The Benefits of the Muraqqaʿa

The muraqqaʿa has many benefits in this world and the hereafter, which Imam Ibn al-Bannā of Saragossa (d. 1321) رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ enumerated in al-Mabāḥith al-aṣliyya, on which Ibn ʿAjība رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ commentated comprehensively, as follows:

The Sufis choose the muraqqaʿa
Because of the characteristics we will mention

This first: it dispels pride;
It protects against cold and heat;

It costs little to obtain;

Worldly people do not covet it;

It debases the soul, and extends the life;

It cultivates patience, following ʿUmar’s example;

The one who wears it appears fearful, Which inspires

him to be humble.

[Ibn ʿAjība comments:] The muraqqaʿa is a garment patched together from many kinds of material, whether colored or not, which could be wool, fur or leather. The Sufis prefer it to other kinds of clothing for ten reasons:

The first reason is that it dispels and excludes pride, and it cultivates humility—unless the intention of the one who wears it is to try to show himself as a pious man, in which case it is unlawful to wear it. Likewise, if he wears it to distinguish him- self from the dervishes who do not wear it, or if he thinks that wearing it makes him better than others, then the obtained effect is the opposite of the desired effect.

The second reason is that it is composed in such a way that it protects from heat because of how the pieces of fabric are stitched together. It also protects from cold because of the fab- ric’s thickness.

The third reason is that it is very cheap, because it is made from fabrics that were destined for the garbage heap and would cost nothing to give away. However, if someone chooses fabrics of good quality for it, then the muraqqaʿa loses its true purpose and no longer gives its fruits, becoming just like any other garment.

The fourth reason is that the patched cloak in itself is not cov- eted by thieves or others. However, its honorable status is rec- ognized, and if a dervish were to pull the cloak away from plun- dering thieves, they would pay no regard to it after inquiring him about it. Instead the thieves would return the cloak back to him and ask forgiveness for offending him. This is something that is well-known to have occurred. Wearing the muraqqaʿa in order to be respected is thus permitted, according to Shaykh Aḥmad Zarrūq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ.

is thus permitted, according to Shaykh Aḥmad Zarrūq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ.

The fifth reason is that wearing the muraqqaʿa wards off many evil things because of the respect people have for the one who wears it, as they recognize him as a righteous person. This is permitted if the intention is to ward off harm, not to attract benefit, in accordance with the verse:

O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters, and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (jalābīb) over themselves. Thus is it likelier that they will be known and not be disturbed. And God is Forgiv- ing, Merciful. (Q Aḥzāb 33:59.). This is implied by Ibn al-Bannā’s words, “Worldly people do not covet it.”

The sixth reason is that it encourages self-abasement among one’s fellow men, which causes the soul’s death, wherein is its life. In this sense, al-Shushtarī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ (d. 1269) said, speaking on behalf of the Real:

If you desire union with us, then your death is a condition; The one in whom trace residues remain does not attain union.

In the debasement of the soul, there is also the loss of rank and dignity, which is a condition for realizing the station of sin- cerity. It also leads to obscurity and the loss of reputation (khumūl), which brings peace and repose, for such a person will not be known for anything other than what he is, nor is he perceived as being informed about important affairs. If he is absent, no one notices it; if he is present, his opinion is not sought. In this sense, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Many a man there is whose face is dusty, his hair unkempt, his clothes tattered, and no one pays attention to him. Yet if he were too swear an oath by God, God would fulfill it.”

The seventh reason is that it lifts one’s saintly aspiration and diminishes the concern that one has for the opinion of others. After all, the admiration of admirers brings nothing but spiritual harm, and the one who wears the muraqqaʿa no longer pays attention to others. Both admirers and critics are equal for him.

A shaykh once said to a young man, “Beware of this muraqqaʿa! People honor you because of it.” The young man replied: “They only honor us for God’s sake.” The shaykh said, “How good it is to be honored for God’s sake!”

The eighth reason is that it has been said that wearing the muraqqaʿa extends a person’s life; this is because of the bless- ings the muraqqaʿa brings to the one who wears it, in the sense that in a short period of time, the one who wears the muraqqaʿa attains things that would take years for a person who does not wear it to attain.

In this sense, Sayyidunā Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh al-Iskandarī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said in his Ḥikam: “Whoever is blessed in his life-span is able to attain, in a short time, things that are incomparable and indescribable. The worship of the knowers of God is multiplied over and over.” He also said in his Ḥikam: “No deed arising from an ascetic heart is small, and no deed arising from an avaricious heart is large.”

It has also been said that the muraqqaʿa literally increases one’s lifespan, for it contains a special kind of blessing, and that wearing the muraqqaʿa foretells a long life. God knows best.

The ninth reason is that it cultivates patience and self-re- straint, the merits of which are known to all. God says: Surely those who are patient shall be paid their reward in full with- out reckoning; (Q Zumar 39:10). and He says, give glad tidings to the patient; (Q Baqara 2:155). and, Truly God is with the patient. (Q Baqara 2:153).

One of the Companions said, “Patience to religion is as the head to the body, and patience is the foundation of religious leadership and pious adherence.” God says: We appointed leaders from among them who guided by Our Command when they were patient and had sure faith in Our signs. (Q Sajda 32:24).

Wearing the muraqqaʿa also protects against major sins, because it makes its wearer feel too ashamed to stray anywhere near them. So the muraqqaʿa is a protection against grave sin, and the patience needed to wear it is equivalent, as it were, to the patience needed to confront all sinful things.

The tenth reason is that wearing the muraqqaʿa is following the example of the Commander of the Faithful, Sayyidunā ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. God’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Follow those who come after me: Abū Bakr and ʿUmar.” So following them is obeying the instructions of the Prophet ﷺ.

The one who wears the muraqqaʿa also encapsulates all the reasons that led ʿUmar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ to wear it. ʿUmar wore a muraqqaʿa with thirteen patches between the shoulders, one of which was made of leather. When he swapped it for another garment on the day of the conquest of Jerusalem, following the advice of the Muslims, he exclaimed, “I do not recognize myself,” and put his muraqqaʿa back on.

So it was ʿUmar’s personal choice to wear the muraqqaʿa for the sake of humility, not out of necessity, for he was not short of wealth either before or after he became Caliph. (Ibn ʿAjība, al-Futūḥāt al-ilāhiyya pp 130-132.).