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| Social Aspect of Islamic
Mysticism Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Mysticism is generally called tasawwuf in
India and irfan (realization) in Iran. To me irfan is the most appropriate
word, for mysticism, in actual fact, is another name for the realization
of inner reality. The word mysticism has been variously defined in
academic works. By way of a simple definition, it means to penetrate
one’s inner soul and to enable it, by developing it, to establish
contact with God, the Greater Soul. This process purifies the human
personality, and the soul comes to realize itself. The latent natural
potential of the soul is ultimately awakened; in the words of the Quran,
it becomes the serene (89:27) or pure soul (87:14). It is but natural that the personality
developed by the mystic (or the Árif) in this way does not remain
enclosed within a boundary. His inner state also having its external
manifestation, his personality finds expression in his social relations. One who has realized himself will, at the
same time, place a higher spiritual value on other human beings too. One
whose heart is filled with God’s love, will necessarily be filled with
the love of human beings — the creatures of God. One who respects the
Higher Reality will surely respect other human beings. It is this aspect
of mysticism which I have called its social aspect. A Persian mystic poet has expressed the mystic code of behavior in these most beautiful words: "The stories of kings like Alexander
and Dara hold no interest for us. Another mystic poet has this to say: When a Sufi or mystic is engrossed in the
love of God, he rises above the mundane world and discovers the higher
realities. He becomes such a human being as has no ill feelings for
anyone. In fact, he cannot afford hatred, as hatred would nullify his very
spirituality. He cannot divest himself of feelings of love as this would
amount to divesting himself of all delicate feelings. Islam is the answer to the demands of
nature. It is in fact a counterpart of human nature. This is why Islam has
been called a religion of nature in the Qur’an and Hadith. A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad and
asked him what he should do in a certain matter. The Prophet replied,
‘Consult your conscience (heart) about it.’ By the conscience the
Prophet meant his finer feelings. That is, what one’s conscience tells
one would likewise be what Islam would demand of one as a matter of common
sense. What does human nature desire more than
anything? It desires, above all, peace and love. Every human being wants
to live in peace and to receive love from the people around him. Peace and
love are the religion of human nature as well as what Islam demands of us.
The Qur’an tells us, "...and God calls you to the home of
peace" (10:25). One of the teachings of Islam is that when
two or more people meet, they must greet one another with the words, As
Salamu-‘Alaikum (Peace be upon you). Similarly, Salat, or prayer, said
five times daily is the highest form of worship in Islam. At the close of
each prayer all worshippers have to turn their faces to either side and
utter the words As Salamu-‘Alaikum wa rahmatullah (May peace and God’s
blessing be upon you). This is like a pledge given to people: ‘O people,
you are safe from me. Your life, your property, your honor is secure with
me. This sums up the spirit of true religion,
the goal of which is spiritual uplift. It is the ultimate state of this
spiritual uplift which is referred to in the Qur’an as the "serene
soul" (89:27). Thus a true and perfect man, from the
Islamic point of view, is one who has reached that level of spiritual
development where peace and peace alone prevails. When a person has
attained that peaceful state, others will receive from him nothing less
than peace. He may be likened to a flower which can send out only its
fragrance to man, it being impossible for it to emit an unpleasant smell. An incident relating to a Muslim saint very
aptly illustrates the spirit of the mystic individual. The story goes that
once a Muslim Sufi was traveling along with his disciples. During the
journey he encamped near a large grove of trees upon which doves used to
perch. During this halt one of the Sufi’s
disciples aimed at one of the doves, killed it, cooked it, then ate it.
Afterwards something strange happened. A flock of doves came to the tree
under which the Sufi was resting and began hovering over it and making a
noise. The Muslim Sufi, communicating with the
leader of the birds, asked them what was the matter with them and why they
were protesting. The leader replied, ‘We have a complaint to make
against you, that is, one of your disciples has killed one of us.’ Then
the Muslim Sufi called the disciple in question and asked him about it. He
said that he had not done anything wrong, as the birds were their
foodstuff. He was hungry, so he killed one for food. He thought that in so
doing he had not done anything wrong. The Sufi then conveyed this reply to
the leader of the doves. The leader replied: "Perhaps you have
failed to understand our point. Actually what we are complaining about is
that all of you came here in the garb of Sufis, yet acted as hunters. Had
you come here in hunter’s garb, we would certainly have remained on the
alert. When we saw you in the guise of Sufis, we thought that we were safe
with you and remained perched on the top of the tree without being
properly vigilant." This anecdote very aptly illustrates the
reality of a true mystic or spiritual person. One who has reached an
advanced stage of spiritual uplift, having found the true essence of
religion, no longer has the will or the capacity to do harm. He gives life
not death, to others. He benefits others, doing injury to no one. In
short, he lives among the people like flowers and not like thorns. He has
nothing but love in his heart to bestow upon others. There is another interesting story which
illustrates this point very well. This is related to Sheikh Nizamuddin
Aulia, a Muslim Sufi of the 13th century. He lies buried in New Delhi, the
area is named ‘Hazrat Nizamuddin’ after him. Fortunately I am also a
neighbor of this great Muslim Sufi. The story goes that once a disciple of
Sheikh visited him. He offered him a gift of a pair of scissors, a product
of his hometown. When the Sheikh saw this gift, he remarked politely: ‘What am I to do with this gift. It would
have been better if you had brought me a needle and thread. Scissors cut
things apart while a needle and thread join things together. You know my
job Is to unite people, and not to separate them. Islamic mysticism elevates people. It makes them think spiritually rather than materially. This spiritual elevation generates tolerance. People feel good about forgiving others. They eschew taking revenge. They return love for hatred. This kind of temperament is bound to establish peace and mutual respect. In this way, Islamic mysticism, in the practical sense, is the key to a good and peaceful society. Now I should like to say a few words about
prayer and meditation. Let me begin with a quotation from the Qur’an: "When My servants question you about
Me, tell them that I am near. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he
calls to Me; therefore, let them answer My call and put their trust in Me,
that they may be rightly guided (2:186). This verse of the Qur’an tells us that,
in Islam, there is no need for any intermediary to establish contact
between God and man. At any time and place, man can contact God directly.
The only condition is that man should turn to God with sincere devotion. Islam believes in a personal God. God is an
alive being, fully aware of His servants. He hears and sees. That being
so, man must call upon God in all personal matters. Whenever he calls upon
God with a sincere heart, he will find Him close by. Meditation in Islam aims at bringing man
closer to God. When man worships God, when he remembers Him, when his
heart is turned towards Him with full concentration, when he makes a
request or a plea, then he establishes a rapport with his Maker. In the
words of the Hadith, at that particular moment he comes to whisper with
his Lord. He has the tangible feeling that he is pouring his heart out to
God and that God in turn is answering his call. When this communion is established between
God and man, man can feel himself becoming imbued with a special kind of
peace. His eyes are moist with tears. He starts receiving inspiration from
God. It is in moments such as these that man can rest assured of his
prayers being granted by God. According to a hadith the Prophet Muhammad
said the highest form of worship is to pray as if you were seeing God. We
learn from this hadith the true sign of a superior form of worship. The
true sign is for man to sense the presence of God during worship, and feel
that he has come close to God. That is when he can experience the
refreshing, cooling effect of God’s love and blessings for man. It is
this feeling of closeness to God which is the highest form of spiritual
experience. Source: |