What is Sufi ?
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What is Sufism?
Sufism has come
to mean a wide range of beliefs that center on the quest for personal
enlightenment in the union with God. Sufis are sometimes described as the
mystics of Islam, but Sufism fits awkwardly in the categories of religions.
Technically Sufism is a denomination of Islam, however there are many Sufis that
are not Muslims and there are many Muslims that are reluctant to consider Sufism
part of Islam. One of the few concepts that Sufis seem to agree on is that all
religions offer a path to salvation or enlightenment and that true God
realization, no matter how it is achieved, transcends the limitations and
classification of any religion. Basically, a saint in any religion is equal to a
saint in any other religion because they are inspired by the same Divine source.
Initially the term Sufi referred only to those who had achieved God realization,
but it has since come to be applied to anyone who follows that particular
spiritual path. The name Sufi comes from “suf,” the Arabic word for wool or
“saf,” the Persian word for pure. The dervishes or advanced students of Sufism
wore inexpensive wool clothes as part of their life of renunciation.
Sufism and Islam
Sufism began as religious
teachers in the Middle East came to learn the Truth of Islam directly from
Mohammad. Masters who were “ordained” directly by Mohammad founded three major
Sufi schools or orders. The most essential mystical knowledge was then passed
down from each master to a disciple selected to follow as the leader of the
school. Other disciples were sent out as masters to establish new schools. A
Sufi school (ashram or convent) is often a community center that may include a
residence for the students and master, a school, hospital, orphanage or any
number of community services. Some of these services may be very modest and
others may be very extensive, but they are often a vital part of the local
community. Schools are sometimes set up near the tomb of a Sufi saint in order
to maintain the shrine and provide services to pilgrims, including places to
retreat and meditate. While mainstream Islam promotes community service, mosques
rarely umbrella such services beyond theological schools since mainstream Islam
distinguishes the needs of the spirit from the needs of the body.
There is no firm historical source for Sufism. Many of the early orders
were considered an integrated part of Islam, but as teachings were codified and
the elements of Shi’i and Sunni Islam became more distinct, Sufism emerged with
an identity. One of the basic ideas of Sufism is to minimize the self or
individual identity. Belonging to a particular group with a unique name is
contradictory to this effort. It is said, “a Sufi is one who is not,” and with a
philosophy that seeks the destruction of self-identity it is thought that Sufi’s
received their name from outsiders. Initially the term Sufi referred only to
those who had achieved God realization, but it has since come to be applied to
anyone who follows that particular spiritual path.
While
Sufism did not exist prior to Islam, Sufi doctrine contains many elements that
go beyond the teaching of Mohammad. Islam is an external structure in which the
individual exists while the internal quest for enlightenment belongs to a realm
of Sufi knowledge. This knowledge integrates Islam and ancient doctrine that
resembles elements of Greek Philosophy, Zoroastrianism and Hinduism that are
part of the Sufi path to God-realization. The most sacred knowledge of the Sufi
masters is not written and is passed to each generation orally, which makes it
somewhat difficult to historically trace the evolution of Sufi doctrine.
Nonetheless, it seems reasonable that the Sufi doctrine that differs the most
from the rest of Islam had its beginnings much earlier (although this is a very
non-Muslim view of Sufism). For many years these extra qualities created a great
deal of friction between mainstream Islam and the Muslim mystics. After
centuries of falling in and out of favor, Sufis became integrated and an
important central part of Islamic culture and society.
A
cornerstone of mysticism is that true knowledge of God is achieved directly and
not through an intermediary like a prophet, saint or priest. Over the centuries
this has led to a great deal of political conflict between mystics and
non-mystics. If a cleric or Priest behaves or commands something that seems in
conflict with dogma, the individual is not in a position to disagree as long as
there is no direct relationship between God and the individual.
Many Sufi orders encourage honoring Saints and Prophets by visiting
them if the are alive or their tombs if they have passed on. Pilgrims often will
go to ask for favors in the form of miracles or prosperity. In many communities
the pilgrims are people from other religions who come to the tombs in hopes of
finding favor or receiving miracles.
The high status afforded
saints in communities influenced by Sufism implies an alternative means to
communicate with God other than through the Imam, the Islamic clerics. In a
fundamentalist Islamic community the highest-ranking Imam is the supreme
authority, both politically and religiously, and Sufism presents a potential
conflict to this authority that has over the centuries led to persecution of
Sufis in several Arab countries. Saudi Arabia and Iran are two countries where
the tombs of Sufi saints have been destroyed. In some areas teachings of the
Sufi masters are held in high regard practicing Sufism is discouraged or even
criminalized.
Sufism Outside of Islam
The difference between Sufis and Islam is sometimes as extreme as
the difference between Mormons and Catholics, depending on the particular order.
Some Western Sufi orders have even completely divorced themselves from Islam
altogether. Yet, Sufism is integrated in Islam. The mystical aspects of Sufism
may have ancient influences, but these traditions center on what goes on within
a individual. Islam stresses service, virtue, honesty and charity, the essence
of Sufism and a foundation that is necessary for the inner spirituallity of
Sufism. It may seem that either Sufism influenced Islam or the other way around,
but there is little surviving recorded history that sheds light on this. Even
when an order does not incorperate Islam for the laws and practice of daily
life, there are disciplines and doctrine to the place of Islam.
Islam recognizes Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but they credit Mohammad for
reintroducing the true religion without contamination. Sufis extend this,
believing that all prophets and saints of all religions are inspired by the same
source and the rejection of any one is a rejection of the essential Truth behind
them all - the one God. That one God is absolute, extending beyond time or
space, and all that is within the universe is of God, including good and evil.
Tenants of Sufism
The basic Sufi
tenants are slightly different from order to order with some variations,
additions and/or subtractions, but generally they include the following.
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<>• <>There is only one God, and that God
possesses everything. In some orders God is everything and nothing; all that we
can perceive and all that we cannot.
• Since God is in your Heart, God is always very
close even when humanity is very far from God. Some Sufis believe that since God
is in all of us. To truly love God we must love every human and every component
of creation, which are considered to be aspects of God.
• There are four Holy Scriptures
including the Torah, the Psalms of David, the Gospels of Jesus and the Qu'ran
(this is aligned with Islam so it may differ in some orders). There are also
hundreds of other works revealed by prophets including books by Sufi saints.
• Nothing happens without God’s will, and
Human will is very critical, but it exists within the context of Divine will.
• Because of God’s will, all things, good
and bad, are from God.
• Life
as we know it is an illusion, and the true life revealed when we reach in the
hereafter. Some orders go as far as to describe this process of reality beyond
illusion as reincarnation, which is a distinct departure from mainstream Islam.
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The Sufi Way
The Sufi Way consists of four stages. The
first stage involves learning the morality and ethics of all religion, which is
accomplished by studying Islam. Non-Islamic Sufis rely on other religions or the
writings of Sufi saints to establish the foundation of morals and ethics. The
second stage is the path of Sufism, which is a focus on internal practices in
the same way that Islam offers the external practices of law and worship. The
first two stages are accomplished through practice and imitation, basically
surrendering blindly to rituals. The third stage is where the aspirant begins to
understand the meaning behind the teaching and practices, experiencing God
within and the mystical states of Sufism. The fourth stage is ma'rifah or
gnosis. This is where the knowledge of God is realized and is only achieved by
prophets, great masters and saints. The goal of following the Sufi way (or to be
devoted to any other religion) is not to become a saint, but rather to align
your life with the will of God and to do all that you can to accept and live by
God’s Grace. Indeed, if your goal is to become a saint, it is all but
assured that because of your own desires you will never become one.
Sufism in the West
Sufism is much more
complex than this description, but each order or school has its own unique
departure from the most general concept of Sufism outlined here. There are
dozens of Sufi orders in the West. Many represent orders in the East and adhere
to Islam. Other Western orders allow non-Muslims to study the path, although the
Master is usually a teacher in the direct line that goes back to those who were
ordained by Mohammad. There are also a growing number of orders with teachers
that are not in that direct line and have broken with Islam altogether.
Meher Baba's teachings are non-denominational and most of his followers
are not Sufi. Sufism Reioriented is a group that has embraced Meher Baba's
teachings and has published some of his most important books. The organization
has roots with Hazrat Inayat Khan, a Master that came to this country soon after
the turn of the century. It should be said that Sufism Reoriented is not
considered to be within the mainstream Islamic Sufism movement in the West.
Meher Baba's teachings are intended to free Sufism so that those from other
religions may embrace it. Meher Baba described all religions like rivers flowing
to the ocean. Only the rivers are all dry now as the water is misdirected from
the main stream, and the ocean must flood the rivers. In his meditative work
Meher Baba may have re-oriented all religions towards the ocean of one God,
although Sufism is the one in which he offered the most direct guidance through
his writing.
No matter how it is explained, Sufism and any
related movement is a spiritual force that is spreading. Jesus stated that
loving God with all of your heart, soul and mind is the greatest commandment and
that the second is love your neighbor as yourself. In no religion is this held
to be more absolute and uncompromising than in Sufism. Every minuscule detail of
Sufi doctrine, in virtually all denominations, holds these commandments to be
all-important. If in your own heart, through your own beliefs, you can also
embrace and live by these commandments of Christ, then your salvation and your
union with God are in progress. For those that do not find the alignment and
continuity in your own religion to follow these commandments, Sufism may be a
place to learn more.
Sufism in your Life
Remember, to be a Sufi is to be no more than a student of a school.
The Sufi way is one that is accepting (not just tolerant) of all other
religions, and some orders welcome non-Muslims while encouraging continued
participation in one’s own faith. For others, the extraordinary discipline and
focus of Islamic life may be an essential component of a new spiritual path.
Yet, to be a student is to choose your own commitment to study. Your encounter
with Sufism may be no more than reading the works of Sufi Saints and the study
of Sufi Philosophy to serve as simple spiritual inspiration. Whatever your
circumstances, I encourage you to embrace your faith to find strength and
direction in your own life. I introduce you to Sufism as a potential source of
sustenance and direction along the way.
For anyone interested in
mysticism, the study of Sufism is an area of riches. Mysticism in many ways
provides a bridge between individual religions by exploring the experiences of
personal spirituality. A good first encounter with Sufism would be through
reading the works of the ancient Sufi poet Rumi, who is currently the best
selling poet in this country. Certainly anyone with spiritual interests of any
religion will find rewards in an exploration and further understanding of
Sufism. <>
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