Sufism

Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, Ghawth al-Azam spoke on the importance of remembering Him with our hearts.

He said:

The Prophet s.a.w is reported as having said:
These hearts are getting very rusty and the polish they need is the recitation of the Qur'an, the remembrance of death, and attendance at sessions of remembrance (dhikr).

Source : Ayse Bektasoglu & Vahide Ulusoy | World Bulletin
Friday | 30 Jul 2010

Psychology and Sufism, both investigates for the inner mysteries of humans and suggest some ways to help them improve their lives. Robert Frager, who has both, Sufi and psychologist hats, evaluated human growth comparatively.

Founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in California, Professor Frager, paid a visit to his wife’s country, Turkey. So, we had an opportunity to meet him.

Speech of honourable Shaykh Said-Afandi Al-Chirkawi at Mawlid in Chirkey on 24.04.2010

Many things could be mentioned, but hardly everything can be said completely. Sometimes it happens that a person commits suicide, stabbing knife or gun shot. After wounding himself, he still has time to repent (make tawbah) and his sin may be forgiven, if he regretted the incident and asked for forgiveness. But it also happens that a man commits suicide by hanging himself [leaving no chance for repentance].

Today our ‘alims have fully covered all subjects. I have hardly anything to add. However, the matter mentioned by Abdulghafuril Muhammad, I heard here for the first time. Till now nobody has ever touched that subject. Verily it is the thing my heart is aching from, which I consider as motto for me, and what I have earlier said about. What is it? - you may ask me. - Reading books or diligent learning of various sciences is not the main thing. Today it was mentioned about it for the first time.

Speech of Shaykh Said Afandi during Mawlid celebration in Chirkey, April 2009.

Dear brothers!

Address by the venerable Shaykh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi
at majlis of ‘alims in the Juma mosque,
village of Chirkey of Buynaksk district.
July 3, 2004.

Dear brothers,

Frankly speaking, ‘alims have pleasantly surprised us today to the extent that no more things left to discuss.

Dhikr is the Greatest Obligation and a Perpetual Divine Order

Currently Sufism (tariqah, tasawwuf) is attacked and under the greatest pressure, because it is the essence of Islam, its spirit and strength. Opponents of Islam try to portray Sufism as a philosophical imagination that calls for solitude, isolation from social life, and as a hindrance for human development.

In this regard, explanation of tasawwuf seems to be necessary.
What is Sufism (tasawwuf, or in other words, tariqah)? How did it come to us? What did previous scholars say about tariqah? And finally, can we deny the existence of shaykhs?

Did Imam Al-Shafi`i Disapprove of Tasawwuf?

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem
was-salaat was-salaam `alaa Rasul-illah
wa 'alaa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.

Imam al-Shafi`i said:

faqihan wa sufiyyan fa kun laysa wahidan
fa inni wa haqqillahi iyyaka ansahu

(Be both) a faqih and a sufi: do not be only one of them,
Verily, by Allah's truth, I am advising you sincerely.

[al-Shafi`i, Diwan, (Beirut and Damascus: Dar al-fikr) p. 47]

The necessity of having a spiritual master

1. Everyone knows that when being ill, one needs a doctor. All men (except for Prophets) are prone to have deceases of heart, such as envy, arrogance, showing off, love for the worldly, pride etc. To get rid and cure such sicknesses it is necessary to have a spiritual master - Shaikh.

2. We observe the difference between fruits of a tree grown in the wild, and those, grown in a well-groomed garden. The man, going on the way of self-perfection guideless, is similar to the fruit-tree, growing wild.