Tasawwuf

[FADIA BINT ISMAIL]

In the time of the Prophet, Tasawwuf was a reality without a name, today Tasawwuf is a name, but few know its Reality

 

What is Tasawwuf?

Tasawwuf is Good character and awareness of God, Love and affection. It is the cure for hatred and vengeance. It the heart attaining tranquillity which is the root of religion. Concentrating your mind, which is the religion of Ahmad (peace be upon him), Contemplation that travels to the Divine throne. It is a far-seeing gaze.

 

Tasawwuf is keeping one’s distance from imagination and supposition. Tasawwuf is found in certainty. Surrendering one’s soul to the care of the inviolability of religion; Tasawwuf is the path of faith and affirmation of unity; this is the incorruptible religion, the smooth and illuminated path. It is the way to the most exalted paradise. And nothing more.

I have heard that the ecstasy of the wearers of wool comes from finding the taste of religion.

Tasawwuf is nothing but Shari’ah it is just this clear road. Tasawwuf is a branch of Islamic knowledge which focuses on the spiritual development of the Muslim.

 

Allah sent His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad, as a source of knowledge for the entire Ummah. He was the fountain of Quran, Hadith, tafsir, fiqh, and so on. After the Prophet, the scholars of this Ummah carried and propagated each of these branches of knowledge. Because no one person can attain the perfection of the Prophet, who single handily assumed all of these roles, various branches of the Islamic sciences developed. For example, Imam Abu Hanifah preserved the science of fiqh and after him thousands of scholars continued in his footsteps. Hence these scholars preserved the fiqh of the Prophet. Similarly Imam Bukhari and the other famous scholars of Hadith preserved the words of the Prophet.

 

The scholars of tajweed preserved the recitation of the Prophet. And, the scholars of Arabic grammar preserved the language of the Prophet.

Along these lines, the Prophet was the model of spirituality for the world. His God-consciousness, deep spirituality, acts of worship, and love for Allah were preserved and propagated by an Islamic science called Tasawwuf. The aim of the scholars of this science was purification of the heart, and development of consciousness of Allah through submission to the Shari’ah and Sunnah.

 

Tasawwuf stems from Sufism. Another part of Sufism is Tariqa which is different spiritual dimensions, if you follow the Shari’ah and you have tariqa it will be considered great. Two origins of the word Sufi have been suggested. Commonly, the lexical root of the word is traced to ṣafa which in Arabic means “purity”. Another origin is suf “wool”, referring to the simple cloaks the early Muslim ascetics wore.

Tasawwuf is the name of the ways Sufi’s follow to reach Allah, the truth. some have said that it is Allah’s way of annihilating man with respect to his ego and self centredness and the reviving him spiritually with the lights of His essence. It strives to rid man of all kinds of bad and evil conduct and acquiring virtues.

 

What it truly means?

It means being freed from the vices and weaknesses of human nature and gaining angelic qualities and conduct only to please Allah and to live our lives only to please Allah. Tasawwuf is based on observing the rules of Shariah down to good manners and penetrating their inward meaning.

 

The person on the path of Tasawwuf?

A person who can succeed in this has the ability to never separate the outward observance of Shariah from its inward dimension and carries out the requirements of both outward and inward dimensions of religion, with this observation the person travels toward this goal in utmost humility and submission. Tasawwuf is a path leading to Allah.

 

The persons manner:

There is no room for negligent frivolous manners, the person should be like a honeybee flying from his hive to flowers and from flowers to the hive, continuously striving to gain knowledge in pursuit of attaining Allah’s pleasure. You should purify your heart from all attachments, resist all inclinations and desires and appetites from your carnal self. You should also lead your life at a spiritual level and also be ready to receive divine blessings, inspirations and in strict observance of the prophetic example. The most important part once you embark on this great journey is to be able to renounce all your own desires for the sake of the demands of Allah, the Truth.

 

The Aim of Tasawwuf:

The Aim is to purify man’s heart and employing his senses in the way of Allah and to live a life at a spiritual level through the constant performance of the acts of worshiping Allah it will deepen your consciousness of being a servant to Allah.

 

The Benefits:

The benefits are so unbelievable that even now with just a glimpse into it from my perspective i can say that it has opened my soul up so deeply and it has awakened me from everything that kept me captive. i feel that when you let go of everything you feel and think which does not relate to Allah and you allow Allah to manifest in your heart you will find true contentment and this is what Tasawwuf is” contentment and detaching yourself from this world to strive in the path of Allah. You develop the angelic dimensions, reaching substantial and true belief in Divine oneness in addition heeding the divine speech (The Quran).

 

In conclusion:

It is all very simple once you follow the right path, Sunnah and Shariah and never forgetting the Oneness of Allah and the power only he has and letting go of everything that holds you captive in this Dunya…once that happens you will feel serene and calm and most of all complete. what could be better than that? ask yourself this..living in this Dunya running after this Dunya or living in this Dunya, working in this Dunya only to please Allah and strive toward the Akhirah?

[ManahelFatima]

Tasawwuf is build a strong connection with the Allah Almighty having worship constantly with the great blessings of Allah Almighty. Its all about your inner feelings and connection with God and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and live a spiritual life.