Dalael-us-Suluk

PREFACE

I seek refuge in ALLAH from Satan, the outcast.
In the name of ALLAH, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Peace be upon Muhammad, the glorious Prophet of Islam, his Companions and his followers.

Doubts exist not only in the minds of the Muslim faithful but also among the Ulama- notably the exoterics - about Tasawwuf and its votaries. Often they lead to misunderstanding, as if Shariah and Tariqah were two separate entities, or that Tasawwuf was some obscure discipline foreign to Islam, or that it was altogether above the established laws and injunctions of our religion. To help remove these misgivings and to reassure seekers, as well as the scholar, I take the opportunity (by ALLAH's Grace) of writing this work.

Although I have lived the major portion of my Iife as a scholar, with the avowed mission of expounding the truth of Islam and the refutation of fallacious sects - and this would appear quite removed from Tasawwuf, yet the only practical difference between the two, namely the use of the former as a media to expound the truth, and the latter to imbue people with positive faith, is that of argument perceived by the ear, and argument savoured by the mind. Nevertheless, people are amazed that a man, who until the other day, was known as a dialectician and a preacher of Islam, is not only talking mystics - zikr, Halqah, purification of the soul, and the stages of the mystic Path - but is also claiming spiritual bonds with the veteran Sufi Masters of the past. This amazement is obviously out of place in view of the Quranic injunction:

Is it they who apportion their Lord 's Mercy? (43:32)
to which the natural reply is:
This is the bounty of ALLAH which He gives to whom He wills. (62:4)

The purification of the soul always formed part of the main mission of the Prophets; that is, the dissemination and propagation of the Divine Message. This responsibility Iater fell squarely on the shoulders of the true Ulama in the Ummah of the last Prophet who, as his genuine successors, have continued to shed brave Iight in every dark age of materialism and blasphemy. In the present age of catastrophic confusion, the importance of this responsibility has increased manifold; for the utter neglect of Islam by Muslims has not only driven them to misery but also grievously weakened their bonds of faith in ALLAH and the Prophet-SAW. The decay in their belief and consequent perversion in their conduct has reached a stage that any attempt to pull them out of the depth of ignominy and the heedless morass of faithlessness, attracts grave suspicions and apprehensions rather than a positive will to follow the Shariah, to purify the souls and to reform within. The Quranic verse: Layer upon layer of darkness...(24:40) provides the nearest expression of their present state.

ALLAH has taken upon Himself the responsibility to uphold the Truth. lt is not within His infinite Mercy to let mankind (His dearest creation) grope in the murky shadows of ignorance and misery. Therefore, in every age, He raises His chosen servants to support the truth and lead mankind to salvation. There is no parallel in history of the way the learned Sufis carried out this task with the utmost sincerity and dedication.

The sole method of imparting knowledge, ensuring spiritual development and purification of the soul, used by the learned Sufis, is to project their inner light towards disciples. This is called ilqa and in`ekas in Sufi terminology and is the practical aspect of Tasawwuf which depends upon the company of a Sufi master. According to Mujaddid Alif Thani, "Tasawwuf is the science of spiritual feelings and stages, which cannot be literally represented in overt literature or explained by word of mouth."

Therefore, it is important to introduce to literary circles the broad features and reality of Tasawwuf, for what is represented today as such does not have the remotest relationship with it. lt is because of this that true Tasawwuf, the one having its firm foundation in the Book and the Sunnah, is viewed with suspicion. lt is hoped that this humble attempt on my part will initiate the Muslims of all classes to apply a corrective to their thoughts and actions, in the interest of eternal bliss. This book is the outcome of a realisation of this sacred duty. My welfare is only in ALLAH, in Him I trust and to Him I return (repentant).
(11:88)

Allah Yar Khan

Chakrala, District Mianwali, Pakistan
25 October 1965 / 1st Shaban 1385 A.H.