The Tariqa: The Noble Muhammadan Ethics
The actions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were a perfect example of refined manners with Allah at all times and in every situation. Allah the Almighty describes His noble Messenger ﷺ by saying, “And indeed, you are of a great moral character” (1). From his blessed birth on the dawn of Friday, 12th of Al-Nur, year 1 according to the Muhammadi calendar (May 2, 750 AD), the Prophet ﷺ was under Allah’s watchful care, as mentioned in the verse, “And [so] you will be brought up under My eye” (3). He ﷺ expressed the care of his Lord, saying, “My Lord disciplined me, and He perfected my discipline.” This divine refinement is among the blessings referred to in the verse, “And ever is the bounty of Allah upon you great” (4).
The prophetic manners that Allah instilled in His noble Prophet ﷺ represent the highest and most complete form of manners that a creation can achieve with their Creator. In the noble hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said, “I was sent to perfect noble morals.” Thus, the Path is adherence to the noble prophetic manners, which embody profound respect and reverence for Allah.
Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah sanctify his soul) highlights the importance of etiquette in the spiritual path, saying, “Etiquette is an obligation for the knower, just as repentance is for the sinner. How can he not be well-mannered when he is among the closest of creation to the Creator? Whoever interacts with kings ignorantly, his ignorance brings him closer to his demise. One who lacks etiquette is despised by both creation and Creator; every moment without etiquette is detested. It is essential to have good manners with Allah the Almighty” (5).
Numerous sayings from the Shaykhs of the Path guide people to understand that following the spiritual path means emulating the character of the Prophet ﷺ. Shaykh Junaid al-Baghdadi (may Allah sanctify his soul) said, “Sufism is to adopt every noble character and to abandon every lowly one” (6). Al-Jurayri mentioned, “Sufism is monitoring one’s states and adhering to good manners” (7). Judge Zakariya al-Ansari stated, “Sufism is a science by which one learns the conditions of purifying the soul, refining character, and filling the inner and outer self with life to achieve eternal happiness” (8). Sahl al-Tustari remarked, “Sufism is neither a form nor a science; it is character. If it were a form, it would be attained through striving; if it were knowledge, it would be acquired through learning. Rather, it is embodying the attributes of Allah, and one cannot embrace divine attributes through mere knowledge or form” (9). Abu Hafs said: “Sufism is entirely about etiquette. Every time has its own etiquette, every state has its etiquette, and every station has Its etiquette. Whoever adheres to the etiquettes of the times reaches the ranks of men, while one who neglects etiquette is far even if he thinks he Is close and rejected even If he hopes for acceptance” (10). In describing the adherence of the Sufi path to noble etiquette, it was said: “A Sufi, when faced with two states or qualities, both of whichh are good, chooses the better” (11). Since the path reflects the noble manners of the Prophet ﷺ, those who are most committed to the path are those who embody the noble Prophetic qualities the most.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most complete of believers in faith are those with the best character.” Al-Kinani remarked: “Sufism is character, so whoever surpasses you in character surpasses you in Sufism” (12). Perfect etiquette and complete character for the servant with Allah is the servant’s fulfillment of true servitude by affirming the Lordship of the Creator, Glorified and Exalted. This pure servitude is the essence of the noble Prophetic character, as described by Allah in His address to His noble Messenger ﷺ: “وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ”. Thus, the path involves actions rooted in the Muhammadan essence, leading to the fulfillment of the purpose of creation as expressed in the holy verse: “وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ” (13). Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili defined the path as: “Training the self for servitude and returning It to the rulings of Lordship” (14).
Servitude to Allah means freeing oneself from all dependency upon anything other than Allah, for such dependency makes a person a servant to others. As Shaykh Abu Ali al-Daqqaq said: “You are a servant of whomever you are subjugated to. If you are subjugated to yourself, then you are a servant of yourself, and if you are subjugated to your worldly desires, then you are a servant of the world” (15). True acknowledgment of one’s servitude and the Lordship of one’s Lord Is not merely a verbal affirmation; rather, it Is a surrender both in speech and heart, embodied In all actions. Servitude Is complete only in Its entirety; partial servitude is as if it does not exist. Thus, a true servant sees the Lordship of his Lord In everything he encounters and in all that he Intends in word and deed. Dhu al-Nun al-Misri said: “Servitude is to be a servant in every state, as He is your Lord In every state” (16).
One cannot be a true servant unless he speaks and acts in both form and heart, openly and secretly, in accordance with the words of Imam Ali (may Allah honor his face): “It suffices as an honor for me that You are my Lord, and It suffices as pride for me that I am Your servant. You are as I want, so make me as You want” (17).
Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah sanctify his soul) gives an example illustrating that a person must fulfill his servitude not only in direct actions towards his Lord, such as worship, but also In all his affairs and behaviors, including his dealings with others. He references the verse: “O you who have believed, whoever among you should revert from his religion – Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him, who are humble toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers” (18). Shaykh Abdul Qadir comments, “Believers are humble towards believers and strong against disbelievers. Their humility towards believers is an act of worship, and their strength against disbelievers is an act of worship” (19).
The true servant remains a servant in all conditions, times, and interactions with both the Creator and creation. As Shaykh Abdul Qadir says: “Success lies In maintaining the etiquette of companionship and interaction with both the Creator and the creation” (20). Shaykh Muhammad al-Kasnazan (may Allah sanctify his soul) states: “The seeker is the one who observes etiquette with all people, young and old. The true seeker does not harm anyone, even an ant.”
A servant cannot adopt the attributes of servitude unless they abandon their undesirable traits and separate from their negative inclinations. This shedding of blameworthy qualities is the essence of worship, which is the training of the self In servitude. Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah sanctify his soul) said: “Worship is the abandonment of habits; It is transformative. The law of the Shari’ah supersedes and removes habit. Hold firmly to the law of your Lord, Exalted and Majestic, and abandon your customs. The scholar adheres to worship, while the ignorant adheres to habit. Train yourselves, your children, and your families to do good and to persist in it. Train your hands to let go of worldly attachments, and train your hearts to detach from it.” Shaykh Abdul Qadir further explains that the goal is for worship to become a permanent attribute of the servant, saying: “Worship means abandoning habit until It takes the place of habit” (21).
Following the Sufi path involves battling one’s own traits that lead to poor manners with the Creator, Exalted and Majestic, and instead imitating the noble prophetic character, which is the source and foundation of every noble deed and virtuous action. Because the Prophet ﷺ embodied every noble quality, his actions became an example Allah commanded creation to follow, as He says: “There has certainly been for you In the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope Is in Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah often” (22). Among his ﷺ qualities were piety, humility, patience, generosity, modesty, honesty, sincerity, contentment, vigilance, piety, trust in Allah, grief, contentment, hope, uprightness, gratitude, and other pure qualities. When some of his wives were asked about his character, they answered that his character was the Qur’an (23).
Of his generosity, It was narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah that “the Prophet ﷺ was never asked for anything and said ‘no'” (24). And regarding generosity and openhandedness, the Prophet ﷺ said: “The generous person is close to Allah, close to people, close to Paradise, and far from the Fire, whereas the miserly person is far from Allah, far from people, far from Paradise, and close to the Fire. An ignorant generous person is dearer to Allah than a worshipful miser” (25).
In his extreme humility, he ﷺ would say,”I eat as a servant eats, and I sit as a servant sits” (26). He was truthful and loved those who were truthful, saying: “A servant continues to tell the truth and strives for truthfulness until he Is recorded with Allah as truthful, and a servant continues to lie and strives for lying until he Is recorded with Allah as a liar” (27). He ﷺ was also deeply pious, avoiding anything doubtful, and said, “The foundation of your religion is piety” (28).
One of his ﷺ noble qualities was that he was constantly sorrowful, always reflecting (29). Thus, following the Sufi path by emulating the actions of the Prophet ﷺ means striving to adopt these noble Prophetic qualities. This adoption of the noble Prophetic character and acting in emulation of the Prophet’s ﷺ actions is the hallmark of the Shaykhs of the path and all who sincerely walk the path.
References:
(1) Al-Qalam: 4.
(2) The Muhammadi Gregorian Calendar is the calendar of the Al-‘Aliyyah Qadiriyyah al-Kasnazaniyyah Order. This lunar calendar dates events in reference to the month and year of the Prophet’s ﷺ birth. It will be detailed in Chapter Seven.
(3) Ta-Ha: 39.
(4) An-Nisa: 113.
(5) Al-Kilani – p. 9.
(6) Al-Kasnazani – p. 12.
(7) Al-Qushayri – p. 139.
(8) Al-Ansari – p. 8.
(9) Ammar – p. 3.
(10) Al-Suhrawardi – p. 41.
(11) Al-Qushayri – p. 140.
(12) Al-Kasnazani – p. 12.
(13) Adh-Dhariyat: 56.
(14) Al-Kasnazani – p. 12.
(15) Al-Qushayri – p. 99.
(16) Al-Qushayri – p. 99.
(17) Tamer – p. 7.
(18) Al-Ma’idah: 54.
(19) Al-Kilani – p. 104.
(20) Al-Kilani – p. 9.
(21) Al-Kilani – p. 74.
(22) Al-Ahzab: 21.
(23) Ibn Sa’d – p. 90.
(24) Ibn Sa’d – p. 93.
(25) Al-Qushayri – p. 123.
(26) Ibn Sa’d – p. 95.
(27) Al-Qushayri – p. 105.
(28) At-Tusi – p. 44.
(29) Al-Qushayri – p. 71.
**Source: The Path to the Path – pp. 22-27.
