Q & A
Can a Sufi marry, work, and raise a family?
In Tasawwuf the seeker is not barred from having children or running a successful business. Tasawwuf does not promote abstinence from worldly affairs; rather, it promotes performing them with the best effort and the best practice that Islam defines. Your sleep, your time with family, and your lawful earning are part of your spiritual path only if done with the intention to please Allah.
Being a seeker does not mean abandoning the world or retiring to a corner. When Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al Aas may Allah be pleased with him was found to be fasting all day and praying all night, the Prophet ﷺ told him: "Then don't. Fast, but also leave it; pray, but also sleep. For verily your body has a right over you, and your guest has a right over you." [Sahih al-Bukhari 1975]
The Prophet ﷺ also said, "Indeed the most wholesome of what you consume is from your earnings, and indeed your children are from your earnings." [Jami at-Tirmidhi 1358] For a Muslim, Allah has given great ease: his sleep, his time with family, his parents, and his earning of a livelihood is part of the spiritual path, only if done with the intention to please Him.
References
- Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari 1975
- Hadith Jami at-Tirmidhi 1358