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Allamah Tabatabai introduces Shia mysticism—derived from the
Quran and the Sunnah and in complete harmony with jurisprudence and Islamic law
(Sharia)—as authentic mysticism. It is a mysticism drawn from religious
evidence and cannot be comprehended solely by innate intellect.
“Of course, I validate mysticism, but not the kind that
is prevalent among certain Sufi orders of the Sunni denomination, which treats
the spiritual path (tariqa) as a counterpart to religious law (sharia),
commanding music, singing, dance, and ecstasy, while proclaiming the abrogation
of religious obligations. The mysticism derived from the Quran and the Sunnah
is a methodology based on the sincerity of servitude, which does not deviate
from the regulations of Islamic law by even a hair’s breadth [1].”
“Given that their (the Sufis’) method of discussion and
inquiry into the doctrinal and practical teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah
was the general public method, and because they were not trained in the school
of the Ahl al-Bayt and had not fully internalized the absolute scientific and
spiritual authority of the Ahl al-Bayt, they were unable to derive the method
of inner spiritual journey (sayr wa suluk) from religious statements,
nor could they receive sufficient directives for the path from the Quran and
the Sunnah.
Consequently, in response to their needs during the various
stages of the spiritual journey and the different stations of seekers, diverse
instructions were issued by the masters of the tariqa, and methods were
adopted that had no precedent in Islamic law. Followers of this school (Sufism)
believe that the path to human perfection and the attainment of divine truths
is exclusively restricted to the tariqa, and that tariqa stands
opposite to sharia—meaning a form of ascetic discipline to endure the sharia,
such that if one journeys through this path, one attains the Truth. As a result
of this practice and belief, the tariqa drifted further and further away
from the sharia day by day, to the point where tariqa and sharia
came to stand in direct opposition to each other, and the tune of the
abrogation of religious duties was raised by some [2].”
These afflictions, which were mostly prevalent among the
Sunni majority, also affected the Shia minority; the unity of the environment
reflected this corruption into the midst of the Shia tariqa community as
well.
Mysticism and spiritual inclinations have followers not only
among monotheistic religions, but even among pagans, in accordance with innate
guidance. Now, among the multitude of man-made and artificial forms of
mysticism, what are the distinguishing characteristics of Islamic and Shia
mysticism?
[1] Hikmat-e Irfani Journal, Scientific-Research
Bi-Quarterly, No. 6, p. 36.
[2] Hikmat-e Irfani Journal, Scientific-Research
Bi-Quarterly, No. 6, p. 38.
