Sufism (Tasawwuf) was not known in the time of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) or his Companions, nor was it well known in the first three generations after them. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praised when he said, “The best of mankind is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them…” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2652; Muslim, 2533; from the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood) Sufism (Tasawwuf) first appeared in Basrah in Iraq, where some people went to extremes in worship and in avoiding the worldly life, something which is admonished in the Quran: "The Monasticism which they invented for themselves; We did not prescribe it for them." (Quran 57:27) On this page Insha'Allaah you find An in-depth historical background to the origins of sufism and their' corrupt beliefs.

Sufism Today

Sufism or Tasawwuf is divided into many sects, called Tareeqahs.[1] The four major Tareeqahs are, Chistiya, Qadriyah, Naqshbandiya and Soharwardiyah. Sufism in India is represented by ‘the Deobandis’ and ‘the Barelawis’, who follow all these four Tareeqahs.

Until the seventeenth century, there was no distinct school of thought amongst India’s Sufi Hanafee Scholars. But mutual disagreements later caused a great rift among them and led to the formation of two different and opposing institutions; the ‘Barelawis’ and the ‘Deobandis.’ Hostilities and bitter disagreements between these two groups have taken dangerous proportions and the Barelawis in particular have exaggerated in the Takfeer (declaring Kufr) of the Deobandis. Both these groups claim to follow the Hanafee Madhhab, though they only follow the Hanafee Fiqh and do not share the beliefs of Imam Abu Haneefah.

Since this book focuses primarily on the beliefs and methodology of the School of Deoband and the Jamaat Tableegh, we shall limit ourselves only to those aspects of Sufism that are related to the Deobandis, and study Sufism from their (Deobandi) perspective.

Foot Notes

[1] Tareeqah and Sharee’ah: According to the Soofis, Tareeqah is the way by which one reaches to Allah, and Sharee’ah is the path which reaches the Jannah. Tareeqah is special and Sharee’ah is common.
Tareeqah is based upon a particular set of beliefs, actions and exercises. [A Dictionary of the Technical Terms used in the Sciences of the Musalmans by Moulvi Muhammad Alee Ibn Alee Al-Thanvi, p.919]