Sufism: Doctrine, Order, and Practice
Ayoub Laissouf
Sufism
Introduction Beside the exterior cannon law (sharia) exists the interior way (tariqa) of mysticism which is a religious movement within Shii and Sunni Islam. Whereas the Islamic law offers the exoteric path of rights and duties to organize the life of the community and individual, Sufism provides a spiritual discipline or an esoteric way which is a method that the Sufi follows to know God and find the true knowledge. As the other mystical movements in Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, Sufi way is a path of purification (tasawwuf) with the discipline of body and mind and with the goal of direct personal experience of Allah. Sufism has spread in Asia and Africa and has become popular preachers and great missionaries of Islam. According to Schimmel, Sufism is, “A belief and a practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of God and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom in the world.” Sufis are not completely satisfied with the practices of the traditional Islamic path of life, which is constituted formal or official in the Islamic law. They abhor the world’s temptations. Besides, they have a strong desire to return to what existed in time of the prophet Mohammad, a pious life that was full of simplicity and purity. According to Esposito, “They were driven by a deep devotional love of God that culminated in a quest for a direct, personal experience of the presence of God in this life.”(124) Theses Sufis pursue an ascetic lifestyle that is based on detachment from the material world which they believe it pushes Muslims away from God, repentance, and faith. Moreover, they show their detachments through wearing woolen garments that earn them the name faqir. They devote themselves to prayers and fasting;
Sufism
Introduction Beside the exterior cannon law (sharia) exists the interior way (tariqa) of mysticism which is a religious movement within Shii and Sunni Islam. Whereas the Islamic law offers the exoteric path of rights and duties to organize the life of the community and individual, Sufism provides a spiritual discipline or an esoteric way which is a method that the Sufi follows to know God and find the true knowledge. As the other mystical movements in Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, Sufi way is a path of purification (tasawwuf) with the discipline of body and mind and with the goal of direct personal experience of Allah. Sufism has spread in Asia and Africa and has become popular preachers and great missionaries of Islam. According to Schimmel, Sufism is, “A belief and a practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of God and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom in the world.” Sufis are not completely satisfied with the practices of the traditional Islamic path of life, which is constituted formal or official in the Islamic law. They abhor the world’s temptations. Besides, they have a strong desire to return to what existed in time of the prophet Mohammad, a pious life that was full of simplicity and purity. According to Esposito, “They were driven by a deep devotional love of God that culminated in a quest for a direct, personal experience of the presence of God in this life.”(124) Theses Sufis pursue an ascetic lifestyle that is based on detachment from the material world which they believe it pushes Muslims away from God, repentance, and faith. Moreover, they show their detachments through wearing woolen garments that earn them the name faqir. They devote themselves to prayers and fasting;
Cited: Esposito, John L. Islamic the Straight Path. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Forth Edition. 2011. Connell, Monette. Mysticism in the 21st Century. Wilsonville: Sirius Academic Press. 2013. "Sufism." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. . Sufism. http://www.bbc.co.uk/. 2009-09-08. . 09 Dec. 2013.