Not a group of Muslims most Sufis are also Sunnis Origin of the word Sufism Suf literally wool o Living in a hot country o Sign on giving up luxuries of this world wearing hot uncomfortable wool and putting off rewards until the afterlife Sufwa purity Sof veranda part of the Mosque and some of the Companions who spent most of their time in the Mosque praying people of the bench courtyard ultra pious companions Sufism was normal to have some relation to this discipline was standard As of the last 100 years there has been a lot of negativity given by Western educated Muslims seen as hippies Some puritanical movements blame Sufism for a going off of the path of Muhammad Most famous Sufi in Muslim history buried in Kunya Rumi Said that Sufi saints are not in the waiting period they are already in heaven like martyrs What is Sufism Sufism is not the mere observance of rules nor does it consist of degrees or stages Instead Sufism consists of personal integrity generosity of spirit the emulation of what has been revealed knowledge of the Message Hadith and Qur an and following the Way of the Prophets He who deviates from these sources finds himself grazing in the gardens of Satan submerged in the ocean of lust and wandering in the darkness of ignorance Abu Madyan d 1198 o Mysticism goal is to experience G d directly which effects your knowledge The intensity of engaging G d directly would change the knowledge and outlook of a person This direct experience would result in special knowledge that can t be discovered merely through studying are all humans so all humans have the possibility to speak with G d pious to bow down to Adam so he is a role model o Unrelated note some Sufis say that Iblis Satan was too o The prophets have direct experience with G d Prophets o Unrelated note the prophets were generally pious people before they were prophets o The direct experience with G d is not prophecy it is just acquiring a special sort of knowledge So Sufis say they are not prophets Sufis use different language for Prophets prophecies than for having a direct experience with G d Sufi Concepts Arabic word for Sufism tasawwuf implies action o Not exclusively men there were spiritually powerful women as well Love and Asceticism many lesser miracles attributed to her was a slave but was freed Sufi saint o Rabi a al Adawiyya d 801 She lived in Basra Emphasis on love love for G d not just relationship between humans and G d being servant and master love bridges having a loving relationship with G d bridges the gap acting out of love for G d instead of fear of G d was best Want to worship G d just out of love and not out of fear Asceticism Muhammad emphasized this it was important that one lived modestly to be a great scholar can be drab depressing Experiential Knowledge unveiling o Unveiling only happens when G d wants it to happen o What happens when G d s visit ends Leads to a lot of anxiety etc Union and annihilation fana o Union most times humans are in a state of separation Individual person loses the ego the individuality pride etc fall out of you and all that is left is G d s will so the person only acts in a manner in which G d is pleased It would be impossible to pray fast etc during the state of Union Not a bodily union with G d Being veiled from G d is a mercy because seeing G d all the time we would burst similar to staring at the sun qualities but also individuality Annihilation extinguishes all the negative Shari a Tariqa Haqiqa o Shari a religious law path Dhikr and Audition sama Master Guide Shaykh or Pir o Tariqa end of the path becomes the name of a Sufi o Haqiqa truth reality one of the 99 names of G d at the order end of the path o Most Sufis say that you need someone who has traveled a path before you go on the path it is a rough difficult path Must have total obedience for the master no questioning o Dhikr Literally remembrance recollection Means that you repeat a certain pious word There is no god but G d etc or short expression Helpful for getting beyond the focus of oneself o Audition listening to music some scholars say music is forbidden some say just the voice is ok but instruments are bad Listening to music is highly regulated must be at a certain level before you listen to the music permissible encouraged way to acquire a higher sense of G d An Important Qur anic Verse And when your Lord took from the Children of Adam from their loins their seed and made them testify against themselves Am I not your Lord They said Yes we testify lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection As for us we were heedless of this 7 172 o Preprogrammed sense of G d Everyone at one time has o Point of Sufism is to get back to this stage where its just experienced G d you and G d to recreate this experience An Important Hadith Qudsi God s Messenger said G d said I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him and My slave keep on coming closer to Me through performing free acts of devotion until I love him When I love him I am the hearing with which he hears and seeing with which he sees and his hand with which he grips and his leg with which he walks and if he asks Me I will give him and if he asks My protection Refuge I will protect him i e give him My Refuge and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer for he hates death and I hate to disappoint him When is loved by G d one is in union with G d and individuality is annihilated Four Sufi Orders have an islad similar to isnad the teachings come from Muhammad and are grounded in prophetic teaching Wali Friend of G d or Saint baraka o Baraka If people thing someone is a Saint they are a o Wali blessing bounty bestowed on them by G d Saint don t need to be at a particular status sometimes comes as clairvoyance talking to animals etc or power within a kingdom Abd al Qadir al Jilani d 1166 o Qadiri Order al Qadir all powerful one of the names of G d Came from Northern Iran and settled in Baghdad order spread throughout Middle East North and West Africa Asia Arabic language Mu in al Din Chishti d 1235 o Chishti Order Generally only found in South Asia Persian language Known for …