Cringe at North American ‘Islamic’ convention

This cringe behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated by UK Muslims. There’s something wrong with us North American one’s. What is the man in the White shirt doing? 😭

 

Qeelbax

East Africa UNUKA LEH
VIP
They could be sufis
Can you stfu? Been here not even a full day and you doing the most
sucker punch GIF
 
This cringe behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated by UK Muslims. There’s something wrong with us North American one’s. What is the man in the White shirt doing? 😭

Any Muslim association in the states is doing so for minority benefits, they don't actually care about the religion.
 

Hybrid()

Death Awaits You
This cringe behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated by UK Muslims. There’s something wrong with us North American one’s. What is the man in the White shirt doing? 😭

At least they're having an Islamic ceremony. 50 years from now, you'd be hard pressed to find any Islamic organizations in the west so you might as well count your blessings
 

AbrahamFreedom

🇨🇦🇷🇺🇨🇳
Staff Member
RIS is a very weird conference. I went to one many years ago. The speakers there included Shias (Ahmadis too) and Yahuuds and atheists. There were even Sufis who were dancing as entertainment with outraged hardcore Salafis looking on (some even went to Syria).

It's definitely not a Sunni conference. I don't even know if it can be called a Muslim conference because many non Muslims attend. RIS is a drop in centre in my opinion.
 

Qeelbax

East Africa UNUKA LEH
VIP
You can see some of the weird practices of your friends here. WARNING: It is graphic, so viewer discretion is advised....


You mad disrespectful.
You know the prophet said the greatest/nobilest commander is the one that conquers istanbul, and that man was SUFI!

Thats a small minority of self proclaimed sufis. At least we don’t have so called sufis that think allah swt told them to go bomb the crap out of everyone and their mommas.

You know somalis were majority sufi but now they are salafi? My region of somaliweyn, sufism is still alive.

thats why you don’t see alkebab like people in our area
:pachah1:
 

Qeelbax

East Africa UNUKA LEH
VIP
Best definition of sufism:
As people have mentioned here, Sufism is incredibly misunderstood on multiple level by various types of people. It would be good to discuss some terms first:

1. ⁠Tasawwuf and Tazkiyah - these are common terms that are associated with Sufism. They both share similar meanings, I won't go into the details but basically both mean achieving spiritual purification. In essence, practicing tasawwuf is what Sufism is supposed to be about. To people who misunderstand these terms, or who look historically improper connotations associated with it, hearing the term "Tasawwuf" can mean running for the hills in fear of bidah (improper innovation in Islamic practices/worship/etc.). Unfortunately, tasawwuf as a term has the same problem that the terms "Islamic fundamentalism" have (Note that there is nothing wrong with wanting to follow the fundamentals of Islam, but clever wordplay by folks in the media have redefined this to mean "supports terrorism" in the same way that tasawwuf is associated with "practicing bidah"
2. ⁠Tariqah - This is the following of a sheikh or equivalent spiritual master to help achieve tasawwuf and the like. Consider this the same way that one might go to the same psychiatrist for therapy. The psychiatrist grows to understand your condition, and suggests exercises and approaches to help you deal with the problems. In the same way, following a tariqah allows one to use a path (like how 12 step programs work) in order to achieve spirituality. Tariqah is not necessary for tasawwuf. And not all tariqahs are equal, there are many that follow deviant ideologies and practices.
3. ⁠Ihsan - Here's a term that people are more likely to agree with. Ihsan is a difficult word to deal with, but everyone knows there are three dimensions to a Muslim - Iman, Islam, and Ihsan. Iman is faith itself (although that is such a limiting definition), Islam is the "what" (think the other 4 pillars) and Ihsan is the "how." It isn't "how" in terms of the action, but rather the state of your heart and intention. It's about purity in action. Tasawwuf is ultimately about attaining a high state of Ihsan.
4. ⁠Zuhd - This is another important term. Also difficult to explain, but in essence it is about avoiding attachments to this life. Zuhd is not about monasticism, and it's not about just refusing everything in this life. It's about understanding the big picture. The afterlife is the true life, this is just fleeting. If Allah gives you rizq and you earned it through halal means, enjoy it, provided you fulfill your obligations first. But if your happiness is focused on the accumulation of wealth, like our consumer society is, there is a problem. Zuhd is in many ways the opposite of riya, which is arrogance or showing off.
5. ⁠Shariah - Now here is a term that one accustomed to the popular (in the Western sense) impressions of Sufism. Shariah is the limits. Islam is not a religion where the ends justify the means. It sets the limits according to what Allah ordains is permissible and not. Feeding one's family is a requirement and an act of worship. Feeding one's family by stealing from your employer is not. Making dawah is incumbent on every believer. Forcing conversion is not. In the same manner, achieving a higher state of spirituality is of course something expected of the believer. Performing this outside the boundaries of the Shariah is not. Thus some practices that can be associated with Sufism (whirling dervishes, the use of narcotics, abandoning prayer on the pretense that you have achieved a higher level of spirituality, etc.) are impermissible.

So what is Sufism really? In its true form, it is attaining spirituality within the bounds of the Shariah. There cannot be Sufism without Fiqh. Anything other than that is neither Sufism nor is it Islam. It becomes a sin. Sufism is not about monastic isolation, it is not about changing Islamic law, and it is not about having hallucinations of seeing Allah.

What are good bases for achieving spirituality and tasawwuf? It all starts with purifying one's character. There are many great books on this topic. A lot of them are written by several scholars from the subcontinent, such as students of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi. They had collections of ahadith and primers on tasawwuf to counteract the growing movement that was attacking Sufism from two sides: First, those who were so apprehensive about bidah that they rejected any notion of tasawwuf in Islam, and secondly, those who were so into spirituality that they abandoned the core responsibilities ordained to them by their maker.



One thing to clarify when it comes to Sufis and Sufism. By following the Shariah, we all are trying to achieve the same destination, which is Jannah. Spirituality comes naturally to some, and is more difficult for others. The goal is not the trance. The goal is not to have visions and dreams of pious predecessors. The goal is Jannah.

A great analogy that Sheikh Rami Nsour gave me was to look at life like a plane trip. The Shariah is our ticket, and it lets us board the plane. Some people have window seats, where along the way they might have a nice view of all kinds of amazing things along the way. Some have middle seats, where their view isn't as great. Others have aisle seats, who don't have any good view of things along the flight. However, what the passenger sees along the way does not change the destination. All the passengers, Insha Allah, are on the flight to the same destination, Jannah.

I have some more that I could add to, but I'll leave it here. Anything that is good and true comes from Allah, and anything that is incorrect is a fault from my own self and I ask for forgiveness from you all and from Allah.

@Roorigeg
I suggest you learn before you start with the insults.
 

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