Category: Book Reviews

Bastions of the Believers: Madrasahs and Islamic Education in India – Book Review

Bilal Ali1 Comment

Book Review of
Yoginder Sikand’s BASTIONS OF THE BELIEVERS: MADRASAHS AND ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN INDIA

By ‘Aamir Bashir

Madrasahs in the Indian Subcontinent suffer from a poor image. The mainstream media in the West, as well as in the sub-continent (especially Hindu and liberal), tends to brand the madrasahs as hotbeds of terrorism and breeding grounds for extremist fundamentalists. Although the academics and intellectuals are not as harsh in their description of the madrasahs but they are characterized by a general lack of in-depth inquiry and analysis.

This book is one of the few that tries to give a firsthand account of the madrasahs based upon actual fieldwork. Yoginder Sikand (b. 1967) is an intellectual from India and the author of several works on Islam and inter-faith relations. This book is perhaps unique in the sense that the author begins it by introducing himself quite candidly considering it “a moral obligation … to inform the reader of my personal history and ideological position” because “one’s value orientations, and linked to that, one’s personal politics, inevitably influence what one chooses to write about and how one undertakes that task” (p xvii).

The author, a self-declared agnostic, then goes on to explain his initial interest in Islam through popular Sufism (shrine-based) which incidentally led him to do research on the Tablighi Jama‘at followed by his becoming involved with groups promoting inter-faith harmony and dialogue. He even launched a monthly web magazine Qalandar (now defunct), devoted to discussion of issues related to Islam and inter-faith relations in South Asia.

The author, as part of his inter-faith efforts, has traveled throughout India visiting madrasahs and interacting with ‘ulama of different schools of thought. This has given him a very broad perspective from which to analyze the situation in the madrasahs, as well as their image in the outside world.
After the fateful events of 9/11, a lot has been written about the madrasahs in India. The author describes how he felt compelled to write this book after seeing the organized campaign by the Indian press to vilify the madrasahs with accusations that he knew were not correct or at best only partially correct. This does not, however, mean that this book is a piece of counter-propaganda. On the contrary, the author tries to bring forth a much nuanced description of the complex reality of madrasahs in India. Thus, we find him criticizing the madrasahs and the ‘ulama for attitudes that he considers to be obscurantist or unfit for a secular, pluralist society. We also find him, at times, giving significant attention to those who disagree with the ‘ulama and madrasah administrators.

In order to make us understand the present context the author starts with an introduction to the centrality of knowledge to Islamic Civilization and the development of the Islamic scholarly tradition. However, here he betrays his lack of proper understanding of fiqh, hadith and kalam. He tends to subscribe to Schacht’s thesis about the early development of Islamic fiqh and the compilation of ahadith, albeit without mentioning his name. Thus, he states that “suitable hadith reports were generated to argue that fuqahÉ’ were Successors of the Prophet” (p. 15) and that “the fuqaha were co-opted by political elites” (p. 13) thus giving fiqh “a distinctly patriarchal and feudal stamp” (p. 15). He favors Mu‘tazilis for their rationalism vis-à-vis Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jama‘ah indicating that according to the latter group “there was no scope for free thought in Islam” (p. 18). This understanding of his would explain why he declares in the preface; and this has been published on the back cover of the book as well; that “Madrasahs, as a rule, represent a conservative form of theology and jurisprudence that is, in many ways, ill-suited to a modern, pluralistic society. Much of what is taught in madrasahs is outdated and unscientific” (p. xxvi). This attitude of his may also help explain why people like Sikand find it hard to accept Shari‘ah-based tasawwuf, even though he seems to be quite interested in shrine-based/Shari‘ah-indifferent tasawwuf.

In the next chapter, the author provides a historical survey of the development of madrasahs and the Islamic scholarly tradition in India. This is followed by an account of the madrasahs in Independent India. His main focus is the madrasah system in North India. He pays considerable attention to their curriculum and tracks the changes that it has gone through since the time of its founder Mulla Nizamuddin (d.1748) through Shah Waliullah and the founding of Dar al-‘Ulum at Deoband up to the present era. He brings out the prominent role played by Indian ‘ulama in the struggle for Independence. Later, he contrasts North Indian tradition with the situation in Kerala (South India) stressing the diversity of the Islamic education network. Far from being limited to the Deobandi-Barelvi divide, it is characterized by significant regional differences.

Reform is a subject which is very dear to him. We find him enthusiastically quoting people from within the madrasah tradition who favour reform. To be sure, he gives counter arguments as well. He comes across from his presentation as someone who sincerely wants madrasahs to reform. And he is not being condescending in his approach either. For he argues, that change has to come from within and anything forced from outside will not help. He therefore, cites several examples of many madrasahs which are adapting to the changing circumstances incorporating modern subjects in their curriculum. On the whole it could be said that strong opposition to all forms of modernization do not represent the majority of the ‘ulama. Many of them are pragmatic individuals who wish to change according to their needs but want to do it at their own pace.

Having been exposed to such debates ourselves, we may make one clarification here regarding the nature of madrasahs. Unfortunately, this is something which is not always stated clearly with the result that a lot of time and energy is wasted by proponents of reform and their respondents from the madrasahs. In fact, madrasahs (in general) represent a traditional educational system which is totally different from the modern. Unlike the Arab world, where the word “madrasah” is used for any type of school; madrasahs, in the South Asian context, are primary school, secondary school and college rolled into one. Thus, the average length of study for a madrasah student is about 10 years consisting of 8 years for Dars-e-Nizami and perhaps a year or two before that for preparatory studies. On the other hand, a student in the modern system spends 12 years in school followed by 4 years in college. That’s a total of 16 years excluding any preparatory classes that he might have taken before his school years. Now, the dispute arises when proponents of reform, many of whom have never been to a madrasah themselves, demand changes in madrasah curriculum based upon their assumption that madrasahs are schools. Many ‘ulama, considering their madrasahs to be equivalent to colleges but without ever saying so, retort that madrasahs are meant for specialized studies of Islam; and just like it is absurd to demand that medical subjects be taught in an engineering university, similarly, it is absurd to demand that modern subjects be taught in a madrasah. Thus, these debates generally end without producing any positive results.

The major madrasah federations/associations in Pakistan such as the Wifaq al-Madaris al-‘Arabiyyah have realized this problem and have re-designed their syllabus in such a way that it can correspond to the modern system. Now, 8 years of basic schooling is required from a student before he can start Dars-e-Nizami; and completing the final 8th year of Dars-e-Nizami entitles one to a degree considered equivalent to an MA in Islamic/Arabic studies. However, these efforts at reform are hampered by lack of resources on the one hand and the non-cooperative attitude of the government(s) on the other hand.

Going back to the book; towards the end, the author deals with the much publicized issue of links between madrasahs and militancy. He attempts to be as objective as possible. The findings that he shares with us are very different from what the media would have us believe. It appears that even the most conservative and orthodox Indian madrasahs have little to do with the training of terrorists or brainwashing suicide bombers. A few individuals working in those educational institutions may occasionally support “extremist” ideas or organizations, but most madrasah leaders have openly condemned terrorism in the name of Islam.

​In concluding, the author emphasizes the critical role that “progressive Muslims” need to play to make Islam relevant to the modern world. Here, he seems to be stuck in the “liberal trap” of hoping to transform Islam from within so that it can become something like Reformed Judaism, even though that might not be Islam anymore. But he balances it out by calling upon Hindus to seriously address the growing threat of Hindu militancy.

Notwithstanding the author’s inclinations and biases, of which he had warned us in the beginning, the book is still a very nice read especially for those who wish to have a better and more nuanced understanding of the complex reality of madrasahs in Hindu-majority India.

Versions of the book “al-Adhkar” of imam an-Nawawi

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I have just received the book “al-Adkhar” by imam an-Nawawi from Dar al-Minhaj (http://www.alminhaj.com/) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I bought it from HUbooks in the UK (http://www.hubooks.com/). Last year I got another copy of the same book from a bookseller in the Netherlands but from a different publisher: Dar al-Fajr li’t-Turath, which is behind al-Azhar University in Cairo (as it says inside); it can be bought at Kitaabun in the UK. What struck me immediately are the big differences between these versions:

1.) The volume or size. The version from Dar al-Minhaj has 736 pages and the version from Dar al-Fajr (in short) has only got 459 pages. That is a huge difference (almost 300 pages) and I wonder how this is possible. What happened? The Dar al-Minhaj version is twice the size -and weight- of the Dar al-Fajr version. Only a careful study of the books will reveal this. Noteworthy is the Dar al-Minhaj version has more and extensive footnotes (with the commentary of Ibn ‘Allan) but this doesn’t explain the difference of almost 300 pages.

2.) The print – style. While the Dar al-Minhaj version is printed in a classical style with a black cover with golden letters etc. the Dar al-Fajr version seems to be ‘popularized’ by the bright colours (turquoise, green and yellow) and funny Arabic letters in calligraphy to make it more attractive for the eye but it looks cheap actually. (They did the same with their version of the Muwatta of imam Malik.)

3.) The Dar al-Fajr version has a tahqiq -as it says on the cover- done by a certain muhaqqiq called Hamid Ahmad at-Tahir al-Basyuni (?). The Dar al-Minhaj version has no (complete) tahqiq (although at the end there seem to be some remarks on the authenticty of several ahadith under the title al-Fawa’id al-Bahiyyah wa an-Nukta al-Mardiyyah ‘ala al-Adhkar an-Nawawiyyah). What one immediately notices in the footnotes is the reference to shaykh al-Albani in the Dar al-Fajr version. The muhaqqiq seems to rely on him for grading some of the ahadith quoted in the book. Could this tahqiq be a reason for the difference in pages? When one does a search on the internet one comes across articles that speak of tampering with this book for example where it concerns visiting the grave of the Prophet s.a.w.s. and probably this is not the only issue.

4.) Both books begin and end with the same things, apart from some distinctive things like a biography of imam an-Nawawi in the Dar al-Fajr version and scans from the handwritten copy of the book in the Dar al-Minhaj version.

5.) The big benefit of the Dar al-Minhaj version is that is has full tashkil which facilitates reading.

So we can conclude there is most probably some content missing from the Dar al-Fajr version. This is a task for the researchers amongst us. Questions that need to be answered are: what exactly is left out in the Dar al-Fajr version and most importantly why? It doesn’t seem to do justice to the original work by imam an-Nawawi rahimahullah. The danger is not that someone undertook a tahqiq of the book but the fact that the muhaqqiq ‘filtered’ the book or made a mukhtasar of it, fooling people to believe it is the actual book, and leaving things deliberately out.

To end: there are more versions of this magnificent book. One of these versions is the one by Dar al-Bayan at-Turath which can be downloaded here: http://read.kitabklasik.co.cc/2009/12/al-adzkar-al-muntakhabah-min-kalami.html  This version has 533 pages. Still less than the Dar al-Minhaj version. And there is the version by Dar Ibn Hazm which contains 741 pages (See here: http://www.albalagh.net/bookstore/?action=view&item=0782).

A very small part of the book has been translated to English, including audio, and can be downloaded for 1 pound on the Deenport and Kitaba website.

Last but not least: an English translation of this book will be published soon by Turath Publishing. It is also said shaykh Nu Ha Mim Keller is working on an English translation, w’Allahu ‘alam.

Analysing Muslim Traditions: Studies in Legal, Exegetical and Maghazi Hadith by Harald Motzki – Review by Dr. M. Mansur Ali

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Analysing Muslim Traditions: Studies in Legal, Exegetical and Maghazi Hadith

By Harald Motzki, with Nicolet Boekhoff – Van Der Voort and Sean W. Anthony, (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2010). Price: £149.15.

Reviewed by Dr M. Mansur Ali, Cardiff University

Classical orientalist studies of Hadith generally fell under the studies of the origins of Islam. Hence, the primary focus of these studies was to prove the origins and provenance of Hadith. With the absence of any sources contemporary to the Prophet, Western scholars’ attitude towards the corpus of Hadith was sceptical. In other words, for them, in contrast to the Muslim view of Hadith, every hadith was deemed to be a forgery until it can be proven otherwise. Scholars discarded the Muslim approach to Hadith verification as being too formalistic and based only on external criteria (isnad). Hence, they devised their own methodologies for verifying the authenticity and origins of Hadith. Harald Motzki suggested that it will not be prudent to wholly do away with the chain of narrators as a careful study of these chains can tell us a lot about the provenance of a hadith. Rather, the chain of narrators should be studied in tandem with the text of a hadith, which Motzki calls the isnad-cum-matn approach.

The book under review is a collection of articles written by Motzki over the last three decades. The last two articles in the book were written by the other two co-authors. In its preface, Motzki discusses the contents of the book and the processes the articles went through before being available in English. This book has many merits; firstly, all of Motzki’s articles found in this book are being presented in English for the first time. Secondly, all the articles in the collection employ the isnad-cum-matn approach first formulated by Motzki in his study of the Musannaf of ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-San’ani (d. 211/826). In addition to this most of the articles are responses to other scholars who were/are also engaged in the study of the origins of Hadith: chapters 1 and 6, Schacht; chapter 2, Juynboll, chapters 3 and 4, Irene Schnider and chapter 5, Herbert Berg.

Chapter 1 functions as the methodological introduction to the book, while the rest of the chapters are an application of this method. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 take the application of the isnad-cum-matnmethod out of the legal domain to other disciplines such as tafsir and maghazi. They show that theisnad-cum-matn approach can easily be extended to other disciplines and yield similar results unlike Schacht’s method which yielded erroneous results when taken outside the legal traditions, as Cook has shown. The author of chapter 6 has done us kind by providing the Arabic script whilst comparing different versions of a hadith as it is a daunting task to follow slight orthographical changes whilst reading the transliteration. The author of chapter 7 has a wonderful introduction to historiography in general in the introduction to his article.

For this reviewer, the most original and interesting contribution in this book is chapter 2. Over the years, GHA Juynboll has developed, expanded and polished Schacht’s common-link theory to the extent that, for Juynboll it has become the only methodology (usul al-Hadith) worthy of studying Hadith with. Juynboll used this methodology to study the six canonical Hadith collections. It has also been employed by Muslim feminists such as Nevin Reda to prove the authenticity of Hadithrelated to female leading the prayer in a mixed congregation. However elaborate the theory is, in this chapter, Motzki proves that it nevertheless suffers from many methodological and epistemological flaws. This is the most rigorous critique of Juynboll’s common-link theory and a must read for the serious students of Hadith. He shows that in order for the common-link theory to work, every strand of the chain of narrators for a particular hadith text needs to be scrutinised. Without doing this the common-link theory will not yield accurate results. He demonstrates that Juynboll’s over reliance on the chains of narrators found in al-Mizzi’s (d. 742/1341) Tuhfat al-Ashraf (which is only restricted to collecting the chains of narrators found in the six canonical collections and a few other books), is what lead Juynboll to make erroneous conclusions such as denying the historical Nafi’ the client of Ibn ‘Umar (d. 117/735).

Contrary to what some Muslims believe, orientalists are not there to deconstruct and dismantle the foundations Islam. In the absence of any early writings, they try to make an objective and honest attempt to understand what really happened in this early period of Islam. However, it becomes problematic when scholars hold on to their methods religiously even though the fallacy of their approach has been proved. Motzki has obviated all of Juynboll’s arguments and yet, Juynboll makes no attempt to modify his theory as can be seen in his latest work such as The Encyclopaedia of Canonical Collections.

Motzki’s works are highly valued amongst Muslim circles as it comes close to their own scholarship. However, accepting or rejecting Motzki’s thesis will depend on how much reliance one is willing to place on the chain of narrators. At a cost of £149.15 it is not your average coffee table book nor is it an easy read. However, if one can patiently wade through the welter of names and dates, the results are satisfactory.  Finally, few orthographical mistakes do not detract from the excellent scholarship displayed in the book. (p.3) ‘Annahu sami’ituhu yaqul’ should read ‘annahu samia’hu yaqul’, (p. 10) ‘first quarter second century’ should read ‘first quarter of the second century’, (p. 23) ‘any of theses types’ should be ‘these types’.

With kind permission from Muslim World Book Review

Reference: M. Mansur Ali, Muslim World Book Review (MWBR), Vol. 31, issue 3, spring 2011, pp. 20-21.

Book Review & PDF: “Faith Versus Materialism” by Mawlana Abu ‘l-Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi

Faraz Abdul Moid8 Comments

PDF version, published by Academy of Islamic Research & Publications, Lucknow (India). Translation by Mohiuddin Ahmad.

 

This book is a translation of the Arabic book As Sar’a bain al – Iman wal Maddiyah, which was later rendered in the Urdu Language and finally into English. Although not a commentary per se of Suratul Kahf of the Noble Quran, it is a profound exposition and exegesis of the message of the Surah.

The book attempts to explain two concepts diametrically opposed to each other: one is materialism denoting the primary and objective existence of the external material world; and the other asserts the existence of realities which lay beyond the range of human perceptions, for example, the existence of [good].

The book further explains the meaning and the purpose of Faith and warns against the denial of God and His authority. Four chapters in this book form the central theme, viz.

1. The story of the Companions of the Cave.

2. Parable of the owner of two gardens.

3. The story of Prophet Moses [AS] and Khider [AS]

4. The story of Zul Qarnain

Name of Book: Faith Versus Materialism

Author: Moulana S. Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi [RA]

Publisher: Academy of Islamic Research and Publications

Translator: Mohiuddin Ahmad

Edition: 1976

Number of Pages: 109

Book review courtesy of http://www.darulihsan.com

Editor’s Preface to Turath’s 40 on the Durud

unamazi4 Comments

As-Salam Alaykum,

I thought it would be meaningful to share a piece of writing with keen bibliophiles that patiently, or in my case, impatiently wait to relish the fruits of the Tahawi Oasis.  May Allah reward the contributors of this blog and further assist them in posting more wonderful threads that benefit students of knowledge amidst wide-spread confusion and ignorance. (Rabbana Zidna ‘Ilman Wa ‘nfa’na Bihi)

The piece I am sharing here is the Editor’s preface to Turath Publishing’s 40 Hadith collection on the Durud which is part of its 40 Hadith series.

To date, Turath has managed to publish only one collection, namely that attributed to Shah Wali Allah.

Whilst we’re at it I might as well point out that the 40 attributed to Shah Wali Allah with the Ahl al-Bayt isnad is in fact the 40 al-‘Alawiyyah by al-Jayyani.  Al-‘Iraqi occasions with it in his al-Taqyid wa al-Idhaah and his Tarh al-Thathrib.  Although I have not been able to identify exactly when this began, it had become the custom of Hadith scholars, at least by al-‘Iraqi’s time, to transmit this 40 to students.

With this in mind the 40 of Shah Wali Allah should thus imply “the 40 Hadith which Shah Wali Allah brought with him from the Hijaz and circulated in the sub-continent to such a degree that it became part of his legacy and ascribed to him.”  May Allah grant our dear and beloved Shah the choicest of stations in the Hereafter and permit the Ummah to learn from his knowledge.  He was most definitely as one scholar described: Had the Shah been born amongst the early generations he would have risen as one of the their leading jurist-consults.  Sahabas like Ibn ‘Umar would be pleased with him.

Turath’s forthcoming collections from the 40 series include:

– Two by Mulla Ali Qari, one of which is a general selection whilst the other is on the topic of Qur’an.

– As-Suyuti. His is a general selection. (I can confirm this and the two above have gone off to the printers.)

– Ibn Hajar’s Imtaa’. In this collection, Ibn Hajar reports 40 Hadiths from 40 scholars who report through 40 different chains that go all the way back to 40 different Companions. Despite these subtleties that seem to be showcasing a great deal of expertise, the content is in fact very general and suitable for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.  It’s almost perennial I’d like to think. (I’m currently working on this)

– Ibn Asaakir’s Ummahaat. This is a 40 Hadith collection on the wives of the Prophet – Allah bless him and be pleased with his Companions.  (currently being type-set and proof-read)

– Kattani’s Fazaa’il-e-Ahl-e-Bayt (translated but requires editing, proof-reading, type-setting and a critical review.)

– ‘Ajaluni’s 40. This collection records 40 Hadiths which appear as the first hadith in 40 different books (I shall be working on this after I’m done with the Ibn Hajar insha Allah).

– 40 on Durud, and it is for this collection that I wrote the Editor’s note. (It is currently being proof-read and type-set)

This 40 on the Durud is actually an amalgamation of two 40 Hadith collections by two remarkable scholars of the past century, Sheikh Abdullah ibn Muhammed ibn as-Siddiq al-Ghumari (d. 1993) and Hazrat Moulana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanvi (d. 1943).  In this preface, I have reviewed in short the structure and nature of both books.  Given the plethora of redactions and subsequent editions of Thanvi’s 40 carrying the same typographical errors, in addition to the wide-spread misconception of assuming Sheikh al-Hadith Moulana Zakariyya to be its author, I felt the need to expand the preface slightly more than usual.  Hopefully and God willing, this preface will clear misunderstandings and set students and scholars in the right direction should they seek further academic enquiry.

There is more than one purpose for posting the preface here.  Apart from advertising the book and introducing it, I thought the preface raises issues, especially in relation to Thanvi’s 40, that deserve a wider audience.

I think this should be enough to whet the appetite of anyone interested on this topic.  I do not intend to repeat myself whilst introducing the preface here. Please do buy the book (!) as this will help fund other worthwhile projects.

Lastly, I would like to thank Turath Publishing, in particular Brother Yahya Batha a.k.a the ‘Amir-e-Karvaan’ for kindly allowing me to circulate this online.  Allahumma Zid Fa Zid!

God bless.

Uwais

Editor’s_Note

May Allah reward the contributors of this wondeful blog and assist them in posting more wonderful threads that benefit students of knowledge amidst wide-spread ignorance. Ameen.
T

The Path to Perfection By Shaykh Masihullah Khan Jalalabadi

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An Edited Anthology of the Spiritual Teachings of Hakim Al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi

(Originally translated in South Africa – Edited and published by Mufti Abd Al-Rahman ibn Yusuf/White Thread Press http://www.whitethreadpress.com)

Reviewed by Ismaeel Nakhuda

In spite of its intrinsic attachment to Islam, Sufism – otherwise known as tasawwuf or tazkiya – remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of the din. It is a sad reality that in this day and age there are two extremes – to some, the Sufis are a heretical sect while to others they are individuals above Shariah law.

However, orthodox Sufism sits in the middle of this paradigm and is totally in tune with the requirements of the Shariah. It is this Sufism, which is the subject matter of “The Path to Perfection”.

“The Path to Perfection” was initially translated from Urdu in the early 1980s in South Africa under a different title, “Shariah and Tariqah”. White Thread Press has re-edited the original translation and beautifully published it giving it a new name and also included a biography of Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (1863-1943) – the Sufi mentor of the author, Shaykh Masihullah Khan of Jalalabad, India (1911-1992).

In a clear, coherent and easy to understand language the book brings together some of the more profound and important Sufi teachings all of which, incidentally, have a strong grounding in the Qur’an and Hadith. It was in the mid-90s that I first came across the original translation, which was immensely popular among English-speaking Muslims connected to the Chishti-Sabri-Imdadi tariqah of the Indian sub-continent. It should, however, be noted that the book contains insightful discourse relevant to all who are treading or are wishing to tread the path of Islamic spirituality regardless of which tariqah.

Like many contemporary Deobandi scholars, Khan and his mentor were scions of the Chishti tariqah, which is common among Muslims of the sub-continent and subsequently among the worldwide Indo-Pak diaspora. In fact it would be correct to say the Deobandis combine the Chishti, Naqashbandi, Qadri and Suharwardi tariqahs. The first Chishti Shaykh to arrive in India was Khawaja Muinuddin Chishti (1141-1236), who is regarded to have set the foundation of Chishti Sufism in India – a tradition that continues till this day. Born in Chisht (east of Herat in Afghanistan) he lies buried in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India.

Like other tariqahs, the Chishtis have a spiritual lineage going back from one shaykh to another until the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him). Among illustrious and prominent dervishes whose name appear in the Chishti tariqah are individuals such as Hasan Basri, Abdul Wahid bin Zaid, Ibrahim bin Adham, Fudhail bin Ayadh, Fariduddeen Shakar Ganj, Khawaja Alauddeen Ali Ahmed Saabir Kalyari and Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (the latter two are those after whom the sub-branches Sabri and Imdadi are named).

Dervishes of the Chishti Sabri Imdadi order are renowned for their strict adherence to the Shariah and Sunnah. But what is probably most iconic is their method of zikr, particular the barah-tasbih, which consists of the chanting of a certain wird in loud voices in synchrony with a particular set of head motions.

So, it does come as a surprise when contemporary writers assume that the Deobandis have some sort of anathema towards orthodox Sufism. In an article published in the UK-based Prospect Magazine in 2005, Ehsan Masood ironically described the Deobandi Sufis as an “Indian anti-Sufi movement”, likewise the respected British historian and travel-writer William Dalrymple has penned similar views in several of his articles and books.

Although “The Path to Perfection” has not been written for the purpose of dispelling such outlandish claims, nevertheless its contents do fulfil such a role. As Ali Altaf Mian mentions in his biography of Mawlana Thanawi (located towards the end of the book), the Deobandis “practiced a tasawwuf that earlier Muslims, such as Hasan al-Basri, Junayd al-Baghdadi, and Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani would advocate if they were living in the twentieth century”.

Mian continues that the Deoband seminary not only trained individuals to become “rational scholars” but also “sound practitioners of tasawwuf”. Reflecting on the interconnection of tasawwuf and Shariah, Mian adds, “Through the Deoband movement, Islamic history once more witnessed the combination of the jurist and the mystic into a well rounded Islamic scholar.” It is this very understanding of the Deobandi scholars/Sufis that Barbara Metcalf mentions in her treatise “Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900”.

“The Path to Perfection” follows a logical and coherent fashion and has been written in a way that is appealing to both the ulema and lay-people. Some of the classic books on Sufism have a tendency of dealing with complex issues in a sophisticated way. The author, however, endeavours to simplify these issues ensuring readers are able to fully understand the subject matter.

With the author being a contemporary Sufi it is interesting that a lot of the discourse is given a modern-day edge making it relevant to people of today. Writing about the four fundamentals of spiritual struggle, Shaykh Masihullah mentions how the saalik should eat and sleep less and then advises that a sense of moderation should be adopted when doing so, since “experience shows that nowadays health, in most cases, suffers as a result of reduction in food” etc. This epitomizes the moderate Sufism practised by Khan and the people of his tariqah.

This book is a delight to read and is a spiritual manual in the true essence, one that creates a sense of warmth in the reader’s heart and thus developing in one an urgent desire to seek rectification and spiritual uplifting.

Available from:
US – http://www.whitethreadpress.com/publications/path_perfection.htm
US – http://www.al-rashad.com/The-Path-to-Perfection/
UK – http://www.azharacademy.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1433

For further details about Mufti Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Yusuf see:
http://www.zamzamacademy.com/