advocates tahāfuz? This is among the views of the people of innovation—the Khārijites, the Muʿtazilites and the Murjiʾites] (*).
Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah affirm what the Quran, the Sunnah and scholarly consensus establish: a believer deserves reward for his good deeds through Allah’s promise and grace, and deserves punishment for his evil deeds. A single person may possess things for which he is rewarded and others for which he is punished; things for which he is praised and others for which he is blamed; things that are loved in him and others that are hated. Such is the matter.
Now, once it is understood that “Sufism” originated in Basra, where some people pursued paths of worship and asceticism according to their own considered judgment, just as some in Kufa pursued paths of jurisprudence and learning according to their own considered judgment, these people’s designation relates to their outward garb: woollen clothing. Hence an individual among them was called a “Sufi.” Their path was not restricted to wearing wool, nor did they make it obligatory or make their undertaking depend upon it. Rather, they were associated with it because it was an outwardly visible feature of their way of life.
Furthermore, “Sufism,” in their usage, comprises recognized spiritual realities and states. They have discussed its definitions, its way of life and its moral qualities. For example, some of them say: A “Sufi” is one who is free of all taint, filled with reflection, and to whom gold and stone are alike. Sufism is to conceal inward meanings and relinquish claims. They offer other descriptions of this kind.
Their conception of the Sufi approaches
(*) Shaykh Nāsir ibn Hamad al-Fahd states (p. 92):
This is how the text appears in al-Majmū‘. The manuscript text appears to be illegible; hence the compiler—may Allah have mercy on him—placed question marks after the unclear words. The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—discussed this meaning in several places, including his statement (7/353):
“Hypocrisy and faith, or unbelief and faith, may coexist in a person. According to these people, unqualified faith is that which makes its possessor entitled to the promise of Paradise.
The adherents of deviant doctrines—the Khārijites, Mu‘tazilites, Jahmiyyah, and Murji’ah, both Karrāmī and non-Karrāmī—say that faith and hypocrisy cannot coexist in a person.”
In the margin of p. 92, the shaykh states:
Were it not for the inclusion of the Murji’ah alongside the Mu‘tazilites and Khārijites, I would consider it likely that the phrase “muhāt (?) wa-hāl man yaqūl bi-l-tahāfuz (?)” should read: “His case is like that of one who holds that punishment in Hell is everlasting.” For the shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—repeatedly mentioned, when discussing how grounds for allegiance and enmity, love and hatred, can coexist in one person, that those who disagree are those who maintain everlasting punishment in Hell. For example, after explaining the position of Ahl al-Sunnah on this issue, he states (10/8):
“As for those who maintain everlasting punishment in Hell, such as the Khārijites and Mu‘tazilites, who say that no one from among the people of the qiblah who enters Hell will leave it, and that neither the Messenger nor anyone else can intercede for those guilty of major sins, whether before or after they enter Hell: according to them, reward and punishment, and good deeds and evil deeds, cannot coexist in one person. Rather, whoever is rewarded is not punished, and whoever is punished is not rewarded.”
See also al-Minhāj, 4/571.