Tuesday, 26 May 2026 (10 Dhuʻl-Hijjah 1447 AH)
Question: What is the correct view regarding what is reported of some Sufis in their struggle against the self and in subduing its desires—namely, that one of them deliberately exposes himself to suspicion, such as sitting in a wine-seller’s shop, or snatching goods from the market and fleeing before people so that they chase him, beat him, and recover what he took—doing all this in order to sever his soul’s attachment to people’s praise and to cut off his craving for their admiration?
The answer: This is neither appropriate nor permissible, for several reasons:
1. Allah Almighty has declared the honor, property, and blood of the Muslim inviolable; therefore, it is not permissible for a Muslim to violate the sanctity of his own honor, nor that of others.
2. In the well-known hadith, there is an instruction to avoid the causes of cursing when relieving oneself; accordingly, a Muslim must avoid the causes that prompt people to insult or curse him.
3. What some Sufis have introduced in this regard is an innovation (bidʿah) that conflicts with what Islamic law has established concerning the preservation of the believer’s dignity, honor, elevated rank, and noble standing.
4. It also conflicts with what Allah Almighty intends of ease in His religion and leniency in His law: “Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” [al-Baqarah:185], and “He has placed no hardship upon you in religion” [al-Ḥajj:78].
5. Allah Almighty has made the Qur’an a healing for the maladies of hearts and a mercy for the believers.
Source: Min Thimār al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥikmah vol.3