Sheikh Nuh Keller on Good Character

Yesterday I was listening to a lecture by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller which he was giving to a group of his female students regarding proper Islamic adab (i.e. etiquette, manners and morals) when this gem of wisdom really struck me:

“First of all, to have the utmost concern for good character…to have the utmost concern for good character. Because good character—generally meaning being affable, and friendly, and helpful instead of the opposite of these things—it has a good affect on one’s self, first of all. It has a good affect on those around one—one’s husband and one’s children—and it has a good affect on one’s relations with other people. It has a good affect on the whole environment, and so this is the first thing. It’s a corrective; it’s something that if you do it, everything else will get straight—and so it’s of the utmost importance.”

Hearing the summary, which I’ve taken the liberty to highlight in bold, that good character is “being affable, and friendly, and helpful instead of the opposite of these things” made me seriously, and rather painfully, reflect on how well I live up to these ideals. Keeping in mind that it is related in the Muwatta of Imam Malik that the Prophet—salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa salam—said: "I was sent to perfect good character", there should be no doubt that trying to obtain such a state (hal) should indeed be of the utmost importance to every Muslim…thus I wanted to post this as a reminder to myself and to others.

On that note, I’ll mention that some new lectures by Sheikh Nuh are now available in the publicly-accessible Lessons section of the ShadhiliTeachings.com website, including important discussions on the impermissibility of pictures and musical instruments, as well as a profound exposé of the new fangled “fiqh of minorities” that we hear a lot about these days. To download these lessons in MP3 format, just click on the Frequently Asked Questions link after clicking on the Lessons tab (and I'm describing it in this way since direct links to the material on this site tend to be problematic).

As for the adab lesson for women which I mentioned initially, it can be found under the Lessons for Women header here.

Deen on...

The Mercy Warrior

A big kufi-tip to Sidi Faraz of Seeker's Digest for pointing out this excellent article about Habib Ali al-Jifri:

Habib Ali al-Jifri - The Mercy Warrior
By Abdul-Rehman Malik
Q-News Magazine - May 2006

Please read the entire article and pray that Almighty God continues to bless and protect this pious sage.

Deen on...

The Ten Rules of Imam al-Ghazali

A few days ago, I was listening to an audio lecture by Sidi Hamza Yusuf Hanson in which he mentioned a book, originally published in 1964, by Eugene A. Myers, which discusses in detail how key Western theologians and philosophers, from Thomas Aquinas ("considered by many Catholics to be the Catholic Church's greatest theologian and philosopher") to David Hume ("considered among the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment"), borrowed considerably from Muslim scholars such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Seena and Al-Ghazali. The title of this unfortunately out-of-print book is Arabic Thought and the Western World in the Golden Age of Islam, and it really is a treasure. The description on the front cover reads as follows:

"A survey of Islamic scholars and translators, especially at the height of Moslem dominance, who profoundly influenced Western science and culture."

In light of the fact that there's a lot of ignorance—and bullheaded outright denial—regarding the degree that the eventual flowering of Western civilization was influenced and spurred along by Islam, starting today I plan to post and discuss a series of excerpts from Arabic Thought and the Western World in the Golden Age of Islam and other books of a similar nature. Actually, it's only the first five chapters (66 pages) of Myers' work that discusses various Muslim scholars and the particular influence they had, including plenty of examples of renowned Westerners who borrowed from them, since the later chapters are spent discussing translations from Arabic, listing the various books that were translated, and the impact which they had. Due to this, posting the various nuggets from it should not take a too considerable number of posts.

And finally getting to the issue that related to the title of this post…in the section sub-titled Al Ghazzali in Arabic Thought and the Western World in the Golden Age of Islam (pages 35-45), the author took the trouble to explain (pages 40-42) "The Ten Rules", that were "a summary of his ethics," which Imam al-Ghazali laid down for himself after "becoming a mystic." These Ten Rules, although in a somewhat archaic translation (i.e. "Moslem" instead of the more phonetically accurate "Muslim"), serve as a very thoughtful and useful summary of the Islamic spiritual life, and are as follows:

"Intention, he declared, is the first rule of conduct. This intention should be good and stable, good insofar as it tries at all times to accomplish its objective, leaving the rest to God, and stable insofar as it continues to be good, that is, persists in seeking its objective without being dissuaded from it by anything worldly.

Al Ghazzali's second rule is unity of purpose. This involves preparing for the hereafter, to be done by only serving God alone. We know we are serving God when we are satisfied only with the truth and when we deem everything else unworthy.

Realizing that this is a difficult rule to follow in a world where man is tempted at all times to become the slave of false values, and having himself earlier doubted the goodness of this rule, al Ghazzali warns against doubt as the most painful and deadly of all diseases. The outward sign of obedience to this rule is to prefer the hereafter to worldly affairs.

His third rule is conformity to truth, even at the expense of forsaking pleasure, by resisting desire and renouncing luxury and ease.

In his fourth rule al Ghazzali urged orthodoxy among Moslems. He believed that the variety of doctrines and sects divided men, fostered hatred, and led to the saving of no one. He therefore insisted that Moslems conform to established practice and avoid all innovations in religion.

The fifth rule forbids procrastination and urges daily examination of one's duties and actions.

In his sixth rule, al Ghazzali reminded his fellow men that they were incapable of doing anything without the help of God, that they should acknowledge that fact daily but not use it as a pretext for laziness in good works or neglect of independent action.

Al Ghazzali's seventh rule is one of fear and hope in which he preached salvation by faith.

The eighth rule recommends a life of devotion and prayer. To neglect devotional exercises is to shut oneself from the only source of spiritual power.

The ninth rule calls for continual observation and watchfulness. He who persists in meditating about God and banishes from this heart everything but Him will find God and will move from groping to tranquility, from tranquility to reality, and finally will attain true faith.

Al Ghazzali's tenth rule is consecration to a knowledge wherein one may see God. This rule should be pursued with diligence, both outwardly and inwardly. Its outward sign is perseverance in good works, since he who thinks that he can do without good works is morally bankrupt."

I'm not sure which original work by Imam al-Ghazali these Ten Rules came from, since the footnote in Myer's work refers to "Nabih Faris, in Philip K. Hitti and others, The Arab Heritage (Princeton, N. J., Princeton University Press, 1944), pp. 142-158".

I should mention, in regards to the statement "one may see God" in the tenth rule, that this refers to seeing with the heart, not a physical seeing with the eye…since Almighty God, the Sublime and Glorious, is above all that.

If you want to learn more about what I call "The Good News of Imam al-Ghazali," I highly recommend the film, now out on DVD, Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of Happiness, which is available from both the Rumi Bookstore and Amazon.com. Although I was somewhat skeptical of this movie at first, since being a grumpy old traditionalist, I wasn't sure if I like the idea of the life a great Muslim scholar treated in such a profane way. But try as I might, I couldn't help but really appreciate this film (and the two interviews, in the DVD Extras, with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Karim D. Crow are excellent as well). Indeed, the film shows how the life of this great Muslim scholar and sage offers a great hope to mankind in a way that should appeal to Westerners and Easterners alike—indeed every human being who finds a deep yearning for God deep in their soul. This manifest good news in the search for true happiness is that the way to God and sure knowledge of Him is there for all who want it—a step-by-step path and established methodology is waiting for you, so set your doubts aside and get busy!

If you want to know more about the path, follow this link. Once there, download and listen to The Sufi Path CD and the Virginia Suhba - Jan 1998 audio files that can be found by clicking on the Lessons tab at the top of the page. These lectures, given by a traditional scholar of Islamic spirituality, should be enough to get you started, insha'llah.

Tasawwuf on...

Foundations of the Spiritual Path

An excellent translation of words of wisdom on an all-important topic:

Foundations of the Spiritual Path
By Sidi Ahmad Zarruq
Translated by Hamza Yusuf

This article originally appeared in Seasons, the journal of the Zaytuna Institute.

Enjoy and Deen on...

Shadhili Tariqa, Shadhili Teachings

Last night, the ShadhiliTariqa.com website was finally launched, al-hamdu li-'Llah. This site is intended to be, insha'llah, the main focal point for the writings and audio lectures of Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller. Already, this site is full of content that I encourage everyone to download, read, listen to and reflect upon. Although some, but not all, of these articles were already available on the web at the Masud.co.uk site, check out the various sections (i.e. What is Sufism?, Shadhili Tariqa, Articles, Audio and Blog & Events) to find some gems that you might not have seen before.

In addition to this new site, there are a couple of other related sites that need to be mentioned. Several months ago, the now defunct TariqaTapes.com site morphed into TheTraditionalPath.com site...and the content and catalog can now be browsed by non-members. The purpose of this site is "...serving the murids of the Hashimi-Darqawi Order of the Tariqa of Imam Abul Hasan Al-Shadhili, Allah be well pleased with him. Recorded darses available on this site are lectures given by Sheikh Nuh Keller. This website is designed to fill the needs of Muslims who adhere to traditional Islamic knowledge and spiritual awakening."

Likewise, the VASuhba.com and Suhba.org websites have now migrated to ShadhiliTeachings.com, which is intended to be the main site in the future where murids of Sheikh Nuh can download the various audio lessons.

For those who don't know, Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller American Muslim translator and specialist in Islamic Law and an authorized Sheikh in tasawwuf. Born in 1954 in the north-western United States , was educated in philosophy and Arabic at the University of Chicago and UCLA. He entered Islam in 1977 at al-Azhar in Cairo , and later studied the traditional Islamic Sciences of hadith, Shafi'i and Hanafi jurisprudence, legal methodology (usul al-fiqh), and tenets of faith ('aqidah) in Syria and Jordan , where he has lived since 1980. Some of his books and translations include Reliance of the Traveller, Becoming Muslim, Sufism and Islam, Port in a Storm: A Fiqh Solution to the Qibla of North America as well as a equisite publication of a new authentic edition of Imam al-Jazuli's Dala'il al-Khayrat. Sheikh Nuh was authorized as a Sheikh in the Shadhili Tariqa by the late AbdurRahman Shagouri-- May God be well pleased with him--in Damascus. He has students throughout the world and has annual retreats (suhbas) with his students in which he teaches the traditional science of tasawwuf in Canada, the U.S.A., the U.K., Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan. May Allah preserve him...

Deen On...

Unveiling the Three Suhrawardis

In recommending books for English-speaking aspiring Sufis, I recently heard an eminent shaykh recommend that murids stick to reputable and reliable translations of the well-known classical texts—and thus avoid modern texts that often suffer from New Age, perennialist and other un-Islamic influences. In that regard, the shaykh mentioned "al-Suhrawardi" as the author of one of these classical texts. Although my notes from this particular lesson don't indicate whether the shaykh mentioned the actual name of the text, I realized that he must have been referring to Kitab Adab al-Muridin, by Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi.

My knowledge in this regard was due to the fact that a few months prior I had became somewhat confused when I heard a mainstream Sunni shaykh mention that a certain "al-Suhrawardi" was a great Sufi master and guide. The reason for my confusion was that, in my ignorance, I was only aware of one eminent Muslim by the name al-Suhrawardi—and that would be Shahab al-Din Yahya al-Suhrawardi. Since this figure is, to say the least, rather controversial from a mainstream Sunni perspective, the shaykh's statement prompted me to do some research. I was already somewhat familiar with the Islamic philosopher named al-Suhrawardi due to purchasing Seyyed Hossein Nasr's Three Muslim Sages: Avicenna-Suhrawardi-Ibn Arabi a few years ago, coupled with the fact that I had seen a translation of one of his major works that had been recently published. However, further research helped quell my confusion since I soon learned, with the help of Wikipedia, that although this Shi'a founder of the Illuminationist School (Hikmat al-Ishraq) of Islamic Philosophy is probably the best known of Muslims bearing the the name al-Suhrawardi, he's quite a different person than Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi—who was very much a mainstream Sufi of the Ahl al-Sunna, being Ash'ari in 'aqida and Shafi'i in fiqh.

For those who are interested, in order to avoid confusion in the future, there are three Muslim sages who bear the name al-Suhrawardi, also spelled al-Suhurwardi, that one should be aware of:

• Shahab al-Din Yahya al-Suhrawardi (born 1155, died 1191 CE) was a Shi'a philosopher of Kurdish origin, and founder of the School of Illumination (Hikmat al-Ishraq)—one of the most important doctrines in the history of Islamic Philosophy. His life spanned a period of less than forty years in the middle of twelfth century CE, produced a series of highly assured works that established him as the founder of this new school of philosophy. His teacher was Majd al-Din Jaili who was also the great Sunni Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's teacher. Shahab al-Din al-Suhrawardi was unique in his deep insights into the origins of Iranian and Greek philosophy, as well as his treatment of Islamic teachings.
  
  Arising out of the peripatetic philosophy developed by Ibn Sina, al-Suhrawardi's illuminationist philosophy is critical of several of the positions taken by Ibn Sina, and radically departs from the latter through the creation of a symbolic language. The fundamental constituent of al-Suhrawardi's philosophy is pure immaterial light, of which nothing is more manifest, and which unfolds from the light of lights in emanations through the descending order of the light of ever diminishing intensity; through complex interaction, then in turn give rise to horizontal arrays of lights, similar in concept to Platonic Forms, which govern the species of mundane reality.
  
  Shahab al-Din al-Suhrawardi also elaborated the idea of an independent intermediary world, the imaginal world ('alam al-mithal). His views have exerted a powerful influence down to this day, particularly through Mulla Sadra's adoption of his concept of intensity and gradation to existence, wherein he (i.e. Mulla Sadra) combined peripatetic and illuminationist descriptions of reality. He is sometimes given the honorific title Shaykh al-Ishraq, or "Master of illumination", as well as being called "The Master of Oriental Theosophy". In his writings, he attempted a synthesis of Zoroastrian, Platonic, and Islamic ideas. The "Orient" of his "Oriental Theosophy" is the symbolic Orient, the East and the dawn as the symbol of Spiritual Light and Knowledge. He taught a complex and profound emanationist cosmology, according to which all creation is a successive outflow from the original supreme Light of Lights (Nur al-Anwar).
  
  He was executed in 1191 on charges of cultivating Batini teachings and philosophy, by the order of al-Malik al-Zahir, son of Saladin, and sometimes is called al-Maqtul (i.e. "the Slain"). A critical edition of his Hikmat al-Ishraq was recently (2000) translated into English and publshed as The Philosophy of Illumination by Brigham Young University Press.
  
  
• Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi (born 1097, died 1168 CE) was an Iranian Sufi and founder of al-Tariq al-Suhrawardiyya. He was a Sunni scholar, staunchly Ash'ari in creed, who studied Islamic law in Baghdad, then set up a retreat by the river Tigris where he gathered disciples. At the age of about twenty-five, he left his academic pursuits in order to dedicate himself to a life of tasawwuf and eventually became an esteemed murid of Ahmad al-Ghazali—the brother of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali. In 545 A.H. he was appointed to teach Shafi'i fiqh at the prestigious Nizamiyya academy, but was later removed for purely political reasons. Both before and after this appointment, he continued to teach fiqh, hadith and tasawwuf at his own madrasa, and he was considered to be an authoritative mufti as well. After his lifetime, his paternal nephew, Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi, went on to spread and expand the Suhrawardiyya order, of which he was a co-founder. Although he was known to have written a number of books, his Kitab Adab al-Muridin seems to be the only one to have survived to the present day. He is also sometimes known as Diya al-din Abu 'n-Najib al-Suhrawardi.
  
  
• Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi (born 1144, died 1234 CE) was an Sufi who expanded the al-Suhrawardiyya Sufi order, by obtaining the support of the caliph, that he co-founded with his uncle Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi (mentioned immediately above). He authored a Sufi text entitled 'Awarif al-Ma'ârif, a translation of which is due to be published by Fons Vitae as Knowledge for Encountering God.

In the end, knowing the biographical details of all three of these well-known al-Suhrawardi's might not do away with all of the confusion, since many articles and books—including the various transtions—simply list the author as "al-Suhrawardi" without specifying which one!

By the way, Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi's Kitab Adab al-Muridin was ably translated into English back in 1975 by Menahem Milson and published by Harvard University Press. Last year I was able to track down a used copy that was still in great shape. I didn't have my hopes very high, since I was expecting the book to contain a hypercritical and rather hostile introduction, complete with a host of faulty conclusions that one expects to find, as a matter of course, in books on Sufism produced by Western Orientalists.

However, I found Milson's translation to be a pleasant surprise. Not only was his translation seemingly sound—although since the Arabic text isn't included, I have to reserve final judgement—but his introduction was balanced, informative and relatively free from bias. I certainly felt that he treated the subject matter in a fair manner—and much better than your typical hostile Orientalist. Indeed, he clearly demonstrated that Sufism was not (and is not) some sort of antinomian Muslim sect that was somewhat aloof of the shari'a and in opposition to orthodox Sunni beliefs—misinformed myths that some Muslims and non-Muslim "experts" continue to propagate to this very day. Not to deny that Milson's introduction couldn't be knit-picked on a few points, I hope that the following excerpts will demonstrate the refreshing nature of his clarifications:

"To be sure, this does not suggest that those persons neglected
the divine law. Quite the contrary. Being painfully aware of
human imperfection, they held that man could not possibly
go too far in attempting to carry out God's orders. Hence, one
of the characteristics of those early Muslim pietists was their
utmost scrupulosity (wara') in observing the rules of the
shari'a in ritual and social matters" [pages 2-3].

"The question of the origins of Sufism has long been debated
by Western scholars, most of whom, until the last generation,
held that the essential ideas of Islamic mysticism had origin-
nated from alien, non-Islamic sources. Admittedly, Sufism
absorbed a considerable number of heterogenous elements;
the influence of Neoplatonism was especially significant. It
should be recognized, however, that the primary sources of
Sufism are Islamic, the Quran being first and foremost among
them" [pages 3-4].

"Since the fifth century A.H., Sufism has attracted a large
following in all strata of society. This development appears
to have resulted from the need which many Muslims felt to
enrich emotionally their religious life. Such need was ex-
perienced not only by the uneducated, who were naturally
debarred from the intellectual satisfaction that could be de-
rived from juristic and theological studies, but also by many
of the religious scholars ('ulama')—guardians of the divine
law of shari'a. Layman and 'ulama' alike adopted Sufism to
satisfy that need" [page 6].

"Yet Sufis did not constitute a sect; with few exceptions they
remained within the fold. They have always regarded them-
selves, and have been regarded by most other Muslims; as
part of the orthodox (sunni) community, a concept which is
expressed in the Arabic idiom ahl al-sunna wa-'l-jama'a-
'those who adhere to the tradition and the community.'
Indeed, the Sufis held that they were the very core of that
community. This idea is expressed in one of the best known
Sufi compendiums in these words: 'The most excellent of the
Muslim community, who keep their respiration with God
and safeguard their heart from the intrusions of heedlessness,
have singled themselves out with the name of Sufism; and
this name has become famous in reference to these great men
before the year two hundred A.H.'" [pages 6-7 - and the "Sufi
compendium" just mentioned refers to al-Qushayri's al-Risala,
which has also been reliably translated into English by Barbara
Von Schlegell].

The remainder of Menaham Milson's introduction to his translation of Kitab Adab al-Muridin, which is actually entitled A Sufi Rule for Novices, goes on to discuss Sufi doctrine and practices in more detail, provide a fairly detailed biography of Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi and then offer an insightful overview of the text itself.

The actual translation of Kitab Adab al-Muridin, which spans from page 27 to 83 in the book, includes 208 points, in a somewhat abridged form, which relate to proper Islamic adab-which the author translates as "ethics". Accepting the fact that the Arabic word adab is a multifaceted word that is rather difficult to translate using a single English word, suffice it to say that Kitab Adab al-Muridin is essentially a "manual of ethics" that discusses everything from points of Islamic creed ('aqida) and the various states (ahwal) of the soul, to personal acts of worship ('ibada) and the proper use of a host of dispensations (rukhsa) within the Islamic shari'a. All of the diverse points of the original text are covered in fairly good detail, the only abridgement being that some of the detailed proofs from the Qur'an and hadith literature are omitted. In short, this is certainly a valuable book for aspiring Sufis who want to improve their knowledge by reading a translation of a classical text. Unfortunatley, A Sufi Rule for Novices has long gone out of print so I pray that Almighty God gives success to all those murids who try to find a copy.

Deen On...

Was Sufism in Disarray before Imam al-Ghazali?

Yesterday, I found an audio response by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller to the following question: Was Sufism in Disarray until Ghazali Came? As the Shaykh makes clear, the short answer is "No", but he discusses this issue in considerable detail since, due to Orientalist distortions of Islamic history, there are a lot of misunderstandings in this regard—especially amongst Muslims educated in the West.

In this same response, which is about seven minutes and forty seconds in duration, the Shaykh also addresses the question of whether there was a "huge divide" between the scholars of the "outward sciences" and the Sufis that was only resolved after Imam al-Ghazali came. Again, the short answer is "No", but please listen to the entire response so that you get all of the details.

Deen On...

Scholars' Approval of Sufism

Scholars' Attestation to Sufism and Sufis (Arabic)

My Favorite Sufi Aphorism

One day, a rich man came to Rabi'a al-'Adawiyyah and said, "For many years I've lived a very spoiled, arrogant and sinful life. If I repent now will God forgive me?"

Rabi'a replied, "No, but if God forgives you, you will repent."

---

This is one of those sayings which just drives the literalists bonkers—and no, I don't have an isnad for it. While on the surface this hikmah might seem to be flirting with theological error, but it's chock full of wisdom anyway—like it or not. Yes, truth can often be expressed in paradox, but just don't take it too far. On the other hand, the neo-Pharisees (you know who I'm talking about) are regularly frustrated when dealing with the often esoteric, subjective and experiential nature of religious truth. They seemingly can't handle the fact that they can't dot all their i's and cross all their t's, thus they opt for superficiality, literalism and rigid formalism. This has aptly been labeled the "boy scout" approach to religion (i.e. reducing it to just a bunch of rules to follow while depriving it of any spiritual depth), where the tough questions and dilemmas of life are rarely entertained. This problem certainly isn't unique to Islam, since many religions and many people tend to be rather superficial in their approach to life's higher truths - if they ever really address them at all. Too many people just want to keep their heads buried in the sand. The Qur'an seems to talk about such people a lot. As we might say in America, they're content going through life "fat, dumb and happy". Pray for them...

Anyway, it seems to me that one sees the truth in this statement of Rabi'a, my God be pleased with her, more through human experience than by mere logic. Anyone who has tried to "earn their way to heaven" by their own self-righteous effort, but has crashed and burned a few times, should be able to appreciate this. Yes, it's all about depending on Allah and His grace abounding — not on our own selves. I can speak from experience that one of the biggest traps that people fall into is attributing their own "good deeds" to themselves instead of understanding them as blessings from God. Indeed, there is no power or strength except for Almighty God—and He alone grants success!

From what I've seen, this hadith is not heard often enough: The Prophet said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one's good deeds will not make him enter Paradise." They (i. e. his companions) asked, "Even you, O Messenger of God?" He said, "Even I, unless and until God bestows His pardon and Mercy on me." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 474). I seem to recall a translation which said, "...unless God's mercy covered me like a blanket", but I'm not certain.

By the way, Rabi'a al-'Adawiyyah (born 714 CE, died 801 CE) lived in Basra, which is in present day Iraq. She was one of the earliest and most prominent Muslim mystics, being a contemporary of Hassan al-Basri, and there are many awesome sayings and spiritual insights attributed to her. Some of these can be found in Early Sufi Women (Translated by Rkia Cornell, Fons Vitae, 2000, 433 pages), which contains both Arabic text and English translation.

Deen On...