The Book of Sufi Rules

In The Name of Allah The Most Beneficent The Most Merciful

Praise be to Allah as Hus (ITs) Momentous Glory & Majesty require
And
Good prayers and surrender for Mohammad and his family.

The intention for writing this treatise in chapter form, is to facilitate an introductory description of the Sufism and its fundamentals, from the perspective of uniting the Shariah (Divine Law) and Haqiqa (Absolute Reality & Truth), to firmly enroot the understanding of this path (Sufism ?), and upon Allah I place my trust to ease what I have willed to do here, seeking from Hu (IT) the support for what I have intended to do here and Hu (IT) is our most sufficient helper and governor of affairs. Therefore I say:

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
الحمد لله كما يجب لعظيم مجده وجلاله، والصلاة والتسليم على سيدنا محمد وآل

وبعد فالقصد بهذا المختصر وفصوله، تمهيد قواعد التصوف وأصوله، على وجه
يجمع بين الشريعة والحقيقة، ويصل الأصول والفقه بالطريقة، وعلى الله أعتمد
في تسيير ما أردت، وإليه أستند في تحقيق ما قصدت، وهو حسبنا ونعم الوكيل.
ثمّ أقول:

(Motivation: Just from reading the beginning rules of Sheikh Zuruq’s writings, it is clear that the rules below are addressing a problem. In the introduction he talks about uniting the Shariah and Haqiqa, and that to me indicates that there were people e.g. false Sufis who were presenting what they called as Haqiqa contrary to Shariah, Allah knows best.

Haqiqa as he attempts to describe later on with the Prophetic Hadith (Narration), is an Ocular Reality, a visual form of truth as was described in the words of Ibn Arabi. Example: When you look at the Sunrise you are faced with a Haqiqa, you may take a photo of this event, or may you use words to describe it, or you may use equations and numbers to analyze it, but nonetheless you have faced an absolute reality which was GIVEN to you i.e. you did not plan the sunrise nor it was under any control of yours. Therefore we may consider Haqiqh in modern terms as an Ocular Reality, with a component of Truth rendered in front of our spiritual innate eye deep within.)

Rule 1

The words describing an object are secondary extension of conceiving its nature/essence by means of the cognitive faculties either in an acquired fashion i.e. learning or (innate) transparently evident cognition, words echoing back (and forth) in presence of individuals acceptable or rejection-able or explicating (the object under scrutiny). Therefore, it is necessary to start with the conception before fathoming it with a view meant for publicizing and popularizing it as well as informing (others) of its rudiments.  (Here I suspect he is laying down a correct understanding of what words are, since people may assign truth to words, while the words are nothing but to communicate information about an object. I suspect that he is saying: Words are a transport, to deliver information about an object. Basically he is defining the term ‘syntax’ and the Haqiqa being the semantic given some conditions.)


الكلام في الشيء فرع تصور ماهيته وفائدته بشعور ذهني مكتسب أو بديهي،
ليرجع إليه في أفراد ما وقع عليه ردّا وقبولا وتأصيلا وتفصيلا، فلزم تقديم
ذلك على الخوض فيه إعلاما به وتحضيضا عليه، وإيماء لمادته فافهم.



Rule 2

The nature of an object is its Haqiqa (Absolute Reality), its reality is what is indicated by its totality, and this information (the latter) has limits, (the words said about an object) are the ensemble of:

1.    Either sketches and outlines that are clear and evident
2.    Explications that fulfill a complete description to give a speedy understanding

The sketches & explications of Sufism have been define two thousand different ways, yet their returning abode is the veracity of attention towards Allah, and doing so facing Hus (ITs) Presence (???), and Allah knows best.

(No matter how many different ways people define Sufism, it is all about a feeling the totality of an experience: Sufism is all about holding the attention about the presence of Hu, if one has full attention to the Divine Beingness, then Haqiqa of all objects are made patent for him, yet if he does not have such attention span, then lesser and lesser of realities of the world are obvious to him.)


ماهية الشيء حقيقته، وحقيقته ما دلت عليه جملته، وتعريف ذلك بحد، وهو
أجمع، أو رسم وهو أوضح، أو تفسير وهو أتمّ لبيانه وسرعة فهمه. وقد حد
التصوف ورسم وفسر بوجوه تبلغ نحو الألفين، مرجع كلها لصدق التوجه إلى الله
تعالى، وإنّما وجه فيه، والله أعلم.



Rule 3

The multiple differences in seeing a singule Haqiqa (Absolute Reality) is due to its being difficult to comprehened, If the differences are of the same kind which comprises all the statements made regarding this truth, the statement is then a reflection/translation of what is understood. The totalities of the statements are therefore expressions of its particulars; each one's view is according to his share of the truth: knowledge, deeds, state (hal) taste or whatnot. Differences in [understanding/defining] Sufism are of such nature. Abu Nu'aym included in his biographies/sketches of the names in his Hilya [book of sufi hagiology] when showing the excellence of each Sufi figure a statement/saying by the person in question that suits their Sufi condition saying, "it is said Tasawwuf (Sufism) is such and such". I maintain therefore that whoever has a portion of sincerity of Tawajjuh (Attention to Hu) also has a proportion of Sufism and that everyone's Sufism is his sincerity of Tawajjuh (Attention to Hu).

الاختلاف في الحقيقة الواحدة إن كثر دلّ على بعد إدراك جملتها، ثمّ هو
إن رجع لأصل واحد يتضمن جملة ما قيل فيها كانت العبارة عنه بحسب ما فهم
منه، وجملة الأقوال واقعة على تفاصيله واعتبار كلّ واحد على حسب مناله
منه، علما أو عملا أو حالا أو ذوقا أو غير ذلك، والاختلاف في التصوف من
ذلك فمن ثمّ ألحق الحافظ أبو نعيم رحمه الله بغالب أهل حليته عند تحليته
كلّ شخص قولا من أقواله يناسب حاله قائلا وقيل إنّ التصوف كذا، فأشعر أن
من له نصيب من صدق التوجه له نصيب من التصوف، وأن تصوف كلّ أحد صدق توجهه،
فافهم.



Rule 4

Sidq (Veracity) of Tawajjuh (Attention to Hu) is subject to the condition of being by means of all actions acceptable to Allah. Something conditional is not accepted without the condition being fulfilled. " And Hu does not take satisfaction in infidelity/unbelief befalling his servants" (Koran [39:7]). Faith is therefore necessary, "And if you are thankful, Hu is satisfied to have it from you" (Koran [39:7]). Therefore following Islam is a must. There is no Sufism without Fiqh (Jurisprudence), which is the only means Allah's commands are understood. There is [similarly] no Fiqh (Jurisprudence) without Sufism since no deed counts without Sidq (Veracity) of Tawajjuh (Attention to Hu). Both cannot exist without Iman (Faith); neither is acceptable without the other. This plurality is therefore inevitable as both are as unified in consideration as a soul pertains to the body: one only exists inside the other, and the other one exists only in presence of the other. To this effect is the statement by Malik, Allah's Mercy be on him, "Whoever takes up Sufism without Fiqh (Jurisprudence) is a heretic; and whoever takes Fiqh (Jurisprudence) without Sufism is deviant. He who comprises both is in verity"

Malik says "heretic" because, I explain, the servant would uphold predestination, which annuls Divine judiciousness and commands; whereas he says "deviant" because his deeds are void of intentness, which precludes disobedience of Allah, and of sincerity, which is a precondition of deeds. The third one is "verified" because he acts in good faith while he is upholding the truth. So realize this.



صدق التوجه مشروط بكونه من حيث يرضه الحق تعالى، وبما يرضاه ولا يصح،
مشروط بدون شرطه. {وَلاَ يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الكُفْرَ} فلزم تحقيق
الإيمان {وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ} فلزم العمل بالإسلام فلا
تصوف إلا بفقه، إذ لا تعرف أحكام الله الظاهرة إلا منه، ولا فقه إلا
بتصوف، إذ لا عمل إلا بصدق وتوجه، ولا هما إلا بإيمان، إذ لا يصح واحد
منهما دونه، فلزم الجمع لتلازمهما في الحكم، كتلازم الأرواح للأجساد، ولا
وجود لها إلاّ فيها كما لا حياة لها إلا بها فافهم، ومنه قول مالك رحمه
الله:«من تصوف ولم يتفقه فقد تزندق، ومن تفقه ولم يتصوف فقد تفسق، ومن جمع
بينهما فقد تحقق».
قلت تزندق الأول لأنّه قال بالجبر الموجب لنفي الحكمة والأحكام،
وتفسق الثاني لخلو عمله من التوجه الحاجب منهما عن معصية الله، ومن
الإخلاص المشترط في العمل لله، وتحقق الثالث لقيامه بالحقيقة في عين
التمسك بالحق، فاعرف ذلك.

Rule 5
Supporting an object upon its own foundation and subsisting upon its own peculiar rationalization shall deflect the false assertions about its Haqiqa (Absolute Reality, Truth). Similarly, the foundation of Sufism is upon Ihsān as was depicted by the inmost thoughts of the Prophet: (That Ihsān is) To worship Allah as if you see Hu and if you cannot see Hu as if Hu can see you. That the latter is the very meaning of ‘Sidq (Veracity) of Tawajjuh (Attention to Hu)’—the very firm foundation, as was phrased by the prophet to seek Muaraqaba (Vigilance) (in doing worships) as a corollary of it (being seeing by Allah’s Eye). Recommending it is therefore a recommendation of Ihsān itself. It is the same for Fiqh (Jurisprudence) centering upon the foundation of Islam and stationed upon Iman (Faith). Then for sure Sufism is one of the components of the Din (Religion), the religion that was taught by Arch Angel Gabriel so that he (the prophet) taught his companions (may Allah be pleased with them).


إسناد الشيء لأصله والقيام فيه بدليله الخاص به يدفع قول المنكر
لحقيقته، وأصل التصوف مقام الإحسان، الذي فسره رسول الله صلى الله عليه
وسلم:"بأن تعبد الله كأنّك تراه فإن لم تكن تراه فإنّه يراك". لأنّ معاني
صدق التوجه لهذا الأصل راجعة وعليه دائرة، إذ لفظه دال على طلب المراقبة
الملزومة به فكان الحض عليها حضا على عينه، كما دار الفقه على مقام
الإسلام والأصول عل مقام الإيمان. فالتصوف أحد أجزاء الدين الذي علمه عليه
السلام جبريل ليتعلمه الصحابة رضي الله عنهم.




Source for Arabic Text: http://www.rubat.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1637&highlight=%F2%F1%E6%FE 



© 2004-2002,  Dara O. Shayda, Editor: Dr. Mohammad Tolba