is different in many ways from Judaism and Christianity in its transcendental belief system. Most sects do believe in the power of Allah, but they cling closely to their belief on his prophet also. The Sunni and Shi'ite are distinct for their beliefs in the predominance of different imams, but there is one sect that is completely tied to the transcendental nature of Islam. This essay is about Sufi Islam and why it is the most transcendental of all religious sects. What is Sufi? This is a sect of
Introduction: The Sufi Movement: Sufism is a religious movement which arose from Islam in the 8th-9th centuries AD. Its followers seek to find truth and love through direct encounters with God. The name ‘Sufism’ is associated with the coarse wool garments that sufi saints wore as a mark of their rejection of worldly things. The method of their realizing God was the renunciation of the World and Worldly pleasures. They lived a secluded life. The Sufi movement consists of fraternal orders in which
two different sects, Sunni and Shi'i. These divisions have their own separate values and rituals that create an unconquerable schism between them. The gap, however, is somewhat bridged by a twist on the Islamic faith known as Sufism. The mystic ways of the Sufi society make it very appealing to both Sunnis and Shiites, not to mention the newcomers to the Islamic faith. Sufism uses the quality of unification and the quality of appeal to make it one of the strongest aspects of Islam. Sufism was founded
2.3 A God to be Remembered: The Sufi Practice of Dhikr In an interview on the Sufi concept of God’s oneness conducted in 2011, contemporary mystic Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee emphasised the ‘forgetfulness’ of today’s society. In the context of Sufism, this ‘forgetfulness does not refer to mere absent-mindedness but a kind of perpetual and periodic obliviousness to the centrality of God and the divine spark within. The goal of the Sufi then, is to maintain a constant state of remembrance of God through
(Rabi’a of Basra) in developing the Sufi tradition. What is Sufism? Islamic Mysticism, “the great spiritual current that goes through all religions”. Sufism is a mystical trend in Islam which is characterized by specific rituals, practices, values, and doctrines. Sufism started as far back as Muhammad. Occurring in both Shia and Sunni Islam, Sufism is not a discrete faction, as commonly assumed. Sufism is just a different way of a understanding the religion. Sufis strive to take the normal practice
In her book Sufi Commentaries on the Qur’an in Classical Islam, Kristin Zahra Sands concisely presents the major themes, styles, authors, and issues related to both Sufi and non-Sufi Qur’anic commentaries. She begins her analysis by acknowledging the ambitious endeavor of those academics who have written extensively on the subject before her, adding that she sees the goal of this book to be a further elucidation and examination of these accomplished studies. Since Sufism’s nascent days, the examinations
with the famed title of Islamic mysticism (Miller). Sufi Mysticism has always been criticized by Muslim scholars mainly because they share many things in common with mystics of other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism among others. Although its origins are not completely from Islam nor does it agree with all of Islam’s doctrines, Sufism has still been widely accepted by the Muslim community (Smith, 2005). The depth of the Sufis beliefs and principles begs to question the different
Sufi Teachers and Redefining the Traditional Student-Teacher Relationship "What does it mean-and more important, what should it mean--to be educated?" (58) A response to Spayd's begs another question. Is education the objective itself or the means to the objective? For some people education is just a degree, a piece of paper framed on the wall. One can say, a person with a diploma has received an education, but it is not certain that the person is educated. This paper relates to those individuals
controversial nature of the subject of Sufism becomes evident when one realizes that this short introduction already reveals a viewpoint which the Sufi would strongly disagree with. For, if the Sufi spiritual quest is to be viewed
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