TASAWWUF – تصوف
Sufism. A being or becoming a sufi.
Question: What is tarîqah?
The Answer: As a result of a ma’nawî journey of the rûh, with the feet of the heart, under the shadow of the mi’raj of Ahmad (asm), it is being honoured with the haqiqahs of îmân and the Qur'an through zawq and ecstatic states and, to a degree, shuhûd, by aiming the ma’rifat and the unfolding of the haqiqahs of îmân; it is an elevated human mystery and a perfection of mankind called tarîqah, tasawwuf.
Yes, since man is a comprehensive index in this universe, his heart is a ma’nawî map of the thousands of ‘âlams. Just as innumerable human sciences and fields of knowledge show that man's mind in his head is a sort of ma’nawî centre of the universe like a telephone and telegraph exchange for innumerable lines, so too, the millions of luminous books written by innumerable people of walâyah show that man's heart in his essence is the place of manifestation for innumerable haqiqahs of the universe and is their source and seed.
Thus, since the human heart and mind are at this centre, and comprise the equipment of a mighty tree in the form of a seed, and the tools and wheels of an eternal, majestic machine of the âkhirah housed in it, certainly, Al-Fâtir of the heart willed the heart to be worked, brought out from the state of capacity to a state where those capacities are unfolded, developed and put into action, so He created the heart that way. Since He willed it this way, the heart will certainly work like the mind, and the most effective means of the heart’s working is to turn it towards the haqiqahs of îmân on the way of tarîqah path through the dhikr of Allah in the degrees of walâyah.
The Twenty-Ninth Letter-First Allusion
In Maktubat, Imam-i Rabbani (Radiallahu ‘anh), the hero and a sun of the Naqshbandi Order, said: "I prefer the unfolding of a single matter of the haqiqahs of îmân to thousands of azwâq, ecstasies, and instances of karâmât."
He also said: "The final point of all the tarîqs is the clarification and unfolding of the haqiqahs of îmân."
He also said: "Walâyah is of three sorts: one is the 'lesser Walâyah,' which is the well-known Walâyah. The others are the 'middle Walâyah' and the 'greater Walâyah.' 'Greater Walâyah' is to open up by way of the legacy of nubuwwah a direct way to haqiqah without entering the barzakh of tasawwuf."
He said also: "The ma’nawî journeying on the Naqshi way is with two wings." That is, "Through having a firm belief in the haqiqahs of îmân and carrying out the religious fardh. If there is a defect in these two wings, the way cannot be traversed." In which case, the tarîq of Naqshi consists of three 'veils':
The First and most important is direct service to the haqiqahs of îmân; Imam-i Rabbani (ra) travelled this way in his later years.
The Second is service to the religious fardh and Glorious Sunnah under the veil of the tarîqah.
The Third is to work to eliminate the sicknesses of the heart by way of Tasawwuf and to journey with the feet of the heart. Of these, the first is the equivalent of fardh, the second wâjib, and the third Sunnah.
The Fifth Letter
Q-What is your request from the shaikhs of today?
A-I request the ikhlas which is the subject of their consistent turmoil; also the great jihad and abandonment of iltizâm of the nafs which they are devoted themselves in the ma’nawî barracks called takka and the spiritualised military service called tarîqah; also the abandonment of personal benefit which is their shiâ’r and the meaning of zuhd1 ; also the love which they constantly claim and is the essence of Islam’s disposition. Or they should banish the obstinacy, ghiybah and partisanship amongst themselves.
Münazarat (75)