The calamity of Sufism

The Calamity of Sufism

Ever since its origin in the historically slippery,traditionally chaotic and infamously mischievous dungeons of A'jam, Tasawwuf has been a mystery of its own kind. It started from Platonism, shaped into perennialism and now some of our friends are trying to fool the people by saying that Tasawwuf is nothing more than "Tazkiyyah Nafs". I wish it were but it is the opposite. Tasawwuf is rather "Ghalaba e Nafs" as the pioneers of Tasawwuf gave preference to their personal desires and experiences over the revealed knowledge which is preserved in the form of Quran and Sunnah. The way the earlier Sufis tried to induct their personal experiences, Platonic philosophies and Greek mythologies into Islam, made Tasawwuf a disorganized religion in its own self.

Yes, Tasawwuf is a parallel religion with its own creed and rituals and has nothing to do with the Islam revealed by Allah on Muhammad (PBUH) and practiced by him and his Companions (RAA). The whole of this game initiated by Sufis has reached some nether regions of deviance and perplexities in our age and time and the tradition of Sufism has produced "gems" like Ghulam Ahmed Qadyani , Ahmed Raza khan , Yousaf Kazzab and Gohar Shahi.

Though the tradition of Tasawwuf has introduced many evils into our society and a quick youtube search reveals some amazing clips of Sufis in which they are dancing, gathering with the ladies, standing in the lock-ups after sodomizing teens and so on but right now I want to focus on pure academic issues related to Tasawwuf. The rest are well known to everyone.

It seems to be a tall claim to say that Tasawwuf is a parallel religion and it has nothing to do with Islam but I think that I can substantiate this claim. My personal upbringing took place in a Sufi-inclined family and I had access to the basic books of Tasawwuf in my childhood. It was the early portion of the time when I was becoming old enough to start making sense of my surroundings that I read Ahya ul Uloom of Al Ghazali.

It was just an year after that I started reading Fusus Al Hikam and Fatuhaat Makiyyah of the so called Shaykh e Akbar Ibn Arabi. Surfing through the pages of Fusus Al Hikam, the first impression I got was that Ibn Arabi is talking about something other than Islam, at least the Islam I know of. I was taken by the feeling that he (Ibn Arabi) has a parallel interpretation for Tawheed and Prophethood and almost every other basic belief of Islam is tuned according to his interpretations in his books.

His interpretation is not even remotely attached to Islam. Reading a few other books of the "prophets" of Tasawwuf made me sure that I was right. It was then that I decided to go for an exploration of Tasawwuf and its origins and the more I read the more certain I became that my first impression was right. The first impression has become the last impression for me since then.

First of all let me write down the names of the books which are the books of Makhiz of Taswwuf. Not only the writers of these books have a very important status in Sufism and are unanimously accepted by the various orders of Tasawwuf as "Walis and Qutabs etc." but all the basic concepts of Sufism are derived from these books. I shall be quoting mainly from these books to substantiate my claim.

1. Manazil as Saireen by Abu Ismail Harvi (A famous Sufi, died in 481 AH)

2. Ahya Al Uloom by Abu Hamid Al Ghazali Rahimahullah (Born in 450 AH in Tus , Iran. Reverted from Sufism to Ahl us Sunnah wal Jama’ah before he died)

3. Fusus al Hikam and Fatuhaat e Makiyyah by Muhi uddin Ibn Arabi (known as Shaykh e Akbar in the religion of Sufis, died in 638 AH)

4. A'warif al Ma'warif by Shahab uddin Saharwardi (The pioneer of Saharwardi order, died in 539 AH)

5. Al insaan ul Kamil fi marifat ul awakhir wal Awail by Abdul Karim Al Jaili (died in 832 AH)

6. Quwat al Quloob by Abu Talib Makki (died in 386 AH)

Now lets see how this religion interprets its main tenets. I shall be discussing Tawheed, Risalah, the finality of prophet-hood and the Day of Judgment according to the religion of Sufism.

1. Tawheed.

Tawheed is the main pillar of Islam and it was the basic purpose of the Prophethood of Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH). Every student of Quran and Hadith knows the amount and magnitude emphasis on Tawheed in Islam. So strong is that emphasis and so vital 

Tawheed is that its negation is the only unforgivable sin in Islam.

Tawheed in Islam is to affirm that God is One, He is the sole Creator of Universe and everything that which is in the universe. He is above His Throne and there is nothing like unto Him. He is alone worthy of worship. He has made this world for test and one day we shall be presented in front of Him and He will judge us according to our performance in the test of this worldly life.

“Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.” {Surat-ul-Aaraaf 7, Aayat 54}

“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none except Him…” {Surat-ul-Israa 17, Aayat 23}

“And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned.” {Surat-ul-Qasas 28, Aayat 88}

“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” {Surat-ush-Shoora 42, Aayat 11}

“[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.” {Surat-ul-Mulk, Aayat 2}

 However, The Tawheed of Sufism is derived from Plato's theory of forms. Though I am not interested in getting into the philosophical numbo jumbo right now but a brief explanation of Plato's theory of forms is necessary here as it is the core of Tasawwuf. I would request you to read it carefully because this theory manifests in various forms here and there in Tasawwuf.

Plato used to believe that all the forms and absolutes exist in their perfect states in some place outside our three dimensional world. These perfect forms exist outside God and they are uncreated. Goodness and beauty are the main forms. There was an age when everything was this ideal world and there was nothing else existing. Humans have descended from the ideal world by crossing a barrier before coming into this world of imperfections. Those forms now exist in an imperfect state in this world and human existence is nothing more than the exemplification of those forms. After death we shall travel back to that ideal world. (One can easily smell now that from where Wahdat al Wujood came)

Though this Platonism can be seen in the early Sufi texts as well but Ibn Arabi became much more obvious in its explanation. Becoming obvious is a crime in the cult of Sufis as Mansoor Al Hallaj had already faced the music for bringing up these ideas to the general public and had faced the consequences for that. 

However, after the fall of the Abbasid caliphate at the hands of Mongols, The Muslim world went into a mental and physical chaos. The scholars were badly persecuted and watched in that era and this situation provided a very good playing field for the Sufis. Ibn Arabi appeared then. He is the first person to write in detail about the "Islamic version" of Platonism and thats why he is known as the pioneer of Wahdat al Wujood in Islam. Almost a century after him, Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah will appear on the scene and will crush the deviance of these Sufis through the sword of Quran and Sunnah, Rahimahullahu Ta'ala.

 For the most part of your life, you must have wondered what this often heard mysterious term "Wahdat al Wujood" means and you might have asked "Muftis and Scholars" about it and they might have given you some watered down definition of it or they might have told you that "You cannot understand it baby and it is Haram to read the books of Shaykh e Akbar Ibn Arabi for the laymen". Here it is now:

According to Ibn Arabi there was an age when there was nothing but God (Lahoot) and then there were no specifications for Him as there was nothing but Him. This was a state of absolute purity. Then from this transcendent state he came down and came down six steps (Known as Tanazulaat e Sitta among the Sufis).  When he came one step down, he entered into "Aalam e Ijmaal". (Also known as Haqiqat e Muhammadiyah among the Sufis. This concept is of extreme importance as it became the basis for the denial of the finality of Prophethood. I will explain it when we reach there) Then He came further down till he appeared in the shape of everything that we see around us. So all that exists is God in essence and there is no reality of being as everything that exists is He (Astaghfirullaha Rabbi). During this descent, he accepted impurities and specifications (Kasaa’if and Ta'yunaat). Humans will again meet their real self (God) when they die. (Welcome Plato into Islam).

Reaching this “ultimate” level of understanding is known as the Tawheed of the special of the special people. In this ultimate level the sufi has to deny every other existence and has to affirm only the existence of the One (God). Even if he has to claim to be God in this negation, it is justified. I hope that now we can understand from where the ana al-Haqq (I am God) of Mansoor al-Hallaaj came. The main crime of Mansoor was to reveal this secret into the public, rest the Sufis still revere him as a great saint. A sufi scholar of our age has compared the “sacrifice” of Mansoor Hallaaj with the sacrifice of Imam Ahl us Sunnah Ahmad bin Hanbal (RA).

Zafar Ahmad Uthmani in the book Seerat-e-Mansoor Hallaaj says that the “Wisest person in the Ummah”, Ashraf Ali Thanvi looked into the case and found the trial of Mansoor Hallaaj equivalent to the test Ahmad ibn Hanbal RA had to go through.     inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’oon

Other than this “ultimate” kind of Tawheed there are other two or three types of Tawheed which are for the “ignorant Muslims”. Abu Ismail Haravi explains this classification of Tawheed in the following way:

التوحيد على ثلاثة أوجه الوجه الأول: توحيد العامة وهو الذي يصح بالشواهد، والوجه الثاني: توحيد الخاصة وهو الذي يثبت بالحقائق، الوجه الثالث: توحيد قائم بالقدم وهو توحيد خاصة الخاصة. فأما التوحيد الأول فهو شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، الأحد الصمد الذي لم يلد ولم يولد، ولم يكن له كفوا أحد.(منازل السائرين ٤٧)

"Tawheed is divided in three categories. The first category is the Tawheed of the general public. This is the Tawheed which is authenticated by proofs. The second category is the Tawheed of the special people which is proven by facts. The third category is affirming the Qadeem (this  means that one has to affirm that only the God exists and the rest of the existences are new, haadis, and so should be negated), and it is the Tawheed of the special of specials. The first Tawheed is the witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, He is Alone without partners, The One and Only, The Absolute, The Eternal Who do not gives birth nor is He begotten, and there is none comparable unto Him. (so the Tawheed of Quran is just for the ordinary people. The special and special of specials have their own Tawheed)

(Manazil Al Sai'reen ,Abu Ismail Abdullah bin Mohammad Al-Haravi pg. 48)

Al-Ghazali has classified Tawheed into four types in the following way:

والرابعة: أن لا يرى في الوجود إلا واحدا وهي مشاهدة الصديقين و تسميه الصوفية الفناء في التوحيد، لأنه من حيث لا يرى إلا واحدا فلا يرى نفسه أيضا وإذا لم ير نفسه لكونه مستغرقا بالتوحيد، كان فانيا عن نفسه في توحيده بمعنى أنه فنى عن رؤية نفسه والخلق. (أحياء علوم الدين ٤/٢٤٥)

And fourth (category of Tawheed) is: That he does not see in existence except one, and it is the observation of the Siddiqeen (Siddiqeeen is a rank among the sufis other than countless other self-invented ranks) and the Sufis call it perishing in Tawheed because he does not experience except one so that he does not see his own self even. And when he does not experience his own self because of being drowned in Tawheed, he loses his own self in His unity. It means that he sees that he is perished along with the rest of the creation.

(Ahyaa al-Uloom al-Deen, 4/245)

Al-Ghazali now explains the “crime” of Mansoor al-Hallaaj:

فاعلم أن هذه غاية علوم المكاشفات واسرار هذا العلم لا يجوز أن تسطر في كتاب، فقد قال العارفون: إفشاء سر الربوبية كفر. (أحياء علوم الدين ٤/٢٤٦)

"So know that this is the peak, the knowledge of "Mukashifaat", and it is not permitted to disclose this knowledge in a book. So certainly the “Aarifoon” (those who know) said: “Disclosing the secret of God-ship is Kufr.” (So “worthy” is the secret!)
(Ahya e Uloom deen V4,246, Al Ghazali)

So al-Ghazali is saying that what Mansoor believed was not a crime but its disclosure in lay people was his crime.I hope that you all remember what Wahdat-ul-Wajood is. If not then re-read the explanation of Wahdat-ul-Wajood in the start of this article. Now lets see how Wahdat-ul-Wajood manifests in the work of Ibn-e-Arabi.

Ibn-e-Arabi writes in Fusus-ul-Hikam:

Verily Allah is the straight path. He is obvious in common and not hidden. He is in small and big, in the ignorants and those who know.

(Fusse-Hoodiya, Page no. 106)

While describing the events of Ibrahim A.S and Ismail A.S, Ibn-e-Arabi takes a step forward and says in Fuss-e-Idrisiya of Fusus-ul-Hikam that the ram which was slaughtered by Hazrat Ibrahim A.S was in fact God Himself. Nauzubillah min zalik:

Though apparently the creation looks different from the creator but infact the creator is the creation and the creation is the creator. Look at what you see! Ibrahim’s son told him, "My father, do what you have been ordered."  The son (Ismail)  is the same as his father, so he (Abrahim) only saw himself sacrificing himself, "and He ransomed him with an immense sacrifice." That (Allah) which was manifested as a ram was manifested in the form of a human, and manifested in the form of a son. Rather, it is by the principle of the son being the same as the father.

(Fusse-Idrisiya, Page no. 78)

(Astaghfirullaha Rabbi. And yet these Jahmi, Ashari matter worshipers blame Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah for being anthropomorphic nowadays. Iqbal has the right words for it Itni na barha paki-e-damaa’ ki hikayat, daman ko zara dekh zara band qaba dekh yani do not narrate trivial fables of your purity, take some time and have a glance at your dirty linen.)

While talking about the events of Pharaoh and Moses A.S, Ibn-e-Arabi says that the claim of Pharaoh that he is the God was correct and valid as Pharoah was a manifestation of God so why will be him saying “I am your Lord most high” be wrong:

Pharaoh was in the position of authority, and he was the master of the moment since he was the Caliph with the sword, even though he broke the customary divine laws when he said, "I am your Lord most high" - i.e. since all are lords, I am the highest of them through the power which you have outwardly given me over you. The sorcerers knew that he spoke the truth in what he said, and they did not deny it. They affirmed that to Pharaoh, and said, "You only judge in this passing life, so judge as you like, for the kingdom is yours." So the statement of Pharaoh, "I am your Lord most high," was valid. Although in fact Pharaoh was Allah but his physical appearance was that of Pharaoh. (Na’uzu billah min zalik)

(Fusse-Musviya, Page no. 210 - 211)

Obviously the god of Ibne-e-Arabi, Pharaoh, could not go to Hell so again negating the verses of Quran, Ibn-e-Arabi makes the erroneous claim that Pharaoh will go to Heavens and he died as a Muslim!

She said, "he may be a source of delight for me and for you." (28:9) She would be consoled by him with the perfection which she received as we have said. The consolation of Pharaoh was with the belief Allah gave him when he was drowning. So Allah took him pure and purified. There was no impurity in him since He took him in his belief before he had acquired any wrong actions. Islam effaces what was before it. He made him a sign of His concern so that none might despair of the mercy of Allah, for "no one despairs of solace from Allah except for the unbelievers." (12:87) If Pharaoh been of those who despair, he would not have embarked on belief.

(Fusse-Musviya,Page no. 201)

While going through these “high stations” of wajd and haal, Ibn e Arabi has committed an distressing blasphemy as well. Read it while holding your heart.

he (Jibraeel A.S) said to her (Maryam A.S), "I am only Messenger of your Lord so that He can give you a pure boy," she relaxed from that contraction (qabd) and her breast expanded. It was at that time that Jibril breathed 'Isa into her. Jibril conveyed the word of Allah to Maryam as the Messenger conveyed the word of Allah to his Ummah. 'Isa was His word that He cast into Maryam, and a Spirit from Him. Then sexual desires arose in Maryam A.S.                    (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon)

(Fusse-Easviya, Page no. 139)

Wahdat ul Wajood had a very deep negative impact on the moral standards of the sufis. Shaykh ul Islam Imam Ibn e Taymiyyah has recorded the following mind blowing and soul shaking incident of a sufi.

قال المراغي قرأت على العفيف التلمساني من كلامهم شيئا فرأيته مخالفا للكتاب والسنة فلما ذكرت ذلك له قال القرآن ليس فيه توحيد بل القرآن كله شرك ومن اتبع القرآن لم يصل إلى التوحيد قال قلت له ما الفرق بين الزوجة والأجنبية والأخت الكل واحد قال لا فرق بين ذلك عندنا وإنما هؤلاء المحجوبون اعتقدوه حراما فقلنا هو حرام عليهم عندهم وأما عندنا فما ثم حرام. (حقيقة مذهب الاتحاديين، صفحة ١٣١)

Al-Mraghi said that I read upon al-Afeef al-Tilmisani (the famous sufi) something from the words of Sufis. I found that which I read upon him against Quran and Sunnah. So when I told him about that, he said that there is no Tawheed in the Quran rather the Quran is completely filled with Shirk. And whoever follows the Quran does not reach to Tawheed. I asked him that what is the difference between wife and a stranger lady and a sister though they are one being? He said that there is no difference between them in our school (wahdatul wajudi Sufis) but when the ignorant people say that they are haram, we also say that they are haram for you. And in our world there is no haram.

(Haqiqat mazhab al-ittihadiyeen, pg. 131)

The logical consequence of these Khurafaat of Ibn-e-Arabi was a heavy takfeer which did take place. The takfeer of Ibn-e-Arabi was done by almost all the prominent scholars of Ahlus Sunnah including Shaykh ul Islam Imam Ibn e Taymiyyah, Imam Al Dhahabi, Imam Ibn e Katheer, Imam Ibn e Hajar Al Asqalani, Imam Ibn e Rajab Al Hanbali, Imam Ibn e Khaldoon, Imam Ibn e Qayyam Al Jauziya and Mulla Ali Qari Al Hanafi. For a detailed look into the Takfeer of Ibn Arabi one may read “Tanbih al ghabi ila takfeer Ibn Arabi” by Shaykh Ibrahim bin Umar.

Ironically, despite this unanimity on the takfeer of Ibn e Arabi he became the “Shaykh e Akbar” in the vulnerable, gullible and myths-stuck sub-continent. It is a paradox which is yet to be solved. Aik muamma hai samajhne ka na samjhane ka.

2. Prophethood in Tasawwuf

Quran and Sunnah have explicitly explained the concept of Prophethood and its finality. Allah Says in Quran:

“Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and seal (last) of the prophets. And Allah is ever Knowing of all things.” {Surat-ul-Hujuraat, Aayat 40}

Not only that Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) is the last of Prophets and there will be no Prophet after him, Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) has explicitly said that all the super natural characterstics associated with Prophethood such as Wahi (Divine Revelation), miracles, kashf, and ilhaam have ended with him. Now the rest of the world will have to live like his humble followers for success in this world and the life hereafter.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “The Israelis used to be ruled and guided by prophets: Whenever a prophet died, another would take over his place. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be Caliphs who will increase in number”.

[Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]

Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) left Ali bin Abi Talib behind him (as he proceeded) to the expedition of Tabuk, whereupon he (Ali) said: Allah's Messenger, are you leaving me behind amongst women and children? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Aren't you satisfied with being unto me what Haroon was unto Musa but with this exception that there would be no prophet after me.

[Reported by Muslim]

A'isha and Abu Huraira (RAA) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying:

“Amongst the people preceding you there used to be 'Muhaddathun' (i.e. persons who can guess things that come true later on, as if those persons have been inspired by a divine powe),  and if there were any such among my Ummah, Umar bin Khattab would be one of them. Ibn Wahb explained the word Muhaddathun as those who receive hint from the High (Mulhamun).”

[Reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi and Ahmad]

This Hadith is a torpedo over the myth of Sufis who claim that people can have Devine inspiration after the Last Prophet (PBUH). The word “if” in the hadith has come for denial, and thus the meaning would be that there are no Muhaddathun (Mulhamun) in my followers, and if there would be any then it can only be Umar (RAA).

Regarding the Ilm-ul-Ghaib (knowledge of the hidden/unseen) Allah Says:

“Say, None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.” {Surat-un-Naml 27, Aayat 65}

And He ordered His Messenger (PBUH) to openly declare: 

“Say, I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.” {Surat-ul-Aaraaf 7, Aayat 188}

However for the Sufis Prophethood has never been over. They have attacked the finality of Prophethood implicitly and explicitly and implicitly. First of all they have claimed for themselves all the characteristics  which are specific for Prophethood only and  then they have explicitly attacked the finality of prophethood.

Shahabuddin Saharwardi al sufi compares his “Ilhaam” with the Wahi of Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) and uses exactly the same words which have been used in Quran by Allah for the Wahi of Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH).

الشيخ للمُريدين: أمين الإلهام، كما أن جبريل أمين الوحي، فكما لا يخون جبريل في الوحي لا يخون الشيخُ في الإلهام، وكما أن رسول الله محمد صلى الله عليه و سلم لا ينطق عن الهوى فالشيخ مُقتدٍ برسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ظاهراً وباطنـاً، لا يتكلم بهوى النفس. (عوارف المعارف، صفحة ٤٠٤)

The Shaykh is the custodian of the ilhaam for his mureeds like Jibraeel A.S is the custodian of Divine revelation. So as Jibraeel A.S does not do any dishonesty in the Divine revelation similarly the Sheikh does not commit any dishonesty in his ilhaam. And as the Messenger of Allah Mohammad (PBUH) does not speak from his desires, so the Sheikh following the Messenger (PBUH) of Allah outwardly and inwardly, does not speaks from his desires.

(Awarif al-Ma’aarif, pg. 404)

Al Ghazali writes in Al Mnqaz min al Dhalaal:

من أول الطريقة تبتدئ المشاهدات والمكاشفات حتى أنهم في يقظتهم يشاهدون الملائكة وارواح الأنبياء ويسمعون منهم اصواتا ويقتبسون منهم الفوائد. (المنقذ من الضلال ٥٠)

In the beginning observations and disclosures of the unseen start, till that they observe the Angels and spirits of the Prophets in their consciousness and they hear from them sounds and they get benefits from them.

(Al-Mnqaz min al-Dhalaal 50)

It seems that Allah has been more charitable to the sufi Bayazeed Bastami than Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH). Abu Talib Makki in his famous book Quwat ul Quloob describes the Miraaj of Bayazeed Bastami.

أدخلني في الفلك الأسفل فدورني في الملكوت السفلى فاراني الأرضين وما تحتها إلى الثرى، ثم أدخلني في الفلك العلوى فطوف بي في السمٰوٰت و أراني ما فيها من الجنان إلى العرش ثم أوقفني بين يديه فقال لي: سلني أي شيء رأيت حتى أهبه لك.

He (Allah) entered me into the lower heavens then He took me to the lower kingdoms thus he showed to me all the earths and that which is beneath the earth. Then He entered me into the higher heavens then He showed to me that which is in the sky and showed to me that which is in it from Paradise till the Throne then He (Allah) made me stand in front of Him and said to me: “Ask for whatever in that which you saw so that I can grant it to you.”

(Quwat ul Quloob, pg.70, v.2)

Shaykh Ahmad Sarhindi takes another step forward in his Maktubaat:

باید دانست که منصب ختم بر خاتم الرسل شده است علیه و علی آله الصلوٰت و التسلیمات، اما از کمالات آں منصب بطریق طبعیت متابعان اور انصیب کامل است.

It should be known that though Prophethood has ended on Muhammad (PBUH) but still one can get the characteristics of Prophethood being the followers of Muhammad (PBUH)

(Maktubaat, v.1, maktoob 260)

3. The Finality of Prophethood and Sufism

Now we reach to the most harrowing and cataclysmic part of the story. Though this portion might be extremely stinging and catastrophically painful but yet it is admonitory and a thousand lessons can be learned from it.

The Hanafi Sufi tradition in the subcontinent has produced two false prophets and one false Mahdi in the last century. Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani Al Sufi and Yousaf Al Sufi began their careers as Sufis and leter on claimed to be Prophets. Gohar Shahi was another Barelvi Sufi who in the later part of his career claimed to be Mahdi. 

There is a very good book "Jhootay Nabi" (False prophets) written by Shaykh Abul Qasim Rafique dilawari rahimahullah in which he has described the lives of some 70 false prophets. It is a very informative book and I will suggest the readers to read it. The book can be downloaded from here. Almost 60 out of the total 70 deviants who claimed to be prophets were Sufis. So what is the link between Sufism and False Prophets?

Sufism at one hand claims for itself all the special features of Prophets as i have cited some examples above. On the other hand , they have explicitly denied the finality of the prophethood by indoctrinating the erroneous belief of "Haqeeqat e Muhamadiyyah". This belief has opened the doors for the false prophets and from almost all the false Prophet Sufis have tried to enter through this door.

The sufi belief of Haqiqat-e-Muhammadia

When i was describing Wahdat ul Wujood above in the start of this article , i mentioned "Tanazulaat e sitta". God when desecnds down from his his perfect state has to take six stes till he becomes the imperfect human and the rest of the creation. At the first step of this "Tanazulaat e Sitta" ie when he comes one step down , he enters into the state of "Aalim Ijmaal". This state of Aalim e Ijmaal is also known as “Haqeeqat e Muhamdiyyah”. This state is the essence of all the prophets and its like the soul of prophethood. Whenever it enters into the material body of someone , it blesses him with prophethood. So , When it entered into the body of Adam As , it made him prophet, when it entered into the body of Abrahim As it made him the prophet and when it entered into the phsyical body of Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH) , it blessed him with prophethood. So , all the prophets were a continuation of each other and they were one in essence as all of them were illuminated with this "Haqeeqat e Muhammadiyyah". According to the Sufi doctrine , this Haqeeqat e Muhamdiyyah keeps on appearing in the world and it keeps on changing its material body. It has not ended with Sayidina Muhammad (PBUH).

A moderator of a Deobandi forum claims that Haqiqat-e-Muhammadiyyah is uncreated. (remember something? Plato claimed that the forms are uncreated)

“Haqiqah Muhammadiyyah is wajib and not created; while Ruh Muhammadi is makhluq and from mumkinat.”

When he was asked by an innocent member that till now he thought that only Allah is uncreated. The moderator responded back to save his face by saying that Haqiqat-e-Muhammadiyyah is an attribute of Allah.

(Have you ever heard that Allah has such an attribute? Indeed Allah is free of such falsehood these mubtadi’een attribute to Him. Subhan Allahi amma yushrikoon)

http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?62463-Haqiqat-al-Muhammadiyyah

The Famous sufi Abdul Kareem jaili describes this belief of Haqiqat e Muhammadiyyah in the following words and claims that he saw it in his Shaykh  Sharaf Uddin Ismail Al Jabrati.

Know that, May Allah protect you, the perfect human (haqiqat-e-mohammadiya) is that Qutb (a rank among Sufis) over whom revolves all the heavens of existences from the beginning till the end. And since the beginning of existence and forever he is one. Then he (haqiqat-e-mohammadiya) has various embodiments. He (haqiqat-e-mohammadiya) appears in the cathedrals of the jews and christians. He is named according to his embodiment. His real name is Mohammad, his kuniya is Abul-Qasim, his property is Abdullah and his nickname is Shams-ud-Deen. I saw him in the form of my Sheikh Sharf-ud-Deen Isma’il al-Jabrati.

(Al-Insaan al-Kamil – Abdul Kareem al-Jeli, page no. 210)

If this is the case , where will the verse of Quran go in which Allah has described Sayadina Muhammad (PBUH) as the seal of the prophets? The Sufis have their own interpretation of "Khatam ul Anbiyyah". They describe "Khatam ul Anbiyyah" as the one on whom the prophethood reached its its excellence. 

Like , if someone says that Milton was the last of the English poets , he does not really mean that there will be no poets after him but all what he wants to say that Milton was an excellent poet. Or if someone says that Shaykh Albani rahimahullah was the "Khatam ul Muhaditheen" he does not mean to say that there will be no Muhadith after him but all what he is saying is that Shaykh Albani rahimahullah excelled in ilm ul Hadith. For the Sufis,Same is the case with "Khatam ul Anbiyyah". “Khatam ul Anbiyyah” only means that Naboowat (Prophethood) reached its excellence on Muhammad (PBUH) and its does not mean that he is the last of the Prophets.The only thing is that now no Prophet will surpass the excellence of Muhammad (PBUH).

So in the world of Sufis Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) is the last Messenger only in the context of merits that is that now no greater Prophet than him can come rest “smaller” ummati nabis, barozi nabis, zilli nabis and gher tashri’ee nabis can come. The arrival of these Prophets which may come after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) will not effect the finality of Prophethood as no greater Prophet can come. Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) is Khaatam only in the sense of merits.

If you happen to have met a Qadyani,this is exactly what the Qadyanis claim  about Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani. The Qadiyanis say that the Prophethood of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani does not effect the finality of Prophethood of Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was just a gher tashri’ee ummati nabi lower in rank than Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH). I hope that now you can understand that infamous narration of Tahzeer un Naas of Maulana Qasim Nanothvi  as well.

If a Prophet is born after the era of Syyadina Muhammad (PBUH), it will not effect the finality of Prophethood.

(Tahzeer un Naas, Molvi Qasim Nanothvi)

Ibn Arabi makes it more clear in the following way:

فإن النبوة التي انقطعت بوجود رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إنما هي نبوة التشريع، لا مقامها، فلا شرع يكون ناسخا لشرعه صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولا يزيد في حكمه شرعا آخر. وهذا معنى قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن الرسالة والنبوة قد انقطعت، فلا رسول بعدي ولا نبي. أي لا نبي بعدي يكون على شرع يخالف شرعي، بل إذا كان يكون تحت حكم شريعتي (فتوحات مكية لابن عربي 3/6)

Thus the Prophethood which ended at Mohammad (PBUH) is only the tashri’e Prophethood. The status of Prophethood still remains the only thing is that now no new shari’at will cancel the shari’at of Mohammad (PBUH) nor will it add any law to it. As for as the saying of Mohammad (PBUH): “Verily the Messengerhood and Prophethood has ended on me and there will be no Messenger after me nor Prophet” means that  there will be no Prophet after me who will go against my shari’at, but whenever there will be any, he will be under my shari’at.

(Fatuhaat-e-Makkiya – ibn arabi 6/3)

The dream of Ibn Arabi came true and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani the false prophet made exactly the same claim.The qadiyanis adore ibn arabi for opening the doors of prophethood and they respect ibn arabi a lot. Due to these un-parallel services of Ibn e Arabi, the first Qadiyani khalifa Mirza Nooruddin has written a whole booklet in the praise of ibn Arabi which can be read here! This gives ibn Arabi a very special and profound status. He has a chair which no one else has. He is the “joint sheikh-e-akbar” of Deobandis, Barelvis and Qadyanis.

Just like the qadiyanis, Ibn Arabi had sever issues with the Hadiths regarding the finality of Prophethood. Talking about the famous Hadith of Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) La Nabiya Ba’di Ibn Arabi writes

And it was cut off in Muhammad, peace be upon him. There will be no Prophet after him, either giving law or bound by law. There is no Messenger after him, and he is the lawgiver. This hadith (That the Prophet said that there is no Prophet after me) has caused severe distress to the Awliya' of Allah.

(Fusse-Uzeriya, Page no. 134-135)

Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani Al-Sufi joins the show (the duck finds the pond)

Born in 1835 in a Hanafi Sufi family of the subcontinent, Mirza Ghulaam Ahmed was a practising Sufi before he claimed to be Prophet. Just like anyother Sufi, his life is filled with claims of miracles , kashaf and Wahi. His son , Mirza Basheer uddin Mahmood has written his biography titled "Seerat ul Mahdi". He has reported many events of the life of his father Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadyani. One can read that to find out about the early life of Mirza Ghulam Ahmed.He claimed to be the awaited Massiah and Mahdi in 1884 and subsequently claimed to be Prophet in 1901. The claim of Prophethood of Mirza Ghulam ahmed rests on the Sufi doctrine of "Haqiqat e Muhammadiyyah" and that taweel of Khaatam ul Anbiyaa by Sufis.

Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani writes in his book Tariyaaq ul Quloob about Haqiqat e Muhammadiyyah:

As the Sufis have stated that the status of Prophethood are in two streams, thus

 Ibrahim A.S who had a very close resemblance with Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) appeared in the shape of Sayyadina Muhammad (PBUH) again 1500 years after his death.

(Tariyaaq ul Quloob 346 by Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani)

He further elaborates it:

It should be remembered that the spirituality of Muhammad (PBUH) has been appearing off and

 on during the days of internal chaos of Islam and Haqiqat-e-Muhammadiya has been manifesting in the shape of a perfect human in every age.

(Aaina Kamalaat-e-Islam, pg 346)

As for as the taweel of Khaatam ul Anbiya is concerned the Qadiyanis love to quote the Sufis to substantiate their claim. Mirza Basheeruddin Mahmood the son of Ghuilam Ahmad Qadiyani and the second Caliph of the Qadiyani Jamat has written a book on the taweel of Khaatam ul Anbiyaa in which he has quoted Ibn Arabi, Ash Sharani, and Jalaaluddin Roomi after sending blessings on them. 

Shaykh e Akbar Ibn Arabi writes in Fatuhaat-e-Makkiyah:

Thus the Prophethood which ended at Mohammad (PBUH) is only the tashri’e Prophethood. The status of Prophethood still remains the only thing is that now no new shari’at will cancel the shari’at of Mohammad (PBUH) nor will it add any law to it. As for as the saying of Mohammad (PBUH): “Verily the Messengerhood and Prophethood has ended on me and there will be no Messenger after me nor Prophet” means that  there will be no Prophet after me who will go against my shari’at, but whenever there will be any, he will be under my shari’at.

The son of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad then quotes Al-Sharani Al-Sufi.

Imam Sha’rani says in Al Yawaqeet Wal Jawahir v2 page 27

“As the prophet (PBUH) has said that there will be no prophet or messenger after me only means that there will be no Shari’ Prophet after me”

He then quotes Jalaluddin Al-Roomi's interpretation of Khatam un Nabiyeen.

Jalal Uddin Rumi writes in his famous Mathnavi

“Hadhrat Muhammad (PBUH) was called Khatam ul Nabiyyen because no one has surpassed you in merits either after you or before you.As when a person excels in a field we say he was the last person in that field. Prophethood has ended on Hadhrat Muhammad (PBUH) in the same sense”

I have read these lines again and again from various angles. I have changed my lenses for them as well but I could no where find “Tazkiyyah Nafs” in it which some friends claim Tasawwuf is all about. Anyways Welcome Ghulam ahmed Qadyani into Islam after Plato and pay thanks to Tasawwuf.

4. The Day of Judgment in the eyes of Sufis.

Belief in Qayamah is one of the central tenets of Islam. The whole human race since Adam A.S till the last human on this earth shall have to gather in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment. Every person shall be paid according to his deeds there and the decision of Hell and Heavens shall take based on our beliefs and conduct in our worldly lives.

However the Sufis believe in a “unification” instead of Qayamah. Remember Plato’s theory of forms? According to Plato after death we shall unite with the perfect state again. Transliterating Plato Abdul Kareem Jaili writes in Manazil as Sa’ireen:

الجمع: ما اسقط التفرقة وقطع الإشارة وشخص عن الماء والطين بعد صحة التمکين والبراءة من التلوين والخلاص من شهود الثنوية والتنافی من احساس الاعتلال والتنافی من شهود شهودها.(منازل السائرين ٤٦)

The place of unification which removes the difference between the Creator and the creation and eliminates the difference and it frees the creation from duality so that the creation is negated into the Creator.

(Manazil as-Sa’ireen 46)

Though much more can be said but the space and time limitations are forcing me to end it here. This article shall Insha’Allah be translated into Urdu and Arabic as well and shall serve as an eye opener for the laymen who do not know much about the cult of Sufis.The harms and atrocities of Tasawwuf are multidimensional and there is a lot to be added to what I have written.Insha’Allah some other time. At the end I must thank brother Jamshaid Azam for his technical support.

Allahum-mansur Ahl us Sunnah wal Jama’at min al waswaas wal akaazeeb ahl ush shirk wal bid’aat. Aameen Ya Rabbal Aalameen.