Sufism is traditional in morocco, but has seen a growing revival with the renewal of sufism under contemporary spiritual teachers such as hamza al qadiri al boutchichi. Indeed, most sufis in the world today are muslim and many of them would consider a nonislamic sufism impossible. Certainly, it is a practice that has imprinted itself on the folds of human experience. For a mysterious purpose, man was outwardly created of clay and god breathed life into him, and all of the angels were commanded to. An inquiry in order to understand sufism and its origin we must briefly touch on the elements of studies that have been undertaken in the hope of understanding sufism, and so examine the accuracy of the conclusions that scholars have drawn. The origin and essence of man man is the mystery of god. In fact sufism was in existence even before the time the prophet muhammad even though it gained recognition and popularity as a dogma only after the coming of the prophet. Abbasid caliphate, was also the golden age of sufism. Had sufism as commonly been viewed as an attempt to adapt islam in hindu tradition, the philosophy of twonation theory would not have emerged.
While the orthodox muslims depend upon external conduct and blind observance of religious rituals, the sufi saints seek inner purity. Despite these general stages, however, the history of islamic mysticism is largely a history of individual mystic experience. Sufism in india a bloodied history indiafactsindiafacts. Shaykhulislam dr muhammad tahirulqadri recommended for you. However islamic scholars predating the islamic golden age were referred to as sufis, like hasan of basra. Indeed, sufism is the lowest and vilest of schemes, which the devil innovated so that the servants of allaah can mock and ridicule along with him in his war against allaah and his messengers. Nicholson 1966 edition, the spiritual content of that common element can best be appreciated in jewish, christian and islamic mysticism, which bears.
Jan 15, 2014 shaikh abdurrahmaan alwakeel, may allaah have mercy on him, said in the introduction of the book the downfall of sufism. Sufis claim that every verse of the quran has an external meaning and an internal meaning. Islamic mysticism had several stages of growth, including 1 the appearance of early asceticism, 2 the development of a classical mysticism of divine love, and 3 the rise and proliferation of fraternal orders of mystics. After centuries as the most important asceticmystical strand of islam, sufism saw a sharp decline in the twentieth century, only to experience a stunning revival in recent decades. The european historian sometimes traces the history of sufism by noticing the actual occurrence of this word and by referring only to those schools which have definitely wished to be known by this name.
The th century, though politically overshadowed by the invasion of the mongols into the eastern lands of islam and the end of the. Gabriel told muhammad that god had commissioned muhammad as his last prophet. Sufism is a way of life in which a deeper identity is discovered and lived. During the earlier period of islams inception, susm emerged. Islam a brief overview of the history of islam the origin of islam is placed around 610 ce when muhammad, a highly spiritual and religious man who spent months in praying and self contemplation in a secluded cave near the town of mecca, is thought to have received divine messages.
The following article is taken from the journal sufism. Origin of sufism, origin of tasawwuf,origin of sufi,origin of. The term sufi derives from the arabic word suf meaning wool and was applied to muslim ascetics and mystics because they wore garments made out of wool. A short introduction to origin, beginning and history of sufism or tasawwuf 76 observed incessant prayer and fasting as did the prophet muhammad s. The greek root myein, to close the eyes, is also the root. Sufism has been a prominent movement within islam throughout most of its history. The sufis note to the teacher when i was in graduate school at the graduate theological union in berkeley. Pdf sufism tasawwuf is the name given to mysticism in islam. The question that arises, are they really muslims, and are they practicing islam. In discussing the intricate and somewhat complex relationship between shi. Sufism its origin and impact on indian islam asghar ali engineer sufism has recently gained in popularity outside muslim circles, particularly sufi music. Sufis and sufism is just a synonym of islam and muslim. Is the origin of the word soofism from ahlussuffah people of assuffah.
Introduction 1 sources li origin and development of sufism in islam ill the advent of islam and early history of sufism in india iv the advent of islam in bengal. Dec 08, 2007 sufism has been a prominent movement within islam throughout most of its history. Not only are these matters interesting to the student of comparative religion. Sufism is a discipline, a system of education that facilitates the journey of selfknowledge, a journey which enables the individual to discover his stable reality, and ultimately the reality of religion. Demonstrates that the spiritual state of those who employ a religious text is as important as the text itself in determining the social role of the text. Sufi music is attracting attention internationally. Introduction in the polemical writings of the sunnis, it is asserted that sunni islam is the orthodox islam whereas shiism is a heretical sect that began with the purpose of subverting islam from within. History of sufism reveals that it has followed a long period of evolution since the time of its inception. The hindu revivalist movement like arya samaj was a reaction to politicisation of the doctrine of sufism, which widened the gap of mistrust between the two major religious communities of south asia.
There are signs of god everywhere in the universe and in man himself. This first part defines sufism, mentions its origins and how it differs from islam in the concept of belief in god, belief in the prophet muhammad may the blessing and mercy of god be upon him and belief in heaven and hell. The core principles of sufism are tawakkul absolute trust in. This is why the interior reality of sufism tasawwuf characterizes the practices of the ascetics of the first generations even though. It grew out of an early ascetic movement within islam, which sought to counteract the worldliness that came with the rapid expansion of the muslim community. Beyond the history, sufism tasawwuf embodies the deeper spirituality of islam. Some european scholars find the origin of this philosophy in the teaching of islam, others connect it with buddhism.
The revelations muhammad received until his death in 632 constitute the quran, islams holy book. They claim that there are great resemblances between the soofee adept and ahlusuffa. This website is for people of various faiths who seek to understand islam and muslims. A weekly online meditation with shaikh kabir helminski, camille, and other members of the threshold community, every sunday on zoom. Origin of sufism in its earliest form, sufi teachings stressed that an individual should give more emphasis to the spiritual aspects of islam, a.
They believe that there were two dimensions to the revelations received by the prophet. To attain this his first lesson is unshakable belief in the existence of god and unconditional surrender to his will. Sufism went through three different stagestaifa stage, khanqah stage and tariqa stage. The aim of sufis is to gain direct knowledge of the eternal, in this life, as opposed to the exoteric, or traditionalist, aspect of islam which focuses on achieving a state of. Islam as muslims with complete submission to allaah. Sufism entered india in the 12th century with muslim invaders and became popular in the th century. The traditional view is that sufism is the mystical school of islam and had its beginnings in the first centuries following the life of the prophet mohammad. Before jumping the gun, i have to make mention that there are many sites, articles and books that have been written and put together, but most talk about sufism in an emotional.
Following the entrance of islam in the early 8th century, sufi mystic traditions became more visible during the 10th and 11th centuries of the delhi sultanate and after it to the rest of india. Some sources state that sufism is the inner dimensions of the teachings of muhammad whereas others say that sufism emerged during the islamic golden age from about the 8th to 10th centuries. Each individual is the architect of his or her own environment. This deeper identity, or essential self, has abilities of awareness, action, creativity and love that are far beyond. Understanding the concept of islamic sufism shahida bilqies research scholar. The word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the prophet muhammad pbuh and by his close companions. Objectives as a result of this lesson, students will be able to outline the fundamental beliefs of sufism evaluate the role of sufism within egypt materials student handout. The term is taken from the root word in arabic suf which means wool.
Though, sufism was introduced in india immediately after its origin, it entered. Pdf an analytical study of rise and development of sufism. The earliest form of sufism arose under the umayyad dynasty 661749. Sufism is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of islam. Sufism is one of the few spiritual paths that recognizes, embraces, and encourages a universal religious sentiment that transcends differences of gender, culture, and politics. Sufis trace the origin of sufism or tasawwuf to the prophet of islam. Sufism represents a dimension of islamic religious life that has frequently been viewed by muslim theologians and lawyers with suspicion. But one can never say that islam was spread by the sword 12 here it can be deduced that the idea of islam spreading in a peaceful manner through sufism is problematised to an extent, and it is held that sufism almost always followed, or came hand in hand with the use of sword and enforced authority.
Some principles of sufism, the role of the sheikh, the covenant, dhikr and sufisms stance on the interpretation of the quran. Sufism is more than just the inner or esoteric dimension of islam, nasr 5. The term sufism was originally introduced into european languages in the 18th century by orientalist scholars, who viewed it mainly as an intellectual doctrine and literary tradition at variance with what they saw as sterile monotheism of islam. Sufism origin and development dr saleh as saleh pdf articles extracted from the above ebook. There is no sufism without islam because sufism is the spirituality or mysticism of the religion of islam. Some scholars traced the seeds of soofism to the early stages of the second century of the hijri calendar, while others pointed out that the early features of it began before the year 200 after hijrah ah. The numerous sufi religious establishments in india were the major means of spreading islam and adapting it to indigenous cultural tradition islamic mysticism in india by nagendra kumar singh, former chairman, islamic research foundation, delhi. The below books are nearly all pdf files requiring the use of acrobat reader. Sufi music congregations are taking place in several western countries, particularly in usa.
Sufism is a highly developed system based on process of thought and action which demands absolute love towards god and service to humanity. This deeper identity, beyond the already known personality, is in harmony with all that exists. Nonmuslims often mistake sufism as a sect of islam. The life of a sufi is the life of the spirit regulated strictly in accordance with islamic theology and traditions. Sufism in the sense of mysticism and quietism, was a natural development of the ascetic tendencies which. Farida khanam sufism tasawwuf is the name given to mysticism in islam. Sahabi companion was the only title given to the muslims of that period. Sufism is popular in such african countries as egypt, tunisia, algeria, morocco, and senegal, where it is seen as a mystical expression of islam. First english translation of an important and popular work by an exceedingly influential premodern figure. The presence of sufism has been a leading entity increasing the reaches of islam throughout south asia. This first part defines sufism, mentions its origins and how it differs from islam in the concept of belief in god, belief. Sufism is a muslim movement whose followers seek to find divine truth and love through direct encounters with god.
If judaism, christianity and islam have no little in common in spite of their deep dogmatic differences, remarks the editor of the mysticism of islam by r. Sufism has a history in india evolving for over 1,000 years. Sufism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Despite the fact that except prophet mohammad, the sainthood in islam has been a debatable issue, sufism of various orders in the name of their founder saints has become a universal aspect of islam. This is especially the case as susm represents a current that intersects with the tenets and the fundamentals embraced by all religions. In their assessment of the sufi writings, they failed to give due consideration to the esoteric aspect of the quran and the enormous literature on the sayings. Introduction 1 sources li origin and development of sufism.
It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. The lower strata of hindu community appear to be greatly attracted by the ideas of social equality and fraternity of islam. Sufism is rejected by the more conservative elements of islam, who are put off by the unorthodox sufi ways of prayer. Sufism tasawwuf is the name given to mysticism in islam. By ascribing a mysical meaning to any quranic verse, sufis are able to uphold any concept they desire. Introduction 1 sources li origin and development of. There are many opinions regarding the origin of this word.
A pathbreaking history of sufism, from the earliest centuries of islam to the present. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. It also gave birth to fraternities in sufi orders i. Arabi created a comprehensive theosophical system concerning the relation of god and the world. According to sufism, only the sufi sheikhs have the understanding of the internal mystic meaning. This happened in spite of the famous amman message, a joint declaration made by over 200 of the most noted moderate islamic scholars in a conference in amman, jordan, in 2005. In recent times the most notorious example was the outright banning of sufism in iran. Name and origin by paul yachnes sufism has been described in many different ways by scholars writing in english, throughout this century, but they all agree on its essential character as being the inner, esoteric, mystical, or purely spiritual dimension of the religion of islam. A brief look at how sufism differs and contradicts the teachings of islam. One interested in islam may get a wrong idea about islam and muslims, for to the occident sufis and sufism is just a synonym of islam and muslim. Thus the simplicity, toleration and liberation of the sufis in india released syncretic forces and led to a sort of cultural synthesis. Apr 12, 2015 sufism origin and development dr saleh as saleh pdf articles extracted from the above ebook. In lieu of an abstract, below is the essays first paragraph. Sufi beliefs are based firmly in orthodox islam and the text of the quran, although a few sufi teachers have strayed too close to monism or pantheism to remain within the orthodox fold.