The Way of the Shadhili

The Shaykh Abu-l-’Abbas al-Jami related to me that a certain man asked Sidi Abu-l-Hasan, “Who is your spiritual guide Sidi?” He said to him, “In the beginning it was Sidi Shaykh Abu Muhammad ‘Abd as-Salam Ibn Mashish. At present I draw from ten seas, five of the sons of ‘Adam and five of spiritual origin. The five ‘Adamic are Sayyidina Muhammad and his companions, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali. The five of spiritual origin are Jibril, Mika’il, Israfil, ‘Izra’il and ar-Ruh {the Holy Spirit}.”

Thus the Way of the Shadhdhuliyyah, though traceable back through Sidi ‘Abd as-Salam Ibn Mashish as well as Sidi Muhammad bin Harazim and Sidi Abu-l-Fath al-Wasiti, really has its beginning with our Shaykh, Sidi Ali Abu-l-Hasan.

Sidi Ibn ‘Ata ‘illah reported on the authority of Sidi Shihab ad-Din Ahmad, the son of our Shaykh, that at the time of his death his father said, “I have brought to this Way {Tariqah} what no one has before me.”

Thus the Way of the Shadhdhuliyyah, though it has many areas in common with the various Turuq, may Allah be pleased with them all, is a unique Way unlike any other.

The Shaykh, may Allah preserve his secret, said, “Of all the Ways there are two: the way of travelling {suluk} and the way of attraction {jadhb}. Our Way is the Way of Jadhb. Our beginning is their end. Their beginning is our completion ” Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’ illah, whose books greatly aided in the diffusion of the teachings of our Shaykh, says in the Kiatb al Hikm, “He who is illumined in the beginning is illumined in the end.” Thus the Way of the Shadhdhuliyyah is firmly based on the reality {haqlqah} that Enlightenment or Illumination {-ishrdq} is both in our beginning mid at our end with the certain knowledge that both our beginning and end are in His Presence and by His Grace.” {see 7:172}

Shaykh Ahmad az-Zarruq, commenting on this, said, “The variety in a branch is due to the variety of its origin. The origin of Tasawwuf is in the station of ‘Ihsan and it splits into two kinds: ‘to worship Allah as though you saw Him’ and ‘knowing that if you do not see Him, He sees you.’ The first is the degree of the Knower; the latter is the degree of the Seeker. The Folk of ash-Shadhdhuli revolve around the first and Folk of al-Ghazali revolve around the other.”

Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’illah as-Sakandari said, “Do not think that the ‘attracted’ {al-majdhub} has no path. He has a path that has been enveloped by the providential solicitude of Allah {‘ inayatu-llah} so that his way has been speedily expedited Too often we hear that the traveller {as-salik} is more perfect than the attracted due to the traveller’s experience of the Path and the Attracted’s lack of experience. This is not true. He does not miss it but misses only its hardships and the length.” Thus ‘attraction’ {al-jadhb} was a necessary prerequisite for the Folk {al-qawm} who took the Way of our Shaykh as the Shadhdhuli Way was par excellence that of “witnessing” {mushahddah} Allah at the beginning of the Way which in turn fostered a great concern with ‘intuition” {kashf} in contradistinction to the other ways more concerned with ‘intellect’ {the rational faculty = ‘aql } and not The Intellect { al-’aqi} understood as The Existentiating Reality}.

Ibn ‘Ata ’illah, to whom we are so indebted for our knowledge of the Way of our Shaykh, made abundantly clear that the Way of Arrival to the knowledge {al-ma’rifah} of Allah by insight, direct witnessing, and tasting at the beginning was the way of the elite who are the chosen of Allah whilst the Way of Arrival to Allah by intellection, reason and proofs was the way of the commoners who have chosen Allah. He indicates that arrival to the knowledge of Allah is not attained by struggle {jihad} with the self {nafs}, neither by obedience nor good deeds, for these are the product of human will {‘irddah} and humans have no will in relation to the Will of Allah. Man cannot reach Allah by his will alone, not by renouncing himself, humiliating himself, or destroying himself for “there is no logical nexus between the transcendent and the contingent.” Arrival to the knowledge of Allah stems from the providential solicitude of Allah. Real and ineffable sanctifying grace in conjunction with amorous wisdom. The ’spiritual life’ is not so much a question of choice as it is a matter of vocation and an abiding sense of having been chosen in eternity on the day of -Alastu bi-rabbikum?

In his book Kitab fi ‘Isqat at-Tanwir fi ‘Isqdt at-Taddblr {Light on the Cessation of Self Direction} he says, “Know that The Truth {al-haqq} has always taken the best of care for you throughout all of your life since He brought you into existence on the Day of the Decree [yawm al-muqadir}, the Day of "Am I not your Lord" and you said, "Yes, we bear witness!" Among the signs of His Care is that He caused you to know Him. He revealed Himself to you and you witnessed Him. It was He who made you speak and inspired you to affirm His Lordship [rububiyyatahu] and so confirm His Oneness.”

wa ‘idh ‘akhadha rabbuka mim banii ‘aadama min dhuhurihim dhuriyyatahum wa’ashhadahum’alaa’anfusihim ^alastu bi-rabbikum qalu bala shahidnaa ‘an taqulu yawma-l-qiyamati ‘inna kunna ‘an hadha ghafilin

And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their spines, their seed and made them to witness of their selves “Am I not your Lord ?” They said, “Yes! we bear witness.” lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “As for us we were not aware.” { 7:172 }

This statement concerning the pre-etemal celestial witnessing is crucial to the understanding that within all human beings there is a part that always has known the Truth both of origin and destination. The whole question of the spiritual path {at-tariqah} is thus not so much a matter of going ’somewhere’ as it is an awakening to where one already is and a remembering of who one is, was and will be.

The literalist objection to the sufi doctrine of arrival {wusul} is completely misguided as it is clear that ah origine all humans had direct knowledge and direct witnessing of their Lord and, moreover, directly entered into a covenant of witness with their Lord, in the beginning and at the end. The goal of the path is, simply stated, the return to this realization by the elimination of forgetfulness.

For some it is a lengthy process whereas for others, less mindless {ghaflah} perhaps, it is clearly evident by virtue of insight which is a grant or bestowal of grace from their Lord. The view of our Shaykh was that the cessation of self-direction, in itself a recognition of the necessity of a continual ‘Islam {self surrender}, was the means par excellence for the cultivation of insight [kashf}, which best blooms undisturbed by agitation and the sense of ‘doing’ so much evident in the contemporary world.

Commenting on the saying of one of his contemporaries, “Spiritual knowledge comes from Allah in two ways: one way, the path of the Source of generosity, and one way, the path of enormous self-exertion,” our Shaykh said, “Regarding the Source of generosity, it refers to those whom Allah has initiated with His Divine Gift and who by this Gift have attained to obedience unto Him. Concerning the great self-exertion, this refers to those people who, by obedience unto Him, have attained to His Divine Gift.” He continued saying, “Certainty {yaqin} is a word pertaining to the apprehension of realities without a doubt and without an intervening veil. Spiritual knowledge {ma’rifah} is a disclosure of the sciences along with the veil. When the veil is removed, we call it certainty. He who has access to the realities [haqd’iq} is carried away in rapture {nashwata-l-tarab}. The one who has spiritual knowledge is drawn by it away from the self {nafs}.

Ref: THE SCHOOL OF THE ShADhDhULIYYAH: VOLUME I

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