MAULANA ASHRAF ALI THANVI: His Views on Moral Philosophy and Tasawwuf
By Prof. Ahmed Ali Khawaja
Adam Publishers & Distributors, 1542,
Pataudi House, Darya Ganj, New Delhi – 110 002
2010
Pages: 138
Price: Rs. 125
Reviewed by KHAN YASIR
Born in 1863, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi has practically left no field of Islamic learning and its different aspects in their varied shades of thought which he has not explored and explained. He was an expert logician and an eloquent speaker. Besides writing highly intellectual treatises based on philosophical intricacies and minutes of Shari’ah, he is also known for the works as simple as Behashti Zewar especially written for girls and women.
He bequeathed about 1000 works in shape of sermons, discussions, discourses, treatises and books. But especially his works on tasawwuf, jurisprudence, hadith, tafsir, mantiq, etc. are of outstanding nature. About tasawwuf he has discussed exhaustively in his book Al-Takashshuf min Muhamatul Tasawwuf and Tarbiyat ul Salik wa Tanjihul Halik. In the book Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi: His Views on Moral Philosophy and Tasawwuf, Professor Ahmed Ali Khwaja has discussed the life of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi in brief and his thoughts on tasawwuf at some greater length.
Maulana Thanvi’s Views on Tasawwuf: There are five fundamentals of Islamic Shari’ah. The first of them is the belief in God Almighty and in His Oneness (tauheed) and in the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) not only by verbal profession but by heart. The second ingredient is ibadah, i.e. offering prayers, fasts, zakat and hajj. The third ingredient is muamilat i.e. mutual dealings in different aspects of life. The fourth ingredient deals with social problems as to how to conduct oneself in society. The fifth is tasawwuf which denotes self-reformation (tazkiya-e-nafs). According to Maualana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, the term deen is the sum total of these five principles. Anything short of it will render it defective, incomplete and imperfect.
If we analyse the human nature, we find that man has been created with three different powers. His disposition consists of instincts, emotions and intellect. According to Maulana Thanvi, “With the dominance and guidance of the faculty of intellect in him over the first two ones, activities are balanced and rationalised. Balanced conduct is that conduct which is in accordance with the laws of Shari’ah.”
Intention has been emphasised and underlined in the thoughts of Thanvi more than anything else. This emphasis is natural as salvation is guaranteed only in the purity of intention. Maulana Thanvi very categorically asserted that performance of prayers and keeping of fast and giving zakat will raise a man higher in scale of mental and spiritual evolution ONLY if all this is done with pure intention and good motive.
In his own words, “The degree of reward will depend proportionately to the degree of sincerity on the part of the doer.” Taking this discussion on intention further, Maulana Thanvi has castigated those so-called mystics and self-proclaimed practitioners of Sufism who are of the opinion that Allah has exempted them from the observance of the laws of Shari’ah. Maulana Thanvi unequivocally is of view that a sufi, and salik i.e. seeker of truth should firmly resolve to follow all the injunctions of the Holy Qur’ān and the traditions of the Holy Messenger despite all oppositions, obstacles and difficulties which he may have to encounter in his due discharge and accomplishment. If he is not courageous enough to face such trials and tribulations which may come in the way at any time and in any shape, he is not the real seeker of truth.
The Holy Qur’ān says, “Those who believe are very firm and staunch in their love for Allah.”
Maulana Thanvi says that there are degrees of love for God. Greater the degree of love for Him, higher and firmer the faith. The highest degree in this direction is achieved when one firmly resolves to follow strictly each and every tenet of Shari’ah and does not do anything against it at anytime and in any circumstances. He also warns the public that are enamoured by any wonderful and magical act and accept the performer magician as a sufi and mystic. He says, it is unanimously agreed by all the scholars of Islamic Shari’ah that a person may perform any wonderful acts, he may fly in the air or may even walk on the water or do anything of the sort, but if he is not the follower of Shari’ah, the rules and regulations enjoined by it, he is to be considered an ordinary and insignificant person having no spiritual enlightenment and as such his extraordinary performances have no significance worth and value in the eyes of the Shari’ah. Effects of such practices are generally imaginary, but even if they be actual, they are latent and deep-rooted in the physical causes not apparently known. People must not be bluffed by just anything strange.
He is also against any kind of callousness or celibacy practised in order to suppress the natural desires. This is not to misconstrue him that he was against mujahidah and riyadah. In his views the objective of mujahidah and riyadah is to regulate the desires of nafs-e-ammarah and not to cause it unnecessary embarrassment. Its legal and permissible desires should be satisfied within the reasonable limits.
In chapters three and five, the author has enumerated the praiseworthy conduct and unworthy conducts respectively and discussed them in the light of the thoughts of Maualana Thanvi. Praiseworthy conducts catalogued by the author are purity of intention and sincerity in action, piety, humility, repentance, resignation to the will of God, God-fearing nature, prayer, hope in God’s mercy, abstinence, gratitude, patience, truthfulness, love, self-introspection. The author has well epitomised the discussion on each of the abovementioned praiseworthy conduct in the light of the views of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi.
For example, regarding humility he has to say, “Praise or opprobrium of whatsoever kind has no effect on such a [humble] man. It does not affect him adversely in either way. He is the same in both the cases. He is not at all changed. This is the high standard of humility according to Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and can be attained rationally on the mental plane in voluntary matters within one’s reach”.
The unworthy conducts selected and mentioned by the author are telling lies, backbiting, abuse, extravagance, miserliness, rancour, malice, pride, jealousy, love for pomp and leisure, love for the world, lust, superiority complex, wrath. What is more user-friendly and has enhanced the productivity of the book is the fact that Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi has not only mentioned these unworthy conducts with all their sacrilege in his works but has also suggested the ways through which one can ably abstain from these conducts.
For example, how to prevent from being jealous? He opines that the effective remedy of this mental ailment is to praise the person with whom one is jealous repeatedly and persistently against the wishes of the baser self. By repeated practice of this kind the adverse emotions within will be soothed.
Regarding the undue love for pomp and luxury, the author writes that, “The best remedy to free one’s self from this psychic ailment, as suggested by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, is to think repeatedly and to ponder again and again in terms of mortality and transitoriness of this worldly existence and its people who respect and hold him in high esteem. All is temporary and will disappear within a short time”.
In a nutshell, this short book could prove handy to all those who are too busy to devote years traversing the paths of tasawwuf but want to reap the benefits therein. It can tell them in brief the inspirational life of Maulana Thanvi and his thoughts based on which one can ably traverse the path and become a saint not in the traditional sense by renouncing the world but in Islamic sense. Islamic sense – according to which the saints like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali ruled the world and that, did not affect their sainthood. If only these short and crisp guidelines (let’s say regarding the worthy and unworthy conduct) are imbibed by us, the world will witness with bare eyes that saints are working in offices, studying in college campuses, developing websites, drawing maps as engineers, serving as doctors – yes, this is Islamic Sufism and sainthood. It was this sainthood of Muslim traders through which Islam conquered the hearts of native populace of Kerala, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China, etc. So, do you aspire to be a saint?