Many people assume that Sufism began as a reaction against the period of wealth and luxury once experienced by the Muslim community, leading them to embrace asceticism and seclusion. Although withdrawing from worldly life may be part of Sufism, it by no means encapsulates it in full. The ultimate purpose of Sufism is not isolation in itself—though solitude can be a pedagogical tool for the spiritual seeker at certain stages of the journey to God. Rather, its supreme aim is to perfect one’s servitude to God, free from any outward or inward ulterior motive, so that the servant attains the highest state of spiritual purity, realizing closeness to the Divine.

On this path of spiritual ascent, one undergoes the purification of the heart through dhikr (remembrance of God) and the rectification of one’s inner life, advancing through various stations (maqāmāt) and unveilings (kashf) as God wills, until one is granted openings in knowledge. At that point, the believer grasps the meaning of the Prophet’s saying—may God’s blessings and peace be upon him—“Worship God as though you see Him; and if you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you.”

This science of Sufism is not simply a matter of personal preference: it is incumbent upon every Muslim, as indicated by the Prophet’s words—peace be upon him—when the Angel Gabriel came to teach the people their religion. On the authority of Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, who said:

While we were sitting with the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) one day, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with extremely black hair. No trace of travel could be seen on him, and none of us recognized him. He sat down before the Prophet (peace be upon him), rested his knees against his, placed his palms on his thighs, and said: “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “Islam is to testify that there is no deity but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; to establish prayer; to pay the zakat; to fast during Ramadan; and to make the pilgrimage to the Sacred House if you are able.” The man said: “You have spoken truly.” We were astonished that he asked him and then confirmed his answer. Then he said: “Tell me about īmān (faith).” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in the Decree—both its good and its evil.” The man said: “You have spoken truly.” He then said: “Tell me about iḥsān (spiritual excellence).” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “It is to worship Allah as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.” The man said: “Tell me about the Hour (the Day of Judgment).” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one questioned knows no more than the questioner.” He said: “Then tell me about its signs.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “That a bondwoman will give birth to her mistress; and that you will see barefoot, naked, and destitute shepherds competing in building tall structures.” Then the man departed, and I (ʿUmar) remained for a while. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked me, “O ʿUmar, do you know who the questioner was?” I replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “That was Gabriel. He came to teach you your religion.” (Narrated by Muslim)

From the statement of the Prophet—peace be upon him—“This was Gabriel; he came to teach you your religion,” we learn that the comprehensiveness of Islam is manifested in the three stations of islām, īmān, and iḥsān. A Muslim cannot separate these stations in terms of belief; the religion must be believed in, in its entirety—even if one’s practice of each component varies according to ability.

In this way, one avoids falling under the divine rebuke: “Do you then believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in another part? What then is the recompense of those who do so among you except disgrace in worldly life? And on the Day of Resurrection, they will be sent back to the severest of punishments. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (Qur’an 2:85)

Following the Prophetic Model

The people of God (ahl Allāh) took the life of the Prophet—peace be upon him—and of his Companions—may God be pleased with them all—as conveyed by the Noble Qur’an and detailed by the Prophetic Sunnah, to be their highest ideal, their goal, and the ark of salvation to which they clung, rescuing them from the land of the raging flood (i.e. the dunyā) and delivering them to the land of iḥsān. Through this devotion, they were endowed with spiritual outpourings in the form of inspiration (ilhām), unveiling (kashf), and ecstatic experiences (wajd). They disclosed aspects of these states in their poems and writings so that these spiritual reflections might reach their disciples, who in turn would revive such divine states in themselves.

During the Prophet’s lifetime—peace be upon him—no formal, structured schools were necessary, since the Beloved Chosen One was himself a living school from which all could directly acquire knowledge. Everything he did, said, or remained silent about is considered part of the Prophetic Sunnah to be followed. However, after he returned to the Highest Companion (i.e. Allāh), the community needed systematic organization of religious knowledge so that future generations could benefit.

Thus, in the era following the generation of the Companions and their Followers, scholars diligently compiled the sciences of ḥadīth, tafsīr, logic, principles of jurisprudence, and fiqh. They established schools for the Arabic language and rhetoric, and they flung open the door of ijtihād (independent legal reasoning).

At the same time, those who dedicated themselves to the station of iḥsān likewise strove to record the science of Sufism, highlighting its honor, magnificence, and virtues among the other sciences—so as to fulfill all the needs of the religion. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, some misguided voices arose labeling Sufism itself a blameworthy innovation (bidʿah), as though there were a gap or rift between fiqh (the science of Sharīʿah) and Sufism (the science of spiritual Truth–ḥaqīqah). In truth, the religion is not established without both, for God created everything with an outward aspect and an inward aspect.

The outward knowledge bears witness to the inward reality, and the inward reality is the true essence of the outward. Both guide one along the path of truth, and one cannot journey to the knowledge of God without them together. Separating them is akin to believing in some of the Scripture while rejecting other parts—a fallacy the realized righteous Imāms (may God be pleased with them all) recognized and avoided by uniting the two.

It was reported that Imām Mālik said: “He who pursues the esoteric (taṣawwuf) without acquiring the exoteric (fiqh) will fall into heresy (tazandaq); and he who pursues the exoteric (fiqh) without the esoteric (taṣawwuf) will fall into transgression (tafassaq); but he who combines them both perfectly realizes himself in the truth.” (Sharḥ ʿAyn al-ʿIlm wa Zayn al-Ḥilm by Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī, 1/33; Ḥāshiyat al-ʿAdawī ʿalā al-Zarqānī, 3/195)

It is also related that Imām al-Shāfiʿī said: “From the things of this world, three are dear to me: avoiding pretension, showing kindness in my dealings with people, and following the path of the people of Sufism.” (Al-Taṣawwuf al-Muftarā ʿAlayh, Muḥammad Qāsim al-Shūm, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, p. 50)

As for Imām Aḥmad, it is transmitted that he once discouraged his son ʿAbdullāh from associating with the Sufis, but after ʿAbdullāh kept company with Abū Ḥamzah al-Baghdādī the Sufi, Imām Aḥmad began saying: “My son, keep company with these people, for they have surpassed us in their vast knowledge, vigilance (murāqabah), reverential awe (khashya), asceticism, and lofty aspirations (himma).” (Tanwīr al-Qulūb by Shaykh Amīn al-Kurdī, p. 405)

And it is also related from him: “I know of no people better than them.”
When asked, “They listen to [devotional music] and enter a state of ecstasy,” he replied,
“Let them rejoice with God for an hour.” (Ghidhāʾ al-Albāb Sharḥ Manẓūmat al-Ādāb by al-Saffārinī al-Ḥanbalī, 1/120)

Sufyān al-Thawrī said: “If it were not for Abū Hāshim al-Ṣūfī, I would not have perceived the subtle forms of ostentation.” (al-Ṭūsī, al-Lumaʿ, p. 42)

This was the approach of the pious predecessors who, recognizing how comprehensive the religion is, integrated the outward (the Sharīʿah) and the inward (the Ḥaqīqah). Indeed, these were the very founders of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence and the formulators of its legal positions. They knew that outward actions cannot be set aright without the purification of the inward, and that the heart’s spiritual taste depends on the rectitude of the limbs. There can be no separation—only a continuous, mutual reinforcement: the more the outward is aligned with obedience to God, the more the heart savors divine realities, and the more the heart is purified, the more the outward yields to His rule.

The Controversy of Calling Sufism an “Innovation”

In later centuries, the misguided claim arose that Sufism itself is an illegitimate innovation (bidʿah). Yet this did not appear in a vacuum; certain errors had indeed crept into Sufi circles, including eccentricities and extremes among those who imagined that the path of the Sufis was nothing but wearing cloaks and turbans, or those who falsely claimed sainthood without justification. Shaykh Sīdī Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari—may God sanctify his secret—described them in his book Al-Maḥajjah as follows:

“The allies of falsehood (awliyāʾ al-ṭāghūt) are the idol of our era—rivals of the Truth (andād al-ḥaqq)—who dress up falsehood (al-bāṭil) in the guise of truth (al-ḥaqq). Their tongues are sweeter than honey, yet their hearts are more bitter than the desert gourd (al-ḥanẓal). Their skins are like sheepskins (julūd al-ḍaʾn), but their hearts are the hearts of wolves. They promise their followers an imminent spiritual opening (al-fatḥ al-qarīb) and tremendous support (al-madad al-ʿaẓīm), but there is neither real opening nor support—only empty wishes (al-amānī).” (p. 42)

Nevertheless, these dark pitfalls that afflicted the science of Sufism are not unique to it; every branch of the religious sciences has, at times, faced crises and breaches. God Most High says: “Then We caused to inherit the Scripture those We have chosen from Our servants; among them is he who wrongs himself, among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by God’s permission. That is the greatest bounty.” (Qur’an 35:32)

This very state of affairs calls for the cyclic rise of a mujaddid—a spiritual renovator—who restores the truths to their proper place, reclaims the terminology for its authentic meaning, and rearranges the knowledge of this path anew, so that the divinely ordained khilāfah (vicegerency) on Earth can be manifested.

Al-ʿIrbāḍ said as reported by Ibn Dāwūd:

“The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) led us in prayer one day, then turned to us and delivered an eloquent exhortation that caused tears to flow and hearts to tremble. Someone said, ‘O Messenger of God, it seems like this is the sermon of one bidding farewell. So what do you command us?’ He replied, ‘I urge you to fear God, and to listen and obey [your leaders], even if he is an Ethiopian slave. For indeed, whoever among you lives [long enough] after me will see great disputes. So adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided, upright successors. Hold firmly to it with your molars. Beware of newly introduced matters, for every innovation is misguidance.’”

Reflect on the Prophet’s words—peace be upon him—“So adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided, upright successors”: the conjunction “and” here indicates that we must revive the Sunnah in a manner that speaks to the spirit of our time and the era in which we live.

God Most High says, “For every people there is a guide” (Qur’an 13:7). That is, each community has its own leader and mentor who brings the Prophetic Sunnah back to life, reminding the people of what has slipped from their memory. When such a person shows clear signs of guidance and uprightness, is supported by the light of God, and is gifted with sound understanding and knowledge, his actions form a beautiful example for people to follow.

Consider, for instance, the extra call to prayer (adhān) introduced by our master ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with him—to alert people in the marketplace to prepare for Friday prayer an hour beforehand. Its purpose was to remind people of the upcoming prayer, and this practice has remained in effect to this very day, in line with the Sunnah of the Companions.

Thus, in the harmonious interplay of tradition and renewal, Sufism stands as a testament to the enduring quest for divine intimacy. It navigates the delicate balance between preserving sacred practices and embracing the necessary transformation of the time, ensuring that the spiritual journey remains both authentic and relevant. This dynamic synthesis not only sustains the purity of faith but also fosters a vibrant, living tradition that responds thoughtfully to the evolving human experience. Thus, Sufism continues to illuminate the path to the Divine, embodying a timeless dialogue between the eternal and the present, guiding seekers toward profound spiritual realization.

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