The Sufi Controversy: Warnings for the Muslim Community

✒ TK Ashraf

24 October 2026, 13 Jumada Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Farook College and Muslim female students have recently become active topics of discussion on social media. This debate has now expanded across multiple dimensions, bringing to light internal community issues, the approach of Muslim managements, and the stances of community leaders.

Rather than narrowing this discourse to a single institution or specific individuals, it is necessary to delve into the core of the issue. For a community benefiting from past educational renaissance efforts, the time is long overdue to reflect deeply upon its self-identity.

While Christian institutions are aided, they prominently display symbols of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and conduct daily prayers without compromising on them. In contrast, many Muslim managements have crumbled to the point of opening their own institutions to mock Islam. Who is there to offer guidance and uplift the community? Even discerning individuals remain silent spectators, fearing that opposing this trend will result in being cast out from mainstream 'progressive' circles. Moreover, those who attempt to initiate corrections are promptly tagged as unwise!

At Farook College, whose foundations were laid with great foresight by Abussabah Ahmad Ali Maulavi, students submitted a complaint to the principal against a lecturer in the Zoology department for repeatedly imposing her personal ideology during classes.

In an institution built by predecessors who viewed it as a religious obligation for the community's progress, having faith ridiculed inside classrooms is no small matter.

Statements like "You cannot study science without becoming an atheist" are being made inside a college established through Waqf and gifts collected as part of religious devotion! Mocking and ridiculing students who arrive wearing the niqab, and poking fun at the belief in Paradise and Hell, occur in an institution built by forefathers aspiring for Paradise! The fact that a majority of students are terrified even to register a complaint against such impositions is deeply disheartening!

The Muslim community today possesses bright, capable minds equipped to confront and intellectually challenge liberals who lay ideological foundations for an anarchic lifestyle. Yet, it is equally true that some within the community have suffered a moral decline.

Who is there today to stop the unrestrained practices taking place in Muslim weddings (without generalizing overall)? Narratives are emerging that suggest the Muslim community should degenerate into a mere leaderless crowd detached from foundational texts. Such elements mock scholars and are ironically honored publicly by community leaders! Remnants discarded by Europe are being paraded here in the name of 'progressivism.' Efforts are being made to construct 'good Muslim' and 'bad Muslim' binaries, while steadfast adherence to religious practice is branded as 'extremism'...

The fundamental question here is this: Should this state of affairs not change? What should serve as the benchmark for change, Islamic scriptural sources or mainstream public perception? Should the Qur'an and Hadith be adopted along the path of the righteous predecessors, or should they be interpreted according to individual whims? Unless we find answers to these questions, our situation will remain like rowing a moored boat!

Materialism has affected the leaders far more than the followers. How many leaders are there to correct the public mindset that labels the sincere assertion of "My religion is right" as 'separatism'? Who opposes the argument that 'religious preaching constitutes hate speech'? Who is capable of curbing improprieties in our institutions? Who speaks up against the misdeeds taking place on Waqf properties?

Even those with awareness remain silent witnesses. They fear that speaking out will lead to their exclusion from mainstream 'progressivism.' Meanwhile, those who step forward to correct matters are disparaged as imprudent!

The general public is in a state of confusion. A narrative is being pushed that "only a few Muslims have an issue." The fear of being branded as 'extremists' simply for preserving Islamic identity continues to haunt many.

What is required here is not a treatment for the symptoms, but a cure for the root cause. Sufism and liberalism stem from materialism, lack of knowledge regarding Allah, and the denial of faith. This means the treatment must be directed at the roots, not the branches! We have only two paths before us: either move forward by embracing scriptural sources in the manner of the righteous predecessors, or firmly stand our ground while realizing that this slope leads away from Islam.

Urgent Action Steps for the Community

* Leadership Unity: Overcoming differences of opinion, community leadership must urgently come together to rescue a community drifting into materialism.

* Collective Management Strategy: Muslim managements, regardless of organizational differences, must meet to find solutions to the current crisis.

* Mahallu Committee Initiatives: Mahallu committees must be prepared to discuss these issues, and local residents should build pressure to make this happen.

* Local Initiatives: Rather than waiting for orders from above, local consultations and movements must begin immediately.

* Protection of Waqf Lands: The community must strictly insist that nothing un-Islamic will be allowed on Waqf properties.

* Syllabus Reform: Madrasa syllabi should be updated to counter modern misguided ideologies.

* Moral Culture in Colleges: Teachers, management, and organizations must collaborate to restore a moral culture within Arabic colleges.

* Addressing Social Evils: Extravagance in weddings, other un-Islamic trends, financial fraud, sexual exploitation, and improprieties in dress and culture must be openly discussed within the community.

Corrections are required both internally and externally. External corrections are straightforward, provided the internal core is rectified. But are we ready for that? Superficial allegations and counter-allegations will yield no benefit.