Hawzah News Agency- the academic session "Is Sufism a Parallel Religion?" was held in New Delhi with the attendance of a number of Muslim scholars, thinkers, and researchers.
Clarifying the Imami Shia Perspective on Sufism and Irfan
Hojatoleslam Seyyed Sadegh Hosseini, head of the Institute for Approximation of Islamic Schools of Thought in India, stated in his clarification of the Imami Shia viewpoint: Sufism, irfan (Islamic mysticism), and ethics cannot be considered an independent or parallel religion to Islam; rather, differences in these areas must be examined within the framework of scholarly discussion and religious teachings.
He explained that religious knowledge can be examined in three fundamental domains: beliefs, jurisprudence and rulings, and irfan and ethics. Differences in the first domain have led to the formation of theological schools, differences in jurisprudential views have given rise to jurisprudential schools of thought, and the diversity of mystical and spiritual methods has resulted in the emergence of various Sufi orders. Therefore, the existence of differences in these methods does not mean the emergence of an independent religion.
Hojatoleslam Seyyed Sadegh Hosseini described the true purpose of irfan as recognizing the human being's station as God's vicegerent, purifying the soul, and attaining nearness to God, emphasizing that authentic irfan is never separate from Sharia; rather, movement along the path of knowledge is realized through observance of divine rulings and teachings.
He also noted regarding the two concepts of kashf (unveiling) and shuhud (witnessing): Not all inner experiences can be evaluated identically, as some of these states may be divine and others misleading. Therefore, examining the history of Sufism and its orders requires recognizing the differences and conducting a scholarly evaluation of various viewpoints.
The religious scholar further enumerated knowledge, spirituality, ethics, purification of the soul, and spiritual wayfaring as stages of spiritual perfection, and referring to the concepts of unity and fana fi Allah (annihilation in God), said: These concepts do not mean the destruction of human identity, but rather attaining the station of servitude, submission, and complete obedience to God. He presented Imam Hussein's (AS) conduct at Karbala as a prominent example of submission and contentment with divine will.
Sufism: Beyond Appearances and Attire
Akhter al-Wase’, an Indian thinker, said in his remarks regarding the reality of Sufism: Merely wearing special garments, including blue and yellow clothes, does not make one a Sufi. According to him, Sheikh Junaid Baghdadi enumerated qualities such as selflessness, obedience, simplicity, patience, contentment, asceticism, and poverty as characteristics of a true Sufi. Therefore, the reality of Sufism must be sought in a person's moral qualities and practical conduct, not in appearances and external markers.
Sufism and Its Relation to the Book and Sunnah
Maulavi Zia al-Rahman Alimi, presenting a summary of his research, stated: The foundational elements of Sufism — including beliefs, righteous deeds, and good morals — when grounded in the Book (Quran), Sunnah, and authentic Islamic principles, cannot be set against the religion.
He added: The educational and spiritual methods of Sufis are not an independent legislative system opposed to Sharia, but rather constitute various interpretations and independent reasonings (ijtihad) in the field of soul purification, spiritual excellence (ihsan), and inner reform. Therefore, as with jurisprudential and theological views, the possibility of correctness or error exists in these ijtihads as well.
The Necessity of Scholarly Dialogue and Responding to Contemporary Questions
Ahmad Javed, the scientific secretary of the conference, opened the program by posing questions about the place of Sufism in the history of Islamic knowledge, emphasizing the need to examine this issue. He raised the question: If Islam is a divine and continuous religion from the time of Prophet Adam (AS) to the present, and sciences such as jurisprudence, hadith, and exegesis have formed along this same tradition, why should Sufism and soul purification not be considered part of this scholarly system?
He also pointed to the similarity of certain Sufi methods — such as ascetic practices, meditation, and inner attention — with other traditions, and called for a scholarly examination of this matter.
Dr. Seyyed Qamar al-Islam, emphasizing the need to take criticisms of Sufism seriously, called for reasoned responses to the questions of the new generation. Dr. Waris Mazhari, while positively evaluating the research presented, stressed the necessity of examining Sufism's function and capacities for responding to the needs of contemporary humanity.
Your Comment