Sufism - The Other Side Of Islam
20:09Namaste,
Today I want to talk about Sufism. It's probably the most spiritual form of the Islamic religion. The purpose of this post is not to convince you that this is the only way to the One or something like that, but to give you another perspective on the Islamic culture.
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| Source: http://www.irantravelingcenter.com/sufism/ |
"Sufism is defined as the mystical inner dimensiom of Islam." [1]
Definition
The mystics of Islam are called Sufis and their way of life is called Sufism. The term Sufi is assumed to have two origins. One is from the word ṣafā (صفاء), which in Arabic means "purity". The other origin is ṣūf (صُوف), "wool" in Arabic, referring to the woolen garments of the early Islamic ascetics. Sufi al-Rudhabari connected these two origins by saying, "The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity".
The Sufis are also generally known as “the poor,” fuqarāʾ, plural of the Arabic faqīr, in Persian darvīsh, whence the English words fakir and dervish.
The Islamic mysticism or the practice of Sufis is called taṣawwuf, which in Arabic literally means "to dress in wool". Mainstream Islamic scholars use the terms Tasawwuf or Sufism as the name of the inner esoteric dimension of Islam. The Sufis however refer to Tasawwuf as an aspect of Islam similar to Sharia, inseperable to Islam and an integral part of Islamic belief and practice.
So far to the meaning of the term Sufi and Sufism, there is one unanswered question left: What actually is Sufism?
Definition
The mystics of Islam are called Sufis and their way of life is called Sufism. The term Sufi is assumed to have two origins. One is from the word ṣafā (صفاء), which in Arabic means "purity". The other origin is ṣūf (صُوف), "wool" in Arabic, referring to the woolen garments of the early Islamic ascetics. Sufi al-Rudhabari connected these two origins by saying, "The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity".
The Sufis are also generally known as “the poor,” fuqarāʾ, plural of the Arabic faqīr, in Persian darvīsh, whence the English words fakir and dervish.
The Islamic mysticism or the practice of Sufis is called taṣawwuf, which in Arabic literally means "to dress in wool". Mainstream Islamic scholars use the terms Tasawwuf or Sufism as the name of the inner esoteric dimension of Islam. The Sufis however refer to Tasawwuf as an aspect of Islam similar to Sharia, inseperable to Islam and an integral part of Islamic belief and practice.
So far to the meaning of the term Sufi and Sufism, there is one unanswered question left: What actually is Sufism?
What is Sufism?
The substance of Sufism is the Truth and the meaning of Sufism is the selfless experiencing and actualization of the Truth. Truth can also be named as God, Being, the Universe, etc.. The practice of Sufism is to go towards the Truth, by love and devotion. The spiritual path to God or the Truth is called tarigat. The Sufi is a lover of the Truth, who by means of love and devotion moves towards the Truth, the perfection we are truly seeking. As necessitated by love's jealousy, the sufi is taken away from all except the Truth.
Dhikr
Through their daily meditation, called Dhikr (remembering God, commemorate), they are seeking to approach God or to unify with God in the earthly life. Mansur al-Halladsch, who believed to have merged with God, once said, "I am the truth" or "I am God". Unfortunately he was damned as a heretic by the orthodoxy and executed in public.
When Sufis reach this certain state, they often times fall into trance, which is by the way only a sideeffect and not the real goal of the Dhikr. One example of Sufis, who experience this trance state, are the Whirling Dervish (as seen in the picture at the beginning) . They fall in trance by spinnin around their axis during their Dhikr.
Love
The center of their philosophy is love, which is always been refered to the devotion to God. Al-Ghazali is calling love to God as the highest stage and even as the actual end goal of the stations on the way to God. Jesus of Nazareth or Isa bin Maryam is seen as "the prophet of love" in the Islamic culture.
Stations
On the way to the Truth or God a Sufi has to master following stages:
- Scharia ("Islamic law")
- Tariqa ("The mystic way")
- Haqiqa ("Truth")
- Ma'rifa ("Realization")
Sufis look at these stages as the "doors" to the way to God, which are not located next to each other, instead successively or even better "into each other". You first have to went through one door to work on the next one.
Ibn Arabi describes these stages as follows:
Ibn Arabi describes these stages as follows:
- On the level of Scharia there is "yours and mine".
The religious law rules about individual rights and ethical relationships between humans. - On the level of Tariqa ther is "yours mine and mine yours".
As a dervish it is expected from you to treat each other as brothers and sisters, and letting them take part in your joys, your love and your property. - On the level of Haqiqa there is "neither yours nor mine".
Advanced Sufis know that everything comes from God and that they are only the custodians and own actually nothing. The ones, who realize the Truth, are not interested in possessions, outer appearances, prominence or social status. - On the level of Ma'rifa there is "no you and no me".
The individual one realizes that nothing and no one is seperated from God. It's the highest goal in Sufism.
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| Source: http://www.thoughtpursuits.com/religion-corpse-sufism-become-alive/ |
These are only the bits of information I've found "important" or "necessary" to understand the mystical side of Islam and in my eyes the true side of Islam. Sufism is so versatile that I can't provide all the information which are available. I only wanted to show you that even in one of the most violent religions there is something hidden from the mainstream public. It's the love. Like the Sufis, we too are looking for the connection with God or the Universe. We too are opening our heart to let love through. And we too want to disconnect as much as possible from the materialistic world. The first time I've read about Sufism, I was very curious and very surprised. The way they see life and what the main purpose of it is, resonated deeply within me. I've felt so connected, that I consider to have lived as a dervish in one of my earlier lifes.
We know so little about Islam and still we judge this religion as being unrespectful to women and to bring up ISIS. This is only partly true, but it is amplified by the media to provoke fear. To give you another view of the philosophies of Sufism or the spiritual way of Islam, here are some qoutes:
We know so little about Islam and still we judge this religion as being unrespectful to women and to bring up ISIS. This is only partly true, but it is amplified by the media to provoke fear. To give you another view of the philosophies of Sufism or the spiritual way of Islam, here are some qoutes:
"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself. 'Is it true?' At the second ask, 'Is it necessary?' At the third ask, 'Is it kind?'" - Sufi saying
"The greatest Jihad is to battle your own soul, to fight the evil within yourself." - Prophet Muhammad
"There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen." - Rumi
"Sufism and yoga are one and the same. They are just words, in wisdom there is no difference. All teachings are absolutely the same. There are only different paths to the One." - Irina Tweedie
"A Sufi holy man was asked what forgiveness is. He said, 'It is the fragnance that flowers give, when they are crushed'" - Unknown
Namaste.
I used the information from the following websites and I am deeply grateful for that:
http://www.nimatullahi.org/what-is-sufism/
http://www.nimatullahi.org/what-is-sufism/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism
http://www.religionfacts.com/sufism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sufism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sufism
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufismus
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