What is the Hadith of Jibril (Gabriel)?

It is the hadith in which the angel Jibril, in the form of a man, questioned the Prophet about Iman, Islam, and ihsan, then departed, and the Prophet said he had come to teach the people their religion.

Where does the word “Sufi” come from?

Al-Hujwiri recorded several explanations for the word “Sufi”: the woollen garment (suf), the “first rank” (saff), the People of the Veranda (Ashab al-Suffa) of the Prophet's mosque, or safa, meaning purity.

Is dhikr (the remembrance of Allah) an innovation?

The remembrance of Allah is not a reprehensible innovation: it is among the greatest of the supererogatory works of worship. Even self-composed supplications and the use of counting-beads have a basis in the Prophet's own encouragement and his household.

Do I need a spiritual guide, or can I learn the path from books?

True Tasawwuf has to be learnt and practised under the guidance of someone who has learnt and received it from another shaykh, linking the chain back to the Companions and ultimately to Allah's Last Prophet. Books are a great source of information, but it is when they are combined with tálluq, the connection with a living shaykh, that the information becomes knowledge.

Is Sufism haram or forbidden in Islam?

Authentic Tasawwuf is not forbidden: it is the science of ikhlas, or sincerity, needed by every Muslim, and of the states of the heart that the Shariah itself commands. What is forbidden is any false “Sufism” that sets itself against the Shariah.

Are prayer beads (tasbih) an innovation?

The basis for the tasbih, or counting beads, is a hadith in which the Prophet found a Mother of the Believers using date pits to count her glorification of Allah. The beads are a counting aid; the string simply holds them together.

Are self-composed supplications (du’as) allowed, or is that innovation?

Self-composed supplications are allowed, as long as they don't compete against a specific du'a the Sunnah prescribed for that moment. The Prophet himself encouraged supplications that were not part of the Sunnah.

Is a forty-day spiritual retreat (chilla) part of Islam?

Many Sufi masters have adopted the practice of remaining in seclusion for forty days. Its basis is the hadith on worshipping Allah for forty days with sincerity, and the Prophet's own seclusion in the cave of Hira before revelation began.

What does a true Sufi actually want, Paradise, or something more?

The heart of a true Sufi is set not on escaping Hell or winning Paradise, but on the love of Allah Himself.

What is Sufism (Tasawwuf)?

In simple words, Tasawwuf is the branch of knowledge dealing with the Prophetic mission of Yuzakkihim, "to purify them", and its reality is based upon the hadith that names Iman, Islam and ihsan. It entails leading one's life according to the Sunnah, striving to curtail lust, greed, jealousy and anger, and performing the practices of Deen without these evils in the heart. Its journey begins by purifying intentions, and its destination is the constant cognizance of Allah, which keeps on increasing.