1998 Virginia Suhba

"Allah doesn't lead anyone to the path except that He wants them to complete it and reach Him."

What is the spiritual path? What does it require of an individual? Does Sufism have a place in traditional Islam? Who are ahl-Allah? These are a few of the many questions answered in this introductory series about Sufism.

The deen of Islam consists of Islam, Iman and Ihsan. All three are in some sense dependent on the other. Islam is explained by the scholars of shariah. Iman is addressed by the scholars of aqeeda. The third, Ihsan, is addressed by the scholars of Sufism. It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, knowing He sees you.

Sufism is the science of the heart; its subject matter is the ruh. Unlike the intellect, the ruh's knowledge is unobstructed by the limits of the universe. The food of the ruh is dhikr of Allah. The three integrals of Sufism are repentance, abstinence (zuhid) and realizing one's slavehood to Allah. Two necessary preconditions include having a sahih aqeeda and following a sheikh who is a true murshid. These concepts are explained more thoroughly in these lessons.

The transformation of the heart is not easy: bad habits are formed over time and the nafs (the self or ego or "me") deceives one in subtle ways. Islamic revelation teaches Muslims to change habits but it does not tell how. Therefore, we consult those who know, the scholars. To keep the company of a teacher and follow his example are teachings of the sunnah. Islamic knowledge is transferred from person to person, not just from writings. The nature of knowledge is concerned with the state of being not just knowing.

The murid is the student who is seeking knowledge of Allah. Allah, not one's nafs, is supposed to be in control so training is needed to submit to Him. The sheikh removes obstacles for the murid so he (or she) may reach this goal. The reaching of Allah is in fact reaching the knowledge of Him. Understanding one's slavehood to Allah and having gratitude towards Him are key teachings. The love of Allah is the cure for all bad traits such as envy and arrogance. One must constantly work towards reattaching one's heart to Allah.

This series provides an introduction of what it means to be a murid on a practical level. All murids must possess the following two attributes: 1) a lack of self-satisfaction, and 2) a veneration of all of Allah's commands. Other characteristics such as having a madhab and reciting a daily litany are also explained throughout the lessons.

This questions and answers included in this series cover a broad range of topics. Some of these topics include: the qualifications of a true sheikh, things that entail kufr, the validity of music/singing in Islam, how one determines his or her station with Allah, what is a sincere tawba, Imam Ghazali's use of weak hadith, forgiveness of sins, if vain talk is included in the first muraqaba dars, how to identify showing off in oneself, why Allah created evil, permissibility of visiting people who cook unslaughtered meat.