Throughout the history of the Muslim Ummah, genuine Tasawwuf was meant to purify the soul, cultivate sincerity, strengthen taqwa, and deepen one’s relationship with Allah. The great Sufis of Islam were men of Qur’an and Sunnah before they were men of spiritual discipline. They never invited people toward personality worship, blind obedience, or innovations that contradicted divine revelation. However, over centuries, particularly in parts of the Indian subcontinent, many practices carried out in the name of “Sufism” gradually drifted away from the pure teachings of Islam. What began as spiritual reform in many places transformed into a culture of excessive saint-veneration, ritualism, superstition, and dependence upon intermediaries between man and Allah. This is a harsh reality that many Muslims hesitate to confront.
The Qur’an was revealed as a book of guidance for mankind: “This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the God-conscious” (Qur’an 2:2).
Yet for many Muslims today, the Qur’an is no longer approached primarily as a source of guidance, law, morality, reflection, and transformation. Instead, it is often reduced to a collection of mystical formulas, talismans, amulets, numerological secrets, and ritual recitations detached from understanding and practice. Verses are recited for worldly gain while their commandments remain neglected. Allah repeatedly commands believers to ponder and understand the Qur’an: “Do they not reflect upon the Qur’an, or are there locks upon their hearts?”
(Qur’an 47:24)
The tragedy is that emotional attachment to personalities has, in many places, overshadowed attachment to revelation itself.
In many circles associated with popular Sufism, the relationship between the believer and Allah has been replaced with dependence upon a pir, murshid, or saint. Spiritual progress is presented as impossible without absolute submission to a spiritual master. The murid is taught to seek “faiz” from the shrine, blessings from graves, and solutions to worldly and spiritual problems through intermediaries rather than through direct supplication to Allah. But Islam came to liberate humanity from dependence upon created beings. Allah says: “And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me”(Qur’an 2:186). There is no priesthood in Islam. No saint, pir, or shrine possesses divine power. The Prophet (SAW) himself was commanded to declare: “Say: I possess no power to benefit or harm myself except as Allah wills ”(Qur’an 7:188). Despite this clarity, many practices common in shrine-centered cultures today involve invoking the dead, making vows in their names, seeking supernatural help from them, or believing that saints control destiny, children, sustenance, or spiritual fortunes. Such practices dangerously blur the line between respect and shirk. The Prophet (SAW) warned: “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary.” Prophet Muhammad (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī).
Ironically, many of the greatest Sufi masters themselves strongly condemned these excesses. Junayd al-Baghdadi said: “All paths are closed except for those who follow the footsteps of the Messenger (SAW).” Abdul Qadir Jilani declared:
“Every path that is not in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah is misguidance.”
Imam Malik famously stated: “Whoever introduces into Islam an innovation and considers it good has claimed that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) betrayed the message.” Ahmad Sirhindi fiercely criticized distorted mystical beliefs and warned against interpretations of Wahdat al-Wujud that erased the distinction between Creator and creation. He insisted that true spirituality must remain firmly bound to Shari‘ah. Similarly, Shah Waliullah Dehlawi sought to reform popular religious practices and reconnect Muslims to authentic Islamic teachings rooted in revelation rather than inherited customs.
“To revive, the Muslim Ummah must return to sincere Tawhid, authentic Sunnah, critical reflection, and revelation-grounded spiritual reform rather than inherited mysticism. This restores the balance between spirituality and orthodoxy practiced by early generations and the greatest saints.”
The early ascetics and righteous Sufis cried in the night out of fear of Allah, studied Hadith, followed Sunnah meticulously, and avoided fame. Many modern “spiritual” systems, however, revolve around celebrity pirs, hereditary sajjada-nashins, miracle stories, financial exploitation, and unquestioning allegiance. In some places, disciples are taught more about the sayings of their pir than the meanings of the Qur’an itself.
The Qur’an repeatedly condemns blind following: “And when it is said to them: Follow what Allah has revealed, they say: Rather, we follow that upon which we found our forefathers” (Qur’an 2:170). This verse painfully reflects the condition of many Muslim societies today, where inherited customs are defended even when they contradict authentic teachings. True Tasawwuf was never against knowledge, reason, or direct worship of Allah. The real Sufis emphasized purification of the heart from arrogance, greed, envy, ostentation, and worldly obsession. They taught sincerity, humility, remembrance of Allah, night prayer, repentance, and service to humanity. But when Sufism becomes detached from the Qur’an and Sunnah, it transforms from spiritual purification into spiritual manipulation.
Islam is astonishingly simple in its essence: Worship Allah alone. Follow His Messenger (SAW) . Read and understand the Qur’an. Purify your heart. Serve humanity. Prepare for the Hereafter. No saint can replace personal accountability before Allah. Allah says: “And that there is not for man except that for which he strives” (Qur’an 53:39). The revival of the Muslim Ummah will not come through shrine culture, sectarian slogans, ritual innovations, or exaggerated devotion to personalities. It will come when Muslims return to the Book of Allah with understanding, revive the Sunnah authentically, and restore Tawhid to the center of faith and life. This does not mean rejecting all spirituality or condemning every form of Tasawwuf. Rather, it means distinguishing between authentic spiritual purification rooted in revelation and practices that distort Islam under the cover of love for saints and piety.
Love for the righteous is part of Islam.
Turning them into intermediaries of divine power is not.
Respecting scholars and spiritual teachers is commendable.
Blind obedience that overrides the Qur’an and Sunnah is dangerous.
Seeking purification of the soul is essential.
Inventing rituals and superstitions in religion is not.
The Muslim Ummah today desperately needs a revival of Qur’anic consciousness — a return to sincere Tawhid, authentic Sunnah, critical reflection, and spiritual reform grounded in revelation rather than inherited mysticism. Only then can the balance between spirituality and orthodoxy be restored, as it was understood by the earliest generations of Islam and the greatest saints of this Ummah themselves.
(The author a veteran academician is a former Professor and Head Department of Islamic Studies, Kashmir University. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
