Sufism

These passages from the Qur’an described Allah as an indivisible merciful God who guides Muslims. Allah was described as the compassionate “Lord of the Worlds,” who is the king of the day of judgement. These few statements revealed that the monolithic religion of Islam believes there is only one true God that rules over everything, not multiple. Another practice that is revealed, was their belief that God will guide Muslims in their daily lives, so that, they would reach Allah in heaven. Other Islamic practices that were revealed through the Qur’an: believing in the unseen, steadfast in prayer, and giving alms to the poor.

Santitarians believe in heaven, but do not believe in hell (About Santeria, 2013). Heaven is not viewed as a desired place to spend all eternity, they would rather live out the best life they can on earth (About Santeria, 2013). Heaven is considered a sort of relm. Santitarians believe in being recycled or ori (About Santeria, 2013). This is like reincarnation, however the energy helps the family and keeps recycling within the family (About Santeria, 2013). Ori is only an option if you lived a good life on earth. If a bad life was lived then once a Santitarian passes there is nothingness and no meaning (About Santeria, 2013). The ori and heaven are not options and there is no sort of

Daoism have different ideology system. Philosophical Daoism Originated in the early period and the core thought is Dao, English as Way or Path, and it is considered the origin of the universe and the laws that governs all movement in the universe. While Religious Daoism, it is the indigenous religion of China which belief in immortality and longevity. However it is based on ancient Chinese Daoism philosophy’ s ideology and theory. It promotes attaining Longevity of life by the process of nourishing, cultivation and refinement life and health. It also absorbs the concept of deities, folk ghosts, deities worship concepts and witchcraft activities. The religion advocates quietness, inaction and immortality. Religious Daoism use the way of immortal

The Sufi path is the means within the Islamic tradition of finding the ultimate answer to this basic question. And of discovering our real identity. Throughout the ages religions have sought to teach us who we are and through their inner teachings to provide the means of "becoming" our True Self. Islam is certainly no exception. It unveils the complete doctrine of our true nature and also the nature of the levels of reality issuing from the One, who alone is ultimately real, and provides teachings that, if put into practice, lead us back to the One through a path of spiritual effort combined with joy and felicity. The Quran asserts majestically, "Verily we come from God and to Him is our returning"(2:rs6). The One is of course that Supreme Source and End of all things whom Abraham, Moses, and Christ addressed as the One God and whom the Quran calls by his name in Arabic,

What this religion teaches is to find yourself as to become one with your soul and mind in all greatness. As to know the strength of your mind, and know

In this chapter we have discussed and learned about monotheism in Islam. There are five essential doctrines stated in the Qu’ran. The Divine Unity or also known as Tawhid means “to acknowledge as one”. In Islam their is a big belief in angels; they are said to be exist before humans and made of light. There are four archangels: Gabriel, Micheal, Israfil, and Izra’il. The Jinn is a non-viable being that is similar to a human but made of fire. Humans are ranked higher above angels because they have free will. In the Qu’ran there are over twenty prophets that are mentioned to speak with God. Muhammad is called the “seal” due to him being the last prophet fulfilling the prophecy closing out the Qu’ran. Prophets like Moses, Abraham, Noah, and Jesus

The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook says “That spiritual formation is about being transformed into the image of Christ “for the sake of others.”” It also says that “Keeping Company with Jesus is not just a private spiritual act, it is the way we share the Trinitarian life of God with others. We are meant to live in community in the same way God does. In the company of others we make our journey and learn to tell the truth about ourselves. Interacting with others we learn the vulnerability of giving and receiving love. The S disciplines connect us with this loving-one-another life of Christ’s body.”

Sufis insist on remembering God not only in a contemplative way but also by witnessing (mushahada) the “signs” (ayat) around them. Because, as some Sufis believe, God discloses Himself in every existing thing. One of the signs of such disclosure (tajalli) is the time itself; signs are also revealed in the Book and in the nature. Witnessing as well as embodying the signs, which is also a cultivated virtue, is called ihsan or “doing the beautiful,” to quote William C. Chittick (2000, 4-6), is a method of becoming a Muslim. It emphasizes on knowing, knowing one’s own self. This ihsan or “doing the beautiful” along with sincerity or ikhlas constitutes tasawwuf.

Within Sufism, Al-Ghazali defined the difference between Ilham (inspiration) and Ta’allum (reasoning or learning). He believes that inspiration and revelation in union with religion hold a superior position than reasoning that originates from philosophy. Rational knowledge, according to Al-Ghazali, is always relative to the senses. The knowledge of the senses, however, cannot be trusted as valid. True knowledge, known as the Truth, only comes through inspiration and revelation (McCarthy 378). Al-Ghazali introduces the aspect of God, or Allah, in the acquisition of perfect knowledge. “Inspiration can bring one closer to Allah than philosophical learning alone” (Inglis). Ultimately, this idea of Ilham brings with it the Supreme Reality which is equivalent to Truth (McCarthy 378). In practical terms, Al-Ghazali believes that the necessary Truths of the intellect begin from “a light which God most high cast into my breast. That light is the key to the greater part of knowledge” (Al-Ghazali 25). An individual can only experience this light of God if he or she has reached the “state.”

Islam, the last of the Western Religions, literally translates to “submission to god.” The philosophical ideals of this religion revolve around the oneness of God and his prophets. However, like all other religions in the world, Islam has spilt into many different sects. Sufism, one of the sects of Islam, is described as a path, suggesting both a beginning and final destination. This path comes without signs or directions; and is actually not even a physical road. It is trackless, so to find your way you 'd either need to already know the path, which is unlikely, or find someone who is already familiar with it. So the “someone” you need in order to find your way is a Sufi Master. James Fadiman and Robert Fragier state, “ The aim of Sufism is the elimination of all veils between the individual and god. Traveling this path one can acquire knowledge. God is the ultimate reality. Not this phenomenal world of multiplicity” ( Fadiman, 1). This is why a teacher is of central to all paths of spiritual training, because he or she embodies the teaching as a living representation of the tradition, and knows the path. The ideas of Sufism are all intertwined with a teacher student relationship.

     A Sufi tries to change the state in a person, to bring him closer to God.

The Sufi faith has had a long and rich history in the overall Islamic faith. Sufism has many distinguishing differences in its practices and beliefs from that of the other Islamic sects that we know of today. One thing I personally found interesting is how this particular sect of Islam isn’t as popularly spoken of like the Sunni and Shi'a sects of Islam. Some of the most interesting and distinctive differences in this division of Islam is are wool clothing that the Sufi’s wear along with the most popular practice they are known for, the Whirling Dervishes. Yet these faith has many similarities with many other religions and sects of Islam. Sufism though is a purely ascetic faith that also incorporates several aspects of mysticism. The main

The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in

The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a

The holy Quran is a collection of the divinely inspired utterances and discourses (Ahmed, 16). It is composed of some 300 pages which are divided into 114 Surahs (chapters). The general tone of the holy Quran is sombre and meditative. It is a dialogue between God and humanity. At the core is a moral earnestness (Ahmed, 16). The Quran also teaches that humanity is created by God and therefore God understands its weaknesses and in Allah humans find the source of peace. Islam’s appeal lay – and – lies in the simplicity: one God, one Book, one Prophet (Ahmed, 17). Islam is a religion of balance, equilibrium, and compassion. The Islamic virtues are courage, generosity, cleanliness, and piety: and in his life the Prophet exemplifies them (Ahmed, 17).