The Tariqa: Unbounded Worship and Determination, Not Permission
Another approach to understanding the path (tariqa) is to study the nature of the relationship between the worship practices in both the path (tariqa) and the law (sharia). It Is known that the obligations of sharia are defined in type, quantity, and time. For instance, there is the daily prayer in Its five specific times and the fasting during the month of Ramadan. However, these acts of worship, revealed by Allah Almighty, are not intended to represent everything a person must do in terms of devotional duties toward their Lord. The fact that they are specifically designated as obligatory (fard) does not imply they encompass all of a person’s devotional duties. This becomes very clear when studying the life of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), who consistently performed many additional acts of worship known as voluntary prayers (nawafil) in addition to the obligations of sharia. In fact, his voluntary prayers far exceeded the obligatory ones he diligently observed.
Allah Almighty said, “أَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُوداً. وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ عَسَى أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامـاً مَّحْمُوداً” (الإسراء: 78-79) ( 1)
“From the decline of the sun to the end of the darkness of the night, establish the morning prayer, because the morning prayer is always accompanied by the presence of angels”(Alasra:78-79)
. Among these voluntary acts (or Sunnah) were prayers that the Prophet (ﷺ) performed before or after the obligatory ones, such as the two units (rak’ahs) of Sunnah prayer for the evening (Isha) prayer—two units before the obligatory prayer and two after. The Prophet (ﷺ) also had specific supplications and other voluntary acts of worship. In fact, he would worship his Lord until his blessed feet became swollen, even though Allah had bestowed His favor upon him like no other: “وَكَانَ فَضْـلُ اللّـهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمـاً” (النساء: 113) (.2)
“And God’s grace upon you was great”
When he was asked why he worshipped so intensely despite Allah’s immense favor upon him, he replied, “Shall I not be a grateful servant
( 3)(?”
The obligations of sharia represent the minimum acts of worship that a Muslim must perform, distinguishing a Muslim from a non-Muslim. This is why the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Prayer is the pillar of religion; whoever abandons it destroys religion.” However, the limited acts of sharia worship are not sufficient to fulfill the divine command expressed in the verse:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ”
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (Quran 51:56). Therefore, performing voluntary acts of worship is the path to making one’s entire life a life of pure worship.
Since the path (tariqa) consists of the actions of the Prophet (ﷺ), and the obligations of the path are a specific part of the Prophet’s devotional practices, it becomes clear that the obligations of sharia are a part of the path, which is the total, unbounded acts of worship to reach Allah Almighty. In explaining the relationship between sharia and the path, Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan said: “Sharia Is the framework of the path, and the path Is the core of sharia; there is no path without sharia, and no sharia without the path.”
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Thus, sharia surrounds the path as a framework, making it impossible for one to practice the path without adhering to sharia. Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan’s analogy of sharia as a framework compared to the core, which is the path, shows that sharia is not the ultimate goal but rather the starting point, a beginning from which one should not stop but only start. It is the beginning of the longer and more challenging road represented by the path and its voluntary acts of worship. Therefore, anyone who becomes a disciple of the Kasnazani path must commit to the obligations of sharia, such as daily prayers, before beginning the practices of the path, like recitations and others.
The true nature of the relationship between the path (tariqa) and sharia reveals the major error of those who claimed that the path and sharia are two different approaches. Throughout history, individuals and groups have asserted that the path leads to knowledge of Allah Almighty without the need to adhere to the obligations of sharia, attempting to create a division between traditional religious worship and the path. In today’s world, there are various forms of such claims, particularly promoted by some Sufi movements in the West, which have falsely associated themselves with the path. Others have claimed that following the path can bring a person to a level of knowledge of their Lord where sharia obligations are no longer necessary. However, the shaykhs of the path have consistently, in both word and deed, emphasized that these claims are a complete deviation from the true meaning of the path.
When Shaykh al-Junayd al-Baghdadi (may Allah sanctify his soul) heard a man claim, “Those who truly know Allah reach a level where they abandon ritual actions [meaning acts of worship] as a way of devotion and drawing nearer to Allah,” he denounced this statement and replied, “This is the statement of people who talk of abandoning deeds, which to me is a grave sin. A thief or an adulterer Is in a better state than one who says this. The true knowers of Allah have received their deeds from Allah and will return to Him through them. Even if I were to live a thousand years, I would not abandon an atom’s weight of good deeds unless I were physically prevented from doing so.”
(5)
Thus, the people of the path have not deviated from the way established by the Prophet (ﷺ). Abu Uthman said, “Outward deviation from the Sunnah, my son, Is a sign of hidden hypocrisy
(6)”
Another way to view the relationship between sharia and the path (tariqa) is through the Prophetic saying: “Sharia is my words, and the path is my actions.” Since sharia represents the words of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the path his actions, then sharia serves as the interpretation of the path. Thus, any actions not affirmed as true by sharia are not considered acts of the path, meaning they are not among the actions of the Prophet (ﷺ). This interpretation also explains Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan’s statement: “Sharia is the framework of the path.” Shaykh Abdul Karim al-Kasnazan said: “If the actions, deeds, or words of the disciple contradict any ruling of sharia or the Quran, they are outside our path.” This signifies that the relationship between sharia and the path is complementary.
(7. )
Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari said: “If one becomes immersed in the oneness of God, sees that sovereignty belongs to God alone, and disregards the outward forms of sharia, they are cast into the sea of heresy, bringing ruin upon themselves. The true path is to be supported by reality but bound by sharia… freedom with reality without being bound by sharia leads to abandonment.”
(8)
This implies that followers of the path chose the more challenging and rigorous course of worship rather than stopping at the minimum requirements represented by the obligations of sharia. The shaykhs of the path described the way of unbounded voluntary worship as *determination* (azm) In contrast to stopping at the obligations of sharia, which is called *concession* (rukhsah). Therefore, the Prophet (ﷺ) is described as the one with the greatest determination among all creation. Shaykh Umar al-Suhrawardi said: “Concession is adhering to His [the Prophet’s] word, while determination is emulating His (ﷺ) actions.
(9 )
” This mirrors the hadith: “Sharia is my words, and the path Is my actions.”
Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani advised: “Observe fasting and the five daily prayers in their times, and uphold all the boundaries of sharia. Once you fulfill the obligatory acts, move on to the voluntary ones. Adhere to determination and avoid concessions.”
(10)
Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani also narrated the following incident, which illustrates the difference between one who follows the path with determination and one who allows themselves concessions under sharia: “One day, I passed by a village surrounded by cornfields. I reached out and took a stalk of corn to chew. Two villagers came to me, each holding a stick, and they struck me until I fell to the ground. At that moment, I vowed to Allah Almighty never to rely on concession In matters that do not concern me. Sharia permits the needy to eat from crops and fruits as needed but prohibits taking anything away. This is a general concession, but I decided not to rely on it. I chose the path of determination and piety.
(11)
. Whoever frequently remembers death increases in piety, reduces their reliance on concessions, and strengthens their determination.”
Relying on concessions poses a great danger to one’s continuity and steadfastness on the straight path. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever grazes around a sanctuary is bound to fall into it.” This is why the followers of the path warn against abandoning determination (azm) and relying on concessions. Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani said, “Whoever sticks to concessions and leaves determination risks the ruin of their faith. Determination is for men, as it involves taking on risks and the most challenging, subtle endeavors. Concession is for children and women, as it is the easier path.
(12)
” Al-Niffari added, “Among the forms of bad etiquette in a disciple that leads to their downfall is abandoning the demands of reality for the concessions of sharia.” They regarded this as a serious offense, leading to a decrease In rank and a distance from nearness to Allah.
(13)
Thus, they said, “If you see a disciple fall from the rank of reality to the concessions of sharia, know that they have broken their covenant with Allah and nullified their bond with Him.” Yusuf ibn al-Husayn said, “If you see a disciple busying themselves with concessions, know that nothing will come of them.” Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Shayban stated, “Whoever wishes to live idly should adhere to concessions.”
(14)
Adhering to determination is not limited to known acts of worship like prayer; it applies to all human behaviors and conduct. For the people of determination, renunciation (zuhd) is not merely refraining from forbidden things, but much more. As Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani described, “It begins with abandoning the forbidden, then avoiding doubtful things [that one cannot be sure are permitted or prohibited], then abandoning permissible things, and finally refraining from absolute lawful things in all cases so that nothing remains unrenounced at all.”
(15)
For example, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani said about renunciation in food, “Withhold yourself from eating the forbidden and feed it only pure lawful food until the flesh that grew on the forbidden fades away. Then, refrain from the forbidden and later also from the lawful.” Renunciation for the people of
determination extends beyond food or specific aspects of life(16)
; It encompasses all their behaviors and every detail of their lives. When Rowim asked Shaykh al-Junayd al-Baghdadi about renunciation, he replied, “It is belittling the world and erasing its traces from the heart.”
(17)
Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan explained that renunciation in this world involves distancing oneself from forbidden and doubtful matters, renouncing lawful things such as food, clothing, shelter, wealth, marriage, and anything that could captivate the self and distract from Allah
(18)
. Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani advised disciples to renounce food, saying about the self: “it is a wicked servant; it only works when disciplined.
(19)
Only satisfy it when you know that satiety will not lead it to rebellion and that it works In exchange for its satisfaction.” Similarly, the disciple should not take anything from the lawful pleasures of the world unless they know that it will not turn against them.
True renunciation for the people of the path transcends worldly matters to become renunciation of everything other than Allah Almighty. When Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Shibli was asked about the essence of the renunciation of the people of the path
(20)
, he said, “To renounce everything other than Allah.” The renunciation of the shaykhs of the path even extends to paradise itself, something that, while imaginable, cannot be fully comprehended by those outside this realm. The renouncer seeks only Allah Almighty and desires nothing in exchange for their worship except closeness to Him.
(21)
Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani said, “True renunciation is abandoning the world and the hereafter, abandoning desires and pleasures, abandoning existence, abandoning the pursuit of states, ranks, honors, and positions, abandoning everything other than the Lord of all creation, so that nothing remains but the Creator Himself, the ultimate end, and the fulfillment of all hopes, to whom all affairs return.”
(22)
In advising disciples, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani emphasized making the love of Allah the ultimate goal: “Offer all of yourself, abandon your desires and pleasures, lose yourself In Him, leave paradise and everything in it, leave the self, whims, nature, and both worldly and otherworldly desires, leave it all behind.” Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah honor his face, addressed Allah saying, “I worship You not out of fear of Your Fire or out of desire for Your Paradise, but because I found You worthy of worship, so I worshiped You.”
(23)
**Footnotes:**
1. Al-Isra: 78–79.
2. An-Nisa: 113.
3. Ibn Sa’d, p. 103.
4. All quotations from Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan without specific sources were taken with gracious permission from Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan’s guidance lectures.
5. Al-Qushayri, p. 20.
6. Al-Qushayri, p. 21.
7. Al-Kasnazan, p. 176.
8. Al-Iskandari, p. 55.
9. Al-Suhrawardi, p. 378.
10. Al-Gilani, p. 15.
11. Al-Gilani, pp. 25–26.
12. Al-Gilani, p. 15.
13. The term *haqiqa* (reality) is also used to refer to the path, as It is based on what Is known in the terminology of the path as the *Muhammadan Reality*, which is explored in detail in Chapter 4 of the book.
14. Al-Niffari, p. 52.
15. Al-Gilani, p. 37.
16. Al-Gilani, p. 38.
17. Al-Qushayri, p. 61.
18. Al-Kasnazan, pp. 144–146.
19. Al-Gilani, p. 39.
20. Al-Qushayri, p. 61.
21. Al-Gilani, p. 24.
22. Al-Gilani, p. 50.
23. Tamer, p. 7.
**Source:** *The Path to the Path*, pp. 15–22.
