The Ibadi School and Sufism.

“O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth.” (Qur’an 4:157)

“And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to (subulana) Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.” (Qur’an 29:69)

﷽ 

The very first point to establish is that for us there is no spirituality or baraka apart from the Muhammedan reality. There is no believer that does not part take in the silsila of all acts of worship.

There is not a single act of worship that a Muslim partakes in that is not traced back to the Blessed Prophet (saw).

“So whoever renounces false gods and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest, unfailing hand-hold. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Qur’an 2:256)

If you are a Muslim right here right now you are part of the tariqa of the Blessed Prophet Muhammed (saw). Allah has bestowed upon you the single greatest act of love, mercy, guidance and blessing that could ever befall any among mankind.

If we are to ask for example the Tariqa of Al Ghazali, Hasan al Basri, or Al Junayd of Baghdad etc. you will not readily see them ascribed to a particular tariqa. Those that ascribe to them as such do not have anything firm to rely upon.

A Sufi for us is not one who belongs to this or that order. Often these orders themselves become barriers for themselves as well as those who seek closeness to Allah (swt).

Thus, the ‘Ilm Al Suluk’ (Sufism) of Al Ghazali, Hasan al Basri or Al Junayd is that which the Ibadi are upon.

Our scholars both embraced and wrote extensively about ‘Ilm Al Suluk’ (Sufism)

For cleansing of the soul and dedication of self to Allah, is the very essence of Islam as given to us via the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Blessed Messenger (saw).

“The Day when neither wealth nor sons will be of any benefit. Only those who come before Allah with a pure heart.” (Qur’an 26:88-89)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “Allah said, ‘I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him.”

Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6502)

This above hadith is a key feature of Sufism (‘Ilm Al Suluk’)

1. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him.

What I enjoined upon him = The Qur’an and Sunnah.

There are people who wonder why there is no blessing in their life or they receive no spiritual openings. I will tell you here and now there is not a single tariqa on this planet that can open for you something that has not been opened by the Blessed Prophet (saw).

So those who have abandoned the Qur’an and Sunnah are on a path other than Islam, other than Sufism. At best they follow a Dajjal.

2. And My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him.

Through performing Nawafil = (this means extra rakats of prayer, extra acts of worship of any kind. This is where the wirds kick in effect, or group dhikr). Yet, it must be kept in mind that if one has abandoned the Qur’an and Sunnah you will ultimately arrive no where but self delusion.

The companions of the Blessed Prophet (saw) were described as “monks of the night,” apart from being “knights of the day.” This became the essence of Sufism.

Ibadis however define Sufism in a different original way such as what Abu Hamza AI Shari described his companions: 

“Young but followed the path of the wise elders, their eyes blinded from evil, their feet are heavy to walk the path of wrong doings, dedicated to worship and in love with late hours of the night. They gave away their souls that may die tomorrow in exchange for eternal souls. Allah looks upon them in the hollowness of the night and sees their bodies bent over their copies of the Quran, and if they happen to read any verse about heaven, they would cry longing for it, and if they read a verse bout hell they would gasp as if the hellish fires are breathing in their ears. Earth has eaten their knees, hands, noses and foreheads, and they know no rest whether at day or night, their bodies have turned yellow and withered from long standing and fasting. They do all this for the sake of their promise to Allah. However, if they see the arrows, spears and swords of the enemy approaching and the thunder of war calls out, they take the fear of legions lightly for the sake of their reward from Allah; they never take the promise of Allah lightly in fear of legions of the enemy. They take spears and arrows heads on with their chests and faces. A young man (such as them) moves ahead with his head high and when he falls down and the earth dirties his handsome face and the birds and predators prey on his body …”

Source: (Safwat, Ahmed Zaki, Jamharat Khutab Al Arab, 2/469-476.)

However, the relation between Ibadis and Sufism was barely notable with the early Ibadi scholars; there are no books on Sufism and they didn’t use Sufi terminology in their books. This relationship thrived though in the 18^th century with many scholars such as Shaykh Ja’ed and his son Nasser(r), Al Mohaqiq Al Khalili (r) and Abu Muslim Al Bahlani (r) embracing Sufism and producing some of the most influential and hard-core Sufism writings. The contributions of those scholars can be summed up in the following:

Books: Those four scholars added a number of rich books in Sufism and behavioral science (‘ilm al-suluk), most famous of which are:

1. Commentary on Hayat Al Mohaj poem and the poem itself by Shaikh Ja’ed bin Khamis Al Kharusi (r): 

Hayat Al Mohaj poem is a lengthy poem in Sufism and behaviors, and starts with:

My brothers in Allah listen to me,

as I am always advising for the Sake of Allah till He is pleased.

2. Other poems of Shaikh Ja’ed (r): He wrote other poems in Sufism, and one of them starts with:

The sun of the enlightened is above all,

and they are abstinent from the love of anything but Allah

3. Al Nawamees Al Rahmaniya fi Tasheel Turuq Ela oloum ArRabaniya, a book by Shaykh Said bin Khalfan Al Khalili (r). This book was described by Shaikh Khalfan Al Harthi (r) as: “This book tackles issues of knowledge acquisition tools. He started by talking about the brain and the beneficial food and drugs. After that the book talks about the secrets of verses, prayers and divine names of Allah. In doing so, Shaikh Said (r) quotes Al Antaki, Al Ghazali Al Bani and others.

4. Lydah Nudum AsSoluk Ela Hadarat Malik AlMolok by Shaikh Nasser bin Ja’ed Al Kharusi (r) in which he gives extensive commentary on Ibn Al Faridh’s “T rhyming” poem in Sufism, a lengthy poem that runs to about 759 lines, and starts with:

Yes, my heart has longed for my beloved…

This book was printed in 2011 in 786 pages with an introduction by Dr. Waleed Mahmood Khalis (r). This is a valuable and unique book that reflects deep understanding and knowledge of Shaikh Nasser (r).

5. Poems of Shaikh Said bin Khalfan Al Khalili (r) in Sufism and behavior: Shaikh Said Al Harthi says: “He wrote many poems in the divine love, supplication, prayer, motivation and guidance to the path of the enlightened”. Some of the poems are very lengthy; one of them runs to 220 lines. Shaikh Abu Muslim Al Bahlani (r) did Takhmis (extension of a poem line by adding one and a half line to an existing line) of one of those poems. 

6. Poems of Abu Muslim Al Bahlani (r) in Sufism: Lengthy poems that can reach to 1000 lines. The total number of lines in prayer poems of Abu Muslim reached about 5500 lines, which can be considered a full book on their own.

Dr. Mohamed Nasser (r) says about these poems:

“All these poems can be categorized under the supplication, because they were simply written for this purpose as can be seen in the introductions. The author puts forward a certain behavior before and during the poems which means he used to practice a certain ritual. He would prepare himself by Ablution, supplication and prayer at midnight. The poem lines would flow in his tongue and he uses them to call upon his creator in moments of spiritual highness and emotional fulfillment”

Source: (Nasser, Dr. Mohammed, Abu Muslim Al Rawahi Hassan Oman p.39-40.)

Do not commit excess in your religion!

“O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth.” (Qur’an 4:157)

As Allah (swt) has said this to those who come before us it stands to reason that this admonishment is for us as well. Thus, there are beliefs and practices that became associated with ‘Ilm Al Suluk’ (Sufism) that the Ibadi masters wished to purify it of.


Uniqueness of Ibadis Sufism

Despite embracing, practicing and writing in Sufism, those scholars did not follow that path blindly without critique.

Dr. Waleed Khalis says: “It is important to note that, in embracing Sufism, those Omani scholars and poets chose only what aligns with their ‘Aqidah and sect principles. We did hint to this earlier. That is why they used the concept of Suluk not Hulul or Wahdat al-Wujud(unity of existence) or other concepts embraced by some Sufis. Ibn Al Faridh in fact himself falls under a conservative group that keeps the Quran and Sunnah always as the super guide. Omani scholars and poets expressed interest in Al Faridh’s works because they share common foundations objectives”

Source: (Khalis, Dr. Waleed, Iydah Nudum Al Soluk, p.32.)

Shaykh Ja’ed and his son Nasser(r), Al Mohaqiq Al Khalili (r) and Abu Muslim Al Bahlani (r), those four scholars used in their books and poems many Sufi terms.

Dr. Sharifa Al Yahyai(h) said: “The pioneering of Al Khalili in Sufi poetry made his poems a reservoir of Sufi terminology, a rich pool for research on Sufi language. Moreover, his poems acquired some linguistic alienness as a result of the deep connection with Sufism literature and this influence is demonstrated in complex structures, a common feature of Sufi poetry. He was also influenced by Ibn Al Faridh, one of the most prominent Sufi poets”

Source: (Al Yahyaiya, Sharifa, Al Shaikh Said bin Khalfan AI Khalili, Doyen of Sufi Poetry in Oman,p.3)

However, they also tried to avoid misleading terms, such as the word ‘Sufi’ itself and replaced it with ‘Suluk’ which denotes the objective of this movement, to reach to the ultimate understanding of Allah and His attributes and get His blessings.

Holding on to the Ibadi ‘Aqidah: The Sufi movement emerged and grew in non-Ibadi cultures and no Ibadi scholar wrote on this field before those four who remained rooted and firmly holding their Ibadi ‘Aqidah principles. Whenever they felt something contradicting the Ibadi ‘Aqidah, they would promptly reject it and rectify it.

Beliefs that one may find in Sunni and Shi’a Sufism but not in Ibadi Sufism.

1. Wahdat al-Wujud(unity of existence): The meaning of (unity) with Allah in Sufism.

One of the more extreme thoughts of Sufism is the actual unity between the creator and the created, which is claimed to happen when a person rises high in love and closeness to Allah. However, Shaykh Nasser bin Ja’ed explains that Sufism (or the correct Sufism) doesn’t actually mean so. What it actually means is not a unity of entities but rather of attributes, as a believer takes on the attributes of Allah when he draws closer to Him. With this explanation, Shaykh Nasser may be referring to the following hadith:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “Allah said, ‘I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him.”

Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6502)

Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Reflect deeply upon the creation, but do not reflect upon the essence of the Creator. Verily, His essence cannot be known other than to believe in it.”

Source: (Musnad al-Rabī’ 742 عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَفَكَّرُوا فِي الْخَلْقِ وَلا تَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي الْخَالِقِ فَإِنَّهُ لا يُدْرَكُ إِلا بِتَصْدِيقِهِ 742 مسند الربيع بن حبيب 2976 المحدث الألباني خلاصة حكم المحدث حسن في صحيح الجامع)

2. Hulul (infusion of the divine into the human).

“When Moses asked to see Allah, Allah said, “You cannot see Me! But look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, only then will you see Me”. When Allah appeared to the mountain, it was leveled to dust and Moses collapsed unconscious. When he recovered, he said, “Glory be to You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers”. (Qur’an 7:143)

Abu Musa reported:

The Messenger of Allah (saw) was standing amongst us and he told us five things. He said: Verily the Exalted and Mighty Allah does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and lifts it. The deeds in the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is the light. In the hadith narrated by Abu Bakr (instead of the word “light” ) it is fire. If he withdraws it (the veil), the splendour of His countenance would consume His creation so far as His sight reaches.

Source: (https://sunnah.com/muslim:179a)

The universe itself will be utterly annihilated! Allahu Akbar!

The human form as a three dimensional carbon based platform is so immersed in this paradigm of conscious reality that is perceived via what could be considered a hologram in nature that when this form is disciplined and mastered one can have heightened awareness and experiences of what is normally perceived. Thus a person can have supranatural and spiritual experiences. The one writing to you (myself) have experienced such states. However, at no point can or has there ever been a merger between the divine and the creation. It is too much information for any vessel to carry and it would be destroyed.

3. Seeing Allah (Witnessing Allah)

Our school is upon the firm belief that Allah (swt) cannot be seen by the eye sight in this world or in the afterlife. In fact, many of those among the Sunni tradition have resigned themselves to the belief that it is a beatific vision. The common Sunni opinion is that Allah can be seen, and most of them agree that this seeing happen only in the afterlife as a reward for believers.

The evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah that Allah (swt) will not be seen is overwhelming.

Seeing Allah Collection of Articles.

4. Shaafa for major sinners.

That the Blessed Prophet (saw) intercedes for all Muslims including the major sinners. Ibadi Sufism is that the intercession of the Blessed Prophet (saw) is a formality for those whom Allah (swt) is pleased with:

Shafa’ah (intercession) according to the Qur’an.

5. Allah is everywhere. Our school is upon the firm belief that Allah (swt) created all things which includes spatiality. Not all those who claim to be Sufis believe this. However, this is a belief held among many of them. Just as the question: “When did Allah begin” is inappropriate for Allah (swt), so to the question “Where is Allah?” is inappropriate for Allah (swt).

“Those who ask ‘where’ but not ‘when’ in regard to their Lord.”

Is Allah every where?

Practices that one may find in Sunni and Shi’a Sufism but not in Ibadi Sufism.

1. The centrality of the family of the Blessed Prophet (saw) giving fealty to their descendants. The promotion and propagation of the ‘Syed Culture’ wherein other Muslims are made to feel less in station simply because of their lineage. You will not find this in Ibadi Sufism. I have written about this here:

But they are descendants of Prophets!

2. Istiagatha: or calling for help via Saints and Pirs both living and dead. You will not find this in Ibadi Sufism. Perhaps can write more about this in the future (insh’Allah)

To read more about this:

Tawassul and Istigatha according to the Ibadi school.

3. Visiting the graves of the dead saints and pirs. You will not find this in Ibadi Sufism.

4. The formation of specific tariqa (orders) that are often in conflict with other tariqa (orders). All of them vying for supremacy over the other. I have written about that here:

The Jihad among the Sufi Tariqa & Sufi Fanaticism

You will not find specific orders (tariqa) in Ibadi Sufism.

The purification of Sufism (‘Ilm Al Suluk’) by the Ibadi masters.

One will find that in Sufism practiced in particular among Sunni tariqa (spiritual orders) that the various paths may focus on particular aspects. Such that a tariqa could be defined as burhani, haqqani or shukri. Meaning that they give direction and focus to one of three aspects:

a) Fearing Allah to obtain closeness and proximity to Allah (swt).

b) Loving Allah to obtain closeness and proximity to Allah (swt).

c) Gratitude towards Allah to obtain closeness and proximity to Allah (swt).

In Ibadi Sufism, Indeed Islam itself it is a trial by fire in which all these aspects are combined in the human being if one is to be successful in this life and in the life to come.

If we want to talk about ishq (love) we have:

“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 3:31)

Imagine being the object of Allah’s love!

Notice the theme? If we love Allah than we follow the Sunnah. By doing such Allah (swt) will love us!

If we want to talk about ittaqu (fear) we have:

“Indeed Allah loves those who honour their covenants and fear Him. Allah loves the righteous.” (Qur’an 3:76)

If we want to talk about shukr (gratitude) we have:

“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me.” (Qur’an 2:12)

Moving Sufism (‘Ilm Al Suluk’) away from extremism.

Those Ibadi Sufi scholars they stressed that Sufism in its essence calls for good and virtue, and all impurities have to be ruled out.

Shaykh Nasser bin Ja’ed said: “A person shall not overlook Sufism; even if he couldn’t reach its peak he should pray and supplicate with whatever is possible to him. Sufism cannot be achieved by roaming the lands, but by the dedication to Allah in everything and following the straight path. Then a person needs to ask Allah and supplicate by abandoning bad habits and traits and embracing the steps of Iman after completing the mandatory prayers and worships…”

Source: (Al Kharusi, Nasser, Iydah Nudum Al Soluk, p.482.)

“But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them, but (they sought it) only to please Allah therewith, but that they did not observe it with the right observance. So We gave those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)” (Qur’an 57:27)

Sufism doesn’t mean solitude and escape from other religious duties, and it doesn’t mean monasticism; it is rather a state of the heart that a Muslim tries to deepen by drawing closer to Allah through prayers and supplications. This is clearly noted by Shaykh Nasser bin Abi Nabhan when he said:

“You should know that supplications to Allah is the tool of Sufism and it works even if a person sleeps with four women (his wives) at night, righteously fight the infidels during the day, helps people and works in Sharia; all of this can’t spoil Sufism. No one knows that a person is Sufi without a revelation from Allah or by direct hearing from the mouth of a prophet as Sufism is a hidden state in the heart. Naming someone ‘Sufi’ on the basis of outlooks is allowed …”

Source: (Al Kharusi, Nasser, Iydah Nudum AI Soluk, p.485.)

This precise understanding of the essence of religion and Sufism is what is clearly referred to by many verses of the Holy Quran and many Hadiths. In the days of the Blessed Prophet Muhammed some people misunderstood religion for monasticism but the prophet explained to them that religion is not about solitude and worship only.

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (saw) asking how the Prophet (saw) worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, “Where are we from the Prophet (saw) as his past and future sins have been forgiven.” Then one of them said, “I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever.” The other said, “I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast.” The third said, “I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever.” Allah’s Messenger (saw) came to them and said, “Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers).

Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5063)

This definition and conception of Sufism by these scholars is not theoretical but had been their way of living, despite having been very active in political, social and intellectual life. Sufism didn’t restrain them from engaging in life activities. Shaykh Said bin Khalfan AI Khalili (r)was the strongest pillar of the Imamate of Azzan bin Qais AI Busaidi(r); he was the one backing the Imam, the one who appointed him and the one who fought his wars and battles until he got killed for the sake of his principles.

Shaykh Ja’ed bin Khamis (r) and his son were very active in political, social and intellectual life in their days. This is evident in their multidisciplinary books; Shaykh Ja’ed(r) himself left behind more than 20 books.

On the other hand, Abu Muslim Al Bahlani (r)played a critical role in the intellectual renaissance in Zanzibar and his newspaper (Al Falaq) was one of the first Arabic newspapers at that time. He printed a number of books and his deep devotion to Sufism didn’t withhold him from writing poetry in other fields such as praise, ghazal, humor and obituary.

Often ignorance can be a source of inspiration and it should always be a call to action.

May Allah (swt) forgive us, and our school for not getting out the information to the general public so that they may not bask in ignorance.

You may also be interested in reading the following:

Tawassul and Istigatha according to the Ibadi school.

The Ibadi School, Group Dhikr, and Praise of The Blessed Prophet.

Pro Sufi & Anti Sufi Hadith Ascribed to Imam Malik on Tassawuf

May Allah guide the Ummah.

May Allah forgive the Ummah.