Sufism-lite or classical Sufism?
Zaytoon88, a regular and valued contributer to this blog, wrote a comment on my post Islam: Religion or Ideology. He makes such a good point about Sufism that I wanted to share it. He writes:
Salam Paul,
I have found an interesting article on Imam Shamil, a Sufi leader from the Caucases, written by Abdur Raheem Green. Here is the part that is most relevent to this post:
“The second reason I chose the Imam was in no small part because he was a Sufi from the Naqshabandi tariqa. In these days when Jihad has become synonymous with terrorism, Wahabism and Salafist some Sufi’s have unashamedly used this atmosphere of confusion and fear to lay all the blame at the Wahabist door and to portray the Sufi path as entirely peaceful and pacifist, and the internal and spiritual Jihad espoused by themselves as the only authentic and valid Jihad. It seemed a perfect opportunity to remind them, ourselves and others how short sighted, shameless and ultimately false such sectarian opportunism is. It certainly hasn’t fooled Robert Spencer of Jihad watch. Most of the great Mujahids resisting European Imperialism were Sufis. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al Jeziri, who actually met Imam Shamyl on hajj, and discussed guerrilla warfare tactics together. Sheikh Abdul Qair fought the French for ten years, until the sheer brutality of the French army massacring civilians forced him to give in. Shah Waliullah in India,and of course in the last century Omar Mukhtar in Lybia. All could be described as Sufis.
Differences, I suspect, we will always have, but these should kept between us. Whatever differences we have as Muslims, we can and must present to those who are ready to destroy us a united front.
‘Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks), as if they were a solid structure.’ Surat-as-Saff (61), ayah 4)”
I posted this excerpt from Sheikh Green not because I am a Salafi . I am not. As a matter of fact I have great respect for Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller and am currently trying to apply my fiqh based on his masterpieces of translation ‘Al-Maqasid’ and ‘Reliance of the Traveller’. I am merely illustrating that the historical revision of certain orginizations and think tanks in their portrayal of Sufism as a somehow Secular liberal Western-friendly “version” of Islam is sorely mistaken. The great Sufi sheikhs of the classical Islamic era were among the staunchest supporters of the Khilafah and the defense of Muslim lands and we must salute their courage.
I am honored that you shared my little comment on your post. It was certainly a pleasant surprise. The point (which is taking me way too long to get to, by the way!) is that Islam is indeed both a religion AND an ideology; if we take ideology to mean “a closely organized system of beliefs, values, and ideas forming the basis of a social,economic, or political philosophy or program .(Encarta Dictionary)” It seems that some groups who would wish to make Islam more Western-friendly and to “take the teeth out” of the Deen present us with a false dichotomy: Either Islam is a religion in the Christian sense of the word or it is “merely” a political ideology. This is the same as saying that those who wish to implement the collection of the Zakat are neglecting the spiritual side of Islam by focusing on “mere” economics. It is clear that the Qur’an, Sunnah, Companions, and classical scholars are at a consensus when they say that the Shariah is to be implemented in ALL aspects of the Muslim’s life. I can provide my references if anybody would like me to.
I will end my little rant with the following: Khilafah and Tawasuf are not mutually exclusive systems but are part of the same magnificient whole that makes up the Shariah. The Sufi Sheikhs of old were a testament to this. The irony is that if we were to bring back these classical Sufi masters from the dead, certain elements in our community would accuse them of being “Islamists’!
zaytoon88
My objection (which I still maintain) is about the word ‘ideology’ itself. In the West it has negative connotations. No one likes having their thought charaterised by the term ‘ideology’; it suggests a dogmatic system , possessed by one who puts ideas before people. In political philosophy it is associated with Marxist-Leninism.
Islam is not dogmatic: it is practical, spiritual and political. ‘Ideology’ does not capture the nuances and diversity of Islamic thought.