What are al-muraqabah and the Naqshbandiyya?
The Naqshbandiyya is a Sufi order prevalent in Turkey, the Levant, and Iraq, attributed to Muhammad Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband. The order claims a lineage back to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, which is a false and baseless claim.
Among their beliefs and practices are: 1. They claim that "Naqshband" used to meet with the spirits of certain shaykhs and receive spiritual authority (wilaya) from them, calling this "al-Uwaysiyya." This is a superstition. 2. They have a specific form of (remembrance of God) that relies on concealment, holding one's breath, and imagining the heart remembering God. This contradicts the , which mandates dhikr with the tongue. 3. They innovated the "rabita," which connects the heart of the disciple (murid) with the shaykh as an intermediary between him and God. This clashes with God's closeness to His servants without an intermediary and is influenced by Indian religions. 4. They are known for performing dhikr with the singular name "Allah" or "Huwa," which is an illegitimate form of remembrance. 5. They practice an innovated seclusion () lasting between three and forty-three days, which is not from Islam but rather from the rituals of polytheistic religions. 6. They excessively exalt their shaykhs, attributing to them divine qualities such as conferring benefit or harm and knowing the unseen. This is an act of (polytheism). 7. They impose specific manners in dealing with the shaykh and demand absolute obedience to him, believing him to be infallible. This contradicts Islamic law, which mandates obedience only in what is permissible (ma'ruf). 8. They forbid their followers from seeking religious knowledge and encourage them to abandon people of knowledge and jurisprudence, which leads to deviation. 9. They tend towards the kufr (disbelief) doctrine of hulul (incarnation) and ittihad (union). 10. The aim of their acts of worship is to gain insight into the unseen world, which is a delusion not commanded by Islam.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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