Knowledge and Cognition
Question 5
The Sufi knowledge is said to be an esoteric science which can be learnt from living people. How amazing then is the claim by some Sufis that it can also be attained from the Ruh (spirit) of those in the grave, which is part of another world, particularly in the light of the fact that some outstanding theologians, including Imam Abu Hanifa, deny the phenomenon of hearing by the dead?
Question 6
ALLAH described the creation of the human being, jinn and the Satan, in the Quran, without being asked, but did not disclose the reality of the Ruh even when asked. It clearly implies that Ruh is more subtle than the angles or the jinn. How can any benefit be derived from such as subtle being, in the absence of all the pre requisites, like observation, communication and company of the Ruh? The claim of Kharqa-e-Khilafat (Robe of Permission) from a deceased saint will, therefore, seem totally absurd. Could you please quote any example?
Question 7
Will the Ruh not taste death? The Quran asserts: ‘Every soul will taste death.’ How can an exception be made in case of Ruh?
There is a consensus amongst Ahl-e-Sunnah (the Sunnis) about deriving beneficence from the spirits of the aulia is barzakh. Any question on this score amounts to ignorance of their unanimous stand. The distance between the two worlds (this world and the barzakh), is a limitation for the physical body and not for the spirit. Please refer to the events of the Holy Prophet
‘s Night of Ascension. The Holy Prophet frequently saw the people in barzakh, some of them in perfect peace. He also led the Salah of the Prophets
and talked to them while they were in barzakh and the Holy Prophet was in this world. There is difference of opinion amongst the experts of Hadith as to whether only the spirits of the Prohpets were present in Masjid-e-Aqsa (the dome of the rock mosque Jerusalem), or were they present along with their physical body. I personally favour the latter opinion. And mark the benefit derived from Prophet Musa. The daily Salah was reduced from fifty to five times. This should dispel any doubts about deriving beneficence from the spirit.
The phenomenon of observation of Ruh by a seeker, nature of its life, conversation with Ruh etc., cannot be described in words but can be taught and learnt. I consider Tasawwuf as an integral part of Deen, rather its very essence. Just as an acknowledgement of His bounties, I declare that if anyone wants to learn the Sublime Sufi Path, he is welcome to come to me. With a very few restriction that I would like to impose, Insha ALLAH, I shall show him how beneficence is derived from the spirit. He shall be able to converse with the spirits, shall see the rewards and retributions of the grave, and meet the sprits of the Prophets, and I shall even put him though the spiritual oath of allegiance at the hands of the Holy Prophet provided, of course, that he is a true follower of the Sunnah and is a sincere seeker.
The question of hearing by the dead would also be taken care of by personal observation. Though there is no dearth of direct evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, which only an ignorant and obdurate can deny. During the period of the Companions
, kashf and ilham (inner observations and inspirations) was attained without any deliberate effort because the mere company of the Holy Prophet was enough for the purpose.
Human spirits draws life from Divine Lights. Just as the spirit is the driving force for the physical body, the Divine lights which originate from the Almighty Being (as He is), are the driving force for the spirit. When the spirit leaves the physical body, it can no longer exert any influence on it. This separation is called death. The spirit is not mortal; it passes away in space but lives in time.
The reality of the quranic verse ‘All souls must taste death’ should also be clearly understood. As a rule, anyone who tastes survives and that which is tasted vanishes. Take the example of human being and his food. The former survives after tasting food while the latter is consumed and disappears. Similarly the spirits tastes death and survives.
The contention that Imam Abu Hanifa (founder of the Hanfi school of thought) did not believe in the hearing by the dead is totally incorrect. Attention is drawn to the following quotations:
- It is a common public notion that Imam Abu Hanifa did not believe in the hearing by the dead. Mullah Ali Qari has written a booklet contradicting it. He concludes that such a reference to Imam Abu Hanifa is utterly baseless. (Urf-e-Shuzi: p. 386)
- It is the consensus amongst Ahl-e-Sunnah that a person in barzakh is aware of the events of this world (Urf-e-Shuzi: p 387)
- That a person is barzakh is aware of the events of this world is collective belief. And this awareness is impossible without life as listed in Urf-e-Shuzi page 387. (Sharah-e-Maqasad). The research scholars agree that Imam Abu Hanifa never denied hearing by the dead.
- In short, the Quran and the Sunnah are full of instances which prove that those in barzakh have knowledge of the worldly events and the people. No one will deny it except the ignorant and the disbeliever. The Mashaikh assert that whosoever does not believe in it is indeed unaware of the reality of the Prophethood. (Lam‘at by Shaikh Abdul Haque Dehlvi vol. 111, p. 401).
To sum up, the spirt lives and retains, even after the conventional death, its achievements which it accomplished during its associations with the physical body. The knowledge that is acquired in this world can be received from it when it is in barzakh, provided that the seeker has the capability to establish communication with the spirit in barzakh, just as the Holy Prophet had benefited from Prophet Musa with regard to daily Salah.