Removing all Misunderstandings about Islamic Spirituality/Mysticism among both the Proponents and Opponents of it

Misunderstandings abound among both the proponents and the opponents of the highest and deepest teachings of Islam known as "Ihsan", "Tasawwuf", "Sufism", or just "spirituality". These misconceptions are answered in the Persian book "Irshad at-talibin" (Explanation for the Seekers of God) by Thana'ullah al-'Osmani ad-Dahlawi, a great scholar and gnostic of the past from India.

"Some people do not believe in awliya (those who have attained the nearness or gnosis of God)'. And there are some who say, 'There were awliya', but there are none now.' And there are some others who say, 'Awliya never commit any sins. They know the ghaib (unseen). Whatever they wish happens immediately, and anything they do not want soon vanishes,' and who, therefore, make wishes to the graves of awliya'. Those who think so do not believe the awliya' of their time when they see that what they think about the awliya' is not true for these awliya' and remain deprived of their faid (spiritual benefits that a seeker of God can derieve from their proximity). There are those who are so ignorant as to be unable to distinguish between a Muslim and a non-Muslim, yet claim to be awliya'. And there are those people who regard such ignoramuses (charlatans) as awliya' and are attached to them as students. Furthermore, there are some people who say "disbelievers" for awliya' putting forward the statements uttered by awliya' unconsciously in the state of sakr (spiritual ecstasy), that is, when they are covered with love for God and have lost themselves in this love. There are those who by themselves draw wrong meanings from such statements of awliya' and make up wrong beliefs, and thus disbelieve the correct meanings derived from the Qur'an and the Hadith (teachings of Prophet Muhammad [Peace be upon him]) by the 'ulama' of Ahl as-Sunnat (scholars who follow the correct methodology in Islam by following one of the four schools of thoughts in Islamic Jurisprudence. To learn more about the importance of following one of 4 schools of thoughts, visit http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/newmadhh.htm) and go astray. There are those who have learned the Zahiri (outer) knowledge which Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] was ordered by God to preach, but who do not believe the ma'arif of tasawwuf (inner deep spiritual knowledge) which Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] was permitted to teach as much as he wished to those Sahabis (companions) whom he selected. There are those who worship awliya', vow nadhr (a form of charity) to them and go around their graves as if performing tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaba (the symbolic House of God in Makkah), as well as those who do not esteem or respect awliya'. This is why I wish to explain to my Muslim brethren what wilaya (having a gnosis and deep spiritual connection with God), that is, the state of being a wali (friend of God), is. I (i.e. Muhammad Thana'ullah al-'Osmani ad-Dahlawi, a great scholar and gnostic from India) have written the Arabic book Irshad at-talibin (Explanation for the Seekers of God) on this subject. And now I am writing the same in Persian.

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