SOME MISGUIDED INTERPRETATIONS OF THE "SUFI-CLAIMERS"
Those "Sufi-claimers" are not interested in acquiring the knowledge of the Religion. They are ready to misinterpret the verses of the Qur’an and the hadiths of the Prophet to suit their own desires and to justify their bad inclinations and the enormous sins they commit. As a result, they commit the unlawful. For example, some among those ignorant "Sufi-claimers" misinterpret the Qudsiyy hadith related in Sahih al-Bukhariyy from the route of Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet said Allah said:
Shaykh Abu ^Uthman al-Hiriyy interpreted this hadith as: The best thing the slave of Allah can do to become closer in obedience to Allah is to perform that which Allah made obligatory on him. After that, the person would perform plenty of the supererogatory acts of worship until he gains the love of Allah . Once he is at that stage, his matters would be answered faster than the things that he hears, faster than the things he sees, faster than the action he does with his hand, and faster than the walking he does with his legs; and if that person should seek refuge with Allah, Allah would protect him.
Abu Sulayman al Khattabiyy explained that hadith to mean: "Such a person would be guided to use his body in what is acceptable to Allah, and his supplication would be answered quickly." Thus, if he uses his hand, he would be guided to use it in obedience to Allah; likewise, when he uses his ears, eyes, legs, and other organs.
This is how some of the scholars of Islam interpreted this hadith, but those ignorant "Sufi-claimers" believe Allah unites with the creations so they misinterpret this hadith and say it means, "If Allah loves the slave then Allah becomes his hand, leg, ear, and eye." Some of these "Sufi-claimers" believe Allah dwells in the slaves; and some others believe the universe is Allah, and every person, animal, or thing is a part of Him. One of them would even have the audacity to say about himself, "I am Allah." A man named al-Hallaj, who lived over 1000 years ago, said he is Allah. If one of those "Sufi-claimers" goes to visit a friend and is asked who is at the door, he might say, "Allah," because he believes that Allah dwells in the bodies.
Some of those blasphemers who say Allah unites with His creation said, "The Christians committed blasphemy because they limited Allah to the body of ^Isa and the body of Jibril." They said, "Had the Christians generalized and said, ‘Allah is in all things,’ they would have escaped blasphemy." May Allah protect us from their evil.
Shaykh Zayni Dahlan, who was the Mufti of the Shafi^iyy school in Makkah more than one hundred years ago, pronounced the one who holds such a belief a blasphemer and in this he agreed with Shaykh Ibn Hajar, who lived more than 300 years before him. Al-Qadi ^Iyad also pronounced them as blasphemers and conveyed the consensus (ijma^) on their blasphemy. Shaykh ^Izzud-Din Ibnu ^Abdis-Salam, Fakhurd-Din ar-Raziyy, as-Suyutiyy, al-Junayd, Shaykh Abul Huda as-Sayyadiyy al-Baghdadiyy, and ar-Rifa^iyy all pronounced them as blasphemers. Imam Ahmad ar-Rifa^iyy said: "Had al-Hallaj been on the right path, he would not have said, ‘I am Allah’."
SOME EXAMPLES OF THE MISGUIDANCE OF THE "SUFI-CLAIMERS"
Some of those "Sufi-claimers" say, "Iblis will be saved on the Day of Judgment." This is blasphemy. You would find among them those who say, "On the Day of Judgment there will be no difference between the one who is obedient and the one who is sinful." This is blasphemy. You would find among them some who say, "The occupants of Hellfire actually enjoy Hellfire." This is blasphemy. You would find among them those who claim: "Pharaoh of Musa would be saved in the Hereafter." This is blasphemy. Some of them say: "The knowledge of Allah increases." They say: "A new knowledge happens to Allah," and by that they make Allah similar to the creatures. This is blasphemy. Some of them say: "Allah has a place." This is blasphemy.
Some of them, when wanting to remember Allah, pervert His name and say, ‘Ah’ instead of saying Allah. Shaykh al-Mannawiyy refuted those who claim there is a hadith about the Prophet from which they deduced it is permissible to say ‘Ah’ instead of Allah. He said this claimed hadith is more likely fabricated because it belies the Qur’an. Allah said in Surat al-A^raf, Ayah 180:
which means. [Allah has the perfect names, so call Allah by His Perfect Names. ] Shaykh Dhafir al-Madaniyy said it was the deviated followers of the Shadhiliyyah Tariqah, residing in Fas, who innovated that term ‘Ah,’ and not Shaykh Abul Hasan ash-Shadhiliyy, the founder of the Shadhiliyyah Tariqah.
Some of those "Sufi-claimers" say, "Prophet Muhammad, (sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam) is an illuminated part of Allah." They say, "Allah took a part of his light and ordered it to be Muhammad, so it became Muhammad." This is blasphemy for three reasons. First, because they say Allah is an illuminated body. Second, because they say Allah has parts. Third, because they bely the Qur’an in which it is explicitly stated that Prophet Muhammad is a human being. The proper understanding of the ‘light’ of Prophet Muhammad has two dimensions. The first is that Prophet Muhammad guides to the path of Islam. The second refers to the light which emanated from Prophet Muhammad when he smiled or when one looked at his face. He, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, was the most beautiful of the creation; however, believing that does not deny that Prophet Muhammad is human, because it is clearly stated in the Qur’an in Surat al-Kahf, Ayah 110. Predicating about Muhammad, Allah said
which means: [Say, (O Muhammad), "I am only a human being as you are, however, I receive the Revelation." ] So, be warned against a book titled Mawlid al-^Arus, which was unrightfully attributed to Ibnul Jawziyy. This book includes a statement that "Allah took a part of ‘His Light,’ ordered it to be Muhammad, and it became Muhammad." Anyone who believes Allah is a light and part of it transformed to become Prophet Muhammad is a blasphemer.
Some of those "Sufi-claimers" say: "Muhammad is the Self of Allah." This is obvious blasphemy. Some of them say: "Paradise is the playground of kids, however, as for us, we want Allah." This is blasphemy for belittling Paradise. Those "Sufi-claimers" attribute that saying to one of the great scholars of Islam, a great Sufi: Abu Yazid al-Bastamiyy, who is clear of such sayings.
Some of those "Sufi-claimers" say: "Prayers do not have much significance; rather, what is important is clearing one’s inner self." They say: "A person can be guided to Allah through Islam, Buddhism, fire-worship, or another religion." All of this is blasphemy for belying the saying of Allah:
which means [The true Religion to Allah is Islam.]
Some of those false "Sufis-claimers" believe their leaders are a reflection of Allah: checking the matters of the slaves, supporting the one who is a believer, and misguiding the person who stands against them. Hence, they say that anyone who stands against their shaykh is standing against Allah. A woman from their group wrote an article expressing that belief. She believes Allah goes into things, and that the shaykh of her tariqah is a reflection of Allah. Moreover, she believes anyone who refutes the shaykh of her tariqah is against Allah. So, if one would go to the shaykh of their tariqah and refute him by the evidences of the Religion, his followers would consider him a bad soul. Thus, to them, standing against their shaykh means Allah has exposed the defiance of the person and his rejection of Allah.
In his book, Nihayatul Matlab, al-Juwayniyy said: "We do not infer any other meaning from he who utters an explicit word of apostasy." Hence, the one who says, "I am Allah," and then claims he meant another meaning is still a blasphemer. The religious rule and judgment is not to infer another meaning from an explicit word. This is why the scholars of Baghdad pronounced al-Husayn, the son of Mansur, al-Hallaj, as a blasphemer. Al-Hallaj was killed, and his head was placed on a pole by the orders of the ^Abbasiyy caliph, al-Muqtadir Billah, in the year 309 A.H. in accordance with the fatwas of the scholars. Abu ^Abdur-Rahman as-Sulamiyy in his book, Tabaqat as-Sufiyyah, said: "Most of the true Sufis negated al-Hallaj." "They did not consider him a Sufi", as was said by al-Khatib al-Baghdadiyy in his book, The History of Baghdad. Ar-Rifa^iyy said, "Had al-Hallaj been on the right path he would not have said, ‘I am Allah.’" Al-Junayd al-Baghdadiyy who is also recognized by those "Sufi-claimers" as the head of the Sufis, said to al-Hallaj, "You have opened a hole in Islam that can only be filled in with your head." His statement came true after only a short period when the ^Abbasiyy caliph ordered al-Hallaj killed. Al-Junayd al-Baghdadiyy also said, "Had I been the ruler, I would have beheaded the one who says, ‘No one exists except Allah’."
WARNING: SOME PERVERTED TARIQAHS OF TODAY
Brother Muslim: Be warned against some of the followers of the Tijaniyyah tariqah who say about Prophet Muhammad he is the Self of Allah. This is blasphemy. We do not confirm that statement was said by the founder of the tariqah; rather, we recognize that some of the people who practice the Tijaniyyah tariqah say it.
Also, be warned of another group who link themselves to the Dandarawiyyah tariqah who say: "O Allah, raise the rank of all the creatures and their creations." They claim the creatures create, meaning the creatures bring things from the state of non-existence into the state of existence. They belong to the school of the Mu^tazilah and the school of Hizb at-Tahrir, both of whom claim that the creatures create their own actions.
Also be warned against a faction known as ad-Daghistaniyyah who claim to follow the Naqshabandiyyah tariqah. They follow a man called ^Abdullah ad- Daghistaniyyah, who claimed he died and 124,000 prophets came and brought him back to life. He said he would not die again until the mahdiyy appears, and that he would live for seven years with the Imam al-Mahdiyy. Allahu akbar; he died about four months after he made that claim! Among his misguided sayings is: "He who recites the Fatihah will receive merits and benefits that no one among the waliyys or the prophets of Allah will receive--even if the person who recites the Fatihah was openly a blasphemer or a hypocrite who conceals his blasphemy." ^Abdullah ad- Daghistaniyyah’s successor is a man named Nadhim al-Qubrusiyy, also known as Nadhim al-Haqqaniyy. His group is present in this country represented by a misguided man by the name of Hisham Qabbaniyy and in other countries represented by his brother, ^Adnan Qabbaniyy. They have several followers who follow them in ignorance.
Be warned, also, of a man by the name of Amin Shaykhu who died and was succeeded by a man named ^Abdul Hadi Albaniyy. They also claim to follow the Naqshabandiyyah tariqah. They say: "Allah willed for all to die as believers, however His Will was not fulfilled in most cases." They say: "Before creating the blasphemer, Allah did not know he will commit blasphemy." To them, Allah knew about their blasphemy after He created them. By this, they attribute ignorance and change to Allah--clear blasphemy from them!!!
Subhanallah.....