Imam Shafie r.a dan Tasawuf.

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The Tasawwuf of al-Shafi`i

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem
was-salaat was-salaam `alaa Rasul-illah
wa 'alaa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam

DID IMAM AL-SHAFI`I DISAPPROVE OF TASAWWUF?

ADAKAH IMAM SHAFIE MENOLAK TASAUF?

Imam al-Shafi`i said:

faqihan wa sufiyyan fa kun laysa wahidan
fa inni wa haqqillahi iyyaka ansahu

(Be both) a faqih and a sufi: do not be only one of them,
Verily, by Allah's truth, I am advising you sincerely.

(Jadilah keduanya) alim Fekah dan ahli Sufí: jangan jadi hanya seorang antara keduanya. Sesungguhnya, demi benarnya Allah, aku menasihati kamu seikhlasnya.

[al-Shafi`i, Diwan, (Beirut and Damascus: Dar al-fikr) p. 47]

The derogatory remarks about tasawwuf attributed to Imam al- Shafi`i which some are heard quoting today must be understood in the context of the Imam's disavowal of certain people who called themselves Muslims or Sufis, when in reality they were nothing more than hypocrites, free-thinkers, and dissolute people. This should be born in mind by anyone who is approached by "Salafis" with narrations culled from Ibn al-Jawzi's Talbis Iblis and attributing sweeping disapproval of tasawwuf to Imam Shafi`i. How can they believe that Imam Shafi`i disapproves of tasawwuf and at the same time advises the fuqaha' to be sufis, as we quoted above? Have they no better opinion of him than one who gives two mutually exclusive advices?

Kata–kata penghinaan tentang tasauf yang dirujuk kepada Imam al-Shafie yang ada kita dengar diwar-warkan hari ini mesti difahami dari sudut penafian Imam Shafie terhadap sesetengah golongan yang mendakwa diri mereka Muslim atau Sufi, tetapi sebenarnya mereka tidak lebih daripada hipokrit (munafik??), berfikiran bebas (free -thinkers) dan tidak bermoral. Ini patut di sedari bagi sesiapa yang di datangi oleh “Salafi” yang membawa petikan daripada Ibn al-Jawzi’s Talbis Iblis yang mengatakan bahawa Imam Shafie secara mutlak menolak tasauf. Bagaimana mereka boleh percaya yang Imam Shafie menolak tasauf sedangkan pada masa yang sama beliau menasihati ahli Fuqaha’ agar menjadi ahli Sufi, sebagaimana petikan di atas? Tidakkah mereka punya sangka yang lebih baik terhadap Imam Shafie daripada menganggap beliau seorang yang memberi nasihat yang saling berlawanan?

The muhaddith al-`Ajluni also relates in his book Kashf al-khafa wa muzil al-albas (1:341 #1089) that Imam Shafi`i said:

Three things in this world have been made lovely to me: avoiding affectation, treating people kindly, and following the way of tasawwuf.

Muhaddith al-‘Aljuni juga menceritakan di dalam bukunya Kashf al-Khafa wa Muzil al-Abas (1:341 #1089) yang Imam Shafie telah berkata:

Tiga perkara di dunia ini menyukakan aku: menjauhi kepura-puraan, memperlakukan manusia dengan baik dan mengikut jalan tasauf.

Ibn al-Qayyim in his Madarij al-salikin (3:128) and al- Suyuti in his Ta'yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya (p. 15) also relate that Imam al-Shafi`i said:

I accompanied the Sufis and received from them but three words: their statement that time is a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you; their statement that if you do not keep your ego busy with truth it will keep you busy with falsehood; their statement that deprivation is immunity.

Ibn al-Qayyim di dalam Madarij al-salikin (3:128) dan al- Suyuti di dalam Ta'yid al-haqiqa al-`aliyya (p. 15) juga memetik Imam Shafie telah berkata:

Aku menyertai ahli Sufi dan aku dapat daripada mereka tiga perkataan; ucapan mereka yang masa itu ibarat pedang – jika kamu tidak memotongnya, ia akan memotong kamu; ucapan mereka yang sekiranya kamu tidak menyibukkan nafsu kamu dengan kebenaran, ia akan menyibukkan kamu dengan kepalsuan; ucapan mereka yang “menghalang daripada sesuatu” itulah kekebalan.

The Maliki shaykh Ahmad al-`Alawi said, as cited in the translation from his work entitled Knowledge of God (p. xxi): "Reflect on the sincerity of this great Imam [Shafi`i] and how he became a witness for the Sufis, and confirmed their seriousness and struggle. Shaykh Sha`rani, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Reflect on how Shafi`i has taken this from the Sufis and not from others. It is by this that you know their superiority over others, the men of knowledge of the outward, the ones from whom he once learned."

Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alawi mazhab Maliki telah berkata, sebagaimana yang tercatat di dalam terjemahan karangan beliau Ilmu Tuhan (m/s xxi): “Perhatikan keikhlasan Imam besar ini (Shafie) dan bagaimana beliau menjadi saksi kepada ahli Sufi, dan mengesahkan kesungguhan dan ‘mujahadah’ mereka. Shaykh Sha’rani, semoga Allah merahmati beliau, telah berkata: “Perhatikan bagaimana Shafie telah mengambil ini daripada ahli Sufi dan tidak daripada golongan lain. Hanya dengan ini kamu mengetahui kelebihan mereka atas yang lain; lelaki yang berilmu zahiriah, dan mereka yang si lelaki tadi belajar pada satu masa dahulu.

One of the putative authorities of "Salafis" is Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, yet when Ibn Qayyim states something which contravenes what "Salafis" claim, they are at a loss that their own authority refutes them. Ibn Qayyim said in Madarij al-salikin (2:307):

Religion consists entirely of good character (al-dinu kulluhu khuluq). Whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in religion, and the same is true of tasawwuf. al-Kattani said: "Tasawwuf is good character (al-tasawwuf khuluq). Whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in tasawwuf."

Salah seorang yang dianggap berautoriti oleh Salafi ialah Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, tetapi bila mana Ibn Qayyim mengatakan sesuatu yang bertentangan dengan apa yang di dakwa oleh Salafi, mereka menjadi kebingungan yang ahli autoriti mereka sendiri yang menyangkal mereka. Ibn Qayyim telah berkata didalam Madarij al-Salikin (2:307):

Keseluruhan Agama itu ialah akhlak mulia (al-dinu kulluhu khuluq). Barangsiapa yang melebihi kamu dalam akhlak mulia, melebihi kamu dalam Agama, dan begitulah juga benarnya bagi tasauf. Al-Kattani telah berkata: “Tasauf ialah akhlak mulia (al-tasawwuf khuluq). Barangsiapa melebihi kamu dalam akhlak mulia melebihi kamu dalam tasauf.”

We should ask also whether the so-called "Salafis" know the position of Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab on tasawwuf. It is evident that their near-totality have not the faintest idea that he accepted the attribution of tasawwuf back to the Prophet himself. Ibn `Abd al- Wahhab said in the third volume of his complete works published by Ibn Sa`ud University, on page 31 of the Fatawa wa rasa'il, Fifth Question:

Know -- may Allah guide you -- that Allah Almighty has sent Muhammad, blessings and peace upon him, with right guidance, consisting in beneficial knowledge, and with true religion consisting in righteous action. The adherents of religion are as follows: among them are those who concern themselves with learning and fiqh, and discourse about it, such as the jurists; and among them are those who concern themselves with worship and the pursuit of the Hereafter, such as the Sufis. Allah has sent His Prophet with this religion which encompasses both kinds, that is: fiqh and tasawwuf.

Kita patut bertanya samada mereka yang mendakwa Salafi itu arif tentang kedudukan Ibn al-Wahab berkenaan tasauf. Jelas sekali bahawa mereka yang mendakwa tahu setiap perkara itu sebenarnya tak terfikir langsung bahawa Ibn al-Wahab itu padahalnya menerima yang tasauf itu asal umbinya kembali kepada Rasulullah sendiri. Ibn Abd al-Wahab telah berkata di dalam Jilid ke-3 Fatawa wa Rasail, Soalan Kelima:

Ketahuilah – moga Allah membimbing kamu – bahawasanya Allah yang Maha Besar telah mengutuskan Muhammad, puji dan salam keatas baginda, dengan pertunjuk yang benar, mengandungi ilmu manfaat, dan agama betul yang mengandungi tingkah laku yang benar. Penganut agama ialah: di antara mereka ada yang menyibukkan diri dengan ilmu dan fikh, dan perbincangan mengenainya, mereka adalah ahli fekah; dan di antara mereka ialah yang menyibukkan diri dengan ibadat dan mengejar akhirat, seperti ahli Sufi. Allah telah menghantar NabiNya dengan agama ini yang mencakupi kedua-dua jenis: fikh dan tasauf.

As for the objections of the slanderers of Sufis invoking Ibn al-Jawzi's exhortative work Talbis iblis in which he attributes to al-Shafi`i sayings detrimental to Sufis, or sayings of Imam Ahmad detrimental to Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi: as Dhahabi said: "We call Ibn al-Jawzi hafiz (hadith memorizer) in deference to the profusion of his writings, not to his scholarliness." That is: He was not reliable when it came to reporting narrations.

Berkenaan bantahan kepada pemfitnah ahli Sufi yang mengagungkan karya Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis iblis yang mana beliau sandarkan perkataan Shafie yang memburuk-burukkan ahli Sufi, atau perkataan Imam Ahmad yang memburuk-burukkan Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi: sepertimana perkataan Dhahabi, “Kami anggap Ibn al-Jawzi hafiz (penghafal hadis) sebagai penghormatan kepada limpahan banyaknya karya-karya beliau, bukan kepada keilmuan beliau.” Ini bermakna: Dia tidak boleh dipercayai dalam ilmu periwayatan hadis.

The following remarks are by the late muhaddith of Syria Shaykh `Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda:

Our reliance is on Allah! Ibn al-Jawzi composed a great big book on hadith forgeries so that jurists, preachers, and others may avoid them, then you will see him cite in his exhortative works forged hadiths and rejected stories without head nor tail, without shame or s econd thought. In the end one feels that "Ibn al-Jawzi" is two people and not one!... For this reason Ibn al-Athir blamed him in his history entitled al-Kamil (10:228), with the words: "Ibn al- Jawzi blamed him [Ghazali] for many things, among them his narration of unsound hadiths in his exhortations. O wonder that Ibn al-Jawzi should criticize him for that! For his own books and exhortative works are crammed full with them (mahshuw bihi wa mamlu' minh)!" And the hadith master al-Sakhawi said in Sharh al-alfiyya (p. 107): "Ibn al-Jawzi cited forgeries and their likes in high abundance in his exhortative works"!

[`Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda, notes to al-Lucknawi's Raf` wa al-takmil p. 420-421.]

Perkataan berikut ialah daripada muhadis Syria, al-marhum Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda:

Pergantungan kami kepada Allah! Ibn Jawzi mengarang kitab besar berkenaan Hadis palsu supaya alim ulamak fekah, guru-guru dan lain-lain menghindarkan diri daripadanya, kemudian kamu lihat dia menyebut di dalam karyanya hadis-hadis palsu dan menolak cerita-cerita tanpa usul periksa, tanpa malu dan berfikir panjang. Kesimpulannya kita merasakan yang Ibn al-Jawzi adalah dua orang bukan seorang!...Kerana inilah Ibn al-Athir menyalahkannya dalam kitab sejarahnya yang berjudul al-Kamil (10:228), dengan perkataan: “Ibn al-Jawzi menyalahkannya (Ghazali) banyak perkara, antaranya ialah ambilan hadis yang lemah di dalam hasil karyanya. Aduhai patutnya Ibn al-Jawzi mengkritik dirinya sendiri! Kerana bukunya sendiri dan karya yang mengapi-apikan penuh dengan perkara tersebut (mahshuw bihi wa mamlu' minh)!" Dan Imam Hadis al-Sakhawi telah menyebut di dalam Sharh al-alfiyya (ms 107): “Ibn al-Jawzi menyebut tentang hadis palsu sedangkan perkara yang samalah juga penuh di dalam karyanya yang mengapi-apikan!”
(`Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda, nota kepada al-Lucknawi's Raf` wa al-takmil p. 420-421.]

Besides the above, we have already quoted Imam Taj al- Din al-Subki's advice for serious students of the Islamic sciences:

Beware of listening to what happened between... Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Harith al-Muhasibi. If you become busy with this I fear death for you. These are notable leaders in religion and their utterances have various explanations which some, perhaps, have misunderstood. As for us, we have no other course but to approve of them and keep quiet concerning what took place between them, just as what is done concerning what took place between the Companions, may Allah be well pleased with them... O you who are seeking guidance!... leave aside what took place between them, and busy yourself with what concerns you, and leave what does not concern you!

[Subki, Qa`ida fi al-jarh wa al-ta`dil, p. 53.]

Selain daripada di atas, kami telahpun menukilkan nasihat Imam Taj al-Din al-Subki kepada murid-muridnya yang serius dalam sains Islam:

Berhati-hatilah bila mendengar apa yang berlaku diantara…Ahmad ibn Hanbal dan al-Harith al-Muhasibi. Sekiranya kamu menyibukkan dengan hal ini, aku bimbang mati (suul khotimah) bagimu. Kedua-duanya adalah Imam ternama dalam agama dan ucapan mereka mempunyai pelbagai tafsiran yang sebahagiannya, kemungkinan disalah-ertikan. Bagi kita, tiada jalan lain melainkan membenarkan kedua mereka dan diam tentang hal berlaku diantara keduanya, sepertimana yang telah berlaku di kalangan para Sahabat, semoga Allah meredhoi mereka.. Wahai kamu yang menuntut pertunjuk!...tinggalkan apa yang berlaku di antara keduanya, dan sibukkan dirimu dengan apa yang berkaitanmu, dan tinggalkan apa yang tidak berkaitanmu!
(Subki, Qa`ida fi al-jarh wa al-ta`dil, ms. 53)

As for Dhahabi's avalanche of insinuations against some of the earlier and later Sufis in his Mizan al-i`tidal (1:430 #1606), where he says after quoting derogatory reports against al-Muhasibi:

Where are the likes of al-Harith al-Muhasibi! How then if Abu Zur`a saw the books of the later [Sufis], such as the Qut al-qulub of Abu Talib [al-Makki], and where are the likes of the Qut? How then if he saw Bahjat al-asrar of Abu Jahdam, and Haqa'iq al-tafsir of al-Sulami, then he would jump to the ceiling! How then if he saw the books of Abu Hamid al-Tusi [Imam Ghazali]....? the Ghunya of shaykh `Abd al-Qadir [Gilani]... Fusus al-hikam and al- Futuhat al-makiyya [of Ibn `Arabi]?

Berkenaan sindiran tajam Dhahabi terhadap mereka yang terdahulu dan terkemudian di kalangan ahli Sufi di dalam Mizan al-I’tidal (1:430 #1606), dimana beliau berkata selepas menyebut penghinaan terhadap al-Muhasibi:

Di mana mereka yang seperti al-Harith al-Muhasibi! Bagaimana sekiranya Abu Zur’a melihat buku-buku orang yang kemudian (Sufi), seperti Qut al-Qulub oleh Abu Talib (al-Makki), dan dimana yang seperti Qut? Bagaimana sekiranya beliau melihat Bahjat al-Asrar oleh Abu Jahdam, dan Haqa’iq al-Tafsir oleh al-Sulami, kemudian dia pasti melompat ke siling! Bagaimana sekiranya beliau melihat kitab oleh Abu Hamid al-Tusi (Imam Ghazali)…? Ghunya Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir (Gilani)…Fusus Hikam dan Futuhat al-Makiyya (oleh Ibn ‘Arabi)?

We treat such assertions according to the instructions of Suyuti who rejected them in his vindication entitled Qam` al- mu`arid bi nusrat Ibn al-Farid (The taming of the naysayer with the vindication of Ibn al-Farid) as quoted by Imam al-Lucknawi in al-Raf` wa al-takmil fi al-jarh wa al-ta`dil (p. 319-320):

Don't let Dhahabi's mumbling deceive you, for he went so far as to mumble against Imam Fakhr al-Din ibn al-Khatib [al-Razi], and against one who is greater than the Imam, namely: Abu Talib al-Makki the author of Qut al-qulub, and against one who is greater than Abu Talib, namely: Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari, whose fame has filled the firmaments! And Dhahabi's books are filled with that: al- Mizan, al-Tarikh, and Siyar al-nubala'. Are you going to accept his words against such as these? Never, by Allah! His word is not accepted concerning them; rather, we fulfill their right over us, and we render it to them in full.

Berkenaan dakwaan itu, kami berpegang kepada arahan Suyuti dimana beliau telah menolak mereka di dalam pembelaan yang bertajuk Qam’ al-Mu’arid bi Nusrat ibn Farid (Menjinakkan mereka yang kontra dengan pembelaan Ibn al-Farid) sebagaimana yang dinukilkan oleh Imam al-Lucknawi di dalam al-Raf wa al-takmil fi al-jarh wa al-ta`dil (ms 319-320):

Jangan biarkan karut Dhahabi menipumu, kerana dia sanggup pergi lebih jauh lagi dengan berkata karut tentang Imam Fakhr al-Din Ibn al-Khatib (al-Razi), dan bertentangan dengan seorang yang lebih besar dari Imam, iaitu Abu Talib al-Makki, pengarang Qut al-qulub, dan bertentangan dengan seorang yang lebih besar dari Abu Talib, iaitu Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari, yang kemasyhurannya memenuhi cakerawala! Dan buku Dhahabi penuh dengan yang sepertiitu: al-Mizan, al-Tarikh dan Siyar al-Nubala’. Adakah kamu akan menerima perkataannya seperti ini? Tidak, demi Allah! Perkataannya tidak sekali-kali diterima berkenaan mereka itu; sebaliknya mereka itu berhak penuh ke atas diri kami mempersembahkan hak itu kepada mereka secara penuh.

Blessings and peace on the Prophet,
his Family, and his Companions .

Selawat dan salam keatas junjungan Nabi Keluarga baginda, dan Sahabat baginda.
GF Haddad
[6 Jun 1997]