Answering a question
In reply to the question asked by our readers whether the articles issued in “Removing the Doubts and Answering the Questions” are the website manager’s ideas or the Sufi masters’ visions:
Answering a question
In reply to the question asked by our readers whether the articles issued in “Removing the Doubts and Answering the Questions” are the website manager’s ideas or the Sufi masters’ visions:
The readers of “Majzooban Noor” website ask some questions in their letters and emails which we feel responsible to answer them. These answers are the ideas of the website’s directors and writers and our personal perception of gnostic orders and doctrines. They are not Sufism instructions at all. So we wish for the guidance of dear believers, if there is any mistake.
Politics and the School of Mysticism.
As it is declared by the Grand Master of present time and also historically evident too, Sufism or Mysticism is not innately a political movement or party ,but since it feels responsible to improve the society, it is involved with the social issues which nowadays are totally mixed with the political affairs. But these affairs are those related to the Mysticism itself. For example, where this school of thought is threatened, it is accepted as a duty to defend itself. This recognition is absolutely within the Qutb’s field of authority and his majesty has severally emphasized that the Sufism is not related to politics. However, the dissidents, politicians and no one else are competent to this recognition and assessment and when they partially criticize the Sufism school for being or not being politically active, it is obviously an evident of such lack of recognition and demonstrates the suppressions and limitations illegally imposed to Sufies. Apart from its spiritual aspect and the inner journey, the school of Sufism is based on the righteous religion of Islam even in outward social aspect. Moreover, it is a dynamic school and will freely encourage Sufies to some specific actions by discretion of the Qutb of the path and according to the social necessities and needs.
Although the origin of spiritual instructions is invariable, every apostle such as Moses, Jesus and Mohammad has had his own manner and miracles according to the requirements of his own time and the existing situations then. It is similar in the school of Sufism which is functioned by the same instructions and doctrine. At a time when poverty and misery inflicts society, the Master calls the path seekers for more contentment and piety and at the same time, to the social generosity and charity and when the superstitious ideas dominates people’s thoghts in society , he encourages them to more awareness and in as spect invite them to think more intellectuality. Unaware of the truth in school of Sufism and Islamic Mysticism , many researchers has divided the followers and put them against each other by divisions like the school of Sokr or Sahv and so on. All these divisions are illusionary and are created by their ignorance. For example, some suppose that the Jonayd’s direction has been in contradiction with the Hallaj’s. Hallaj is one of the Shaykhs and command executors of Jonayd who is a Qutb in Sufi hierarchy.
Saying: “I am the truth and Hagh ” in addition to all he has done in the history of Islam and Sufism history, hallaj has absolutely done what had learned deeply and internally from Jonayd. Also in appearance, the social effects of hallaj movement were exactly in line with the spiritual needs of society and the elimination of superstition from the school of Islam. In Jonayd’s time , the political rulers, Abbasid caliphs who supposed themselves as the successor of the prophet Mohammad, claimed the religious leadership. Seemingly being on the safe side , The Muftis and Ulamas (scholars) assisted the government. They had tabeu God , in the people’s illusion sky and beyond , high as not reached , and the govermors as the first ruler played being the God to the people. Apart from spiritual aspect, Hallaj then pooled God ostensibly, from the sky of illusion to the earth and presented God in the cast of human. Thus, he actuated the politicians using the religion as a slogan and taking advantage of the distance between people and God and invited not only the people of his time, but also all human beings next and after himselfe to shift from imitation (taqlid) to research and scrutiny in Allah’s essence and the true position of perfect man as the successor or representative of Allah and his apostles not Abbasid. This issue is very detailed and its explanation is beyond this brief so we close it right here.
The school of Sufism is independent in all respects and its approach is not subject to any kind of Moavieh policy and any political or governmental structure needs to observe the orders of this school and the Devine apostles in order to move on the axis of human values.
What are the Sufi’s approach and its social goals?
Law is the result of collective wisdom of a nation for achieving justice. So the knowledge and awareness of people is in a direct relationship with fair laws.
It means that higher social wisdom and the society perception makes the laws to be in the same line with real justice. The formation of an ideal society is not merely derived from the strict and rigorous rule of Law, but it is a necessity for people of the society to achive human dignity and self-control and enjoy a divine temperament. Ignorance is the main reason for all the individual and social human perversities.
all the wars, unfairness and discriminations, domineering, extortions, violence and whatever leading to the collapse of man from the humanity dignity are all and all caused by the ignorance and misleading by lack of real faith in God. The manner and character of divine men is based on the removing the causes not fighting the effects.
If the human nature proceeds without train of divine trainers and guides in the way of gaining moral values and spiritual perfection, it will deviate from balance and the path of spiritual growth and will go to extremes and rebellion. This rebellion and ignorance, in fact will be the devil’s sovereignty and a base for the development of tyranny in the society as well. So the root of all human’s troubles, socially or individually, is the sensual perversions and the egotism caused by the lack of faith in God and divine teachings. For this reason, the great prophet Mohammad has called the refinement and purification of ego as the major battle (jihad). Without faith in God, all the human problems remain at the level of fighting with effects and any positive change in the society will be unstable.
Human’s social and individual behaviors are brought out of his attitude and insight. So the faith and good deeds are mentioned in the Great Koran. Faith without good deeds would not be strengthen and turned to the actual action and similarly, the good deed without faith would not be a true action. Certainly, the speech and deed won’t be admirable unless the soul and mind are ruled by moral values and even if the good deed and speech are fulfilled by force, since the basis of human will as the source of order is not set on the divine rules, the good deeds will be artificial and rootless.
Sufism believes that faith in God is the solution of all individual and social problems. It is why when the Qutb or the grand Master is asked by the question that what is your motto? It says: “God”. Because all the nice, logical and admissible slogans which are not supported by faith in God either are to deceive people, or are just a meaningless form that will eventually turn against itself.
Is not the companionship with an individual or a group who claim campaigning against oppression and tyranny or fight against imperialism, but actually tyrannous and engaged in establishment of an empire and a new imperialism an act of foolishness and ignorance? In today world, which thought and idea can be found in explicit support of oppression?! All claim fighting against tyranny and oppression.
But who is right? On the assumption that they are right, who is their addressee? And what is he asked to do? Fighting against tyranny or protecting them? Which unrighteous combatant wouldn’t turn to a dispiteous dictator after coming to power? An unaware and ignorant society will create the cruel tyrants. Basically, what are the slogans and propagandas all for?!!
The school of Sufism goal in social affairs is God, but not a bizarre and imaginary god who is in fact the same concupiscence and needs thousands of minor and major logic reasoning to be proved; not a god who is a mean for religion usurpers to handle their feed; not a God to be closed down according to the requirements of this or that and not a god demanding blood and bloodshed in the prison of religion! The Sufi’s God is not engaged in policy or deception with his servants. He is the God of entire universe, not just the god of Muslims, Jews or Christians. He is the god of all human beings.
The School of Sufism wishes for the liberty but not the liberty whose heralds are captured in the prison of their own ego! It wishes for justice but not a justice whose performers are dictator! It wishes for all spiritual and moral values, not based on the slogans but the logic and common sense; not in words but in action; not based on the illusion but the cognition of God. Beyond slogan, the School of Sufism invites all human beings to the truth, peace, serenity and faith in God.
Why the recent politicians have taken a position against the school of Sufism?
In the deep gap between the government of law and the law of government in Iran, there is a kind of discrimination and classification for the use of citizenship rights. The policy ruling the country has hinged any freedom and human rights to the unquestioning obedience of government in order to preserve the interests of authority owners and the governing system. In this attitude, every citizen unsatisfied by the performance of government will be willingly or unwillingly classified as an opponent in the opposite wing of government and no one has the right to have an independent mind and choose some third way. The problem of Sufi’s community as well as some other communities with the government is hidden in this equation. Every intellectual or ideological group like the Sufis’ community who choose the third way which means neither hostility nor companionship with government would be forced by plan and fraud to enter a field of battle and confrontation. The executors of such politics have a monopoly on religion and guide it as they wish; because otherwise, there would be the possibility of religious, political, economic and social dissatisfaction which leads the people to some other perceptions and readings of religion which will no more guarantee their sovereignty and the government will gradually lose its public-religious base. Therefore, to compensate for this political problem and deficiency, it follows the policy of elimination and focusing on control, instead of revision and reformation of its functions and removing the religious and civil dissatisfaction atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the use of religion as a tool to persistently justify the politics has caused a cultural reaction in people as a hidden protest to the manipulation of their beliefs and religion and actuated them toward some other interpretations of religion different from what is promoted and even change of their religion. The recent statistics on the tendency toward other religions except Islam and even the unreligious groups like Satanism confirm this reality. In current conditions that people has reached a deadlock in their beliefs due to the conflict between true religious beliefs and outside realities, The School of Sufism and mysticism regarding to its deep roots in religious and national culture of Iranian people is a safe house and a savior to exit this mental difficulty.
Here the question is why people tend to Sufism and Mysticism in troublesome political conditions?
What is the reason for people tendency to Sufism in the dictatorships?
The Holy Quran says in Ankabout (spider) verse: “when they are on the boat they call the god pure-heartedly and as soon as harbored and saved by him, they go to the paganism.”
Theism and perfectionism is an innate truth and seeking the truth is a kind of necessity resulting from the release from sensual and material chains and hatred of animal temper and character. In fact, the human arises against the internal dictator of ego and demands the reign of righteousness on the pillars of his existence. “…My Lord! Make me to enter a goodly entering, and cause me to go forth a goodly going forth, and grant me from near Thee power to assist (me)” (Al-Asraa Verse). He puts the ignorance behind him and follows the knowledge path. Now, the true theist corresponds to a passenger of a sinking ship caught in storm and tornado who is begging god helplessly to save him from death and this is exactly what a path-seeker and follower of the mystic path feels all the time of his life. In fact, such a feeling of prostration is a sensation of return to the true mettle which is now covered by the curtains of ignorance and egoism. It is in this state of need that god responds to the request of his requester: “Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the evil” (Naml Verse). So when the human is away from the safe harbor and is caught by the storm, he gets out of ignorance. Whatever these factors of removing the ignorance are, they reveal the path to God. The lack of mental and social safety could be one of basic factors of this revolution.
The religious dictatorship parallel to putting every single person of society in impasse and tension, unwillingly nudges the mettle and innate of people in their beliefs. Therefore, the manipulation of religion by the politicians will act as a catalyst for people to rethink about their beliefs. In fact, causing prostration, the tyrannous dictator gets people on the same ship in which people turn to god due to fear of obliquity and they change spiritually. This is the main reason for increase of people tendency to the Sufism and Mysticism in dictatorships. Of course, coming to the Sufism and Mysticism is the best option they have; otherwise, they will get into many different corruptions such as drug addiction, perversions or destructive cults. Briefly, as a true theist and path-seeker comes to god in the spiritual helplessness, some people seeking god look for faith in difficult and helpless times of insecurity and uncertainty in all things and come to the school of Sufism. Here is where some people do mistake the cause by the reason. The cause of people tendency to Sufism could be such unsafe situation but the reason of this attraction is different. Those who think that the development of tendency to the school of Sufism has been the result of for example Mongolians invasion to Iran are in the same mistake. The hostile treatment to the Islamic Sufism and mysticism acts as a promotion for this school and encourages people to join this path and its followers. People attraction to the school of Sufism is really in line with the developmental velayat ruling on the universe which is canonically undertaken by human beings.
To be continued…