Post by IbnNurAlShanti on Jan 31, 2016 16:16:11 GMT
Issues in Tasawwuf
‘The Fifth Issue: The Khirqa (cloak) of Tasawwuf and Attachment to a Tariqah (path)'
By Shaykh Abd al-Fattah al-Yafa'i
Translated by Usamah Muttakin
By Shaykh Abd al-Fattah al-Yafa'i
Translated by Usamah Muttakin
The following is a translation of the fifth chapter of the book 'Masa'il fi al-Tasawwuf' by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah al-Yafa'i. In this chapter he highlights and lists some of the classical scholars who were attached to a khirqa'/tariqah in tasawwuf, among them are the Imams; Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudamah, Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, Izz ibn Abd al-Salam, Ibn al-Salah, Ibn Taymiyyah, al-Dhahabi and al-Shawkani. The PDF version can be viewed/downloaded from here: Issues in Tasawwuf.pdf (561.74 KB)
The definition of ‘tariqah’ according to its people is the name of the methodology in tazkiyah (spiritual purification) and the awrad (litanies) taken for one to reach Allah Most High and therefore attribution to this methodology is known by this name.[1]
Ibn Taymiyyah has said as mentioned in his fatawa:[2]
“Regarding the wearing of the cloak [khirqa’] which is worn by some of the masha’ikh of the mureeds (devotees/students), then it does not have any specific origin [asl] which has been made specific mention of in the Qur’an and sunnah. The early scholars (mutaqadimin) and many from the latter (muta’akhirin), did not clothe their students with the cloak, however a group of them from among the later scholars (muta’akhirin) have narrated that they did and they also encouraged it.”
He further says:
“Some of them i.e the muta’akhirin, have inferred [as an evidence for clothing a student/devotee with a cloak] using the incident of the Prophet ﷺ in which he clothed Umm Khalid bint Khalid bin Sa’id bin al-‘Aas with a thobe and saying to her: ‘Radiate and radiate the beautiful language of the Abyssinians’ (as she was born in the land of the Abyssinians and it was for this reason she was addressed in this manner). They also infer from the narration of the cloak that was woven by a woman for the Prophet ﷺ regarding which some of the sahabah asked for. The Prophet ﷺ gave it to one of them saying: ‘I wanted to use it for my burial shroud.’
Within these two ahadith there is not any evidence upon which their intended use can be applied; if a man gives to another man what he wears then it is like giving him that which benefits him. Taking a garment from the Prophet ﷺ for the purpose of blessings is like taking his hair for the purpose of blessings and this is not the same as wearing a garment or a cap for the purpose of continuing or following this practice, however in some aspects it resembles the reason that the kings would remove [these items of clothing] as a sign or token of dignity and it is for this reason that it is called an honour.
Therefore this and the likes of it is its objective that it should be made to be from among the permissible acts, and if coupled with it is a valid intention, it becomes acceptable from this perspective. As for making it a sunnah and a path to Allah then it is not like that. As for attachment of a group towards a certain shaykh, then no doubt that the people are in need of receiving from him the faith, the Qur’an, just as the sahabah received it from the Prophet ﷺ and the successors received it from them and then the first from the followers among the predecessors in goodness. Just as that man from whom one learns the Qur’an and other than it, then like that from him does another person learn the religion; both the inner and outer.
It should not be that a particular person, without the need of other people, attaches themselves to a particular shaykh and takes their every statement as a beneficial religious statement. That every [spiritually] dead came to be among the [spiritually] living from his words, his actions and his effects. Whatever can be benefited from him in, he is the shaykh in this regard as the predecessors of the ummah are the shuyukh of the leaders, century after century. None of them attached to a shaykh in a manner that they befriended his followers and remained strict on only that. Rather they would befriend everyone from among the people of faith and those who were known for piety from a large number of shuyukh and other than them. It did not concern them to be more loyal to one except when it was apparent that he was superior in his faith and his piety.”
Ibn Taymiyyah says elsewhere in his Majmu’:[3]
“Rather the names which are warranted to use as names such as the ones people attach to an Imam like; al-Hanafi, al-Maliki, al-Shafi’i and al-Hanbali or towards a shaykh like al-Qadiri, al-U’dawi and others like this, or for example the attachment to tribes like; al-Qisi and al-Yamani or to regions such as; al-Shami, al-Iraqi and al-Misri. Thus it is not permissible for anyone to test the people, befriend them or be hostile towards them based on these names [i.e to be biased to individuals due to these names alone], rather the noblest of creation according to Allah are those fearful of being from any of these groups [those who have bias]."
“Regarding the wearing of the cloak [khirqa’] which is worn by some of the masha’ikh of the mureeds (devotees/students), then it does not have any specific origin [asl] which has been made specific mention of in the Qur’an and sunnah. The early scholars (mutaqadimin) and many from the latter (muta’akhirin), did not clothe their students with the cloak, however a group of them from among the later scholars (muta’akhirin) have narrated that they did and they also encouraged it.”
He further says:
“Some of them i.e the muta’akhirin, have inferred [as an evidence for clothing a student/devotee with a cloak] using the incident of the Prophet ﷺ in which he clothed Umm Khalid bint Khalid bin Sa’id bin al-‘Aas with a thobe and saying to her: ‘Radiate and radiate the beautiful language of the Abyssinians’ (as she was born in the land of the Abyssinians and it was for this reason she was addressed in this manner). They also infer from the narration of the cloak that was woven by a woman for the Prophet ﷺ regarding which some of the sahabah asked for. The Prophet ﷺ gave it to one of them saying: ‘I wanted to use it for my burial shroud.’
Within these two ahadith there is not any evidence upon which their intended use can be applied; if a man gives to another man what he wears then it is like giving him that which benefits him. Taking a garment from the Prophet ﷺ for the purpose of blessings is like taking his hair for the purpose of blessings and this is not the same as wearing a garment or a cap for the purpose of continuing or following this practice, however in some aspects it resembles the reason that the kings would remove [these items of clothing] as a sign or token of dignity and it is for this reason that it is called an honour.
Therefore this and the likes of it is its objective that it should be made to be from among the permissible acts, and if coupled with it is a valid intention, it becomes acceptable from this perspective. As for making it a sunnah and a path to Allah then it is not like that. As for attachment of a group towards a certain shaykh, then no doubt that the people are in need of receiving from him the faith, the Qur’an, just as the sahabah received it from the Prophet ﷺ and the successors received it from them and then the first from the followers among the predecessors in goodness. Just as that man from whom one learns the Qur’an and other than it, then like that from him does another person learn the religion; both the inner and outer.
It should not be that a particular person, without the need of other people, attaches themselves to a particular shaykh and takes their every statement as a beneficial religious statement. That every [spiritually] dead came to be among the [spiritually] living from his words, his actions and his effects. Whatever can be benefited from him in, he is the shaykh in this regard as the predecessors of the ummah are the shuyukh of the leaders, century after century. None of them attached to a shaykh in a manner that they befriended his followers and remained strict on only that. Rather they would befriend everyone from among the people of faith and those who were known for piety from a large number of shuyukh and other than them. It did not concern them to be more loyal to one except when it was apparent that he was superior in his faith and his piety.”
Ibn Taymiyyah says elsewhere in his Majmu’:[3]
“Rather the names which are warranted to use as names such as the ones people attach to an Imam like; al-Hanafi, al-Maliki, al-Shafi’i and al-Hanbali or towards a shaykh like al-Qadiri, al-U’dawi and others like this, or for example the attachment to tribes like; al-Qisi and al-Yamani or to regions such as; al-Shami, al-Iraqi and al-Misri. Thus it is not permissible for anyone to test the people, befriend them or be hostile towards them based on these names [i.e to be biased to individuals due to these names alone], rather the noblest of creation according to Allah are those fearful of being from any of these groups [those who have bias]."
Some from Among Those Who Wore the Khirqa’ or were Attached to a Tariqah
Being taught the dhikr upon the tariqah of the Naqshbandiyya, he said in al-Badr al-Tali’ [1/506]: In the biography of Abdul Wahhab bin Muhammad Shakir al-Hisni from Imam al-Hussaini from the father, “In the year 1234 (A.H) was my contact with him, he collected between theology and the knowledge of bodily ailments with good understanding, eloquence of the tongue, the best of speech and signs and knew much from the lands such as Egypt, the Levant, Iraq and the two holy sanctuaries. He entered in Rome, spending and making connections with scholars of the land and visiting its springs and kingdoms, narrating to us about this land and its people with the best of news with truth and as proof to explore the truth; he wrote in the style of their poems with precision....and I received from him the dhikr upon the methodology of the Naqshbandiyya.”
[1] The name khirqa’ (cloak) was also used in place of tariqah as rather than a path being followed, the transmission of the teachings was seen to be like the handing down of a cloak.
[2] Majmu’ al-Fatawa [11/510]
[3] Majmu’ al-Fatawa [3/416]
Imam al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudamah al-Hanbali (author of al-Mughni)
He wore the cloak of tasawwuf from Shaykh Abd’al Qadir al-Jilani. This was mentioned by Imam Ibn al-Mulqin in his Tabaqat al-Awliya (pg. 494), that his chain in the wearing of the khirqa’ (cloak) of tasawwuf passes through al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudamah, in fact Ibn al-Mulqin would produce his khirqa’/chain from Abu Bakr al-Hanbali, who took from Is’haq al-Wasiti, from al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudamah and then from Shaykh Abd’al Qadir al-Jilani.
Imam Abd’al Ghani al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali (author of al-Kamal fi Tarajim al-Rijal)
He wore the cloak of tasawwuf from Shaykh Abd’al Qadir al-Jilani also, al-Ulaymi said in al-Manhaj al-Ahmad fi Tarajim al-As’hab al-Imam Ahmad [2/191] “al-Muwaffaq (Ibn Qudamah) said: ‘Myself and Hafiz Abd al-Ghani wore the cloak at the hands of Shaykh al-Islam Abd’al Qadir al-Jilani, we occupied him with [teaching] fiqh, we heard from him, benefited from his company and we could not keep up with his life [i.e his worship] more than fifty nights.’”
Sultan al-Ulama Izz al-Din bin Abd al-Salam
He wore the cloak from Imam al-Suhrawardi as mentioned in Tabaqat al-Shafiyya of Ibn al-Subki [8/214]: “As narrated by al-Qadhi Izz al-Din al-Hakari Ibn Khatib al-Shumu’nin in his musannaf, mentioning within it the biography of Shaykh Izz al-Din that he once issued a fatwa in something and then it appeared to him that he had erred. He cried in Egypt and in Cairo upon himself in search of the one who he gave the fatwa saying ‘so and so, such and such, do not act on it for indeed it is erroneous’.
He [Qadhi Izz al-Din Hakari] mentioned that Shaykh Izz al-Din bin Abd al-Salam wore the khirqa’ of tasawwuf from Shaykh Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi and “he took from him and mentioned that he would read Risala al-Qushayriyya from between his hands. Once in his presence came Shaykh Abul Abbas al-Mursi asking what brought him from Alexandria to Cairo, Shaykh Izz al-Din told him to speak on a particular chapter and so he took from what al-Mursi spoke. Shaykh Izz al-Din would sneak into his circles and would say ‘listen to this speech which he speaks that is a testament to his Lord.’ Shaykh Izz al-Din had a long hand in tasawwuf and in his writings by which he would judge. “
Imam Ibn al-Salah
Imam al-Suyuti said in his book, Ta’ayid al-Haqiqa al-Aliya (pg. 13): Imam Ibn al-Salah said: I was crowned in wearing the khirqa’ of a very high chain, I was clothed with the khirqa’ of Abul Mu’eed bin Muhammad al-Tusi, who took the khirqa’ from Abul As’ad Hebat al-Rahman Ibn Abi Sa’id Abdur Rahman bin Abul Qasim al-Qushayri, he said I took the khirqa’ from my grandfather Abul Qasim and he took it from Abu Ali al-Daqaq, he took it from Abul Qasim Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Hamawi al-Nasrabazi, who took it from Abu Bakr Dalf bin Jahdar al-Shibli, who took it from Junaid and he took it from Sariya al-Saqati, who took it from Ma’ruf al-Karkhi, who took it from Dawud al-Ta’i, who took it from Habib al-Ajmi, who took it from Hasan al-Basri, who took it from Ali bin Abi Talib and he took it from the Prophet ﷺ.
Ibn Salah said: “Do not attack what is mentioned regarding the wearing of the khirqa’, it has no connection upon the conditions of the people of hadith in isnad, for indeed what is intended to be obtained by it is the blessing and benefit by its attachment to many righteous men.”
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
Imam Yusuf bin Abdul Hadi al-Hanbali mentioned in his book Ba’d al-Ilqa bi Labs al-Khirqa that Imam Ibn Taymiyyah is within the chain of the Qadiri tariqah with other Hanbali shuyukh. Ibn Abdul Hadi also mentioned that this is the chain of the khirqa’ as follows: “Ibn al-Qayyim – from Ibn Taymiyyah – from Ibn Abu Umar Ibn Qudamah – from Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudamah – from Abu Umar Ibn Qudamah – from Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani.”
Early orientalists have said that Ibn Taymiyyah said in al-Masa’il al-Tabriziyya as it is written in the Dhahiriyya library in Damascus in number 12/1186 “I wore the blessed khirqa’ of Shaykh Abdul Qadir and between him and myself there were two.”
Imam Yusuf bin Abdul Hadi himself wrote an earlier book mentioned from Ibn Nasir al-Din that he said: “One of its ways which we relate a chain to ourselves, praise be to Allah, was that we received the tariqah which was indicated toward, the remainder of the worlds, one of the shaykhs of Islam, Taqi al-Din Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Taymiyyah may Allah have mercy on him, he said: “I wore the khirqa’ of tasawwuf from the paths of many shuyukh, collectively from Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani and it is an honourable path that is well known.” He once said: “So the most honourable of paths is the path of the master of Abdul Qadir al-Jilani may Allah have mercy on him.”
Imam al-Dhahabi
He wore the khirqa’ from Imam Dhiya al-Din al-Ansari, who took it from Imam al-Suhrawardi. Imam al-Dhahabi says about himself in Si’yar A’lam al-Nubala [22/377]: “I wore the khirqa’ of tasawwuf from our shaykh, the muhaddith, the zahid, Dhiya al-Din I’sa bin Yahya al-Ansari of Cairo and he said: ‘I wore it from the shaykh Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi [author of Awarif al-Ma’arif] of Makkah, from his uncle Abul Najib.’”
He said in Tarikh al-Islam [1/4689]: “I say: I wore the khirqa’ in Cairo from Shaykh Dhiya al-Din I’sa bin Yahya al-Ansari al-Sibti and he said: I wore it from Shaykh Shihab al-Din of Makkah in the year 720 A.H.
In Mu’jam al-Shuyukh [2/87], he said: “I’sa bin Yahya bin Ahmad bin Mas’ud, the Imam and the jurist, the beneficient muhaddith, Dhiya al-Din Abul Hadi al-Ansari al-Maghrebi, al-Sibti, al-Shafi’i, al-Sufi...he wore the the khirqa’ from Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi of Makkah in the year 720 A.H and I wore it from him.”
Imam al-Shawkani
Being taught the dhikr upon the tariqah of the Naqshbandiyya, he said in al-Badr al-Tali’ [1/506]: In the biography of Abdul Wahhab bin Muhammad Shakir al-Hisni from Imam al-Hussaini from the father, “In the year 1234 (A.H) was my contact with him, he collected between theology and the knowledge of bodily ailments with good understanding, eloquence of the tongue, the best of speech and signs and knew much from the lands such as Egypt, the Levant, Iraq and the two holy sanctuaries. He entered in Rome, spending and making connections with scholars of the land and visiting its springs and kingdoms, narrating to us about this land and its people with the best of news with truth and as proof to explore the truth; he wrote in the style of their poems with precision....and I received from him the dhikr upon the methodology of the Naqshbandiyya.”
[1] The name khirqa’ (cloak) was also used in place of tariqah as rather than a path being followed, the transmission of the teachings was seen to be like the handing down of a cloak.
[2] Majmu’ al-Fatawa [11/510]
[3] Majmu’ al-Fatawa [3/416]