Is giving bayah from Quran and sunnah ?

What is the Bay‟ah (Pledge of Allegiance)?

In the Qur‟ān al kareem it is stated;
“Lo! Those who swear allegiance unto Thee (Muhammad), swear allegiance only unto
ALLAH. The Hand of ALLAH is above their hands.”-Surah Fatha- vs.10
This verse refers to the pledge – Bay‟ah. We also come to know that to take or give a pledge BAY‟AT is the Sunnah of the Messenger of ALLAH, salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam, and to give the hand on the Messenger‟s [salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam] hand is as if he has pledged with ALLAH, subhānahū wa ta‟ālā.
Unfortunately we are unable to pledge directly upon the hands of the Messenger of ALLAH, salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam, but we can do it through the khulafā‟; vicegerents.
If you are unable to give your hand of pledge directly to the Messenger, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam), then give your hand of pledge BAY‟AT to the hand of the khalīfah; vicegerent – mentor [Shaykh]. This is because you can take the services of all things that you would by its actual things. i.e. from the thing to which or who he is a Nāib – vicegerent. For example, the vicegerent of wudū – ablution is tayammum. After performing tayammum one can do everything that one can after having done the ablution wudū.
Therefore, to be connected to a Nāib; vicegerent of the Messenger, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam), is in reality a connection to the Messenger and by the means of the Messenger we will be connected to Almighty ALLAH. We learn that when a seeker – Murīd gives his hand upon the hands of a mentor [Shaykh] and pledges with him this is because he is a vicegerent of a Prophet – meaning that in reality he is pledging to non other than the Messenger. By pledging to a Shaykh or Pīr the Seeker repents for his sins and makes a firm commitment of loyalty to ALLAH and HIS Messenger and he makes the Shaykh his guarantor for his firm intention who holds the post of vicegerent; khalīfah of the Messenger of ALLAH, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam.)
After pledging the seeker should annihilate himself to the Shaykh i.e. Fanā fi ash-Shaykh, meaning the Murīd – Seeker must sacrifice his needs before the priority of his Shaykh‟s needs, he does not act against the advice of the Shaykh, shows obedience to the Shaykhs instructions and self-annihilates his being in the Shaykhs being; to occupy day and night according to the Shaykhs advice and hold consistency to the benediction given to him. He practices acts of worships and commits serviency – adopts – ALLAH-fearingness, self-avoidance and fulfils all of the Shaykhs orders, this occurs when the Murīd – Devotee makes him self-annihilated, totally devout and a true devotee-seeker of the Shaykh. Then the Shaykh will bestow his specific compassion and hence take hold of his hands and move him forward in the presence of the Messenger, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam.)
Now the Seeker-Murīd will by the means – wasīla of his Shaykh – Mentor self-annihilate himself to the Prophet, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam,) and attain devotional annihilation in the Messenger, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam), and when the Seeker attains this level of devotion, the Messenger,( salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam), will hold out the hand of the specific devotee and with all confidence pass him on before the presence of the Almighty ALLAH and make his self [nafs] annihilated in the love of ALLAH, subhānahū wa ta‟alā. In reality, this condition is the recognition of ALLAH‟s Unity [tawhīd] i.e., the consciousness of the fact that there is no real being in the world other than HE.
To attain the level of Fanā fi‟Shaykh and Fanā fi‟Rasūl it takes great effort and strain and a long time to attain but after becoming Fanā fi‟Rasūl it does not take long to become Fanā fi‟ALLAH because it is Rasūl ALLAH, (salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam), who helps the devotee to attain the level of Fanā fi-ALLAH – a task much easier for our beloved Prophet Muhammad, salla ALLAH-u „alayhi wa sallam, to fulfil.
It is also mentioned in the Holy Qur‟an-
“Indeed, ALLAH (‘azza wa Jalla) was well-pleased with the Believers when they gave the bay’ah (pledge) to you (O Muhammad, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam) under the Tree..”-[Surah 48: al-Fath, Verse:18]
The origin of this “bay’ah” is traced all the way to the Noble Prophet, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, when he took the bay’ah from his Noble Companions under the tree (Bay’at al-Ridwan).
It has been narrated that Sayyiduna ‘Uthman, the Third Khalifa, was not present at the time of this bay’ah, so the Messenger of ALLAH, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, placed his own hand on his other hand and stated: “This is ALLAH’s Hand of Power and this is the hand of ‘Uthman”. Thus, the Prophet, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, placed one hand on top of the other and took the bay’ah (from ‘Uthman- RA).
When the Noble Prophet, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, finished taking the bay’ah from the Noble Companions, he went in his house and the female Companions (ALLAH, be well pleased with them all), were present awaiting and ready to take the bay’ah. The Noble Prophet, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, paused for a while (thinking of whether he should take the bay’ah from them or not) so the verse was revealed:
“O Prophet (salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam)! When believing women come to you to give you bay’ah (pledge), that they will not associate anything with ALLAH, and nor will they steal, and nor will they commit adultery, and nor will they kill their children, and nor will they utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood and that they will not disobey you in any m’aruf (Good), then (O Messenger!) accept their bay’ah (pledge) and ask ALLAH to forgive them. Verily, ALLAH is Oft- Forgiving, Ever Merciful.”[Surah 60 – al-Mumtahinah – Verse: 12]

The Noble Prophet, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, also took bay’ah from the believing women. HOWEVER, THE PROPHET’S, salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam, HAND NEVER TOUCHED THAT OF A WOMEN’S, THIS IS WHY SAYYIDAH ‘A’ISHA AL-SIDDIQA, Radi ALLAH-u ‘anha, stated:
“The Prophet (salla ALLAH-u ‘alayhi wa sallam) took the bay’ah from the (believing) women verbally; his blessed hand never touched a woman’s hand”.

Ya Ibrahim!

Ya Ibrahim, Ibn Ismael, Abu Muhammad, Madad!

The glow on your face was so radiant, The immense nur blinding the egos of the sinners !

Your maqam was so elevated your words so little,
Your knowledge was more than one could ever find in books,

Your wisdom was amazingly tremendous ! Your actions were the type to observe and learn from !

Ya Ibrahim, Ibn Ismael, Abu Muhammad, Madad!

The lights of your heart were brighter than the stars on a dark night,
Your insight was matched by none,

At all times in the remembrance of the one,
Your heart was full of humility yet you could make mountains slide.

Ya Ibrahim, Ibn Ismael, Abu Muhammad, Madad!

Your gaze was one which would change someone’s destiny,
Your presence was one which would kill their pride

Your miracles were many but the greatest one is still witnessed today! Surely it is the one known by the title of Abul Huda,
My murshid, Shaykh Muhammad Abul Huda Al Yaqoubi!

I love you Ya Ibrahim! For gifting us this beautiful man named after the perfect one Muhammad!

Protect me, O beloved from the enemy which resides within me…

– written by Mohammed Asim Rashid on 3/02/2013

A story of Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Adham b. Mansur

The tomb of Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Adham b. Mansur in Jableh,Syria

A small introduction–
Sultan Ibrahim Bin Adham r.ah, also known as Abu Ben Adhem or Abou Ben Adhem, was an Arab Muslim saint and Sufi mystic. His full name was Ibrahim bin Adham Bin Mansur al-Balkhi al-Ijli, Abu Ishaq. He was the King of Balkh but abandoned the throne to become a “zahid” – ascetic worshiper. According to Arabic and Persian sources like al-Bukhari and others, Ibrahim ibn Adham r.ah received a warning from Allah swt through Prophet Khidr a.s. who appeared to him twice, and as such, Ibrahim abdicated his throne to take up the ascetic life in Syria. He died in 790CE and is believed to be buried in this little town.

Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Adham b. Mansur
He – may God be pleased with him – came from the region of Balkh.He was a son of a king. Once he set out on a hunting trip. As he stirred up a fox or a rabbit and set out to chase it, he heard a voice: “O Ibrahim, were you created for this or commanded to do this?” Then he heard the voice again, from behind the saddle bow, saying: “By God, you were not created for this and you were not commanded to do this!” He dismounted from his horse. He then came across a shepherd of his father’s, took his woolen shirt and put it on and gave away all his belongings and the horse to the shepherd. Then he began wandering in the desert until he arrived in Mecca, where he attached himself to Sufyan al-Thawri and al-Fudayl b. ∏Iyad. After that he journeyed to Syria and died there. He lived by the toil of his hands, such as harvesting, guarding the orchards and so on. [Once] in the desert he met a man who taught him the greatest name of God.After [the man] left, he called upon God by this name and saw al-Khadir,who told him: “My brother [the prophet] David has just taught you God’s greatest name.” This story was related to us by Shaykh Abu ∏Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami – may God have mercy on him. He said: Muhammad b. al-Husayn Ibn al-Khashshab said: Abu al-Hasan ∏Ali b. Muhammad al-Misri said: Abu Sa∏id al-Kharraz said: Ibrahim b. Bashshar said: “I was accompanying Ibrahim b. Adham. Once I told him: ‘Tell me about the beginning of your affair.’ He then recounted this [story] to me.”
Ibrahim b. Adham was particularly famous for his pious scrupulosity. It is told that he said: “Watch carefully what you eat,and then there will be no harm for you in not staying awake during the night or fasting during the day!” His most common prayer was: “O God, remove me from the disgrace of disobedience to You to the glory of obedience to You!” Someone said to Ibrahim b. Adham: “Meat has become expensive!” He answered: “Make it cheaper”, that is, “Do not buy it.” He then recited the following verse:
When something becomes too expensive for me, I abandon it. Therefore the more expensive it becomes, the cheaper it is [for me].Muhammad b. al-Husayn – may God have mercy on him – said: I heard Mansur b. ∏Abdallah say: I heard Muhammad b. Hamid say: I heard Ahmad b. Khadrawayh (Khidruya) say: Ibrahim b. Adham said to a man who was performing a circumambulation [of the Ka∏ba]: “Know that you will not attain the rank of the righteous until you have climbed six mountain peaks. First, you must shut the door of pleasant life and open the door of hardship. Second, you must shut the door of [self-]glorification and open the door of humility. Third, you must shut the door of quiet and open the door of self-exertion. Fourth, you must shut the door of sleep and open the door of vigil. Fifth, you must shut the door of wealth and open the door of poverty. Sixth, you must shut the door of hope and open the door of readiness for death.”
[Once] Ibrahim b. Adham was guarding a vineyard. A soldier who was passing by told him: “Give me some of those grapes!” Ibrahim b. Adham replied: “The owner forbade me [to do this].” The soldier began to lash him with his whip. Ibrahim b. Adham lowered his head and said: “Beat this head, for it disobeys God often!” On hearing this the soldier was unable to continue the beating and departed.
Sahl b. Ibrahim said: “I was a companion of Ibrahim b. Adham. When I became ill, he spent all his wages on me. When I felt craving for some food, he sold his donkey and spent all of its cost on me. When I began to recover, I asked him: ‘Ibrahim, where is the donkey?’ He answered: ‘I sold it.’ I told him: ‘What shall I be riding on?’ He said: ‘On my neck, my brother!’ And he carried me for three way-stations.”

I ask Allah to forgive me for any mistakes made while writing this and I ask my audience to recite a Fatiha for this great wali of Allah inshaAllah 🙂 and to also remember this sinner in theirs Duas
a poor love of RasoolAllah SallalaahuAlayhiWaSalim..

Tasawuf

Bismillahi-Rahmani-Raheem alhamdulillahi-Rabil-‘alameen allaumma sali ‘ala sayyidina Muhammad I’d like to begin this blog with the name of Allah, praising him and also sending salutations upon Muhammad al Mustafa the best of creation.

Today’s post shall be about tassawuf and regarding questions mostly asked by people who are new to this way, inshaAllah.

What Is Tasawwuf
How is Tasawwuf Related to Sufism?
I Thought That All One Needs Is The Quran And The Sunnah?
Is It Mandatory That I Learn And Develop My Spirituality Under A Shaykh

What Is Tasawwuf?

Tasawwuf is a branch of Islamic knowledge which focuses on the spiritual development of the Muslim.
Allah sent His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), as a source of knowledge for the entire ummah. He was the fountain of Quran, Hadith, tafsir, rhetoric, fiqh, and so on. After the Prophet (S.A.W), the scholars of this ummah carried and propagated each of these branches of knowledge. Because no one person can attain the perfection of the Prophet (S.A.W), who single handedly assumed all of these roles, various branches of the Islamic sciences developed. For example, Imam Abu Hanifah preserved the science of fiqh and after him thousands of scholars continued in his footsteps. Hence these scholars preserved the fiqh of the Prophet (S.A.W). Similarly Imam Bukhari and the other famous scholars of Hadith, preserved the words of the Prophet (S.A.W). The scholars of tajweed preserved the recitation of the Prophet (S.A.W). And, the scholars of Arabic grammar preserved the language of the Prophet (S.A.W).
Along these lines, the Prophet (S.A.W) was the model of spirituality for the world. His God-consciousness, deep spirituality, acts of worship, and love for Allah were preserved and propagated by an Islamic science called Tasawwuf. The aim of the scholars of this science was purification of the heart, and development of consciousness of Allah through submission to the Shariah and Sunnah.

How is Tasawwuf Related to Sufism?

Studying the life of the Prophet (S.A.W), the scholars who propagated the science of tasawwuf understood that a requisite for approaching Allah was abandonment of the common pursuits of the world. They often wore wool because of its simplicity and low cost. In Arabic the word for wool is suf and thus, those who wore it became known as the Sufis. Another possible derivation of the word comes from the root word safa, which means “to clean.” Because the scholars of tasawwuf focused on cleansing the heart, they later became known as the Sufis.

I Thought That All One Needs Is The Quran And The Sunnah?

It is true that the Quran and the Sunnah are sufficient. However, at the same time it is also true that a teacher is required to master any subject. If the Quran was sufficient, then Allah could have easily sent the book without a messenger. However, he sent the Prophet (S.A.W) as a model of the Quran so that people could directly learn from his example. This then became the method of learning for each of the Islamic sciences. For example, each hadith that Imam Bukhari compiled in his collection of hadith is directly linked to the Prophet through a continuous chain of narrators. Thus, each person in the chain must have learned from someone and must be able to state who that person was. Similar requirements are present in other branches of Islamic science as well. The science of tasawwuf is no exception.

Is It Mandatory That I Learn And Develop My Spirituality Under A Shaykh?

A Shaykh of tasawwuf spends years in training in order to develop his character, mannerisms, daily schedule, outer being, acts of worship, and knowledge under the guidance of a spiritual master. They learn the essence of worship and practical implications of abandonment of the mundane life of this world from those who are models of god-consciousness. Further, they often spend years mastering the Islamic sciences of Hadith, Quran, tafsir, fiqh, etc. Each aspect of their training further connects them through chains of scholars to the Prophet (S.A.W) who, of course, was sent to connect creation to their Lord.
When you enter the company of such a Shaykh, their knowledge and extensive experience allows them to assess your spiritual state and hence, advise you on the best “medicine” to cure the diseases of your heart. Just as a doctor is trained to cure physical ailments, so the scholars of tasawwuf treat the maladies of the diseased heart.

Tassawuf also has different branches or schools/orders some may prefer to call (called tareeqah in Arabic) they are many of these schools which all have sound chains of transmission which all go back to the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself through his cousin and son in law Ali ibn Abu talib radiallahanhu examples of these are the Shadhili tareeqah, naqshbandi tareeqah, qadiri tareeqah, chishti tareeqah, ba’alawi tareeqah and many more which have many sound chains going back to rasoolAllah.

some other points one may find interesting and quotes from scholars:

Through the fadhl of Allah subhaanahu wata’aalaa, slowly but surely tiny windows opened and rays of light began to appear. The following are some of the sayings of the great Mashaaikh of the past and present which led to the realisation that Tasawwuf “was nothing extraordinary”.

Bayazid Bustaami
“Tasawwuf is total and perfect respect”

Junaid Baghdaadi
”Tasawwuf means to follow the Qur’an and Hadith
and to become engrossed in ‘Ibaadah”

Khwaja Mumshad Dinwari
“Abandonment of futility is called Tasawwuf”

From, “Tasawwuf in the light of Hadith”

“Tasawwuf means to leave following your own desires.
That a person exterminates and changes his opinions and thoughts to conform to the Ridhaa (Pleasure) of Allah ta’aalaa”
That one’s love for Allah, the provider of blessings,
outweighs his love for the blessings

The Rooh of Tasawwuf
Zunnun Misri says: “the basis of the entire structure of the Tareeq (the path of Tasawwuf) is in four things:

• The love of Allah. This is the first and the greatest fundamental of Tasawwuf
• Aversion for the world. This is the lowest stage
• Adherence and obedience to the Qur’an (i.e. the Shari’ah)
• The fear that one’s condition (i.e. the lofty status of Imaan) may change

Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi ra
“To make mujaahadah (struggle against the base desires), to strive to follow the commands of Allah, to refrain from sins is the gist of Tasawwuf”

“Aim of Sulook is Ridhaa-e-Haqq (pleasure of Allah). Essentials for this is the knowledge of the Tareeq (road leading to Allah) and ‘amal (deeds) in accordance with this knowledge.”

Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Khandalwi ra
on being asked about Tasawwuf said,

“The ibtidaa (beginning) of Tasawwuf is: Innamal a’amaalu binniyyaat (verily actions are judged by the intentions).

The intihaa (ending) is: An ta’budullaaha ka-annaka taraahu – (Worship Allah as though you see him)”

Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (hafizahullah)
“Tasawwuf is nothing extraordinary. To make Mujaahadah, to struggle against the Nafs in order to fulfil the commands of Allah and to refrain from His disobedience, to follow the day to day Shari’ah of Allah is Tasawwuf”

JazzakAllah for reading please make dua for my work, may Allah accept it and give me tawfeeq to continue serving in his way; also share this once read may allah bless my brothers and sisters in Islam, ameen.