Today’s Muslim organizations are inviting this and that person to speak and to teach, but isn’t it odd that on the subject of tariqat and tassawuf people don’t give the respect and authority to the people of Tassawuf and the various Sufi Tariqats?
Rather, they rely on those who have no authority in the subject to speak on matters related to the expertise of the tariqats. How many fatwas have been translated regarding group dhikr from people who have no tradition of established group dhikr? Edicts are coming down from those who are not even knowing the first thing they should recite to be within an established tradition of zikr.
This, while they claim to be ‘tassawuf-loving’ themselves. If you aren’t even making the weak attempt (like my weak attempt) of being with the Ahl ul Zikr, check yourself. Why are you talking about Zikr so much? Why such strong opinions on Tassawuf? Why such confusion over ‘Sufis’?
Sahih Bukhari
Volume 1, Book 12, Number 802:
Narrated Abu Ma’bad:(the freed slave of Ibn Abbas) Ibn Abbas told me, “In the lifetime of the Prophet it was the custom to celebrate Allah’s praises aloud after the compulsory congregational prayers.” Ibn Abbas further said, “When I heard the Dhikr, I would learn that the compulsory congregational prayer had ended.”
In this hadith we clearly find what Zikr means, it is something loud, it is something heard in celebration of Allah’s praises (i.e. Allahuakbar, SubhanAllah).
When you read this hadith, and you have no idea where to even begin with reproducing zikr after Salat according to one established Way (tariqat), why go to those who also don’t know about this subject? Why do we never even approach those who know?
Rather, maybe take 5 minutes and check yourself, ask yourself, should I follow the commandment of the Quran?
And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men, whom We inspired. Ask Ahl ul Zikr (People of Zikr) if ye know not? ” (21:7)
When presented with this verse, we now find those who have decided to change the meaning of Zikr from what is understood in the above Hadith (clearly an audible recitation). ‘Zikr’ suddenly (and conveniently) becomes lectures, or talks, or seminars or conferences. Allah, Allah!
For them, the above Quranic verse begins to mean something which is new and a true innovation, because certainly there were no masses of people in the Prophet’s (Sallalahu’alaiheewassalams) time sitting in classrooms or in conference halls. Yes, it may be a ‘form’ of remembrance, of Zikr, but the -Ahl ul Zikr- are those who are following a long standing tradition in matters of worship, zikr. All of which is very connected to the Prophet (Sallalahu’alaiheewassalam).
Maybe if we can advise ourselves to just visit, ask, or otherwise connect with those who have a real traditional connection to the Ahl ul Zikr we may find some support and some real truth.
the truth on 
m.a.kidwai,CME/IND.RLY.(retd.) on 
Nice post on dhikr. I have this feeling this is about Imam Suhaib Webb joining Al-Maghrib, haha. I could be wrong. If it is directed toward that, then I’d like to say that Imam Suhaib Webb is trying to build a bridge in order to develop a dynamic and forceful Muslim American ummah. I think that being a SunniPath Q&A teacher and now an Al-Maghrib teacher, he can set a precedent for a wider acceptable spectrum of Ahlus Sunnah. I know from before, you and I, we knew about Al-Maghrib and it’s Salafi-inclined views, but int he recent years and recent months, I have seen changed in tone and way of answering questions. For example, in the Light upon Light class taught by Sh. Waleed Basyouni, he told the class (from what I heard the student told me) that Ashari’ sand Maturidi’s are Ahlus Sunnah. Also another Al-Maghrib teacher, Sh. Yaser Birjas taught a whole seminar on the evolution of fiqh, and from the feedback and comments I got, he supported the four madhabs, and endorsed following one.
In my own opinion, the only reason why Al-Maghrib is seen harshly in the traditional circles is because of Sh. Yasir Qadhi. But even he has recently changed and softened up his view. What a lot of people in tasawwuf fail to realize is that even in the Salafi world, Al-Maghrib is hated on. Its basically the extremes from both sides. Zaytuna and Al-Maghrib Institutes are basically the middle-path for the majority of the active Muslim youth who are trying to seek knowledge. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir have said in the past they respect Al-Maghrib and love the teachers. The same goes for Sh. Muhammad Alshareef and Al-Maghrib with Zaytuna.
Forgive me if I have said anything wrong.
We need to be accepting and open, even if they aren’t at least I’ll make an attempt.
Allah, Allah, Allah.
A great reminder, something I can present to my salafi housemates! Thankyou.
as-salamu’alaikum Amir,
No, the post is not about SW.
It’s in general about those who like to take knowledge about Tassawuf and Zikr from people who basically belong no tariqat. If a ‘scholar’ is touching on those topics, its really up to the students to think about what it is they are doing.
Those who wouldn’t know how to lead people in zikr at all shouldn’t try to define it.
As far as the rest.. You know best where to take your deen from. If they become traditional, subhanAllah I can’t wait.
In the meantime, I am safeguarding my religion by following the Quran and sticking with the Ahl ul Zikr.
May Allaah bless you and your family with good in this dunya and in the aakhira. Aameen! Jazaaka Allaahu khairan for this reminder.
aSalamu’alaikum!
K, Thank you for the note!
Umm Layth, I hope all is well with you and your family thank for the dua!
Shaikh Yaser Qadhi and Shaikh Waleed Basyouni can aim for unity and sometimes even speak well about other Muslims, but the truth of the matter is that within inner circles and their actual teachings, they will always tend to label scholars of the past and people of Ashari and Maturidi backgrounds as Ahl Biddah.
Shaikh Waleed Basyouni has a whole cd series dedicated to sects, and there is a cd on Asharis & Maturidis which will give you an idea of where he stands. After listening to that, I doubt he would ever change his views. If anything, just tone it down when talking to masses, just like Yaser Qadhi.
Surely Allah knows best.
Asalaamu alaikum.
This is a beautiful piece and a good reminder.
I did not read this at all as an attack or comment on a specific group or teacher. In light of our recent conversations about some people we personally know who are seeking but following teachers who specialize in one area and not in the area that the seeker really hopes to learn, I found this to be a broad and excellent answer.
It is important for seekers to recognize the skills of a particular teacher and not expect to gain knowledge that the teacher does not possess. In that way, it may be better to have more than one teacher, or to gain what you can from one and then move on to the next level with the appropriate teacher of that level. In particular with the issue of zikr, we know of teachers who are not trained or following a lineage of teachers in this particular area and yet claim to be able to teach this along with whatever other specialty they may indeed have training in.
It is similar to saying, if you need a caridiologist to address a heart condition, why are you going to a neurologist who specializes in nerve damage, or a general practicioner who while a good doctor does not have sufficient knowledge in any particular medical specialization? If you need fiqh, go to a fiqh scholar. If you are interested in physical/mental training such as silat, go to someone who has trained extensively in silat. If you are looking for zikr or to be given a wird, go to a teacher who has studied this extensively under teachers who studied under others. If you are looking to purify your ego and heart, go to the teacher who has worked extensively on this and been given the right by his or her teacher to teach others how to do this.
As Salaam Alaikum,
good post as usual.
May Allah reward you and elevate you in His sight and facilitate all good for you. Amin.
An excellent post on a modern problem of scholars trying to explain what can only be felt in the heart. Ever the age old dilemma.
By the heart’s threshold I will sit, O Friend,
Hallowing its ruins with Your name.
I will trace the image of Your visage upon my heart,
Until I clearly see you established there.
I will call out Your name again and again
Until Your message is proclaimed from my heart’s ka’ba
- Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh
as-salaamu ‘alaikum,
I’m interested to know what the supporters of critics of ahl-zikr have to say of this post? In my opinion Yursil has a solid argument without a lot of room for disagreement. I’m trying to imagine what someone might disagree with but… I don’t see any holes here, good job Yursil Effendi!
786
I would pose a question. Is the sadiqa dhikr of subhanallaah, al-hamdulillaah, and Allaahu akbar and dua, not the classic dhikr that the hadith is referring too.
I am not challenging anything, but merely asking.
BismillahirRahmanirRaheem
as-salamu’alaikum Tariyki,
Like the different madhab and their style of prayer, the different tariqats have different ways of performing the zikr after salat. 3x Laillahaillallah 1x MuhummadurRasullullah, Sura Ikhlas, and so forth.
great post.
It is seeming more and more to me that this salafi-traditionalist clash is due more to laymen instead of scholars. Like amir said, the scholars of Zaytuna and al maghrib respect each other. It seems that us, the laypeople like to get into silly and unbeneficial arguments amongst ourselves even though we don’t possess much knowledge and Allah knows Best.
Great post for validating the permissibility of group dhikr, a good message to those who say it’s bid3ah.