Objections/answers On Sufi Dance Or Raqs

[wasim raza]

There has been some

controversy lurking around

regarding legitimacy of the

Sufi Raqs (dance) or Hadra

as it is called in Arab world

which is practiced by

eminent Sufis and

Mashaikh. People who carry

deep Bughz (hatred) for

Sufis are often seen

spreading propaganda that

Sufis are dancers and they

have nothing to do with

Shariah, but what they

forget is that they have no

proof whatsoever from

Quran and Sunnah on “NAFI”

of Raqs whereas we have

overwhelming proofs which

establish Raqs directly from

hadith itself, even absence

of Nafi is itself a proof of it

being allowed and it cannot

be declared haram until

proven otherwise.

Proof # 1

ﻋﻦ ﺃﻧﺲ ﻗﺎﻝ: ‏«ﻛﺎﻧﺖ ﺍﻟﺤﺒﺸﺔ

ﻳﺰﻓﻨﻮﻥ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻳﺪﻱ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ

ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠّﻢ ﻭﻳﺮﻗﺼﻮﻥ

ﻭﻳﻘﻮﻟﻮﻥ: ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻋﺒﺪ ﺻﺎﻟﺢ ،

ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ

ﻭﺳﻠّﻢ : ﻣﺎ ﻳﻘﻮﻟﻮﻥ؟ ﻗﺎﻟﻮﺍ:

ﻳﻘﻮﻟﻮﻥ: ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻋﺒﺪ ﺻﺎﻟﺢ

Translation: It is narrated

by Anas (R.A) that the

Habashis were presenting

their art in front of the

Prophet ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ

ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) and “THEY WERE

DANCING (Yarqasun)”

while saying:

Muhammadun Abdun Salih

(i.e. Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ

ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ the righteous

slave). The Prophet (ﺻﻠﻰ

ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) asked: What

are they saying? They said:

Muhammadun Abdun Salih

[Musnad Ahmed bin

Hanbal, Volume No.3, Page

no. 152 ]

Sheikh Shu’ayb al Ar’anut

said after this hadith:

ﺇﺳﻨﺎﺩﻩ ﺻﺤﻴﺢ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺷﺮﻁ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ

Translation: The Chain is

“SAHIH” on the criteria of

“(SAHIH) MUSLIM” [ibid

3/152]

Note: This hadith explicitly

uses the word “RAQS” which

proves without any shadow

of doubt that It was

dancing, however the Anti-

Sufi people cite the hadith

of Bukhari which only

mentions “PLAYING”

Some people claim that this

above hadith is only

understood from hadith of

Bukhari which mentions

Abyssinians or Ethiopians

“PLAYING WITH SPEARS”

inside the Prophet’s

mosque. Now our reply to

them is the same i.e. the

hadith of Bukhari is

understood from the hadith

of Musnad Ahmed which is

Sahih on criteria of Sahih

Muslim, hence both playing

and Raqs become allowed,

If they are truthful then

they should come with

proof from hadith which

mentions that Raqs is

“EXCLUDED” from this.

Therefore Alhamdolillah

both ahadith go in favour of

Sufis.

Proof # 2

ﺃﺗﻴﺖ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ

ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ﻭﺟﻌﻔﺮ ﻭﺯﻳﺪ ﻗﺎﻝ ﻓﻘﺎﻝ

ﻟﺰﻳﺪ ﺃﻧﺖ ﻣﻮﻻﻱ ﻓﺤﺠﻞ ﻗﺎﻝ

ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﻟﺠﻌﻔﺮ ﺃﻧﺖ ﺃﺷﺒﻬﺖ ﺧﻠﻘﻲ

ﻭﺧﻠﻘﻲ

ﻗﺎﻝ ﻓﺤﺠﻞ ﻭﺭﺍﺀ ﺯﻳﺪ ﻗﺎﻝ ﻭﻗﺎﻝ

ﻟﻲ ﺃﻧﺖ ﻣﻨﻲ ﻭﺃﻧﺎ ﻣﻨﻚ

ﻗﺎﻝ ﻓﺤﺠﻠﺖ ﻭﺭﺍﺀ ﺟﻌﻔﺮ

Translation: Hadrat Ali

said: I went to the Prophet

(salallaho alaihi wasalam)

with Jafar and Zayd ,

The Prophet said to

Zayd: You are my freedman

(anta Mawlay), “AT THIS

ZAYD BEGAN TO HOP ON

ONE LEG (HAJALA)

AROUND THE PROPHET”

then the Prophet said

to Jafar : You resemble

me in my creation and my

manners, at this Jafar also

began to hop behind Zayd ,

then the Prophet said

to Ali : You are from me

and I am from you, at this

he also started to hop

behind Jafar. [Musnad

Ahmed bin Hanbal 1:537 #

857]

Scanned Page Imam

Ahmed Bin Hambal R.A

Musnad Ahmed bin

Hanbal, Volume No.1, Page

no. 537, Hadith No 857

scan. http://makashfa.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/musnad-ahmed-on-raqs.jpg

 

This hadith proves from the

acceptance of Prophet

(Peace be upon him) and

Amal of great Sahaba like

Zayd , Jafar and

Mawla Ali that doing

Raqs is fine.

Imam al Hafidh al Bayhaqi

(rah) in explanation of this

hadith said:

ﻭﻓﻲ ﻫَﺬَﺍ ﺇﻥْ ﺻَﺢَّ ﺩﻻﻟﺔٌ ﻋﻠﻰ

ﺟﻮﺍﺯِ ﺍﻟﺤَﺠْﻞِ، ﻭﻫﻮ ﺃَﻥْ ﻳَﺮْﻓَﻊَ ﺭِﺟْﻼً

ﻭﻳَﻘْﻔِﺰَ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻷُﺧْﺮَﻯ ﻣِﻦَ ﺍﻟﻔَﺮَﺡِ،

ﻓﺎﻟﺮﻗﺺُ ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻱ ﻳﻜﻮﻥُ ﻋَﻠَﻰ ﻣِﺜَﺎﻟِﻪِ

ﻳﻜﻮﻥُ ﻣِﺜْﻠَﻪُ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺠﻮﺍﺯِ. ﻭﺍﻟﻠﻪ

ﺃﻋﻠﻢُ

Translation: In this (hadith)

is “SAHIH PROOF” and

“PERMISSIBILITY” of

hopping (dancing) which

includes “RISING UP OR

JUMPING IN STATE OF

JOY” and also that of doing

“RAQS” being similar to it

which is also allowed – And

Allah knows the best

[sunnan al Baihaqi al

Kubra (15/333) ]

Note: There is one narrator

of this hadith i.e. Hani bin

Hani upon whom Salafis do

Jirah, now here is Mufassar

Tadil on him.

Muhaditheen said:

ﻫﺎﻧﺊ ﺑﻦ ﻫﺎﻧﺊ ﻋﻦ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺭﺿﻰ

ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻪ. ﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﺑﻦ ﺍﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﻰ:

ﻣﺠﻬﻮﻝ. ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻨﺴﺎﺋﻲ: ﻟﻴﺲ ﺑﻪ

ﺑﺄﺱ. ﻭﺫﻛﺮﻩ ﺍﺑﻦ ﺣﺒﺎﻥ ﻓﻲ

ﺍﻟﺜﻘﺎﺕ

Translation: Hani bin Hani

narrated from Ali (Radhi

Allaho Anho). Ibn Mudayni

said he is Majhool. Imam

Nasai (rah) said: “THERE IS

NO HARM IN HIM” and Ibn

Hibban mentioned him in

his “THIQAAT (Reliable

narrators)” [Mizan ul

Aitidal (7/71) ]

Note: Remember being

Majhool in sight of some

muhadith does not mean

the narrator is weak,

because all muhaditheen

did not know about all rijal,

so If Tadeel is done by other

Muhaditheen and some call

him Majhool then Tadeel

will supercede.

A) Imam Tirimdhi declared

many ahadith from Hani bin

Hani as “HASAN SAHIH”

[sunnan Tirimdhi Volume

No.5, Hadith #3798 ]

Imam Ibn Majah (rah)

narrated from him and did

Sukoot [sunnan Ibn Majah,

Muqadma, Hadith # 143 ]

C) Imam Ibn Hibban

mentioned him in his ” Kitab

ul Thiqaat” (5/508)

It is thus radiantly clear that

this narration is Sahih, as is

also stated by Salafi’s

leading Muhadith Shaykh

Ahmad Shaakir in his Tahqiq

of Musnad Ahmad where he

said: “Its chain is sound

(ﺇﺳﻨﺎﺩﻩ ﺻﺤﻴﺢ)“ [Musnad

Ahmad Volume 001, Page

No. 537, Hadith Number

857, FN: 2 ]

D ) Imam al Ajli (rah) said:

1885 ـ ﻫﺎﻧﻰﺀ ﺍﺑﻦ ﻫﺎﻧﻰﺀ،

ﻛﻮﻓﻲ، ﺗﺎﺑﻌﻲ ﺛﻘﺔ

Translation: Hani bin Hani,

Kufi “TABI AND

THIQA” [Thiqat al Ajli

Volume No.1, Page No. 454 ]

E) Imam al Haythami (rah)

said about ahadith having

Hani bin Hani

ﻭﺭﺟﺎﻝ ﺃﺣﻤﺪ ﻭﺍﻟﺒﺰﺍﺭ ﺭﺟﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﺼﺤﻴﺢ

ﻏﻴﺮ ﻫﺎﻧﻰﺀ ﺑﻦ ﻫﺎﻧﻰﺀ ﻭﻫﻮ ﺛﻘﺔ

Translation: The Rijaal of

Ahmed and Bazaar are those

of Sahih except Hani bin

Hani who is

“THIQA” [Majma az Zawaid

(8/102) ]

Nasir ud-din Albani the

Salafi authority declared

ahadith from Hani bin Hani

as “SAHIH” [sahih Sunnan

Ibn Majah by Albani, (1/119 )

So the hadith is absolutely

sahih and the Jirah Mubhim

on this narrator is not given

any worth.

Proof from other scholars

that Raqs is allowed

Scholar # 1

Imam Jalal al-Din Suyuti

(rah) was asked for a

Question “a group of Sufis

who had gathered for a

session of dhikr,” and he

replied: How can one

condemn making dhikr while

standing, or standing while

making dhikr, when Allah

Most High says, “. . . those

who invoke Allah standing,

sitting, and upon their

sides” (Qur’an 3:191). And

‘A’isha (Allah be well pleased

with her) said, “The Prophet

(Peace Be Upon Him) used

to invoke Allah at all of his

times” [sahih Muslim, 1.282:

373]. And if dancing is

added to this standing, it

may not be condemned, as

it is of the joy of spiritual

vision and ecstasy, and the

hadith exists [in many

sources, such as [Musnad

al-Imam Ahmad, 1.108, with

a sound (hasan) chain of

transmission] that Ja‘far ibn

Abi Talib danced in front

of the Prophet (Peace Be

Upon Him) when the

Prophet told him, “You

resemble me in looks and

in character,” dancing

from the happiness he felt

from being thus

addressed…….and the

Prophet (Peace Be Upon

Him) did not condemn him

for doing so, this being a

basis for the legal

acceptability of the Sufis

dancing from the joys of

the ecstasies they

experience, Hence it is

correct to stand and dance

during gatherings of Dhikr

and Sama according to a

group of Majority of

Scholars, among them being

Shaykh ul-Islam Iz udin bin

Abd al-Salaam.

Reference:

Imam Jalal ud din Suyuti

(Rahimuhullah) in Al Hawi lil

Fatawi, Volume No. 2, Page

No. 234 Published by

Maktaba al Asriyyah, Beirut,

Lebanon.

Scanned Page Imam Jalal

ud din Suyuti

(Rahimuhullah)

Front Cover, Imam Jalal ud

din Suyuti (Rahimuhullah)

’s Al Hawi lil Fatawi

Maktabba al Asriyyah,

Beirut, Lebanon

scan http://makashfa.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/al-hawi-li-al-fatawi-imam-jalal-al-din-suyuti-publish-dar-al-kutub-al-ilmiyah-beirut-lebanon.jpg

Volume No. 2, Page No.

234, Published by Maktaba

al Asriyyah, Beirut,

Lebanon.

http://makashfa.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/raq.jpg

So the Sultan of Ulama i.e.

Imam al Hafidh Izz bin

Abdus Salaam (rah)

allowed Raqs along with

“GREAT SCHOLARS” as said

by Imam Suyuti (rah) who

was himself Mujaddad of

his time.