Ndefinition of sufism pdf merger

Sufism can be described broadly as the intensification of islamic faith and practice, or the tendency among muslims to strive for a personal engagement with the divine reality. Ernst sufism describes the traditions of spiritual and ethical practice that have flourished in muslim societies for over a thousand years. First english translation of an important and popular work by an exceedingly influential premodern figure. Sufism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sufism cherishes the esoteric secret of woman, even though sufism is the esoteric aspect of a seemingly patriarchal religion. Hassan abu hanieh december 2011 susm and su orders. This deeper identity, beyond the already known personality, is in harmony with all that exists. Popular sufism books showing 150 of 1,331 the forty rules of love hardcover by. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of. Yet, in the face of the modern muslim tendency to limit islams deployment to the emphatically political, few expressions of the religion could be more central to its spiritual vitality in the modern world. Sufism, the religious philosophy of islam, is described in the oldest extant definition as. At first, sufism only meant making islam more personal and internal.

Sufism is essentially understood as islams lifegiving core and has remained coextensive with islam throughout the centuries burckhardt 3. Others believe that sufism is trying to live as the islamic prophet muhammad did, to be closer to god. There is no sufism without islam because sufism is the spirituality or mysticism of the religion of islam. Pdf sufism as a concept and a phenomenon ken chitwood. Merger definition is the absorption of an estate, a contract, or an interest in another, of a minor offense in a greater, or of a cause of action into a judgment.

The ancient mystical teachings and practices of the sufis have great relevance for seekers today and can help you to deepen your spiritual practice or elevate it to a new level. Sufism is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of islam. Download masnavi rumi, saadi, hafiz, khayam, attar in pdf format. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. The mystical tradition of sufism flashcards quizlet. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Tara chand, sufism is a religion of intense devotion. The mystics of islam introduction the title of this book sufficiently explains why it is included in a series exemplifying the adventures and labours of individual seekers or groups of seekers in quest of reality. Chittick is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines the essence of islamic mysticism, or su sm, presenting its central doctrines and methods to a we stern audience in a highly intelligible form. Elif shafak goodreads author shelved 60 times as sufism. Sufism in itself is not a religion nor even a cult with a distinct or definite doctrine. Scholars have used various metaphors to describe how. They are not bound by the shackles of rituals and customs. This deeper identity, or essential self, has abilities of awareness, action, creativity and love that are far beyond.

Concerning sufism, abu muhammad aljariri said, sufism consists of entering every exalted quality khulq and leaving behind every despicable quality. This sufi monist probability of subjectobject merger as different from the. Religion for them is important only so long as it does not hinder spiritual progress. Few forms of classical islam are more controversial among modern muslims than the spiritual discipline known as sufism. Sufi orders tariqas can be found in sunni, shia and other islamic groups.

They are the people who behave according to the need of the time. Sufi definition and meaning collins english dictionary. A sufi is a member of a very spiritual group of muslims. History of sufism follows a long period of evolution since the time of the prophet. A horizontal merger is a merger or business consolidation that occurs between firms that operate in the same space, as competition tends to be higher and the synergies and. The institute for sufi studies iss is a collaborative effort that invites people from around the world with the common interest of sufism to join together for research and study of this ancient wisdom. Sufism in africa as a concept and as a phenomenon ken chitwood october.

In tracing the history of sufism, the earliest instances of sufism can be found even before the time of the prophet muhammad. Understanding the concept of islamic sufism journal of education. Origin, the introduction of the term sufism into european languages may be regarded as. Sufism is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool, refer to the garments worn by early sufis. The early pious figures, later appropriated by sufism, include ali ali ali ibn abu talib, 598. Below you will find a number of books that have been collected over the internet and hosted at our website. The original arabic term tasawwuf means becoming a sufi, and it points to ideals of sincerity, purity, community, and discipline. There are signs of god everywhere in the universe and in man himself. With this dual expression of gods love towards man ibn arabi seems to combine the. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, the conference of the birds by attar of nishapur, the essential rumi by rumi, the sufis. Pdf introducing sufism to international relations theory. Sufism is popular in such african countries as egypt, tunisia, algeria, morocco, and senegal, where it is seen as a mystical expression of islam.

Sufism is a way of life in which a deeper identity is discovered and lived. Sufism article about sufism by the free dictionary. Look into the heart of a sufi, if you want to see the reality, you would find there nothing but, the true reflection of the almighty. Pdf sufism, popular islam, and the encounter with modernity. Though many shia and sunni muslims reject sufis as true muslims, sufi muslims consider themselves followers of allah. When he was asked about sufism, amr ibn uthman almakki said, sufism is that at each moment the servant should be in accord with what is most appropriate awla at that moment. As for the definition of sufism, there are many ancient and modern definitions, which would be. Sufism is traditional in morocco, but has seen a growing revival with the renewal of sufism under contemporary spiritual teachers such as hamza al qadiri al boutchichi. Demonstrates that the spiritual state of those who employ a religious text is as important as the text itself in determining the social role of the text. Sufism sufism may be best described as a mystical practice that emphasizes certain unique rituals for guiding spiritual seekers into a direct encounter with god. Pdf one of the most commonly treaded pathways to address the widely.

From time to time a revelation flows like a great tidal wave from the ocean of infinitude to the shores of our finite world. Nonmuslims often mistake sufism as a sect of islam. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence. Tasawwufsufism in islam a talk sponsored by cair stanford university, may 4, 1997 imam hamza yusuf, sometime khatib at the muslim community association of santa clara, california, spoke on sufism in islam, directly following a lecture by dr. A movement within islam, sufism is the mystical side of islam. Just as no definitive terms were applied to the various religious sciences i. The philosophy and practices of sufism may very aptly be stated in the words of dr. While sufism is said to have incorporated elements of christian monasticism, gnosticism, and indian mysticism, its origins are traced to forms of devotion and groups of penitents zuhhad in the formative period of islam. Merge definition is to cause to combine, unite, or coalesce.

Sufism is much better known than it was thirty years ago, but this is not really the case, though a once strange name has indeed become a bit more familiar. Sep 08, 2009 sufism is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of islam. Love is its manifestation, poetry, music and dance are the instruments of its worship and attaining oneness with god is its ideal. Muhammad is considered their chief prophet and many consider sufism to be a mystical brand of islam. Iss is an educational department of the international association of sufism ias. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism. If you wish to download the files for offline reading click the diskette icon on left of the top bar of the open pdf. Sufism is mystical and ascetic form of islam practiced by tens of millions of muslims. However it was only after the arrival of the prophet that the practice came to be known by the name of sufism. Some say it first came from constantly reciting the quran, meditating, and through experience. The great surge in books on sufism over the past few years has made a large amount of information available, but in certain ways it has added to the confusion. Because sufists believe that material possessions hinder ones devotion, they are often considered ascetics. It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. There are thousands of books written on this genre.

A text in scores of leading universities around the world for courses on sufism, eastern thought, and islamic philosophy, the sufis has been used by psychologists and physicists, by school teachers, lawyers, social workers, and by ordinary members of the public. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby tawhid is achieved. As has been made clear to us previously, there are three primary enemies and causes of destruction and misguidance for humanity. Sufism was transplanted into north africa as a result of the expansion of the rifai order into syria and then egypt. Further, sufis believe they are practicing the highest form of worship or devotion. A short introduction to origin, beginning and history of sufism or tasawwuf 76 observed incessant prayer and fasting as did the prophet muhammad s. Published in 2011 by friedrichebertstiftung amman ofce. Sufism evokes considerable interest amongst people mainly because of the mysticism associated with it and also because not much is known about the secrets of their knowledge. Annemarie schimmel, former harvard professor of oriental studies. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines the. No better explanation of sufism can be given than by saying that any person who has a knowledge of both outer and inner life is a sufi.

Sufism is the way to god via emotions and spirituality rather than through reason, and it celebrates the intimate relationship of the seeker with allah. Perhaps this is one reason traditional muslims have distanced themselves from sufists. Inside every mosque is a niche, or recess, called the mihrab a vertical rectangle curved at the top that points toward the direction of makkah. Bismi allahirrahmanirrahim the word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen. The presence of rifaiyyah inspired the founding of other orders. Iqbals critique of sufism in shuja alhaqs opinion, iqbal, at the outset of his career was favorably disposed towards sufism. Understanding the concept of islamic sufism shahida bilqies research scholar, shahihamadan institute of islamic studies university of kashmir, srinagar190006 jammu and kashmir, india.