Sufism and science are striving for the same destination.

Science wants to
know: How did the universe come into being and what is its nature? Is there
any Creator? What is He like? Where is He? How is He related to the universe?
How is He related to man? Is it possible for man to approach Him? Sufism has
found the answers and invites the scientists to come and have that
knowledge.

Islamic Sufism is many centuries ahead of modern science. This can be born
out by the fact, among numerous others, that Umar the second Caliph of the
Prophet, while addressing a Friday congregation in Madina, shouted, "Ya
Sariah-al-Jabal." (O Sariah capture the hill!) The army commander, Sariah,
fighting a battle at Nihawand in Iran heard his voice, captured the hill and won
the battle. This shows Umar could see the situation at several thousand miles
away and make his voice heard by the army commander without the aid of
telephone or wireless which were not known in those days.

But man is a limited being. His position in the universe is infinitesimally small.
The astronomers tell us the farthest star of our solar system, known as
Millets, is at the distance of several thousand light years from the earth. (The
speed of the light is one hundred and eighty six thousand miles per second,
and a light year is the distance covered by light in one year's travel). They also
tell us that there are millions of suns and solar systems like ours in the
universe. Now what is the position of our planet in this vast universe? It
cannot be more than a speck. What can the position of man be in this speck?
Not even a dot or drop in the ocean! Now this dot or drop is out to explore and
unearth the realities secrets and wonders of the universe. Not only that, he is
out to know its Creator as well! Can that be possible?

Yes, it is possible only if he is prepared to utilise the spark of light in himself,

which when set ablaze, works like a spaceship which carries him far beyond
the limits of time and space into the blissful domains of Divine Proximity,
Divine Presence and Divine Union. Here man is endowed with Divine Attributes
of power and knowledge, knows the secrets of Creation and is able to see the
whole universe as a speck lying before him. Not only that, he is made to visit
the eighteen thousand subtle unseen worlds which the great Sufis of Islam
give tidings of in their accounts of Sair-fi-Allah (Journey in God), Sair-bi-Allah
(Journey by God) and Sair-ma-Allah (Journey with God). Science, therefore,
would do well to seek the assistance of Sufism to fathom the otherwise
unfathomable depths of Divine Secrets and secrets of Creation.

SUFISM IN A NUTSHELL

When it is said that Islam is the religion of 'nature', or is a natural

religion, it means that Islam suits human nature and can meet all its
requirements. But what is human nature and how can the tenets of
 Islam satisfy it?

We all know that man is a combination

of body and soul (or spirit). The
existence of man's soul has now been
scientifically proven, with evidences
taken from experiences of telepathy, levitation, clairvoyance, and other
'extra sensory perception'. Photographs of the soul's aura have also
been recorded by scientific means.

Since the human body belongs to the material world, it has the
tendency to pull us downward to its low earthly origin. The soul,
however, is of Divine nature and has the tendency to pull us upwards to
its spiritual origin.

Human life is thus the name of the constant tug of

war between the lower bodily and higher spiritual
forces. If the former gets stronger, man succumbs to
greed, anger, arrogance, and is ruined. If, however,
the latter gains the upper hand, he gets exalted to
Divine nearness, presence and union, and wins the battle of life. All the
prophets of God and heavenly books came to warn and help mankind to
keep a happy balance between the body and soul and to reach the final
destination of God without difficulty.

Another characteristic of human nature is that both the body and soul
need food to survive. The body is material and its food is material, while
the soul is spiritual and gets restless without its spiritual food. The
relationship between body and soul is similar to that of a horse and
rider; both are needed to complete the journey: the horse to bear the
rider, and the rider to guide the horse to the proper destination.

In fact, the present day restlessness, worries, conflicts and

confrontation in the whole world in general and in the West in
particular, are due to the fact that while everything is being done to
feed the body (the horse), pretty nothing is done to feed the soul (the
rider) who in the end really matters.

It is hoped that the collection of books on Sufism presented here will provide
guidance to readers in feeding their souls with spiritual food that will lead to the
tranquility, contentment and happiness that has been long sought after.
WHAT IS SUFISM

by Syed Mohamed Zauqi Shah (r.a.)

Man has two sides

Human greatness, or human perfection, if you so call it, depends very

much upon the highest possible development of all the outer and inner
qualities of man and upon the proper use that he makes of the qualities
so developed.

Everything has two sides, the exterior and the interior. Its value
depends, not so much upon its exterior, as upon its interior side. A box
full of diamonds and precious stones is certainly more valuable than a
similar, or even better looking box, full of ordinary stones and dust. A
human being has likewise two sides, the external and the internal. He is
a combination of body and soul. There is the visible and the invisible
blended together in him and though, in his case, one is as necessary as
the other, at least so far as the initial stages of his progress are
concerned, his ultimate superiority over the rest of creation depends
more upon his inner merits, his intellectual capabilities, his spiritual
attainments and the polish and the brilliance of his soul, than upon his
exterior form and appearance and qualities of his body.

Man's abilities must be properly channeled

The mere development, however, of human powers cannot lead one to

profitable results, unless such powers are correctly and properly used.
Swordsmanship, for instance, might prove a curse if wrongly used. Or if
science, instead of bringing good to humanity degenerates into a power
of destruction, it certainly loses all its virtues and becomes a thing to
be abhorred. Similarly, if the outer and inner qualities of man are
developed, to any degree of proficiency, but are not put to proper use
they can never lead to desirable results. This brings us to consider what
constitutes the proper channel for the flow of human culture and
activity.

Knowledge of the Creator determines man's success

A man's success in life depends upon the amount of knowledge he

acquires of the universe and upon the proper use of that knowledge.
The wider his knowledge, the greater are his chances of success.
Knowledge of creation can never be complete without a sufficient
knowledge of the Creator and the principles and policy upon which the
universe is created and run. This is what science is searching for. The
goal of Sufism and science is, therefore, the same.

It is more difficult to disprove God's existence than to affirm it

There are people who do not feel inclined to believe in the existence of
God. But they cannot disprove Him either, for it is more difficult to
disprove than to prove God. Their attitude is more in the nature of
agnosticism than atheism. That is to say they ignore rather than deny
the existence of God.

You cannot possibly disprove God, because by doing so you disprove

the whole universe including yourself. You are obliged to believe in the
existence of superior intelligent force controlling the universe.

To be able to control and regulate the various conflicting forces in

nature, the guiding-force ought to be stronger and more intelligent than
everything else in the world, for a weak and blind force cannot function
properly. It is therefore, a supernatural-force in the sense that it is
superior to every other force in nature and cannot be completely
comprehended by less intelligent and weaker, subordinate forces.

They who pretend disbelief in God are thereby brought consciously or

unconsciously in line with those who believe in Him, the difference in
name does not matter. Willingly or unwillingly, they are all united on one
point, namely, the existence of a supernatural, intelligent force guiding,
directing, regulating and controlling the entire universe.

Religion guides and regulates our relationship with God and creation

So, if there is a Creator, as undoubtedly there is, no knowledge of the

universe will be of any high value without some knowledge of the
Creator, and man, as the highest subordinate force in creation, will
never be able to carry on his duties properly unless he is properly
attached to the Creator.

Detachment from the central power can only end in disaster. No unit in
an institution, no soldier in any army and no officer in a state can do
without maintaining proper connection with the central superior force.
Without this connection everything is doomed to confusion and chaos. It
is religion which guides us in this direction and regulates our
relationship with God. And our relationship with God embraces our
relationship with everything else in the world.

It is wrong to say that religion is a man's own private affair and has
nothing to do with his social, political and economic activities. It is like
saying something to the effect that loyalty to the king is a subject's own
private affair and has nothing to do with stealing, committing murder,
destroying parts of the king's kingdom or being guilty of sedition. God is
a potent force.

He is al-Hayyul Qayyum (which means that God is living and self-

subsisting. He is living by His own self, without any external aid. He
does not derive His powers from any external or foreign source; and
apart from maintaining His own existence, He makes others exist by
infusing life into them and by maintaining them throughout their
existence) and nothing escapes Him.

After creating the universe He has not retired into oblivion and has not
become impotent or lost all interest in His creation. He is as potent as
ever and His creatures cannot lose sight of Him without impairing their
own position in the scale of creation. To maintain proper relations with
God one has to behave properly in all walks of life. To effect this, one
stands in need of religion.

Islam's approach to God is simpler and more cosmopolitan

Islam is no exception to the rule. It professes to be a revealed religion

and corroborates all the Divine Truths revealed by all the preceding
religions. Its only other claim is that it is cosmopolitan and its methods
of approaching the Ultimate Object are simpler and more up-to-date.
However, in common with other religions, it is made up of two sides, the
outer and the inner. The outer side is called the shariat and the inner
side, the tariqat.

The shariat is subdivided into two parts:

1. Ibadat
2. Mu'amilat

Ibadat concerns fundamental belief and forms of worship and regulates

man's relation with God.

Mu'amilat pertain to man's relations with man and covers the social,
economic and political fields of human activity.

Tariqat deals with the purification of the inner self and keeps in view
the spiritual emancipation of mankind. Since body and soul are
intertwined, as it were, tariqat cannot remain independent of shariat
and the two work in cooperation.

There is a third thing called Haqiqat which refers to the realities of this
life as well as the life to come. It is a realisation and not a science. In
other words haqiqat is what you actually see, feel and realise in the
light furnished to you by the tariqat.

Islam is the religion of Prophet Abraham

While Islam here may indicate "Mohammedanism" to some, in fact,

Islam is as old as mankind. It has been the only True Religion of God at
all times. For instance, Abraham was no other than a Muslim. Says the
Holy Qur'an:

"Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian but out and out a Muslim
(devoted exclusively to Allah)" [3:67]

Sufism is the Science of developing man's understanding of God

The tariqat plus haqiqat is termed tasawwuf or Sufism. It is in fact, the

science and art of developing the spiritual faculties of man and trying to
understand, as far as possible, the Deity, the Divine Work, and the
Divine Mysteries. It is a science in as much as it deals with the
systematic training of mind and soul, and the various methods of
attaining the spiritual heights necessary for the realisation of Divine
Realities. It is an art in so far as it consists of the practical work
necessary for the attainment of the object in view. It is theory and
practice combined. Knowledge and practical work follow and re-follow
each other in rotation.

The one is as necessary as the other; without knowledge one cannot

work and without work the desired knowledge cannot be gained. But
the knowledge necessary to commence the work is different from the
knowledge which follows the successful termination of the work.

The spiritual wayfarer has been given guides

The knowledge necessary for a beginner is supplied by the shariat and

administered by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and after the
passing away of the Prophet (s.a.w.) to the higher regions, by his
deputies who are called Shaikhs, Murshids, Pirs or teachers. They are
the Ulama-i-Rashikin, that is the learned people firm in their knowledge
and they have the distinction of being recognised as Heirs to the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.).

This personal element is an important factor in the dissemination of

tasawwuf. Mere book knowledge leads one nowhere. A sick person
stands in need of both the physician and the prescription. Very often, he
stands more in need of the physician than the prescription.

Unless there is a competent physician to administer the prescription

properly, the prescription remains useless. God sent us both the
physician and the prescription, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and the Holy
Qur'an.

The Holy Qur'an without the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) would not have
brought about that marvellous change which has been the pride of
Arabia. The functions of the Holy Physician have been described in their
proper order in the following passage of the Qur'an:

"He it is Who hath been raised up amidst the unlettered, an Apostle

from among themselves who (the Apostle) reads to them passages of
the Qur'an; and purifies their souls; and teaches them the Scripture and
Wisdom." [62:2].

The duties of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)

Accordingly the duties of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) consist of the

following four things:

1. To recite the Qur'an to his people (i.e. to communicate to them

the message of God).

2. To purify their souls, which is quite a different thing from merely

conveying to the people the word of God. Without such
purification they would not be able even to understand properly
the message of God.

3. To teach them the Holy Book. It is a different thing altogether

from announcing to them the message of God. The 'teaching'
here means explaining to the people the meaning and the real
significance of the passages of the Qur'an and training them in
the proper method of observance of Qur'anic Ordinances. Such
teaching can only be effective when the process of purification of
the soul has been gone through properly.

4. Finally to bring them face to face with the wisdom which follows
 the knowledge and action stated above.

The importance of a personal element in affairs relating to the

amelioration of mankind can hardly be disputed. Fortunately this
personal element has been handed down to us in the form of the Shaikh.

Muhammad, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) combined in himself

the leadership of all the various functions at his time. He was a
religious teacher, spiritual guide, social reformer, commander-in-chief
and political head of the Muslims. In short, he combined in his person all
the functions of a temporal and spiritual leader.

He was at once a king and a prophet. His four successors, Abu Bakr,
Umar, Uthman and Ali (peace be upon them all), inherited this
leadership in toto. The temporal power and the spiritual lead were
centred in the same personality.

The historical splitting of temporal and spiritual power

Unfortunate events subsequent to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the

son of the Khalifah Ali and the grandson of the Holy Prophet (God's
blessings be upon them all), sounded the death-knell of the
amalgamated leadership.

The temporal power was usurped by Bani Ummayya, and the

spiritualists were left to take care of themselves. Bloodshed on the
battlefield of Karbala, however, could not chill the enthusiasm of the
spiritualists, and they flocked round the sons and grandsons of Ali in
thousands and in tens of thousands, to drink deep of the fountain of
knowledge and reality.

The Ummayyads grew suspicious of the growing popularity of the

spiritual successors of Hussain. Under the Ummayyad and Abbassid
Caliphs, the spiritualists were subject to persecution. That is why, for a
long time, spiritual lessons were given secretly. It is one of the reasons
why spiritualists have sometimes been called Mystics .

Aimma Ahlul Bayt are the leaders from the Holy Prophet's Family.
Aimma is a plural of imam which means 'leader' and ahli bayt means
'members of the family'. These imams or leaders belonging to the
Prophet's family, occupy the foremost rank as regards spirituality and
other aspects of religion. All classes of Sufis, Dervishes and Faqirs owe
their origin to them. Go to any Sufi in the world today and he will trace
his pedigree to them and through them to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). The
Holy Prophet is like an ocean; Ali an outlet; and Aimma Ahlul Bayt are
as canals that have carried the waters to the thirsty.

The difference in Sufi Orders is in form only and not in spirit

The various Sufistic Orders, or "Dynasties" as they are sometimes

called, are a later development but such development is in form only,
and not in spirit. It is like this: Suppose, a teacher of very high spiritual
attainments and extraordinary internal powers makes his appearance
or, say, comes out to India and spreads spirituality there.

His pupils, adherents, and followers are distinguished from others by

being called after his name. Another teacher of similar attainments
comes and does likewise; a different name is assumed by the followers
of his school. They differ merely in their mode of teaching. Chishtis,
Nizamis, Qadris, Naqshabandis, Mujaddidis, Abul Ulais, Suhrawardis,
Madaris, Qalandaris, Maulwites, Shadhilis, Rifais, Badawis, Sanusis and
others are different Sufistic Orders spread over the world.