16
[Commentary on Statements by Certain Sufis Containing Union, Indwelling, and the Unity of Existence]
For this reason, the discerning and upright Sufi masters frequently urged adherence to revealed knowledge and the Sacred Law. Many of them embarked upon worshipping Allah solely(1) according to what the self loved, willed, and desired, without holding fast to the knowledge brought by the Book and the Sunnah. Consequently, they fell into misguidance resembling that of the Christians.
Hence, one of the masters—Abū Amr ibn Nujayd(2)—said:
“Every spiritual experience unsupported by the Book and the Sunnah is false.”
Sahl(3) said:
“Every deed performed without following the prophetic example gratifies the self, whereas every deed performed in accordance with that example is torment for the self.”
Abū Uthmān al-Naysābūrī(4) said: “Whoever makes the Sunnah govern him in word and deed will speak
(1) H, R, Y, and B read: *bi-mujarrad* (“solely on the basis of”).
(2) All manuscripts read: “Amr ibn Nujayd.” The editor of B noted that he possessed a manuscript reading: “Abū Amr ibn Najd.” He was Abū Amr Ismāīl ibn Nujayd ibn Ahmad ibn Yūsuf al-Sulamī. Abū Abd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī states in *Tabaqāt al-Sūfiyya*, p. 454: “He was my maternal grandfather. He met al-Junayd and was the foremost shaykh of his time. He died in 366 AH.” For his biography and sayings, see *al-Qushayriyya*, 1:171; *Tabaqāt al-Sūfiyya*, pp. 454–457; *al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā*, 1:103; *Tabaqāt al-Shāfiiyya*, 3:222–224; *al-Muntazam*, 7:84–85; and *Shadharāt al-Dhahab*, 3:50.
(3) Abū Muhammad Sahl ibn Abd Allāh ibn Yūnus al-Tustarī was one of the leading Sufis. He was born in 200 AH and died in 283 AH. For his biography and sayings, see *Tabaqāt al-Sūfiyya*, pp. 206–211; *al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā*, 1:66–68; *Sifat al-Safwa*, 4:46–48; *Shadharāt al-Dhahab*, 2:182–184; and *al-Alām*, 3:210. The passage that follows appears in *al-Qushayriyya*, 1:85; Sahl al-Tustarī’s biography is found there at 1:83–85.
(4) He was Abū Uthmān Saīd ibn Ismāīl ibn Saīd ibn Mansūr al-Hīrī al-Naysābūrī. Originally from Rayy, he was the shaykh of the Sufis in Naysābūr, where he died in 298 AH. For his biography and sayings, see *Tabaqāt al-Sūfiyya*, pp. 170–175; *Sifat al-Safwa*, 4:85–88; *al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā*, 1:74–75; *Wafayāt al-Ayān*, 2:111–112; *Tārīkh Baghdād*, 9:99–102; *al-Muntazam*, 6:106–108; and *al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya*, 1:109–111. This passage appears in *al-Qushayriyya*, 1:111.
[التعليق على كلام بعض الصوفية الذي يتضمن الاتحاد والحلول ووحدة الوجود]
وَلِهَذَا كَانَ مَشَايِخُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ الْعَارِفُونَ أَهْلُ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ يُوصُونَ كَثِيرًا بِمُتَابَعَةِ الْعِلْمِ وَمُتَابَعَةِ الشَّرْعِ ; لِأَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ سَلَكُوا فِي الْعِبَادَةِ لِلَّهِ مُجَرَّدَ
(١)
مَحَبَّةِ النَّفْسِ وَإِرَادَاتِهَا وَهَوَاهَا، مِنْ غَيْرِ اعْتِصَامٍ بِالْعِلْمِ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ، فَضَلُّوا بِسَبَبِ ذَلِكَ ضَلَالًا يُشْبِهُ ضَلَالَ النَّصَارَى.
وَلِهَذَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الشُّيُوخِ - وَهُوَ أَبُو عَمْرِو بْنُ نُجَيْدٍ
(٢)
-:
" كُلُّ وَجْدٍ لَا يَشْهَدُ لَهُ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ فَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ "
، وَقَالَ سَهْلٌ
(٣)
:
" كُلُّ عَمَلٍ بِلَا اقْتِدَاءٍ فَهُوَ عَيْشُ النَّفْسِ، وَكُلُّ عَمَلٍ بِاقْتِدَاءٍ فَهُوَ عَذَابٌ عَلَى النَّفْسِ "
. وَقَالَ أَبُو عُثْمَانَ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ
(٤)
: " مِنْ أَمَّرَ السُّنَّةَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ قَوْلًا وَفِعْلًا نَطَقَ
(١) ح، ر، ى، ب: بِمُجَرَّدِ.
(٢) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: عَمْرُو بْنُ نُجَيْدٍ، وَأَشَارَ مُحَقِّقُ (ب) إِلَى وُجُودِ نُسْخَةٍ عِنْدَهُ فِيهَا: أَبُو عَمْرِو بْنُ نَجْدٍ، وَهُوَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ نُجِيدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يُوسُفَ السُّلَمِيُّ، قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيُّ فِي طَبَقَاتِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ ص ٤٥٤: جَدِّي لِأُمِّي، لَقِيَ الْجُنَيْدَ وَكَانَ أَكْبَرَ مَشَايِخِ وَقْتِهِ، تُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٣٦٦ هـ. انْظُرْ تَرْجَمَتَهُ وَأَقْوَالَهُ فِي الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ ١/١٧١، طَبَقَاتِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ، ص ٤٥٤ - ٤٥٧، الطَّبَقَاتِ الْكُبْرَى ١/١٠٣ طَبَقَاتِ الشَّافِعِيَّةِ ٣/٢٢٢ - ٢٢٤ الْمُنْتَظَمَ ٧/٨٤ - ٨٥، شَذَرَاتِ الذَّهَبِ ٣/٥٠
(٣) أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يُونُسَ التُّسْتَرِيُّ، مِنْ كِبَارِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ، وُلِدَ سَنَةَ ٢٠٠ وَتُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٢٨٣، انْظُرْ تَرْجَمَتَهُ وَأَقْوَالَهُ فِي طَبَقَاتِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ ص ٢٠٦ - ٢١١، الطَّبَقَاتِ الْكُبْرَى ١/٦٦ - ٦٨، صِفَةِ الصَّفْوَةِ ٤/٤٦ - ٤٨، شَذَرَاتِ الذَّهَبِ ٢/١٨٢ - ١٨٤، الْأَعْلَامِ ٣/٢١٠، وَالنَّصُّ التَّالِي فِي الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ ١/٨٥ (وَتَرْجَمَةُ سَهْلٍ التُّسْتَرِيِّ فِي الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ ١/٨٣ - ٨٥)
(٤) هُوَ أَبُو عُثْمَانَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مَنْصُورٍ الْحِيرِيُّ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ وَأَصْلُهُ مِنَ الرَّيِّ، شَيْخُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ بِنَيْسَابُورَ وَبِهَا تُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٢٩٨ انْظُرْ تَرْجَمَتَهُ وَأَقْوَالَهُ فِي: طَبَقَاتِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ ص ١٧٠ - ١٧٥، صِفَةِ الصَّفْوَةِ ٤/٨٥ - ٨٨، الطَّبَقَاتِ الْكُبْرَى ١/٧٤ - ٧٥، وَفَيَاتِ الْأَعْيَانِ ٢/١١١ - ١١٢ تَارِيخِ بَغْدَادَ ٩/٩٩ - ١٠٢ الْمُنْتَظَمِ ٦/١٠٦ - ١٠٨، الرِّسَالَةِ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ ١/١٠٩ - ١١١ وَهَذَا النَّصُّ فِي الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ ١/١١١