What are Sirhindi’s views regarding the guardians of the sharia, the ulama ?
The classification of the ulama, offered by Sirhindi faithfully reflects his views of the sharia as described above. The form of the shariah, which according to Sirhindi is contained in the unequivocal verses of the Quran (muhkamat), is the domain of the superficial ulama (ulama-i zawahir). They are captivated by the form, deny the existence of any essence in it, and are guided solely by books on fiqh, such as the Hidayah (of al-Marghinani and Bazdawi). The essence of the sharia , on the other hand, is dealt with by the profound ulama (ulama-i rasikhan). It is found in the ambiguous verses of the Quran (mutashabihat), which are the kernel and heart of the Book. The unequivocal verses, though called ummahat-i kitab, are nothing but a means t o reach the substance (nataij) contained in the ambiguous ones. The profound ulama understand the dual nature of the shariah, insist on attaining both its form and essence, but concede that the form is sufficient for the person to be a Muslim…
We may say in conclusion, that in his discussion of the Shariah, Sirhindi clearly values its inner, ‘essential’ aspects above it outward and formal ones. This preference results in his according the highest status to the ambiguous verses of the Quran in which the essence is thought to be contained. Sirhindi maintains this view despite the fact, according to the Quran itself, only ‘those in whose hearts there is a deviation follow the ambiguous [verses] desiring dissension [Surah 3:7]. At the same time he maintains that the outward form of the shariah cannot be dispensed with, since the form can never be separated from the essence, and no one can reach the essence while disregarding the form. The concept of shariah is thus fully incorporated into the Sufi world-view. The characteristic Sufi dichotomy of form and essence is thoroughly applied to it. Those who compliance with the shariah is merely formal are rather condescendingly accepted into the Muslim community; their inferiority to those who reach the essence is, however, made abundantly clear.
ref: Friedmann (2000). Sheykh Ahmad Sirhindi, An Outline of His Thought and a Study of His Image in the Eyes of Posterity. pub: Oxford University Press (India)
Imam Rabbani (ks) work, where he distinguishes and emphasizes the distinction between the ulama rasikhin and ulama zahir:
Istidlal means to infer the existence of the doer of the work by seeing the work, that is, to know the existence of the Creator by seeing creatures. The ‘ulama-i rasikhin and the ‘ulama-i zahir always perform istidlal and say that creatures have been communicating [the existence of] the Creator. Those savants who, as stated in a hadith, are prophets’ inheritors are called ‘ulama-i rasikhin. Not all the Islamic scholars are so. Those savants who are not rasikh understand the existence of the Creator by knowing the existence of creatures. They say that the existence of the work communicates existence of the doer. Thus, they believe in the existence of the doer. But the ‘ulama’-i rasikhin have passed beyond all the high grades of Wilayat, that is, of being Awliya, and have reached the grade of da’wat (call, invitation), which is peculiar to prophets. After the happening of tajallis and mushahadas in them, they, too, deduce the doer from the work. And through this way they believe the real doer, that is, have iman in the existence of Allahu ta’ala. After reaching the end, they realize that everything which they have found out through mushahada and tajalli is not the real being but one of the shades of the appearances of the real being. “It cannot be believed as the real being. One cannot have iman in the real being without istidlal,” they say. By doing istidlal, they go on searching for the real being without the shades coming between. Because they love the real being only and because they will sacrifice everything else for the real being, they attain to the real being through such istidlal. As it is stated in the hadith, “A person will be together with whom he loves,” they attain to the real being, who actually exists beyond the tajallis and zuhurs, which are mixed with shades. Being pulled with the rope of love, these great people reach the true origin in person while the savants of zahir reach there in knowledge only.
-THIRD VOLUME, 50th LETTER
What the savants obtain of the din and their following Rasulullah is first their correcting their belief. Next comes their learning the teachings of the Shariat and practicing what they have learned. And what the men of tasawwuf obtain is hals, wajds, pieces of the knowledge of tasawwuf and marifats, together with those that are attained by the savants. And as for what the ‘Ulama-i rasikhin obtain of the din who have been blessed with the glad tidings that they are prophets’ inheritors, along with the fact that they have been blessed with the lot of obtaining all of what the savants of the din and the men of tasawwuf have obtained, they have been blessed with many a piece of secret and subtle knowledge. These pieces of secret and subtle knowledge are indicated by the concealed and covered ayats in the Qur’an, which are called mutashabihat. They have been explained by means of tawil. It is these superiors with rasikh (perfect) knowledge who adapt themselves to Rasulullah fully. These only are the inheritors of Rasulullah. Since they adapt themselves to Rasulullah precisely, and being prophets’ inheritors, they get a share from the blessings bestowed upon prophets. They, too, are made to hear secret knowledge peculiar to those great people. They, therefore, have been honored with the glad tidings: “The savants of my Ummat are like the Prophets of the sons of Israil.”
-SECOND VOLUME, 13th LETTER
And they who believe and whose seed follow them in faith, We cause their seed to join them (there), and We deprive them of nought of their (life’s) work. Every man is a pledge for that which he hath earned. [Quran 52:21]
Tafsir Ibn Kathir:
In this Ayah, Allah the Exalted affirms His favor, generosity, graciousness, compassion and beneficence towards His creation. When the offspring of the righteous believers imitate their parents regarding faith, Allah will elevate the latter to the ranks of the former, even though the latter did not perform deeds as goodly as their parents. Allah will comfort the eyes of the parents by seeing their offspring elevated to their grades. Surely, Allah will gather them together in the best manner, and He will not decrease the reward or the grades of those higher in rank for joining them together, hence His statement,
The seriousness and persistence with which scribes and scholars in the Islamic world were able during that period to preserve and transmit the text of the most important of all books in that world, the Koran, and, next, the traditional collections of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet of Islam, meant that, once codified, their preservation and transmission could remain free of the many problems besetting the preservation and transmission of most other books, both religious and secular, during the transition from the manuscript age to the age of printed books. In contrast, the disturbing manner in which European printers took liberties with the text of the Koran (when compared to the care taken in printing the Gutenberg Bible, for instance) could not but raise doubts among Muslims regarding the virtues of printing when they first came into contact with the new technology.
One look at the title page of the Koran printed in Hamburg in 1694 (figure 1.1) must have made Muslim readers of the Koran think that only the Devil himself could have produced such an ugly and faulty version of their Holy Book; and the same must have been the impression made on them by Alessandro de Paganino’s Venice Koran printed in the 1530s, where the printer, perhaps following some contemporary Arabic vernacular, did not distinguish between certain letters of the alphabet, such as thedal and the dhal (figure 1.2). One would expect a handbook on medicine and medicaments, such as the Arabic text of Avicenna’s Canon, to be free of printing errors, since errors in a book of this nature can easily lead to unfortunate results. Yet the Medici edition (Rome, 1593) of this work commits a serious grammatical fault, to say nothing of the syntactical infelicities, on the title page itself (figure 1.3).
Unlike a faulty manuscript copy by some ignorant scribe, such printed books involve an orderly organization, extensive financing, and the distribution of a large number of copies with the same errors, making it less easy to dismiss them as unimportant or inconsequential incidents.
ref: Mahdi, Muhsin. The Book in the Islamic World, “From the Manuscript Age to the Age of Printed Books” (1995). State University of New York Press, New York.
Guide us in the straight path, the path of those
whom Thou hast blessed, not of those against
whom Thou art wrathful, nor of those who are stray.
Quran, Surat alFatihah
54 Faraid in Islam
by Imam Hasan al-Basri (rh)
1. To believe in the Oneness of Allah and to be constant in His remembrance (Dhikrullah).
2. To wear only Halal clothes.
3. To make Wudu when it is required.
4. To establish daily Salat.
5. To make Ghusl when it is required.
6. To believe in and put absolute trust in Allah’s promise in taking of one’s sustenance (Rizq).
7. To consume only Halal foods.
8. To have contentment (Qana’ah).
9. To have trust (Tawakkul) in Allah.
10. To have trust in Allah’s Qada’ and Qadar.
11. To count one’s blessings and show gratitude (Shukr) for Allah’s bounties.
12. To show patience (Sabr) towards hardships and calamities.
13. To repent (Tawbah) on regular basis.
14. To worship (Ibadah) Allah with utmost sincerity (Ikhlas).
15. To regard the Sata (Shaytan) as the number one personal and public enemy.
16. To base one’s worldview and actions on the Quran.
17. To prepare oneself for death.
18. To love for the sake of Allah (Al-Hubbu Fillah), and to detest for the sake of Allah (Al-Bughdu Fillah).
19. To enjoin what is lawful and virtuous in accordance with Allah’s Law (Al-Amri b’l-Maruf) and
prohibit what is unlawful, vice and evil (Wa’n Nahyi ‘ani’l-Munkar).
20. To abstain from back-biting (Ghiybah) and malice.
21. To obey and show gratitude to ones parents and to treat them with respect and love.
22. To maintain bonds of kinship (Silatu’r-Rahm) with ones relatives.
23. To uphold the Trust (Amanah) and refrain from any betrayal.
24. To abstain from unlawful humour (Mizah).
25. To obey Allah and His Messenger peace be upon him.
26. To seek refuge in Allah from all evils and transgressions.
27. To fear Allah.
28. To look at things with a discerning eye to learn a lesson, to take an admonition (Ibrah) and heed from them.
29. To contemplate deeply (Tafakkur) on Allah’s creation, but not about Allah’s Essence.
30. To protect one’s tongue from evil utterances.
31. To abstain from committing evil and unlawful things.
32. To refrain from mocking anybody (Istihza).
33. To protect one’s eyes from gazing at Haram things.
34. To abstain from having suspicion and ill thoughts (Sui-z-Zann) towards Allah and Mu’minin.
35. To be righteous under all circumstances.
36. To abstain from impertinent behaviour which leads to transgression.
37. To refrain from listening to ugly and unlawful things.
38. To exert effort to acquire Islamic knowledge.
39. To maintain right measure and weight in business transaction.
40. To abstain from becoming complacent in regards to Allah’s plans over one’s affairs.
41. To refrain from refusing to give to the poor and the needy.
42. To abstain from giving up hope from Allah’s mercy.
43. To refrain from following the desires (Shahawat), whims and wishes (Hawa’) of the animal self (Nafs).
44. To give charity (Sadaqah) from one’s share of Rizq to those in need.
45. To abstain from indulgence, luxury and waste (Israf).
46. To refrain from rubbing in or taunting someone for the past favours one has done for him.
47. To abstain from conjugal relations during menses or post-natal bleedings.
48. To keep one’s heart clean from all sins.
49. To shun arrogance and self conceit.
50. To be kind and caring for the orphans.
51. To guard strictly the five daily Salat.
52. To avoid assigning partners (Shirk) to Allah and all of its forms.
53. To keep away from unlawful intercourse (Zina).
54. To abstain from all intoxicants.
55. To abstain from using Allah’s name in vain and making false oaths.?
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