SUFISM

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• SUFISM

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MEANING

• The substance of Sufism is the Truth and the
  meaning of Sufism is the selfless experiencing
  and actualization of the Truth. The practice of
  Sufism is the intention to go towards the Truth,
  by means of love and devotion. This is called
  the tarigat, the spiritual path or way towards
  God. The sufi is one who is a lover of Truth,
  who by means of love and devotion moves towards
  the Truth, towards the perfection which all are
  truly seeking. As necessitated by love's
  jealousy, the sufi is taken away from all except
  the Truth.

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Cont

• Islamic mysticism is called ta?awwuf (literally,
  to dress in wool) in Arabic, but it has been
  called Sufism in Western languages since the
  early 19th century. An abstract word, Sufism
  derives from the Arabic term for a mystic, ?ufi,
  which is in turn derived from ?uf, wool,
  plausibly a reference to the woolen garment of
  early Islamic ascetics. The Sufis are also
  generally known as the poor, fuqara?, plural of
  the Arabic faqir, in Persian darvish, whence the
  English words fakir and dervish.

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ORIGIN

• Sufism is as old as humanity. Sufi saints existed
  even before Prophet Muhammad, but before the
  Prophet they were not called Sufis. It was only
  after a few centuries that they were called
  Sufis. According to Qushayri (988 AD) and some
  other scholars like Shihabuddin Suhrawardi, the
  term Sufi was first used at the end of second
  century Hijri i.e. in the early ninth century AD.
  The term Sufi did not find a mention either in
  the Sihah-i-Sittah compiled in the 9th and 10th
  century AD or in the Arabic dictionary, the Qamus
  compiled in the early 15th century AD. It is
  believed that a large number of prophets of God
  preceded Prophet Muhammad. In Islamic traditions,
  the number of prophets is put at 124,000 and that
  of messengers of God at 313. The early prophets
  were monotheists and they brought the message of
  the one true God. The pre-Islamic monotheists are
  believed to exist widely amongst Arab tribes from
  about the fifth century AD. They did not believe
  in idol worship and openly disapproved of
  idolatry and desired to restore the religion of
  Abraham. They were the seekers of Truth, who
  engaged themselves in the search of Truth and
  believed in the unity of the Supreme Being. They
  laid a lot of stress on ones own conduct living
  a moral life compassionate and sympathetic
  behavior with others

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Cont

• The very early period of Islam witnessed it as a
  religion of reconciliation and concord with
  people being gently persuaded rather than being
  coerced into it.  However, the infidelity and
  impious rule of the Umayyad immediately following
  the first four caliphs, created such political
  and social conditions that many Muslims became
  disgusted and adopted to asceticism and a life of
  seclusion to seek peace of soul. Gradually the
  focus shifted from material wealth to the lack of
  desire for possession i.e. a true detachment from
  all worldly things. Most of them were, however,
  orthodox Muslims in their beliefs and practices.
  They had yet not distinguished spirituality from
  the religion and laid great emphasis on the
  teachings of Quran and Traditions.

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Cont

• The Sufis in the period immediately after Prophet
  Muhammad spent their lives in fasting and in
  observing the rules of Sharia (the Islamic code
  of conduct), giving up the worldly
  pleasures-wealth, fame, feasts and women-and
  spent their time in solitude away from the
  society, seeking anonymity, hunger and celibacy.
  They usually lived on scanty food and wore little
  clothes. They were more concerned with the
  punishments and rewards for the infidels and the
  believers. In the ninth century AD, however, the
  Sufis recognized that spiritual progress couldnt
  be achieved by following Sharia alone. It was
  necessary for guiding their conduct, but not
  enough. They started adopting various spiritual
  practices over and above Sharia, known
  as Tariqat (the path). They considered
  following Shariat andTariqat essential to reach
  the Haqiqat (the Truth).

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Principles And Practices

• The Sufis are the men of the highest morality.
  They are the people who behave according to the
  need of the time. They are not bound by the
  shackles of rituals and customs. Religion for
  them is important only so long as it does not
  hinder spiritual progress. The greatest religion
  for them is the love for the humanity and not to
  hurt anyones feelings. Their objective being to
  evolve as a complete man by improving ones
  character and conduct the principles and
  practices adopted by them revolve around these
  central ideas and are to be seen in this
  light. A Sufi seeker has to complete his journey
  to self-realisation. He has to find his Beloved
  within himself, for He can be found only in a
  heart that has been purified by the fire of love.
  The distance, however, can be covered in a
  moment, the Truth can be realized in a moment, if
  one wants it as desperately as a drowning man
  wants the air. 

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Cont

• The basic principles of Sufism were given by
  Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani, who was one of the
  greatest Sufi Masters of the Naqshbandi Sufi
  Order. Till about the 6th Century Hijri, the
  Sufis practised loud dhikr (jikr, japa or
  remembrance) i.e. they used to recite the name of
  the Almighty loudly by tongue.Eight Principles
  were embraced and hailed by all the
  forty tariqats (Sufi Orders) as the way of Truth
  and loyalty.(i) Hosh dar Dam (Conscious
  Breathing)(ii) Nazar bar Kadam (Watch Your
  Step)(iii) Safar dar Watan (Journey
  Homeward)(iv) Khilawat dar Anjuman (Solitude in
  the Crowd)(v) Yad Kard (Essential Remembrance)