The Prohibition of Opium

One of the bad habits that was becoming current in the Far East, India and Iran during that time was smoking opium. This was a result of the colonial policies of some European countries9. This practice was becoming widespread among some of the Sufis for many years to the point that it would be considered a Sufi custom.
They used to say that to be a dervish one should smoke opium or hashish. To justi- fy this, they claimed that it promoted ecstasy and the attainment of the Sufi goal of annihilation, fanā’. They imagined that the nothingness that comes from smoking opium is the same as the nothingness of mysticism. According to Mawlānā:

In order that for a while they may be delivered from sobriety (conscious- ness), they lay upon themselves the opprobrium of wine and marijuana.

Holy Mystical nothingness comes from God, not from changes in physio-chemistry.

Again, Mawlānā says:

Nothingness should come from God, So that the beauty of God may be seen in it.

The disadvantage of smoking opium from the point of view of mystical experi- ence in Sufism is that one could confuse the hallucination produced by the use of the drug with the unveiling or opening from God for which every Sufi waits. From a social point of view, the practice led first to inactivity and then to idleness. The disadvantages for public hygiene are clear to all. For these reasons SULTAN ‘ALISHAH strictly prohibited the use of opium among his followers at a time when its subse- quent social malaise had not yet become apparent, to the extent of cursing those who smoked it. He would not accept anyone who smoked opium as a Sufi nov- ice. In his commentary on the Qur’ān, Bayān al-Sa‘ādat, with regard to the verse They ask you concerning wine and lots. Say: in both these is great sin… (2: 219), he pronounced the prohibition of opium on the grounds that it violates the rights of one’s faculties12. This pronouncement at that time appeared to be quite revolution- ary, since none of the ‘ulamā’ had said anything about it. The prohibition also be- came a great obstacle to the activities of the colonialists who were trying to make the people weak and dependent on them.
After Hadatt sultan ‘Alīshāh, his grandson and viceregent His holiness Nūr ‘Alīshāh Gunābādī, wrote a separate book entitled Dhū al-Faqār: On the Prohibition of Smoking Opium13. In that book he says that since this sin, that results from the temptations of Satan, had become current in most of the cities of Iran, and none of the ‘ulamā’ had paid any attention to it, it is obligatory for those who are familiar with this problem to try to repel it. The language of this book is simple and lucid in a way that ordinary people could understand the evil of it.
From the time of His holiness  SULTAN ‘ALISHAH, the prohibition of smoking opium has been one of the characteristics of the Ni‘matullāhī SULTAN ‘ALISHAHī Gunābādī or- der of Sufism.
The Abandonment of Idleness
In Islam, the outward is not separate from the inward. Any work done with the intention of pleasing God is considered to be an act of worship. So, occupa- tion with worship is no excuse for abandoning worldly affairs. The Prophet said, “There is no monasticism in Islam”. In Sufism, in special circumstances, such as during the taming of the carnal soul, instructions may be given for seclusion. Before the divine commissioning of the Prophet, he spent time in seclusion in the cave of Hirā’. Due to divine attraction, it sometimes occurs that a Sufi abandons the world. In all of these instances, solitude is the exception rather than the rule. Occupation with the arts and crafts in traditional Islamic societies, e.g., architec- ture, calligraphy, etc., were integrated with the journey toward God. This is why anyone who wants to become a fatā14 and enter the way of Sufism, had to occupy himself with a craft or art. However, there were Sufis who both intentionally and unintentionally made use of the idea of khalwat, or seclusion, as an excuse for idleness and begging. They made a pretext of reliance on God alone, tawakkul, and contentment with one’s lot, rida, as a Sufi manner. This is why some of the khānaqāhs turned into gathering places for the lazy.
During the time of Shāh Ni‘matullāh Walī, this bad custom was common among many Sufis. Although he practiced seclusion many times, he instructed his follow- ers to be occupied with some work and not to try to gain money through Sufism. He himself used to farm and praised this occupation15. He said that labor was a sort of alchemy16.
The custom of mendicancy was current among many Sufis, especially in the Khāksār order, during the time of His holiness SULTAN ‘ALISHAH, who strictly prohib- ited all his followers from being idle and without work. He gave reasons for this prohibition based on rational argument, common sense and religious principles. He said: “Everyone should work for a living and for the sake of the improvement of the world. One should occupy himself with any work that he likes and is not against religious law, including farming, trading, or industry”. In another place he says: “Idleness is against civilization, too”.

This instruction, especially in the modern world, and with the appearance of civil society that necessitates close social relations and the occupation of each member of society with a work was much needed at that time. At the same time, as a Sufi master, he warned his followers against taking pride in worldly gains and wealth or being covetous thereof. He said: “One should consider himself poor even if one has limitless wealth…. No one takes more than a single shroud from this world. When one becomes aware of this truth, he will understand that he is poor in this world and needy to God…. Improvement of the world is by no means con- trary to dervishood”19. He taught that any work, including prayer and fasting, but also trading and farming, with the intention of performing God’s commands, is worship20. Earning money is not opposed to reliance on God. He says that the faqīr should work but consider the results of his work to be from God21.
His holiness SULTAN ‘ALISHAH like Shāh Ni‘matullāh Walī used to farm, and he often had calloused hands. Once, someone came to his house to ask him about alche- my. He was not in the house at the time, but was in his garden. The man went into the garden, and after greeting him, before he could ask anything about it, His holiness SULTAN ‘ALISHAH showed his hands to him and said: “This is our alchemy! We toil and benefit from it”. He even used to rebuke farmers who neglected their lands, saying: “If an earth that has the capacity of delivering 300 kilos of wheat, delivers only 270 kilos of wheat because of negligence, the farmer will be held responsible for the remainder”.
After His holiness SULTAN ‘ALISHAH, the prohibition of idleness has become one of the main characteristics of the Ni‘matullāhī Gunābādī order, and all the subsequent qutbs have themselves worked and advised their followers to do so, as well.