What is Futuwwah? — Imam Ghazali Institute

The following is adapted from Futuwwah and Raising Males into Sacred Manhood by Shaykh Dawud Walid.

**What is Futuwwah?**

Futuwwah linguistically derives from fa-ti-ya, meaning to be youthful. It is related to the word fatā meaning a young male, and Fityan being a gathering or group of youth. Fata is understood from the aspect of age to be one in between the period of early teens and manhood. It connotes the meaning of a youth moving from one stage of life to another, or transitioning from adolescence into an age of a youth having greater maturity.

This transitioning into a stage of greater maturity, of course, does not equal entering into the stage of wisdom displayed by elders, just as Yazid al-Raqashi stated that youthfulness displayed by elders is a despicable trait. Fata can also carry the meaning of a slave, or one who serves another who is superior in social rank.

This is conveyed operationally when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ stated,

‘None of you should call anyone “my slave”, for all of you are slaves of Allah. Instead say, “my youngster”…“my fata ”’.

Futuwwah, moreover, has a relationship with the term fatwa, meaning to make a judgement or verdict on an issue of importance.

Futuwwah cannot be simply defined operationally speaking, as although it is loosely translated as spiritual, chivalry in the English language is defined as characteristics of a distinguished gentleman or a knight who displays courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak. Not only does the term have a shade of elusiveness in giving it one rigid definition, but there are also differences of opinion as to when the term came into usage among the Arabs. In essence, futuwwah is the outward exemplification of an inward code of honour.

Those raised on the path of *futuwwah* are guided to selflessness rather than self-absorption, courage in the face of immorality (as well as imminent threats to physical safety) rather than cowardice, distaste of harm coming to anyone, and disdain of revelling in the misfortunes of others – including adversaries.

Al-Ardabili wrote in Kitab al-Futuwwah:

And certainly, Allah Most High mentioned futuwwah in His glorious book in seven instances. He praised every station of it with elaboration and veneration. Such is the speech of the Most High in Surah Yusuf [in verse 30],
‘And some women gossiped in the city, “The wife of the chief minister is trying to seduce her fata (enslaved young man).”’
Allah described his innocence and praised his mindfulness, as he chose Him over his desires; thus, He named him al-fata.

Second, in Surah Yusuf [in verse 62], the Most High said,

‘And he (Yusuf) told his fityan (his young servants) to put the money of his brothers back in their saddlebags so that they can find it when they return to their family so that they may come back.’

And Allah Most High knows of their trustworthiness and conviction; thus, He named them al-fityan.

Third, in Surah al-Kahf [in verse 10], the Most High said,

‘Remember when those fityah took to the cave and said, “Our Lord!”’

Allah Most High knew their innermost selves, so He purified their residency since they were searching for Divine mercy and sought to perfect their faith; thus, He named them al-fityan.

Fourth, also in Surah al-Kahf [in verse 13], the Most High said,

‘They were fityah who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.’

This was without intermediaries or physical demonstrators. Of course not, they believed in Him and [struggled] for Him; thus, they were honoured with an increase in guidance so that they rose to a noble place.

Fifth, in that same surah [in verse 62], the Most High said,

‘When they passed further, he (Musa) said to his fata, “Bring us our meal.’

Allah knew he was sympathetic in his friendship and excellent in companionship; thus, He named him al-fata.

Sixth, in the same surah [in verse 60], the Most High said,

‘Remember when Musa spoke to his fata.’

Allah selected him for his excellent example and protective, loving affection; thus, He named him al-fatā.

Seventh, in Surah al-Anbiyā’ [in verse 60], the Most High said,

‘They said, “We heard a fata named Ibrahim speaking [ill] of them [meaning the idols].”’

Allah Most High praised His friend with honour, mindfulness, truthfulness, and loyalty; thus, He named him al-fata.

*Futuwwah* is the path of cultivating strong youth. Strength is not merely an aspect of physicality, but arises from virtuous qualities that are exemplified in individual behaviour and fortified through organized brotherhood.

It was narrated that Hasan al-Basri said,

‘The conglomeration of futuwwah is in [Surah al-Naḥl, verse 90] the speech of the Most High:
Surely Allah enjoins justice and goodness, giving to close kin, prohibits immorality, evil and rebellion. He admonishes you in order that you may be heedful.’

It is narrated that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq relayed from his father who relayed from his grandfather that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

‘There are ten signs of the Fityan of my community.’

It was asked:

‘O Messenger of Allah. And are there Fityan from your community now?’

He replied:

‘Yes. And where is the foremost of futuwwah from the futuwwah of my community?’

The questioner then asked:

‘And what are their signs, O Messenger of Allah?’

He said:

‘They are those who are truthful in speech, loyal in oaths, who fulfil their trusts, abandon lying, are merciful with the orphans, give to whomsoever asks [for help], spend on the one who has, are generous with the craftsman and with guests, and the head of them is one who is modest.’

The Mother of the Believers, ‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها also narrated a similar hadith.

Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه stated,

‘The best traits of the fata are courage and generosity, and both of these come together in the generous valiant one.’

Along a similar vein, it is narrated by Imam ‘Ali Zayn al-’Abidin رضي الله عنه that he said,

‘The fata is one who does not hoard, nor is impractical.’

*Futuwwah* is characterized by the process of transferring spiritual qualities (which are embodied in conduct) from a master to his disciples.

Ma’ruf al-Karkhi said,

‘The signs of the fityan are three: Loyalty without breaching it, giving without being asked, and praising without being shown generosity.’

Sheikh Abu al-Husayn al-Warraq proposed five divisions of futuwwah:

The foundation of futuwwah is in five qualities: The first of these is guardianship, the second is loyalty, the third is gratitude, the fourth is patience, and the fifth is contentment.

Sheikh Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah al-Tustari said,

‘Futuwwah is following the Sunnah.’

Likewise, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah said,

‘Futuwwah is obedience to the One that he is enslaved to.’

Referring to the seven sections in the Qur’an that make specific reference to fata, fityan and fityah, Ibrahim عليه السلام is the first to be named as being on the chivalrous path.

Al-Qashani mentioned that futuwwah is sticking to the sound Abrahamic primordial nature that the Most High referred to in Surah al-Shu’ara’, verse 89:

‘Except whom Allah has given a sound heart.’

The way of futuwwah was displayed in varying aspects and circumstances by the Prophets and saints who came after them. The exemplification of the chivalrous path then manifested in the descendant of Ibrahim عليه السلام, with the answer to his prayer being Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The Most High said regarding the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in Surah al-Qalam, verse 4,

‘And surely you are upon a magnificent character.’

Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali رَحِمَهُ الله said that this verse means that the Prophet ﷺ was established upon the Qur’an and Islam. This carries the meaning that the Prophet’s ﷺ primordial nature never departed from the soundness of heart required to embody the Qur’an to the fullest possible extent of human potential. The way of futuwwah was then bequeathed from the Prophet ﷺ to Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه, whom Al-Ardabili referred to as Master of the Fityan.

Furthermore, mam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه was described as ‘Our leader in knowledge of the spiritual path and its embodied actions’ by the great chivalrous ascetic al-Junayd al-Baghdadi.Prior to Imam ‘Ali رضي الله عنه reaching the age of puberty, his upbringing was supervised by the Prophet ﷺ, as he lived with the Prophet ﷺ in his residence. He was the first to submit and believe in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from the male population of Makkah, after Sayyidah Khadījah رضي الله عنها accepted Islam. He was also the first person to perform prayer with the Prophet ﷺ. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رَحِمَهُ الله stated that none from among the generation of Companions had more sound hadith narrated about their virtues than Imam ‘Ali رضي الله عنه . Imam ‘Ali’s رضي الله عنه virtues were not simply from his own independent merit, but were an extension of a spiritual inheritance transferred to him.

One of the indications of this spiritual inheritance is displayed in an incident in which a group of Christian scholars from Najran came to the Prophet ﷺ to discuss religious issues, as they disagreed with the prophetic position on the status of ‘Isa عليه السلام. This is the context of the revelation of Surah Al ‘Imran, verse 61, which says:

And whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then let us earnestly invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.’

When disciples come into maturity – not simply in age, but in striving towards self-mastery – they must pass the mantle of chivalry to the next generation of disciples.

When the Prophet ﷺ appeared with his daughter Fatimah رضي الله عنها, his grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn and Imam ‘Ali رضي الله عنهم, the Christians declined to invoke curses upon the liars then departed. Al-Sha’bi stated as it relates to this verse:

‘“Our sons” means al-Hasan and al-Husayn رضي الله عنهم, “our women” means Fatimah رضي الله عنها, and “ourselves” means ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه.’

Al-Hakim also interpreted the exact same indications from this verse. Hence, part of the secret of Imam ‘Ali رضي الله عنه is his being described as from the self or soul of the Prophet ﷺ.

Another such indication is apparent in an event in which the Prophet ﷺ wore a black cloak in which his grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn رضي الله عنهم entered under it, followed by his daughter Fatimah and Imam ‘Ali رضي الله عنهم. After they were all wrapped in the cloak with the Prophet ﷺ, he recited from Surah al-Ahzab, verse 33:

‘Allah but desires to remove filth from you, O People of the House, and thoroughly purify you.’

This is symbolic of the spiritual investiture conferred from the Prophet ﷺ to Imam ‘Ali رضي الله عنه.

In two famous narrations, the Prophet ﷺ said,

‘[For] whoever I am his master, then ‘Ali is his master’, and told him, ‘You are in the position to me as Harun was to Musa.’

It is reported that he also stated:

‘There is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar, and there is no fata except ‘Ali.’

Al-Suhrawardi relayed that he also stated to ‘Ali رضي الله عنه:

‘Oh ‘Ali, Go to this man’s house and look around well!’

Now, there is a question here: Why did he send ‘Ali and not any other person? [Why] did he send Bilal for other tasks, and ‘Ali for this [particular] task?

The answer is that no one possessed the same [degree of] knowledge as ‘Ali رضي الله عنه. Anyone else [sent by Muhammad ﷺ] would have seen and would have testified [to the situation] just as it was. But ‘Ali رضي الله عنه was greater than all the others in knowledge and more famous through futuwwah – since the Prophet ﷺ had stated:

‘There is no fata but ‘Ali, and there is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar.’

Ibn al-Mi’mar stated that the saying ‘there is no fata except ‘Ali’ is a statement of amplification, carrying the meaning that ‘there is no complete fata except ‘Ali’. Hence it was also relayed that the Prophet ﷺ proclaimed:

‘The most chivalrous of you is ‘Ali’.

Hence, futuwwah is characterized by the process of transferring spiritual qualities (which are embodied in conduct) from a master to his disciples. When the disciples come into maturity – not simply in age, but in striving towards self-mastery – they in turn pass the mantle of chivalry to the next generation of disciples. The uprearing of such disciples necessarily includes rites of passage (or initiation) within sacred spaces, to which young males travel to be among the fityan.

In his treatise Kamal al-Muru’ah fi Jamal al-Futuwwah, Ibn Tulan describes the dressing of disciples in the clothing of futuwwah, passed down along the following chain:

My father dressed me with the above-mentioned [clothing] in our lodge in Nablus al-Mahrusah.
He said, ‘I was dressed by Radi al-Din Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim ibn Mahmud al-Humayri al-Kala’i al-Yamani in Masjid al-Aqsa in the month of Jumada al-Ula in 749 AH.’
He said, ‘I was dressed by Burhan al-Din Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn ‘Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Ja’bari, Sheikh of the Tomb of Al-Khalil (Prophet Ibrahim) عليه السلام’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by Sheikh Taj al-Din Muhammad ibn Sheikh Shams al-Dīn Muhammad ibn Sultan al-’Arifin Muhyi al-Din Abi al-’Abbas Ahmad ibn Abi al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Aḥmad al-Rifa’i.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by ‘Imad al-Din Isma’il Naqib al-Ashraf, the famous Khatib of Wasit.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by the Commander of the Faithful, the Khalifah al-Mustanṣir bi Allah.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by the Commander of the Faithful, al-Zahir bi Allah.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by Abu Ya’qub, who is famously known as al-Attar.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by ‘Abd al-Jabbar.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by Salman al-Farisi رضي الله عنه.’
And he said, ‘I was dressed by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه, the nephew of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’
And this is the mode of transmission of the dressing during which a sheikh dresses his disciple.

The way of futuwwah, as expressed within guilds, was also a characteristic of the government of the Abbasid Khalifah Al-Nasir li Din Allah when confronting the Crusaders. Al-Nasir li Din Allah was a renaissance man, dressed in the robes of futuwwah and well-studied in Prophetic traditions prior to ascending to the seat of governmental authority, from which he established these guilds. In fact, as it relates to his connection to traditional transmission, he compiled a book of hadith in which he relayed full chains of narration entitled Ruh al-’Arifin min Kalam Sayyid al-Mursalin. As these guilds established by Al-Nasir li Din Allah were centred on modelling noble traits of character, these brotherhoods also trained and organized their members in the art of defence on behalf of the Muslim community.

Futuwwah is the path of cultivating strong youth. Strength is not merely an aspect of physicality, but arises from virtuous qualities that are exemplified in individual behaviour and fortified through organized brotherhood. Those raised on the path are guided to selflessness rather than self-absorption, courage in the face of immorality (as well as imminent threats to physical safety) rather than cowardice, distaste of harm coming to anyone, and disdain of revelling in the misfortunes of others – including adversaries. Within this framework, the following chapters will touch on specific traits vital for raising up young males embodying spiritual chivalry.