Javed Ahmad Ghamidi's Concept of Tasawuf and its Uniqueness: A Research Review تصوف بارے جاوید احمد غامدی کے افکار و تفردات: ایک تحقیقی جائزہ

الملخص

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, a prominent contemporary Islamic thinker, considers Sufism (Tasawuf) to be a "parallel religion" created in opposition to Islam. According to Ghamidi, the concept of Vilayat (sainthood) and its associated ranks such as Awtad, Ghaus, Qutb, and Abdal are completely absent from the Quran. He argues that the Quranic term Wali is only used in the general sense of "protector" or "friend," not as a spiritual rank. He further maintains that monasticism (Rahbaniyyah) is an innovation (bid‘ah), and that the station of Ihsan (spiritual excellence) is not a distinct rank but merely a condition for sincere worship.  This research paper provides a critical and analytical review of Ghamidi's thoughts on Sufism, highlighting his uniqueness and distinguishing his approach from that of traditional critics of Sufism (such as Ibn Taymiyyah and certain Ahl-e-Hadith scholars). The study finds that while Ghamidi raises important questions regarding certain Sufi terminologies, his central claim of Sufism being a "parallel religion" lacks substantive evidence. None of the major Sufi masters, including Al-Ghazali and Ibn ‘Arabi, ever made Wahdat al-Wujud (Oneness of Being), Kashf (spiritual unveiling), or Sainthood as necessary conditions for salvation. Moreover, the foundational elements of Sufism—love of God, purification of the soul (Tazkiyah), remembrance (Dhikr), and spiritual excellence (Ihsan)—are deeply rooted in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The paper concludes that Sufism is not a parallel or separate entity but an intrinsic spiritual dimension of Islam. Ghamidi's critique, though unique in its claim of a "parallel religion," fails to prove this assertion and is based on a particular interpretive framework of the Qur’an that is not shared by mainstream Islamic scholarship.