Islam's Reformers .pdf

seems to be indifferent towards worldly concerns, beware fromhim with the same fright as you would run away from a lion.Junayd-i-Baghdâdî, one of the masters of the spiritual pathscalled Tasawwuf, passed away in 298 [A.D. 910]. He states,“There are many people who claim to be men of Tasawwuf. Thetrue ones among them are only those who adapt themselves to(the way guided by) the Messenger of Allah.” He said onanother occasion, “If a person does not obey the Qur’ân alkerîmand hadîth-i-sherîfs, do not look upon him as a man ofAllah!” He stated at another time, “The way that will guide aperson to love and approval of Allah is the way followed bythose who adhered to the Book (Qur’ân al-kerîm) and theSunnat (the way taught by Rasûlullah).” If a person’s words,deeds and moral conduct do not conform with those of theMessenger of Allah, [if he has not adapted his family, e.g. hisdaughters, to a life-style agreeable with these teachings], do notconsider him as a man of Allah. Jews, Christians and Indianpriests called Brahmins also use a very elegant language andapparently keep away from vices. You should not yield to thecharms of their diction and appearance. Every statement, everybehaviour which is counter to the Sharî’at is harmful. Tasawwufmeans to endeavour to adapt yourself to the Sharî’at. The solecriterion whereby to distinguish the true and the false ones iswhether the people concerned are following the Messenger ofAllah. The zuhd, the tawakkul, the sweet language, if they arenot in conformity with his teachings, are all for naught. Dhikrs,fikrs (meditations, thoughts), zawks and karâmats that do not fitthe Sharî’at are quite useless. [Abdullah-i-Dahlawî ‘quddisasirruh’ passed away in Delhi in 1240 [A.D. 1824]. He states inhis twelfth letter, “If a person who has joined (one of the ordersof) Tarîqat does not carry out the duties assigned to him, he willhave left the Tarîqat.”] Karâmats (wonders) occur also onpeople who subject themselves to hunger and othermortifications. This does not show that they are Awliyâ.Abdullah ibni Mubârak passed away in 181 [A.D. 797]. Hestates, “A person who fails to observe the âdâb of the Sharî’atwill be deprived of following Rasûlullah’s sunnats. A person whois slack in following the sunnats will in turn be deprived ofobserving the fards. And he who is remiss in observing thefards and harâms cannot be a Walî.” It was stated in a hadîth-isherîf:“Insistence on (committing) harâms will produce- 314 -