Sufism

This article is about the body of mystical practice. For other uses, see Sufism (disambiguation).
"Sufi" redirects here. For sanctification in Islam, see Tazkiah.
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Sufism (Arabic: الصوفية‎, romanized: al-Ṣūfiyya or Arabic: التصوف‎, romanized: al-Taṣawwuf) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism.[1][2][3][4][5]

Six Sufi masters, c. 1760

Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from صُوفِيّ, ṣūfīy),[6] and historically typically belonged to "orders" known as tariqa (pl. ṭuruq) - congregations formed around a grand wali who would be the last in a chain of successive teachers linking back to Muhammad, with the goal of undergoing tazkiya (self purification) and the hope of reaching the spiritual station of ihsan.[7][8][9] The ultimate aim of Sufis is to seek the pleasure of God by endeavoring to return to their original state of purity and natural disposition, known as fitra.[10]

Sufism emerged early on in Islamic history, partly as a reaction against the expansion of the early Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) and mainly under the tutelage of Hasan al-Basri. Although Sufis were opposed to dry legalism, they strictly observed Islamic law and belonged to various schools of Islamic jurisprudence and theology.[11] Although the overwhelming majority of Sufis, both pre-modern and modern, remain adherents of Sunni Islam, certain strands of Sufi thought transferred over to the ambits of Shia Islam during the late medieval period.[12] This particularly happened after the Safavid conversion of Iran under the concept of Irfan.[12] Important focuses of Sufi worship include dhikr, the practice of remembrance of God. Sufis also played an important role in spreading Islam through their missionary and educational activities.[11]

Despite a relative decline of Sufi orders in the modern era and attacks from fundamentalist Islamic movements (such as Salafism and Wahhabism), Sufism has continued to play an important role in the Islamic world.[13][14] It has also influenced various forms of spirituality in the West and generated significant academic interest.[15][16][17]

  1. ^ "Refworld | Iran: Information on Sufism or Tasawwuf (Islamic mysticism) in Iran".
  2. ^ Cook, David (May 2015). "Mysticism in Sufi Islam". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.51. ISBN 9780199340378. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. ^ Anjum, Tanvir (2006). "Sufism in History and its Relationship with Power". Islamic Studies. 45 (2): 221–268. ISSN 0578-8072. JSTOR 20839016.
  4. ^ Sebottendorff, Baron Rudolf von (2013-01-17). Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons: The Islamic Teachings at the Heart of Alchemy. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62055-001-4.
  5. ^ Belhaj, Abdessamad (2013). "Legal Knowledge by Application: Sufism as Islamic Legal Hermeneutics in the 10th/12th Centuries". Studia Islamica. 108 (1): 82–107. doi:10.1163/19585705-12341276. ISSN 0585-5292. JSTOR 43577536.
  6. ^ Massington, L.; Radtke, B.; Chittick, W. C.; Jong, F. de.; Lewisohn, L.; Zarcone, Th.; Ernst, C.; Aubin, Françoise; Hunwick, J. O. (2012) [2000]. "Taṣawwuf". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. J.; Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Vol. 10. Leiden: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1188. ISBN 978-90-04-11211-7.
  7. ^ Tariqa. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2014-02-04. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  8. ^ Hossein., Nasr, Seyyed (2008). The garden of truth : the vision and promise of Sufism, Islam's mystical tradition. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0-06-162599-2. OCLC 191932004.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Back to Basics | Tazkiyah: An Introduction to Spiritually Blossoming This Islamic New Year". Amaliah. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference AH Shadhili was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Schimmel, Annemarie. "Sufism". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-06-26. Opposed to the dry casuistry of the lawyer-divines, the mystics nevertheless scrupulously observed the commands of the divine law. [...] the mystics belonged to all schools of Islamic law and theology of the times.
  12. ^ a b Bos, Matthijs van den (2002). Mystic regimes : Sufism and the state in Iran, from the late Qajar era to the Islamic Republic. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 1-4175-0678-4. OCLC 55505825.
  13. ^ Piraino, Francesco; Sedgwick, Mark J. (2019). Global sufism : boundaries, structures and politics. London. ISBN 978-1-78738-134-6. OCLC 1091678717.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ Newlon, Brendan (2017-07-01). "Nationalism, Language, and Muslim Exceptionalism". American Journal of Islam and Society. 34 (3): 156–158. doi:10.35632/ajis.v34i3.789. ISSN 2690-3741.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference howell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference sedgwick2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference voll-OEIW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).