What is Tasawwuf? Is it right or wrong?

Tasawwuf in simple terms means to adhere to the laws of Allah in every facet of life. Kindly forward us your postal address for some literature on the subject matter.

And Allah Taãla Knows Best.

Was salaam

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.

Respected Brother-in-Islam

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu

In answer to your questions and in order for you to get a better understanding, we should be sending you a book, 'Shariat and Tasawwuf'. Kindly send us with your postal address.
1. Regarding Bay'at, see page 9 onwards
2. Regarding the saying of thousands of wise ones, we should take advantage of their experience and wisdom and heed to their advise. The more friends one has the more he will mingle, and the more he mingles the more he will speaks. We don't have to elaborate on how loose our tongues are. Not a meeting goes by without us speaking of a third person which in most cases is tantamount to backbiting, slandering, etc. which are all detrimental to our spiritual lives.
3. Meaning befriend people who are such that looking at them reminds you of Allah Ta'ala, listening to their talk increases your knowledge of Deen and associating with them makes you remember the hereafter and prepare for it. 4. If we command someone to do something and he does it, then we befriend and take a liking to him for listening to us. In the same way, we all agree that obeying the commands of Allah Ta'ala is Fardh upon us. And if we obey him, we will definitely become his friend. If one did not become Allah Ta'ala's friend then it means that he didn't obey him which was Fardh upon him. thereforem obeying Allah Ta'ala and becoming his friend both go hand in hand and are Fardh.
5. Shaql is a type of 'medication' for the spiritual body which needs to be 'taken' with the guidance of a spiritual doctor (Shaykh).
6. Yes, recalling their childhood will be of assistance to them in protecting them from the evil of pride because they must have also committee sins before reacting the lofty stages that they are upon presently. Secondly, it will allow them to tolerate the mishaps of their Mureeds and adopt patience in their (i.e. Mureeds) slow progress.
7. Saalik - one treading the path of Sulook or Tasawwuf (the path towards Allah Ta'ala).
8. A true human being is one who respects and honours the dignity of the next human being and nor does he cause harm to the next human being in any way (physically, verbally, etc.) How many of us despite our titles of Haafidh, Molvis, etc. have this quality in us?
9. A spiritual doctor is called, 'Shaykh' and his surgery is called, 'Khanqah'. The Khanqah is normally where the Shaykh resides, delivers his lectures and Mureeds come to stay with him for different periods of time for their spiritual upliftment.

Finally, we request you to make special Du'a for our Shaykh, Moulana Farouk Saheb (RA) who suddenly passed away in May this year (1999)