SUFISM

Serignebi Sufism, or Tasawwuf as it is known in the Muslim world, is a mystical form of

Sunni Islam whose members pursue a spiritual experience using bodily discipline and
mystical intuition. The sect also incorporates ecstatic experiences and the veneration of
Muslims "pirs,"or saints. Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect of Islam. Sufism is
more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of Islam. Sufi orders (Tariqas) can
be found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic groups.The word Sufi comes from the Arabic
word for wool because early followers wore robes of coarse white wool. In medieval
times Sufis were also known as dervishes (their Persian name) and fakirs, both of which
mean “poor brother."
 Sufis seek a close personal experience with God and believe they have acquired a
special mystical knowledge directly from Allah. Many Sufis define their belief as a
“religiosity” rather than a religion because it revolves around personal experience
rather than doctrine and involves contemplation, awareness and a quest for purity. The
mysticism of Sufism is justified by passages from the Qur’an that describe the nearness
of God and the way that people can respond and on the mysterious night journey
Muhammad made after his death to Jerusalem and Paradise.
 Sufism was never a unified movement. Rather it existed in the form of separate schools
that had their own teachers, techniques, philosophies and beliefs. Teachers, often
known as Shaiks or Pirs, passed their methods down to disciples. Schools and sects, that
often became centered around the tomb of the school's founder, were formed. They
generally were not associated with with any legal school of ore other theological group.
 According to the BBC: “Although Sufis are relatively few in number they have shaped
Islamic thought and history. Through the centuries Sufis contributed hugely to Islamic
literature for example Rumi, Omar Khayyám and Al-Ghazali's influence extended
beyond Muslim lands to be quoted by Western philosophers, writers and theologians.
Sufis were influential in spreading Islam particularly to the furthest outposts of the
Muslim world in Africa, India and the Far East." [Source: BBC, September 8, 2009 |::|]
 Conservative governments and Muslim extremist often oppose Sufism and regard Sufis
as heretics. Even so Sufi adepts are often more extreme in their views and their
intolerance towards non-Muslims that typical Sunni Muslims.