Tariqa al-Haqq

I have been trying to stay away from people lately because I think my love for this world has increased manifold since going back to Hong Kong. I really need some time to connect to God again. I think I have managed that by reciting the Quran. Incidentally I bought another Imam Al-Ghazali book which I am reading. He talks about the undesirable elements of staying away from people, I.e. living in seclusion. I think this applies to me:

The third detriment is that one is deprived of the spiritual struggle and spiritual self-discipline that comes from enduring the nature of people. This is a great benefit for the person who has not yet fully attained spiritual self-discipline, for a good nature is the root of all spiritual disciplines and acts of worship. They are not accomplished without mixing (with mankind), as a good nature is that one which tolerates the absurdities of people. The servants of the Sufi mix so that by means of the begging from the ordinary folk they may shatter their pride and haughtiness. The smash their miserliness by providing for the Sufis. By enduring their bad dispositions, they cut off their bad dispositions from themselves.

The nature of people are difficult to endure. I think my own nature is hard for others around me to endure. I am struggling sometimes to find the balance. Those who have seen the other side of me would find me very hard to tolerate for I am someone who possess a lot of bad dispositions.

It is a long and hard road ahead. But I knew I had to be steadfast, that would triumph in the end. They say you can’t move a mountain in a day. But with endurance, you can file a metal pole into a pin. So it is a Sufi characteristic to endure the different dispositions in the world in an attempt to rid myself of my ‘self’. As Abu Madyan r.a. said just before he died, “Allahu Haqq”. The truth is God.

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Lately, I have been reading Secrets of Secrets by Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani’s. The greater Jihad or Jihad al-Akbur according to the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is the struggle against one’s ego. When the prophet pbuh came back from battle, he would tell his companions that they had come back from the lesser Jihad to fight the greater Jihad. In today’s world, this greater Jihad is ever more necessary and in many ways more tough. With devices such as mobile phones, facebook, twitter, there are so many more ways for our ego to get soothed. Me, for one, is constantly fighting my own ego.

In Shaykh Jilani’s book, he talks of his ego trying to befriend him:

During my stay in the deserts outside Baghdad, all that appears beautiful but is temporal and of this world came to seduce me. Allah protected me from their harm. The Devil, appearing in different forms and shapes, kept coming to me, tempting me, bothering me, and fighting me. Allah rendered me victorious over him. My ego visited me daily in my own form and shape, begging me to be its friend. When I would refuse, it would attack me. Allah rendered me victorious in my continuous fight against it. In time, I was able to make it my prisoner and I kept it with me all those years, forcing it to stay in the ruins of the desert… I didn’t give a minute’s rest or comfort to my ego, to the low desire of my flesh.

He spent a lot of time discussing his battle with the ego; More so than the battle against the devil. This shows the emphasis he placed on the greater Jihad. Shaykh Jilani stayed out in the desert for over 7 years fighting his ego. Most of us struggle battling the ego for 7 minutes before giving up to have a burger meal when we are hungry.

There is a great part of me which wants to leave all these big cities and settle down somewhere away from civilisation so that I could spend some time away from the comfort of dunya. Lately, I have been tired of pleasing people around me as well as pleasing my own ego. Little chance of that happening!

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On this blessed day of Arafat, I thought I should blog Prophet Muhammad’s s.a.w.’s last sermon as a reminder to us all.

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. God has Judged that there shall be no interest, and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn Abd’al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived…

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under a trust from God and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God, perform your five daily prayers, fast during the month of Ramadan, and offer Zakat. Perform Hajj if you have the means.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; white has no superiority over black, nor does a black have any superiority over white; [none have superiority over another] except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before God and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me, and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and it may be that the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O God, that I have conveyed your message to your people.”

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“…You may know me as the sister in law of a once powerful oppressors of human beings. Sorry! The Middle East Convoy, Tony Blair as he would like to be known…” Lauren Booth.

She shares a very powerful and emotional ‘human’ journey to Islam. I draw a lot of parallels to her experiences. May Allah bless her and her family and continue to guide her on the right path. Ameen.

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In the name of God the most merciful the most kind.

I have thought about the reason why I blog and I have come to notice that the intention was more personal than for the sake of Allah. Therefore, I will start each blogpost with the way each chapter of the Quran starts, in the name of God, the most merciful the most kind, to remind me that these blogposts are made for the sake of God because knowledge only originates from Him.

Ever since I have gone on a path to gain Islamic knowledge, one of the things I have come to notice is the bond of brotherhood in Islam. Unlike any other bonds, to be a brother in Islam is a status which is upheld dearly by Muslims. In the Quran, Allah s.w.t. says,

‘Surely the believers are but brothers. So set things right between your two brother, and be aware of God – perhaps you will obtain mercy’ Al-Hujurat [49:10]

Furthermore, in the hadiths or the sayings and life of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, it is said:

“A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He does not oppress him, nor does he leave him at the mercy of others.” (Sahih Muslim Book 032, Number 6219)

The Prophet said, “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 12)

In fact, Imam Al-Ghazali who held the name ‘Proof of Islam’ as being a revivor of Islam in the 11th Century wrote a good section on brotherhood, which Faraz Rabbani summarised here. In it, he wrote:

Know that the contract of brotherhood is a bond between two persons, like the contract of marriage between two spouses. In all, this comprises of eight duties…The first duty is the material one [providing materially for him]…The second duty is to render personal aid in the satisfaction of needs, attending to them without waiting to be asked, and giving them priority over private needs…The third duty concerns the tongue, which should sometimes be silent and at other times speak out…The fourth duty is to use the tongue for speaking out [speak of pleasant things]….The fifth duty is forgiveness of mistake and failings…The sixth duty is to pray for your brother, during his life and after his death, that he may have all he might wish for himself, his family and his dependants…The seventh duty is loyalty and sincerity…The eighth duty is relief from discomfort and inconvenience…

In other words, Imam Al-Ghazali is saying that friends are for life (and beyond). In fact, it is related in a hadith that on the Day of Judgement, there will come a time where it will become so hot that there will be no shade except that of Allah s.w.t.

It is related on the authority of Abu Haraira (Rahimahullaah) that the Holy Prophet(salAllahu `alaihi wa sallam) said,”Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are:
1) The judge who is just;
2) The man who devotes his life in the worship of God even in his youth;
3) The man who eagerly awaits the call to prayer to go to the Mosque and worship God;
4) The two friends, who love each other for the sake of God, when they meet they meet for the sake of God, when they separate they separate for the sake of God;
5) The man who resists the temptation of a woman who is beautiful and comes of a respectable family and tries to incline him towards her for evil purposes;
6) The man who gives alms with his right hand but conceals it from the left;
7) The man when alone, meditates on God, and his eyes become filled with tears.”
(Bukhari)

It is number 4 that really ensembles what true brotherhood means. Not long ago, I was discussing with some friends about the status of brotherhood, and the term ‘bromance’ was used. In fact, Mas’ud, one of the forerunners of promotion of Sunni Islam on the internet (www.masud.co.uk) wrote a blog post about Man love in an Islamic/Eastern context. One of the things mentioned in Mas’ud’s blog is that in today’s western society, it is considered ‘gay’ to talk about man love, and it almost seem that the only (acceptable) place for 2 men show their love for each other is in a homosexual setting. Which, in my mind, is rather sad. Firstly, it takes away the sense of morality in a society and secondly it condemns the ability to have any true friends which has connections beyond the surface. Such a topic is perhaps best left for another time.

Let me end this blog post with a story of my granduncle’s deathbed. My granduncle got a stroke in a committee meeting in a mosque. During the last few days of the granduncle’s life, when he was lying there unconscious, his friend was by his death bed day in and day out. I guess they grew up together, prayed together, ran the mosque together.  Sometimes, I think friends who are willing to sit by your deathbed are really hard to come by, and I wonder if I would have commanded enough brotherly love and respect amongst my friends to have them sit at my deathbed when I am about to die.

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My love for Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al- Ghazali has grown imensely since I have started reading him. His scholarlistic mastery and personal life has inspired me both on an intellectual level and personal level. I am now going to start reading one of his classics, a classical Islamic text – al-Munqudh min al-Dalal, translated “Deliverance from Error” or in the western world translated as “The path to Sufism”.

On Friday, there was a heated debate amongst my colleages about something which Imam Al-Ghazali said in his book, “Disciplining the Soul and The breaking of the two desires” where he said men should lower their gaze when looking at little boys. Without actually having read that, I was asked to give my opinion on that point. One of the colleagues who didn’t know the status of Imam Al-Ghazali in the traditional Islamic context had said it was a rather perverted thing to say. I responded by saying that if a paedophile was to approach the Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, in this day and age for guidance, the same advice would’ve been given. ‘The Sufi’ would have to look within himself to purify these diseases of the heart in order to obtain any form of higher truths.

There is this excerpt by Al-Ghazali himself from the preface of this book, written by David Burrell from University of Notre-Dame, which I want to quote:

I reflected on my intention in my public teaching [in Nazamiyya school in Baghdad], and I saw that it was not directed purely to God, but rather was instigated and motivated by the quest for fame and widespread prestige. So I became certain that I was on the brink of a crumbling bank…Mundane desires began tugging me with their chains to remain as I was, while the herald of faith was crying out: ‘Away! Up and away! Only a little is left of your life, and a long journey lies before you! All the theory and practice in which you are engrossed is eyeservice and fakery! If you do not prepare now for the afterlife, when will you do so? And if you do not sever these attachments now, then when will you sever them?

It was the beginning of both an outward and inner journey which took him from Damascus to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem where he served as a janitor for over a decade. This feeling which I identify with deeply within myself has caused me a few months ago to go on my own path to sufism. I know for a fact that this will not be an easy path and it is something that each man must face for himself. Listening to a lecture by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (aka Mark Hanson), he mentioned that being a Muslim is an active thing, Muslim is someone who is actively seeking guidance. This is a resounding theme which I have come to notice myself in my life. Just like the Japanese tatooist turned Imam, Abdullah Taqy Takazawa, it is a path one chooses to take and it is a path to seek the truth. For both of us, like Imam Al-Ghazali, like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, we chose the path of the Sufis. In Imam Al-Ghazali’s words:

I brought my mind to bear on the way of the sufis. I know that their particular way is consummated [realized] only by knowledge and by activity [by the union of theory and practice]…The aim of knowledge is to lop off the obstacles present in the soul and to rid oneself of its represhensible habits and vicious qualities in order to attain thereby a heart empty of all save God and adorned with the constant remembrance of God.

I remember hearing somewhere: In 100 years time, everyone you know today, everything that is important to you will perish. Therefore, today, like any other day of the remainder of my life, is a good day to start seeking the truth. The path to Sufism is a long one; it’s a very mystical one. Sometimes I wonder to myself…How?

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When I studied Jewish Philosophy, we always talked about the challenge of modernity. For the Jews, the main challenge of modernity which eventually split up the religion into Orthodox, Reform, Ultra-orthodox etc groups accelerated greatly during the 1800s. German Jewish scholars such as Samson Raphael Hirsch in the 1800s tried to keep the orthodox elements of Judaism against the reform movement which was propagated by his contemporary such as Abraham Geiger.

I have always looked at parallels between the Jewish experience in 1800s Germany and the ‘European’ Muslims of today. Tomorrow, I shall be going to this conference in Wembley (PeaceForHumanity), which I am sure will be boycotted by a certain section of the Muslim community. I have never thought I would be sitting so close to the action. I feel like I am sitting in the epicenter of two colliding tectonic plates within the Islamic continent. This week alone, I have been presented with a fatwa. The content of this fatwa is so questionable and such deviation from traditional Sunni Islamic beliefs. I find it very saddening that a large proportion of the Muslim community is being sucked into this deviation. There is a Hadith (Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 147) :

(The Prophet) said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham and our Yemen.” People said, “Our Najd as well.” The Prophet again said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen.” They said again, “Our Najd as well.” On that the Prophet said, “There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head of Satan.”

Since the fall of the British Empire in the Middle East, the establishment of Saudi Arabia meant that a new form of Islam had to be adopted by the regime to control the people. The form they adopted was one propagated by Muhammad Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, someone born in a town near Riyadh, which is around the area of Najd which this hadith talked about. Proponents of this form of Islam, branded Wahhabism, after it’s founder suggest that Islam has become deviated and we must go back to the practices of the Salafs or the first few generations right after Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Without going into details, they started propagating an extreme version of Islam which brands all visits to historical heritage linking back to the foundation of Islam, bidah (or innovation). They are worried of people worshipping at graves, worshipping places which prophet Muhammad pbuh used to visit hence they destroyed a large part of Islamic heritage. Reading back to some articles written after 9/11/2001, some scholars such as Cambridge Professor, Sheikh Abdul-Hakim Murad (or Timothy Winters), argued that 9/11 would see the dying of Wahabbism or Salafism which most followers of that persuasion would like to call themselves. However, 10 years on, me coming back to Islam, I find that nearly 90% of British Muslims are one way or another tainted by Wahhabi doctrine with some of them being hardliners. My friend who presented me with that fatwa I mentioned is now trying to grow his beard and refuse to go to mosque with us as he sees them having ‘kufr’ (or disbeliever) practices.

So, what to do now? The challenge of modernity for Islam, is by far, in my opinion, terrorism. It has scared people, including myself, away from Islam. Having discovered traditional Islam, I find the beauty and the hidden reality in the religion. In an age of increasing materialism, anything non-material can easily be branded as worthless and almost superstitious. However, I would argue there exists a parallel reality out there. Just like studying science to understand the rules of the physical world, one must study to understand the rules of the spiritual world. The way I see it is that we are too soon to dismiss the spiritual world. It is easy to dismiss something we don’t see. However, this physical world will end for us, some sooner than others. What lies beyond the graves and the decaying bodies is a reality beyond our logical understanding. It is something we cannot logically prove. Stealing from a line from the film’ Into the Wild’:

“If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, then all possibility of life is destroyed.”
~ Christopher McCandless (Into the Wild)

Humanists can argue all they like that it is in the human nature to sought after a deeper purpose, and religion is a man-made entity. For a religious person, God made us with this human nature to sought after the deeper purpose and religion provides the framework for it. However, each of us has to go through the journey himself to discover the reality beyond the reality. For me, I have started walking it. I have learnt instead of conforming to society, i.e. Atheism, I have decided to learn to become what it really means to be human.

Islam is of no exception. The religion is as good as the people practicing it. If we, Muslims, are becoming more atheistic as I have come to find in Turkey, how can we expect Islam, a religion based on submission to an almighty invisible being, to present itself in it’s purest form? So many people (especially the youths) are being radicalised because they no longer feel attracted to the traditional Islam because it is very far from the blink blink Hollywood life. The most worrying thing is what Sheikh Hamza Yusuf said, most of these terrorists flying planes into buildings probably wore a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and listened to Snoop Dog. (I added the last bit)

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