One very interesting aspect of traditional manuals of Islamic spirituality is that they aren’t really manuals at all. Kashf al-Mahjub, Nafahat al Uns, Rashahat Ain al-Hayat and numerous others, are really all brief biographical accounts of numerous saints of Islam. Yet, these are often described as the earliest “Treatise” on matters of Islamic spirituality.
Recounting the life stories of the Awliya, and the events that occurred in their company, was of paramount importance to the authors of these texts. This was because it was understood that it was through the company of the Awliya that spiritual messages and lessons reached their students. It was years of dedicated service and consultation with a Sheykh that opened up doors and secrets, and the authors of these texts understood that. By writing these texts they looked to give a taste of the company of the Sheykhs in a few words, knowing that it was up to the student to find their own guide who might one day be added to the list of personalities in a similar text. Similarly, today’s Tariqats distribute freely some videos and audio to help recreate that presence of the Sheykh and a connection from heart to heart.
On the other hand there is the other aspect of modern-day ‘Sufism’, which has created mini Tariqat handbooks, websites detailing Tariqat philosophies, mureeds sitting with pen and pencils taking notes during Sohbet, professors investigating Maulana Rumi’s (R) doctrine.
How To Guides on Personal Spirituality.
What we see now is that the usual western crassness has entered into Islamic spiritual matters as well. Today’s people need explicit instruction on matters which were taught in infinitely more subtle ways.
Indeed a great subtlety existed in the teaching of spiritual secrets, because of the dynamic, individualized, living nature of these lessons.
Only one book contains everything we need within it, and is dynamic and changing through the opening of its own secrets. Has anyone reading this become certain of what Alif, Laam, Mim, means? Even this powerful book then requires the careful instruction of those familiar with it to carefully peel back its layers of meaning for spiritual and practical application in an individuals life.
All other books are incomparable, and definitively weak when it comes to spiritual instruction, not only due to the lack of subtlety but also due to the idea that such secrets can be held within fixed words on paper or digital ink, instead of being found in the dynamic personalities and actions of the Awliya, the inheritors of the Prophet (Sallalahu’alaiheewassalam) and the Friends of God.
Some might say this is an attempt at keeping Sufism secretive and ‘cult like’. This is similar to one saying that keeping medical history on a patient as private is ‘cult like’. No, the reality is what is learned and instructed from the spiritual teacher (and what is interpreted by the mureed from it) is intensely personal unless explicit permission and authority is given to distribute it.
Also, in some regards, aspects of Tassawuf are inherently ‘secret’. The famous dua given to passed Awliya is “qaddasa Allahu sirrahu” often translated as “May Allah Sanctify His Secret”. This is the acknowledgment of the special spiritual knowledge which has passed from master to student, and only opened up to those who have truly conquered their nafs. Being able to look to a Sheykh and recognize that he is carrying a secret is another aspect of looking at spiritual teaching with carefulness, respect and subtlety.
Sheykh Abdul Kerim al-Kibrisi is saying in Sohbet:
That’s why Sheykh Mevlana is saying, “You cannot learn this knowledge
through reading books.” It’s not possible. That knowledge cannot be
contained into the books. You cannot put it into pen and paper. Pen
becomes Ajis, hopeless to write that knowledge.
This explicitness and crassness which has now entered all areas of tradition, including our legal tradition which was already much less subtle to the spiritual tradition.
It used to be sufficient to learn how to pray from our parents, indeed this is a subtle approach to learning basic manners of fiqh. Everyone used to be comfortable that we were being taught in a tradition spanning hundreds of years, from scholar to the people from people to their children. Now, whether it is ultra-madhabism or anti-madhabism, we have seen generations switching praying styles to the point that they would be unrecognizable to their righteous, Saliheen, grandfathers who carried Islam to them.
What is the motivation for this? Outside of being told to do so by ones spiritual guide, it is one aspect and one representation of the devaluing of the subtle ways of learning knowledge in a traditional, connected manner.
The question is can we subdue our nafs to recognize that we can’t understand everything on our own, know all possible justifications, that all of the dunya is not for us, and that we don’t even deserve the immediate answer for every possible question? Can we subdue our ego to recognize our Muslim parents may be more connected than us to some overarching tradition we seek to follow, even if they know it not by name and category? Can we subdue our ego in recognizing the vital importance and beauty of subtle teachings from the Sheykhs who opt not to spend their lives writing fatwas and books, but rather appear to be sitting simply, sending the oft-repeated messages of the Prophets to the people who care to listen?
Often when we hear of hadith discussing knowledge we think of it to mean either one of two things, knowledge of dunya (technology, medicine, etc), or Fiqhi knowledge. Sheykh Effendi is reminding us that when we are told to seek knowledge in China, we should reflect on what that knowledge is. In this regard I have chosen to excerpt a small part from an early treatise on Sufism regarding knowledge:
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Hatim al-Asamm said: ” I have chosen four things to know and have discarded all the knowledge in the world besides.” He was asked: ” What are they ?” ” One,” he answered, “is this: I know that my daily bread is apportioned to me , and will neither be increased nor diminished ; consequently I have ceased to seek to augment it. Secondly, I know that I owe to God a debt which no other person can pay instead of me; therefore I am occupied with paying it. Thirdly, I know that there is one pursuing me (i.e. Death) from whom I cannot escape accordingly I have prepared myself to meet him. Fourthly, I know that God is observing me ; therefore I am ashamed to do what I ought not”
The object of human knowledge should be to know God and His Commandments. Knowledge of “time” (ilm-i waqt) and of all outward and inward circumstances of which the due effect depends on “time”, is incumbent upon everyone. This is of two sorts: primary and secondary. The external division of the primary class consists in making the Muslims profession of faith, the internal division consists in the attainment of true cognition. The external division of the secondary class consists in the practice of devotion, the internal division consists in rendering one’s intention sincere The outward and inward aspects cannot be divorced. The exoteric aspect of Truth without the esoteric is hypocrisy, and the esoteric without the exoteric is heresy. So with regard to the Law, mere formality is defective, while mere spirituality is vain.
–Kashf Al-Mahjub of Al-Hujwiri: “The Revelation of the Veiled” : An Early Persian Treatise on Sufism
More Manifestations of the Marginalization
Wing Leung describes a marginal person as “…one who does not belong. . . . [T]he marginal man…[dwells] at the margin of two cultures and two societies…[and possesses] a marginal mentality…[with its] unresolved identity crises.”
This marginalization of immigrants and specifically South Asians reflects itself in a few ways, some are internal and some external. One obvious and humorous representation of this duality is how the standard dress code at a South Asian Valima (post wedding party) is the very Western suit and tie, while traditional Shalwar Kameez is acceptable only at the wedding itself. This duality is a physical example of the same irrational self-hatred that many South Asians have of their culture and tradition.
The religious South Asians have inherited the Arabization complex, being proud in wearing their Keffiyeh and thobes. While the non-religious South Asians have inherited the Western complex, being proud in the overt sexualization of Bollywood movies and being satisfied with each and every encroaching Western footprint on their culture.
What is clear is that South Asians have been marginalizing their own historical legacy of Islamic spirituality and arts for some time.
The Wahabi/Salafi movement, and the creation of ideologies spawned from it, have only furthered the Arabization, forcing people to choose between Islam and their own culture. The number of anti-cultural movements such as that of Jamaat e Islami (and its offshoots) have all but eliminated the Qawalli, the beautiful Naat, the notoriously complex and enchanting poetry, and the tradition of sending Salaams to the Prophet (Salalalahu’alaiheewassalam) in unison after gathering. In the West these aspects of South Asian tradition are virtually non-existant.
Another manifestation of the marginalization is the rise of a circle of speakers which is distinctly non-Eastern. Today we see crowds of all-generation immigrant Muslims who are standing in line in the cold to listen to speakers who share their faith but not an ounce of their heritage and culture. This is absolutely monumental achievement in one sense, but it is also something that is not safe from all criticism. The one immediate question is: Why is nearly every speaker on Islam in the West a convert or a card carrying member of the Arabized Al-Madinah University ideology?
At a recent Islam in the West symposium held in New Jersey, while the key organizers were South Asian, there was really no hint towards their cultural influence in the art booths, in the music presented on stage, in the food being eaten, or in the clothes being sold. Islam in the West was largely empty of the multicultural ideal of the American promise in the first place. Islam in the West was, for the South Asian attendee, all about showing off how white or black we had become (while staying Muslim).
Other manifestations are extremely evident in second generation youth. They have to do with the humorous routes the youth take towards dealing with “Uncles”, making fun of speech, dress, and politics. South Asians have already dealt with the socially accepted profiling of their profession and accents by non-Muslims in shows like the Simpsons and numerous roles of cab drivers in films and TV. At the same time, South Asians youth have joined in the chorus, producing excellent clips such as an Al-Maghrib skit insulting the intelligence and religious knowledge of those with South Asian accents [link here]. The general idea of most Arabization movements, such as that which is coming from al-Maghrib Institute, is the empowerment of the youth and the targeted striking in the cracks between them and their past.
It is clear when the tradition of Sufism has in itself become marginalized that there is very little needed in terms of additional examples. This is the tradition of grounded Islamic spirituality which brought large numbers of South Asians into Islam in the first place, and it is largely unknown to today’s second-generation youth. In fact, it is now largely considered a reprehensible innovation by most American Muslims. There is no better example of self-hatred or ignorance of South Asian culture and faith than the fact that the children proclaim their fathers as the ultimate sinners: Mushriks.
South Asian Muslims are shockingly unaware of huge characters in their own history. Even amongst the circles of so-called “traditionalists,” one finds a reprehensible dearth of information about the South Asian contribution to the preservation of Islam. While one may understand that the Wahhabi project is fundamentally against the mere mention of the great Sufi saints of India, it is curious that institutions that I have deep respect for speak little of the history of Islam in South Asia. While such circles will literally go to China to find knowledge, as seen with the recent infatuation with Haji Nooruddin, they literally fly over India when talking about Muslim history. Thus, the rich tapestry woven by the Mughal Empire, as well as the deep roots sown by the Sufi saints, as well as the Ulema, in India, are totally forgotten. Indeed, this lack of mention seems to imply that South Asia has no contribution to Islam; a grave misconception.
Islam in India has been a dynamic force since it arrived into the Subcontinent. While Muhammad bin Qasim first brought Islam militarily, it was the Sufis who spread Islam in India. Richard Eaton, a leading scholar on conversion to Islam in South Asia, states in his book “The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier,” that the traditional theories of Islam being spread by (a) the sword, (b) an egalitarian ideal, (c) social pressure, and (d) power center, are not viable. He states instead that Islam was spread by groups of Sufis who mixed with farming peasants who tended the land for their Mughal “zamindars.” (Link to book). These seeds led to the rise of some of the greatest scholarship seen in the history of Islam, as well as a deep spirituality.
One of the great saints of India who is never mentioned today, even amongst the traditionalists, is Sheykh Ali Hujweri (QaddasAllahu Sirruhu), who is buried in Lahore. Lovingly known as Data Ganjbaksh by South Asians, he wrote the first book in Sufism in Farsi, “Kashful Mahjub,” the Unveiling of the Hidden. Within this book, he addresses some of the most contentious issues of Sufism, including Fana and Baqaa. Within the book, he also argues for a deep orthodoxy to counter the rife Hinduism around him. Sheykh Ali Hujweri’s book was an immense contribution to the corpus of Sufi texts, and much of South Asia became Muslim at his hands.
Another spiritual sage, Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti (Q.S.), the founder of the Chishti Tariqat, was from India. Chishtiyya is one of the four major Tariqats of the world, with Qadiriyya, Naqshbandiyya, and Shadhiliyya. Upon his entrance to India, Khwaja Muinuddin stayed at the tomb of Sheykh Ali Hujweri for two weeks to seek permission to spread Islam to India. Before leaving the tomb, he proclaimed,
“Ganj Bakhsh-e faiz-e aalam, mazhar-e Nur-i Khuda
Naqisaan ra pir-e kaamil, kaamilaan ra rahnuma”
meaning
” Ganj Bakhsh is a manifestation of the Light of God for the people
A perfect guide unto the imperfect ones and a guide unto the perfect ones”
Khwaja Muinuddin spread Islam in the town of Ajmer and elsewhere, and he was known for his patronage of the poor. One of his greatest strengths was his ability to draw from the native Hindu culture and appeal to the non-believers in their own terms. Indeed, the Chishti Tariqa is noted for taking the musical forms of the Indian raga and Islamicizing it into Qawwali, in order to appeal to the native population.
And how can we speak of India without mentioning the Eminent Saint, Imam Rabbani, also known as Sheykh Ahmed Sirhindi. He was deeply involved in the politics of the region, and helped to free Islam of the innovations of false Sufism. Additionally, he wrote extensively on deep spiritual issues, such as the difference between Wahadat al-Wujud and Wahdat al-Shuhud. His work was to free Tasawwuf of the Biddat that it had become rife with. Additionally, he used his influence to help the Mughal Emperors to practice Islam correctly in the region. His work Maktubat is one of the most amazing texts of Fiqh, Shariat, Haqiqat, and Tasawwuf written in the history of Islam. Indeed, most scholars see him as the Mujaddid of his century.
When all this and more is missing from the culture of first generation Muslims, what are we expecting from the second generation? Whats clear is that South Asians have taken a turn towards the Arab, and are seeking to erase the past and join the ranks of Egypt, Syria, Morocco and others states who long ago embraced a continued Arabization. There seems to be a wealth of spiritual knowledge and artisitic accomplishment which has been, for far too long, locked up in the cage of the South Asian inferiority complex. While numerous efforts are underway in bringing various pieces of Arabic literature and tradition into the West, nothing is being done to represent this slowly forgotten segment of Islamic culture.
It is clear that American Islam, like the South Asian Muslim, is heading down a direct path of forced Arabization, and this is a tragic fate due to the irresponsibility and intellectual subordination of Muslim organizations, immigrant Muslims, and South Asian Muslims in general.
(continued with: Wahabi Arabic Hegemony and the Andalusian Ideal)
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The stories of the Awliya being challenged by the academic scholars (and defeating them) are abound in the texts and talks of the Tariqats. I will be presenting them here in a series.
This example was taken from al-Haytami, Fatawa hadithiyya 315-316, presented by Sheykh GF Haddad
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The following account of Gilani’s first encounter with al-Hamadani is related by Haytami in his Fatawa hadithiyya:
Abu Sa`id `Abd Allah ibn Abi `Asrun (d. 585), the Imam of the School of Shafi`i, said: ‘When I began a search for religious knowledge I kept company with my friend, Ibn al-Saqa, who was a student in the Nizamiyya School, and it was our custom to visit the pious. We heard that there was in Baghdad a man named Yusuf al-Hamadani who was known as al-Ghawth, and that he was able to appear whenever he liked and was able to disappear whenever he liked. So I decided to visit him along with Ibn al- Saqa and Sheykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, who was a young man at that time. Ibn al-Saqa said, ‘When we visit Shaikh Yusuf al-Hamadani I am going to ask him a question the answer to which he will not know.’ I said: ‘I am also going to ask him a question and I want to see what he is going to say.’ Shaikh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani said: ‘O Allah, protect me from asking a saint like Yusuf Hamadani a question, but I will go into his presence asking for his baraka — blessing — and divine knowledge.’
‘We entered his association. He kept himself veiled from us and we did not see him until after some time. He looked at Ibn al-Saqa angrily and said, without having been informed of his name: ‘O Ibn al-Saqa, how dare you ask me a question when your intention is to confound me? Your question is this and your answer is this!’ Then he said: ‘I am seeing the fire of disbelief burning in your heart.’ He looked at me and said, ‘O `Abd Allah, are you asking me a question and awaiting my answer? Your question is this and your answer is this. Let the people be sad for you because they are losing as a result of your disrespect for me.’ Then he looked at Shaikh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, made him sit next to him, and showed him honor. He said: ‘O `Abd al-Qadir, you have satisfied Allah and His Prophet with your proper respect for me. I see you in the future sitting on the highest place in Baghdad and speaking and guiding people and saying to them that your feet are on the neck of every wali! And I almost see before me every wali of your time giving you precedence because of your great station and honor.’
Ibn Abi `Asrun continues, ‘`Abd al-Qadir’s fame became widespread and all that Sheykh al-Hamadani said about him came to pass. There came a time when he did say, ‘My feet are on the necks of all the awliya,’ and he was a reference and a beacon guiding all people in his time to their destinations.
The fate of Ibn al-Saqa was something else. He was brilliant in his knowledge of the divine Law. He preceded all the scholars in his time. He used to debate with the scholars of his time and overcome them, until the caliph called him to his association. One day the calif sent him as a messenger to the King of Byzantium, who in his turn called all his priests and the scholars of the Christian religion to debate with him. Ibn al-Saqa was able to defeat all of them in debate. They were helpless to give answers in his presence. He was giving answers to them that made them look like children and mere students in his presence.
His brilliance made the King of Byzantium so fascinated with him that he invited him to his private family meeting. There he saw the daughter of the King. He immediately fell in love with her, and he asked her father, the King, for her hand in marriage. She refused except on condition that he accept her religion. He did, leaving Islam and accepting the Christian religion of the princess. After his marriage he became seriously ill. They threw him out of the palace. He became a town beggar, asking everyone for food, yet no one would provide for him. Darkness had come over his face.
One day he saw someone that had known him before. That person relates: ‘I asked him, What happened to you?’ He replied: ‘There was a temptation and I fell into it.’ The man asked him: ‘Do you remember anything from the Holy Qur’an?’ He replied: ‘I only remember rubbama yawaddu al-ladhina kafaru law kanu muslimin — ‘Again and again will those who disbelieve wish that they were Muslims’ (15:2).’
He was trembling as if he was giving up his last breath. I turned him towards the Ka`ba, but he kept turning towards the East. Then I turned him back towards the Ka’aba, but he turned himself to the East. I turned him a third time, but he turned himself to the East. Then as his soul was passing from him, he said, ‘O Allah, that is the result of my disrespect to Your saint, Yusuf al-Hamadani.’
Ibn Abi `Asrun continues: ‘I went to Damascus and the king there, Nur al- Din al-Shahid, put me in control of the religious department, and I accepted. As a result, dunya entered from every side: provision, sustenance, fame, money, position for the rest of my life. That is what the ghawth Yusuf al-Hamadani had predicted for me.’(1)
(1) al-Haytami, Fatawa hadithiyya 315-316.
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More information on Khwaja Yusuf Hamadani from Nafahat al Uns
His patronymic is Abu Ya’qub. He was an Imam, a scholar, a lordly sage, master of the spiritual states, endowed with abundant gifts, charismatic talents and illustrious dissertations. At the beginning of his career, he went to Baghdad, where he regularly attended the class of Shaikh Abu Ishaq Shirazi. He achieved a very high standard there, and he excelled his peers in the science of Islamic jurisprudence [fiqh], as well as in the other sciences, especially the theoretical sciences. In spite of his young age, Shaikh Abu Ishaq accorded him preference over very many of his companions. In Baghdad, Isfahan and Samarqand, he heard the noble Prophetic tradition [hadith] related by very many trustworthy reporters.
He then left all that, and embarked on the path of worship, spiritual exercise and earnest endeavour. It is a well-known fact that he received his initiation into Sufism from Shaikh Abu ‘Ali Farmadhi. He is also said to have joined the fellowship of Shaikh ‘Abdu’llah Juwaini and Shaikh Hasan Simnani.
As an addendum I wanted to enter further into the topic of education.
It is said that my earlier words:
ignores the stewardship of humanity (and Muslims) on the Earth.
I say, stewardship in the hands of people who cannot see a world with different roles and responsibilities is one of confusion and lack of foresight and consequences.
It is often said that the ummah is in need of education, but the immediate response from my point of view has to be “what type of education?” Education is a loaded word, its been the holy grail for many for some time now, so let us qualify it.
Some possibilities of what type of education we could be discussing, keep in mind we are speaking now not of knowledge, but of a broad term of ‘education’ that requires literacy:
1) Secular (Science, Mathematics, etc)
2) Religious – Legal
3) Religious – Doctrine
The criticism of traditionalism was first focused on attacking my qualifications to speak on the issue. Secondly, the criticism was speaking about the need to obtain ubiquitous literacy in the Muslim world and apply at least 1, 2, and 3 into all Muslims life. This is what I will examine.
So let us say we gave you the power to impact some change right now, and immediately educate people. What would you educate them in first, second, last? What and who would you exclude and what and who would you include?
I would remind the reader about the realm of the discussion here. This is on the global scale, for the entire ummah.
Really, now, tell me what is the universal goal of mass literacy and education in its larger context? The truth is, as I said previously, the West has promoted this concept because it has been able to shift those working in jobs which need less education from the public eye. When they do enter the public eye, i.e. Katrina, they shake their head and say “They are just not making enough money because they are not educated!”.
Does everybody, and I mean globally, does every single person on the earth need a secular education right now? I personally don’t think so. Who will be the school janitor when everyone has written a thesis on the contemporary string theory of physics? Who will milk the sheep when everyone can be a professor of fine arts? Who will make the shoes when everyone can build computers? Who will be the waiter when everyone has their MBA to run the restaurant?
It might be said, I am discussing high levels of education and when we are speaking about basic education. Alhamdulillah, ‘basics’ are good, but again then, what are the basics to you and to me? What is the benefit of everyone having that basic secular education if it is not to lead us onward to higher and higher levels within the academic and professional system? People now say, casually that all that math they learned in class didn’t really help them at their professions, yet we don’t really consider the profoundness of that when we are force feeding that same education on families of children who don’t have the luxury of such use of time.
In the traditional days the Awliya would look at a community and help decide who was best suited to be a high scholar and who was best suited to be a porter.
It was wisdom, interpersonal relationships, knowing what people wanted for themselves and for others, knowing levels of ambition, and also necessity which brought whole communities together that made secular education *a useful tool* for the right people.
Today, without their guidance, the world has turned into a rat race of getting on the top of an educational ladder, those who fall by the wayside are only looked upon as having failed and essentially tossed aside for the wolves. In today’s day those ‘failures’ are punished by being priced out of food, not earning enough to cover the costs of an unseen education tax on the growing of their scientifically engineered bread. But in the past those people were content, generally those people lived and sought simple lives, with satisfaction.
In an Islamic context, you might actually know the name of the janitor who cleans your office, and he might have actually been respected.
The promise of modernity has all but erased the desire for a simple life from our lives. The Prophet (Sallalahu’alaiheewassalam) taught us contentment with what we have, contentment with destiny, contentment with our Lord, and what was taught was simplicity in practice, simplicity in lifestyle. This is what the modern ‘scholar’ has forgotten and rejected.
If they have understood the above about secular education they have become confused and applied the same rat race to the religion itself, and that is not only dangerous for the world but to the soul.
Let us continue with the different types of education and their roles.
Does everyone need #2, a legal education in Shariat? Let us realize the number of people who don’t even believe even in its application today personally. Will a mandatory class in understanding of Mukhtasar al-Quduri help save the souls of the world? Will studying the fiqh exposed through Sahih Bukhari in high school lead to a situation where more and more people feel they have the authority to argue on matters of legal permissibility? Most likely. That is what we are seeing today, and it is only creating more confusion.
Nearly all of the world doesn’t practice the Shariat in terms of public policies, and in the traditional understanding it took years before we considered someone satisfactorily studied in the aspects of Shariat in order to utter one word about it. Is a light ‘dose’ of information what we need? I think it would be better to focus and create respect for the scholarship which did exist, to keep alive the practical aspects of learning how to pray, how to fast, which are easily understood by consulting ones knowledgeable local imam. Furthermore, the basic respect for the madhabs and a very high level understanding of the methodologies could be summarized and conveyed in a simple 15 minute talk.
Does absolutely everyone need #3, doctrine? I think few people could read the works on aqeeda and say that every man, woman, son and daughter, needs to understand the principals and differences within the Ashari, Maturidi and Athari aqeedas. Like Shariat, there is questionable worldly and spiritual benefit to knowing exactly the necessary consequences on physics from understanding that Allah is the source of all causality. At the same time, understanding the basic creedal aspects of our religion is something very simple, again, understood in its necessity in a 15 minute talk.
Now let us begin to discuss the power of knowledge and ‘education’ that does not need mass literacy.
4) Religious – Spiritual (Tassawuf)
5) Religious – General, Basics, Dawah
6) Practical ‘On the Job’/Experienced-based Knowledge
Now we can begin to discuss what the Prophet (Sallalahu’alaiheewassalam) spoke about when he commended knowledge and its seeking.
Regarding spiritual knowledge: It is said our Grandshaykh Abdullah Daghestani was Ummi, he could not read nor write outside of the Quran. Yet, when he spoke he was able to speak of spiritual realities which ended moving thousands and thousands of people. Is everyone in need of such spiritual lessons? Yes, because this is what the Prophet (Salallahu’alaiheewassalam) poured into the hearts of people. Shariat was learned largely through his practice and example, and a few orders. But spiritual teachings and awareness of God was the content of our beloved Prophet’s (Sallalahu’alaiheewwassalams) words.
So everyone is in need of it, but yet we don’t see an absolute need of ‘literacy’ to learn it nor to speak about it.
The general aspects of Islam, #5, need to be retaught to many, many, many people who call themselves Muslims indeed. But again, is the reliance on texts or on the people to spread that knowledge?
The Muslim community may be in need of a light dose of Shariat, Aqeedah, etc. I say, those that want it can get a ‘light dose’ through numerous means. There never was a prerequisite of ‘literacy’ when it comes to the basics of the deen. When Saad bin Abi Waqqas (R) went to China, did he bring with him books or knowledge within his heart?
I think the time for dismissing and insulting the Muslims of villages as irrelevant and ignorant fools is long gone. Frankly, I think those are the places where one can still practice Islam and escape from this world with a clean heart. It is in Russia, where texts were eliminated, where people carried Islam within their hearts, through the knowledge of the heart. This was a time when even proclamation of your faith would land you in jail. Turkey, which experienced an elimination the actual Arabic script, escaped with a faith that has lead Islamists into democratic government. In Bosnia, few could name you six books of Hadith, but their faith carried most of them through a genocide.
I think emphasizing knowledge has to now to be prefaced with what type of knowledge exists, I think demeaning those who happen to be born in different conditions as being unable to achieve high levels with Allah is the real Bidaa.
Yes, we need education in this society to survive. The world demands it, as it is not being run by people with faith. But while we participate in this system, we can also keep alive in our hearts the reality and the goal of a simple life. Looking to spread the confusion within the very sciences of Islam is not the answer.
There is more to say, the Ottoman’s decision regarding the printing press, Imam Ghazali’s (R) encounter with those who were ready to eliminate all his books, etc. But I will leave it at this for now.
the truth on 
m.a.kidwai,CME/IND.RLY.(retd.) on 