Sufi Islam in Egypt
本文對埃及蘇非（Sufi）有很全面的分析。據估計，埃及受蘇非團體影響有ㄧ千萬人。事實上埃及穆斯林兄弟會創辦人Hasan al-Banna，他的思想與理念部份是來自蘇非的概念。
本文訪問蘇非團體領導人，透過訪談可以理解何謂真正的蘇非，並可澄清外界對蘇非的誤解或是指控。在革命之後，部份蘇非團體走入政治圈與成立政黨，這是過去沒有的現象。這些內容在ㄧ般媒體中甚少見到，若想基本認識埃及的蘇非團體，該篇文章是個很好的了解管道。
Lately,
Sufis have been one of the vital cards utilised in Egyptian
parliamentary and presidential elections. Being
supportive of the “civil state” camp and against political Islam added more to
the long list of misconceptions about Sufis. Not only are they depicted as
indulgers in folkloric celebrations, poetic recitals and religious chants, but
also as allies of secularism, a precondition to be bashed by their rival
religious group, the Salafis. Daily News Egypt explores the meaning of Sufism
through the eyes of its adherents, the insightful explanations of some
Sufi sheikhs about the long rivalry against Wahhabism and the current Sufi
involvement in politics
The mawalid [plural
of moulid, birthdates of the prophet’s family and other awliya'a,
saints] have turned into popular as well as religious celebrations, so not
every person who goes to them is a Sufi,” said Sheikh Mohamed Mazhar, the
leader of the Borhameya order in Egypt.
Two
of the major mawalid that Sufis celebrate annually were held
in the past two weeks. On 18 October, over one million visitors travelled to
Desouk in Kafr El Sheikh governorate to celebrate the moulid of
sidi Ibrahim El Desouki. On the preceding Thursday another million visitors
from all over Egypt and even from other Islamic countries flooded Tanta in El
Gharbiya governorate to commemorate the moulid of Sidi Ahmed
El Badawi. The crowds who went there
sought not just blessings, but to recharge themselves spiritually and to be
reminded of the virtues Islam calls for through the remembrance of these
righteous men’s deeds and attitudes.
The mawalid combine
religious rituals such as dhikr (recitation of the names of
Allah and the prophet and some verbal prayers) and inshad (an
Islamic religious singing that allows minimal musical instruments) as well as
some folkloric traditions such as poetry recitals, singing, dancing and selling
oriental desserts and toys. Sufis
originally celebrated mawalid for spiritual reasons but over
the years the folkloric traditions grew bigger and to overshadow Sufism’s
tenets, leaving behind an image that Sufism is just a circus for the commoners,
uneducated and poor.
Like other
religious communities in Egypt, there is no official information about the
numbers of Sufis, however most estimates approximates the number of
Sufis to around 10 million Egyptians. These estimates are much
dependent on attendance of mawalid,
religious lessons and dhikr and inshad sessions. While none of these
events are restricted by any means to the disciples of the turuq (plural of tariqa,
order or path of Sufism), many people can go in and out of a Sufi order which
makes it even harder to make a precise estimate.
What it means
to be a Sufi
As he sipped his coffee, Ahmed Cherif put aside his colourful
rosary on the table and commenced a passionate discourse about what attracted
him to Sufism.
“I have
always admired inshad and praise sessions because when I
lived in Alexandria many of my friends used to hold dhikr sessions. Also my uncle Sheikh Mazhar
guided the Borhameya order, but we never connected on that level,” said Cherif.
After his graduation, he knocked at the door of Sufism.
He continued, “two years ago many things happened to me and I
talked to him [his uncle], attended his lessons and got attached to him. I then
discovered that Sufism was very different from how I perceived it.”
Cherif read about Sufis, their ideas, how Sufism started and he
started adhering to the Borhameya order.
“My first perception of Sufism was solely focused on the
physical practices rather than the spiritual ones. I knew there were different
aspects of it for the heart and soul, but I hadn’t thought it over,” he said.
Cherif’s definition of Sufism crystallised in freeing your baser
self from the shackles of materialism which controls everything.
He elaborated, “today people decide for us what to wear, buy, eat and drink; we
no longer feel spirituality. Even religion is now measured with material
rewards. Do this and you will get a reward from Allah. How about doing this
because you love it or because it’s right?”
He thinks
that true followers of Islam should control themselves because the prophet,
peace be upon him (PBUH), was not afraid of Muslims being infidels, he was
afraid of them being tempted by el donia (worldly desires).
He explained, “you practice self-restraint because many times you follow
your desires to fulfill your ego. However, if you submitted yourself and
emptied the path between you and Allah, then you would break free from anything
that enslaves you.”
He believes that you can learn from reading about something, but
Sufism requires one to act upon its principles to truly experience it.
“We learnt in books on religion to love, respect and to be
humble. I saw that Sufis conform to these values. I saw that differences
dissolve in the order. People from all classes, professions get together and
differences never came up. I felt it was genuine,” said Cherif.
He described
the changes he observed in himself. Some trivial things that used to matter to
him were no longer important. Conforming to the five pillars of the
order disciplines the person; eating less to purify the body, speaking only to
say good, limiting sleeping, refraining from vicious company and keeping dhikr.
“I thought, it actually works!”
Sufi orders
There are
many narratives about the origins of the word Sufi. Some opinions say the name
comes from safaa (purity), mystics wearing souf (wool), or el
estefaa, being chosen by Allah for their religiosity and sincerity.
Sheikh Mazhar of the Borhameya order explained what Sufism is in
his mind.
He said, “Sufism
is the rouh [soul] of Islam. It seeks to help
people reaching ehsan [a level of perfection and certainty
in worshiping Allah] because it is based on the principle of purifying the
baser self.”
Sheikh Mazhar is a graduate of Cairo University in economics and
political science. His father became the sheikh of the order in 1968. In 1993,
the disciples of the order pledged allegiance to him because he was always
accompanying his father and they trusted his knowledge of the order.
“The
ruling principles of any order are to abide by the Quran and the Sunnah
[actions and sayings] of the prophet (PBUH) in our manners, talks, and actions.
The order is really about istiqama, incorruptibility,” he
said.
In Egypt, there are more than 75 Sufi orders. Each was
established by a grand master. The biggest four orders are El Badaweya by sidi
Ahmed El Badawi, El Borhameya El Desoukeya by sidi Ibrahim El Desouki, El
Shazoliya by Sheikh Aboul Hassan Al Shazli, and Al Rifa’eya by Sheikh Ahmed Al
Rifa’i. Other orders such as Al Qenawiya by Sheikh Abdel Rahim El Qenawi,
founded in Qena, Al Naqshabandiya, Al Kaderiya, and Al Khelwatiya have chapters
in Alexandria and the Nile delta.
Sheikh Mazhar
explained that the difference between the orders relates to the spiritual
aspect rather than to the creed. In other words, each order is
not a distinct religion in itself. Each order might follow a different fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) school, but
the leader of the order does not invent a whole new school.
He said, “the methods followed by the grand master with his
disciples differ, but the core ruling principles of Sufism are
consistent throughout the different orders.”
Sheikh Alaa Aboul Azayem of the Al Azmeya order in Cairo agrees
with Sheikh Mazhar. He said, “all the orders are spiritual paths to reach
Allah.”
Sheikh Aboul
Azayem gave an example of these minor differences among the orders saying, “In
the Azmeya order we observe praying the five prayers on time, we have our
distinguished dua’a [verbal prayers], our mawalid [many of them are common among all
orders] and we follow the Malki school of fiqh.”
Steffen
Stelzer, a professor of philosophy at the American University in Cairo and one
of the representatives of the Naqshbandiya order in Egypt, thinks
the different label for the order are not important. Instead, he believes the
emphasis should be on the core of Sufism.
“There is an old saying that says ‘at the beginning
Sufism was a thing without a name, now it’s a name without a thing,’” he said.
“What interests me is the thing and not the name; the living kernel of
spirituality of any religion. It has been called Sufism in the context
of Islam with the aim of pleasing Allah. If you’re a
Christian, Jewish or whatever, and you’re aim is to please God then you can
call that thing whatever you like. Labels and tags are not important.”
Stelzer’s story with Sufism took an interesting turn from
someone who was not interested in Islam in 1980 to a leader of an order. The
secret was in observing a true embodiment of Islam as a religion.
“People in Egypt knew what is right and what is wrong, but none
of them was inviting. I did not see a true example of Islam. Then, I was
interested in mysticism and I intended to learn about it in Japan through Zen
Buddhism. Before traveling, I was introduced to a Sufi Sheikh in Turkey. That
meeting made the difference and connected me to Sufism. I did not read about it
before, it was the other way around, I met the person then I started reading
about Islam.”
In addition to consistency in principles binding all orders,
they emphasise purity and asceticism of the heart.
Sheikh Mazhar
clarified that when people associate Sufism with austerity and asceticism they
sometimes miss the point. According to him, Sufism and Islam in general are
against excessive materialism. However, this does not mean that
people should refrain from work. He said, “the Sahabah [the prophet’s companions] had their
trade and jobs and the prophet did not ask them to dedicate themselves for
worship only because Islam encourages people to work and be productive.”
Wahhabism,
the antithesis of Sufis
Despite the authentic Islamic principles and foundations Sufism
is based upon, as a doctrine
it has been criticised heavily by its rival the Wahhabis (in Egypt Salafis
adopt the Wahhabi doctrine).
Historically,
since its foundation in the 18th century in Najd, the Wahhabi
movement, named after Mohamed Abdel Wahhab, adopted an extreme interpretation
of the Hanbali school of fiqh and sought to purify Islam from
all bid’a (innovations and un-Islamic practices). The Wahhabis were against celebrating mawalid and
consecrating shrines. They believe that by such practices Sufis tarnish the
Islamic faith.
Stelzer commented on Wahhabis saying, “you have different ideologies competing to represent purity.
The Wahhabis want to bring back the simplest forms and that’s what represents
purity for them. The desires
to purity have some dangers with them because you think that you’re the only
clean one and that everyone else is dirty.”
On the other hand, Sheikh Mazhar agreed with some of the criticisms by Salafis and
disagreed with others. He agreed that some Sufis are not good disciples of
Sufism. Those disciples
sometimes commit mistakes against Shari’a and in that case Salafis are right to
criticise Sufism.
He said, “Ibn Timia [the grand Sheikh who influenced Abdel
Wahhab] distinguished between the early pure forms of Sufism and the later
forms. The former he praised and the latter he criticised. However, he was
criticising with knowledge of the ruling principles. Some critics of Sufism
slam it so hard and generalise the wrong practices they see without having
knowledge of the principle.”
Sheikh
Mazhar explained that having awliya’a and virtuous men is
important in Islamic societies.
“If
the awliya’a are not highlighted, then people will think that
Islamic virtues like loyalty, asceticism, honesty are just theoretical manners
restricted to prophets only. Showing them that in our time there were awliya’a who
practiced these virtues strengthens their belief in religion.”
It seems that Sufi Sheikhs and representatives agree that with
time Sufism developed practices that were and still are tarnishing the
appearance of Sufism.
Sheikh Mazhar
added, “some critics have to do with our cultural practices as Egyptians, like
cleanliness of our mosques during the mawalid.”
Beyond the Salafis’ attempts to demonise Sufis, Sufis
have been looked down upon because they were considered a source of
backwardness and traditionalism in Egyptian society. According
to Stelzer, this portrayal of Sufis dates back to the colonial era and the
rivalry between east and west.
He said, “at a certain historical period in Egypt, resentment
started building towards Sufism by the middle classes because it was thought to
be for common and stupid people. To be able to follow up with advancement of
the west you needed to get rid of the stupid circus stuff.”
Sufis in
politics
Sufis Sheikhs
were involved in politics with the old regime through the Supreme Council of
Sufi Orders. Although the council is somewhat disconnected from Sufi orders and
is regarded as a regulatory authority, its existence curbs the autonomy of Sufi
orders from the state. It has registered about 75 orders, leaving a further 25
unregistered orders deprived of certain privileges in the public sphere, such as
permissions to use streets for celebrating mawalid. The purpose of the
council is to advance Sufi rights; however it is hampered due to its structure
and its semi-governmental nature.
Although the council is supposed to serve Sufi communities, it
does not represent Sufis really,” said Sheikh Aboul Azayem.
The council is made up of ten members that are elected from the
general assembly of sheikhs of Sufi orders and five representatives appointed
by Al-Azhar (the most prestigious Sunni institute in the Islamic world), the
local authority and the ministries of interior, culture and interior. Some
members of the council are affiliated with the National Democratic Party and
the chairman of the council is elected by the council and approved by the
president.
The current chairman, Sheikh Abdel Hady Al Kasaby, was approved
by ousted President Hosni Mubarak and therefore after the revolution, the Sufi
Reform Front was founded by Sheikh Aboul Azayem to counterbalance the council.
After many attempts at mediation between the front and the council, a
reconciliation took place in January and the current formation of the council
is awaiting new elections next year.
The entry of Salafis into politics in post revolutionary Egypt
induced Sufis to enter politics too. In the wave of polarisation between
Islamist and secular groups that hit Egypt, Sufis were a vital card.
Their great numbers and solid connections attracted political parties to take
advantage of Sufi networks. The secular and “civil” camp aligned themselves
with the Sufis who are naturally opposed to political Islam.
Only a few orders opted to enter the political arena and established
a number of Sufi parties such as the Egyptian Tahrir Party,
El Nasr Party (victory) and Sout El Hurriya Party (sound of freedom). Only the
Egyptian Tahrir acquired legal status as a political party while the others are
still under establishment. The Egyptian Tahrir was founded by Sheikh Aboul
Azayem and the majority of the members of the party are adherents of Al Azmeya
order.
Since it
originated in 1930s, Al Azmeya order has been involved in
politics by printing brochures against the British occupation in Egypt, issuing fatwas (religious rulings) against selling
Palestinian lands to Zionist settlers and publishing books rebuking Wahhabism.
Due to its overt involvement in politics, Al Azmeya order, in
particular, has been criticised by different media outlets. The media
capitalised on the membership of Sheikh Aboul Azayem in the Iranian-based
organization known as the International Academy for the Approximation between
Islamic Sects (IAAIS) and some Islamist fronts insinuated that Sufis are being
infiltrated by Shi’a groups to be used to spread Shi’a Islam in Egypt.
Sheikh Aboul Azayem commented on the accusations of spreading Shi’a
Islam saying, “Iran is an Islamic power, calling it an infidel only helps
Israel and divide the Islamic nation further.”
He believes that Al-Azhar should play a stronger role in reforming
what Islamists ruin. He said, “Egypt is Al-Azhar. If Al-Azhar is
virtuous, so is Egypt, if Al-Azhar goes off track, so does Egypt,” referring to
the autonomy of Al-Azhar from the state and its impartiality.
Unlike Sheikh Aboul Azayem, both Sheikh
Mazhar and Stelzer think that Sufis should be out of the political realm and if
they are to play a role in it, it should be to guide those in power towards the
true principles of Islam.
Sheikh Mazhar said, “politics has its own balance of power, is
governed by interests and needs compromises that can endanger some religious
values.”
Stelzer believes in Plato’s statement that the best leader
suited to govern a country is the one who has least inclination to do so,
because anyone who has the inclination to rule is in danger of serving himself
rather than severing the people.
Sufis are not peculiar in their diversity and differences; they
are like any other community. They cannot be considered a monolithic group,
therefore their entry to politics was not a position taken up by all Sufis in
Egypt. The same goes for their mistakes; they should not
be generalised or taken out of the bigger context. It is worthy
after the revolution to tear down the misconceptions about such a big
constituent of society to grant the different communities the freedom they need
in Egypt’s new era.
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