SHARÔÑAT AND ÙARÔQAT: A STUDY OF THE DEOBANDI UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE OF TAØAWWUF BY AAMIR BASHIR INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA 2010 SHARÔÑAT AND ÙARÔQAT: A STUDY OF THE DEOBANDI UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE OF TAØAWWUF BY AAMIR BASHIR A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization International Islamic University Malaysia DECEMBER 2010 ABSTRACT DeobandÊs are a reformist Sunni group from South Asia. They are a loosely connected group that shares similar attitudes towards Islam and SharÊÑah (Islamic law). The early DeobandÊ masters who flourished at the end of nineteenth and the beginning of twentieth century combined in themselves high spiritual achievements with scholarly erudition. Since then, DeobandÊ attitudes towards taÎawwuf have evolved and diversified. Various scholars have studied different dimensions of the DeobandÊ movement. However, to date there has been no comprehensive study of the DeobandÊ understanding and practice of taÎawwuf. Through analysis of DeobandÊ works about taÎawwuf, biographies of DeobandÊ masters, and field work amongst contemporary DeobandÊ Sufis, this study investigates DeobandÊ understanding and practice of taÎawwuf, and its relationship with SharÊÑah. This thesis argues that two NaqshbandÊ scholar Sufis, AÍmad SirhindÊ (d. 1624) and ShÉh WalÊ AllÉh (d. 1762), have been most instrumental in shaping DeobandÊ attitudes towards Islam as whole. This NaqshbandÊ scholarship combined with DeobandÊs’ ChishtÊ ØÉbirÊ heritage to create the DeobandÊ school of thought. The two main planks of DeobandÊ Sufi doctrine are tawÍÊd and following the Sunnah. Furthermore, there are two main characteristics of the DeobandÊ approach to taÎawwuf. One, they were keen to avoid those traditional practices, which invited criticism from externalist scholars. This, they called, khurËj Ñan al-khilÉf (leaving that which is differed upon). Second, they were singularly focused on the goals of taÎawwuf without a rigid beholding to particular means. This study concludes that the early DeobandÊ masters had been extremely successful in maintaining balance between the external and internal dimensions of Islam. However, a majority of later DeobandÊs have moved away from taÎawwuf and towards externalist behavior, with only a minority upholding their elders’ heritage of spirituality combined with scholarship. ii APPROVAL PAGE The thesis of Aamir Bashir has been approved by the following: __________________ Amir Hussein Zekrgoo Supervisor ____________________ Uthman El-Muhammady Co-supervisor iii DECLARATION PAGE I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degree at IIUM or other institutions. Aamir Bashir Signature ………………………. Date ………………………….. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All praise is due to Allah, the Most Benevolent, the Most Merciful. I seek His help and His forgiveness, and I seek refuge with Him from the evil of my soul and from my bad deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides none can lead astray, and whomsoever Allah leads astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner. And I bear witness that MuÍammad is His slave and Messenger. This work is the fruit of research done under the auspices of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), in partial fulfillment for my MA degree in Islamic and Other Civilizations. I am grateful to all of the administrative and academic staff at ISTAC for facilitating my degree and this research. My deepest appreciation is for my supervisor Prof. Dr. Amir Hussein Zekrgoo for his continued guidance and support during the course of this research. His insightful comments and useful criticism helped to make this thesis a success. My gratitude also extends to Ustaz (Dr.) Uthman El-Muhammady, the co-supervisor for my research. His guidance has been extremely helpful. I must also thank Prof. Dr. Sayyid Ajmal ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-‘Aydarus for his personal encouragement and support. This work would have taken longer to finish had it not been for his periodic reminders. I would like to appreciate the help of my colleague and friend Br. Muhammad Farid ‘Ali who supported me in numerous ways throughout this research, and whose help was critical in completing this work in time. Above all, I owe more than I can express to my parents whose constant encouragement and support, financial and moral, allowed me to pursue this degree. I also thank my wife for her patience and understanding. May Allah reward everyone who helped with this work in any way, and give us all the tawfÊq to serve His dÊn, and to seek His pleasure. And Allah alone gives success. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................ ii Approval Page ...................................................................................................... iii Declaration Page .................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. v Table of Contents ................................................................................................. vi List of Tables ....................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1 Basic Terms .............................................................................................. 1 SharÊÑat .............................................................................................. 2 ÙarÊqat ............................................................................................... 2 Background ............................................................................................... 3 Who are the DeobandÊs? ................................................................... 6 DeobandÊs as Sufis ............................................................................ 12 Problem Statement .................................................................................... 13 Scope and Organization of the Study ....................................................... 16 Literature Review ..................................................................................... 18 Sources and Methodology ........................................................................ 21 Implications of Our Research ................................................................... 25 DeobandÊs .......................................................................................... 25 Muslims in General and Their Sectarian Differences ....................... 26 Scholars and Researchers .................................................................. 26 Translation, Transliteration and Other Considerations ............................. 27 CHAPTER 2: TAJDÔD AND DEOBANDÔS’ FORERUNNERS ................... 30 IÎlÉÍ (Reform) and TajdÊd (Renewal) in the Sunni Tradition .................. 30 Shaykh AÍmad SirhindÊ ............................................................................ 34 Spiritual Training .............................................................................. 35 The Political Dimension .................................................................... 36 SirhindÊ and TaÎawwuf ...................................................................... 36 Scholarly Contributions ..................................................................... 38 SirhindÊ’s Identification of His Role ................................................. 38 Sunnah and BidÑah ............................................................................ 39 Legacy ............................................................................................... 42 ShÉh WalÊ AllÉh ........................................................................................ 43 Education and Spiritual Training ....................................................... 44 WalÊ AllÉh as a Mujaddid ................................................................. 44 TawÍÊd ....................................................................................... 46 ÑAqÊdah (Creed) ......................................................................... 46 ×adÊth and Fiqh ......................................................................... 47 WalÊ AllÉh and TaÎawwuf ................................................................. 48 TawÍÊd and TaÎawwuf ................................................................ 49 The Spiritual Path ....................................................................... 49 His Main Sufi Works ......................................................................... 50 His Descendants: Spiritual and Physical ............................................ 53 vi Sayyid AÍmad of Rae Bareli.............................................................. 53 Education and Spiritual Training ....................................................... 54 Sayyid AÍmad as MujÉhid and Mujaddid .......................................... 55 TehrÊk-e-MujÉhidÊn (MujÉhidÊn Movement) .............................. 56 First Missionary Tour: Doaba ...........................................................