The Excellence of the Science of Sufism

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi (q.s.) wrote, in Kashif al-Ilbas, on the fadhilah, the excellence, of taswawwuf.  The following is extracted from it. 

As for the fadhilah, excellence, of Sufism, it has already been mentioned that is subject matter is nothing less than the Dzat, Exalted Divine Essence.  There is no limit to the excellence of this subject, so the science that pertains to it also has no limit to its excellence.  Its first stage deals with the khasya, fear, of Allah (s.w.t.), its middle stage with proper conduct with Him and the last with the ma’rifah, knowledge, of Him and complete dedication to Him. 

That is why Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi (q.s.) said, “If we knew that there was a more noble science under heaven to discuss with our companions, surely I would have speedily found it.” 

In his book, Anwar al-Qulub fi al-‘Ilm al-Mawhub, Shaykh asw-Swiqqili (q.s.) said, “Anyone who testifies to this science is included among the elite.  Anyone who understands it is included among the elite of the elite.  Anyone who expounds it and speaks about it is the start that can never be reached, the ocean that can never be drained.”