The Defense of the Sunnah

The purpose of this book* is to educate the reader about some of the beliefs of Sufis and their practices, and to demonstrate how they are in full accordance with the Sharia. Tasawwuf from the very beginning has always been integral to the Din, functioning as the realization and implementation of the pillar of Ihsan in the being of the Muslim. Tasawwuf is not a madhhab, nor a sect, nor an ideology, nor a cult, nor a foreign import, nor an heretical invention. It is nothing other than a science concerning the reality of Allah, His Messenger, and the self, transmitted faithfully and without interruption from the Prophet ﷺ (sallAllahu `aleihi wa sallam) himself. It is the belief of the writer that the current corruption of the Ummah and its degradation is a direct result - of among other things - the crumbling away of the pivotal pillar of Ihsan as realized through the practice of Tasawwuf and its principles. In the words of one Muslim leader, Syed Zayn al-Abedin:

It is unfortunate, then, that something as essential as Tasawwuf should have enemies, whether they be from within (those who believe that Tasawwuf can be divorced from Islam) or without (those who believe Tasawwuf never belonged to Islam). It is my hope that with an honest and thorough study of this book and others like it, the reader will come to an understanding of the integral place of Tasawwuf as one of the sciences of Islam, not just due to simple acceptance of my words, but based on authentic knowledge from the Quran and Sunnah and rightly guided scholars.

The Dīn will be revived in its fullness by the return of Tasawwuf to its rightful place in the lives of the Muslims. It is hoped that this will aid in the spreading and rooting of Islam in the hearts of Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in accordance with the promise of Allah:

{ هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللّٰهِ شَهِيدًا }

{ He is the One Who has sent His messenger with the Guidance and the Dīn of Truth, to have it overcome all other religions and ways of life, and Allah is sufficient as a Witness. }
Quran, Sura Al-Fath (Victory) 48, vers 28

With permission by the author

This text is an older version and as such incomplete, according to the author.

In Defense of the Sunnah by Ibrahim Hakim @goodreads.com