The Sunni

On Clapping Hands and the Dancing of the Sufis

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Allah Ta’ala says:

وما كان صلاتهم عند البيت إلا مكاء وتصدية فذوقوا العذاب بما كنتم تكفرون

“Their Salât (prayer) at the House (of Allâh, i.e. the Ka‘bah at Makkah) was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. Therefore taste the punishment because you used to disbelieve.” (al-Anfal, 8:35)

Imam al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

المكاء ضرب بالأيدي، والتصدية صياح . وعلى التفسيرين ففيه ردعلى الجهال من الصوفية الذين يرقصون ويصفقون ويصعقون . وذلك كله منكر يتنزه عن مثله العقلاء، ويتشبه فاعله بالمشركين فيما كانوا يفعلونه عند البيت

Al-Muka’ is the clapping of hands, and Al-Tasdiyah is shouting. According to both interpretations, this is a rebuttal against those ignorant among the Sufis who dance, clap, and fall into ecstatic faints. All of that is reprehensible behavior that rational people keep themselves above; whoever does such things resembles the polytheists in what they used to do at the Sacred House (the Kaabah). ¹

Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

فَمَنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَى اللَّهِ بِعَمَلٍ لَمْ يَجْعَلْهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ قُرْبَةً إِلَى اللَّهِ، فَعَمَلُهُ بَاطِلٌ مَرْدُودٌ عَلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ شَبِيهٌ بِحَالِ الَّذِينَ كَانَتْ صَلَاتُهُمْ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ مُكَاءً وَتَصْدِيَةً، وَهَذَا كَمَنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِسَمَاعِ الْمَلَاهِي، أَوْ بِالرَّقْصِ.

Whoever seeks to draw closer to Allah through an act that Allah and His Messenger have not ordained as a means of closeness, then his deed is void and rejected. Such a person is similar to those whose prayer at the Sacred House (the Kaabah) was nothing but whistling and clapping. This is like one who seeks to draw closer to Allah, the Exalted, by listening to musical instruments or by dancing. ²

Tafsir al-Qurtubi 7/400 ↩
Jami’ al-Ulum wal-Hikam 1/178 ↩

On Sufi Musical

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As for what the Sufis have innovated in this day and age — regarding their addiction to listening to songs performed with enchanting instruments, such as flutes, tambourines, lutes, and stringed instruments — it is forbidden (haram).

فأما ما ابتدعته الصوفية اليوم من الإدمان على سماع المغاني بالآلات المطربة من الشبابات والطار والمعازف والأوتار فحرام.

The Sufi: Ibn Arabi

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As for those among these later Sufis, such as Ibn ‘Arabi and others, they are misguided and ignorant. They have strayed outside the path of Islam, let alone the path of the scholars.

ومن كان من هؤلاء الصوفية المتأخرين كابن عربي وغيره فهم ضُلَّال جهَّال، خارجون عن طريقة الإسلام فضلا عن العلماء

Ahlul-Kalam and The Sufis

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ahlul-Kalam corrupt the creeds of the people with the illusions of intellectual doubts; whereas the Sufis corrupt the deeds, tear down the laws of religion, and harbor a love for idleness and the listening to [musical] sounds. The righteous predecessors (al-Salaf al-Salih) were never upon that path.

أهل الكلام يفسدون عقائد الناس بتوهيمات شبهات العقول، والصوفية يفسدون الأعمال، ويهدمون قوانين الأديان، ويحبون البطالات وسماع الأصوات، وما كان السلف الصالح على ذلك المنهاج

On Pseudo-Sufi Deviance

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Indeed, this group that attributes itself to Sufism in this time and in these regions has caused great harm to the religion (Islam). Their corruption has spread throughout the lands of the Muslims, particularly in the fortresses and villages far from the urban centers. There, they manifest the inner deviance they harbor—such as declaring permissible what Allah has forbidden, and fabricating lies against Allah and His Messenger. In short, they are a people whom Satan has appointed as successors to undo the bonds of Islam, nullify it, and demolish its foundations.

إن هذه الطائفة المنتمية للتصوف في هذا الزمان وفي هذه الأقطار , قد عظُم الضرر بهم في الدين , وفشت مفسدتهم في بلاد المسلمين ولاسيما في الحصون والقرى البعيدة عن الحضرة هنالك , يُظهرون ما انطوى عليه باطنهم من الضلال , من تحليل ما حرم الله والافتراء عليه وعلى رسوله . وبالجملة فهم قوم استخلفهم الشيطان على حَلِّ عُرى الإسلام وإبطاله , وهدم قواعده

A Warning Against the Dance and Ecstasy of the Sufis

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The path of the Sufis is idleness, ignorance, and misguidance; Islam is nothing but the Book of Allah (Al-Quran) and the Sunnah of His Messenger.

As for dancing and ‘ecstatic swaying’ (tawajud), the first to innovate these were the followers of the Samaritan when he fashioned for them a golden calf—a physical body that made a lowing sound. They stood up to dance around it and sway in ecstasy; thus, it is the religion of the disbelievers and the worshippers of the calf.

As for the use of the reed flute, the first to adopt it were the heretics in order to distract the Muslims from the Book of Allah the Almighty.

Indeed, the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him and his family—used to sit with his companions in such a state of solemnity and dignity that it was as if birds were perched upon their heads.

It is therefore incumbent upon the Ruler and his deputies to prevent them from gathering in the mosques and elsewhere. It is not permissible for anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day to attend their gatherings or to assist them in their falsehood.

This is the position of Malik, Abu Hanifa, ash-Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and other imams of the Muslims.

مذهب الصوفية بطالة وجهالة وضلالة، وما الإسلام إلا كتاب الله وسنة رسوله، وأما الرقص والتواجد فأَوّل مَنْ أَحدثه أصحاب السامريّ لما اتخذ لهم عجلًا جسدًا له خوار، قاموا يرقصون حواليه ويتواجدون، فهو دين الكفار وعبّاد العجل. وأما القضيب فأوّل مَن اتخذه الزَّنادقة ليشغلوا به المسلمين عن كتابِ الله تعالى. وإنما كان يجلس النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم مع أصحابه كأنما على رؤوسهم الطير من الوقار، فينبغي للسلطان ونوّابه أن يمنعهم من الحضور في المساجد وغيرها، ولا يحلّ لأَحد يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر أن يحضر معهم، ولا يعينهم على باطلهم، هذا مذهب مالك وأبي حنيفة والشافعي وأحمد بن حنبل وغيرهم من أئمة المسلمين .

Sufi Innovations in Worship

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As for what the Sufis have innovated in this regard, it is among those matters whose prohibition is not disputed. However, lustful souls have overcome many of those who are otherwise attributed to goodness, to the point that many of them have begun to behave like madmen and children. They dance with synchronized movements and successive rhythmic steps, and the audacity of some has reached the point where they consider this a form of seeking nearness to Allah and a righteous deed that yields sublime spiritual states. Upon investigation, this is actually among the vestiges of heresy and the claims of people of delusion. And Allah’s help is sought.

وأما ما ابتدعه الصوفية في ذلك فمن قبيل ما لا يختلف في تحريمه ، لكن النفوس الشهوانية غلبت على كثير ممن ينسب إلى الخير ، حتى لقد ظهرت من كثير منهم فعلات المجانين والصبيان ، حتى رقصوا بحركات متطابقة وتقطيعات متلاحقة ، وانتهى التواقح بقوم منهم ، إلى أن جعلوها من باب القرب ، وصالح الأعمال ، وأن ذلك يثمر سني الأحوال ، وهذا على التحقيق من آثار الزندقة ، وقول أهل المخرفة ، والله المستعان

The Prohibition of Prostration to Figures

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This prohibited prostration is a practice adopted by the ignorant among the Sufis during their sama’ (spiritual auditions) and upon entering the presence of their sheikhs to seek forgiveness. One of them, when overcome by his supposed ‘spiritual state’ (hal), can be seen prostrating at the feet [of his master] due to his ignorance—regardless of whether he faces the Qibla or otherwise. Out of pure ignorance, their efforts have gone astray and their deeds have come to nothing.

وهذا السجود المنهيّ عنه، قد اتخذه جُهَّالُ المتصوّفة، عادةً في سماعهم، وعند دخولهم على مشايخهم واستغفارهم، فيرى الواحد منهم إذا أَخذه الحال بزعمه، يسجد للأقدام لجهله، سواء أكان للقبلة أم غيرها، جهالة منه، ضَلَّ سَعْيُهم، وخاب عملهم.

The Irreversible Mind

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

No one accompanies the Sufis for forty days and ever has his intellect return to him again.

ما لزم أحد الصوفية أربعين يوما ، فعاد عقله إليه أبدا

Extreme Asceticism

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As for the method of the Sufis — wherein a Sheikh among them remains in deep contemplation for a day and a night, or even a month, without ceasing — it is a path far from what is right, unbecoming of human nature, and inconsistent with the Sunan (prophetic traditions, Sunnah).

فأما طريقة الصوفيّة أن يكون الشيخ منهم يوماً وليلة، وشهراً، مفكّراً، لا يفتر، فطريقةٌ بعيدة عن الصواب، غير لائقة بالبشر، ولا مستمرة على السنن.