Sufism Sufism, or Tasawwuf as it is known in
the Muslim world, is Islamic mysticism
(Lings, Martin, What is Sufism?, The
Islamic Texts Society, 1999, pg 15). Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a
sect of Islam. Sufism is more accurately
described as an aspect or dimension
of Islam. Sufi orders (Tariqas) can be
found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic groups. Ibn Khaldun, the 14th century
Arab historian, described Sufism as: ... dedication to worship, total
dedication to Allah most High,
disregard for the finery and ornament
of the world, abstinence from the
pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought
by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone. Ibn Khaldun, quoted in Keller, Nuh Ha Mim, The Place of Tasawwuf in Traditional Islam, www.masud.co.uk, 1995 Ibn Khaldun's words are an accurate
description of Sufis today. Sufis are emphatic that Islamic
knowledge should be learned from
teachers and not exclusively from
books. Tariqas can trace their teachers
back through the generations to the Prophet himself. Modelling themselves on their teachers, students hope that
they too will glean something of the
Prophetic character. Although Sufis are relatively few in
number they have shaped Islamic
thought and history. Through the
centuries Sufis contributed hugely to
Islamic literature for example Rumi,
Omar Khayyám and Al-Ghazali's influence extended beyond Muslim
lands to be quoted by Western
philosophers, writers and theologians.
Sufis were influential in spreading
Islam particularly to the furthest
outposts of the Muslim world in Africa, India and the Far East. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions Top History and theology History and theology Several origins of the word 'sufi' have
been suggested. It may derive from
the word for 'wool' and the woollen
garments worn by early Sufis. It may
also have connections with the word
for 'purity' and another suggestion is that it has links with the Greek 'sophia'
or wisdom. However throughout history a Sufi
was most often understood to be a
person of religious learning who
aspires to be close to Allah. They
understand their purpose in life from
the verse of the Qur'an: I created the Jinns and humankind
only that they may worship me Quran 51:56 In pursuit of this goal of worshipping
Allah, Sufis belong to Tariqas, or
orders, established in the first few
centuries after the Prophet's death.
These orders have a master who will
teach sacred knowledge to others in the group. Although Tariqas have a long history,
in recent times some Muslims have
questioned the necessity of Tariqas
arguing that they were alien to the
Prophet himself. Sufis make a
convincing defence from the Qur'an and Sunna (what the Prophet said, did,
agreed to or condemned). Sufis acknowledge that Tariqas were
not established at the time of the
Prophet. They consider that the
Prophet his companions and their
immediate successors, the first three
generations, embodied Islamic mysticism but the phenomenon was
too general to have a specific name.
Later generations of Muslims became
distracted by worldliness and so
those, now in the minority, that were
dedicated to worshipping Allah were given the name Sufi. This turn of
events was eloquently described in
the 10th Century by Abu l-Hasan
Fushanji who said: Today Sufism is a name without a
reality. It was once a reality without a
name. Abu l-Hasan Fushanji, quoted in Lings, Martin, What is Sufism?, The Islamic Texts Society, 1999, pg 45 Although the word Sufism is absent
from prophetic speech, it's believed
Sufism's place in Islam is described by
the Prophet: Umar ibn al-Khattab, a companion of
the prophet, said: "One day we were sitting in the
company of Allah's Apostle (peace be
upon him) when there appeared
before us a man dressed in pure white
clothes, his hair extraordinarily black.
There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At
last he sat with the Apostle (peace be
upon him). He knelt before him placed
his palms on his thighs and said:
Muhammad, inform me about Islam. "The Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said: Islam implies that you
testify that there is no god but Allah
and that Muhammad is the messenger
of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay
Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House)
if you are solvent enough (to bear the
expense of) the journey. He (the
inquirer) said: You have told the truth. "It amazed us that he would put the
question and then he would himself
verify the truth. "He (the inquirer) said: Inform me
about Iman. "He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That
you affirm your faith in Allah, in His
angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in
the Day of Judgment, and you affirm
your faith in the Divine Decree about
good and evil. "He (the inquirer) said: You have told
the truth. He again said: Inform me
about Ihsan. "He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you
worship Allah as if you are seeing Him,
for though you don't see Him, He,
verily, sees you. "He (the enquirer) again said: Inform
me about the hour (of the Doom). "He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One
who is asked knows no more than the
one who is inquiring (about it). "He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of
its indications. "He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the
slave-girl will give birth to her mistress
and master, that you will find
barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying
with one another in the construction
of magnificent buildings. "Then he (the inquirer) went on his
way but I stayed with him (the Holy
Prophet) for a long while. He then, said
to me: Umar, do you know who this
inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His
Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel
(the angel). He came to you in order to
instruct you in matters of religion." Sahih Muslim, Book 1:Number 1 In this well-known hadith the angel
Gabriel asks about pivotal features of
the Islamic belief. They included Islam,
Iman, and Ihsan. Islam is the outward
practice of the religion. Iman is the
belief in the unseen and what the prophets have informed us of. Ihsan is
to worship Allah as though one sees
him. Traditionally scholars were able
to teach each of these essential parts
of Islam. The Imams of Sharia or 'sacred law' taught at the level of
Islam. The Imams of Aqida or 'tenets
of faith' taught Iman. The Imams of
Sufism taught at the level of Ihsan. The need to learn from a teacher is
based on the Quranic verses: Ask those who know if you know not Qur'an 16:43 And follow the path of him who turns
unto Me Qur'an 31:15 Top Practice Practice Sufis could be described as devout
Muslims; praying five times a day, giving to charity , fasting etc, they adhere strictly to the outward
observance of Islam. But they are
distinctive in nurturing theirs and
others' spiritual dimension. They are
aware that one of the names of the
Prophet was Dhikr Allah (Remembrance of God). Dhikr as practised by Sufis is the
invocation of Allah's divine names,
verses from the Qur'an, or sayings of
the Prophet in order to glorify Allah.
Dhikr is encouraged either individually
or in groups and is a source of tranquillity for Sufis. ...hearts become tranquil through the
remembrance of Allah Qur'an 13:28 Many Sufis have used the metaphor of
lovers to describe the state Dhikr
leaves them in. Sufis say adherence to
the Sharia manifests in the limbs and
Dhikr manifests in the heart with the
result that the outward is sober, the inner is drunk on divine love.