BroInIslam
Voter (50+ posts)
Opinion of the four Imams of Ahlus Sunnah in favour of Sufism(Tasawwuf):
Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa (rah) (85 H. - 150 H)
"If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "For two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a gnostic in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
Imam Malik (rah) (95 H. - 179 H.)
"whoever studies Jurisprudence (tafaqaha) and didn't study Sufism [tasawwafa] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will reach the Truth." [the scholar 'Ali al-Adawi' , vol. 2, p 195.)
Imam Shafi'i (rah) (150 - 205 AH.)
"I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three knowledges: ... how to speak; .. how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (rah) (164 - 241 AH.)
"O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the remembrance of Allah in their hearts. They are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power." [Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]
hmaliks Wrote :-
Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H) said: "If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a Sufi in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
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Your quotation seems to be wrong i dont think its in Durr Al Mukhtar its a rifada saying.
hmaliks wrote:-
Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.) said: "Whoever studies Jurisprudence / Fiqh [tafaqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwaf] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will reach the Truth." ['Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195]
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This statement is denied and questioned because:
The term "Sufiaa" only appeared later on after the death of Imam Malik.
None of the Imam Malik books or his students who quoted his fatwa and statements ever mentioned it.
http://www.siasat.pk/forum/member.php?9413-hmaliks
hmaliks wrote
Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.) said: "I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three strands of knowledge: ...how to speak; how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
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The quote is wrongly translated. This quote was said after the shafie read a so called hadith so he said:
And never mentioed company of sufi but he only said in the end: follow the way of people of taswauf.
this narration is weak. needless to add, this book that he quoted from is a book to show farication hadeeths.
If, Anyhow, the word was said, then know those of people taswauf were people like sufyaan, ibn almubarak and junaid who have nothing to with sufi today.
As for Imam Hanbal he was one most ardent critic of Sufism.