Four characteristics of Sufism, or Islamic Mysticism, reveal the Sufi's legacy on the Islamic community.
Al-Basri, al-Adawiyyah and others like them attracted followers who shared their ideas and came to learn from them. These individuals, in turn, attracted students of their own. And in this way, the ideas of asceticism and absolute devotion to God spread through the Islamic community. (Islam: World Religions; Islam: Faith, Culture, History).
One characteristic for the Sufis is that nothing was more important than the presence of God in the world. The Sufis saw life as a kind of journey in which one was constantly seeking a direct experience of God. Many of them believed that they way to seek that experience was to study the Koran and Hadith and to pray regularly. In short, to live the simple and disciplined life of a devout Muslim. Other Sufis disagreed, however. They felt that although prayer, the study of the Koran, and other duties of Muslims were necessary to a religious life, these things were not enough. A second characteristic is that they sought a more direct and emotional experience of God. As ideas and ritual practices developed by the Sufis spread, informal study groups gathered in mosques or homes. By the start of the 10th century Sufi centers were established in which a Sufi master would serve as teacher and leader to followers. Some of these followers would go on to become teachers themselves, and many of their students would do the same in their turn. Thus, Sufism was passed on from generation to generation. (Islam: World Religions; Islam: Faith, Culture, History).
By the 12th century, Sufi centers could be found in cities, towns, and many rural areas throughout the Middle East and Africa. These centers often included schools, mosques, and hostels where students could find a meal and a place to sleep. The heart of these centers was the house of the Sufi master, or shaykh. It was there where the Shaykh would conduct classes and lead followers through rituals.
The inner nafs need to be controlled in both Islam and Sufism. ... Western scholars view Sufism as an opposite of Islam. ... Sufism's basic acceptance as an interpretation of Islam has survived because Islam has no one correct interpretation. ... Sufism is an interpretation of Islam and is a minority within Islam. ... The inner nafs need to be controlled in both Islam and Sufism. ...
This central belief of Sufism solves a grievance with Islamic thinking, e.g., how can one worship something without knowing it? ... Sufism is an expansion of Islam's divine submission, involving an enlightened inner being, though not intellectual proof, revelations, witnessing, and logic. ... In an age where the single person has more empowerment and liberty then in any time past, Sufism has the potential to emerge as a product of Islam with contemporary relevance. ... By stressing the principles of Sufism, namely divine communication and interpretation, Westerners might begin to perce...
Sufism Sufism, otherwise known as Islamic Mysticism, is a branch of Islam. ... Normally these people who give their good deeds away are known as dervishes (this is quite different from the belief in Islam). ... In Islam, God's presence isn't seen, because He has too much power for the human eyes to see. ... Besides the interpretations of dreams, submission is also very important in Sufism. ... The term Islam means "Submission to the will of God." ...
The notion of articulation of Islam can mean the way in which Islam was interpreted and transmitted by different individual scholars and subsequently, well-established schools of thoughts. ... In fact, the materials upon which scholars could work were vast in nature, Shari"a constitution Qur"an and Sunna, Sufism and Greek thought were part of how Islam was being articulated during the Abassid period. ... Shari"a constituted a line of study in the context of articulation of Islam. ... Without doubt, the Q, Shari"a, Sufism and Greek Thought were part of how Islam was being articulated during...
Sufism "often referred to as Islamic mysticism "emphasizes the beneficence of God and the spirit of faith and submission. Sufism developed in the 7th century alongside the emergence of formal Islam in the Middle East and spread to Africa in the 12th century AD. ... Sufism got its content and its rituals inside Islam, but it also picked up elements from older religious practices. ... But Islam, and Sufis, has traveled far and wide over the centuries. Today, Sufism has an estimated 9 million followers. ...
Islam's Origins and Beliefs: Basic Islamic Teachings Beliefs Islam has seven main beliefs. ... Holidays There are only two official holidays in Islam. ... Names Islam does not require a person to change his or her name. ... Sufi: Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. ... Nation of Islam: Although an Arab immigrant founded the Nation of Islam, its followers' religious viewpoints strayed from Islam's central tenants by preaching racial separation. ...
" [Bri71]4 PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT EPISTEMOLOGY-BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF IKHWAN US SAFA FOUNDATION OF BASIC ISLAMIC THOUGHT: In Islam, the Quran (Book of God) is accepted as the supreme source of knowledge. ... [Dia]3 SUNNI SUFISM: Al-Ghazali was mainly responsible for infusing esoteric tradition into Sunni Islam. ... "He realized that there was no way to certain knowledge except through Sufism. ... "[Dia]3, [Fra]3 He worked to revive Islam by reconstructing the religious sciences upon the basis of Sufism, and the theoretical foundation of philosophy. ... My exploration ...
He's a controversial, yet powerful, figure in Salafi Islam, and his words resonate with the Muslim community. ... When we use tawhid in Islamic fashion, it implies believing in the ultimate unity of Allah. ... The softer stance on interactions with Sufis that Qadhi has taken over the years could actually be seen as positive in Taymiyya's eyes who "never condemned Sufism itself, but only such deviations such as monism, antinomianism, and esotericism."" Taymiyya would agree that all Muslims must take actions on their own to seek true Islam, rather than blindly following or simply iden...
Akbar's state policy in the field of religion was determined by his Turko-Mughal traditions; the movement of Hindu-Muslim rapprochement, spearheaded by the Bhakti saints and liberal Sufis; Akbar's own inquisitive nature and his abiding interest in Sufism. ... His exposure philosophical discourses further fed his inquisitive mind and encouraged him to initiate the process of reexamination of the important aspects of Islamic theology and jurisprudence, which were the main topics of discussions in the early part of the Ibadat Khana. ...
