The Tasawwuf of al-Shafi`i

mnm77

[size=80%]Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem
was-salaat was-salaam `alaa Rasul-illah
wa 'alaa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam

DID IMAM AL-SHAFI`I DISAPPROVE OF TASAWWUF?

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 derogatory remarks about tasawwuf attributed to Imam al-Shafi`i which some are heard quoting today must be understood in thecontext of the Imam's disavowal of certain people who called themselvesMuslims or Sufis, when in reality they were nothing more thanhypocrites, free-thinkers, and dissolute people. This should be born inmind by anyone who is approached by "Salafis" with narrations culledfrom Ibn al-Jawzi's Talbis Iblis and attributing sweeping disapprovalof tasawwuf to Imam Shafi`i. How can they believe that Imam Shafi`idisapproves of tasawwuf and at the same time advises the fuqaha' to besufis, as we quoted above? Have they no better opinion of him than onewho gives two mutually exclusive advices?

The muhaddith al-`Ajluni also relates in his book Kashf al-khafa wa muzil al-albas (1:341 #1089) that Imam Shafi`i said:

Three things in this world have been made lovely to me:avoiding affectation, treating people kindly, and following the way oftasawwuf.

Ibn al-Qayyim in his Madarij al-salikin (3:128) and al- Suyuti inhis Ta'yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya (p. 15) also relate that Imamal-Shafi`i said:

I accompanied the Sufis and received from them butthree  words: their statement that time is a sword: if you do not  cutit, it cuts you; their statement that if you do not keep  your ego busywith truth it will keep you busy with  falsehood; their statement thatdeprivation is immunity.

    The Maliki shaykh Ahmad al-`Alawi said, as cited in the translationfrom his work entitled Knowledge of God (p. xxi): "Reflect on thesincerity of this great Imam [Shafi`i] and how he became a witness forthe Sufis, and confirmed their seriousness and struggle. ShaykhSha`rani, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Reflect on how Shafi`ihas taken this from the Sufis and not from others. It is by this thatyou know their superiority over others, the men of knowledge of theoutward, the ones from whom he once learned."

    One of the putative authorities of "Salafis" is Ibn Qayyimal-Jawziyya, yet when Ibn Qayyim states something which contraveneswhat "Salafis" claim, they are at a loss that their own authorityrefutes them. Ibn Qayyim said in Madarij al-salikin (2:307):

Religion consists entirely of good character (al-dinu kulluhu khuluq).Whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in religion, andthe same is true of tasawwuf. al-Kattani said: "Tasawwuf is goodcharacter (al-tasawwuf khuluq). Whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in tasawwuf."

    We should ask also whether the so-called "Salafis" know theposition of Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab on tasawwuf. It is evident that theirnear-totality have not the faintest idea that he accepted theattribution of tasawwuf back to the Prophet himself. Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab said in the third volume of his complete works published by IbnSa`ud University, on page 31 of the Fatawa wa rasa'il, Fifth Question:

Know -- may Allah guide you -- that Allah Almighty has sentMuhammad, blessings and peace upon him, with right guidance, consistingin beneficial knowledge, and with true religion consisting in righteousaction. The adherents of religion are as follows: among them are thosewho concern themselves with learning and fiqh, and discourse about it,such as the jurists; and among them are those who concern themselveswith worship and the pursuit of the Hereafter, such as the Sufis. Allahhas sent His Prophet with this religion which encompasses both kinds,that is: fiqh and tasawwuf.

As for the objections of the slanderers of Sufis invoking Ibnal-Jawzi's exhortative work Talbis iblis in which he attributes toal-Shafi`i sayings detrimental to Sufis, or sayings of Imam Ahmaddetrimental to Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi: as Dhahabi said: "We callIbn al-Jawzi hafiz (hadith memorizer) in deference to the profusion ofhis writings, not to his scholarliness." That is: He was not reliablewhen it came to reporting narrations.

The following remarks are by the late muhaddith of Syria Shaykh `Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda:

Our reliance is on Allah! Ibn al-Jawzi composed a great bigbook on hadith forgeries so that jurists, preachers, and others mayavoid them, then you will see him cite in his exhortative works forgedhadiths and rejected stories without head nor tail, without shame orsecond thought. In the end one feels that "Ibn al-Jawzi" is two peopleand not one!... For this reason Ibn al-Athir blamed him in his historyentitled al-Kamil (10:228), with the words: "Ibn al- Jawzi blamed him[Ghazali] for many things, among them his narration of unsound hadithsin his exhortations. O wonder that Ibn al-Jawzi should criticize himfor that! For his own books and exhortative works are crammed full withthem (mahshuw bihi wa mamlu' minh)!" And the hadith master al-Sakhawisaid in Sharh al-alfiyya (p. 107): "Ibn al-Jawzi cited forgeries andtheir likes in high abundance in his exhortative works"!

[`Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda, notes to al-Lucknawi's Raf` wa al-takmil p. 420-421.]

Besides the above, we have already quoted Imam Taj al- Din al-Subki's advice for serious students of the Islamic sciences:

Beware of listening to what happened between... Ahmad ibnHanbal and al-Harith al-Muhasibi. If you become busy with this I feardeath for you. These are notable leaders in religion and theirutterances have various explanations which some, perhaps, havemisunderstood. As for us, we have no other course but to approve ofthem and keep quiet concerning what took place between them, just aswhat is done concerning what took place between the Companions, mayAllah be well pleased with them... O you who are seeking guidance!...leave aside what took place between them, and busy yourself with whatconcerns you, and leave what does not concern you!

[Subki, Qa`ida fi al-jarh wa al-ta`dil, p. 53.]

As for Dhahabi's avalanche of insinuations against some of theearlier and later Sufis in his Mizan al-i`tidal (1:430 #1606), where hesays after quoting derogatory reports against al-Muhasibi:

Where are the likes of al-Harith al-Muhasibi! How then ifAbu Zur`a saw the books of the later [Sufis], such as the Qut al-qulubof Abu Talib [al-Makki], and where are the likes of the Qut? How thenif he saw Bahjat al-asrar of Abu Jahdam, and Haqa'iq al-tafsir ofal-Sulami, then he

would jump to the ceiling! How then if he saw the books of Abu Hamidal-Tusi [Imam Ghazali]....? the Ghunya of shaykh `Abd al-Qadir[Gilani]... Fusus al-hikam and al- Futuhat al-makiyya [of Ibn `Arabi]?

    We treat such assertions according to the instructions of Suyutiwho rejected them in his vindication entitled Qam` al- mu`arid binusrat Ibn al-Farid (The taming of the naysayer with the vindication ofIbn al-Farid) as quoted by Imam al-Lucknawi in al-Raf` wa al-takmil fial-jarh wa al-ta`dil (p. 319-320):

Don't let Dhahabi's mumbling deceive you, for he went sofar as to mumble against Imam Fakhr al-Din ibn al-Khatib [al-Razi], andagainst one who is greater than the Imam, namely: Abu Talib al-Makkithe author of Qut al-qulub, and against one who is greater than AbuTalib, namely: Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari, whose fame has filledthe firmaments! And Dhahabi's books are filled with that: al- Mizan,al-Tarikh, and Siyar al-nubala'. Are you going to accept his wordsagainst such as these? Never, by Allah! His word is not acceptedconcerning them; rather, we fulfill their right over us, and we renderit to them in full.

Blessings and peace on the Prophet,
his Family, and his Companions

GF Haddad
[6 Jun 1997]

orangbesi

salam

terpulanglah kpd puak tu
tapi adakah
kenyataan shafie itu bersamaan dgn tuntutan nabi???
sedangkan disekitar nabi
ada yg jadi sufi!!!
ada yg jadi faqih!!!
nabi tak marah pun
sedangkan nabi lebih mengetahui akan umatnya
iye umatnya

BatuApi

Jalan yang selamat hanya mengikuti mazhab yang muktabar seperti mazhab Syafie ini dan  bukannya mengikut pala otak sendiri seperti wahabi.

sirri_khafi

org wahabi nih sukakan puji2an jek ...
         
tapi sanggup pulak mengkafirkan ulamak2 mutaqoddimien ...
         
apa punya fe'el tuh ?  

BikerLady

Imam syafie juga banyak membuat silap sehingga berubah-ubah fatwanya...so to be save hanya ikutlah saja quran dan hadis. Imam syafie said...'jika ada pendapatku yang bercanggah dengan hadis maka tinggalkan pendapat ku dan ikutlah hadis tersbut'.

sirri_khafi

tang mana yg silap dan berubah2 fatwanya ?
      
sila buktikan ....
      
kalau awak lebih piawai tentang ALQURAN & ASSUNNAH berbanding beliau yg dah hafal serta dedicate seluruh kehidupannya pd ALQURAN & ASSUNNAH a.k.a  HADIS SERTA KITAB MUWATHA' DLL SILA BUKTIKAN ....      

boleh ?  

nahzaluz

Imam Ahmad anak murid Imam Syafie tak pernah pun kata Imam Syafie salah walaupun mazhab dia tak sama dgn tok gurunya. Kalu kita baca buku feqah muqaran tak ada salah menyalah antara para Imam mujtahid ni.

sirri_khafi

org skrg perlu belajar "  ADAB DI DLM PERBEZAAN PENDAPAT  "  ...  

ibnur

org skrg perlu belajar "  ADAB DI DLM PERBEZAAN PENDAPAT  "  ...

cakap tak serupa bikin....

org wahabi nih sukakan puji2an jek ...
         
tapi sanggup pulak mengkafirkan ulamak2 mutaqoddimien ...
         
apa punya fe'el tuh ?

so apa pendapat totok wahabi tentang syafaat nabi SAW di hari kiamat ?

PUAK WAHABIY PERANGAI MCM KAUM YAHUDI YG SUKA MENGUBAH AYAT2 ALLAH SWT ...
      
SPLIT OUT AKU PUNYA POSTING YER ?
           
NAK PELBAGAIKAN PEMIKIRAN ISLAM KONON ....
      
PEGI DUDUK DI MAKKAH LA BARU KORG TAHU PERANGAI PUAK2 WAHABIY NIH ...  

sirri_khafi

itu bukan perbezaan pendapat wahai enche' ibnur yg yg di hormati ...
      
itu adalah KRITIK  ....
      
pd saya, X SALAH MENGKRITIK GOLONGAN YG EKSTREM ....
     
lagipun, KRITIK MASEH MULIA JIKA NAK DI BANDINGKAN  DOT DOT DOT ( mereka dan golongan mereka yg mengetahui )  ...
           
peace di bulan ramadhan al mubarak ... :victory:  

ibnur

mulianya cara kritik awak...  

mnm77

Ustaz sirri,

Moderator kat forum ni kebanyakannya cuba tidak menggalakkan mana2 posting yang ada unsur terlalu keras, i.e. sesat-meyesatkan, tapi kat bod mazhab ni kadang2 tak dapat dielakkan sebab memang dah lumrah macam tu.

Pada saya, En Ibnur cuba menjalankan tugasnya, dengan caranya. Dia ada pegangannya sendiri. Orang lain pun ada pegangn mereka. Setahu saya Salafi/Wahhabi totok memang tolak segala tasawwuf dan sufi, tapi ibnur pun pernah kata dia ada ikut ceramah2 tasawwuf. Dia pun pernah dok dengar bayan2 jemaah Tabligh dari pengalamannya dulu. Dia tidakpun menempelak Jemaah Tabligh seperti mana Salafi totok yg lain. Posting salafi/wahhabi totok pun saya pernah lihat dia potong kredit.

Ehem... mungkin ni sesi berkenalan ustaz sirri dengan ustaz ibnur kot
ustaz nahzalus punya la dok ikut posting ustaz sirri

ibnur, bagi 'ikram' la kacang sikit kat ustaz sirri, supaya dia boleh makan malam2 pulan posa ni. Mana tau nanti jadi kawan pula....

Ramadhan kareem.

Hang

Originally posted by BikerLady at 5-9-2008 12:20 PM
Imam syafie juga banyak membuat silap sehingga berubah-ubah fatwanya...so to be save hanya ikutlah saja quran dan hadis. Imam syafie said...'jika ada pendapatku yang bercanggah dengan hadis maka tinggalkan pendapat ku dan ikutlah hadis tersbut'.

lady,
kalau imam syafei silap pun dalam memberi fatwa ia tetap beroleh satu pahala kerana beliau tak sewenangnya mengeluarkan fatwa tanpa dalil. Sebab itu dia tinggalkan kata emas tersebut "'jika ada pendapatku yang bercanggah dengan hadis maka tinggalkan pendapat ku dan ikutlah hadis tersbut'."

sekarang cuba lady lihat mazhab syafei di msia ini mengikut pendapat yang mana satu:

1. fatwa2 dan pendapat2 peribadi Imam Syafei ?
2. Method Imam Syafei a.k.a - "'jika ada pendapatku yang bercanggah dengan hadis maka tinggalkan pendapat ku dan ikutlah hadis tersebut'."
3. fatwa dan pendapat imam-imam lain dalam mazhab syafei?

apakah golongan yang mengaku bermazhab syafei di msia ni masuk kategori 1 , 2 atau 3?

BikerLady

Yes..u're right. I sudah kata bahawa bukan Imam Shafie saja yang betul tapi masih terdapat Imam2 lain juga dalam ahli sunnah wal jamaah yang tinggi juga pengetahuan dalam ugama dan sampai peringkat mujtahid. Kita tak sepatutnya mengenepikan imam2 tersebut dan hanya memuja imam shafie saja. Imam Shafie pun manusia biasa juga dan adakala fatwanya bertentangan dengan fatwa imam2 yang lain. In this case kita perlu memilih fatwa mana yang lebih hampir dengan al-quran dan sunnah dari hanya bertaklid buta saja pada Imam Shafie.

Tentang soalan u itu pun sudah jelas ramai yang kononnya mengikuti mazhab shafie sedangkan mereka sendiri tak kenal yang mana satu dari imam shafie sendiri dan yang mana satu pendapat2 hanya dari pengikut imam shafie saja atau ulama shafieyah yang sometimes sudah berubah fatwanya. Inilah pendapat dari Ustaz Abdullah Yassin yang i ikuti kuliahnya twice a week. Anyway i ada buka topic bermazhab haram dan sesat sebelum ni dan itulah sebaik jalan untuk diikuti.

BikerLady

Originally posted by sirri_khafi at 5-9-2008 01:42 PM
tang mana yg silap dan berubah2 fatwanya ?
      
sila buktikan ....
      
kalau awak lebih piawai tentang ALQURAN & ASSUNNAH berbanding beliau yg dah hafal serta dedicate seluruh kehidup ...

U mean to say imam shafie tak pernah buat silap??
The problem is u hanya mengambil imam shafie saja sedangkan dalam ahli sunnah wal jamaah mereka mengambil pendapat dari semua imam mujtahid dan menapisnya menurut al-quran dan assunnah. So...ahli sunnah wal jamaah ialah mereka yang mengambil pendapat dari semua imam mujtahid dan bukannya bertaklid buta pada imam shafie saja...got it??

sirri_khafi

memang betul, xder sesiapa yg maksum melainkan para nabi AS ...
      
sebagai muslim, kita di perintahkan utk bersangka baik ...
     
sekiranya anda ingin mengemukakan kesilapan imam syafiie RAH, sila kemukakan DALIL NAQLI & FAKTA NYA SEKALI ...
        
supaya saya boleh belajar, dan forumer lain pun dapat manfaat hasil dari muzakarah ini ...
         
tapi kalau XDER FAKTA ... takut2 kita mengatakan sesuatu yg salah pd ORG2 YG BENAR, pdhal ALLAH SWT LAH YG LEBIH TAHU SIAPAKAH YG LEBIH BENAR DI ANTARA IMAM2 MUJTAHIDIN & ORG2 YG MENGKRITIK mereka ...   
        
lagipun, org2 wahabiy/salafi pun BERTAQLID KPD ULAMAK2 MEREKA jugak kan ? betul x ?   


awak pun bertaqlid dgn ust abdullah yassin kan,  kan  sama dgn org2 yg bertaqlid imam 4 mazhab tuh ?

[ Last edited by  sirri_khafi at 6-9-2008 09:29 PM ]

sirri_khafi

U MEAN TO SAY IMAM SHAFIIE X PERNAH BUAT SILAP ?
  
SO, SYEIKH ABD WAHAB RAH X PERNAH BUAT SILAP KER ?
      
ADAKAH SYAIKH IBNU TAYMIYAH RAH ITU MAKSUM ?
      
ADAKAH IBNU BAZ ITU SUCI SEPERTI MALAIKAT ?  
         
ADAKAH UST ABDULLAH YASSIN ITU SEMPURNA MCM PARA2 NABI AS ?  
      
PELIK2 DAN GANJIL FAHAMAN ORG2 WAHABIYY NIH ...    


p/s : bukan niat nak provoke atau merendah2kan ulamak2 di atas, lagipun siapalah saya jika nak dibandingkan dgn org yg saya taip di atas, tetapi saya ingin mengajak golongan wahabiyy berfikir balik ....

[ Last edited by  sirri_khafi at 7-9-2008 09:44 PM ]

ibnur

  siapa lagi yang diwahabikan lagi ni?

sirri_khafi

hanya golongan wahabiyy yg suka MEMBESAR2KAN SOAL KEMAKSUMAN IMAM, PD HAL HANYA PARA2 NABI AS SHJ YG MAKSUM ... GANJIL2 & PELIK FAHAMAN PUAK2 WAHABIYY NIH  ...  

nahzaluz

maksud ustaz, Imam Ibnu Taimiyyah dan Imam Ibnul Qayyim tu di mata golongan wahabi tak pernah salah (maksum)?