Question: Please can you shed some light on the Shadhili tariqah? I know nothing about it and my future spouse insha Allah is really in to it. Is it authentic? How does it differ to Chisti/ Naqshbandi?

I follow the Naqshbandi tariqa, will this conflict with my wife insha Allah and, in turn, affect our compatibility (kufw)?

Answer: The Shadhili tariqah is NOT one of the deviant sects (firaq al-batilah). They are from the ahlussunnah wal jama’ah.

It was established by Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali al-Shadhili who was a great sheikh of the 7th century, (b593AH d654AH). He was originally from fez, morocco, he travelled around and finally settled in Alexandria, Egypt. His silsila was the most widely accepted after the Qadri silsila.

The purpose of the tariqah is the same as that of the Naqshbandi and Chisti tariqas: to establish a spiritual connection with Allah (s.w.t.).

The Shadhili tariqah has many similarities with the Naqashbandi tariqah in that they both emphasise:

1. Mujahadah (a spiritual struggle) to create a link Allah (s.w.t.)
2. Zuhd (aceticism), which is non-attachment to all things other than Allah (s.w.t.)
3. Muraqabah (introspection) to create an awareness of Allah (s.w.t.)
The objective of this is to conquer man’s four principal enemies:

1. The ego (nafs)
2. The material world (dunya)
3. Caprice (hawaa)
4. Satan
These aims are shared by most tariqas of Sufism. The difference between the Naqshbandi tariqa and the Shadhili tariqa is that whereas in the Naqashbandi tariqa the emphasis in muraqabah (introspection) is on the al-Ism al-Dhat (The Innate Name) i.e. Allah (s.w.t.) and the dhikr (remembrance) is khafiy (quiet), in the Shadhili tariqa the emphasis is on Salah al-Tawbah (The Prayer of Repentance) so that a person may be purified and through this establish a closer bond with Allah (s.w.t.).

In al-Fatawa al-Mahmoudiyyah (vol.4, p. 370), it is written :

ان الطرق الى الله كثيرة كالشاذلية و السهروردية و القادرية الى غير ذلك

Surely the paths to Allah are many, such as the Shadhili [path], the Suhrawardi [path], the Qadiri [path] etc.

This has also been stated in Qutub al-Irshad (p. 544); Shifa al-‘Aleel (p. 40); Shari’at wa Tariqat ka talazum (p. 152); and by Shah Wali Allah in Hama’aat (p. 15).

Finally, this would not affect your compatibility as equality (kufw) is only on the basis of:

1. Nasab (lineage)
2. Huriyyah (freedom)
3. Islam
4. Freedom and Islam of parents
5. Wealth
6. Hirfah (profession)
As stated in Radd al-Muhtar (vol.3, pp. 86-90):

و تعتبر نسبا فقريش اكفاء و العرب اكفاء و حرية و اسلاما وابوان فيهما كالاباء و مالا وحرفة

Lineage is taken into account [to determine equality] so [men and women of] Quraysh are equal and Arab [men and women] are equal. [Also taken in to account are:] freedom, Islam, [freedom and Islam] of parents, and [in this matter] the [freedom and Islam] of both parents is tantamount to that of all the forefathers [i.e. if both parents are Muslim then it is the same as all the forefathers being Muslim], wealth and profession.

Since the fact that your prospective bride is Shadhili and you are Naqshbandi does not affect any of the aforementioned six criteria, it would not have a bearing on your mutual kufw.

Allah knows best. (I/Lala 3/12)