The Rules of the Sufi Way

The basic rules of the way of Sufism are five:

(1) having Godfearingness privately and publicly, (2) living according to the Sunnah in word and deed, (3) indifference to whether others accept or reject one, (4) satisfaction with Allaah Most High in scarcity and plenty, and (5) turning to Allaah in happiness or affliction.

1. Godfearingness is attained by scrupulousness and uprightness;

2. Following the Sunnah is attained through caution and good character;

3. Indifference to others’ acceptance or rejection is attained through patience and trust in Allaah;

4. Satisfaction with Allaah is attained through contentment with what one has and submission to the will of Allaah;

5. Turning to Allaah Most High is attained by gratitude to Him in happiness and taking refuge in Him in affliction.

The Foundations of the Rules

The foundations of all of these consist of five things:

(1) high aspiration, (2) keeping Allaah’s reverence, (3) giving the best of service, (4) keeping one’s spiritual resolves, and (5) esteeming Allaah’s blessings.

1. Whoever’s aspiration is high, his rank rises;

2. Whoever reveres Allaah, Allaah maintains his respect;

3. Whoever’s service is goodly is necessarily shown generosity;

4. Whoever keeps his spiritual resolves continues to have guidance;

5. Whoever esteems Allaah’s blessings will be grateful for them, and whoever is grateful for them will necessarily see them increased.

The Signs of Sufism

The principles of Sufism’s signs on a person are also five:

 (1) seeking Sacred Knowledge in order to perform Allaah’s command; (2) keeping the company of sheikhs and fellow disciples in order to see with insight; (3) forgoing both dispensations from religious obligations and figurative interpretations of scripture, for the sake of cautiousness; (4) organizing one’s time with spiritual works to maintain presence of heart; and (5) suspecting the self in all matters, in order to free oneself from caprice and be safe from destruction.

1. Seeking Sacred Knowledge is vitiated by keeping the company of juveniles, whether in age, mentality, or religion, who do not refer for guidance to a firm principle or rule;

2. Keeping they company of sheikhs and disciples is vitiated by self-deception and concern with the unimportant;

3. Leaving dispensations and figurative interpretations is vitiated by leniency toward the self;

4. Organizing one’s time with spiritual works is vitiated by looking for more and more supererogatory worship;

5. Suspecting the self is vitiated by satisfaction at its goodliness and uprightness.

Curing the Ego

The principles of curing the ego are also five:

(1) lightening the stomach by diminishing one’s food and drink; (2) taking refuge in Allaah Most High from the unforeseen when it befalls; (3) shunning situations involving what one fears to fall victim to; (4) continually asking Allaah’s forgiveness (istighfar) and His blessings upon the Prophet (Allaah bless him and give him peace) night and day with full presence of mind; and (5) keeping the company of him who guides one to Allaah.

Reaching Allaah

One reaches Allaah Most High by

(1) repenting from all things unlawful or offensive; (2) seeking Sacred Knowledge in the amount needed; (3) continually keeping on ritual purity; (4) performing the prescribed prayers at the first of their times in a group prayer (and praying the confirmed Sunnahs associated with them); (5) always performing eight rak`at of the nonobligatory midmorning prayer (al-duha), the six rak`at between the sunset (maghrib) and nightfall (`isha) prayers, the night vigil prayer (tahajjud) after having risen from sleeping, and the witr prayer (n: an odd number of rak`at as one’s last prayer before dawn); (6) fasting Mondays and Thursdays, and the “full moon [lit. "white"] days” (n: the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of each lunar month), as well as the days of the year that are meritorious to fast; (7) reciting the Qur’aan with presence of heart and reflecting on its meanings; (8) asking much for Allaah’s forgivenesss (istighfar); (9) always invoking the Blessings on the Prophet (Allaah bless him and give him peace); and (10) persevering in the dhikrs that are sunnah in the morning and evening.

And in this amount is a sufficiency, for those reached by the divine help, and Allaah gives guidance, and guides to the path. Allaah is our sufficiency and best to rely on. Aameen.