Sufism Is All about Loving Humanity and Discovering One’s Own Self to Understand God Almighty

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 22 March 2023 The Concept of Loving God And Loving Creatures Among the Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq Main Points: 1. Sufis advocated for loving God, His prophets and Humanity 2. Baba Farid preferred to receive a needle instead of a knife since his purpose in life was to unite people rather than divide them. 3. The Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq developed the traditional divisions between "real love," which is directed towards Allah, and "metaphorical love," which is directed towards creatures. 4. The Sufis looked for the Divine inside humanity. 5. The Sufis of the Path of Love always prioritised spiritual experience over theoretical understanding, seeking the Divine inside their own being. 6. The Sufis hold that the core of hatred is to despise the sin, not the sinner. ------- Mevlana Museum Mevlevi Order Sufism Islamic art Dervish, ----- Sufis advocated for loving God, His prophets, and all people in general. The Sufis believed that while doing prayers and observing fasts were significant components of faith, people needed to go further and serve and love all living things. For example, we could relate a story about Baba Farid Ganj-e-Shakar. Once a man visited Baba Farid, and attempted to give him a knife. The Sufi saint told him that he preferred to receive a needle instead of the knife since his purpose in life was to unite people rather than divide them (Sui Ki Tarah Journey Ke Liye Dunya Mein Hoon, Chhuri Ki Tarah Kaatne Ke Liye Nahi). The books on Sufism give descriptions of a number of Sufis who have chosen to be identified as adherents of the Religion of Passionate Love [Mazhab-E-Ishq]. In Islamic thinking, the word "Mazhab" was used in a variety of contexts. The meaning of "path" was what the Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq had in mind when they employed this phrase. This phrase, the Mazhab-e-Ishq, is also translated as the "Creed of Love" and the "Religion of love." The Sufis prioritise passionate love as the primary method of contacting Allah Almighty when they follow the Path of Love. These Sufis developed the traditional divisions between "real love," which is directed towards Allah, and "metaphorical love," which is directed towards creatures, made by earlier Sufis, and at times they dissociated themselves from it. Their understanding of love was more nebulous and even mysterious, and they aimed to investigate the numerous nuances of its manifestations. They discussed the Divine in their studies of love by using well-known images that had originally been established in the context of human love. These Sufis spoke about the Divine (and humanity) with a special interest, if not obsession, with beauty (Jamaal), the most important manifestation of the Beloved. This frequently led them to believe that certain people were Divine manifestations (Tajalli), though not in the sense of incarnations, which they rejected as Hulul. They would also observe numerous signs of the Divine in the natural world. A rose may serve as a reminder of the Divine Splendour, and a loved one's beauty mark may serve as a reminder of the Divine Unity. The Sufis looked for the Divine inside humanity. They identified the Path of God, from God to God and as being distinct from the typical travel from this world to the Hereafter (Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'un) (Qur'an 2:156). Its ultimate goal cannot be discovered in either this world or paradise. The path of the seeker lies within himself or herself; it cannot be found merely by intellect and what the seeker knows and observes. According to the Qur'an, "Do they not consider in their own selves (Fi Anfusikum Afala Tubsirun)," one must look within oneself. [Qur'an 51:21] The Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq have focused much of their attention on this inner path of love. The Sufis of the Path of Love always prioritised spiritual experience over theoretical understanding, seeking the Divine inside their own being. It is crucial to remember that they did not intend to eradicate theoretical knowledge; in fact, they have left behind some of the most comprehensive theoretical works in Islamic history. Instead, they sought to emphasise that, in the end, it is one's own personal experience—not merely academic knowledge—that will lead one along the path. According to 'Ayn al-Quzat (d. 1131) the taste of honey in the mouth, not the word honey is what makes it sweet. A striking element of the Mazhab-e-Ishq may be the willingness of the Sufis to admit that many people's adherence to Islam has evolved into something more ritual than personal realisation. As a result, they have devised strategies to exhort people to rise above their "metaphorical Islam" and achieve a greater level of God-realization. These Sufis do not encourage individuals to abandon their religion or advocate a "spirituality" that is distinct from particular religious doctrines and practises. Instead, they would invert symbols that many Muslims represented "lesser" beliefs. The Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq assert that Islam, or "Submission," is the true path that connects people to God Almighty. According to them, God Almighty considers a path that does not result in insight (aagahi) to be just as bad as infidelity. The Sufis won the hearts of the people by adhering to the Holy Prophet's teachings, which served as an example for them in performing humanitarian services. They attracted admirers from various racial and religious backgrounds because of their love of creation. According to Hazrat Sheikh Khawaja Usman Haruni, when someone offers a thirsty person water, all of his sins are pardoned and it is as if he has just left his mother's womb. He will thereafter be designated as a martyr. He further said, "Whoever offers food to the hungry, Allah will fulfil thousand of his wishes, save him from the fires of Hell, and create a dwelling for him in Paradise. (Majlis 10, Annesul Arwaah, Mashmoola Hasht Behesht) In his Maktoobat-e-Sadi, Hazrat Sheikh Sharafuddin Yahya Muniri states: “Serving and helping others has many benefits and is a manifestation of submission to the All-Powerful God. The benefits of humanitarian service cannot be attained through other forms of obedience. One benefit is the passing away of the rebellious self (Nafs), which formerly enjoyed living under the control of the mind. Humility and modesty come into play. Morality, decorum, and civility begin to emerge. It encompasses both Tareeqah and the Sunnah. Man's internal and external representations both become more refined and enlightened. These benefits are exclusively available to those who participate in the humanitarian service programme.” The book also discusses several approaches to approaching God. Someone questioned a revered saint. The saint replies that every particle in the universe is a pathway to God. We have achieved our goal by upholding it and transferring it to our offspring since it is the only one that comes close to or is more successful in providing comfort to God's creatures. The saint states that serving others is the highest and most important kind of obedience, even if the Sufi society engages in unfathomable words, acts, and worship. (Maktoobat-e-Sadi, Discourse 71) According to the Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq, the Path of Love leads to the Path of God Almighty. In actuality, the Mazhab-e-Khuda, which might be translated as "the way of God," is the way of love. Humanity can only reach the Divine via love. They asked Husayn Mansur [Hallaj]: “Which path are you on?” He said: “I am on God’s path.” (Ana ‘Ala Madhhab Rabbi ). [Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani, Tamhidat , 22] The following Quranic verse could be interpreted as the ocean into which all Sufis of the "Path of Love" have dove for ages in search of pearls: God Almighty has said: “He loves them, and they love him.” [Qur’an 5:54] One can even contend that the entire mystical love in Islam is a mirror of the verse mentioned above. It is not a coincidence that the first thing mentioned in this verse is God's love for people. The only appropriate human response to God's love is love itself. The Sufis had a deep intellectual disagreement over the relationship between the love of God and the love of Creation. Many early Sufis, including Dataa Hujweri, felt that the word "Ishq" should not be used to describe humanity's love for the Divine. It is preferable to use words like "Mohabbat" instead. Some Sufis, like Ruzbihan Baaqli, who wanted to stop the term "Ishq" from being used to describe both divine and human love, claimed that human love served as a kind of "ladder" that led to the [higher] Divine Love. The love for creation (which would obviously include love for and among humans) has been relegated to the status of "metaphorical" [Majaazi] love by later Sufis and many modern academics of Sufism (Majaazi). The Sufis of the Mazhab-e-Ishq dissociated themselves from the aforementioned categorizations and declared that the love of God is an Ishq that would embrace all of His creations. The Sufis hold that the core of hatred is to despise the sin, not the sinner. This suggests that while you should despise the fault of the sinner, you shouldn't despise the sinner themselves because they are human beings who deserve respect. ----- A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and an English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/sufism-humanity-self-god-almighty/d/129371 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism