I have had several arguments with a few people who follow Deoband school of thoughts, one of them having a Masters in Islamic Studies also.

During numerous occasions while discussing about sufism, the evidence used is that of a ‘porch’ (chabutra in Urdu) during the time of our Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) , where Sahabas used to study, recite Qur’an, share ahadith, leaving all the worldly pleasures for the sake of Allah and Islam. I was quite perturbed by this and refuted them.

But to my surprise on page 14 of Evolution of Hadith, the detail of Sahabah Aboo Saeed Al-Khudree includes about this verandah and porch. Dr. Bilal Philips also mentions this in one of his lectures that, "Like Aboo Hurayrah, he had been one of the People of the Verandah, those who lived on the porch of the Prophet's dwelling by the mosque, in order to dedicate themselves to an austere life of prayer and learning."

Kindly shed light on this.

The people of Suffah are a historical fact in the seerah. What conclusions people arrive at is a different matter. We cannot group all sufis together, but they do have common traits. One of those traits is innovated acts of worship. The companions who stayed on the Suffah were known for their adherence to the Sunnah and their hatred of bid'ah like the other companions.

The main point is that Sufism can use the people of the Suffah as evidence if they call to knowledge, strict adherence to the Sunnah, living a simple life and striving in Jihad. If they call to mysticism, innovation and heretical beliefs, then they will find no basis for it in the people of the Suffah.

Herewith I share some of those authentic ahadith with Arabic text, which explains the excellence of ascetic life.

A man came to Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O messenger of Allah! By Allah I love you." He said, “Think about what you are saying." The man repeated thrice, “I swear by Allah that I love you." He said, "If you love me, you should be ready for acute poverty; because poverty comes to those who love me, faster than a flood flowing towards its destination.” [1]

 Abdullah ibn Mas'ood (radhiyallahu anhu) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept on a straw mat and got up with the marks left by it on his body.” Ibn Mas'ood said, "O Messenger of Allah! Would you make us spread out a soft bedding for you." He (ﷺ) replied, "What do I have to do with the world? I am like a rider who had sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it." [2]

Uthman bin 'Affaan reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no right for the son of Adam except in these four things: A house to live in, a cloth to cover therewith his private parts, bread and water."[3]

Abdullah bin Mas'ood reported: “The Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Do not crave for property lest you should be absorbed in the desire of worldly life numb." [4]

And finally, a hadeeth about Abu Hurarira who belonged to ahlus-suffah:

 Muhammad bin seereen reported: Abu Huraira said: "I would fall in swoon between the pulpit of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the chamber of 'Aishah and every passer-by would put his foot on my neck thinking I was insane. I was not insane but I was awfully hungry." [5]

This hadeeth throws light on the poverty of the companions as well as their self-respect, patience and contentment which prevented them from begging people.

Zuhd (Ascetism) does not mean refutation of the world and obligations of life. What it really means is that one should be contented with what he possess and rid himself of greed. Islam neither permits renunciation of the world nor does it condemn genuine struggle to acquire wealth. Therefore involvement in worldly affairs and struggle for lawful means of livelihood are not against Zuhd. A person who is contented with the lawful means of income is a distinguished person as all his activities are exalted to the level of worship. Similarly, unconcern with the wealth and riches of others and ignoring them is a part of Zuhd and contentment. One additional advantage of it is that such a person wins the love and respect of the people because he who begs people, rather than Allah, has to suffer disgrace and is also disliked by the people. The case of begging from Allah is just the opposite. The more a person begs Him, the more pleased He will be with him.

Abdullah bin ‘Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulders and said, "Be in this world like a stranger or a wayfarer." [6]

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The poor will enter Jannah five hundred years before the rich." [7]

And Allah knows best.

References:

[1] At-Tirmidhi: 2350

[2] At-Tirmidhi: 2377

[3] At-Tirmidhi: 2341

[4] At-Tirmidhi: 2328

[5] Al-Bukhari: 7324

[6] Al-Bukhari: 6416

[7] At-Tirmidhi: 2353