عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

Aqida is the Essence of Mysticism
Author : Dr. Jadallah Bassam
Date Added : 27-11-2022

Aqida is the Essence of Mysticism

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah`s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Straightening of life affairs is the aspiration of the highly motivated and people with high souls. This is a principle that continues rising steadily until it reaches the utmost of human wishes.

 

Scholars of Sharia have paid considerable attention to different types of perfection. The most important three are as follows: perfection of the intellect; which is the specialty of Theology, practical perfection; which is the specialty of Fiqh, and spiritual perfection, which is the specialty of mysticism.

 

The utmost degree of perfection is when man is enabled to carry out the highest of human functions, to be a slave to none but Almighty Allah. Therefore, the higher the degree of this perfection, the higher the degree of mysticism, and this is where the phrase "Aqida is the Essence of Mysticism" was derived.

 

This significant principle was emphasized by some of the greatest scholars from among Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah, such as Al-Qushairi, Al-Ghazali, Al-Sheikh Zarook, and Tajudeen Al-Subki. Based on this important principle, the paths of accepted mysticism were founded.

 

Al-Qushairi Al-`Ash`ari introduced his book [Al-Risala Al-Qushairiyah] with aspects on Aqida. He {May Allah have mercy on him} said: "Beware! May Allah have mercy on you that the leaders of this sect have based their foundations on the valid principle of Tawheed /Islamic Monotheism." [Al-Risala Al-Qushairiyah, Sharfawi printing/ pp.84}. Therefore, the head of this method, Al-Junaid (May Allah have mercy on him) said: "Tawheed is differentiating between the creator (Allah) and the creation."

Al-Ghazali {May Allah have mercy on him} did the same when he dedicated the first part of his book [Ehyaa` Ulum Al-Deen] for Aqida since it is the essence of the religion of Islam. The same was done by Al-Subki in his book [Jam`u Al-Jawami`] where he gave precedence to issues on Aqida over issues on mysticism. It is as if he was saying that Aqida for mysticism is like the soul for the body. "The balance of Allah rests on three: the intellect, the Quran, and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), and all these three are a must." [Hallu Ar-Romooz, pp.286].

 

According to scholarly consensus, belief is the essence of mysticism, so one who seeks mysticism without sound Aqida is like one chasing rainbows while the one who denies mysticism in its totality is characterized with narrow-mindedness.

 

The reason for writing this article is that some people claim that mysticism is contrary to knowledge, so I hope that this article along with the statements of the learned men of the faith have made things clear. And All perfect praise is due to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

 

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on fasting?

Fasting in Ramadan is an individual obligation (Fard ‘Ayn) upon every mature, sane Muslim who is capable of fasting.
Fasting can also be recommended (Mustahabb), such as voluntary fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, fasting on the Day of Arafah for those not performing Hajj, and fasting on Ashura.
Fasting can be prohibited (Haram), such as fasting on the two Eid days, the Day of Doubt (Yawm al-Shakk), and the Days of Tashreeq.
Some types of fasting are disliked (Makruh), such as singling out Friday or Saturday for fasting without a specific reason and fasting on the Day of Arafah for a pilgrim.

What is the validity of the formula for sending blessings upon our master Muḥammad ﷺ: *"Allāhumma ṣalli wa sallim wa bārik ‘alā sayyidinā Muḥammad wa ‘alā ālihi, ‘adada kamāli-Llāhi wa kamā yalīqu bikamālihi"* ("O Allah, send blessings, peace, and grace upon our master Muḥammad and his family, by the number of Allah's perfection, and as befits His perfection")?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible to send blessings upon our master, the Prophet ﷺ, using the formula mentioned in the question, since sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is an act of devotion legislated in its basic essence, without a specific prescribed wording required outside of the formal prayer itself. It is therefore valid to perform it outside of prayer using any formula. This particular formula involves multiplying the blessings sent upon the Chosen Prophet ﷺ to the number of the perfections of Allah, the Exalted — which are limitless — so that, by Allah's permission, its reward and benefit never cease.
The meaning of "the number of Allah's perfection" is that it is without limit, making the blessings sent boundless, corresponding to His perfection, Glorified is He, which cannot be enumerated or counted. This formula is analogous to the words of our Greatest Prophet ﷺ, as related in the authentic ḥadīth narrated by Imam Muslim: the Prophet ﷺ said to Sayyidah Juwayriyyah (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhā): "Indeed, I said four phrases after you [left], three times, which, if weighed against everything you have said since this morning, would outweigh them: Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi, ‘adada khalqihi, wa riḍā nafsihi, wa zinata ‘arshihi, wa midāda kalimātihi" (Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him, by the number of His creation, by His pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, and by the extent of His words). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran from the computer without actually touching the Quran?

It is not permissible for a woman in her menstrual period, or in postpartum to recite the Quran, even by heart, or without actually touching the Quran itself. Recitation itself is what is prohibited on her regardless of how it is done. However, it is permissible for her to surf through the Quran by her eyes, or to recall it in her head without uttering the words. There is no harm for her to look at the Quranic verses on the computer without touching it, or to utter the words as this is called looking not reciting or reading.

See More