Approach of sufi Orders at Their Formative Phase to Some Extreme Practices Specific to The Zuhd Period (The Case of Abul-Hasan al-Shadhili)

Abstract

There are some radical practices of asceticism, such as wearing Suf (wool clothes), traveling without provisions, choosing to be single, and avoiding earning a living by working, which were generally seen in the 2nd century A.H. and were subject to criticism with the formation of classical Sufism. Criticisms of these practices have started to appear in the literature since the 3rd century A.H. Early.ufi writers such as Al-Sakim al-Tirmidhi, Mu.asibi, Abu Sa.id al-Kharraz, al-Sarraj focused on this issue and criticized these practices. How are these practices of ascetics viewed in the sects that were formed and spread in the 6th and 7th centuries? Our research seeks the answer to this question, but limits it to the example of Abu l-.asan al-Shadhili, the founder of Shadhiliyya. This question is important in two respects: First of all, it is investigated whether the determination of some researchers that al-Shadhili taught comfort in the face of worldly blessings is also correct. Because, among contemporary researchers, there are those who believe that al-Shadhili wears ostentatious clothes, rides horses, encourages economic competitiveness, and is therefore open to benefiting from worldly blessings to the fullest. Secondly, it includes an investigation of the validity of the belief that these practices belong to an early period in the history of Sufism and have been completely abandoned over time. Although alShadhili seems to have completed his spiritual education in Morocco with his sheikh, he later went to Tunisia with the latent command of his master. We see that in his first years in Tunisia, he went into seclusion in a cave and was completely isolated from the society and engaged in worship in a way that reminds us of the practices of the early ascetics. But in the second phase of his life in Tunisia, he went to the city on a spiritual sign, socialized, started to give sermons to people, and started to behave more flexible about eating and drinking. al-Shadhili specifically states that he did not prefer socialization at this stage, but with a spiritual sign. Later, he went to Egypt again with a spiritual sign and got married there, started to deal with agriculture, and continued to socialize by establishing relations with the rulers. Therefore, it can be said that this new social period is a break both from the radical practices of the early ascetics and from the early period in Tunisia itself. It is also seen that in this new period of al-Shadhili, he did not wear the clothes of ascetics like suf (wool clothes) and did not want his followers to wear them. He also encouraged to have a profession and was generally against traveling without provisions. But there are two points to be noted here: First, these milder and more comfortable practices should not lead to a search for comfort and luxury. He continued to keep his distance from worldly blessings and to advise asceticism. Secondly, he had some of his distinguished disciples make some practices of the ascetics. The reason for the existence of these seemingly contradictory practices is that while he recommends moderate and sustainable practices to the general public and his followers, he can make the specialized sufis more strict and difficult practices. While he was encouraging work and earning in general, not ignoring experience, including avoiding work; not ignoring seclusion while leading to sociality in general; while generally suggesting to resort to occasions, he also follows a path of implementing and enforcing radical practices such as traveling without food. Thus, al-Shadhili is able to encompass all the seemingly incompatible practices of the previous sufi accumulation with a point of view of spiritual rank and hierarchy.