|
print
friendly version of lecture notes
|
Sufism
Islamic mysticism actually
crosses and blurs the lines between divisions of Islam. Sufis come from both
Sunni and Shi’ite camps. Like most mysticism in any religion, it is not
appreciated or understood by the mainstream majority of the faith.
-
Focus is on ecstatic,
direct, inner experience of God. Love poetry (e.g., the poems of the
favorite Medieval Muslim mystic, Rumi)
expresses this experience in symbolic imagery.
-
There is the tendency
(as in most mysticism) to find symbols of God in all things, to see
everything as an extension of God. (For Sufis, "there is no God but
God" becomes "there is nothing but God". The Quran
even reads in one passage: "where-so-ever ye turn there be the face of
God"). This tendency toward Pantheism (identity of God with the
Creation) is seen as blasphemous by non-mystical Muslims. For Sufis, it is
simply taking Tawhid (oneness) to its full ramifications.
-
Sufi practices
focus on inward spiritual life, not just on outward practice of the Five
Pillars; include circle dancing (e.g. the "Whirling Dervishes")
and Dhikr, the remembrance of God’s name through mantra-like
repetition of the 99 names
of God (a meditation)
-
Fana
- Sometimes this experience causes the mystic to lose all sense of self
distinct from God in a union of lover and Beloved (God). Some of the early
Sufis were martyred as blasphemers for their statements of unity with God
(this association of self with God is considered shirk, as is pantheism).
(This "fana" experience is not unlike the "emptiness" [sunyata]
and "Nirvana"
[extinction of self] of Buddhism.)
-
Membership
in a Sufi order is through initiation and direction under a spiritual guide
whose spiritual lineage can be traced back through Ali to Muhammad himself
as the original initiator into esoteric spiritual truths and
practices.
-
The "Sufi
Order of the West", although influenced by basic Muslim
beliefs and founded by a Muslim Sufi and his followers, is not considered
true Islam by traditional Muslim Sufis. This "Sufi" movement goes
beyond Islam, especially with its "Dances
of Universal Peace"
Ali:
Aside from Muhammad himself, Ali is is of great importance for all three Muslim
groups (Shi’ite, Sunni and Sufi). Ali is the only successor to Muhammad
recognized by all three groups as a legitimate transmitter of the faith.
Find
out more about Sufism from MTO
Shahmaghsoudi
Contact
a local Sufi order: MTO in Annandale, VA
return to top
|