Deception of the Pseudo-Sufis

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدى يا رسول الله وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدى يا نور الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Prayers and peace be upon you, my Master, Apostle of Allah

And upon your Family and Companions, my Master, Light of Allah

Of the immense tribulations that have afflicted this Ummah is that of the pseudo-Sufis. It is one characterized by swindling the people in the name of religion and spreading antinomianism. Genuine Sufism, which is acknowledged and celebrated in orthodox Sunni Islam, is often assaulted by Wahhabi, Salafi and modernist elements by associated it with the pseudo-Sufi, antinomian tendency. Therefore, it is necessary for Sunni Muslims, particularly our Ulama and religious leadership in general, to unequivocally repudiate the tribulation of pseudo-Sufism. I understand that the reason many ignorant and naive Muslims fall prey to pseudo-Sufi guides is due to the thirst for a living, present guide. That thirst is genuine and valid, and if a person is bereft of pure water he will be compelled to quench it with polluted water. So let the people find a Sufi guide who is not only accessible but one who is learned in matters of the Shari’ah and Sunnah, one whose beliefs are in accordance with orthodoxy, a man of piety and morals. The Holy Prophet, sall Allahu alaihi wasallam, pointed to the tribulation of false guides when he said:

وَإِنَّمَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي الأَئِمَّةَ الْمُضِلِّينَ

I only fear for my Ummah the misguided Imams

It is not only the false scholars and individuals who initiated innovated sects and beliefs into the Ummah that are intended here but also the pseudo-Sufi guides. This tribulation specifically targets the ignorant, uneducated and superstitious elements of the Ummah. Sehwan, a town in Sindh, Pakistan, wherein is the tomb of the great Sufi saint Sayyid Uthman Marwandi, rahimahullah, famously known as La’l Shahbaz Qalandar (d.1274 CE), is today occupied by Ghali and Rafidi Shi’ite heretics. The annual Urs that takes place there has become a satanic festival with all sorts of deviancy and haram activities, especially music, erotic dancing, nudity, intermingling of the sexes, and expressions of blasphemy. Sadly, this place (Sehwan) attracts all manner of blasphemers and heretics, who make tawaf (circulate) of the tomb, proclaim that Ali, radi Allahu anhu, is God, and go about completely naked having discarded all clothing!

These cursed people are an extreme example of the pseudo-Sufi heresy. While in Pakistan, back in late 2019, I once had the opportunity to interact in person with one of these antinomian, pseudo-Sufis who plainly told me he does not believe in the Shari’ah. One should not be deceived by their assuming the garb and persona of a mendicant, what we refer to as a Faqir or Dervish. A true Dervish worthy of respect is the one who strictly complies with the Shari’ah and who closely follows the blessed Sunnah. Undoubtedly, the Sunni Dervishes of our Ummah have done a great service and played a critical role in firing the Muslims with zeal. They themselves performed Jihad in the Path of Allah against the various European imperialist powers, such that those imperialist authorities expressed utter terror of such mendicants and mystics. Consider the Dervish Movement of Somalia led by Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hasan (d.1920 CE). This was the Salihiyah Tariqah known for its zeal for the Shari’ah. They banned the widespread practice in the region of chewing the narcotic known as qat. The British dubbed him with the derogatory title “Mad Mulla” precisely because of his armed resistance and holy wars against the British, Italian and Ethiopian infidels. Likewise, Sartor Faqir whose name was Sa’idullah Khan (d.1917 CE), from the Buner Valley of the Yousafzai tribe, waged a holy war against the British and was dubbed by them “Mad Mulla” and “Mad Faqir”. Now the Holy Prophet, sall Allahu alaihi wasallam, said, as narrated by sayyiduna az-Zubair, radi Allahu anhu:

لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَأْتِيَ بِحُزْمَةِ الْحَطَبِ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا فَيَكُفَّ اللَّهُ بِهَا وَجْهَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ أَعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ

For one of you to take rope and bring a bundle of firewood upon his back and sell it, Allah sufficing him with it to save his face (dignity) is better for him than to beg the people, who may give him or deny him (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Therefore, mendicancy is generally disliked in this Religion, except for the one who has absolutely no other means to earn a livelihood and acquire his most basic needs in terms of food and clothing. Technically, it is not correct to describe the Sufi Faqirs and Dervishes as mendicants, let alone the great ascetic Prophets of the past, since they in fact earned livelihoods through such blessed labor. The Prophets, peace be upon them, engaged in herding, including our Holy Prophet Muhammad, sall Allahu alaihi wasallam. So we call a category of Sufis “Fuqara” meaning they are impoverished but not for want of laboring. So a blessed category of pious men took to the wilderness, or were homeless and accepted as gifts some meagre foodstuff or some pennies to subsist upon while preaching and attracting disciples upon the streets in the towns of the Muslims.