Difference Between Ahl al-Sunnah and Sufi Beliefs & the Correct Creed
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Issues of Tawheed and Sunnah, p. 71
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah believe that faith in Allah’s Essence and Attributes must be in the manner established by:
Examples:
Belief in all established Attributes is obligatory.
Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله:
“We know our Lord is above the seven heavens, over His Throne, separate from His creation, and we do not say, as the Jahmiyyah say, that He is here on earth.”
Reference: al-Asmāʾ wa al-Ṣifāt of al-Bayhaqī, p. 427 — Authentic chain
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رحمه الله:
“It is not permissible to describe Allah as being in every place; rather, it should be said He is in the heaven, above the Throne.”
ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Makkī:
“The One established over His Throne, in the majesty of His Glory, is beyond all places.”
Ibn ʿArabī:
“You are the servant and you are the Lord.” (Fusūṣ al-Ḥikam, p. 157)
Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
“Their belief is that existence is one, equating the Creator’s existence with that of creation.”
ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Jīlī:
“I am my own created and my own Creator.” (al-Insān al-Kāmil, p. 33)
Hājī Imdādullāh Thānvī:
“Before his own existence, the servant was God inwardly, and God was outwardly the servant.” (Shamāʾim Imdādiyyah, p. 38)
Even narrating stories where “manifestations” of God were seen in animals and sinful acts — beliefs far from Islam.
Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī:
“The one who commits fornication and the one who facilitates it — both are God.” (Tadhkirat al-Rashīd, Vol. 2, p. 242)
Sufis who hold beliefs like Waḥdat al-Wujūd are in opposition to the Qur’an and Sunnah and are outside the fold of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah.
أعاذنا الله من شرهم — Āmīn
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Issues of Tawheed and Sunnah, p. 71
Belief of Ahl al-Sunnah Regarding Allah’s Essence and Attributes
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah believe that faith in Allah’s Essence and Attributes must be in the manner established by:
- The Qur’an
- Authentic Ahadith
- Ijmaʿ of the Ummah
- Reports from the Companions رضي الله عنهم
- The understanding of the Salaf al-Sālihīn
Examples:
- Allah is above His Throne (ʿArsh): He is above the seven heavens, established over His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty.
- Allah descends to the lowest heaven: In the last third of every night.
- Allah has Hands: As mentioned in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.
Belief in all established Attributes is obligatory.
Statements from Scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah
Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله:
“We know our Lord is above the seven heavens, over His Throne, separate from His creation, and we do not say, as the Jahmiyyah say, that He is here on earth.”
Reference: al-Asmāʾ wa al-Ṣifāt of al-Bayhaqī, p. 427 — Authentic chain
Deviant Sects Opposing Ahl al-Sunnah
① Muʿaṭṭilah:
- Claim: Allah is neither above nor below, neither to the right nor left, nor in any of the six directions (jihāt).
- Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله described this as the attribute of non-existence.
② Jahmiyyah:
- Claim: Allah is everywhere and inside every creation — Aʿūdhu billāh.
- The Salaf strongly refuted and even declared takfīr upon this belief.
Two Categories of Sufis
1. Sufis upon the Truth
- al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله
- al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ رحمه الله
- Ibrāhīm ibn Adham رحمه الله
- Bishr al-Ḥāfī رحمه الله
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رحمه الله:
“It is not permissible to describe Allah as being in every place; rather, it should be said He is in the heaven, above the Throne.”
ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Makkī:
“The One established over His Throne, in the majesty of His Glory, is beyond all places.”
2. Sufis with False Beliefs
- al-Ḥusayn ibn Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj
- Ibn ʿArabī
- al-Qūnawī, al-Tilimsānī, Ibn Sabʿīn, al-Shushtarī, Ibn al-Fāriḍ
Ibn ʿArabī:
“You are the servant and you are the Lord.” (Fusūṣ al-Ḥikam, p. 157)
Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
“Their belief is that existence is one, equating the Creator’s existence with that of creation.”
ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Jīlī:
“I am my own created and my own Creator.” (al-Insān al-Kāmil, p. 33)
Hājī Imdādullāh Thānvī:
“Before his own existence, the servant was God inwardly, and God was outwardly the servant.” (Shamāʾim Imdādiyyah, p. 38)
Even narrating stories where “manifestations” of God were seen in animals and sinful acts — beliefs far from Islam.
Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī:
“The one who commits fornication and the one who facilitates it — both are God.” (Tadhkirat al-Rashīd, Vol. 2, p. 242)
Conclusion
Sufis who hold beliefs like Waḥdat al-Wujūd are in opposition to the Qur’an and Sunnah and are outside the fold of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah.
أعاذنا الله من شرهم — Āmīn
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
