My Question is in the last.
It is very strange to see that the prefix Dr. is attached with you and this site of yours is presenting a good example of your sectarian thoughts.
Mysticism in Islam: Virtues and evils of Tasawwuf
I hope you wouldn’t like the criticism too, because there is a difference between a true researcher and rigid person.
A true researcher does not merely show his opinions; he discloses facts and figures, but if primary intention is just to overrule anything by writing an essay, then this simply shows that you never welcome anything, even if it is shown to you logically or through experiment.
Why to mislead people? As your writing shows, no references, no bookmarks, no proofs; just “In my Opinion”. What is this? Is it a missionary approach to misguide people of your type? Aren’t you afraid that one day you’ll have to present yourself before Allah? Suppose there is only one Muslim in this path of Tasawwuf but you included each and every one. How will you justify this opinion of yours in front of Allah, when He will ask you that why did you cheat a Muslim at his back when he was not alive to answer you well? What will you do then? Think deeply what I am saying, if you are a Muslim thinker.
There is truth and falsehood, goodness and badness everywhere. Our purpose is to understand this, and not to through the dust on those fields of knowledge which you never experienced in your life. This is a scientific world now, mere sectarian logics cannot do any good and are already dying there death, but you have still closed your eyes and ears.
If you have any good left in your heart, you should think again over what you have written without producing any proof or evidence. Extremely short of pure research! I can disprove each and every line from your own comments, but I know, and I have done debates at several fronts, they always go into endless debates, because they don’t want truth, they just want there opinion justified. Alas!
Question:
Are beliefs or faiths realities, or just imaginations? If you say that these are realities then is it possible for human beings to see them too? If not, then why is it necessary to believe in them? For instance, Angels, Arsh Azeem, Loh Mahfooz, Seven Skies and Earth and each and every belief in the tradition. Why to believe in all of them? They are all hidden after all.
To clarify more, very true, Allah is Alone, Quran is the book of Allah, and Rasul Allah (pbuh) is the last prophet. This far is fine, where in fact these can also be challenged because nothing appeared in our times, but just for the sake of simplicity belief on these are just fine. Why these are not enough and why are we forced to believe in everything that has appeared in the Quran and Hadith?
If you are blind to see all such hidden beliefs then is it right to assume that each and every person in the world is also like you?
Prophethood and sainthood have been there throughout human history. How can you discard all these historical traditions in every religion as a waste? If you say yes, some of human abilities are in deed waste then it means you have not understood even today’s scientific findings. How to discuss with you while you are ignorant of many sciences which are within yourself but you are unaware! I understand you do have maulvi thoughts only.
Answer
I am thankful to you for pointing out that the prefix Dr should not be there in my name when it appears on my personal site. Actually, some students of mine are running this site and it is they who mentioned it along with my name. However, I know that the excuse is not convincing. I have now asked them to remove it from the site*.
You have every right to believe that I am not a true researcher. I have the same opinion about myself. But I can assure you that my intention is not to overrule everything by writing judgmental essays. The idea is to let people know about what I think is correct. If readers would point out mistakes, I will try to correct myself. I would, however, like to clarify that it is not always true that if an article is properly referenced, it would necessarily be an honestly written article and if it is not properly referenced, it would be an insincere effort. Referencing articles is a relatively recent development; I am aware of the merits of doing so. However, having done my PhD, I know that referencing can be a mere formality. In fact, I know as a fact that many research writers mention a good part of their references simply to satisfy the formal expectation of research writing and not because there are genuine needs for doing so. What is important is not quite as much the academic referencing in ones writing as the fact that whatever is presented is supported by sound arguments.
My criticism on Tasawwuf was not based on my experiences with one or two Sufis. It was based on the real spirit of Tasawwuf and its academic basis. Since I am convinced that Tasawwuf has no place in the original teachings of Islam, I have a right to write and/or to speak my understanding to let others know about it. Of course, others have a right to question my understanding.
Islam is not based on one’s experiences. It is based on the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. For an understanding to be regarded as Islamically correct, it is important to prove that it has its origins in those teachings. The mere fact that an act or a concept bore some apparently positive results is not a proof of it being correct from an Islamic point of view.
Belief is to acknowledge something that cannot be seen or experienced. If you experience something, it is no more a belief but an experience. We believe in God, the life hereafter, and prophets not because we have witnessed or experienced the fact of them being real. We believe in them because it is logical and morally essential to do so. Tasawwuf has committed a mistake in claiming that some aspects of our beliefs can be directly experienced in this life. It is very likely that instead of the reality of a belief, it is a Satan Jinn that could be causing some people to be ‘experiencing’ those realities. Please read my article on the site “Experiencing the Jinn”** for more details of my understanding in this area.
* It was later on agreed upon that such a change would not be needed.
** https://www.khalidzaheer.com/essays/kzaheer/following%20islam/experiencing_a_jinn.html