Is it true that the Sufis played a major role in spreading Islam?

The questioner : In our high school curriculum, it was mentioned that the Sufis have a great merit in the spread of Islam. Is this correct?

The Shaykh : Before we answer the question, we must define the question. What is the Islam for which the Sufis have the merit of spreading it? Is it the Islam brought by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from his Lord, or is it one of the many forms of Islam? If the answer is the Islam that Allah revealed to the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), we say: No. The Sufis called people to Islam mixed with Greek philosophy, or Buddhist, Hindu, or other philosophies. There is no doubt that they called people to the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that people followed them in this call. But this is not the Islam. This is, in fact, a matter of precision that many people do not pay attention to. The Sufi paths and the Sufi shaykhs, with our knowledge that among those we know and have encountered, and regardless of what we have read and heard, they have a merit with the common people. We know people who did not pray and started praying, who used to drink intoxicants and commit zina, and they became far from all of that. This is undoubtedly one of the good deeds of these shaykhs. But did they teach them the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) that saves on the Day when wealth and children will not benefit, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart? No. Likewise, some of the Islamic groups today that claim to convey this Islam, this floating Islam that has no clear boundaries and no distinct features that every person called to Islam must understand. These people also do good to some people, taking them from open sinfulness and lewdness to prayer and fasting, and so on. But they do not make them understand the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) which is the foundation of salvation from eternal abode in the Fire. In any case, we do not deny that every sect among the Islamic sects has an impact on the Islamic call. But we must not forget that the matter is as some Syrian poets said:
"Knowledge, if you seek it, is vast, and life is short for its acquisition."
So prioritize the more important of them over the less important."
The Shaykh: So, if by the Sufis you mean the training of their individuals in the so-called asceticism, humility, and simplicity, and so on, this is good if it is within the limits of Islam. But this is nothing compared to the correct creed, which they do not revolve around at all. In this, they are joined by people who have nothing to do with Islam, for example, the Christians who dedicated themselves to the cause of... a white European living in Europe, in lands of cold and snow, goes to Africa for what? For Christianization and the call to Christianity, and so on. They humble themselves and offer money and efforts, and so on. There is no doubt that this is from Islam, but it is not Islam. Therefore, it is not permissible to... simply because a group of Muslims calls to an aspect of Islam that is important, if it is important, but it is not the most important. So, whoever says that the Sufis have a merit in spreading Islam, it is with this detail, and not in an absolute sense. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : In the book of Major Sins, it mentions a report from Ibn Abbas that... Is this correct?

The Shaykh : I do not know.