Chapter 1: The Sharia Necessity of Tasawof

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Leader of the Prophets and Messengers, and upon his family, his companions, and all the saints (Awliya) of his Ummah.

Components of Islamic Sharia: Islamic Sharia is the name of the collection of the following components:

1. Beliefs (Aqa’id)
2. Acts of Worship (‘Ibadat)
3. Dealings/Transactions (Mu’amalat)
4. Social Ethics (Mu’asharat)
5. Ihsan (Tasawwuf)

Beliefs: Beliefs hold fundamental importance in the religion of Islam. The belief in Tawhid (Oneness of God) is the ﬁrst and foundational pillar. All beliefs are the root and origin (Asl al-Usul), while righteous deeds are the branches of the religion. A tree does not survive by its branches; rather, its survival depends on its roots.

What is Tawhid? Tawhid means believing that Allah is One in His Essence (Dhat), Attributes (Sifat), and Actions (Af’al). He has no partner or likeness in them. He is characterized by all attributes of divinity and perfections, unique and without partner.

When a person believes in Tawhid and affirms the Prophethood (Risalat) of the Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاﱣ ُ ﻋَﻠَﯾْﮫِ وَ اٰﻟﮫِّ وَ ﺳَﻠﱠم, they enter the fold of Islam. A Muslim attains the “form” of faith, but practical awareness and experience of the internal realities and states of Tawhid and Risalat are necessary to experience the true pleasure of faith.

The secrets of Tawhid and the perfections of the Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم are revealed to a Muslim when their inner life (Batin) is honored with spiritual life. True spiritual states are attained when everything except Allah disappears from the heart. To free the heart from everything other than Allah is Tawhid.

From the luminous era of the Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم to the Companions, Successors, and subsequent Saints, they all adopted spiritual purification (Tazkiyah) and inner purification—known as Spiritual Islam, Ihsan, or Tasawwuf—as the fifth part of Sharia.

Worship: Is spirituality necessary in worship? Do self-purification (Tazkiyah al-Nafs) and heart-purification (Tasﬁyah al-Qalb) play a role?

True worship occurs when one is free from the bondage of anything other than Allah and focuses solely on Him. The Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم answered Gabriel’s question about Ihsan:

أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاك َ

“Worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.” (Sahih Bukhari)

This state in worship arises only from self and heart purification. Through the path (Suluk) of Tasawwuf, the commanding self (Nafs al-Ammarah) becomes the peaceful self (Nafs al-Mutma’innah) and the heart becomes empty of everything except Allah. As it is said:

لَا صَلَاةَ إِلَّا بِحُ ضُورِ الْقَلْب ِ
“There is no prayer without the presence of the heart.”

This proves that the reality of worship can only be achieved by adopting Tasawwuf. Allama Iqbal said about such prostration (Sajdah):

وہ ایک سجدہ جس سے روحِ زمیں کانپ جاتی ہے
اسی کو آج ترستے ہیں منبر و محراب

“That one prostration which makes the soul of the earth tremble, today even the pulpit and niche (Mihrab) yearn for it.”

The Role of Spirituality in Transactions and Social Ethics:
In the presence of a corrupted self and a sick heart, a common Muslim is subject to greed, anger, selfishness, arrogance, and love of wealth. These cause negative trends in the heart and lead to social, economic, and political imbalance.

When humans follow their carnal desires behind the veils of negligence, they practically make them their gods, as pointed out in the Quran:

ُ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاه
“Have you seen the one who has taken his own desire as his god?” (Surah Al-Furqan: 43 – Kanzul Eman)

After self and heart purification, a change occurs in these negative trends. The Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم established an exemplary society of individuals possessing the “Peaceful Self.” In the early centuries of Islam, the best society was based on a majority of righteous individuals who were balanced and cared for each other’s rights. Today, being far from the spiritual process of purification has caused disarray in every aspect of society.

Hujjat al-Islam Imam Ghazali عَلَيْه ّٰللاه ِ رَ حْمَة ُ states that by Ihsan, he means the path of Tasawwuf, which is a necessary part of Islam.

Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani رَ حْمَة ُ ّٰللاه ِ عَلَيْه states: “Sharia and Reality (Haqiqat) are exactly the same.”

The Role of Tasawwuf in Ethics:
The Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم said
تَخَلَّقُوا بِا خْلَاقِ اللَّهِ
“Adopt the morals (attributes) of Allah.”

Regarding the attainment of this state, Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (Ghaus al-Azam) ُ رَ حْمَة ّٰللاه ِ عَلَيْه says in Sirr al-Asrar that when a person removes the garment of human attributes and wears the garment of Divine attributes, it is the result of Sainthood (Wilayat).

In summary, Tasawwuf is necessary for Beliefs, Worship, Dealings, and Social Ethics. This is why various commentaries (Tafsir) consider self and heart purification as a communal obligation (Fard-e-Ayn) because it is the means to Divine Gnosis.

What is Spiritual Islam? According to Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani, Sharia can be divided into three parts:
1. Knowledge (‘Ilm)
2. Action (‘Amal)
3. Sincerity (Ikhlas)

The entire system of Knowledge and Action is in the Quran and Hadith, while Ikhlas is the luminous state of the Holy Prophet’s صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم heart. Those spiritual lights and divine states were transferred from the Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم to the Household (Ahl al-Bayt) and the Companions. These are called Sincerity or Spiritual Islam. Just as the books of Quran and Hadith are preserved, these spiritual lights were transferred through the Successors to the Saints and are preserved to this day.

The Beginning and End of Spirituality:
The Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم said

إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالن ِيَّات ِ
“Actions are judged only by intentions.”

The journey of spirituality begins with the light of sincerity in the intention. Just as Ikhlas is the soul of actions, the end of the believer’s spiritual journey is to reach the station of witnessing the Truth.

According to the Hadith:
أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاه ُ
“That you worship Allah as though you see Him.”

This means that after correcting the intention, one attains such felicity in worship as if the Lord is being witnessed.

Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani رَ حْمَة ُ ّٰللاه ِ عَلَيْه explains that the summary of the teachings of Tariqat and Ma’rifat (Spiritual Islam) is to reach the level of “Witnessing Faith” (Iman-e-Shuhudi). It serves to confirm rational proofs with visionary knowledge (Ilm-e-Kashﬁ) and creates ease in performing the commands of Jurisprudence (Fiqh) by removing the obstacles of the commanding self.

Tariqat is the servant of Sharia. The purpose of Tasawwuf is to purify the self and heart so they become worthy of acceptance in the Divine court. This is turning metaphorical Islam into real Islam.

The Quran points to this:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِ نُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِه ِ
“O believers! Believe in Allah and His Messenger.” (An-Nisa: 136 – Kanzul Eman).

This means: O you who possess the form of faith, come towards real faith. This verse commands Muslims to transform formal faith into real faith through self-purification (Fana and Baqa).

This path of Tariqat, starting from the era of the Holy Prophet صَلىَّ ّٰللاه ُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلهِِّ وَ سَلَّم until today, has been practiced by the Saints of the Arab and non-Arab worlds. It is a bright and practical reality proven by the practice of the Ummah’s saints.