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    The Nature of the Sufi Path
    The Nature of the Sufi Path
    The Nature of the Sufi Path
    Ebook624 pages9 hours

    The Nature of the Sufi Path

    By Anab Whitehouse

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    The material in the 'Nature of the Sufi Path' consists of 70 commentaries on a book entitled 'Sufism: A Short Introduction' by Professor William C. Chittick. Many, if not most, of the paragraphs that comprise the 163 pages (preface plus text) of Professor Chittick’s book contain problems, errors, misleading statements, and/or incorrect understandings concerning Islam, in general, and the Sufi path, in particular. This is both surprising and disturbing since the author is someone who, apparently, enjoys a considerable reputation in North America -- and, perhaps, elsewhere in the world -- as an expert on, and scholar of, the Sufi mystical tradition. I do not claim that what I say in this book is a definitive, exhaustive, ‘incapable-of-being-improved-upon’ treatment of the Sufi path. Rather, my hope is that the present book might move a person closer to the truth concerning the nature of that path than Professor Chittick’s aforementioned introduction to Sufism does and, as such, would represent an improvement over his work.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnab Whitehouse
    Release dateOct 22, 2018
    ISBN9780463183311
    The Nature of the Sufi Path
    Author

    Anab Whitehouse

    Dr. Whitehouse received an honors degree in Social Relations from Harvard University. In addition, he earned a doctorate in Educational Theory from the University of Toronto. For nearly a decade, Dr. Whitehouse taught at several colleges and universities in both the United States and Canada. The courses he offered focused on various facets of psychology, philosophy, criminal justice, and diversity. Dr. Whitehouse has written more than 37 books. Some of the topics covered in those works include: Evolution, quantum physics, cosmology, psychology, neurobiology, philosophy, and constitutional law.

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      The Nature of the Sufi Path - Anab Whitehouse

      Table Of Contents

      Introduction

      Sacred Turning

      Who’s Speaking?

      Variations

      Primary Text

      In The Way

      Language

      Reality

      Beyond Concepts

      The Term Sufism

      Meaning of ‘Sufi’

      Starting Points

      Authentic Experience

      Nature of Deen

      Fitra

      Exploring Faith

      Shahadah

      Tower of Babel

      Perfection

      Unity/Multiplicity

      Jamal/Jalal

      Theory

      Negation

      Manifestation

      Signs

      The ‘Trust’

      Shari‘ah

      Understanding

      Interior Life

      Etymology

      Divine Guidance

      Sufi Orders

      Fool for a Client

      Sciences of Deen

      Etiquette

      History

      Purification

      Hagiography

      Matter of Style

      Conflict

      ‘Sufi’ Label

      Nisbath and Niyat

      Silsilah

      Initiation

      Character Traits

      Reason

      Balance

      Imagination

      Unity

      Similarity

      Union

      Sobriety/Intoxication

      Adab

      Disclosing Secrets

      Poetry/Prose

      Poetical License

      Hallaj And Junayd

      Ibn al-‘Arabi/Rumi

      Allegations

      Self-knowledge

      Mystical Science

      Taqwa

      Highest Attribute

      Essence

      Comprehension

      Stages

      Fana/Baqa

      ‘Upon His Form

      The Path

      Love

      Worship

      Conclusion

      Introduction

      The material that follows consists of 70 commentaries on a book entitled Sufism: A Short Introduction by Professor William C. Chittick. These commentaries encompass over 480 pages and the number of pages easily could have been extended.

      Many, if not most, of the paragraphs that comprise the 163 pages (preface plus text) of Sufism - A Short Introduction contain, in my opinion, problems, errors, misleading statements, and/or incorrect understandings concerning Islam, in general, and the Sufi path, in particular. This is both surprising and disturbing since the author is someone who, apparently, enjoys a considerable reputation in North America -- and, perhaps, elsewhere in the world -- as an expert on, and scholar of, the Sufi mystical tradition.

      Quite frankly, in view of the foregoing, I was shocked while reading much of the aforementioned book. I kept waiting for the quality of the work to change feeling that, perhaps, the early chapters were, somehow, anomalous, but, the hoped-for change in quality of that author’s understanding never came.

      Therefore, on the basis of the evidence provided through the 163 pages of his book, one is forced to come to the conclusion that the author of that book is, unfortunately, neither an expert nor a scholar -- at least, as far as the esoteric dimension of Islam is concerned. Indeed, one does not have to read very much of Sufism: A Short Introduction to realize that, apparently, either its author has never had an authentic Sufi teacher, or has never had prolonged exposure to actual travelers of the Sufi path, or, if he has met any authentic spiritual guides or had the opportunity for prolonged exposure to either spiritual teachers and/or travelers of the path, he learned, seemingly, almost nothing from those encounters and associations.

      The title of his book could easily have been: My Ideas: A Short Introduction. One learns a great deal about the author’s theory of the Sufi path, but one learns virtually nothing of value concerning the actual nature of the mystical dimension of Islam.

      Regrettably, the author in question is all too typical of a great many people who write books about, are media consultants on, and are hired to introduce students to, both exoteric Islam as well as its mystical dimension. Irrespective of whatever academic credentials these people carry, and irrespective of whatever languages such people claim to know, these individuals are largely responsible for the mis-education of thousands, if not millions, of people with respect to both Islam and the Sufi path.

      Although, in the beginning, the following commentaries were undertaken in order to offer a corrective, of sorts, to the sort of misinformation, distortions, and errors being dispersed through Sufism: A Short Introduction, nevertheless, within a short time after initiating the present project, the commentaries were seen as an opportunity to provide the kind of introduction to both Islam and the Sufi path that, God willing, might be of benefit to both Muslims and non-Muslim. This is the primary spirit that has guided the writing of the present book.

      Although these commentaries probably are best read from start to finish, they do not have to be read in sequence. All of the commentaries are largely self-contained and, as a result, do not presuppose material from previous commentaries in order to be understood. Consequently, if so desired, an individual could read the present book in whatever sequence seems desirable without being unduly disadvantaged.

      Finally, I have no doubt that there are many actual practitioners of the Sufi path who might engage my work and be able to offer more insight into the nature of the mystical path than I have been able to do. Be that as it may, this book was undertaken with the intention of improving on the introduction to the Sufi path that was provided by Professor Chittick in his book.

      I do not claim that what I say in this book is a definitive, exhaustive, ‘incapable-of-being-improved-upon’ treatment of the Sufi path. Rather, my hope is that the present book might move a person closer to the truth concerning the nature of that path than Professor Chittick’s aforementioned introduction to Sufism does and, as such, would represent an improvement over his work.

      1- Sacred Turning

      Page vii - Preface: The ‘whirling dervishes’ were a piece of exotica left over from nineteenth-century travelers’ accounts, but today people learn ‘Sufi dancing’ in health clubs and New Age centers.

      Commentary: Through the context surrounding the above statement, that appears within the Preface of Sufism: A Short Introduction, the author is quite clear in arguing that despite an increased familiarity in the West with words like Sufi and related terms -- such as whirling dervishes – nonetheless, there still exists considerable confusion in the West about what the Sufi Way or Path involves. While granting the general point the author is trying to make concerning the issue of confusion, the author might have begun the process of diffusing much of the confusion almost immediately if he had taken the time to write just a few paragraphs in his Preface to help set a tone and orientation for the remainder of his introductory book.

      Unfortunately, this was not done. Instead, seeds were sown in the Preface that are capable of moving the reader in a different direction -- one that sets the stage for adding to the prevailing confusion rather than contributing to the elimination of that misunderstanding.

      For example, one can agree with the author that just because the name sufi has greater currency today, relative to 50-60 years ago, this does not mean that people currently living in the West have any better grasp of the reality to which this term makes identifying reference. However, the impression one tends to gather from the Preface of Sufism: A Short Introduction, as well as from other places in his book, is that a great deal of the confusion surrounding the Sufi tradition has to do with the vast and considerably diverse array of understandings concerning this tradition -- many of which, according to the author, portray this ‘path’ in radically different ways.

      In truth, the major source of confusion concerning the Sufi path is that many of the people who are writing and speaking about this spiritual tradition have had no real, essential, prolonged contact with an authentic, living exemplar of the very tradition that they are purporting to introduce to people. Thus, while one could acknowledge that the term whirling dervishes was used by certain people in the West to refer to something going on in the Orient that had been witnessed -- usually in a very limited fashion -- by various travelers to those regions, nevertheless, the activity to which this term makes reference was never a piece of exotica left over from the nineteenth-century except to those who didn’t know the truth about the reality from which the term had been torn. The spiritual practice in question actually has continued, uninterrupted, right down to the present day.

      To be sure, there was a period in, for example, Turkey’s history -- lasting for much of the 20th century -- in which all Sufi activity was, more or less, publicly outlawed. However, the activity to which the term whirling dervishes attempts to make identifying reference actually continued on in private.

      In fact, I had the good fortune of meeting with one Sufi shaykh, who used to be a caretaker, many years ago, at the shrine in Konya, Turkey, where the body of Hazrat Jalal ad-Din Rumi (May Allah be pleased with him) is laid to rest. The shaykh with whom I spoke indicated that despite the governmental ban on this kind of Sufi activity, nonetheless, late at night, after the shrine had been cleaned and maintained, the Sufi devotees would gather together and engage in that which had been forbidden by the government.

      A second point that needs to be addressed in the quote at the top of the first page, concerns the notion of Sufi dancing. Although the author is quite correct that there is something being taught today in a lot of places under the rubric of Sufi dancing -- including health clubs and New Age centers – the fact of the matter is that there is no spiritual or mystical practice recognized by authentic Sufi shaykhs that is known as ‘Sufi dancing’.

      There are Sufi activities, such as ‘sacred turning’ or ‘sacred movement’, that are observed by three or four different orders -- including the Mevlevi Order -- that are rooted in the teachings of Jalal ad-Din Rumi (May Allah be pleased with him) and to which the moniker whirling dervishes is frequently applied in the West. These practices do, in part, involve, as the foregoing terms suggest, a change of position within space and time, but those spiritual movements are no more dancing than are the movements of a drill team on a parade ground or are the movements of people going about their business in the course of everyday life.

      The idea of Sufi dancing is a Western innovation often involving a nifty two-step piece of conceptual choreography. First, one removes virtually everything of essential importance from the mystical tradition except the Sufi label, and, then, one interjects into this emptied label an arbitrary set of activities that one identifies as a Sufi practice known as dancing -- an activity that, historically, was never observed by any of the Sufi Orders.

      The author of Sufism: A Short Introduction purports to be introducing people to the ‘reality’ of the Sufi path and, supposedly, is attempting to clear up confusions concerning this spiritual way. Yet, when he has a golden opportunity to do just this in his Preface, he backs away.

      People who considered whirling dervishes as a piece of exotica left over from the nineteenth-century, knew nothing of the reality of the context out of which this term emerged. Similarly, people who speak approvingly of Sufi dancing tend to be ignorant of the underlying reality of sacred turning or sacred movement.

      Consequently, nothing really has changed. People who know, knew then, and know now. People who do not know did not know then and do not know now.

      The author could have, in his own way, pointed these things out in his Preface. He did not, and, instead, went in a different direction -- a problematic one as it turns out.

      2 - Who’s Speaking?

      Page vii - Preface: The great surge in books on Sufism over the past few years has made a large amount of information available, but in certain ways it has added to the confusion. The academic books are too specialized and technical to be useful for beginners, and the much greater number of books written by enthusiasts or Sufi teachers present radically different views about Sufism’s reality. The scholars impose their own conceptual schemes from the outside, and the enthusiasts look at the tradition from the privileged position of insiders, but limited to specific contemporary branches of Sufism. In this book I have tried to find a middle way between academic obscurity and enthusiast advocacy.

      Commentary: If scholars impose their own conceptual schemes from the outside, then, irrespective of the ‘specialized’, ‘technical’ or ‘obscure’ nature of these schemes, one needs to raise the question of whether academics have anything useful to say about the Sufi path. At heart, the Sufi path is not a conceptual scheme, and, consequently, the academics have two strikes against them before they even begin -- namely, they are trying to conceptualize something that cannot, in any essential way, be conceptualized, and to add possible insult to possible injury, they might be doing so from the outside … which means independently of any essential understanding of the Sufi path as the expert practitioners of that path (e.g., authentic shaykhs and/or those actually engaged in suluk or spiritual journeying) understand this process.

      Secondly, the fact that someone is an enthusiast of something -- in this case, the Sufi path -- doesn’t automatically make that individual qualified to speak authoritatively about the ‘something’ in question. Moreover, one cannot assume, as the author does, that an ‘enthusiast’ looks at the subject matter from the privileged standpoint of an insider.

      In addition, not everyone who claims to be a Sufi teacher, or on behalf of whom those claims are made, is authentic. On the other hand, while every authentic Sufi teacher or shaykh does have a deep, abiding love for the Sufi path, the author does them a great disservice to refer to them, or lump them in with, mere enthusiasts, as if the whole thing were some kind of hobby or interesting past time.

      The author claims that books written by enthusiasts or Sufi teachers present radically different views about Sufism’s reality. The author goes on to add that while these people look at this spiritual path from the privileged standpoint of insiders, nevertheless, this ‘privileged standpoint’ is limited to specific contemporary branches of Sufism.

      If one throws out the writings of unqualified enthusiasts or inauthentic teachers -- both of whom certainly do not write from the privileged standpoint of insiders and, therefore, are quite irrelevant to the discussion -- then, one wonders what the author means by the idea of there being radically different views about Sufism’s reality among qualified, authentic shaykhs. One also wonders what could be meant by the author’s passing, unelaborated comment that the teachings of those shaykhs are limited to specific contemporary branches of Sufism.

      Since every human being, including shaykhs, are unique creations of Divinity, then, one would not be surprised to hear there might be differences, of understanding, of one sort or another, among shaykhs. Furthermore, because different shaykhs have different spiritual capacities and/or might be writing out of different spiritual states and stations, one also would expect to encounter, from time to time, certain differences of description among these shaykhs.

      However, to conclude that the underlying understandings concerning the reality of Sufism are radically different just because there are differences among some Sufi shaykhs does not necessarily follow. A lot would depend on the cases in question, and a lot also would depend on what is meant by radically different -- a term that is nowhere clearly expounded by the author.

      Furthermore, to suggest, as the author does, that because the teachings of a shaykh might be from a specific branch of the Sufi path, then, this fact somehow makes those teachings limited is not really warranted. While there might be differences of emphasis and methodology from branch to branch or Order to Order, there is nothing limited about the underlying essence of what is being taught -- teachings that are shared and agreed upon across branches and Orders however differently the teachings might be expressed in linguistic terms.

      Finally, the author claims he has tried to find a middle way between academic obscurity and enthusiast advocacy. Since the author seems to have lumped Sufi teachers and enthusiasts in together (he certainly does not clarify this situation at all in his Preface), the author appears to be setting himself up as someone who is going to do what Sufi teachers -- who, ‘apparently’, are engaged only in enthusiast advocacy cannot do -- that is, get to the reality of the Sufi path.

      The author has described enthusiasts and Sufi teachers as not only people who radically differ with one another about the nature of the Sufi reality, but the author also has depicted them as those who speak out from a perspective that is limited to specific contemporary branches of Sufism, as if being a contemporary branch were, somehow, a disqualification. Notwithstanding what already has been said about the question of authenticity with respect to ‘enthusiasts’ or ‘teachers’ -- and, therefore, the total irrelevancy of what unqualified people have to say about the Sufi path -- nevertheless, if a contemporary branch of a Sufi Order enjoys a valid chain of spiritual transmission or barakah going back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), then, the aspect of being contemporary is really neither here nor there.

      Truth is neither ancient nor contemporary. The truth of a point of view is a matter of correctness and accuracy concerning the capacity of that perspective to reflect some dimension of what is irrespective of when a perspective might be espoused.

      The author of the quotes for which commentary is currently being given is an academic. As such, one would assume he is speaking -- to use the author’s own words -- ‘from outside’ the Sufi tradition and, therefore, seeking to impose his conceptual schemes on this tradition. On the other hand, the author might be an insider -- someone whose view (according to the author), though privileged, is radically different from other enthusiasts and Sufi teachers and who speaks from a point of view that is "limited to specific contemporary branches of Sufism.

      We don’t know which, if any, of the foregoing two possibilities applies because the author never reveals what the basis of his claim is for trying to negotiate the middle path between academic obscurity and enthusiast advocacy. If he is neither an outsider, nor an insider, then, what is he?

      This question is not an idle one. As indicated previously, the author claims a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding is, and has been for some time, swirling about the nature of the Sufi path, and he has set as his goal an elimination of such confusion and misunderstanding. Consequently, one would like to know from precisely what vantage point the author intends to achieve his purpose, and one needs to raise the question of whether, or not, that vantage point is capable of delivering what the author says he would like to try to accomplish.

      3 - Variations

      Page vii and viii - Preface: The Sufi tradition is far too vast and diverse to attempt anything like a definitive statement about what it entails, but few would deny that there are unifying themes.

      Commentary: If the author is going to include, somewhat indiscriminately, all the works of ‘enthusiasts’, irrespective of the authenticity or quality of these works, as well as include all the works of so-called Sufi teachers, irrespective of whether those people actually are legitimate shaykhs, then, one might suppose that what is being labeled as the Sufi tradition is, indeed, vast, diverse, and exceedingly difficult to state in definitive terms. If, however, the author does not intend to include all of these pseudo-teachings under the heading of Sufi tradition, then, until one knows just what he means by the Sufi tradition, one is not in a position to judge whether the author is correct in saying that the Sufi tradition is too vast and diverse to attempt anything like a definitive statement.

      On the other hand, if there are unifying themes within the Sufi tradition -- and there are -- then, one wonders why these unifying themes can’t be used to construct a fairly accurate description -- as far as those sorts of descriptions go -- concerning the nature of the Sufi path. Such a construction will not be definitive, since that which is, ultimately, ineffable and trans-rational cannot be encompassed by purely conceptual discourse, but one need not be concerned about the definitiveness of a description as long as the latter points one in the right direction and provides useful and accurate information concerning the nature of the Sufi path.

      In fact, perhaps, with the right set of unifying themes, a lot of the vastness and diversity to which the author is alluding might come to be understood as variations on certain central principles. Indeed, one might venture to maintain that if the Sufi tradition were as vast and diverse as the author alleges, then, trying to find a starting point, let alone a path to follow, would be next to impossible -- but this is not the case, and there is a long history running through the Sufi mystical tradition that is capable of countermanding such a position.

      4 - Primary Text

      Page viii - Preface: I have provided a relatively large amount of translation from primary texts, because any attempt to understand Sufism in its own context demands looking at its own ways of expressing itself, not simply at interpretations made in contemporary terms.

      Commentary: There are several presumptions inherent in the foregoing. One of these presumptions is that one must study the way the proponents of the Sufi path express themselves if one wishes to understand this spiritual Path. This presumption is not correct.

      A Sufi teacher who was a close friend of my first shaykh once said: There have been so many Rumies who have never uttered a word. The Sufi path has never been about the literature -- poetry or prose.

      Although both the spoken and written word have important roles to play within the Sufi tradition, this tradition is not primarily transmitted through either the written or spoken word. The essence of this tradition passes from heart to heart in a direct fashion unmediated by words. This is known as sina bin sina.

      Another presumption inherent in the foregoing quote is the author’s belief that he understands what he is translating and, therefore, that he has translated the material correctly. In many cases, translations tend to reveal more about the translator than they do about the writer’s work that is being translated, and this is especially true of many renderings of mystical literature.

      Alternatively, an individual might do a good job of translating a certain text and, yet, still not really understand the meaning or significance of what has been translated. In other words, the process of translation entails several components -- some of which are linguistic and some of which are hermeneutical. An individual might do a very competent job of producing a proper linguistic rendering of a given text being translated, but, nevertheless, this same individual might not be able to merge horizons (a term used within hermeneutics) with all of the layers and nuances of meaning of the original that are being given expression through the language of the translation.

      While one might agree with the author’s contention concerning the importance of trying to understand the Sufi tradition in its own context, this context will not necessarily be supplied through translations. In fact, irrespective of whether, or not, translations draw upon primary material, they tend to take one away from the true context of the Sufi tradition that is the relationship between a living Sufi teacher and her or his student.

      Anyone who believes one will come to understand the Sufi path merely by examining primary source material and providing translations of such is sadly mistaken. One might just as well argue that one can understand the reality of a tornado merely by reading and translating primary scientific literature on this topic.

      If a person wishes to understand the Sufi tradition, then, the individual will have to traverse the path. There is no other way.

      The author of the quote on which this commentary is based has said that one cannot understand the Sufi path merely by looking at interpretations made in contemporary terms. This is the second time within a few paragraphs that the author has spoken somewhat disparagingly of things of a contemporary nature.

      If this allusion is to those in modern times who would try, from the outside, to impose their own subjective, conceptual interpretations upon the Sufi tradition, then, one could agree with the author. If, however, the author is suggesting there is something wrong with authentic Sufi teachers in contemporary times and that they are, somehow, to be less preferred than translations based on primary source material when seeking an understanding of the Sufi tradition, then, the author is, quite simply, incorrect.

      The living book is always preferable to the dead one, and ibn al-’Arabi (may Allah be pleased with him) -- a favorite subject for translation by Professor Chittick -- says as much in his writings. Consequently, the author might have made a lot more fruitful progress in his quest to alleviate the confusion surrounding the Sufi tradition if he had taken the time he spent in translating primary source material and devoted that time to finding a living exemplar of what he is seeking to understand, and, then, reporting what that exemplar had to say.

      5-InTheWay

      Page viii - Preface: "My goal throughout is to let the tradition speak for itself....I take as my mentor here Abd ar -Rahman Jami (d. 1492) who writes as follows in the introduction to his well -known Sufi classic Lawa ’iii":

      ‘It is hoped that none will see in the midst

      the one who has embarked on this explication...

      since the author has no share save the post of translator,

      and no portion save the trade of speaker.’

      Commentary: Sadly, the goal of the author (and I do not mean Jami – may Allah be pleased with him) has not been realized, and one of the purposes underlying the current commentaries on the author’s book is, among other things, to demonstrate this fact. Ironically, the author fails in precisely the way he hoped not to -- that is, by ‘his’ being in evidence throughout his explication (through, for example, his interpretations) and, as a result, he does not let the Sufi tradition speak for itself. Instead, we are left, on all too many occasions, with the author’s version of the Sufi tradition rather than the actual reality itself.

      6 - Language

      Page ix - A Note On Sources: This book is based on primary sources, written in Arabic and Persian. Arabic is a Semitic language, a sister of Hebrew and Aramaic, and the most important language of Islamic civilization.

      Commentary: As indicated earlier, if the author’s book were really based on primary sources, it would have been rooted in the author’s personal relationship of mystical/spiritual learning, over an extended period of time, with an authentic Sufi shaykh. Primary linguistic sources cannot come alive unless one learns how to engender such a process through the assistance of one who understands something of the ‘niyat’ (spiritual intention), ‘himma’ (spiritual aspiration), and ‘nisbath’ (relationship of spiritual sincerity and love) of the author of those primary sources.

      In addition, from the Sufi perspective, Arabic is not the most important language of Islamic civilization. The speech of the heart is far more important, for if there is something amiss with this latter faculty, then, the spiritual significance and meaning of what is given expression through the Arabic language will never be properly appreciated or understood.

      Finally, a distinction needs to be drawn between Islamic civilization and Muslim civilization. Muslims have said, written, and done many things in the name of Islam, but many of those actions really have nothing to do with Islam. The Arabic of Muslims is one thing, and the Arabic of Islam is quite another.

      7 - Reality

      Page 1 - Chapter One: More than a thousand years ago, a teacher called Ali, the son of Ahmad, who hailed from the town of Bushanj in eastern Persia, complained that few people had any idea of what Sufism was all about. Today, he said, speaking Arabic, Sufism is a name without a reality, but it used to be a reality without a name."

      Commentary: The observation made by Ali was not just a complaint that few people had any idea of what ‘Sufism’ was all about. It was a complaint about the increasing numbers of people in his time who were appropriating the title of Sufi and mystics to themselves but who had no commitment to, or understanding of, the truth underlying the term. Ironically, this state of affairs is not unlike the situation prevailing in our own times.

      In addition, although the author of Sufism: A Short Introduction  does not specify the nature of the reality to which Ali was alluding in his complaint, the reality was none other than the inner, esoteric dimensions of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (practice or actions) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Why the author of the aforementioned book chose to leave this information out is rather mystifying.

      The term Sufi did not exist in the time of the Prophet. However, there was a reality reflected in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as well as in the life of certain other close Companions of the Prophet, which, subsequently, became the focus of the spiritual tradition to which the term Sufi came to be applied by various individuals some time after the Prophet passed away from his physical body.

      Some of the individuals who later referred to themselves as Sufi, had abandoned the practices, teachings, and way of life that was, and is, at the heart of the reality that was being alluded to by Ali, son of Ahmad. These were the people who were demonstrative proof that in his time there were, in all too many cases, people calling themselves by a name that had no reality -- at least not in the original sense that was inherent in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and in the lives of many of his close Companions, as well as in the lives of many individuals across the centuries -- right down to modern times -- who sought out and devoted themselves to this reality.

      8 - Beyond Concepts

      Page 1 - Chapter One: Nowadays in the West, the name [Sufism] has become better known, but its reality has become far more obscure than it ever was in the Islamic world. The name is a useful label, but the reality will not be found in definitions, descriptions, and books. If we do set out looking for the reality, we will always have to keep in mind that the divide between our own times and the times of Ali ibn Ahmad Bushanji - when the various phenomena that came to be named ‘Sufism’ were just beginning to have a shaping effect on Islamic society - is so deep and stark that it might be impossible to recover anything more than the dimmest trace of it.

      Commentary: Contrary to what the author states above, the name Sufism is not a useful label. In fact, it is quite misleading since it suggests that the reality to which this name is making reference is just another ism like: socialism, communism, capitalism, and so on.

      The reality being referred to is not a conceptual system. It is not a theoretical system.

      This reality is a precious dimension of Being. It transcends whatever label one wishes to attach to it, because all those labels are the products of discursive processes that fall far short of the reality to which reference is being attempted.

      There also is a sense in which the author is not quite correct when he says this reality will not be found in definitions, descriptions, and books. While one can acknowledge that this reality cannot be circumscribed by any given definition, description or book (with one exception), in point of fact, this reality shines through the written and spoken words of many spiritual luminaries across the ages.

      This reality envelopes and permeates everything that those luminaries do. Consequently, whenever one comes across the sayings, teachings, and writings of these individuals, one’s heart tends to be attracted by the perfume of this reality as it emanates and radiates from their words.

      Furthermore, the clear exception to what the author maintains above (i.e., that this reality will not be found in books) is the Qur’an that is the uncreated Word of God. Allah says of the Qur’an: We have neglected nothing in the Book (6:38), and it is a book whose woof and warp are expressions of the Reality in question.

      Of course, the author might have had in mind just normal books that are written by mortal human beings. Even here, however, the author is not quite correct because, depending on whom one is discussing, this reality can be found -- albeit in a limited form of manifestation --within the works of various spiritual luminaries whom God has graced with the talent and understanding to communicate certain facets of this reality to other individuals.

      In the quote with which this current commentary began, the author claims that the differences between the times of Ali ibn Ahmad Bushanji and our own might be so great that one might not be able to recover anything more than the dimmest trace of that reality. Once again, the author is mistaken.

      The author’s claim seems to imply that the reality in question once was, but cannot be found now, except, perhaps, through the dimmest of traces left behind in original source material. The author’s claim seems to suggest that one must come to understand the way things were in ancient times in order to be able to get even a fleeting glimpse of the reality being sought.

      Yet, what makes a human being, human -- namely, an innate capacity to be receptive to the reality in question -- is universal. It is not a function of times, per se, even if some ages might give a brighter indication of the presence of this reality than do other ages.

      The practitioners of this reality have always taught that one merely needs to look within, in the right way (and this ‘right way’ is at the heart of what is being taught and, as well, alludes to the necessary barakah, or spiritual blessing, that enables inner vision), and, if God wishes, one will come to realize the overwhelming presence of this reality. This inner potential is something that both transcends times, as well as points to a common bond shared by all those individuals who sincerely aspire to seek the realization of this reality to the best of their God-given capacities to do so.

      Finally, the author maintains that the time of Ali ibn Ahmad Bushanji was a period when the various phenomena that came to be named ‘Sufism’ were just beginning to have a shaping effect on Islamic society. This, too, is incorrect -- and in several ways.

      A phenomenon is something that is visible or directly observable, and while the reality in question might have given rise, from time to time, to the bubbling forth of certain kinds of visible phenomena, the reality to which reference is being made cannot be reduced to a set of phenomena. Somewhat like an iceberg, the reality in question lies almost entirely beneath the visible surface -- at least relative to most observers.

      Secondly, the reality in question was not just beginning to have a shaping effect on Islamic society during the times of Ali ibn Ahmad Bushanji. This reality was hard at work, so to speak, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In fact, this reality was active during the life of all 124,000 Prophets, beginning with Adam (peace be upon him).

      True Islamic society is this reality made manifest in the lives of its practitioners within such a society. As such, one must make a distinction between Muslim society and Islamic society since the former does not always permit the latter to be established.

      9 - The Term Sufism

      Pages 1 and 2 - Chapter One: One easy way to avoid searching for Sufism’s reality is to replace the name with another name. We often hear that Sufism is mysticism or esotericism or spirituality, usually with the adjective Islamic tacked on front. Such labels can provide an orientation, but they are both far too broad and far too narrow to designate the diverse teachings and phenomena that have been identified with Sufism over history. They can never do more than hint at the reality Bushanji had in mind, and they might be more of a hindrance than a help, because they encourage people to file Sufism away unthinkingly into a convenient category. In order to justify using one of these alternative terms, we would have to provide a detailed and careful definition and analysis of the new term, and the three I mentioned are notoriously vague. Even if we could provide an adequate definition, we would still have to explain why it is appropriate for ‘Sufism’ .

      Commentary: The author fails to make clear why replacing the name Sufism with some other name -- such as mysticism, esotericism, or spirituality, qualified by the adjective Islamic, is an easy way to avoid searching for the ‘reality without a name’. However vague any of the three terms cited above might be, qualifying them with the adjective Islamic goes much further in establishing a recognizable and legitimate starting point from which to venture forth in seeking the reality without a name than does the term Sufism on its own.

      By using the modifier Islamic, one immediately knows at least three things that one does not necessarily know when one uses the term Sufism. Whatever the truth might be concerning the ultimate or actual nature of: Islamic mysticism, Islamic esotericism or Islamic spirituality, the Qur’an, the life of the Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Prophetic tradition [which begins with Adam (peace be upon him)] will be of paramount importance in guiding an individual along the Path which that, God willing, to the reality without a name.

      The author claims that although a term like Islamic mysticism can provide a certain sort of orientation, nonetheless, according to the author, those terms are both far too broad and far too narrow to designate the diverse teachings and phenomena that have been identified with Sufism over history. If one leaves aside the rather mystifying idea of how a term can be, simultaneously, both too broad and too narrow, one only has the author’s allegation (i.e., still without evidentiary support) that the teachings concerning the ‘reality without a name’ are too diverse to be meaningfully aligned with a term such as Islamic mysticism.

      Furthermore, in addition to the already noted point that the ‘reality without a name’ is not a phenomenon, nor a function of phenomena, one also should understand that what has, or has not, identified with Sufism over history is neither here nor there. The issue is not the term Sufism but, rather, the ‘reality without a name’ with which some usages of this term (i.e., Sufism) later became associated in certain linguistic circles.

      The ‘reality without a name’ is primary. The term Sufism is purely secondary and derivative.

      The history of the latter term cannot be used as a standard for the former reality. More specifically, neither language, nor language usage, nor the history of language usage can serve as a substitute for Being.

      According to the author, terms like Islamic mysticism or Islamic esotericism are problematic because they encourage people to file Sufism away unthinkingly into a convenient category. This claim is made without further elaboration. However, this claim is hardly an a priori assertion whose truth instantly can be recognized merely by examining the author’s allegation.

      Among other things, one would like to know which people are being encouraged in this fashion. One also might like to know how those terms encourage these individuals to file away the relevant issues unthinkingly into a convenient category ... whatever is meant by convenient.

      One easily could turn the tables on the author and say that terms like Sufism are more of a hindrance than a help because it encourages people to file ‘Islamic mysticism’ away unthinkingly into a convenient category. After all, one would like to know why the author seems so insistent on making the history of the term Sufism to be the litmus test of what is or isn’t of importance in the quest to realize the ‘reality without a name’?

      The author maintains that any use of alternative terms such as: Islamic mysticism, Islamic esotericism, or Islamic spirituality, need to be justified through providing a detailed and careful definition and analysis of the new term, and the three I mentioned are notoriously vague. Presumably, any term will be notoriously vague prior to elaboration, and, presumably, the purpose of such elaboration is to render a term that once was vague into somewhat less vague language.

      Of course, one cannot know if this sort of elaboration of an initially vague term would satisfy the author’s criteria for ‘justifying’ the usage of such a term, since the author does not spell out what he believes is entailed by the notion of justification. Similarly, he does not establish a precise context for specifying what he means by a detailed and careful definition and analysis of the new term or whether this is even an appropriate or heuristically valuable exercise with respect to acquiring a better understanding of the ‘reality without a name’.

      Rather arbitrarily, however, the author has decided that Sufism is, somehow, not as notoriously vague as the three terms he mentioned that are prefaced with the modifier Islamic. Yet, strangely enough, up to this point of his book, the author has been making no point more consistently than that Sufism is a very vague and difficult--perhaps impossible-- term to grab hold of conceptually.

      Finally, the author argues that even if we could provide an adequate definition [of one of the three alternative terms prefaced by ‘Islamic’], we would still have to explain why it is appropriate for Sufism". This way of arguing is putting the cart before the horse.

      As indicated previously, the term Sufism is not the benchmark for what is to be considered as acceptable or unacceptable discourse in relation to the ‘reality without a name’. The benchmark for such discourse is the ‘reality’ in question, and the challenge is to try to find one or more ways that permit the explorer or seeker to realize the truth of the ‘reality without a name’ that is being sought – to whatever extent this is possible.

      Islam is not answerable to Sufism. Rather, the latter is answerable to the reality of the former since it is the essential reality of the former to which Ali ibn Ahmad Bushanji, presumably, was making reference when he spoke about a ‘reality without a name’. This was a reality that was manifested through the lives of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his close Companions, and those who pursued the essence of the spiritual model exemplified in those lives -- especially the model of the Prophet--during subsequent generations of seekers.

      One might note that a distinction is being made in the foregoing between ‘Islam’ and ‘the reality of Islam’. More specifically, daily prayers can be observed, fasting during the month of Ramadan can be done, pilgrimages can be performed, charity or zakat can be given, an individual can submit to the fact that God does, indeed, exist, or, any number of other spiritual litanies can be practiced, and, yet, there is no guarantee in all of this that the essential reality of Islam will ever be approached, let alone realized.

      The life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was rooted in the realization of the reality of Islam considered in the latter’s most essential, broadest, and richest sense. It is this kind of realization that is the ‘reality without a name’. Islam is a prescribed Path or Way to follow in order to approach such a realization even if one might not be able to travel this Path with the same degree of success that was evident, by the grace of God, in the lives of Muhammad (peace be upon him) or the other Prophets and friends of God.

      There are many states and stations along this Way that must be traversed before one begins to reach the shores of the ‘reality without a name’, and not everyone who begins the trek finishes it, and, therefore, knowing something of Islam, and, yet, knowing almost nothing of the ‘reality without a name’ to which Islam invites us need not be a contradiction in terms.

      10 - Meaning Of ‘Sufi’

      Page 2 - Chapter One: "If we look at the Arabic original of the word Sufism (sufi), we see that the term is already problematic in Islamic civilization. Although it was widely used in several languages, it usually did not have the broad meaning that it now has acquired. Its current high profile owes itself mainly to the writings of Western scholars. As Carl Ernst has pointed out in his excellent introduction to the study of Sufism, the word was given prominence not by the Islamic texts, but rather the British Orientalists, who wanted a term that would refer to various sides of Islamic civilization that they found attractive and congenial and that would avoid the negative stereotypes associated with the religion of Islam - stereotypes they themselves had often propagated.

      "In the Islamic texts, there is no agreement as to what the word sufi means, and authors commonly argued about both its meaning and its legitimacy. Those who used the word in a positive sense connected it with a broad range of ideas and concepts having to do with achieving human perfection by following the model of the prophet Muhammad. Those who used it in a negative sense associated it with various distortions of Islamic teachings. Most Muslim authors who mentioned the word took a more nuanced stand, neither accepting it wholeheartedly nor condemning it."

      Commentary: Although the author indicates toward the beginning of the above quote that: if we look at the Arabic original of the word Sufism (sufi), we see that the term is already problematic in Islamic civilization, he doesn’t bother to say anything about what the Arabic original of this word is. In truth, since the precise origins of this word are shrouded in something of a mystery, there is no Arabic original, per se, at which to look.

      To be sure, there are several linguistic/etymological candidates that have been advanced by various early authors [e.g., al-Hujwiri (may Allah be pleased with him) in Kashf al-Mahjub] that provide something of a context through which one might approach the term sufi. However, to claim, as the author of Sufism: A Short Introduction does that the introducing of those kinds of possibilities makes the term problematic does seem warranted.

      In fact, when Sufi masters like al-Hujwiri (may Allah be pleased with him) run through some of the linguistic/etymological candidates -- such as safa (purity) and suf (wool -- a reference to the garments of coarse wool worn by some of those who were said to be pursuing the ‘reality without a name’), these exercises are used to introduce the reader to important dimensions of the mystical/spiritual/esoteric path connected to the ‘reality without a name’. Consequently, irrespective of what the actual origins of this term are, the occasion of raising the question of linguistic/etymological origins is used constructively by such authors and not at all in the problematic fashion alluded to, but left unexplained, by the author of Sufism: A Short Introduction.

      After admitting that the meanings that have been attached to the ‘sufi’ term in modern times are much broader than when this term first began to appear in Arabic and Persian and after indicating that the term sufi owes much of its current high profile to Western Orientalists (see the quote with which this present commentary began), the author goes on to assert that: "in the Islamic texts, there is no agreement as to what the word sufi means, and authors commonly argued about both its meaning and its legitimacy. The author does not specify what Islamic texts he is talking about, nor does he specify any authors who supposedly commonly argued about both" the meaning and legitimacy of this term.

      Blanket assertions devoid of evidence are relatively useless, but even if the author could bring forth a certain amount of information indicating there were some Muslim (not necessarily ‘Islamic’) texts and authors who might have commonly engaged in arguments about such matters, genuine Sufi masters are unlikely to have wasted much time in such endeavors. For instance, al-Hujwiri (may Allah be pleased with him), in the aforementioned Kashf al-Mahjub, one of the oldest extant treatises exploring different facets of the mystical path leading to the ‘reality without a name’, said the following:

      To a Sufi, the meaning of Sufism is clearer than the sun and does not need any explanation or indication. Since Sufi admits of no explanation, all the world are interpreters thereof, whether they recognize the dignity of the name or not at the time when they learn its meaning. (Page 34 of the Nicholson translation)

      According to the author of Sufism: A Short Introduction, most Muslim authors who mentioned the word took a more nuanced stand neither accepting it wholeheartedly nor condemning it. In reality, most Muslim authors had little understanding of the ‘reality without a name’. Consequently, one might suppose discretion is the better part of valor in such cases and that a nuanced stand which neither accepts nor condemns the term is entirely appropriate when dealing with subject matter on which one is not

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