Taṣawwuf Query

by | 28 Jul 2020 | Q&A, Tazkiyah

Question:

Most Respected Shaikh,

My question is related to Bayah of a woman in Islam. My Wife has taken Bayah from a shaikh. She is very crazy to learn Tasawwuf. She says that to learn tasawwuf, I can meet my shaikh any time either in day or night and I shouldn’t have any obligation on it. She also says that if I will resist she can demand DIVORSE even. I know the Shaikh and I have also taken Bayah from him. I have discussed this issue with Shaikh and he says that if she wants to see me alone, I should not resist and he will allow my wife to do so according to shariah. I am very disturb and don’t know what to do. I am scared that if I say some hard words, our shaikh might angry on it. Please guide me in this regards.

(Question published as received)

Answer:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The essence of taṣawwuf is iḥsān, which means Allah consciousness, i.e. a person becomes ever conscious of the laws of Allah Ta‘ālā in every aspect of life. One can never achieve any heights in taṣawwuf while violating the laws of Allah. It is therefore important that the spiritual guide (shaykh) himself strongly adheres to sharī‘ah. If he violates the laws of sharī‘ah, he cannot be an ideal role model for his followers. His guidance will lack spiritual light (rūḥāniyyah).

According to sharī‘ah, a woman cannot be alone with a ghair-maḥram. Consider the following Ḥadīth:

عن ابن عبّاس، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَال: لا يخلونّ رجل بامرأَة إلاّ مع ذي محرم … ‏

Ibn `Abbās (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhuma) narrates: The Prophet (Ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “No man should stay with a woman in seclusion except in the presence of a maḥram…” [Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5233. Book 67, 166]

The shaykh is a ghair-maḥram. Your wife cannot be alone with him.

According to various other narrations, such a union is contaminated with the evils of Shayṭān. How can one attain spiritual effulgence through such a meeting? In this era of moral degeneration, one should exercise extreme precaution. A mere curtain separating a ghair-maḥram man and woman sitting alone too is not free from fitnah.

If a woman wishes to receive spiritual guidance and general advice, in this age of technology, that is very easy. She could email her spiritual guide rather than seeing him alone.

We have come across many incidents where Shayṭān misled a ‘shaykh’ with his female murīdahs.

Furthermore, according to sharī‘ah, the right of the husband precedes the right of the shaykh. It is incorrect for the shaykh to override the right of the husband and advise him against his will to let his wife see him.

The wife’s attitude of wanting divorce if she cannot see the shaykh requires reformation. Her shaykh should advise her that Allah said,

… و قرن في بيوتكن ولا تبرجن تبرج الجاهلية الأولى …

“… And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance…” [Surah al-Aḥzāb:33]

Her shaykh should advise her to obey her husband and in obeying the laws of the sharī‘ah, she will get close to Allah. If the shaykh facilitates her un-Islamic demands, then he is also guilty of violating the laws of Allah. He cannot be a means of leading people close to Allah. He is actually distancing his followers from Allah.

And Allah knows best

(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai


حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الخَيْرِ، عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: «إِيَّاكُمْ وَالدُّخُولَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ»، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَفَرَأَيْتَ الحَمْوَ، قَالَ: «الحَمْوُ المَوْتُ» وَفِي البَاب عَنْ عُمَرَ، وَجَابِرٍ، وَعَمْرِو بْنِ العَاصِ.: حَدِيثُ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ، وَإِنَّمَا مَعْنَى كَرَاهِيَةِ الدُّخُولِ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ عَلَى نَحْوِ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأَةٍ إِلَّا كَانَ ثَالِثَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ» وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: «الحَمْوُ» يُقَالُ: هُوَ أَخُو الزَّوْجِ، كَأَنَّهُ كَرِهَ لَهُ أَنْ يَخْلُوَ بِهَا.(سنن الترمذي ت شاكر ٤٦٦/٣)

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ أَبُو المُغِيرَةِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُوقَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: خَطَبَنَا عُمَرُ بِالجَابِيَةِ فَقَالَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنِّي قُمْتُ فِيكُمْ كَمَقَامِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِينَا فَقَالَ: «أُوصِيكُمْ بِأَصْحَابِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ يَفْشُو الكَذِبُ حَتَّى يَحْلِفَ الرَّجُلُ وَلَا يُسْتَحْلَفُ، [ص:466] وَيَشْهَدَ الشَّاهِدُ وَلَا يُسْتَشْهَدُ، أَلَا لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأَةٍ إِلَّا كَانَ ثَالِثَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ، عَلَيْكُمْ بِالجَمَاعَةِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالفُرْقَةَ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ مَعَ الوَاحِدِ وَهُوَ مِنَ الِاثْنَيْنِ أَبْعَدُ، مَنْ أَرَادَ بُحْبُوحَةَ الجَنَّةِ فَلْيَلْزَمُ الجَمَاعَةَ، مَنْ سَرَّتْهُ حَسَنَتُهُ وَسَاءَتْهُ سَيِّئَتُهُ فَذَلِكَ الْمُؤْمِنُ»: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الوَجْهِ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ ابْنُ المُبَارَكِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُوقَةَ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الحَدِيثُ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.(سنن الترمذي ت شاكر ٤٦٥/٤)

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَكِيمٍ، قَالَ: نَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَبْدٍ الْمَلِكِ، قَالَ: نَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ طَاعَةٌ مَاتَ مَيْتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً، وَمَنْ خَلَعَهَا بَعْدَ عَقْدِهِ إِيَّاهَا لَقِيَ اللَّهَ لَا حُجَّةَ لَهُ، أَلَا لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأَةٍ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ ثَالِثُهُمَا، وَهُوَ مِنَ الِاثْنَيْنِ أَبْعَدَ مَنْ سَرَّتْهِ حَسَنَتُهُ وَسَاءَتْهُ سَيِّئَتُهُ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ. (مسند البزار – البحر الزخار ٢٧١/٩)

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، كِلَاهُمَا عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْبَدٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَخْطُبُ يَقُولُ: «لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأَةٍ إِلَّا وَمَعَهَا ذُو مَحْرَمٍ، وَلَا تُسَافِرِ الْمَرْأَةُ إِلَّا مَعَ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ»، فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنَّ امْرَأَتِي خَرَجَتْ حَاجَّةً، وَإِنِّي اكْتُتِبْتُ فِي غَزْوَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، قَالَ: «انْطَلِقْ فَحُجَّ مَعَ امْرَأَتِكَ. (صحيح مسلم ٩٧٨/٢)

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الخَيْرِ، عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِيَّاكُمْ وَالدُّخُولَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ» فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَفَرَأَيْتَ الحَمْوَ؟ قَالَ: الحَمْوُ المَوْتُ. (صحيح البخاري ٣٧/٧)

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