This is an excellent expose of the incipient influence of the poetry of Umar Abubakar Sidi anthology: The poet of dust. It is important to acknowledge that Sufi poetry as represented by Sidi in his book cannot escape barbs from the moderate or ideologically driven conservative Islamic scholars simply because the foundation of Sufism stems from Islamic practice of tasawwuf or religious mysticism.
The core of Sufism centres on tazkiyyatus nafs ( the purification of the soul) that a believer undertakes in his endeavour to get closer to his Lord. Sufism assumes the distinctive shape of religious activities engaged mainly through propound contemplation of the divine in order to feel or immerse in the divine essence as the ultimate objective of the seeker journeying to his lord. While the objective of seeking closeness to one’s lord is not in any way opposed to the tenets of mainstream Islam ( in fact it is a noble undertaking), incidences of the Sufis professing to reach such spiritual height of divine contemplation as to render themselves beyond compliance to dictates of the Sharia and sometimes in a state of spiritual narcosis deem themselves as one with the divine are the major sources of conflicts between the Sufis and conservative scholars of mainstream Islam.
Sidi was on point to have described himself as a rascal as he sensed the potential of censorship in his apotheosis of the muse as the epitome of creativity demanding the complete annulment of all forms boundaries ( essentially moral) to artistic expression. Such an ascendancy of the creative inspiration can not go without possible societal disapprobation. One of Sidi’s Sufi heroes, Mansur Al-hallaj, was executed for heresy when he proclaimed that he was God almighty (anal haqq- I am the truth) in a fit of uncontrollable spiritual ecstasy. Al- hallaj was executed despite his protestations that he made that proclamation under spiritual intoxication and did not mean that he had literally become God almighty.
As for seeking the divine through literary erotica espoused by Bá Sabouke, this would inevitably provoke wide condemnation as Sufism, in its essence, cannot be divorced from Islam. While “God’s book” ; a poem written by Sabouke is not necessarily offensive to a highly discerning reader, I have read a poem he wrote that can potentially assault the sensibilities of Muslims where he describes As-siratal mustaqeem ( meaning the straight path) as a way to a woman’s vaginal walls.
To many, poetic license is simply an invitation to moral anarchy; a concept detested by advocates of freedom of expression. However, it is true to state that that as Muslims, we are bound by the dictates of our faith in our attempt at literary expressions in spite of our dalliance with the romantic notions of unfettered freedom of expression.
Paul Liam further underscores the primacy of poetic license, where he defines ” Poetry and art in general as a non aligned form of expression that is not bound by moral responsibility.” This view or standpoint of poetry is antithetical to what Sufism stands for. The essence of Sufism, as previously mentioned, is the purification of the soul. It invariably presupposes an ethical clarity and moral compass prescribed by the teachings of Islam. Thus, Ba Sabouke’s sensualised (mis) interpretation of the Qur’anic texts in the guise of seeking truth through Sufi poetry may be perceived by moderate or mainstream followers of Islam as a disingenuous dissemble of attributing non existent value or piety with respect to the dignity of Islam. Indeed, Sabouke’s poetic brinkmanship may be perceived as a dangerous path leading to the margins of blasphemy from his irreverent extrapolation of the Qur’anic text.
The evolving concept of Sufi poetry as popularised by the Poet of dust; Umar Abubakar Sidi, which is swiftly gaining followers from emerging young Northern Nigerian poets is in direct contravention of what sufism represents as understood by mainstream Islam. This is evident by the manner in which such a concept is enamoured of and glorifies transgression and rascality ( meaning the denigration of moral boundaries) in poetic expression. Indeed, what may be considered as Sufi poetry or poem that reflects sufi influence must entail elements consistent with the philosophy of sufism. It must conform to the dictates of the Qur’an and the Sunnah from which it derives its legitimacy. It must exhibit the traits of piety, a deep understanding of Allah and His attributes, which should inspire the requisite humility and consciousness of the divine majesty. Such an elevated spiritual state will enable the Murid (the seeker; in this case, the sufi) to attain the zenith of his objective: closeness to his creator and gaining His pleasure.
The following two poems from an evolving manuscript may arguably be inferred to be sufi poems or poems redolent with sufi inclinations or influence:
KASHF
( The unveiling)
Immersed in the ocean of my tears
In the depth of the silent night
And the litanies of salutations
Upon the noble prophet pouring
From my trembling lips, seeking
Divine forgiveness from a repentant soul.
The portals of heaven opened
Entrapped within a capsule of time
For fleeting microseconds to reveal
Rays of light from the infinite firmament.
A permanent spectacle etched
In the eye of my heart, it is so clear;
Divine approbation to soothe my soul.
Raptured and enraptured again!
For the servant whose only hope lies
Within the assurances of your gaze.
IN PRAISE OFTHE SERVILE HEART
The heart expands with the weight
Of the vastness of the universe compressed
Into the soul of the humble servant.
As the heart trembles;
When the soul is seared,
By the presence of the divine.
Where the eye of the heart sees
Through the window of the soul.
Where the heart worships
Beyond the motions of prayer.
Where the heart feels;
Beyond the partitions of the veil.
Where the heart knows;
Through reason, beyond reason
Beyond the delusions of the senses:
Al-haqq; the ultimate reality
To which it submits in absolute humility.
Ibn Qayyim Al- Jawziyya wrote a book; Madaarijis saalikeen which is actually a commentary of a book written by a Sufi scholar Abu Ismail Alharawi ( Sairul manaazil) in which he attempted to delineate the excesses of Sufi doctrines and practices without the total condemnation of Sufism itself. Far from condemnation, the core of Sufism being purification of the soul in an effort to attain closeness with one’s creator was highly celebrated. In the book; the seeker (Murid) immerses in various themes (Manzils) of Fear of Allah (Khauf), Tawakkul ( Trust in Allah) Khushu (Mindfulness during devotion) Ar-rajaa’i ( Hope in Allah), Zuhd (indifference to material state), Tabattul (Cutting off from reliance on any apart from Allah), Wara ( Scrupulousness in obeying Allah) etc etc as the means towards achieving closeness to Allah and earning his pleasure. This is the core of Sufism. Nothing else.
The focus on literary expression as an alternative to the essence of Sufism is definitely an alternative viewpoint. However the Sufi invariably attain Fanaa ( spiritual nirvana) through divine contemplation, engagement of religious practices and themes aforementioned through his knowledge as Ma’arifa (One with deep and profound understanding of Allah’s attributes and belief in them).
The conservative scholars maintain that this can all be achieved by adhering to the tenets of the Sharia without professing transcendance over its dictates or merging with the divine in His essence and attributes And, of course, creating a literary genre viewed by conservative scholars as an assault on their religion.