By Amr roshdy:
Egypt:
Dr. Alaa Abu Al-Azaem, President of the World Sufi Union in France, Sheikh of the Azmiya Order, and member of the Supreme Council of Sufism in Egypt, affirmed that the Sufi path is the most moderate and centrist of the Islamic paths, while simultaneously warning against joining extremist movements.
In an interview with the London Post, he revealed his rejection of aggression against Iran, urging America and Israel to refrain from war against Iran because it would inflict a heavy loss upon them.
What is your message to the Egyptian people, the Sufi orders, and the lovers of the Prophet’s family during the holy month of Ramadan?
I say to the Egyptian people: Preserve your homeland and do not listen to the currents of extremism and violence. We are a moderate country that loves saints and righteous people, and those who forbid this are not among us; this is a foreign ideology to our society. We are a country whose reference point is Al-Azhar. We pray that God grants President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi righteous advisors who will help him build a new Egypt and ensure the prosperity and progress of our nation.
Dr. Alaa Abu Al-Azaem, President of the World Sufi Union in France and Egypt, the largest Sufi authority in Egypt and the world
And I say to the followers of Sufi orders: Adhere to the path of your sheikhs, for therein lies all goodness. Not a single terrorist has emerged from among us, unlike what has happened in some other movements. This is by the grace of God and the grace of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Sufism will remain so until God inherits the earth and all that is on it.
For Sufis, Ramadan is a month of worship, remembrance, fasting, prayer, and seclusion with God Almighty. All Sufi followers in Egypt wish that the entire year were Ramadan, so that they might draw ever closer to God Almighty. In this month, the Muslim distances himself from worldly affairs and draws closer to his Creator, the Exalted and Glorified, than at any other time.
Everyone relies on Sufi orders to confront extremist ideology. What prevents you from fulfilling this mission?
One of the positive aspects of Sufi orders is that followers look to the Sufi sheikh as a role model. These sheikhs often have limited financial resources and may therefore struggle to maintain a respectable appearance. The state should consider how to support Sufism in disseminating its teachings and educational approach, from which no terrorists have ever emerged.
This support could take the form of exempting Sufi sheikhs from paying any transportation fees, at least for domestic flights, buses, and trains, making them free for the sheikhs to travel and connect with their followers in different governorates.
We have 70 Sufi sheikhs, which is not a large number, and each sheikh has many followers throughout the country. Traveling from the north to the south is extremely expensive. We support the state in confronting extremism, and therefore we urge it to consider this proposal seriously and urgently, as it would enable these sheikhs to move around more easily, spread their teachings among the people, and protect their followers from extremist ideology.
Can it be said that Sufi orders have succeeded in combating extremism?
When we participated in television programs, we would have reasonable discussions with the presenters about Sufism. It was a very good idea for them to host some Sufi sheikhs to talk about Sufism and ethics, and to discuss issues such as: Is terrorism part of religion? What are its causes? And so on. This happened to me in an episode with Dr. Mohamed El-Baz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Dustour Foundation, specifically on Al-Nahar TV. This was very positive, as people understood the meaning of Sufism, what terrorism is, and its causes. Certainly, there are sheikhs who are perhaps more knowledgeable than me in this field, but they haven’t been given the opportunity to speak.
And what about the efforts of the Azmiya Sufi order specifically in this regard?
When the Muslim Brotherhood raised the slogan “Islam is the solution,” Mr. Ezz El-Din Madi Abu El-Azaem published a book entitled “The Islam of the Sufis is the Solution, Not the Islam of the Kharijites.” He was among the first to describe the Muslim Brotherhood as Kharijites.
The Kharijites were the group that fought against Ali ibn Abi Talib and never treated him fairly, driven by their hatred for the Prophet’s family. This description applies to the Muslim Brotherhood and some extremist Salafist movements, as they show no love for the Prophet’s family or his parents, as if the matter only concerns the Prophet himself, after which they turn to other paths.
These groups claim that Sufism and Shi’ism are two sides of the same coin. What is your response to this?
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar affirmed that Shi’ites are Muslims and brothers in faith. However, some Salafist movements object to this, arguing that the Grand Imam, being an Ash’ari, a Sufi, and an Azharite, does not represent their approach. Some even go so far as to attack the Ash’ari school of thought altogether.
In 2005, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hosted a scholarly conference known as the “Amman Conference,” attended by a number of prominent scholars, including the then Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Ali Gomaa. The conference endorsed what became known as the “Amman Message,” which recognized eight recognized schools of Islamic jurisprudence (madhhabs) that Muslims are permitted to follow: the four Sunni schools, the Twelver Ja’fari school, the Zaidi school, the Ibadi school, and the Zahiri school.
Therefore, the claim that followers of these schools are excluded from the fold of Islam contradicts the consensus of a group of leading scholars and cannot be considered merely another viewpoint. Rather, it is a claim lacking a sound scholarly basis.
What is your opinion of the scholarly councils organized by the General Directorate of Sufi Orders, and their role in combating extremism?
The scholarly councils organised by the Sheikhdom play a vital role in promoting moderation and balance. This is a commendable endeavor and a praiseworthy effort, credited to Sheikh Abdulhadi al-Qasabi, the Grand Sheikh of the Sufi Orders. We pray that God grants him success in this endeavor. This plan was developed jointly by Dr. Ali Gomaa and Dr. Muhammad Mahmoud Abu Hashim, and approved by the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders. These councils aim to introduce people to Sufism and its true essence, which is based on morality. The more virtuous a person is, the greater their share of Sufism.
These councils also emphasise their complete rejection of extremism, as the killing of Muslims, the seizure of their property, and the violation of their honor perpetrated by extremists are reprehensible.
