THE INTENTIONALITY OF ETHICS IN SUNNI SUFI THOUGHT: AN ANALYSIS OF SHEIKH AHMAD ZARRUQ'S RULES OF SUFISM

Abstract

This study examines the intentional orientation toward ethics within Sunni Sufi thought through an analytical reading of Sheikh Ahmad Zarruq's Rules of Sufism (Qawa'id al-Tasawwuf). Zarruq, a distinguished figure in Sunni Sufism, endeavored to systematize and authenticate Sufi practice within the framework of Qur'anic and Prophetic tradition. The research seeks to clarify the relationship between Sufism and ethics in Zarruq's intellectual framework, demonstrating that this relationship constitutes a foundational principle rather than a subsidiary concern, ethics serves as the fundamental objective of Sufism rather than merely its byproduct. Within Zarruq's conceptual scheme, ethics emerges as the intended purpose of Sufi practice, not as an incidental outcome. The study further investigates how spiritual purification and moral reformation are actualized within his theoretical perspective, which synthesizes the disciplining of the ego with adherence to Islamic law, while simultaneously refining conduct according to the hierarchical stages of the spiritual path. Analysis of Zarruq's foundational principles reveals that his understanding of Sufism rests upon an ethical intentionality deeply rooted in scriptural sources. This ethical framework neither diverges from nor contradicts juridical rulings but rather complements and vivifies them through sustained attention to ultimate purposes, the cultivation of proper intention, and the alignment of practice with transcendent moral objectives. Zarruqian Sufism thus represents a comprehensive ethical and pedagogical system that transforms devotional observance into a vehicle for human elevation, reintegrating the spiritual dimension with legal prescription and harmonizing external form with internal reality.