Sufism

History
Hasan al Basari, Hallaj is one of the pioneer
of sufism
Ibne Rushd is famously known for his
literary sufic works.
Sufism emerged during the Islamic Golden
Age from about the 9th to 10th centuries.

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Arabic definitions
The derivations of Sufi
suf, wool, garment of ascetic denial
safa’, “purity” (mentioned by Syedna al
Moayyid al Shirazi.)
safwa, “the elite”
Ahl al-suffa, “the people of the bench” (early
Muslims who shared everything in common)

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Arabic definitions
Tasawwuf, “becoming a Sufi” explained by
teaching definitions

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3. Who overlaps with whom?
A quick vocabulary check

Sunni Sufis, and Shi`i Sufis

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Sufism- Overview
Sufism “belongs to the sciences of the
religious law that originated in Islam”
Divine worship, devotion to God, aversion
from the world, abstinence from wealth,
retirement into solitude for worship – all
common among early Muslims
Special name “Sufi” developed a couple of
centuries later [compare special technical
terms of Islamic law and hadith]
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Characteristics of Sufism
Asceticism
Intuitive perception of psychological states
and stations
Self-scrutiny and quest for knowledge and
unity with God
Special language for inner experience,
parallel to other fields of religious
knowledge

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Sufism- Beliefs
Philosophical psychology as an explanation
of Sufi experiences
“Removal of the veil” as a key metaphor for
perception that goes beyond the senses
Different views on God as separate or one
with creatures (p. 362); alleged similarity
with philosophical and Christian views
Disapproval of Sufis by legal scholars
(muftis, who give anti-Sufi fatwa decrees)
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Beliefs
1. “pious exertions” of meditation and
worship
2. Removal of the veil, perception of
supernatural realities
3. The operation of divine grace in the world
4. Ecstatic expressions that arouse suspicion
(“I am the truth” – Hallaj)  These are the
primary problem; they should be
disapproved or reinterpreted
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Practices
“Saints” or living friends of God
Problems with using the term “saint”
Tombs as centers of pilgrimage: local forms
Masters (shaykh, pir) and disciples (murid)
“Chains” (silsila) of master and disciple,
going back to the Prophet [Sufi “orders”]
“Ways” (tariqa) taught by orders
Veneration of the Prophet
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Practices
Oath of Allegiance (al bai’ah)
Esotericism (al taweel)
Vird
Vajd
Khirqah
Noor e Mohammedi
Khalwat
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Orders of Sufism
Current Sufi orders
include Ba'Alawiyya, Chishti, Khalwti
, Naqshbandi, Nimatullahi,
Oveyssi, Qadria
Noshahia, Qadiriyyah, Qalandariyya, ,
Shadhliyya and Suhrawardiyya.

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Tomb of Mu`in al-Din Chishti
(Ajmer, India, d. 1235)

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Tomb of Ahmadu Bamba
(Khādimu 'r-Rasūl)(Touba, Senegal,)

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Scale of Sufi shrine pilgrimage
Ajmer receives 1.5 million pilgrims at the
annual festival
Touba receives over 2 million pilgrims
Neither pilgrimage center is aware of or
connected to the other
Both challenge the hajj to Mecca in size
To what extent should they be considered
marginal in modern Islam?
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More institutional developments
Chanting the Arabic names of God as a
ritual of remembrance (dhikr)
Rituals of music, recitation of poetry
Sometimes arms-length from politics,
sometimes tightly involved
Abolition of Sufism in Turkey by secular
govt., in Saudi Arabia by fundamentalists
Modern phenomenon of Sufism for non-
Muslims
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Conclusion
The reality of Sufism is vested in Fatemi
faith as stated by Syedna al Moayyid al
Shirazi ra.

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