessors which trace their authority back to Hazrat Ali and thus to the Holy
Prophet. Frequently there were associated buildings or Khanqas (sometimes
misleadingly translated as monasteries). These orders developed a style of living
which usually included techniques and rituals to aid the process of perfecting
individuals and establishing communities that lived according to both the hidden and
known Laws of God. Often these techniques or rituals were secret things themselves
but this was because they could be harmful if the novice was not properly prepared
and trained or guided. This was a wise precaution, but nowadays so many techniques
have leaked into the public domain - often only partially understood - that some Sufis
at least have spoken more openly in order to set straight the many resulting
confusions 3. Sufi teachings were essentially based on the Holy Law as mentioned
above, but developed beyond the limited application which the Holy Law recommends
for everyone. It is true to say that Sufism is not for everyone - indeed at certain levels it
may only be suitable for a very few. Nevertheless at certain points in history
membership of some Sufi orders in some places would be counted in hundreds of
thousands at least. It is the heads of the Sufi orders or their caliphs (deputies) who
received and, it appears, passed on the spiritual message and authority given to them.
When we refer to Sufism as a historic thing we generally, though not entirely, mean
these orders and their associated features. footnotes
Islam, as a religion, prides itself on crossing national, racial, social, gender, class or
ethnic boundaries and thus in creating a single universal brotherhood. Within that
Islamic brotherhood the Sufis, it seems, saw themselves as a more specific
brotherhood dedicated to maintaining the spiritual vitality of the religion, rather than
just its more formal aspect. They also saw the idea of universal brotherhood as
referring to the brotherhood of mankind in a wider sense - in the sense that we are all
children of Hzt Adam, i.e. all human. Further than that many saw themselves as
belonging to a brotherhood of mystics or developed souls, irrespective of religious
affiliation. Indeed Sufis often came into conflict with religious bigotry and narrow
mindedness and were not infrequently outlawed, persecuted and reviled by some
fellow Muslims and still are.
The orders themselves branched out and formed new orders based on the teaching or
spiritual influence of some particular perfected soul or saint**. This tended to happen
when more than one disciple was found worthy of guiding their own disciples. Of
course as Sufism became overtly politically influential, as it did at times, it also
suffered corruption and deterioration not to mention acquiring a charlatan element,
and many of the great sufis are at least as scathing of 'so called Sufis' as they are of
the false piety of many of the clergy. You will get a sense of this if you read the
sublime poetry of the Persian mystic Hafiz 4 footnotes. Despite these corrupting
factors some element of spiritual vitality continued and at times flourished, albeit
changing in form, though not in essence, according to the needs of the time.
We should not be too distracted by the historical view for it must be realized that, to
sufis, the masters who passed on from this life are not in fact dead, but live and
continue to influence the development of individuals and the ordering of society from
the unseen world, even centuries after the death of their corporeal selves. They
should not really be thought of as a kind of continuing 'ghostly' presence though, for it
is this world, i.e. our 'normal' perception, that is unreal or at least transitory and
shadowy. It is the unseen world that is the real substance - this world and the events
in it are but a shadow of that. Indeed it is the view of Sufis that there is an inner or
hidden government which by divine dispensation rules the fates of nations and
individuals to the benefit of mankind. Do not imagine this means a secret cabal of
persons meeting in some hidden room utilizing magical powers. No! This refers to
those perfected souls who continue to live in the unseen beyond their corporeal death
and they can function only within and according to the Will of Almighty God. However
some living saints or highly developed persons are able to access their discussions if
and when they permit it.
You may want to know what do Sufis do. Well of course this is no more easily
answered in a few words than asking what it is American or European people do.
However I will not entirely duck the question but try very briefly to give a hint of the
flavour of some practices of which I am aware.
Firstly it should be said that authentic Sufi orders tend to encourage the conventional
practices also carried out by Muslims in general. Affirming the unity of God, ritual and
private prayer, fasting, pilgrimage (though this is sometimes to the shines of saints as
well as the more usual pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca), charitable acts, reading or
reciting of the Qur'an, ritual purity etc. However the extent to which this is overtly
insisted upon varies. My own spiritual guide used to say that Islam is very simple - its
essential requirement is that you believe that there is only one God.
In general I think it would be fair to say that the true Sufi guides are not formulaic in
their attitude. They see deep into the state of their disciple and instruct them
accordingly. In many cases it may be that their spiritual influence is more potent in
awakening a desire to follow Islamic law than anything said to the disciple. Some
disciples are, consciously at least, ambivalent about their religious affiliations.
However even the least orthodox true Sufi guide will not overtly contradict the spirit of
their own understanding of Islamic law in instructing disciples. They may or may not
tell the disciple to pray five times a day according to the Islamic law, but they will never
say do not do so. In any event the outward following of Islamic law is not the goal but
is at its best a means of getting nearer to the goal - which is spiritual development or
nearness to God.
It can be said that the observation of morality in conduct is an essential prerequisite of
progress, as is self-examination and repentance. In this respect the difference
between the Sufi and the orthodox religious believer is often in their commitment to the
spirit of the basic Islamic tenets. To give an example. A Muslim is expected to pay 2.5
% of his income to charity. The Sufi who is a little advanced however, it is said, retains
only 2.5% for his own use and gives the rest to charity. The Sufi who is really
advanced is said to give 100% and depends entirely on God. Khawaja Muinuddin
Hasan Chishti distinguishes between real fasting - which is giving up of worldly
desires or even the desire for reward in the next world, and unreal fasting which is
merely giving up of food and drink etc. for a short period footnotes 8. The same
distinction is made in regard to love. The ordinary love of one person for another, as
for instance between parent and child or between man and woman is regarded as
unreal love. It may be good but at best it is only a stepping stone to real love which is
the love of God.
All of this may appear not very exotic and interesting to you, as you may still feel
concerned to find out what the Sufis actually do, in the sense of what esoteric and
exotic customs do they follow. But one note of caution before I indicate one or two of
these. I once witnessed a very enthusiastic and nice lady from the west who was
visiting the house of a Sufi. Cornering a disciple she asked with great earnestness
when and where the secret practices of the Order were carried out. It appeared she
had tried in vain to discover when the disciples met to carry out their secret rituals
which she had not been able to witness. The disciple told her with great politeness
and patience that there were no such secret rituals and that what she had seen was
what happened. Yes it was true that sometimes the disciples sat late into the night
talking but there was nothing secret about this. The more such secret rituals were
denied the more she appeared convinced that they existed. In fact the patience that
the disciple attempted to demonstrate in responding was as much a 'secret practice' as
anything she was looking for. By all means seek to understand mysticism but don't
seek mystification.
One well known tradition is a custom of spiritual retreats for various periods, usually
forty days and nights, often with fasting. Sometimes this is carried out near the tomb of
some venerated saint. Another is the remembrance of God by repeating the name of
His essence, Allah, or of one of his attributes such as Mercy. This may be done, out
loud or silently, privately or collectively in a circle and is called Zhikr (remembrance).
There is verse in the holy Qur'an which talks of :-
'men who are not distracted from the remembrance of God either by trade or
commerce or buying and selling'. (Qur'an 24:37)
Some orders, such as the Mevlevi associated with Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, use a
whirling dance which can bring about states of spiritual ecstasy, others such as the
Chishtis, of which the Gudri Shahi Order is a branch, listen attentively to music in
praise of God, His Prophets or His saints or telling stories of Divine Love (Ishq) with
the same effect. To do this however they follow strict rules of etiquette which make it
quite different from just going to an ordinary concert or partaking in dance in an
ordinary way. Usually quite strict conditions have to be met. You will probably be able
to find descriptions of these gatherings in the literature on Sufism.
For some advanced Sufis spiritual elevation can exist without such props. Mevlana
Jalaluddin Rumi was said to go into ecstatic transport on hearing some phrase in the
street or the sound of the hammering of the goldsmith. In general it can be said that
very advanced mystics do not have to be bound by all the rules that apply to the
novice. That they appear to do so at times may be for the benefit of the disciples.
Sitting in the company of saintly or good people with or without conversation is
another custom which is given great emphasis.
However the performance of all or any techniques or rituals are not what constitutes
the essence of sufi practice and the mere carrying out of them can have little benefit
without the spiritual power and blessings of the guide. Service to the spiritual guide is
the cornerstone of Sufism.
Performing social service, acts of kindness, neighbourliness, bearing suffering with
patience, honest hard work, marriage and the raising of a family are all usually thought
of as part of the Sufi way. In short all the good manners and social graces, honesty,
cleanliness of body and heart and mind, moral courage, love of justice, humility,
generosity etc., which most 'civilized' societies proclaim more loudly than they
practice, are expected to be observed assiduously by one following the Sufi path, and
to be practiced quietly and without making claims to piety or having feelings of
superiority. The two great commandments given by Lord Jesus - to love the Lord thy
God and to love thy neighbour - sum this up very well indeed. It may be said that
learning to give and receive pure love is a quintessential practice in sufism. In truth
this may have more importance than specific rituals or practices but in fact both have
their place and are not contradictory.
Sufis, whilst being advised to live in the world rather than withdraw from it to a
monastery, are exhorted not to be part of this world. As my spiritual guide said, they
should float like a leaf lightly on the surface of a stream - following its currents but not
being dragged into its depths. One great saint has said (loosely paraphrased) that
worldliness is not beautiful women, big mansions, fast cars and jewels or good food,
but the forgetting of God.
A common practice amongst Sufis is the telling of stories. These convey lofty ideas
through a simple medium and when told by a spiritual guide they have a great, if
sometimes hidden, effect on the mind and the heart. The parables of Lord Jesus are of
course a wonderful model for this. It is hoped that some of these stories will be
featured on this website in the future but of course their effect can be quite different
according to the circumstance of their telling. Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi used to say
that these stories are like bread - better when they are fresh.
I have mentioned the idea of sitting in good company, but you may imagine this means
only sitting physically with good and like minded persons. It is this, but it is more. In
fact when students of Sufism talk together they often discuss the lives or sayings of
Prophets or great saints. This is another form of good company, since if we talk
respectably of such persons Sufis believe a beneficial influence from them occurs and
elevates the spirit of those talking, and in effect they gain the spiritual company of
saints. Nor is this practice restricted to discussing religious figures. Sufis tend to
recognize an affinity with great minds so discussion of great thinkers, poets or mystics
from other traditions may also figure. The reading of good books can also be a way of
getting good company - though Sufism cannot be learned just from books. Bringing to
mind the mental image of the spiritual guide is another common practice. In Sufism
concentration is important - whether it is reading the newspaper, watching the news
etc. on TV or focusing on a mental image or an external object.
Much can also be conveyed through a look (of grace) or through presence. When I sat
with my own spiritual guide, Hzt Zahurul Hasan Sharib (usually referred to
affectionately and respectfully as Zahurmian), who was the head of the Gudri Shahi
Order of Sufis, we often sat in silence or talked only of incidental things and yet,
through this, he conveyed more than could have been learned from sermons. Also
when he did talk to me he would sometimes slip into a language he knew I could not
follow and yet I still felt he was communicating to me most effectively. I also met a
great Shaykh in Konya, Turkey, called Nuri Baba who had a similair effect on me.
However I do not want to go into personal experiences, they might interest you but
may not help you much. As a matter of fact it is said that when a true Sufi Shaykh or
guide speaks to a disciple, or a group of disciples, he is not speaking from self
interest, for it is believed that he has died to his own desires and he is acting, so to
speak, as a mirror, reflecting in his words and actions the disciples' needs. Another
way of describing this is to see the words as waves on an ocean. The Shaykh has
become the ocean and his words and actions are like waves that rise and disappear
back into the ocean. They arise not from the ocean but from the effect of the wind
blowing on the surface of the ocean. When the disciples' thoughts have become stilled
the ocean is calm.
One of the customs of Zahurmian was to visit daily the tomb of the towering saint
Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti who is the focus of attention for Sufis belonging to
the Chishti Order, which is widespread in India and Pakistan. Zahurmian would circle
the tomb and then sit nearby for some time. He would sit in the same spot everyday at
the same time. The visiting of tombs has a long tradition in Sufism and, provided it is
accompanied by appropriate respect, can be said to be of great spiritual and
sometimes material benefit. His disciples would sit attentively and respectfully near by.
The Sufis see themselves as sitting in a great spiritual court at which great matters are
discussed and benefits bestowed, unseen to most and unheard by most but seen and
heard by the Shaykhs. The tombs of saints such as this are open to all who seek their
help sincerely, irrespective of religion etc. There is a great verse by Mevlana
Jalaluddin Rumi (here loosely translated) which expresses this spirit:-
'Come, come, whatever you are, it doesn't matter,
Whether you are an infidel, an idolater or a fire worshiper,
Come, our court is not a place of disappointment, come,
Even if you have broken your vows a hundred times, come again. '
Another practice amongst some Sufis is to show deep respect at the tomb of a saint by
kneeling and kissing the ground near where the saint's feet would be. This is a point of
some controversy with orthodox Muslims (and some Sufis) as from outside it can look
like worship and Islam specifically rejects the worship of anything but God. Others see
it as a deep form of respect and devotion and point out that it was not uncommon for
Muslims in the past to show this sort of respect even to mere worldly rulers. There are
numerous other arguments in support of or opposition to this practice. Another option
is to make a short recitation of some Qur'anic verses with the hands uplifted followed
sometimes by a personal request for intercession by the saint.
You may be expecting me to talk about how the Sufis do things like meditation or
practices with holding the breath, etc. Of course there are many such techniques and
they have been written about - some safer ones, which are of great practical value,
you can find in the series of lectures which Hzt Zahurul Hasan Sharib has written
footnotes 5. His spiritual guide Hzt Nawob Khadim Hasan Sahib has also written a
short book with some descriptions of Sufi practices 6. Techniques have their place but
in my view we westerners are frequently a little more interested in exotic techniques
than is always entirely good for us. A practice often recommended is simply to eat
less, sleep less and talk less. Many of the safer practices are already well known to
you. Have you ever sat and literally 'counted your blessings'? The rule of moderation
is valuable. To undertake practices without proper guidance is not wise.
The most basic lesson of Sufism is sometimes said to be to learn to sit properly. Some
think that perhaps it is also one of the most advanced lessons.
A not uncommon experience when maintaining the company of the guide with
faithfulness is that such techniques as are needed may be gifted to the person. That is
to say, they gain the 'technique' apparently from within themselves, without overt
teaching and, though the technique may or may not require effort, the ability to make
any effort needed is also gifted. There are ways between soul and soul which cannot
be described with advantage but which it is not beyond the power of man to
apprehend. It is also said that Love is a gift.
But people are different and some people require external technical help and where a
real need arises the guide supplies that. He may give some formula to recite a fixed
number of times each day. He may advise specific periods or types of meditation. He
may interpret a dream for you. He may give a straightforward piece of practical advice.
He may tell you to fast or he may tell you to eat. He may give you some task to
complete, suggest some book to read or some place to visit. Or he may just smile!
Sometimes the disciple stands in legitimate need of material help. In this case the
master's prayers are believed to be of great help in obtaining that, and, whilst the
logically oriented mind will reach quickly for words like coincidence in order to explain
away the ensuing events, the sheer plethora of these 'coincidences' will leave any
reasonable person in little doubt that the normal course of events has been altered.
Another practice is called fatiha, this is a sort of communal (or sometimes private)
'prayer' consisting of recitation of Qur'anic verses over food and in one form or another
is common amongst Muslims generally. In the Gudri Shahi Order, based in Ajmer,
India, this incorporates both Qur'anic recitation and respectful invocation of God's
blessing on the souls of the holy Prophets and the saints of the spiritual genealogy of
the order. Sometimes this takes the form of a kind of chanting. It may be done for the
benefit of some person who has died or to commemorate the anniversary of the
passing of some saint. At the end everyone present partakes of some of the food.
One custom that may interest you is the ritual of initiation as a disciple. This usually
consists of a short recitation of some Qur'anic verses, some form of words indicating
the acceptance by the disciple of the unity of God and the authority of the holy
Prophet, Hazrat Ali and the Shaykhs of the order. There is usually the taking of the
hands of the disciple between the hands of the guide who may offer some prayer for
the disciple's acceptance. A nominal offering from the disciple of perhaps a
handkerchief, sweets and some flowers may be accepted. The ritual varies between
orders and the form of words may differ from occasion to occasion. The disciple is
usually presented with a written copy of the list of spiritual successors with verses
from the Holy Qur'an and respectful salaams (greetings) or invocations of God's
blessings on the holy Prophet and the saints. This is signed by the guide. The ritual
usually lasts just a few minutes.
Sometimes when the guide deems it appropriate he may give some article such as a
coat or hat to the disciple - the most valued of these are the ones that have been worn
or used by the guide. They are generally taken to indicate that the guide is pleased
with that person's progress.
Leaving customs and rituals I will touch briefly upon some other areas. Firstly, you will
no doubt come across the term wine used in Sufi literature. In general it is thought that
this does not refer literally to alcohol, which is neither permitted in Islam nor generally
approved in Sufism, but to a kind of feeling of spiritual elation which may come as the
reward of some endeavor or from close association with the spiritual guide or by some
other means. One of the great advantages of spiritual intoxication is that it tends to
drown out and silence harmful negative thoughts and if it creates a sense of
dependency, it is dependency on God or spiritual effort rather than on material means
to alter consciousness. Some Sufis give great emphasis to this kind of intoxication.
Others however maintain that there is a stage of sobriety which is even better than
that.
Something may also be said of specifically intoxicating drugs. In the course of spiritual
development most, though not all, followers of the Sufi way find themselves enveloped
in transitory states which appear to arise from within themselves. However these
states are not the purpose of Sufism. If the person undergoing these states is properly
trained and guided they may be of benefit by giving encouragement and internal
evidence of progress, if not they can have a harmful effect on long term, real progress.
It need hardly be pointed out that to pursue 'altered states of consciousness' by the aid
of artificial intoxicants may have much more harmful effects on spiritual development. It
has been said that the behaviour of the truly well established Sufis appears exactly as
the behaviour of anyone else and that they appear quite indistinguishable from their
neighbours, exhibiting no outward signs of altered states of awareness. The difference
lying in the presence of spiritual power residing in the saint which makes the ordinary,
extraordinary. However circumstances vary.
Mysticism is sometimes associated with secrecy. Do Sufis keep secrets - or tell lies?
My understanding of this is that in one sense they may appear to do so, but the sense
is this. Suppose a very young and innocent child comes to you and questions you
about the sensations associated with physical intimacy in connubial bliss? What will
you say (assuming you have experience of this)? If you deny knowledge of it you will
be lying and you are certainly keeping a secret. If you try to explain it openly the child
will not be able to grasp what you are saying and will think you are talking nonsense
or form a very distorted view of it. If you make a comparison suited to the child's
understanding and say it is something which adults find as enjoyable as the child does
sweets then you may also feel that you are telling a kind of lie since you know very
well that it is not comparable to tasting sweets. If you refuse to answer you may only
stimulate the child's curiosity. Another problem is that this may be an intensely
personal thing shared with a beloved and you do not wish to trivialize or betray it by
verbal description to another. You may also be aware that it cannot satisfactorily be
described anyway. Yet another problem is that even if you do manage some sort of
communication will the child then be inclined to misrepresent this to other children who
will become confused? Most adults will use every means to avoid this situation until
they judge the child has become mature and adult enough to benefit from some
explanation.
In this sense, and in this sense only, the real developed Sufis may appear to belong to
a conspiracy of either silence or 'implicit lies', as they are effectively adults mostly
surrounded by innocent children, quite irrespective of apparent chronological age. But
this is of course very different from the lie that is used for personal advantage or the
secret that is kept from feelings of guilt or to mislead. In every other respect the real
Sufis seem to value truthfulness, integrity and sincerity as indispensable virtues and
even candor has its place. There is a tradition that the holy Prophet advised people
not to ask him questions that, if answered would be a great difficulty to them. Perhaps
we can express all of this simply by saying that what God hides from most people, he
hides for His good purpose (which is to say for their benefit). What He reveals to some
he reveals for His own good purpose.
I will add one caveat here, in case you think that any of this supposes a sense of
superiority in sufis. Contradictory as this may appear, Sufis do not think of themselves
as superior. In fact they have a well established mode of perception which regards
everyone else as superior to themselves. If anything they perceive themselves as
child-like in an adult world - but to go further into this apparent paradox is not the
purpose of these notes.
Perhaps you would like a little glimpse into the thinking of the Sufis on the important
points of spiritual purity and human choice.
From what I have been able to discover Sufis tend to think along these lines. One of
God's requirements is faith and belief, in the absence of concrete proof. Without the
existence of doubt and disbelief there would be no such thing as faith or belief - thus
He allows doubt and disbelief. However He condemns doubt and disbelief and
approves faith and belief. Thus he leaves us with some degree of apparent choice,
either to seek His pleasure or His displeasure, to have faith or to doubt, to have belief
or disbelief. If successful the struggle that this produces within us can help to lead
towards what is termed in Sufism as purification. Some Sufis have described it thus.
There is a 'place' where each of us is represented in the form of a pure spirit-body7.
The image of the spirit-body appears either to consist of a shining white light
substance or as black and 'dirty', or as some mixture of the two. Each good effort we
make, such as acts of faith, or belief, or pure love which are acceptable to God,
causes that spirit-body to acquire a spot of light. Worldly or sinful acts which draws us
away from God produce a black or dirty spot. The removal of all black spots, leaving
that spirit-body represented as pure white light, is a matter of great moment to the
sufis. Indeed the term 'sufi' is often thought to derive from the same root as the word
for purity. For them one of the best aids to this spiritual purity of thought and action, to
faith, belief , love etc., is the company of those who are pure, for without doubt we are
affected by that with which we surround ourselves. For them the true and pure spiritual
guide is the best of company.
What I have said in these notes is hardly a hint of a hint of the aroma of the wine of
Sufism - let alone its flavour. I have spoken to some extent as if Sufism could be
considered as just another subject in the curriculum, but I have tried to make clear that
it is more than that. If you merely wish to add it to your trophy belt of subjects studied
then what is written here will not be enough for you, but there is quite a lot of scholarly
literature that will help you to feel you have done just that. If your deep and sincere
interest is to find out what Sufism is really about then you are actually seeking God
and it may be that your search has yet to begin. It may take you a lifetime of
commitment and striving and, if in His Grace He wills it, provide you with benefits
which will surprise you not a little.
Words and thoughts have a great power. Sufis take what they think, say and do
seriously, since they expect to be judged by God on this. Therefore they often include
a prayer at the end of their writing. I will follow their practice to the extent of offering my
earnest hope and prayer that if I have said anything misleading, that Almighty God will
forgive it, cover my fault, and remove any ill effect my words might cause and change
that bad effect into good as only He has the power to do. Amen.
Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri 4, Polygon Court , The Polygon, Southampton.
September 16th 1998
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Footnotes
* It is the custom in eastern literature to make plentiful use of honorific titles out of respect. I have abbreviated here the word
Hazrat which is just such a term, in order to attempt to make it easier for the western reader who will probably be struggling
with the unfamiliar names anyway. However I cannot bring myself to drop these entirely as the reasons behind their use I find
quite valid.
** The term saint is not awarded by formal process as happens in some Christian traditions, but is used to refers to a person
generally thought to be saintly. In truth however it is really a term which can only be conferred by the grace of God.
1. The Psalm of Light: The Psalm of Love: The Psalm of Life: all published by Sharib Press. 1990
2. The Confessions of Al-Ghazzali: Translated by C. Field. Kitab Bhavan. India. 1992.
3. The Sacred Knowledge: Shah Wali Ullah: Translated by G. N. Jalbani. Octagon Press. 1982.
4. The Hafez Poems of Gertrude Bell: Iranbooks. 1995.
5. Lectures of the Society of Mystics: The Society of Mystics. Sharib House, Jhalra, Ajmer.1975-1996.
6. The Path of Tasaawuf: Hzt. Khadim Hasan. East West Publications.
7. The Sacred Knowledge: Shah Wali Ullah: Translated by G. N. Jalbani. Octagon Press. 1982.
8. The Meditations of Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti: Z. H. Sharib. Sharib Press. 1994.
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