I have been looking into the issue of Tasawwuf (more formally) for over 2 years now and have been in Jordan for 1 1/2 years, and in all that time I did not actually consider joining the Tariqah. I was interested in learning, pretty much in an academic sort of way. My husband would even say to me sometimes, “Why don’t you join?” and I was resistant for many reasons, among them my belief that they are not necessary, for I have seen some people who simply have a closeness with Allah and devotion to Him that is innate and unschooled. I remember my grandfather, may Allah have mercy on him, who would wear his attire of the Sunnah, loved to dress in white, who would comb his beard before every prayer, and who would walk not 5, but 6 times a day to the masjid (including tahajjud). He had three prostration markings on his forehead, in a pyramid, and if he had a toothache would say, “O Allah, this is the tooth you gave me. If you wish to cure it, cure it, and if you wish to leave it, leave it.” He was not part of any tariqah but simply had a deep attachment and love for Allah.

So I do not know why, and Allah knows best why, only in the past several weeks have I suddenly felt urgently that I would like to join. Perhaps it was because I started studying Quran. I almost give a sigh of relief when I see that if I hadn’t joined the Tariqah, it would have been as if I was only gaining knowledge but not light. Anyway, Allah owns our hearts and turns them as He wills, and I pray that I am guided.

I prayed istekhaarah and joined, seeking at first only to “learn”, but now happy with what I find. Again, I am sure someone could do it on their own, but I wonder if most do. It is nice to follow someone for a change (the bai’ah means that you will listen to your Shaikh in what is right, as he is there to instruct you - and if you wish, you can leave the Tariqah at any time). It is nice to systematically look at yourself (I have done this in the past, but it is nice to follow a tradition of amazing worshippers and scholars who for hundreds of years have done it this way) - the Tariqah is a self-motivated course, and you only get out of it what you put in. No one comes after you - but as you complete your lessons, you seek more out. It is beautiful, alhamdulillaah.

Also, it does not take as much time as I thought - the only mandatory thing (aside from any incidental requests/commands, etc.) is to do the Wird (a compilation of adhkaar) morning and night. Aside from that, you can take as long as you want on any of the lessons.

The basis of the Tariqah is what is called “The 40 Grand”. It requires you to pray all of your prayers on time, without excuse, as well as to control your anger (defined as not shouting, cursing, or crossing bounds when feeling angry) for 40 consecutive days. If you can do this, you can begin Lesson 1. If you ever break the 40 Grand, you must repeat it (sort of a cleansing and preparation for any lessons you get) and then you can restart the lesson you were on. No matter what you think of the whole Sufism business, you have to admit - focus on prayer and controlling yourself can lead to good.

The Tariqah traces its chain back to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam by way of ‘Ali radhi’allaahu ‘anhu and Hasan al Basree rahimahullaah. Many of the greatest scholars of Islam were a part of it. As Shaikh Nuh explained, it was not knowledge that was passed down but “haal”, or state of being, their having met and learned from one another. The goal at the end is to reach a level of emaan as close as possible to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, just as if you were to take an ijaazah in Quran, your goal after completing the courses, exercises, and programs, would be to recite as close as possible to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.

It’s funny, I have almost done a 180. Initially I wanted knowledge of Tasawwuf, but I am less interested in the knowledge of it now (I do have basic information about its validity and origins, etc.) than I am in using it as a means of self-improvement and strengthening of myself. Because my primary goal in terms of knowledge is still the Quran, may Allah open my heart to keep it.

I hope this account helps any of you who are “out of the loop” and simply curious about this matter, but there are many sites and links out there (both official and unofficial) if you need more information. To me, it’s not as big a deal as some (who accept Sufism or those who do not) would make of it. It is not a symbol of my alliance with anyone or disavowal of anyone. To me I am simply open to any way (from Ahl us Sunnah) Allah opens for me, and I pray it is beneficial for me. I do believe we each have a “path” to Allah if we are sincere, and so we take what we find beneficial for ourselves from anywhere in our quest for Him. If it is for you or not, that is for you to decide…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am and is filed under Seeking Islam. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.