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English translation

What they have said concerning spiritual practices (mu'amalat):

Abu Hafs al-Haddad al-Nishaburi, may God's mercy be upon him, says: "Sufism is entirely manners (adab). For every moment there is a manner, for every station a manner, and for every state a manner. Whoever keeps to the manners of the moments reaches the rank of [true] men, and whoever squanders the manners is far off from where he supposes nearness, and rejected from where he supposes acceptance."

Sufism is wholly manners; for every moment, station, and state there is a manner, so that whoever adheres to the manners of the moments attains the degree of [true] men, and whoever wastes the manners is far off—despite his fancy of nearness—and rejected—despite his supposition of acceptance by the Truth.

Close to this meaning is Abu'l-Hasan al-Nuri, may God's mercy be upon him, who says: "Sufism is neither rites nor sciences, but rather it is character (akhlaq)."

Sufism is not rites and sciences but character; meaning, if it were rites it would be attained through striving, and if it were sciences it would be acquired through learning; but it is character, and until you demand its ruling from yourself, and make right its practice within yourself, and render its fair due from yourself, it is not attained. The difference between rites and character is that rites are an act done with affectation and contrivance, such that the outward is contrary to the inward, an act empty of meaning; while character is a praiseworthy act without affectation and contrivance, the outward agreeing with the inward, empty of pretension.

Murta'ish, may God's mercy be upon him, says: "Sufism is good character."

Sufism is good character; and this is of three kinds: one with the Truth (Haqq), by carrying out the commands of the Truth without ostentation; another with creation, by preserving the honor of elders, showing compassion to juniors, and dealing fairly with peers—and among these, fairness and not seeking recompense; and third with oneself, by not following passion (hawa) and Satan. Whoever sets himself right in these three meanings is among the good-natured. And what we have mentioned agrees with what was asked of Aisha the truthful, may God be pleased with her: "Inform us of the character of the Prophet, peace be upon him." She said: "Recite from the Quran, as God the Exalted said: Take to forgiveness, and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant (Al-A'raf 199)."

And Murta'ish also says: "This doctrine is entirely earnestness, so do not mingle it with any jest."

This doctrine of Sufism is all earnestness; do not mingle it with jest, and do not attach yourself to the practices of the formalists, and flee thereby from the people of imitation (taqlid).

And when the common folk looked upon the people of the age and saw the formalist pretenders of Sufism—stamping their feet and chanting songs, going to the courts of sultans, and quarreling over a morsel and a robe—they formed an altogether evil belief and said: The very root of this way is this, and the predecessors too went this way; and they did not realize that it is an age of decline and a time of affliction—inevitably, just as greed casts the sultan into tyranny, covetousness casts the scholar into corruption and hypocrisy, and hypocrisy casts the ascetic into duplicity, so too passion casts the Sufi into foot-stamping and chanting. Know that the followers of the paths become corrupted, but the foundation of the paths is not corrupted; and know that as for a group of the people of jest who hide their jest within the earnestness of the free (ahrar), their earnestness does not become jest.

And Abu Ali al-Qarmisini, may God's mercy be upon him, says: "Sufism is the pleasing traits of character."

Sufism is pleasing character and approved conduct, which is that the servant be content and sufficing in every state, for the pleasing one is content (radi).

Abu'l-Hasan al-Nuri, may God's mercy be upon him, says: "Sufism is freedom, chivalry (futuwwa), the abandonment of affectation, and generosity."

Sufism is a freedom whereby the servant becomes free from the bondage of passion; and futuwwa is that he become stripped of regarding his own futuwwa; and the abandonment of affectation is that he become good in regard to attachments and portions; and generosity is that he leave the world to the people of the world.

Abu'l-Hasan al-Fushanja, may God's mercy be upon him, says: "Sufism today is a name without reality, and before this it was a reality without a name."

Sufism today is a name without reality, and before this it was a reality without a name; meaning, in the time of the Companions and the predecessors this name did not exist and the meaning was present in everyone, and now the name exists and the meaning does not; that is, [then] the practice was known and the claim unknown, [and] now the claim has become known and the practice unknown.

Now I have brought this measure of verification and the sayings of the masters, may God have mercy upon them, into this book in this chapter on Sufism, so that its path may be opened to you—may God make you happy—and that you may say to the deniers: "What do you intend by denying Sufism?" If they deny the mere name, there is no harm, for meanings are strangers with respect to appellations. But if they deny the very essence of these meanings, they will have denied the whole law of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the praiseworthy qualities. And I counsel you to observe the truth of this and give it its fair due, that you may shorten [your] claim and hold a good belief toward the people of this [path]. And with God is success, and upon Him is reliance and affirmation.