A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “The gnostics have three signs.  The first is turning away from what other than the One they recognise in every state and by every aspect.  The second is turning to Him by abandoning portions and carrying out rights.  The third is pleasure with Him in whatever He Decrees.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “The ascetic has three reasons for this virtue.   One is what it contains of the freedom of the heart from occupations and distractions.   The second is because it attests to the existence of truthfulness in love since this world is beloved and is not abandoned except for what one loves more.   The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, ‘ Swadaqah is a proof.’   It was said, ‘Of the love of a slave for his Lord.’   The third is because it is an indication of gnosis of Allah and reliance on Him because he spends what exists with trust in the One he worships and the one who refuses does so because of a bad opinion of the One he worships.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Why is there not much literature in English about Sufism? ”   There is a tremendous amount of literature on Sufism, or taswawwuf .   However, books on this subject matter, often address other aspects of the religious sciences such as theology and jurisprudence.   This phenomenon of texts of the religious sciences being classed as a book of jurisprudence, narrations or otherwise is a relatively recent phenomenon.   Previously, such books were themselves extracts of larger texts.   Many books of Sufism are not labelled as books of Sufism.   Books of Sufism have also been categorised as works of ‘irfan , taswawwuf , ihsan , and adab .   For example, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din addresses Sufism, jurisprudence, theology and many other areas of the religious sciences.   However, it is not classed as a ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ In Iqazh al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam , Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ajibah ( r.a. ) quoted Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq’s ( q.s. ) commentary on the sayings of Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), “He who practices taswawwuf , without acquiring knowledge of fiqh , is a zindiq .  He who acquires knowledge of fiqh , but does not practice taswawwuf , is a fasiq .  He who combines the two, has achiever the Truth.”   Imam az-Zarruq’s ( q.s. ) commentary on this saying is that the atheism of the first is due to the fact that he professes the doctrine of jabr , which entails the negation of wisdom and the rules of law.  The immoral depravity of the second is due to the fact that his conduct is devoid of the genuine dedication that prevents disobedience to Allah ( s.w.t. ), and of the sincere devotion that is stipulated for all actions.  The correctness of the third is due to his fulfillment in reality of hi...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “Know that repentance is key, mindfulness of Allah ( s.w.t. ) is vast, and uprightness is the source of rectification.  Meanwhile, a servant is never free of blunders, shortcomings or lassitude.  Therefore, never be neglectful of repentance; never be remiss in your Return to Allah ( s.w.t. ); and never neglect acts that bring you closer to Allah ( s.w.t. ).  Indeed, any time you are remiss in fulfilling any of these three duties, still repent and return; anytime you err, hear and obey; anytime you fall short or burn out, do not give up.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ According to Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ), “The relationship of taswawwuf with the religion is the relationship of the spirit with the body, because it represents ihsan , which Allah’s Messenger ( s.a.w. ) explained to Jibril ( a.s. ), when he said, ‘ Ihsan that you must worship Allah ( s.w.t. ) as if you can see Him,’ so it has no meaning apart from that, since it hinges on vigilant awareness after witnessing, or on witnessing after vigilant awareness.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) has said, “ Taswawwuf has been defined, described, and explained in approximately two thousand ways, all of them related to the significance of genuine dedication to Allah ( s.w.t. ).  They are only points of view in that regard, for Allah ( s.w.t. ) Knows best, of course.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “If anyone, in the name of taswawwuf , tells you to do something, and it is not in line with Qur’an and sunnah , throw it against the wall.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) wrote, in ‘Uswul ath-Thariqa’ , “The foundations of Sufi path are five: taqwa – mindfulness of Allah ( s.w.t. ), privately and publicly; adherence to the sunnah , in word and deed; indifference to whether others accept or reject one; contentment with Allah ( s.w.t. ) in times of both hardship, and ease; and turning to Allah ( s.w.t. ) in prosperity, and adversity.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “Never assume that anyone in this world can really understand your own circumstances other than from the perspective of his own circumstances.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “Work for this world as if you would live forever, but work for your next life as if you would die tomorrow.  Thus, do not neglect the externals of your worldly needs.  In the meantime, do not be heedless of your end and final resting-place.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “Examine your soul constantly in matters that you are obliged to do, or are needed to be done.  Anything you are in no need of doing, leave it, even if it is something that is recommended.  That means not involving yourself in anything other than absolutely necessary things, and real discernible needs.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “ Tawbah is a key.  And taqwa is vast.  And istiqamah is the source of rectification.  Furthermore, a servant is never free of either blunders, or shortcomings, or lassitude.  Therefore, never be neglectful of tawbah , and never turn away from the act of returning to Allah ( s.w.t. ), and never neglect acts that bring you closer to Allah (s .w.t. ).  Indeed, every time one of these three occurs, repent and return.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) wrote:   “If you desire to live such that your religion is safe, And your portion is full and your honour is sound, Guard your tongue; never mention another’s faults, For you, too, have faults and others too have tongues! Take care the eye, when it reveals another’s faults, Saying, ‘O my eyes, remember the eyes of others!’ Live treating well all others and avoid aggression, And should they oppress, repel it but with kindness.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Regarding the need for a guide, Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “Travelling the Way is not an easy task.  And to be on the safe side the traveller needs a guide who has explored the road before him and knows its difficulties.  That is why a shaykh is indispensable for him.  But before he yields to him and entrusts himself he must be sure that the shaykh is the right one who can be trusted, for it is very risky to have confidence in a guide who does not know the road very well and is not acquainted with its perils and dangers.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ On companionship, Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) said, “There are a number of prescriptions for the wayfarer that will help him or her on the journey towards the Higher.  The most important is the companionship of like-minded people and singing the praise of the Creator.  The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, ‘To sit with the righteous is better than sitting alone.  Sitting alone is better than sitting with evil men.  The good companion is like a perfume seller, even if you do not have some of his perfume you smell of it, while the bad companion is like a blacksmith, even if his fire does not touch you, some of his stinking smell will attach to you.’   According to this tradition, companionship, swuhbah , is necessary for the beginner in order to take good example from those who have preceded on the Path, and to encourage us whilst on the Path with the feeling that there is someone who shares our aspirations and interests...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ) wrote, in Qawa’id at-Taswawwuf , “Training the nafs by doing and leaving things in a gradual manner is the most efficient way of achieving the desired disciplining.  This is why it is said that leaving wrong actions is easier than seeking repentance, and one who leaves a prohibited desire seven times in such a manner that it is resisted every time it reappears, they will never again be tried by it, as Allah is more Generous than to punish a heart on account of a desire that has been left for His sake Alone.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from Qawa’id at-Taswawwuf by Shaykh Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ).   Any aspirant of this path who inclines toward the following preoccupations will perish: horseback riding; general self-interests; occupation with changing social wrongs or with fighting in military jihad while neglecting the acquisition of personal merit and virtue believing that he is in no need of rectifying his own soul or that he can obtain all of the virtues; seeking out the faults of his brothers and others; excusing himself by claiming abandonment of the world; spending all of his time in religious devotion; spending a good deal of time in public gatherings or seeking company, not for teaching or learning but simply for human companionship; inclining toward the people of wealth, claiming he is doing so for religious reasons; preoccupying himself with spiritual matters of the heart before learning the basis of sound transactions or the re...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from Naswihah of Shaykh Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ).   We must work for this world as if we will live forever, but work for our next life as if tomorrow we will die.  In other words, we must not neglect the externals of our worldly needs, all the while keeping in mind our end and final resting place.  And we must be extremely vigilant about avoiding positions of leadership, but should we be tried with such matters, we must know our own limitations.  We must be absolutely sincere to Allah ( s.w.t. ) with the sincerity of one who knows full well the One Who is Placing Demands upon him, and surrender completely to His Decree with the submission of one who knows he can never overcome Him.  Once we have a firm foundation in all of our affairs, and we will be safe from their pitfalls.  Organise our devotional practices, and we will find our time is extended due to the grace that pervades ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from Qawa’id at-Taswawwuf by Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ).   The spiritual courtesies of a murid with his shaykh and fellow wayfarers are five: Following the directions of the murshid , even if it is contrary to one’s own preference; avoiding what the murshid forbids, even if it would appear to be highly adverse to the student; maintaining utmost reverence for them in their presence and absence, during their lives and after their passing; giving them their due according to one’s ability without stint; and relinquishing one’s own understanding, knowledge, and leadership to that of the teacher, unless these are already in accordance with one’s teacher.   Should the seeker not find a murshid or find one who is lacking in any of these five conditions, he should depend on him only in those conditions the shaykh fulfills.  As for areas he is wanting in, he should treat him like a brother rega...