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Saturday 21 September 2013

[wanita-muslimah] Salafi' versus Sufi...

 

Salafi' versus Sufi...


"Salafi" and "Sufi" with the current use of the term, are both innovated terms. Such terms were not mentioned in the Book or Sunnah in such context.

It is alleged that "Salafi or Salafism's" foundation comes from the known authentic Hadith, which means: ( The best of people are my century, then those who follow, then those who follow). This is a portion of a long Hadith, and as such is incomplete. Not to discuss the whole complete narration and its actual full contextual meaning and implication, nor the meaning of "qarni = which maybe translated as century", but regardless of the result, this Hadith cannot be used as a substantiation of a Prophetic command to follow the "Salaf" (people/scholars) who lived in the first 300 years. The partial point of this fragment of the Hadith is -at best- to praise some of the people who happened to live in those times. For even in his century, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, had the best of creation and some of the worst examples of humanity ever, such as Abu Jahl, and Abu Lahab, Ummayah bin Khalaf, and the likes. There were/are some serious criminals present in all centuries, including in his own century, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, and the Prophetic Hadith does not mean to include any and all (people/scholars) in any given time or place exclusively. This is the beginning.

At the time of the Tabi'in (generation after the honorable companions, Allah be pleased with them all) the various schools of thought and Islamic theology started developing, from the extreme literalists to the radical rationalists and everything in between. Obviously the crystallization of the "Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'a" theological schools with all of its shades and variety: (Hanbali, Athari non-Hanbali, Ash'ari, Maturidi) and other sects' theological schools such as the Mu'tazilites, Shia sects, and the remnants of the "Khariji" sects such as the present day Ibaadi's, was ongoing and developing. By the 3rd century most of the sects were developed, and each of them had their own "Salaf = pious predecessors". Eventually the Sufi movement started also crystallizing as a distinguished movement, whereby it necessitated key figures like Al-Junayd Al-Baghdadi to state that: "our Sufism is bound with the Book and Sunnah," and similar statements were repeated later by other Sufi figures like Sayyidi Abdul Qader Al-Jaylani. Every group had their own set of people/scholars they considered as "As-Salaf As-Saaleh," despite the obvious overlapping sometimes.

What each group means by "As-Salaf As-Saaleh" is a (small) group of scholarly figures that happen to live during those 3 centuries. I say small, because no group can establish recorded authentic evidence to more than a handful of figures, despite the claim that makes it sound as if the whole Muslim world was one way or another.

Furthermore, there are some serious disagreements among Muslim groups and sects on who should belong to this group of "Salaf As-Saaleh", within the same ideological group itself sometimes, let alone the groups that proclaimed belonging to "Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'a". For the 'Salaf As-Saaleh" of the Sufi's is not necessarily the same as that of the nowadays Salafi's, and so on. Or there could be an acceptance along with an insistence that so and so is more qualified and more "Saaleh" than so and so from the other ideological group, even with groups having minor differences.

The fact is that the scholars who happen to live in the first 300 or 400 years did not have one school of theology or Fiqh, and did not have an agreement about almost anything, except that which is Mutawater (definitive) in its transmission. For every other issue, it was discussed and you will find disagreements and agreements about almost anything in that blessed era. So, to say that the "Salaf As-Saaleh" had a Math'hab (unified school in matters of theology and/or Jurisprudence) is simply non-factual. Hence, even among those proclaimed "Ahlus Sunnah" as their mainframe school, we find differences in theology and jurisprudence about many issues:
  •  In fact, if you take the Hanbali' theology such as by Al-Qadi Abu Ya'la in his book (Ibtaal'u'Ta'weelaat), you will find that Ash'ari's and Maturidi's and even the Athari' non-Hanbali's call it flat out Kufr or very close to, on the basis of anthropomorphism, not to mention the habit of many Hanbali's past and present to rely on weak or less-than-Sahih in its Baab narrations in matters of Tawhid and theology. 
  • The differences between the Ash'ari's and Maturidi's are not many, but a few of them are real differences and not just semantics, such as the capacity and effect of the power of the creation, and matters of Sifaat, such as al-Wujud, and so on. 
Obviously the differences with non-Ahlus Sunnah sects are even wider.

Nevertheless, all and every sect and group claim to have their own "Salaf-Saleh" through whom they got their information and affirmed practice. The reality is, it is because of an extreme sectarian view lately, the idea of what "As-Salaf As-Saaleh" did and believed, became prevalent, and almost the benchmark of Sunnah versus no-Sunnah or Bid'ah (evil innovation). The current notion to follow "As-Salaf As-Saaleh" can only be valid to those who believe that the Salaf As-Saaleh is a group of 5-6 people who lived in the 3rd century, and 2-3 people who came in the 8th, simply because individual documentation is not there, and contradictory testimonies are equally widely available. It is important, however, to say that such a notion is not limited to one group or sect. i.e. stipulating conditions on revelations to be accepted and practiced directly is not native to one group versus another. The reality is that Allah Ta'ala did not command us to follow the "Salaf As-Saaleh" as a standard, nor did He command us to imitate anyone other than the one and only Truthful Infallible Messenger of this Last Ummah, Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Abdillah sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam. The whole Salaf and the rest of the Ummah, starting with the Sahaba (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with them all) were commanded to follow the Book and the Prophetic Sunnah. For this is the "golden" standard for all. No other standard can be interjected. To that, the Hadith of our mother Ummul Mu'minin Aisha (radiya Allahu anha) in Sahih Muslim said, which means: "whoever interjects in this Deen that which is not from it, is rejected."

Had the term "As-Salaf As-Saaleh" been limited to the "Sabiqin Awwalin", it would have had a share of the truth, in its nomenclature, to say the least. As "As-Sabiqin Al-Awwalin" is a known group of the Sahaba, mentioned in the Qur'an explicitly as a pious and righteous group with an indication to the rest of the Sahaba first, and then all those who came after, that following the Sabiqin Awwalin is good but this "following" MUST be conditioned with IHSAN (righteously) to attain the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala. One can argue that "righteously" means adhering to the standard of the Book and Sunnah and not prioritize anything before them.

The "Salaf As-Saaleh" were human beings. Honorable human beings because of their piety. The scholars among them were learnt people, and some of those learnt ones were key figures in groups that were established then or later. People can love whomever they want, but it may even infringe on the faith system itself to condition the Book of Allah to an understanding of a group of 5-6 people, regardless how great or knowledgeable they were. The Book was not revealed onto/to be useful to a group of few scholars in the first 3 centuries only, and inaccessible to the rest of the Ummah, and the whole Ummah becomes obliged to blindly imitate and adopt that specific group's understanding and written texts. Revealed Texts (Qur'an and Sunnah) are the standard, not human-written texts. The Ta'sis (foundation) is only for the Book and Authentic Sunnah in this Deen. The Imams of the Salaf and the Ulama of the Salaf and Khalaf's contribution and academic work is for Isti'naas (elucidation and expansion) not substantiation and foundation. May Allah Ta'ala accept from all of them their efforts, and be pleased with them all.

Love whoever you want to love, but do not interject a new standard to the Ummah. Even this irrelevant "mental tennis" of favoring one group of the Salaf scholars over the other, is useless. Allah Ta'ala commanded us to ask forgiveness for those who passed before us, and improve our own selves and situation so we can attain our own salvation, for the Salaf and the Khalaf cannot help if our Deeds and Iman is not there.

This is not to point out faults within one group to make another a standard. The only standard out there is the Book and authentic Sunnah. They must be taught, presented, explained, prioritized and practiced. But it is time to go beyond labels and examine the evidenced facts. The best way to advance the Ummah is to go back and heavily invest in prioritizing the Qur'an and Authentic Sunnah. They are the illumination and illuminating, and they can eradicate ignorance, merchants of the Deen, and opportunists. The Deen cannot be based on halo's given to figures, popular myths, marketing, or detachment from the original revelation no matter how these attempts are sugarcoated.

A sign of an alarming emergence of a "cult" culture within the Ummah, is an ignorant in the Deeni scholarship who just joins a current movement, becomes a judge over other Salaf and Khalaf scholarly figures, and goes further to award Jannah to those seniors of his own group and Jahannam to the others, thus becoming a judge and sometimes an executioner if possible. This is despite clear, unambiguous and direct Qur'anic commands along with Prophetic instructions affording rights, dignity and worth to every human soul, let along a scholar of the Deen. But to a cultist, the Qur'anic and Sunnah texts are inapplicable or contingent on a "Salaf's or Khalaf's" endorsement or understanding, for the latter becomes the standard. What starts wrong mostly ends wrong.

While there are pious people today who are Salafi's and Sufi's, there are also not so good examples in both. Constructive criticism ensures that one doesn't see his own people's good, and other people's faults. But that we recognize that while some of the so called Sufi's gave Sufism (which is supposed to reflect the state of Ihsan) a very bad reputation (as Ibn Arabi stated), Salafi's also have good and learned figures who love Allah Ta'ala, His Messenger-sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam-, and this Deen, and vice versa.
The fact is that some shades of the current Salafi's, which professes following of the ancient Puritan Hanbali's have -like their many of their ideological ancestors-institutionalized labeling, slander, hate, narrow-mindedness, verbal, intellectual, and even physical violence at certain times in their books, ideology, and teachings. This is not limited to certain shades of Salafi's, or even Salafi's in general however. There are some radical Sufi groups today who put the radical Salafi's to shame when it comes to comparing the level of misrepresenting the other, misquoting the other, hate, slander, verbal violence, and "conditioning this WIDE Faith to a few people's understandings and statements". Again, the idea is to look at the Book and authentic Sunnah as a whole, and not disengage the revealed texts based on a stipulated conditioning by a contested human text. I will -Insha'Allah- in the future talk about this pattern of religious tyranny, and list evidences from printed old Puritan Hanbali' books the measures they employed to terrorize their opponents verbally, intellectually, and physically. Again, this is not how all the"Puritan Hanbali's" were, let along the Ash'ari/Maturidi Hanbali's, let along the Sufi' Hanbali's. But this seems to be a pattern associated with a lethal combo of might, God-fearlessness, and ignorance. Also, it isn't native to a certain religious group, or even a certain faith system. But I will focus more on the Puritan Hanbali's, if I may say so, simply because I think and can substantiate with evidence that they led the flagship of such behavior among the groups who call themselves: Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'a. Again, that's not to say that other groups did not follow suit and employed the same ugly practices including some Sufi's. Misrepresentation of the opponent paves the way for demonization , which -in the mind of a cultist/ignorant- lays the legal foundation necessary to violate all rights Allah Ta'ala granted every human being and every Muslim. I remember my late father (rahimahu Allahu Ta'ala) words during his teachings of Monotheism and sects, which are still ringing in my ears: "if you can't articulate your opponent's points as well as you articulate your own, then you haven't even started". In another words, you cannot begin to be a scholar if you misrepresent your opponent and make an easy case for yourself. Lots of outstanding issues among Muslim groups are based on misrepresentations of the other. That's not to say that there aren't real differences. There are. In fact, some of those differences are simply irreconcilable. But that should not prevent us from being transparent and just, as ordered by the authentic Prophetic narrations, and avoid "Dhulm" of others.

I have heard some of my Shuyukh (Rahimahuma'Allahu Ta'ala) calling themselves a "Salafi Sufi" or as Ibn Taymiyya and others identified and praised: "The Suffiyya of Ahlul Hadith"!!-- something that I thought was a contradiction when I was a teenager and a fresh graduate. But I know now that it never was. We often read in the books of Salafi's that a true Salafi is one who follows the Book and Sunnah. Similarly, this statement is all over the books of Sufi's. If this is what it is, then the equation becomes clear: A true Salafi is a true Sufi and vice versa.

How about we call ourselves Muslims, just like Allah Ta'ala Himself named us in the Qur'an. Then when asked about our methodology of authenticating the Prophetic Sunnah, we cite the methodology of Ahlus Sunnah, and rid ourselves of this headache of technical terminology and its true application? After all, didn't the Sufi's always teach us that: Tasawuff used to be a reality without a name, and it became a name without reality!  Regardless of the label; Sufi or Salafi..., its not good enough because of itself, rather the standard is how closely they attached to the Book and Sunnah in belief, utterance, and practice. But the Sufi's stipulate a step more. It is not just the genuine attachment to the Book and Sunnah, but also the LOVE (in words and action) to the Lord of the Book, and the Messenger of the Sunna, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam. The mere affiliation to a group regardless of label does not mean automatic salvation. Affiliation, affirmation, and confirmation in belief, words and practice to the Book and Authentic Sunnah does. Therefore, let's call people back to the basics: Back to Allah Ta'ala and His Beloved Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam. Allah Ta'ala is The Compassoinate. His Beloved Messenger is unconditionally compassionate and loving....is there anything else missing? or anything else needed?

And Allah Ta'ala knows best.

Note: The 'Book' in the above always refers to the Noble Quran


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