The Corruption of Sufism - An Historical Overview: The Integration of Non-Islamic Influences into Islamic Sufism

by یوسف سلیم چشتی, Sher Muhammad Khan (Translator)

This book, which can be termed as a detailed dissertation, is an unpublished chapter in the book "History of Mysticism" by the late Prof. Yousuf Saleem Chishti. The late Chishti Sahib spent his entire life in studying and teaching. He was an extraordinary man for his vast study and erudition. Among the topics of his interests include comparative study of world religions, Sufism, philosophy, Iqbaliat and history of Islam to mention a few. The late Chishti Sahib is one among the few people who avoided falling prey to extremism in the matter of Sufism. He was also a staunch supporter of Sufism and in some respect, a fierce critic. The commentary of Allama Iqbal's Persian discourses will always be remembered in his outstanding scholarly works. He had a special relationship with Honorable Dr. Israr Ahmed Sahib, the founder-President of Markazi Anjuman-i-Khuddamul Qur'an.The book "History of Mysticism" which cannot be wrong to be considered as an important document on the subject of Sufism, was published with great care 37 years ago. However, the late Chishti's superfical work "The Integration of Non-Islamic Influences into Islamic Sufism" was rejected as part of the "History of Sufism" simply because the book provided a realistic and unbiased analysis of the history of Sufism. There were some true and bitter things that were not acceptable to some of our religious classes. Respected Dr. Israr Ahmad Sahib published this scholarly endeavor of Chishti Sahib in October 1976 under the auspices of Maktabah Markazi Anjuman Khudam-ul-Quran Lahore and managed to preserve this important scholarly document. Nearly five editions have been published in Urdu and this is for the very first time that it is been published in English.

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2021

About the author

a Pakistani eminent scholar and writer. He was the interpreter and commentator of Allama Mohammed Iqbal's work and worked with him from 1925 to 1938 predominantly.
Born in Bareilly (India) in 1895, Muhammad Yousaf Khan (Later known as Yousaf Saleem Chishti) got his early education in Allahabad. He obtained BA Honors in Philosophy from Aligarh Muslim University (1918) and in 1924 he did his MA Philosophy from Ahmedabad University.
He taught in Forman Christian College Lahore and from 1929 to 1943, he served as Principal, Ashaat e Islam College Lahore. In 1948, he shifted to Karachi and started his literary career. He has very close relations with Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal, he used to attend meetings in Javid Manzil, Lahore (Allama Muhammad Iqbal's residence). He recorded conversations in his diaries but in 1955 most of them were destroyed by an upsurge in Ravi, at Lahore. He is famous for his commentaries on Allama Muhammad Iqbal's works and these commentaries are particularly known to be grounded in philosophy and comparative religion, as he was particularly knowledgeable in Hinduism, as "during his stay in Lahore, he met Lala Lajpat Roy Lahori and on his advice studied Vedas and Shastras from a Hindu pundit. Later, Swami Prakash Anand taught him Upanishads, Gita and Hindu philosophy of mysticism