The Intended Meaning of the Sufi Paths and Their Ruling
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The sister (B. S.) from Algeria, from the village of Tamasin, asks: What is the ruling on the paths in Islam? I have asked some teachers, and one said: They are forbidden, while others said: They are neither obligatory nor forbidden. I ask for a clear answer. May Allah guide you.
Answer: This question is general in its phrasing. If the questioner is referring to the paths of the Sufis, they are denounced and a religious innovation; some of them amount to disbelief and some are merely a religious innovation without being disbelief. This is because the path that is obligatory to follow is the path of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the path of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-An'am: 153]. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : [Al-An'am: 155]. And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-Hashr: 7]. It is obligatory for the people of Islam to proceed upon the methodology of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and to be upright upon his conduct and his religion. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Imran: 31].
So the straight path of Allah is what our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, and it is the path of those upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor, mentioned in the saying of the Mighty and Majestic: [Al-Fatihah: 6-7]. They are the prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and the righteous, mentioned in the saying of the Exalted: [Al-Nisa: 69].
This is the correct path. As for the paths of the Sufis, they contain shirk (associating partners with Allah), such as worshipping some of their shaykhs, and calling for aid to some of their shaykhs. They abandon some of the knowledge of the Sunnah and say: "My heart has informed me about my Lord." They do not acknowledge the Shari'ah that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, along with many other innovations of theirs. And some of them do this with the disciples, saying: "You must submit to the shaykh in his state and his intention, and you must not object to him, and you must be with him like a dead person in the hands of the washer." All of these are corrupt paths, all of them are astray.
As for if he means by "paths" the lines, meaning the lines on the ground, referring to the terrestrial lines that sorcerers and sand-readers draw and claim by them knowledge of the unseen, then this is another reprehensible matter, and it is not permissible. It is major shirk (associating partners with Allah) if one draws lines on the ground and claims that he knows the unseen by them, and that he informs about the unseen by this act. This is major shirk and a claim of knowledge of the unseen. We seek refuge in Allah. Yes.
Answer: This question is general in its phrasing. If the questioner is referring to the paths of the Sufis, they are denounced and a religious innovation; some of them amount to disbelief and some are merely a religious innovation without being disbelief. This is because the path that is obligatory to follow is the path of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the path of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it
وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُAnd this [Qur'an] is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it
وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ فَاتَّبِعُوهُAnd whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُواSay, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْSo the straight path of Allah is what our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, and it is the path of those upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor, mentioned in the saying of the Mighty and Majestic:
(6) Guide us to the straight path - (7) The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْAnd whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.
وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُوْلَئِكَ رَفِيقًاThis is the correct path. As for the paths of the Sufis, they contain shirk (associating partners with Allah), such as worshipping some of their shaykhs, and calling for aid to some of their shaykhs. They abandon some of the knowledge of the Sunnah and say: "My heart has informed me about my Lord." They do not acknowledge the Shari'ah that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, along with many other innovations of theirs. And some of them do this with the disciples, saying: "You must submit to the shaykh in his state and his intention, and you must not object to him, and you must be with him like a dead person in the hands of the washer." All of these are corrupt paths, all of them are astray.
As for if he means by "paths" the lines, meaning the lines on the ground, referring to the terrestrial lines that sorcerers and sand-readers draw and claim by them knowledge of the unseen, then this is another reprehensible matter, and it is not permissible. It is major shirk (associating partners with Allah) if one draws lines on the ground and claims that he knows the unseen by them, and that he informs about the unseen by this act. This is major shirk and a claim of knowledge of the unseen. We seek refuge in Allah. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.