The Ruling on Worshipping Allah the Exalted Through the Sufi Paths
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Question:
The questioner asks a somewhat long question: “Your Eminence, is it obligatory for a person to have an intermediary between himself and Allah ? For example, I do not pray to please Allah except through the shaykh. They cite a hadith for this, as they say: ‘Whoever has no shaykh, his shaykh is Satan.’ They also say: This shaykh follows the path of Shaykh al-Rifa'i, and this shaykh follows the path of Shaykh al-Shadhili. Do these awliya (close friends of Allah) have karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) with Allah after they have died, and do they have paths that we must follow so that they will be pleased with us in their graves, and we remain on their paths as they say? He continues asking about this issue. May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence?”
Answer:
All these paths are religious innovations: the Shadhiliyyah, the Rifa'iyyah, the Naqshbandiyyah, the Khalwatiyyah, the Qadiriyyah... and others. They are all Sufi paths that are religious innovations, and they must be abandoned. The path that must be followed is the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the path of the people of the Sunnah and the community, the path of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction), which they received from their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So you follow what is in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and you ask the scholars of the Sunnah about what is difficult for you. This is what is obligatory for you. As for their saying: ‘Whoever has no shaykh, his shaykh is Satan,’ this is invalid; it has no basis, it is not a hadith, and it is not permissible for you to follow the paths of a shaykh if he contradicts the Shari'ah. Rather, you must follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction), and those who followed them with excellence, in your prayer, in your supplication, and in all your affairs. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: [Al-Ahzab: 21]. And He says, Blessed and Exalted is He: [At-Tawbah: 100].
So you must follow them with excellence, by following the Shari'ah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, and by emulating him in that, and by avoiding the religious innovations introduced by the Sufis and non-Sufis. Yes, we seek help from Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
The questioner asks a somewhat long question: “Your Eminence, is it obligatory for a person to have an intermediary between himself and Allah ? For example, I do not pray to please Allah except through the shaykh. They cite a hadith for this, as they say: ‘Whoever has no shaykh, his shaykh is Satan.’ They also say: This shaykh follows the path of Shaykh al-Rifa'i, and this shaykh follows the path of Shaykh al-Shadhili. Do these awliya (close friends of Allah) have karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) with Allah after they have died, and do they have paths that we must follow so that they will be pleased with us in their graves, and we remain on their paths as they say? He continues asking about this issue. May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence?”
Answer:
All these paths are religious innovations: the Shadhiliyyah, the Rifa'iyyah, the Naqshbandiyyah, the Khalwatiyyah, the Qadiriyyah... and others. They are all Sufi paths that are religious innovations, and they must be abandoned. The path that must be followed is the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the path of the people of the Sunnah and the community, the path of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction), which they received from their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So you follow what is in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and you ask the scholars of the Sunnah about what is difficult for you. This is what is obligatory for you. As for their saying: ‘Whoever has no shaykh, his shaykh is Satan,’ this is invalid; it has no basis, it is not a hadith, and it is not permissible for you to follow the paths of a shaykh if he contradicts the Shari'ah. Rather, you must follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction), and those who followed them with excellence, in your prayer, in your supplication, and in all your affairs. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says:
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌAnd the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُSo you must follow them with excellence, by following the Shari'ah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, and by emulating him in that, and by avoiding the religious innovations introduced by the Sufis and non-Sufis. Yes, we seek help from Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.