Exposing the Falsity of the Sufi Methodology
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The Sufis play a good role in teaching Wahhabism.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The Sufis play an active role in this matter.
The Shaykh : That is correct; because light and darkness do not coexist, they are always in conflict. The call that we call "Salafi" is a call to enlighten hearts and minds, whereas the Sufi call is to darken hearts and minds, a surrender, just as the Christians and Jews completely surrendered to their leaders. Among the beliefs we inherited from our renowned scholars is the statement of one of them:
"Knowledge is: Allah said, His Messenger said, *** The Companions said, not by deception
Knowledge is not setting you up for foolish disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist
"No, and no denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation)"
This is ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation). Knowledge is: Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Companions said; that is the end of it. The Shaykh said, so what is there for us? Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Companions said; this is knowledge, and this is what every Muslim must submit to. Today, we are between two currents that differ most greatly: this Sufi current and those who hover around it, the rigid, unthinking scholars; for they have disabled sound thinking and imposed on all people that they remain among the group of those who follow without knowledge (mقلدين), while opposite them is a party that broke free from everything called Shari'ah and restraint, so they worshipped their intellect;; so these are at opposite extremes. The middle is [Al-Baqarah 2:143], and "the best of matters is the middle, and loving extremes is a mistake"; that we not be of these nor of those, that we not be of those who worship the Shaykhs and scholars, nor of those who do not acknowledge anything that Allah said or the Messenger of Allah said, but rather we are the middle between these and those, and our title, as our renowned scholar mentioned earlier:
"Knowledge is: Allah said, His Messenger said, *** The Companions said, not by deception
Knowledge is not setting you up for foolish disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist
No, nor denying the attributes and negating them, *** Out of fear of denial of the divine attributes and likening Allah to creation."
Today, when you discuss with graduates from some colleges and universities, and a topic comes up—for example—one that is disputed among the jurists and scholars, and you tell him: Allah said such and such, the Messenger of Allah said such and such, he says to you: So-and-so the scholar said such and such. What does that mean? It means that the belief in tawhid (the oneness of Allah), with the details mentioned earlier, has not been digested by this man. How befitting is it for a Muslim to hear someone say: Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, and then stand toward this text or that by saying: But so-and-so the Shaykh said such and such? This is the monasticism that our Lord described them in the previous verse:[At-Tawbah 9:31].
In the last part of the last verse, there is a very important meaning, and I feel it is obligatory upon me to draw your attention to it so that you feel with us in what atmosphere we live in, far from correct knowledge and correct belief. He said:
"No, and no denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation)"
We said: It is part of the perfection of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) to affirm the oneness of Allah in His names and attributes. Today, what we constantly hear on occasion and without occasion, one of them says: "There is no one other than Allah." He is mentioning Allah, his intention is, "There is no one other than Allah." Good; and the people, and these mountains, and these valleys, and these lands, and these heavens, are these other than Him or not other than Him?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If you know the belief in the Unity of Existence, you will understand the meaning of this word. The belief in the Unity of Existence does not believe in "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah); because "La ilaha illa Allah," as every Arab understands it, is negation and affirmation. "La ilaha" is negation, "illa Allah" is affirmation. So there is something we affirm and something we negate. But the one who says: "There is no one other than Him," there is no negation and affirmation, he is saying: "There is no one other than Him," so this means that everything you see with your eye is Allah; this is called the belief in the Unity of Existence.
Of course, sometimes we see that ignorance is better than much knowledge, and therefore I say: What you are hearing now, you do not know it. You do not know that in the Islamic world there are Muslims who believe that everything you see with your eye is Allah. And this is an example of what I said that perhaps ignorance is better than knowledge, but this exists. And from our examples, it must be known that this exists so that people are warned from falling into it, and they have fallen into it. There are among the great leaders of the paths and the Sufis who say: "When the Majus (Zoroastrians) worshipped the fire, they did not worship except the One, the Subduer." Why? Because the fire is a part of Allah; because everything you see with your eye is Allah. There is one who said:
"The Lord is a servant and the servant is a Lord, *** so let my soul know who is the one obligated.
If you say servant, that is a negation, *** or if you say Lord, how is he obligated?"
A philosophy deeply rooted in misguidance. He does not distinguish between the servant and the Lord, and he says—what is this verse he is saying—: "And Allah is not except" in what? In a church.
Another questioner : "And the dog and the pig"
The Shaykh : "And the dog and the pig are not except our God, *** and Allah is not except a monk in a church"
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The Sufis play an active role in this matter.
The Shaykh : That is correct; because light and darkness do not coexist, they are always in conflict. The call that we call "Salafi" is a call to enlighten hearts and minds, whereas the Sufi call is to darken hearts and minds, a surrender, just as the Christians and Jews completely surrendered to their leaders. Among the beliefs we inherited from our renowned scholars is the statement of one of them:
"Knowledge is: Allah said, His Messenger said, *** The Companions said, not by deception
Knowledge is not setting you up for foolish disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist
"No, and no denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation)"
This is ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation). Knowledge is: Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Companions said; that is the end of it. The Shaykh said, so what is there for us? Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Companions said; this is knowledge, and this is what every Muslim must submit to. Today, we are between two currents that differ most greatly: this Sufi current and those who hover around it, the rigid, unthinking scholars; for they have disabled sound thinking and imposed on all people that they remain among the group of those who follow without knowledge (mقلدين), while opposite them is a party that broke free from everything called Shari'ah and restraint, so they worshipped their intellect;
Have you seen the one who takes his desire as his god and whom Allah has led astray with knowledge
أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍAnd thus we have made you a just community
وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا"Knowledge is: Allah said, His Messenger said, *** The Companions said, not by deception
Knowledge is not setting you up for foolish disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist
No, nor denying the attributes and negating them, *** Out of fear of denial of the divine attributes and likening Allah to creation."
Today, when you discuss with graduates from some colleges and universities, and a topic comes up—for example—one that is disputed among the jurists and scholars, and you tell him: Allah said such and such, the Messenger of Allah said such and such, he says to you: So-and-so the scholar said such and such. What does that mean? It means that the belief in tawhid (the oneness of Allah), with the details mentioned earlier, has not been digested by this man. How befitting is it for a Muslim to hear someone say: Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, and then stand toward this text or that by saying: But so-and-so the Shaykh said such and such? This is the monasticism that our Lord described them in the previous verse:
They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary
اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَIn the last part of the last verse, there is a very important meaning, and I feel it is obligatory upon me to draw your attention to it so that you feel with us in what atmosphere we live in, far from correct knowledge and correct belief. He said:
"No, and no denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation)"
We said: It is part of the perfection of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) to affirm the oneness of Allah in His names and attributes. Today, what we constantly hear on occasion and without occasion, one of them says: "There is no one other than Allah." He is mentioning Allah, his intention is, "There is no one other than Allah." Good; and the people, and these mountains, and these valleys, and these lands, and these heavens, are these other than Him or not other than Him?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If you know the belief in the Unity of Existence, you will understand the meaning of this word. The belief in the Unity of Existence does not believe in "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah); because "La ilaha illa Allah," as every Arab understands it, is negation and affirmation. "La ilaha" is negation, "illa Allah" is affirmation. So there is something we affirm and something we negate. But the one who says: "There is no one other than Him," there is no negation and affirmation, he is saying: "There is no one other than Him," so this means that everything you see with your eye is Allah; this is called the belief in the Unity of Existence.
Of course, sometimes we see that ignorance is better than much knowledge, and therefore I say: What you are hearing now, you do not know it. You do not know that in the Islamic world there are Muslims who believe that everything you see with your eye is Allah. And this is an example of what I said that perhaps ignorance is better than knowledge, but this exists. And from our examples, it must be known that this exists so that people are warned from falling into it, and they have fallen into it. There are among the great leaders of the paths and the Sufis who say: "When the Majus (Zoroastrians) worshipped the fire, they did not worship except the One, the Subduer." Why? Because the fire is a part of Allah; because everything you see with your eye is Allah. There is one who said:
"The Lord is a servant and the servant is a Lord, *** so let my soul know who is the one obligated.
If you say servant, that is a negation, *** or if you say Lord, how is he obligated?"
A philosophy deeply rooted in misguidance. He does not distinguish between the servant and the Lord, and he says—what is this verse he is saying—: "And Allah is not except" in what? In a church.
Another questioner : "And the dog and the pig"
The Shaykh : "And the dog and the pig are not except our God, *** and Allah is not except a monk in a church"
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.