HOW SHEIKH MURTADHA ABDULSALAM رحمه الله LEFT SUFI PATH

By

Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

Dr. Faadhil Al-Imaam of Iwo حفظه الله told us in a recent video how Sheikh Murtadha Abdulsalam (Mudir Ma'dul 'Arabiy) رحمه الله left sufism. The video that was posted by Da'wah Link was originally on how to correct mistakes of scholars with adab (good manner) without sounding rude. The video shows that any scholar who loves the truth would follow it when he sees it, and wouldn't be looking for scanty evidence to justify his mistakes and remain on error.

It was a very short video, he didn't go into too much details. He only picked the most relevant points to educate his audience and the entire Muslim Ummah. Dr. Faadhil mentioned the scenario that made Sheikh Murtadha Abdul Salam (Mudir Ma'dul 'Arabiy) to renounce sufism, the game changer, which was the manner by which one of his students who studied in Saudi Arabia introduced to him. The book was written by a former sufi scholar and it opened his heart to the truth (Sunnah).

According to him, the book was written by Sheikh AbdurRahman Yusuf al-Afreeqee. He was a sufi to the core before becoming a reputable scholar upon Sunnah and was given the opportunity to teach Sunnah in the Masjid of the Prophet  صلى الله عليه وسلم in Madeenah.

Dr Faadhil said the book was published in Markaz Da'wah Islaamiyyah. The book is in form of a pamphlet. There are lots of books like that changed a lot people for good. Probably, it is one of the kind of books that Mudir Markaz was saying in one of his videos "awon iwe pelebe pelebe" (those small small books) when he was condemning Sheikh Ibn Baaz, Sheikh Al-albaani and Sheikh Al-'Uthaymeen رحمهم الله. May Allaah guide him and his blindfollowers.

There are many small books of that nature that ought to guide a Muslim who is serious about his religion and who is hungry for the truth towards Sunnah. The volume of a book is not what is important. The most important thing is its benefits. Sometimes, you will find some heavy books, but their contents are full of innovations and misguidance. But you may find a small book with very few pages and what it contains is Sunnah which leads to guidance. Scholars write books like that not because they can't write volumes. They actually have volumes of books on variety of matters. It is only an ignorant person that would claim those shuyuukh do not have more than pamphlets. But they wrote those small books to ease things for any seeker of truth. They avoid boring readers and beginers with many pages. That is how several texts on 'aqeedah and several other beneficial matters were written by past and present scholars for easy distribution and reading. They are not usually long. They go straight to the major points of guidance for seekers of truth. 

A student bought the said book and gave it to Baba as a gift. The rest was history. As deep as the Sheikh was in Sufiyyah, he renounced it publicly. This was a person who used to permit wazifah and several other sufi activities in his school at Madeenah Elekuro. But everything had to stop when Baba came in contact with the truth. Before then, he used to condone sufi activities by which white cloth would be laid and they will be shouting inside the masjid.

Baba used to affirm being a strong sufi, but he didn't join any group just like many of the old sufis in Nigeria then. Sheikh Adam and Sheikh Kamal رحمهم الله too used to affirm being sufis, and didn't establish any group for same. But in their own case, there is no evidence to suggest that they left sufiyyah before their death, unlike the case of Sheikh Murtadha Abdulsalam we are referring to here.

Dr. Faadhil حفظه الله said in the video that he was in the masjid when the Sheikh renounced Sufiyyah publicly. He rejected solaatul faatih, jawharatul kamal, jawhratun nuqsaaniy and several other baseless sufi adhkaar. Sheikh Murtadha was asked about his decision to quit sufiyyah and he said it was the book a student bought for him that he read and understood.

The name of the book was not mentioned by Sheikh Faadhil. But my further investigation revealed that the actual name of the book is الأنوار الرحمانية لهداية الفرقة النجاتية if I am not mistaking. It was published in 1976 (1396 AH) and it has just 30 pages. It was distributed by Islamic University of Madeenah. I have downloaded it, and in sha Allaah, any seeker of the truth can also download and read it through this link https://dawa.center/file/1270. If you are a tijaaniyyah, download it and take it to any sincere scholar or student of knowledge who can read Arabic correctly and ask questions. May Allaah make it beneficial.

This scenario reminds me of a book written by our own Ustadh AbdulFattaah Sarumi حظه الله on why he also abandoned Sufiyyah. The book is very common. You can get it from him or from anyone close to him in sha Allaah.

May Allaah open our minds to the truth always and make it easy for us to embrace it.