LikeForbidden Forms of Dhikr
Shaykh `Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda
Translated by A. Haque
As for the type of dhikr performed by some people which comprises of rhythmically coordinated movements of the body, melodious hymns and songs, jumping, leaping, hopping, bending forward and then straightening up, and violent twisting and shoving, then this form of dhikr is forbidden, for a sound fitra finds it repugnant, and a heart in khushu` is far removed from the likes of such things. As the noble tabi`i Sa`id ibn al-Musayyab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Had the heart of this man been in khushu`, his limbs would be in khushu` as well.”
Moreover, engaging in this type of dhikr has not been transmitted from the salaf whose generations were commended for their excellence. As for the reasoning put forward for these physical movements and leaping up and down, that they prevent the mind from being distracted away from Allah the Exalted, then it is rejected due to the well-known example of the salaf. Indeed, they were the most vigilant of all people in safeguarding their minds and hearts, and making them in sync with Allah the Exalted. Yet, they never engaged in such acts. To the contrary, when these kinds of acts were brought to their attention, they strongly censured them. They were a nation whose example is meant to be studied and adhered to. What follows, then, are excerpts from their discourse regarding the aforementioned type of dhikr.
`A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “Abu Bakr entered while two slave-girls of the Ansar were with me. They were singing the rhymes of the Ansar for the Day of Bu`ath, though they were not singers …”2
Ibn Hajar explains:
“A group of Sufis used this report as evidence to support the permissibility of singing and listening to songs, whether accompanied by musical instruments or not.
It suffices as a response that `A’isha herself clarified the words of the report by saying, ‘they were not singers,’ negating what could be interpreted from the first part of her report [i.e. ‘they were singing’], because ghina’ [singing] refers to raising the voice, the melody which the Arabs call nasb, and the chanting of the caravan leader. The performer of this act is not called a mughanni [singer], which is a term that refers to those who sing by elongating and breaking the words, stimulating and provoking the listener by way of allusive and explicit descriptions of indecency.
Qurtubi3 says, ‘The statement of `A’isha – they were not singers – means that they were not of those who are experts at singing like professional singers. This is an indication by `A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) of her wariness and reservation from the customary form of singing, which moves the motionless, and arouses what is deeply hidden. This is a type of singing whose impermissibility is agreed upon, if it consists of poetry that depicts the attractive features of women, intoxicants, and other forbidden things.’
He continues, ‘As for what the Sufis have innovated in this regard, then it is impermissible without disagreement. However, a large number of those attributed with virtue have been overcome by their appetitive souls, to the extent that many of them have displayed acts that are normally associated with children or the insane, such as dancing with organized steps and synchronized movements. Some of them even have the audacity to deem these acts as righteous deeds and a means of seeking nearness to God. They claim that these acts help to attain exalted states, while in reality they are among the indicators of zandiqa [heresy] and the statements of magicians. And Allah is the source of all help!’
In fact, the truth is the reverse of what they say: these acts help to attain the most evil of states.” 4
The poet says, censuring the statements and acts of these enamored souls:
Has Allah said, ‘Clap for me and sing,
Say words of evil, and claim that dancing is dhikr?’
Qadi Iyad said about Imam Malik on the authority of al-Tinnisi:
“We were with Malik while he was surrounded by his companions, when a man belonging to the people of Nasibin said, ‘There is a group of people among us called Sufis. They eat excessively, then they begin to sing, and then they get up and dance.’ Malik asked him, ‘Are they children?’ The man replied, ‘No.’ Malik asked, ‘Are they insane?’ The man replied, ‘No. They are a group of mashayikh [religious scholars] and other intelligent people.’ Malik replied, ‘I have never heard of anyone from the people of Islam doing such a thing.’
The man said, ‘But these people eat, and then get up and dance tirelessly, some of them striking their heads, and some striking their faces.’ Hearing this, Malik laughed, then rose and went inside his house. The companions of Malik said to the man, ‘Verily you have brought bad omen to our companion. We have been in his company for more than thirty years, and we never saw him laugh until this day.’” 5
Qurtubi, the Sufi Qur’an exegete, says commenting on the statement of Allah the Exalted, ‘Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor of fear in their hearts, and when they hear His ayaat rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put all their trust in their Lord’ 6 –
“Allah the Exalted describes the believers in this ayah feeling fearful when He is mentioned. This is because of the strength of their faith, and cognizance of their Lord, as if they are right before Him.
Similar to this is the ayah, ‘Give the good news to those who humble themselves – to those whose hearts, when Allah is mentioned, are filled with fear…’ 7 and Allah’s statement, ‘(Those) whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah…’ 8 This is due to the perfection of their ma`rifa [gnosis] and trust [in Him].
Allah brings the two meanings together when He says, ‘Allah has revealed the most beautiful message in the form of a book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating (its teachings in various aspects): the skin of those who fear their Lord trembles thereat: then their skins and their hearts soften to the mention of Allah…’ 9 That is, their souls find rest due to their certainty in Allah, even though they fear Him.
This, then, is the state of those who know Allah. They fear His power and retribution, unlike the clamor and shouting of the ignorant among the masses and the innovators, and their making sounds that resemble the braying of a donkey. It is said to those who occupy themselves with these acts, claiming that they constitute wajd [ecstasy] and khushu` — The Messenger and his companions were superior to you in their ma`rifa, fear and reverence for Allah, yet their state while receiving admonition was that of increased comprehension and weeping out of fear from Him. This is why Allah has described the state of those who know Him upon hearing His mention and the recitation of His Book as, ‘And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth. They pray: “Our Lord! We believe; write us down among the witnesses (to the truth).’ 10
That is the true description of their state. Whoever does not behave like this is not upon their guidance, nor traversing their path. Whoever seeks to have a role model, let him take them as his role model. As for those who wish to occupy themselves with the states of the insane and insanity, then he is worse than the insane. Indeed, insanity comes in many forms!
Anas b. Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘One day, people kept posing questions to the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding an issue, until the number of questions became superfluous. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) climbed the pulpit and proclaimed, ‘Ask me! I will answer every question that you ask me as long as I remain at this spot.’ When the people heard this from him, they became silent. They were terrified that something horrible might happen soon. I began to turn right and left, and I saw everyone covering his face with his robe, weeping.’ 11
`Irbad b. Sariya said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a powerful speech one day, causing tears to flow, and hearts to tremble with fear.’ 12
He didn’t say that the listeners screamed, or danced, or struck their feet against the ground as the dancers do, or stood up!” 13
The eminent scholar and Hanafi jurist Shaykh Ahmad al-Tahtawi writes the following:
“As for the acts that are committed by those who claim to be Sufis – such as dancing, clapping, clamoring, or playing musical instruments such as cymbals and trumpets – then all of these acts are impermissible by consensus, because they are from the characteristics and acts of disbelievers.” 14
Those who indulge in the aforementioned form of dhikr insist that these coordinated movements do not go beyond the bounds of permissibility. If they will not submit to the statements of the scholars that prohibit these physical movements, then at least let their statements of prohibition cast doubt in the permissibility of these acts, and let this be reason enough to leave off these practices, by way of distancing away from that which the scholars have deemed forbidden. For the Sufi is defined as he who protects himself from all doubtful matters, and leaves off even some of what is permissible out of fear that he may fall into the offensive, much less the impermissible!
Allah alone is the Guide for those who seek Guidance from Him. O Allah! Guide us to that which You love, and leads to Your Contentment.
“Movement during Dhikr (remembrance) is a good thing because it brings energy to the body for that act of worship. It is permissible in Sacred Law, as proven by the narration of Ahmad in his Musnad, and al-Maqdisī with sound narrators from the Hadīth of Anas radīallahu `anhu that said: “Once, the Abyssinians were dancing in front of the Messenger of Allāh sallallāhu `alahi wa-sallam , saying in their language: ‘Muhammad is a righteous servant.’ He sallallāhu `alahi wa-sallam said: “What are they saying?” It was said: “[They are saying] Muhammad is a righteous servant.” When he saw them in that state, he did not censure them. Rather, he approved of their act. It is known the that rulings in Sacred Law are taken from his sallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam statements, actions, and tacit approvals. Since he approved of their action and did not censure them, it is clear that it is permissible.”
From this excerpt found on:
http://www.marifah.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=78
Can this Hadith be used to justify movement in Dhikr? And dont we sing along (and some move) to anasheed about the prophet. But when it comes to Allah, or dhikr (as a form of worship?) would movement (dancing, jumping, erratic motions) be allowed?
brother is this regards to the hadrah that is done by the sufi’s in syria because the the meaning of hadrah in arabic is remembrence.
this is done by standing it is part of the shadili taruq.
or hav i got this wrong you may be talking of some other type of zikr.
salam.
Asalamu alaykum,
Br. Umar
According to Amir al-Mu’min fi al-hadith, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani [may Allah preserve him] this hadith was used by, “Some of the people of tasawwuf” to justify this form of dhikr. However, he explicitly states that such a contention was, “Attacked my the majority of the Fuqaha” because such an interpretation fails to agree with the underlying goals of the hadith itself (see fath al-Bari). I ask Sh. S’aid Jawaish, one of the top scholars of hadith in al-Azhar about this hadith. He said, “This cannot be used as a proof for dancing and making dhikr!? The goal of dhikr is a tranquil heart and this cannot be attained by dancing.” It is important to note that Ibn Hajar says, “The majority of the fuqaha (scholars of law)” attacked this position. Thus, it is safer to follow the opinion of the majority of those well grounded in the interpretation and understanding of the law.
The Malikis:
It is well known; as articulated by Sh. Bin Bayyah who said about gatherings of dhikr that they are acceptable, “As long as nothing forbidden takes place therein such as mixing between the sexes, clapping and dancing,” that the Maliki’s were against such forms of dhikr. Sidi Zaruq, although a sufi, refused to engage in the Hadarah. Ibn Abi Jamrah, in Bahju al-Nufus, was hard upon those who raise their voices and gather to make dhikr. Thus, it is safer to stick to the way of the salaf, the majority of fuqaha and avoid such matters as the Prophet (sa) said, “Avoid which makes you doubt for what doesn’t make you doubt.”
Good job for posting this article, iam with you on this one. The din should be practice the way our prophet and his righteous companions did. Anything that contradicts Quran and sunna, we do not accept. Even if its famous scholar; so and so said this No!!. The people dived into three categories in terms of scholar treatment, so you make the choice.
1) Some diss the scholars, bad mouthing
2) Some follow them in everything
3) and some they take the good and leave the things that contradicts the law.
Thank you for the clarification and I agree totally.
I love this part
As the noble tabi`i Sa`id ibn al-Musayyab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Had the heart of this man been in khushu`, his limbs would be in khushu` as well.”
Sheikh al-Buti’s footnote to this discussion is equally important:
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Some of my readers may be surprised by the fact that I agree with the Wahhabite view on this particular matter, even though I have taken them to task for a number of other positions which they hold. Such surprise, where it exists, is no doubt due to a mistake conception of how a Muslim ought to think and conduct himself.
It is not Islamic in any way for an academic search dictated by the mind to be transformed into a bigoted prejudice that has taken over one’s soul. Nor is it consistent with the spirit or teachings of Islam for one to advocate a particular opinion or school of Islamic law on the pretext that in so doing, he is championing Islam itself, especially when such a person knows in his heart of hearts that he is simply defending the point of view because it has come to form a part of his personality and his standing among others.
When engaging in academic research, the Muslim must have in view nothing but the Book of God and the Prophetic Sunnah, and he must not allow any other power or authority to influence his emotions or thoughts. Moreover, if such a Muslim is committed to the truth, he must conduct himself in such a way that no other Muslim is caused distress by his words or angered by his judgements.
If, in my discussion of issues raised in this book, I disagree in my conclusions with other people, this is not – and God is my witness – out of desire to differ with others, but rather, simply out of a desire to be faithful to the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Hence, I may err in my judgements and conclusions, but even if I do, my aim remains the same.
Similarly, if in my discussion of the question at hand I have reached a conclusion that agrees with some Muslims and differs with that of many others, including the Sufis among them, this is not because of any wish on my part to differ from them or because I take enjoyment in criticizing them; rather, it is simply because I sincerely desire not to stay from the book of God or the Sunnah of His Messenger (pbuh). At the same time, I wish to affirm my appreciation for many of these esteemed individuals and my certainty for their integrity and the purity of their intentions, my excuse for differing from them being that this appreciation and esteem do not justify being unfaithful to the texts before me or interpreting them metaphorically such that their original intent is distorted.
If the Muslims sought out the truth they are meant to follow based on this same criterion, we would not find the various Islamic sects and their groups treating each other with harshness or even enmity even if their views and interpretations happened to differ. However, prejudice and extremism have led the Muslims to the state in which they now find themselves.
The Sufis call their opponents to account for what they see as fanaticism and excess, yet they do not call themselves to account for similar attitudes, and for those practices which have no basis in Islam! Is this, then, the truth which we should be living? Excess on one side only breeds excess on the other; hence, whoever wishes to come to the defense of God’s religion and the guidance brought by His Messenger (pbuh) must put an end to all extremism, harmful innovation, and heresy. This is the best possible remedy for the counter-extremism which one is likely to meet with among others.
thats what you call “scholarly honesty”, thanks for sharing
What about when students reading the Quran rock back and forth? Why does that happen almost automatically? How does that relate to this? The same rocking back and forth is also what Jews do when they read the Torah, so I am wondering if there is an explanation on that and perhaps its relation to hadra.
I think this is only a fragment of the discussion since there must be more than this in the ijtihad of Sufi shuyukh.
Sorry, the original comment with the actual argument made by Sheikh al-Buti went missing in the comment moderation process. Here it is again. Sheikh al-Buti says (in the translation by Nancy Roberts):
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As we have seen based on the hadith about Abu Bakr related by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, Abu Bakr brought all of his wealth to the Prophet (pbuh). Then, when the Prophet (pbuh) asked him, “What have you kept for your family?” he replied, “I have kept God and His Apostle.”
However, an addition to this hadith has been fabricated according to which the Prophet (pbuh) then said to Abu Bakr, “O Abu Bakr, God is pleased with you. Are you pleased with Him?” In response, Abu Bakr was so filled with rapture, he got up and danced before the Messenger of God, saying, “How could I not be pleased with God?!”
Having concocted this addition, its originators then turned it into evidence in support of the legitimacy of dancing and whirling in the “dhikr” ceremonies for which the Mevlevis and other Sufi sects are known.
As I have mentioned, the evidence upon which this practice is based is a fabrication. There is no hadith, be it sound or weak, which mentions that Abu Bakr got up and danced before the Messenger of God (pbuh). Rather, all we have by way of texts on this subject is the hadith related by al-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim and Abu Dawud which, as I noted in my earlier discussion of it, contains possible weaknesses. [The author is referring to the above hadith without the clearly fabricated addition.]
As for the conclusion which some Sufis draw based on this fabrication, it must be said that not only is there no support for it, but there is positive evidence against it.
Specifically, it is held by the majority of Muslim jurisprudents that when dancing involves bending and swaying back and forth, it is prohibited, and that when it does not involve such movements, it is still undesirable. Hence, to introduce dance – of whatever sort it happens to be – into ceremonies devoted to the remembrance of God is to interpolate into Muslim worship a practice which is, if not utterly banned, then at the very least undesirable.
Add to this the fact that the state into which these “worshippers” enter into leads them to utter sounds which have nothing to do with the words employed in the remembrance of God. Rather, they are nothing but inarticulate utterances by means of which they produce a steady drone that harmonizes with the rhythms of those chanting and singing and increases the mood of ecstatic exhilaration.
How can this be the type of remembrance which God has commanded us to engage in, and which was practiced by the Apostle (pbuh) and his companions?! How can an activity such as this be worship, when worship – as you are well aware – is what God has legislated for us in the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah, neither of which is to be added or detracted from?
Rest assured that what we are saying is in accordance with the view which has been held by scholars of Islamic law across the ages, with none disagreeing except a small minority of dissenters who have established practices for which God has not granted permission. As for the latter, countless are the forbidden acts which they have deemed lawful and the mortal sins which they have committed, at times in the name of ecstatic transport inspired by the love of God, and at other times in the name of liberation from the “noose” of religious obligations.
The following is a quotation on this subject from al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, one of the most highly esteemed Muslim leaders and teachers, known and respected for his uprightness, knowledge, piety and Sufi way of life. He states:
“As for dancing and applause, these are acts of thoughtlessness and frivolity the likes of which one generally sees only in women [sic]. No one but the lightheaded or charlatan would engage in such practices. Why, then, do we see dancing to the rhythm of song by those whose hearts and minds have grown heedless and fickle, even though he (pbuh) has said, “The most virtuous of all generations is my own, followed by those who succeed us, followed by those who succeed them ,” and even though not a single member of the righteous generations which we are to emulate engaged in such things?” (Qawa’id al-Ahkam fi Masalih al-Anam, 2/187)
The same thoughts are expressed by Ibn Hajar in his book, Kaff al-Ra’a’ ‘an Muharramat al-Lahu wa-al-Sama’ (“Preventing the Masses from Engaging in Forbidden Acts of Frivolity and Listening”), and by Ibn ‘Abidin in his well-known, widely recognized commentary, where he distinguishes between a genuine, overwhelming experience of ecstatic transport, and a bogus show of the same.
As for Imam al-Qurtubi, he goes into even greater detail in warning against this dangerous innovation and the reasons for the prohibition against it; those who wish to read what he says on this matter may refer to his Qur’anic commentary on the following verses: “…and who remember God when they stand and when they sit, and when they lie down to sleep…” (Aal ‘Imran 3:191) and, “And do not walk upon earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth (apart) and you will never reach the mountains in height” (Al-Israa’ 17:37).
Were it not for the fact that it would mean being long winded on a topic that requires brevity, I would set forth the views expressed on this matter by many other Imams as well. Be that as it may, the position I have expounded is virtually uncontested by the vast majority of Muslim scholars, both ancient and modern-day.
It is clear, of course, that the prohibition of dancing being discussed here could not be applied to someone who, while engaged in the remembrance of God, entered a spiritual state in which he was no longer in control of all his feelings or actions. For when a person is in a state such as this, binding judgements such as the one under discussion have no applicability. This fact must be borne in mind when considering statements to the effect that al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salam himself once went into a frenzy and got up and began jumping about. After all, given that he held the view that we quoted above, how could he have engaged in such behavior of his own volition?