Sufi Rant
Salaams,
Well hello people, how are we all...? Good.
So, another while since i've properly said anything...i'm really being put to shame by the "fake sheikh" who seems to write something in his blog every couple of days...with topics ranging from jinns, world politics, football, matters of the heart etc etc...oh well, i guess i'm just not as interesting as you sidi....lol
Anyway last wednesday (i think..all of time seems to merge into one..) i went to a talk organised by the Muslims Wharf Association entitled "The best of people are those who are the most benefit to others" which is paraphrasing a saying of the Prophet. Since the event was being held right next door to where i work i thought i would pop along.
Alhamdulilla it turned out to be a pretty good talk. Abdul Hakim Murad spoke for a bit, but the "guest" speaker was Habib Kazim from Yemen. Now for those of you who don't know (including me) the country of Yemen is supposed to hold a special place in Islam as the propet once prayed for it and its people and even till today their are pockets of Yemen which are supposed to have the "purest" form of Islam there.
So it was quite weird attending the talk because for the bulk of AHM section, all he did was big up Yemen, the people of Yemen, how he was so honoured to be with someone like Habib Kazim etc etc
Another thing often associated with Yemen is Sufism (dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun)
Yes Sufis. It seemed that every Sufi in London had turned up to the talk on Wednesday to listen to Habib Kazim. I didn't need to speak to anyone of them, i just Knew they were sufis; from the clothes they wore (predominantly from Shukr), from the style of their beards, from their mannerisms etc etc. As i've mentioned before, in my 3 months in Amman i was constantly around sufis there so i've got used to them and their ways and many of the myths about them have been blown away, alhamdulilla. But having subsequently having spent 2 months with Salafis and from my own readin i still remain partially sceptical to this "craze"
I choose the word "craze" carefully as this is what it seems to be, in the west at least at the moment. More and more people who one ends up meeting seem to have sufi leanings and talk about going and spending time in the deserts of Mauratania. For me thats all great and good, and no one, not even the salafis would deny that we all need to be partially sufis in that we need to develop a spiritual side to our worship. But i think that in the west we seem to be goin through a phase where its "cool" to be a sufi without necessarily knowing what it means and what we're getting ourselves into and also without having the basic fundamentals of Islam within us. For example a freind of mine from Burnley went to a "sufi" event held in Spain a few years back (he went more for a holiday...lol) and he came back shocked that there were all these young western muslims who seemed right up for a good sing along in the mosque and doing collective dhikr and the rest of it, but half of them didn't know how to pray or didn't seem to care about it, mixing between the sexes went on without anyone batting an eyelid etc etc. Another case in example was in Amman where the shadilis do their "Latifiya" (sit in a group and chant "ya latif" a thousand times..) and i met sufis going to this event but didn't even know what "Ya Latif" meant...! And upon questioning on some of the more "dodgier" things that the sufis did (e.g. hadras and the like) no one seemed to know anything about it
Sorry if i seem to have gone off on one - just to clarify i have no issues with sufis, i have no issues with salafis, however my personal belief is that in both groups some of their actions would not be in the "middle way". What annoys me even more is how it has become fashionable to become a sufi, when we have't even understod the basics of practising Islam. I don't think its a similar argument to say growing a beard first, and then learning how to pray etc etc, as with sufism you're trying to enter a higher realm, which if done without basic knowledge of Islam, i think can be quite dangerous...maybe its my fault for thinking bad of people, maybe everyone wants to become a sufi now because thats what they really Really want and they're not doing it, at no level, just to be cool...
Anyway, back to the talk...lol. Yeah the talk was really really good. Habib Kazim was talking away in Arabic and usually when there's an interpretor involved, the essence of the talk gets lost but the guy here was excellent mashaAllah (i can't remember the finer details - i often do this - leave a good islamic talk thinking "Wow, that was awesome" but then a day later forget the actual details..plus having not taken any notes i completely forget what was spoken about...). Anyway one bit i do remember is always trying to think good of people (note above..), that when someon seems to be doing something good for another person we should always think good of that intention and wish that we are able to do actions completely for His sake rather than some material benefit. InshaAllah i'm going to ask the organisers for an audio copy of the talk and i'll try and write it up.
In other news; work, work, work......work was ridiculously busy last week with it quietening down somewhat the last couple of days. Next week is going to be an absolute killer though as FIVE companies which i look at are reporting their 2006 numbers (profit/loss etc etc) so we'll have to analyse this, see what the repurcussions are etc etc and write a report for each. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!
Anyway, take care people.
Salaam
Well hello people, how are we all...? Good.
So, another while since i've properly said anything...i'm really being put to shame by the "fake sheikh" who seems to write something in his blog every couple of days...with topics ranging from jinns, world politics, football, matters of the heart etc etc...oh well, i guess i'm just not as interesting as you sidi....lol
Anyway last wednesday (i think..all of time seems to merge into one..) i went to a talk organised by the Muslims Wharf Association entitled "The best of people are those who are the most benefit to others" which is paraphrasing a saying of the Prophet. Since the event was being held right next door to where i work i thought i would pop along.
Alhamdulilla it turned out to be a pretty good talk. Abdul Hakim Murad spoke for a bit, but the "guest" speaker was Habib Kazim from Yemen. Now for those of you who don't know (including me) the country of Yemen is supposed to hold a special place in Islam as the propet once prayed for it and its people and even till today their are pockets of Yemen which are supposed to have the "purest" form of Islam there.
So it was quite weird attending the talk because for the bulk of AHM section, all he did was big up Yemen, the people of Yemen, how he was so honoured to be with someone like Habib Kazim etc etc
Another thing often associated with Yemen is Sufism (dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun)
Yes Sufis. It seemed that every Sufi in London had turned up to the talk on Wednesday to listen to Habib Kazim. I didn't need to speak to anyone of them, i just Knew they were sufis; from the clothes they wore (predominantly from Shukr), from the style of their beards, from their mannerisms etc etc. As i've mentioned before, in my 3 months in Amman i was constantly around sufis there so i've got used to them and their ways and many of the myths about them have been blown away, alhamdulilla. But having subsequently having spent 2 months with Salafis and from my own readin i still remain partially sceptical to this "craze"
I choose the word "craze" carefully as this is what it seems to be, in the west at least at the moment. More and more people who one ends up meeting seem to have sufi leanings and talk about going and spending time in the deserts of Mauratania. For me thats all great and good, and no one, not even the salafis would deny that we all need to be partially sufis in that we need to develop a spiritual side to our worship. But i think that in the west we seem to be goin through a phase where its "cool" to be a sufi without necessarily knowing what it means and what we're getting ourselves into and also without having the basic fundamentals of Islam within us. For example a freind of mine from Burnley went to a "sufi" event held in Spain a few years back (he went more for a holiday...lol) and he came back shocked that there were all these young western muslims who seemed right up for a good sing along in the mosque and doing collective dhikr and the rest of it, but half of them didn't know how to pray or didn't seem to care about it, mixing between the sexes went on without anyone batting an eyelid etc etc. Another case in example was in Amman where the shadilis do their "Latifiya" (sit in a group and chant "ya latif" a thousand times..) and i met sufis going to this event but didn't even know what "Ya Latif" meant...! And upon questioning on some of the more "dodgier" things that the sufis did (e.g. hadras and the like) no one seemed to know anything about it
Sorry if i seem to have gone off on one - just to clarify i have no issues with sufis, i have no issues with salafis, however my personal belief is that in both groups some of their actions would not be in the "middle way". What annoys me even more is how it has become fashionable to become a sufi, when we have't even understod the basics of practising Islam. I don't think its a similar argument to say growing a beard first, and then learning how to pray etc etc, as with sufism you're trying to enter a higher realm, which if done without basic knowledge of Islam, i think can be quite dangerous...maybe its my fault for thinking bad of people, maybe everyone wants to become a sufi now because thats what they really Really want and they're not doing it, at no level, just to be cool...
Anyway, back to the talk...lol. Yeah the talk was really really good. Habib Kazim was talking away in Arabic and usually when there's an interpretor involved, the essence of the talk gets lost but the guy here was excellent mashaAllah (i can't remember the finer details - i often do this - leave a good islamic talk thinking "Wow, that was awesome" but then a day later forget the actual details..plus having not taken any notes i completely forget what was spoken about...). Anyway one bit i do remember is always trying to think good of people (note above..), that when someon seems to be doing something good for another person we should always think good of that intention and wish that we are able to do actions completely for His sake rather than some material benefit. InshaAllah i'm going to ask the organisers for an audio copy of the talk and i'll try and write it up.
In other news; work, work, work......work was ridiculously busy last week with it quietening down somewhat the last couple of days. Next week is going to be an absolute killer though as FIVE companies which i look at are reporting their 2006 numbers (profit/loss etc etc) so we'll have to analyse this, see what the repurcussions are etc etc and write a report for each. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!
Anyway, take care people.
Salaam
posted by Me at
11:29 PM
4 Comments:
salam,
i deffo think thats true about how in the west nowadays its 'cool' to be a sufi. but i think the only people that think its so amazingly cool are those who know least about it. sufism is and always will be a part of islam and someone doesnt just become a 'sufi' by the mere fact of knowing that the science exists. Just like a faqih doesn't become amazing by just knowing the fiqh rules. indeed, the one who knows the rules, even in the case of sufism, yet just walks around carrying this knowledge on his back and wearing it like some badge because now, they 'finally belong' is just silly. i dont think the real sufis even realise that they're being sufis... if that makes sense....wasalam
By
Anonymous, at 12:10 AM
Makes complete sense, Alhamdulilla
Salaam
By
Me, at 2:10 PM
Ah, the good ol' Sufi vs. Salafi debate. Lemme just say, you hit the nail on the head. I was speaking to a brother about tassawuf once, and he said before taking Biology 430, you need to first pass Biology 101.
The concept of tassawuf is so very complicated and deep, that most of us who are struggling need to get our basics down (and get them down good) before we start dabbling in such... that being said, I have also participated in the Shadhili dhikr and been a little sketched out by the hadras, but I don't doubt the importance and benefits of such practices.
As for it being 'cool to be Sufi', no doubt about that one. Did you happen to notice the population of Kharabsheh to be a little, um, odd :) Muslims born and raised in the West who pick up and leave to live in a dinky little neighborhood of Amman... an interesting phenomenon!
Wa Allahu alim.
By
bushraaa, at 9:34 PM
Aa
Wow, are you a fellow Qasid'er...? I didn't know that...! A connection of sorts then i suppose.
I agree in part with you comment, but am still a bit sceptical about the whole hadra thing...e.g. Sh Abu Hijleh (don't know if he was there during your time) actually admitted that the original "founders" of the Shadhili tariqa never did the hadra and there's no evidence whatsoever to say that the companions etc ever did this. However his take on it was that it was "good bid'ah" (e.g. the construction of dar ulooms and compiling the Qur'an).
I prefer to go with the Hadith where the Prophet said along the lines that in Islaam there are Halaal things and Haraam things and those in between which are doubtful and it's best to stay away from these doubtful things.
Allahu a'lam.
Salaam
Ws
By
Me, at 8:41 PM
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