SAINT WORSHIP

Allaah's Favor:

It is a part of man's nature to elevate some human beings over others. He likes to hold them in high esteem and prefers to follow them rather than make decisions on his own. This is a direct result of the fact that Allaah has favored some people over others, in various ways. Man has been placed over woman socially:

And some men have been placed over other men economically:

The tribe of Israel was favored over the rest of mankind by divine guidance:

The prophets were favored over all mankind by revelation and Allaah favored some of the prophets over others:

Yet Allaah has told us not to desire the things by which He has favored some of mankind over others

because these favors are tests which carry with them great responsibilities. They are not a result of man's strivings, and, as such, should not be a source of pride. Allaah will not give us a reward for having them, although we will be held to account for how we used them. Thus, Allaah's Messenger advised us, "Look at those below you and not those above you. It is better for you, so that you do not deny Allaah's blessings on you."103

Everyone has been placed above others in some way or another, and everyone has certain responsibilities for which he will be held accountable. The Prophet (saws) said, "Everyone of you is a shepherd, and everyone is responsible for his flock."104 These responsibilities are the basic components of the tests of this life. If we are thankful to Allaah for His favors and apply them justly, we succeed; otherwise, we fail. But, perhaps the greatest test of responsibility is that of Allaah's favoring man over all creation. This favor was confirmed by Allaah's command to the angels to prostrate to Aadam and the responsibility is twofold:

a. It carries a personal responsibility of accepting Islaam: total submission to Allaah.

b. It also carries a group commitment of establishing Allaah's law throughout the earth.

Thus, believers are far superior to disbelievers in Allaah's sight because of their acceptance of their responsibilities. Allaah said:

Taqwaa:

Among the community of believers, some are superior to others; and this superiority is a direct result of their own strivings. It is a superiority linked to Eemaan, the strength and depth of faith. A living faith drives the one who possesses it to shield himself from whatever displeases Allaah. This shield in Arabic is called "Taqwaa." It has been variously translated as "fear of God", "piety", as well as "God-consciousness"; and it carries all these meanings and more. Allaah clearly expressed the superiority of Taqwaa as follows:

Allaah is here saying that the only factor which makes a believing man or woman truly superior to another is the level of Taqwaa. It is this piety or fear of God which elevates man from the level of "thinking animal" to that of governor (Khaleefah) of the planets. The importance of the fear of Allaah in a Muslim's life cannot be overstressed. Allaah mentioned Taqwaa and its derivatives 26 times in the Qur'aan, everywhere emphasizing that Taqwaa is the driving force behind living faith. Without it, faith is only a meaningless jumble of memorized words and phrases, and 'righteous' deeds only shells of pretense and hypocrisy. Consequently, piety is preferred over all other considerations in all of life's transactions. The Messenger of Allaah (saws) said: "A woman is married for four (reasons): her wealth, her nobility, her beauty, and her piety. Choose the pious one and be successful."107 No matter how beautiful, rich or well bred a woman might be, if she is not pious, she is inferior to a pious, ugly, poor woman from a dishonorable family. The converse is also true, as the Prophet (saws) said, "If a man whose practise of the religion satisfies you, asks you for your daughter in marriage, you should marry them; otherwise there will be corruption in the land."108

The Prophet (saws) once reprimanded Abu Dharr for derisively calling Bilal, 'son of a black woman', then he went on to say, "Look! Surely you are not better than a brown man nor a black man except by fearing Allaah more than them."109 This understanding was hammered home time and time again by Allaah's messenger (saws). Even in the Farewell Pilgrimage, done shortly before he died, he lectured the people on the insignificance of racial differences and the all importance of Taqwaa.

The most pious individuals are only known to Allaah, because the seat of Taqwaa is the heart. Man can only judge people by each other's outward deeds which may or may not be misleading. Allaah made that abundantly clear in the following verse:

Therefore, it is not permissible for humans to designate certain people as being particularly saintly and pious to a degree beyond the reach of ordinary humans. The Prophet Muhammad (saws) specified among his companions (Sahaabah) some whom he gave glad tidings of paradise in this life.111 However, such pronouncements were based on revelation and not his own ability to judge the hearts. For example, when the Prophet (saws) said concerning those who make a pledge of allegiance known as Bay'ah ar-Ridwaan, "No one who made the pledge beneath the tree will enter the hellfire,"112 he was confirming the Qur'ânic verse revealed to that effect:

Similarly, he judged some whom everyone thought were destined to paradise to be among those destined for the hellfire. All such judgements were based on revelation. Ibn 'Abbaas said that he was told by 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab that on the day of (the battle) of Khaybar, some of the Prophet's companions came and said, "So and so is a martyr and so and so is a martyr," but when they came to a man about whom they said, "So and so is a martyr," Allaah's messenger declared, "By no means! I have seen him in hell in a cloak which he took (from the spoils) dishonestly." Allaah's messenger then said, "Go, Ibn al-Khattaab, and announce among the people three times that only the believers will enter paradise."114

In Christian tradition down through the ages, some individuals were highly praised for their supposed spiritual achievements. Miracles were attributed to them and the rank of "saint" was bestowed on them. In pre-Christian Hindu and Buddhist tradition, teachers who were supposed to have climbed the ladder of spiritual excellence and who had performed supernatural feats were also given titles like Guru, Avatar, etc., indicating spiritual superiority. These designations have led the masses to either seek intercession through them or to worship them as gods. Consequently, these religious traditions have lists of saints to whom the masses fervently pray. Islaam, on the other hand, opposes even the excessive praise of Prophet Muhammad (saws) who said, "Do not praise me excessively as the Christians did to 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, verily I am only a slave, so call me instead the slave of Allaah and His messenger"115

Walee: The "Saint"

The term saint has been used to translate the Arabic word Walee (pl. Awliyaa) which Allaah used, to designate those who are close to Him. But, a more appropriate translation is "close friend" because Walee literally means an "ally." Allaah even uses it to refer to Himself in the verse:

"Allaah is the Walee of those who believe and takes them from the darkness into light."116

He also uses it to refer to Satan as in the verse:

This term also means "close relative" as in the following verse:

It is also used in Qur'aan to indicate closeness between men, for example,

But the usage which concerns us most is "Awliyaa-ullaah" close friends of Allaah. In the Qur'aan Allaah has designated among mankind certain types of individuals whom He considers especially close to Himself. Allaah's description of His Walees can be found in Soorah al-Anfaal where Allaah states:

And Soorah Younus:

Allaah explains for us that the criterion for "Walaayah" (divine friendship) is Eemaan (faith) and Taqwaa (piety) and these qualities are shared by all true believers.122 Among the ignorant masses, the main criterion for Walaayah ("Sainthood") is the performance of miracles which are commonly called Karaamaat to distinguish them from the miracles Mu'jizaat of the prophets. To most who hold this belief, the faith and practise of the "miracle" worker are of no consequence. Hence, some who have been designated "saints" held heretical beliefs and practises, while others were known to have abandoned the religious rituals, and, yet others were even involved in licentious and vulgar behavior. However, nowhere has Allaah made the working of miracles a stipulation for being His Walee. Therefore, as earlier stated, all believers who have Eemaan and Taqwaa are Walees of Allaah and He is their Walee, as Allaah Himself said,

Consequently, Muslims are not allowed to designate certain believers as being Awliyaa of Allaah and not others. In spite of this clear Islamic position, a hierarchy of so-called Muslim saints has become a prominent feature in Sufi circles and among the masses who blindly follow them. In ascending order of merit they are: the Akhyaar (chosen) who number 300; the Abdaal (substitutes) numbering 40; the 7 Abraar (pious); the 4 Awtaad (pegs); the 3 Nuqabaa (watchmen), the Qutb (pole) who is considered the greatest saint of his time, and at the top of the list is the Ghawth (Succor), the greatest of Saints, who is believed, in some circles, to be capable of taking on his shoulders a portion of the sins of the believers. According to the belief of "mystics", the saints of the top three classes are present invisibly in Makkah at the hours of prayer. When the Ghawth dies, the Qutb replaces him and there is a moving up all through the series, the purest soul of each class rising to the next degree.124 This body of mythology has been borrowed from Christianity, just as Dhikr beads were adopted from the Christian rosary, and Mawlid from the Christian celebration of Christmas.

Fanaa: The Union of Man With God

A close look at various lists of the most prominent so-called saints, reveals names like that of al-Hallaaj who was publicly executed as an apostate for daring to openly claim divinity in his infamous pronouncement "Ana-al-Haqq" 'I am the Reality' when Allaah already said:

What led this deranged individual to make such a pronouncement was his belief in a principle very similar to the ultimate state of being in Buddhism known as "Nirvana."126 In this state, according to a branch of Buddhist thought, the ego disappears and the human soul and consciousness are extinguished.127

This concept also forms the core of a philosophy known as "mysticism". Mysticism128 is defined as an experience of union with God and the belief that man's main goal lies in seeking that union. The origins of mysticism can be found in the writings of ancient Greek philosophers like Plato's Symposium in which mention is made of various ladders of ascent, composed of steep and hard steps, whereby a union of the soul with God is finally attained.129 A parallel concept can also be found in Hinduism's identification of Atman (human soul) with Brahman (the impersonal Absolute), the realization of which is the ultimate goal or release from existence and rebirth.130 Greek mystic thought blossomed in the Gnostic Christian movements which, like that of Valentinus (c. 140 CE), reached their peak in the second century CE. These trends were combined in the third century with Platonism by the Egypto-Roman philosopher, Plotinus (205-270 CE), to form a religious philosophy known as neoplatonism. Christian anchorites or hermits of the 3rd century CE, who began the monastic tradition in Christendom by withdrawing into the Egyptian desert, adopted the mystic goal of union with God as it was propounded in neoplatonic thought at that time, within a framework of meditative and ascetic practises of self-denial. Although it was "St." Pachomius (290-346 CE) who established the first set of rules for Christian monasticism and founded nine monasteries in the Egyptian desert; "St." Benedict of Nursia (480-547 CE), in developing the Benedictine Rule for the monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy, came to be regarded as the real founder of Western monastic order.131

The mystic tradition kept alive in monastic Christianity began to find expression among Muslims from about 8th century CE, a century after the borders of the Islamic state had expanded to include Egypt and Syria and its major centers of monasticism.132 A group of Muslims who were not satisfied with what the Sharee'ah (Islamic Law) had to offer, developed a parallel system which they named the Tareeqah (the way). Just as the ultimate goal of the Hindu was unity with the world soul and of the Christian mystic union with God; the ultimate goal of this movement became Fanaa, the dissolution of the ego, and Wusool the meeting and unification of the human soul with Allaah in this life. A series of preliminary stages and states which had to be attained were defined. They were called Maqaamaat (stations) and Haalaat (states). A system of spiritual exercises was also designed for the initiate in order to bring about this "meeting." These exercises of Dhikr 133 often involved head and body movements and sometimes even dance, as in the case of whirling dervishes. All of these practises were attributed to the Prophet (saws) through chains of narration in order to validate them, but there does not exist any authentic support for them in any of the classical books of Hadeeth. A multiplicity of systems evolved, and orders, similar to those among Christian monks, appeared named after their founders, like the Qaadiri, Chishti, Nakhshabandi, and Teejaani orders. Along with that, volumes of legends and fairy tales were spun around the founders and the outstanding personalities of these orders. And, just as Christian and Hindu monks chose special isolated structures (i.e. monasteries) in which to house their communities, the Sufi orders developed similar housing schemes called Zaawiyahs (lit. corners).

In time, a body of heretic creeds developed out of the mystic "union-with-God" belief. For example, most orders claimed that Allaah could be seen when the state of Wusool (arrival) was achieved. Yet when 'Aa'eshah asked the Prophet (saws) if he saw Allaah during Mi'raaj (ascension) he replied that he had not.134 Prophet Moosaa was also shown that neither he nor any man could withstand seeing Allaah in this life by Allaah revealing some of His being to a mountain which crumbled to dust during the revelation.135 Some Sufi adepts claimed that when the state of Wusool was attained, the mundane obligations of Sharee'ah like five times daily Salaah, were no longer obligatory. Most of them prescribed that prayers to Allaah could be sent through the Prophet (saws) or through the so-called saints; many also began the practice of making Tawaaf136, animal sacrifices and other acts of worship around the shrines and tombs of the saints. Tawaaf can be observed today around the grave of Zaynab and Sayyid al-Badawi in Egypt, around the tomb of Muhammad Ahmad (The Mahdi) in Sudan, and around the Darghas of countless saints and holy men in India and Pakistan.

The Sharee'ah came to be looked at as the outer path designed for the ignorant masses, while the Tareeqah was the inner path of an elite enlightened few. Opinionated Tafseer (Qur'anic commentary) appeared in which the meanings of the Qur'anic verses were bent and twisted to support the heretical ideas of the mystic movement. Greek philosophical thought was also blended with fabricated Hadeeths to produce a body of inauthentic literature which challenged the early Islamic classics and eventually displaced them among the masses. Music was introduced in most circles and drugs like marijuana could be found in others as a means of heightening the pseudo-spiritual experience which they all sought. Such was the legacy of the latter generation of Sufis which had been built on the false premise that union of the human soul with Allaah was attainable. The early generation of pious individuals, like 'Abdul-Qaadir al-Jeelaani, and others to whom some orders were attributed, clearly understood the importance of distinguishing between the Creator and the created. The two could never become one, as One was Divine and Eternal, while the other was human and finite.

The Union of God With Man

Nothing escapes Allaah's knowledge, therefore, the wise are those who act accordingly. They feel His presence at all times. They carefully perform all their obligatory (Fard) duties, then they piously try to make up for any of the inevitable deficiencies by doing a host of voluntary acts. These voluntary acts help to protect the obligatory duties. For example, during times of weakness or spiritual lows, one may become lax in fulfilling one's religious duties. However, those who had voluntary practices would likely neglect some of their voluntary practices, while keeping their obligatory duties intact. If they did not have a protective shield of voluntary acts and they fell into a period of spiritual laziness, some of their obligatory duties are likely to be discarded or neglected. The more someone strengthens his obligatory practices by performing voluntary acts, the more his life conforms to the Sharee'ah, the will of Almighty Allaah. Allaah conveyed this principle through the Prophet (saws) in a Hadeeth saying: "The most beloved thing with which My slave may come close to me is that which I have made obligatory (Fard) on him. My servant will continue to come closer to me by voluntary acts (of worship) until I love him. If I love him, I will be his hearing by which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his hand by which he grasps, and his foot by which he walks. If he asks Me anything I would give it and if he seeks refuge in Me I would protect him."137

This Walee of Allaah would only hear, see, grasp and walk to what is Halaal (lawful), while conspicuously avoiding all the Haraam (prohibited) as well as that which leads towards it. This is the only true goal worthy of dedicating one's life. Its attainment is the perfection of man's dual role as servant of God and governor of the world. But, it cannot be reached except by the route prescribed in the Hadeeth. First the compulsory duties have to be completely established, then the prescribed voluntary acts of worship have to be performed consistently and according to the Sunnah. Allaah emphasized this fact by telling His Prophet to inform the believers:

"Say, if you love Allaah, follow me (Muhammad) and Allaah will love you."138

Therefore Allaah's love can only be attained by strictly following the directives (Sunnah) of His Apostle (saws) and by carefully avoiding all innovations in religious matters. This formula is contained in the following Hadeeth in which the Prophet (saws) was reported by Abu Najeeh to have said, "Keep to my Sunnah and that of the rightly guided caliphs. Bite on to it with your molars. And beware of innovations, for verily they are all heresy (Bid'ah) and heresy is misguidance which leads to the hellfire."139

One who strictly follows this principle will only listen to what Allaah wishes for him to listen to. For Allaah said describing the righteous:

"And when the ignorant (mockingly) address them, they merely say: 'Peace'"140

Elsewhere in the Qur'aan He also said,

"He has already revealed to you in the Book, that when you hear the signs of Allaah denied and ridiculed, you should not sit with them unless they change the subject. If you did you would be like them."141

By him listening only to what Allaah wishes for him to hear, Allaah has metaphorically become his hearing. In a similar way, Allaah becomes his sight, hands and feet.

This is the correct interpretation of the previously mentioned Hadeeth in which Allaah states that He will become man's hearing, sight, hands and feet. Unfortunately, this Hadeeth has been misinterpreted by mystics as support for the concept of union with Allaah - May Allaah forbid.

Roohullaah: The "Spirit" of Allaah

Support for the mystic belief in the re-unification of the human soul with Allaah has also been falsely deduced from some of the verses of the Qur'aan itself. The following verses in which Allaah said:

and

have been used as evidence for the belief that every human being contains within his body a part of God. The portion of Allaah's "spirit" which Allaah breathed into Aadam has supposedly been inherited by all of his descendents. Reference has also been made to Prophet 'Eesaa about whose mother Allaah said,

Thus, it is believed among mystics that this divine eternal spirit within man yearns to reunite with its origin from whence it came. However, this is not the case. Possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, our) in Arabic, as in English, have two general meanings depending on the context in which they are used. They may describe an attribute or a possession which is or is not a part of its owner. For example, in Allaah's command to Prophet Moosaa (Moses)

both the "hand" and "shirt" belonged to Prophet Moosaa but his hand was an attribute which was a part of him, while his shirt was a possession which was not a part of him. The same is the case relative to God with regards to His attributes and His creation.146 For example, in the case of divine mercy wherein He says:

Allaah's mercy is one of his attributes and not a part of His creation. On the other hand, Allaah sometimes refers to created things as "His" to emphasize the fact that He created them. Yet others are referred to as His to indicate the special position of honor with which He views them. For example, with respect to the She-Camel sent as a test to Prophet Saalih's people, the Thamood, Allaah quoted Prophet Saalih as saying,

The camel was miraculously sent as a sign to the Thamood who did not have any right to deny it from grazing, because the whole earth belongs to Allaah. Similarly is the case of the Ka'bah about which Allaah made a covenant with Prophets Ibraaheem (Abraham) and Ismaa'eel (Ishmael):

and paradise in the case of the righteous who on the Day of Judgement will be told by Allaah "Enter My paradise."150

As for the spirit (Rooh), it is one of Allaah's creations. Allaah states in the Qur'aan

Elsewhere in the Qur'aan He said:

And He also said:

The command is "be" for all of creation. Therefore, the spirit is created by Allaah's command. Islaam does not consider God to be an incorporeal Spirit, as do some religions like Christianity. He has neither corporeal body nor is He a formless spirit. He has a form befitting His majesty, the like of which no man has ever seen or conceived, and which will only be seen (to the degree of man's finite limitations) by the people of paradise.154 Consequently, when Allaah refers to the blowing of a spirit from Himself into prophets Aadam and 'Eesaa, special honor is given to their created spirits due to the prominence of Prophet Aadam's position in relation to the rest of mankind and to clarify the confusion concerning Maryam's virgin birth of Prophet 'Eesaa. Even Allaah's attribution of the act of blowing to Himself is, in fact, a clarification of His will and supreme power, for it is the angels who actually insert and extract the souls into man. This fact is evident from the following Hadeeth of Ibn Mas'oud who reported that Allaah's Messenger said, "Verily your creation is combined in your mother's womb for forty days in the form of an oily fluid, then as a leech-like clot for a similar period and as a clump of flesh for another similar period. Then an angel is sent to him to blow the spirit into him..."155 Thus, Allaah has the spirit blown into every human by one of His angels. By saying that 'He blew', Allaah in fact reminds us that He is the primary cause of all that takes place in creation, as He said:

Just prior to the battle of Badr the Prophet (saws) threw a handful of dust at the enemy ranks assembled hundreds of yards away, but Allaah caused some of the dust particles to miraculously reach all of the eyes of the enemy. Allaah referred to the Prophet's action as follows:

Thus, by attributing the Spirit to Himself, Allaah simply gave it a special place of honor among the spirits which He has created. Not that He, Allaah, has a spirit and blew off a piece of it into both Prophet Aadam and Prophet 'Eesaa. To further emphasize that point Allaah also refers to the Angel sent to inform Maryam as "His spirit":

The Qur'aan is a totality. Its verses explain themselves and the sayings and practices of the Prophet (saws) further clarify its meanings. When verses are taken out of context, the meanings of the Qur'aan can easily be distorted. For example, verse four of Soorah al-Maa'oon reads:

This verse by itself is in total contradiction to the rest of Qur'aan and Islaam. Salaah has been made obligatory throughout the Qur'aan, For example, Allaah said:

Yet this verse curses those who make Salaah! However, the verses which follow it clarify the intended meaning as:

Thus, Allaah's curse is on the Salaah of the hypocrites who pretend belief and not on all who make Salaah.

A more meaningful translation of the verse "Then He fashioned him (Aadam) and blew into him from His spirit," would be "Then He fashioned him and caused one of His (noble) spirits to enter him." Consequently, there is no basis in the divine scriptures for the mystic belief in the uncreated soul of man, yearning to re-unite with its origin, God. In Islaam, there is no distinction between the Arabic terms Rooh (spirit - pl. Arwaah) and Nafs (soul - pl. Anfus) with respect to man except that when it is connected to the body it is usually referred to as a Nafs. In the Qur'aan God states:

The Prophet (saws) was reported by Umm Salamah to have said, "Verily, when the spirit (Rooh) is taken the eyes follow it"163

The successful souls will be made to enter paradise as Allaah said to the righteous souls

Thus, in the end, the righteous human soul will not become extinguished in God nor unite with His supreme being, but will remain a finite spirit reunited with a finite body enjoying the pleasures of paradise for as long as Allaah wishes.

Footnotes 

97 Soorah an-Nisaa 4:34.

98 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:228.

99 Soorah an-Nahl 16:81.

100 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:47.

101 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:253.

102 Soorah an-Nisaa 4:32.

103 Collected by both al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See Sahih Al-Bukhari (Arabic - English). vol. 8, p.328. no.497. and Sahih Muslim (English Trans.). vol.4. p. 1530. no.7070.

104 Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See Sahih Al-Bukhari (Arabic - English) vol. 3, p.438. no.730 and Sahih Muslim (English Trans.) vol.3, p. 1017. no. 4496.

105 Soorah Aal'Imraan 3:110.

106 Soorah al-Hujuraat 49:13.

107 Reported by Abu Hurayrah and collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari; (Arabic-English), vol.7, pp.18-9, no.27) and Muslim (Sahih Muslim, (English Trans.), vol.2, p.749, no.3457).

108 Reported by Abu Hurayrah and collected by at-Tirmidhee.

109 Reported by 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr and collected by Ahmed.

110 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:204.

111 Among them are ten well known, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmaan, 'Alee, Talhah, az-Zubayr, Sa'd ibn Abee Waqqaas, Sa'eed ibn Zayd, 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf, Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jaarraah (see al-'Aqeedah at-Tahaaweeyah, pp.485-7).

112 Reported by Jaabir and collected by Muslim (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol.3, p.1034, no.4576).

113 Soorah al-Fat-h 48:18.

114 Collected by Muslim. See Sahih Muslim (English Trans.) vol.1, p.65, no.209.

115 Reported by 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab and collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim (See Sahih Al-Bukhari, (Arabic-English), vol.4, p.435, no.654).

116 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:257, 3:68, 42:9 and 45:19.

117 Soorah an-Nisaa 4:119, 7:27, 30, and 4:75.

118 Soorah al-Israa 17:33.

119 Soorah Aal'Imraan 3:28, 4:139, 144 and 5:51.

 120 Soorah al-Anfaal 8:34.

121 Soorah Younus 10:62-63.

122 Al-'Aqeedah at-Tahaaweeyah, p.358.

123 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:257.

124 Encyclopedia of Islaam, p.629. See also 'Alee ibn 'Uthmaan al-Hujweeree, Kashf al-Mahjoob, trans. by Nicholson (London: Luzac, rep. 1976), p.214.

125 Soorah al-Hajj 22:6 and 62, 24:25 and 31:30.

126 Sanskrit term meaning "blown out" referring to the extinction of all worldly desires, or salvation. Though the term originated in Vedantic (Bhagavad-Gita and the Vedas) it is most often associated with Buddhism. In Hinayana Buddhism the term is equated with extinction while in Mahayana Buddhism it is a state of bliss (W. L. Resse, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, (New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1980), p.393).

127 Ibid, p.72.

128 From the Greek "Mystes" meaning "one initiated into the mysteries." The term is derived from the Greek mystery religions whose initiates bore the name "mystes" (Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.374).

129 Colliers Encyclopedia, vol.17, p.114.

130 Dictionary of Religions, p.68.

131 Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, pp.365-6 and 374.

132 "The authors of treatises on Muslim mysticism have often compared the "annihilation" of Sufism with Buddhist Nirvana; but according to others this comparison is entirely inadequate as the Buddhist idea of annihilation is independent of the idea of God and includes the idea of transmigration of souls, to which Nirvana puts an end. In Muslim mysticism on the other hand, there is no question of the passing of soul upon death into another body and the notion of a personal and all-present God is throughout predominant. The origin of the Muslim conception of Fanaa has rather to be sought in Christianity from which it seems to be borrowed. This conception simply means the annihilation of the individual human will before the will of God, an idea which forms the center of all Christian mysticism." (Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, p.98).

133 Dhikr, which normally means the remembrance of God, in mystic circles, is used to refer to the continuous repetition of God's names and attributes.

134 Collected by Muslim (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol.1, pp.111-112 - nos. 337,339 and p.113, no.341.

135 Soorah al-'A'raaf 7:143.

136 Walking around an object of religious devotion.

137 Reported by Abu Hurayrah and collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari (Arabic - English). vol.8, pp.336-7. no. 509.

138 Soorah Aal'Imraan 3:31.

139 Collected by Abu Daawood (Sunan Abu Dawud, (English Trans.) vol.3, p. 1294, no.4590 and at-Tirmidhee.

140 Soorah al-Furqaan 25:63.

141 Soorah an-Nisaa 4:140.

142 Soorah as-Sajdah 32:9, and 38:72.

143 Soorah al-Hijr 15:29 and Soorah Saad 38:72.

144 Soorah al-Anbiyaa 21:91 and Soorah at-Tahreem 66:12.

145 Soorah Taahaa 20:22.

146 Tayseer al-'Azeez al-Hameed, pp.84-5.

147 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:105.

148 Soorah al-A'raaf 7:73.

149 Soorah al-Baqarah 2:125.

150 Soorah al-Fajr 89:30.

151 Soorah al-Israa 17:85.

152 Soorah Aal'Imraan 3:47.

153 Soorah Aal'Imraan 3:59.

154 See the Chapter on Seeing Allaah, p.136 of this work for further detail on this point.

155 Collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, (Arabic - English), vol.4, pp. 290-1 no.430) and Muslim. (Sahih Muslim, (English Trans.) vol.4, p.1391, no.6390).

156 Soorah as-Saaffaat 37:96.

157 Soorah al-Anfaal 8:17.

158 Soorah Maryam 19:17.

159 Soorah Taahaa 20:14.

160 Soorah al-Maa'oon 107: 5-7.

161 al-'Aqeedah at-Tahaaweeyah p. 394.

162 Soorah az-Zumar 39:42.

163 Collected by Muslim (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol.2, p. 437 no.2005).

164 Soorah al-Fajr 89:27-30.