Principles Of Sufism

He said: "Show mercy to those on earth, the one in heaven will show mercy to you." (Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi – hasan sahih).

He also said: "Give glad tidings and do not make people run away! Make things easy and not difficult!" (Bukhari and Muslim). They also narrated it in the wording: "Make things easy and not difficult! SPREAD TRANQUILITY and do not make people run away!"

Meaning: Tell people what they love to hear, do not make run away by mentioning fearful things or threats of punishment, don't say to them: Allah will burn you and you parents and punish you all! So although the Prophet is both "Bashir and Nadhir," i.e. giver of good news and warner, he did not command us to warn others, he only commanded us to give them glad tidings!

They said: Be strict with yourselves but be easy on everyone else.

Meaning: Be lenient with people and let them take the easiest choice so that they will have energy for good deeds. Spread tranquility among them (sakkinu), peace, serenity, as opposed to spreading agitation. Make people to be among those who believe and their hearts are at peace with the remembrance of Allah.

{ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ }

{ Behold! Truly with the remembrance of Allah hearts are at peace! } 13:28.

So teach them dhikrullah, instead of dividing them into parties and movements and making them run after dunya with anger in their hearts.

So sufism has a very important and unique role in implementing these two teachings for building excellent human beings in our time: One, keep good company in this world; Two, facilitating what is beneficial for people in their hereafter.

In this way sufism teaches people to obey Allah and His Prophet and to give people their rights in full. These two teachings are the secret of the Divine support for Sufis and Sufi paths in-sha-Allah today as it was yesterday.

Because IN A NUTSHELL SUFISM IS SUHBA AND RAHMA, COMPANIONSHIP AND MERCY.

In other words: improving our characters by keeping the company of the righteous servants of Allah generation after generation, from the earliest Muslims to our time, and helping one another in acquiring an excellent character, and attracting society to it…

…but this objective can be reached only through mercy, gentleness, kindness, and compassion towards all people on earth so that the One in heaven grants us mercy. In reality these two teachings reap success only through the Divine generosity and miraculous support, by which Allah guides whomever He likes through whomever He likes, as in the case of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim and the two ladies.

There is no doubt that love is the strongest motivation to follow and be attracted to the Prophet Muhammad (upon him blessings and peace) and from him to Allah Most High, as proved by the Companions' recognition that, first, they were attracted to the Prophet because they considered him truthful and they loved him.

Only after that, he taught them belief and religious rulings. This is a manifestation of the power of with in the verse { { be with the truthful ones } } (9:119), and the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) explicitly said that "a human being is with the one he loves," as in the authentic hadith narrated from several Companions in Bukhari and Muslim and elsewhere.

This means he is with him in his different states, in his thoughts and beliefs, in his aspirations and dislikes, even if the lover is not able to conform to the beloved outwardly or inwardly; nevertheless he would love to conform.

One might even acquire even the smallest aspect of the personality of the one he loves, for example Anas said that after he saw that the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) loved to eat pumpkin (dubba') he also started to love pumpkin.

More importantly, the Holy Prophet (upon him blesings and peace) made this attraction and love an avenue of salvation in the hereafter, as is clear from the context of the above hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, in which a desert bedouin asked the Prophet:

"Messenger of Allah, when is the Day of Resurrection?" He replied: "What have you prepared for it?" He said: "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Prophet." The Prophet said: "You are with those you love."

Meaning: not only in this life but also in the next life. It means that your love for Allah's sake has made you reach the company of the one you love. So even if "the precondition of company is conformity" (shart al-murafaqa al-muwafaqa) and we certainly fail to conform, nevertheless, as Imam al-Junayd said: "When love is truthful, etiquette is no longer enforced." (Risala Qushayriyya)

{ فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا وَاللّٰهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ }

{Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.} 9-108

{ وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ اللّٰهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا }

{And [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone.} 72-18

{ وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ }

{And when you are among them and lead them in prayer} 4-102

{ قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا نِّصْفَهُ أَوِ انقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا ‎أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا }

{Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little, but not all night, Half of it,- or a little less, or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.} 73-2--4
Related verses: 32-15/16, 51-17, 15-17

{ الصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْمُنفِقِينَ وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحَارِ }

{The patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend [in the way of Allah], and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.} 3-17
Related verses: 2-187, 17-78

{ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا }

{And [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.} 17-78

{ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا }

{Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur'an of dawn …} 17-78

{ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ لَا يُتْبِعُونَ مَا أَنفَقُوا مَنًّا وَلَا أَذًى }

{Those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah and afterward make not reproach and injury to follow that which they have spent; their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve.} 2-262
Related verses: 2-262/ 263/ 264/ 273/ 274

hadith:

فَاجْتَمِعُوا عَلَى طَعَامِكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ يُبَارَكْ لَكُمْ فِيهِ

Washi ibn Harb reported: They said, “O Messenger of Allah, we eat but we are not filled.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Perhaps you eat separately?” They said yes. The Prophet said, “Eat your meals together and mention the name of Allah over it, for you will be blessed in it.”
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3764

{ إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللّٰهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِذَا كَانُوا مَعَهُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ جَامِعٍ لَّمْ يَذْهَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَسْتَأْذِنُوهُ }

{The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and, … do not depart until they have asked his permission…} 24-62