The Deviations and Innovations of the Sufis
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From the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Hadramaut region, Taris district, a message was sent by our brother Sa'id Khumays al-Suwayl, containing five questions.
In his first question, he says: We have many religious scholars—as they describe themselves—who beat drums inside the mosques, using the marduf and the nay, which is a type of music, and they recite anthems expressing sentiments about buried persons, asking them for help and seeking their aid. So what do you advise these people, may Allah preserve you?
Answer: These are called the Sufis, and the Sufism that these people introduced is a religious innovation (bid'ah). The origin of this was that there were found among the Muslims ascetics and people of scrupulousness (wara') who would worship and strive to be diligent in acts of worship, reading, and the remembrance of Allah in the mosques and homes, out of their eagerness for good. Then circumstances developed until these people appeared who introduced innovations and abominations in the religion, among them are these whom the questioner mentioned, who worship with drums, hand drums, anthems, songs, and instruments of amusement. This is an abomination in speech and an innovation.
The scholars have denounced this, and the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) and others from the people of knowledge have written at length about it in his book *Ighathat al-Lahfan*, and others from the people of knowledge have written at length about it, explaining its invalidity and that this is a great abomination that must be abandoned. It is not permissible to call these people scholars; they are not scholars. Rather, these are ignorant people in reality, not scholars. Rather, they have misled the people and confused the people. So it is not permissible to follow them in this matter, nor to imitate them in this matter. Rather, they must be advised and directed to the good, and they must be warned against this abominable innovation.
And more heinous and greater than this is their calling upon the dead and seeking aid from the dead. This is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is the shirk of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), the shirk of Abu Jahl and his like. Calling upon the dead, such as al-Idris, or Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or al-Badawi, or al-Husayn, or others from among the people, this is major shirk. This is like the action of the first polytheists with al-Lat and al-'Uzza, and like the action of the Christians with 'Isa and others. So this is major shirk.
So if he says: "O my master so-and-so! Cure my sick one, or return my lost one to me, or fulfill my need, or I am under your protection, or the help, the help, O my master!" whether this is with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or with al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), or with Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or with al-Idris, or with al-Badawi, or with al-Sitt Nafisa, or with al-Sitt Zaynab, or with others who are famous in Egypt and elsewhere, and in the south al-Idris and other people, and in Iraq al-Jilani and other people.
All of this is from the great evil, and all of this is what the ignorant and those like the ignorant have introduced. So calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, making vows for them, and slaughtering for them, this is major shirk by the consensus of the people of knowledge. Allah the Exalted says: [Al-An'am: 162] meaning: Say, O Muhammad, to the people: [Al-An'am 6:162] (meaning: My slaughter [Al-An'am 6:162] has no partner for Him) [Al-An'am: 162-163]. So He made the prayer for Allah and the slaughter for Allah (with no partner for Him). And He the Exalted said: [Al-Kawthar: 1] [Al-Kawthar: 2]. So the prayer is for Allah and the slaughter is for Allah. Whoever prays to other than Allah disbelieves, and likewise whoever slaughters for other than Allah. And He the Glorious and Majestic said: [Al-Jinn: 18]. So He prohibited calling upon anyone along with Allah. And His saying: "(anyone)" includes the prophets, the awliya (close friends of Allah), and others. It is an indefinite noun in the context of prohibition, which includes all people and all creation.
And He (may He be exalted) said: : [Yunus: 106] meaning: the polytheists. And every created thing below Allah does not benefit and does not harm. This is a general description of all creations: they do not benefit and do not harm, except by Allah. He is the One who placed the benefit and the harm in them, Glorified and Exalted is He. So it is not permissible to call upon any created thing after Allah, neither an idol, nor a tree, nor a stone, nor a prophet, nor a wali (close friend of Allah), nor a person with a grave, nor anything else. And He the Exalted said: [Al-Mu'minun: 117]. So He called this disbelief (kufr), and He called them disbelievers. We seek refuge in Allah, by their calling upon the dead and their calling upon idols, trees, and stones.
And He the Exalted said in His great Book: [Fatir: 13]. This includes the idols, the awliya (close friends of Allah), the prophets, and others. [Fatir: 13]. And the qatamir: the husk on the kernel. All of it is the property of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
[Fatir 35:14] They cannot estimate [Fatir: 14]. So He called their action shirk (associating partners with Allah). He called their calling upon them shirk. He said: [Fatir: 14]. Then He the Exalted said: [Fatir: 14]. And it is Allah, Glorified is He, who is the One who informed about this, and He is the All-Knowing of their conditions, Glorified and Exalted is He. So He called this shirk. And in the verse of Al-Mu'minun He called it disbelief (kufr), saying: [Al-Mu'minun: 117]. Every disbeliever has no proof. Every disbeliever has no proof [Al-Mu'minun: 117].
And He (may He be exalted) said: :[Al-Ahqaf 46:5] And when mankind is gathered, they will be their enemies, and they will disbelieve in their worship of them [Al-Hajj: 5-6]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So he made the call (du'a') the worship itself. So this indicates the greatness of the status of the call (du'a'). So if he says: "O my master! Cure my sick one, fulfill my need, return my lost one, intercede for me, the help, the help," or if he slaughters for him, then he has fallen into types of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
And in this meaning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1978b Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih from the hadith of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) . He said: Four matters, their doers are cursed, cursed by Allah the Glorious and Majestic. The greatest of them is slaughtering for other than Allah. They draw near with cows or camels or sheep, or calves or chickens, to other than Allah, to the dead and the absent. This is major shirk.
And Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated with a good chain from Tariq ibn Shihab (may Allah be pleased with him) . He said: So this indicates that drawing near to other than Allah in acts of worship, whether by slaughtering, calling, seeking aid, making vows, or the like, is major shirk with Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, even if the one drawn near to is lowly, like a sparrow or a pigeon or a fly or the like. How much more so for the one who draws near with camels, cows, sheep, and calves? His shirk is greater, we seek refuge in Allah, and more severe.
So the conclusion is: that this action of these people, their calling upon the dead and seeking aid from the dead, is major shirk. And their beating of hand drums and their standing with songs and the nay and types of amusement, this is from the abominations. And their worshipping with this is from the innovations. And whoever worships with this is from the innovations that the Sufis introduced. And the Sufis, their evil is great. We ask Allah to guide them. They have introduced many innovations, so we ask Allah to guide them and to return them to the right path.
It is obligatory upon them and upon others to return to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to proceed upon what the Prophet and his Companions were upon. This is the guidance. This is the straight path. What the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions proceeded upon is the straight path. It is not permissible for the people of Sufism or others to leave the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and to introduce another path. No, the door is closed. The door of worship is based on divine text (tawqifi). It is not for anyone to introduce something in the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. For this reason, Allah the Exalted says: [Al-An'am: 153].
Imam Ahmad and others, and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi in his book *Al-Sunnah* and a group of others, narrated with a sound chain from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) . He said: Thus, these paths that the Sufis and their like have introduced are all from the devils. They are all paths to which the devil called. So it is obligatory to be cautious.
And the devils are two types, two categories: devils of mankind and devils of the jinn. And whoever goes out of the path of Allah and rebels against the Shari'ah of Allah, he is from the devils. So the devils of mankind are of the type of the callers to shirk (associating partners with Allah) from the Sufis and others. They are the devils of mankind. And the devils of the jinn are many.
So it is obligatory to be cautious of the devils of mankind and the jinn. And whoever calls to other than Allah or calls to innovations, he is from the devils of mankind. And if he is from the jinn, he is from the devils of the jinn.
It is obligatory for these people mentioned by the questioner, whether in the south or elsewhere, in any place, that they repent to Allah, return to Allah, seek forgiveness for what they did, and feel remorse for it. They must renew their religion and follow the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. They must follow the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the path of his Companions, upon whom the followers followed with excellence, in terms of uprightness upon the religion of Allah, worshipping Him as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed, and abandoning religious innovations. May Allah grant all of you guidance and success. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
In his first question, he says: We have many religious scholars—as they describe themselves—who beat drums inside the mosques, using the marduf and the nay, which is a type of music, and they recite anthems expressing sentiments about buried persons, asking them for help and seeking their aid. So what do you advise these people, may Allah preserve you?
Answer: These are called the Sufis, and the Sufism that these people introduced is a religious innovation (bid'ah). The origin of this was that there were found among the Muslims ascetics and people of scrupulousness (wara') who would worship and strive to be diligent in acts of worship, reading, and the remembrance of Allah in the mosques and homes, out of their eagerness for good. Then circumstances developed until these people appeared who introduced innovations and abominations in the religion, among them are these whom the questioner mentioned, who worship with drums, hand drums, anthems, songs, and instruments of amusement. This is an abomination in speech and an innovation.
The scholars have denounced this, and the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) and others from the people of knowledge have written at length about it in his book *Ighathat al-Lahfan*, and others from the people of knowledge have written at length about it, explaining its invalidity and that this is a great abomination that must be abandoned. It is not permissible to call these people scholars; they are not scholars. Rather, these are ignorant people in reality, not scholars. Rather, they have misled the people and confused the people. So it is not permissible to follow them in this matter, nor to imitate them in this matter. Rather, they must be advised and directed to the good, and they must be warned against this abominable innovation.
And more heinous and greater than this is their calling upon the dead and seeking aid from the dead. This is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is the shirk of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), the shirk of Abu Jahl and his like. Calling upon the dead, such as al-Idris, or Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or al-Badawi, or al-Husayn, or others from among the people, this is major shirk. This is like the action of the first polytheists with al-Lat and al-'Uzza, and like the action of the Christians with 'Isa and others. So this is major shirk.
So if he says: "O my master so-and-so! Cure my sick one, or return my lost one to me, or fulfill my need, or I am under your protection, or the help, the help, O my master!" whether this is with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or with al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), or with Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or with al-Idris, or with al-Badawi, or with al-Sitt Nafisa, or with al-Sitt Zaynab, or with others who are famous in Egypt and elsewhere, and in the south al-Idris and other people, and in Iraq al-Jilani and other people.
All of this is from the great evil, and all of this is what the ignorant and those like the ignorant have introduced. So calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, making vows for them, and slaughtering for them, this is major shirk by the consensus of the people of knowledge. Allah the Exalted says:
Say, "Indeed, my prayer
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِيIndeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice
إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِيmy living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.
وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar.
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَSo pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone].
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْAnd [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone.
وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًاAnd He (may He be exalted) said: :
And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'"
وَلا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَAnd whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.
وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَAnd He the Exalted said in His great Book:
That is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty. And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed.
ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍAnd those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed.
وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍIf you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you
إِنْ تَدْعُوهُمْ لا يَسْمَعُوا دُعَاءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْAnd on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association
وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْAnd on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association
وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْAnd none can inform you like [one] Acquainted [with all matters].
وَلا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍAnd whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof
وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِthen his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.
فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَAnd He (may He be exalted) said: :
And who is more astray than he who invokes besides Allah those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and they, of their invocation, are unaware.
وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَنْ لا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ Supplication is worship
الدعاء هو العبادةAnd in this meaning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allah cursed him who sacrificed for anyone besides Allah
لعن الله من ذبح لغير اللهThe Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told me of four matters: May Allah curse the one who slaughters for other than Allah, may Allah curse the one who curses his parents, may Allah curse the one who shelters an innovator, and may Allah curse the one who alters the landmarks of the earth
حدثني رسول الله بأربع كلمات: لعن الله من ذبح لغير الله، لعن الله من لعن والديه، لعن الله من آوى محدثاً، لعن الله من غير منار الأرضAnd Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated with a good chain from Tariq ibn Shihab (may Allah be pleased with him) . He said:
Two men passed by a group of people who had an idol, and no one would pass by it without offering something to it. They said to one of them: "Offer something." He said: "I have nothing to offer." They said: "Offer something, even a fly." So he offered a fly, and they let him go, but he entered the Fire—offering a fly to other than Allah. They said to the other: "Offer something." He said: "I will never offer anything to anyone other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic)." So they beheaded him, and he entered Paradise
مر رجلان على قوم لهم صنم لا يجوزه أحد حتى يقرب له شيئاً، فقالوا لأحدهما: قرب، قال: ليس عندي شيئاً أقرب، قالوا: قرب ولو ذباباً، فقرب ذباباً فخلوا سبيله فدخل النار -ذباب تقرب به إلى غير الله- وقالوا للآخر: قرب، قال: ما كنت لأقرب لأحد شيئاً دون الله عز وجل، فضربوا عنقه فدخل الجنةSo the conclusion is: that this action of these people, their calling upon the dead and seeking aid from the dead, is major shirk. And their beating of hand drums and their standing with songs and the nay and types of amusement, this is from the abominations. And their worshipping with this is from the innovations. And whoever worships with this is from the innovations that the Sufis introduced. And the Sufis, their evil is great. We ask Allah to guide them. They have introduced many innovations, so we ask Allah to guide them and to return them to the right path.
It is obligatory upon them and upon others to return to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to proceed upon what the Prophet and his Companions were upon. This is the guidance. This is the straight path. What the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions proceeded upon is the straight path. It is not permissible for the people of Sufism or others to leave the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and to introduce another path. No, the door is closed. The door of worship is based on divine text (tawqifi). It is not for anyone to introduce something in the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. For this reason, Allah the Exalted says:
And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way
وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِImam Ahmad and others, and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi in his book *Al-Sunnah* and a group of others, narrated with a sound chain from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) . He said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) drew a straight line and said: "This is the path of Allah." Then he drew lines to his right and to his left and said: "These are the paths, and on every one of these paths is a devil calling to it"
خط الرسول ﷺ خطاً مستقيماً فقال: هذا سبيل الله، ثم خط خطوطاً عن يمينه وعن شماله فقال: هذه السبل، وعلى كلل سبيل منها شيطان يدعو إليهAnd the devils are two types, two categories: devils of mankind and devils of the jinn. And whoever goes out of the path of Allah and rebels against the Shari'ah of Allah, he is from the devils. So the devils of mankind are of the type of the callers to shirk (associating partners with Allah) from the Sufis and others. They are the devils of mankind. And the devils of the jinn are many.
So it is obligatory to be cautious of the devils of mankind and the jinn. And whoever calls to other than Allah or calls to innovations, he is from the devils of mankind. And if he is from the jinn, he is from the devils of the jinn.
It is obligatory for these people mentioned by the questioner, whether in the south or elsewhere, in any place, that they repent to Allah, return to Allah, seek forgiveness for what they did, and feel remorse for it. They must renew their religion and follow the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. They must follow the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the path of his Companions, upon whom the followers followed with excellence, in terms of uprightness upon the religion of Allah, worshipping Him as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed, and abandoning religious innovations. May Allah grant all of you guidance and success. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.