■ Why Is Tasawwuf Necessary in an Islamic Society?

اعوذ باللہ من الشیطان الرجیم 

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

Now the question arises, and it’s a good one: Why is Tasawwuf even necessary for an Islamic society? Isn’t Islam already complete, with rules, prayers, law, halal, haram, and guidance? Why bring in something that many think is optional or misunderstood?

But ah! Before we judge, we must understand. And to understand Tasawwuf, we have to go to the root—not the word, but the purpose. People get lost in arguing where the word came from—some say from “ṣūf” (wool), others from “ṣafā” (purity), but we won’t enter that alleyway now. Because the meaning of Tasawwuf is far more than grammar or origin. The real heart of Tasawwuf is this:

❝It is the deep cleaning of the soul.❞

Yes, not with water and soap, but with tears, truth, remembrance of Allah ﷻ, and humility.

Tasawwuf has 2 aspects, both of them essential for anyone who wants not just to live Islam, but feel it deeply.

1. Tazkiyah al-Nafs (Purification of the Soul)

2. Spiritual Experience of Faith (Emaan becoming Yaqeen)

Let’s unpack these slowly, like gently untying a gift.

Imagine for a moment an Islamic society. A just, peaceful, God-conscious community. Do you think that happens by accident? Not at all. That society is made of individuals, and if those individuals are spiritually rotten, how can the community smell like roses?

Every single Muslim in that society is personally in need of Tazkiyah—the purification of their inner self, their nafs, their desires, their impulses, and their hidden darkness.

The Qur’an is crystal clear:

❝Indeed, the nafs always commands evil.❞

(Surah Yusuf 12:53)

See? Allah ﷻ Himself tells us this. This is not a scholar’s opinion—it’s Divine knowledge. And then He ﷻ gives us the solution:

❝The one who purifies it (the soul), succeeds.❞

(Surah Ash-Shams 91:9)

So now tell me, how can we ignore Tasawwuf when its very purpose is this purification? Can we build an Islamic society with greedy hearts, arrogant minds, jealous tongues, and wounded egos? No! That society will crumble, not from outside enemies, but from the termites inside.

Here’s something you might not have thought of, but it's beautiful to realize: inside every human being, there are two voices. One is the conscious self (what you think and decide), and the other is the unconscious self (the deep habits, instincts, tendencies).

And often, these two are at war. Your conscious mind wants to pray, fast, and be good. But the unconscious pulls you back—towards laziness, anger, pride, gossip, and sin.

Now listen closely: Tasawwuf teaches the conscious self how to train the unconscious, so that the entire human being becomes one peaceful, obedient servant of Allah ﷻ. That’s how a person becomes whole. That’s how you develop beautiful character (akhlaaq) and deep faith that does not shake when the world does.

Let’s say someone plants a lovely garden and wishes to grow mint in it. But weeds start growing there, wild and fast. These weeds steal all the nutrients from the soil, so the mint remains weak, yellow, and struggling.

Now the gardener has two options:

1. Water everything—both the mint and the weeds.

2. Or, uproot the weeds first, so all the goodness goes only to the mint.

Tasawwuf is that uprooting.

It pulls out the weeds of jealousy, hatred, lust, arrogance, and hypocrisy. So that your heart becomes a pure garden where Emaan (faith), Tawakkul (trust), and Mahabbah (love for Allah ﷻ) can grow freely.

And what a journey it is! A person doesn’t stay stuck in the same stage forever. Through the guidance of Tasawwuf, the soul evolves from:

Nafs-e-Ammarah (the commanding self, full of evil)

to

Nafs-e-Lawwama (the self that blames itself, starts to feel guilt and shame)

to

Nafs-e-Mutma’innah (the peaceful soul, resting in remembrance of Allah)

to finally

Nafs-e-Raadiyah and Mardiyyah (the soul that is pleased with Allah ﷻ and with whom Allah ﷻ is pleased).

This is the path of real spiritual growth, and dear one, this is the essence of Tasawwuf.

Now someone might say: okay, maybe one person needs it. But does society? Yes, absolutely.

Because what is a society except a group of individuals? When every person in that group is purified, trained, refined, and spiritually awakened—only then does the society become Islamic in reality, not just in name.

We can't just have loud speakers calling the adhaan while the hearts of the people are calling toward the dunya. We can’t have Islamic law but un-Islamic behavior. If the people in the society are full of pride, division, and ego—then all the external “Islam” is like paint on a cracked wall.

So what did we learn in this long heart-to-heart?

We learned that Tasawwuf is not a luxury or an optional side dish. It is the very fragrance of Islam. The soul of the system. The secret behind the strength of Islamic societies in the past, and the missing ingredient in so many of them today.

An Islamic society that ignores Tasawwuf is like a body without a soul, a garden without sunlight, a home without love. So yes—

❝Islamic society desperately needs Tasawwuf for its creation, its preservation, and its elevation.❞

And may Allah ﷻ make us among those whose hearts are clean, whose egos are broken, and whose souls are close to Him—through the path of Tasawwuf. آمين يا رب العالمين

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلَىٰ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ● FJ 5.5.25