SUFISM
Sufism is the ancient tradition of spiritual development and originated inside Islam as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam and a practitioner of this tradition is known as a Sufi and another name for a Sufi seeker is called Dervish.
Many Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as a “science the heart is repaired and turned away from everything except from God”. Some Sufi teacher sheikhs have said that Sufism cannot be limited to a particular religion, historical period, society or language. “ Sufism is the pure essence of all religions and it have always existed “.
A Sufi teacher named Ahmad ibn Ajiba explained this as; “a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one’s soul and beauty it with various of praiseworthy traits.
Non - Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect of Islam, but this is not right. Sufism is accurately described as an aspect or dimension of Islam.
While all Muslims believe in that they are one the same path to God and will become close to God in Paradise after death and after the final judgment day, Sufis do believe that it is possible to draw closer to God and embrace the Divine Presence in this life. To enter the way of Sufism, the seeker begins by finding a teacher who has received the authorization to teach called ijazah that is a certification used to indicate that one has been authorized by a higher authority to transmit Islamic knowledge in an unbroken succession, silsilah, that leads back to Sufism’s origin with prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The transmission goes from heart to heart between the teacher and student, rather then from mouth to ear, and many scholars are agreed on that Sufism cannot be learned through books. To reach the highest level of success in Sufism, it requires that the student live with and serve the teacher for many years. Modeling themselves on their teachers, students hope that they will glean something of the Prophetic character.
Dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone. |
Although Sufis are few in number, they have yet managed to shape the Islamic thought and history. Sufis have contributed hugely to the Islamic literature like Rumi, Omar Khayyam and Ghazali’s influence extended beyond Muslim countries and quoted by western philosophers, writers and theologians as Islam spread to Africa, India and the far-east.
History and Origin
It may derive from the word wool, the woolen garments worn by early Sufis and some say it may have connection with the word for purity or the Greek word for wisdom, “Sophia”.
However, a Sufi is understood to be a person of religious learning who aspires to be close to Allah.
Except from the goal that they worship Allah, Sufi’s belong to Tariqas, orders that was first established in the first few centuries after the Prophets death. These orders have a master who teach sacred knowledge to the group.
Sufi’s acknowledge that Tariqas were not established at the time of the Prophet. They consider that the Prophet, his companions and their immediate successors, the first three generations embraced this Islamic mysticism but the later Muslims became distracted because it didn’t have a specific name and those in minority who were dedicated to worship Allah were given the name Sufi.
Between the 13th and 16th centuries CE, Sufism produced a flourishing intellectual culture throughout the Islamic world like an Golden Age.
In many places, a lodge would be endowed through a pious foundation in perpetuity (waqf) to provide a gathering place for Sufi’s as well as for seekers of knowledge. This system of endowments could also be used to pay for a complex of buildings, such as the surrounding around Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, including a lodge for Sufi seekers,, a hospice with kitchens where these seekers could serve the poor and/or complete a period of initiation, a library and other structures.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, a companion of the prophet, said:
"One day we were sitting in the company of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him). He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about Islam.
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth.
"It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth.
"He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman.
"He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil.
"He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He again said: Inform me about Ihsan.
"He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you.
"He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (of the Doom).
"He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it).
"He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications.
"He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings.
"Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion."
Sahih Muslim, Book 1:Number 1
In this hadith the angel Gabriel asks about pivotal features of the Islamic belief. They included Islam, Iman and Ihsan. Iman is the belief in the unseen and what the prophets have informed us about.
Ihsan is to worship Allah as though one sees him +++++
Practice of Sufism
….hearts become tranquil through the remembrance of Allah….
Qur’an 13:28
The seeker most turn away from sins, love of this world, the love of company and renown. The seeker must also be trained to prevent the corruption of those good deeds which have accrued to his or her credit by overcoming the traps of ostentation, pride, arrogance and envy.
Beside the Islamic norms where the believer must implement the Islamic ritual prayer five times a day, fast in Ramadan and so on but the seeker should also be firmly grounded in the practices known from the life of Prophet Muhammad.
The seeker is in a sense to become a broken person, stripped of all habits through the practice of solitude, silence, sleeplessness and hunger.
My servant draws near to Me through nothing I love more than
that which I have made obligatory for him. My servant never ceases
drawing near to Me through supererogatory works until I love him.
Then, when I love him, I am his hearing through which he hears,
his sight through which he sees, his hand through which he grasps,
and his foot through which he walks.
The Fundamentals of the Sufi teachings
Sufism holds a belief that the universe consists of 7 “planes of existence”.
The subtlest dimension, which the Sufis call Zat, is the Abode of God in the aspect of the Creator. The Creator and the whole diversity of his creation (Sifat) compose the Absolute. The Creator pervades the entire Creation with His love.
The multidimensional human organism, similar to the multidimensional structure of the Absolute, can reveal itself more subtle forms of beingness. One realizes this by cognizing and perfecting oneself. Only knowing this true essence, man can achieve the direct perception of God and union with him.
On the final stages of such cognition, the individual human consciousness merges with the Divine Consciousness.
The final goal is described in the Sufi tradition as the highest state of consciousness Baqi bi-Allah (eternity in God). The foundation of Sufism is love and the Sufis also say that their teachings as a “hymn to the Divine Love” and call it tessitura, love-vision. Love is considered in Sufism as the power which strengthens one’s feeling of being contained God. A truly loving Sufi gradually submerges, sinks and becomes dissolved in the Creator - in his or her Beloved. When a man traverses a certain part of the Path of Love, God begins to help him more actively by drawing him to His Abode, and then man begins to feel more intensely God’s Divine Love.
What does happen when this much love leads man to God according to the views of Jalaluddin Rumi:
1) Through the development of the emotional, cordial love for all the beautiful and harmonious in the world;
2) Through active, sacrificial love-service to people;
3) and then-through extending this love to all manifestations of the world without discriminating between them; the Sufi’s say: “ If you make a distinction between things originating from God - you are not man of a spiritual Path.
“If you think that a diamond can ennoble you and a stone lower you, then God is not with you…”
4) Such developed love for all elements of the Creation is redirected then to the Creator - and man begins to see that, according to Rumi, “the Beloved is present in everything”.
One technique used in Sufism is zikr. Zikr is the remembrance of God commanded in the Qur’an for all Muslims through a specific devotional act such as the repetition of divine names of Allah and text and verses from the Qur’an. This may come in the form of recitation, lyrical chanting or simply just remembering God in one’s heart. There are many variations of zikr according to the traditions of the brotherhood or order. Zikr is usually done individually but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity. One example is when all participants stand or sit in a circle. The sheik gives meditative attunement and then
Another interesting technique is Sufi whirling. This whirling can be performed with or without music. The person starts whirling not sooner than three hours after meat meal. whirling is performed to any convenient side, against the background of full relaxation of the body while the eyes are opened and fixed on one of the raised hands or not fixed on anything at all.
The whirling is performed in individual rhythm, with as smooth beginning and end of the exercise as possibly. If it wouldn’t happen that one falls down during whirling, the person can turn on the stomach and relax, and after the exercise it is necessary to relax.
The duration of this exercise can last from several minutes to several hours.
The process of Sufi teaching can be subdivided into several stages.
The initial stage of the spiritual practice - Sharia (law) concerns strict obedience to all religious precepts. Initial learning of Sharia is an obligatory condition for entering on the path of spiritual development.
The next learning begins on the next stage - tariqa (path, way). Mastering the tariqa, is related to mastering a series of steps - maqams. These maqams imply finding one’s own vices and repentance (tauba), abstaining from the forbidden (zuhd), strict distinction between the allowed and non allowed (wara), refusal of non-spiritual attachments and desires (faqr). Murids learn patience (sabr), swallowing something bitter without showing distaste.
Constant remembrance about death, about its inevitability leads Murids to reassessing many things and they develop a careful attitude to the time which they have on the Earth. Reflections on death are an efficient means of fighting unwanted attachments and habits.
On the stage of Tariqa, one performs intense intellectual work. Sheiks constantly suggest to their students new themes for reflection, talk with them about the fundamentals of the teachings. As the murid goes through all steps of this stage, he or she develops a strong desire to attain the unity with the Creator and enters the state of rida, a sate of serenity, calm in respect to what is happening.
They who successfully passed maqams of tariqa receive the possibility to go further the path of marefat, meditative cognition of God. On this stage, further ethical “polishing” of the students takes place; students love wisdom and power are perfected. The Sufi who traversed this stage really cognizes the multidimensionality of space “illusiveness” of the values of material life receives living experience of communion with God. As Arif (he who has cognized) such a person receives initiation into sheiks. Some Arif’s managed to reach the forth stage - haqiqat (haqq means truth), on which one finally masters the true beingness. It brings the Arif to the full mergence of the individual consciousness with the goal of his or her aspirations - with the Creator.
If you go to the deep of the roots of Sufism, it will touch your soul and your being and give you tranquility and peace of mind. Sufism never accept violence and brutality, but demands that you obey just one God. In time it will give you self confidence and self-respect buy separating you from the materialistic world and knytte you to the spiritual world.
You will learn to have sympathy would everyone and develop pure love in your heart. The world of Sufism is beyond the world that we live in.
It will change our internal world and give a meaning for our life.
This faith, we become a lover and God our beloved.
You will be able to sacrifice everything for the sake of God.
JALALUDDIN RUMI
Jalaluddin Rumi is one of the world’s most revered mystical poets.
Although Rumi was a Sufi and a great scholar of the Qur’an, his appeal reaches across religious and social divisions.
Rumi was born in 1207 in the city of Balkh in Afghanistan, and settled down in the town of Konya in Turkey in a time which was a period of remarkable social and political turbulence. The 13th century was the era of the crusades; also the area where Rumi lived was under constant threat of Mongol invasion.
The great upheavals Rumi faced during his life is said to have influenced much of his poetry.
Longing is the core of mystery.
Longing itself brings the cure.
The only rule is, Suffer and pain.
Your desire must be disciplined,
And what you want to happen in time, sacrificed.