After two bombs recently claimed dozens of innocent lives at the shrine of esteemed Sufi Ali Hajviri, fingers were pointed at the al-Qaeda-linked militants who see Sufism as the work of heretics. The New York Sufi Music Festival was brought to U.S. to showcase the spiritual dimension of Islam and the rich heritage of Pakistan, counteracting a view that Pakistan is predominantly a country known for its terror factories. Sadly, the image of militants waging war is overwhelming and hard to supersede.
Hearing Abida Parveen sing Bulleh Shah's ecstatic poetry, which enriched the centuries-old Sufi tradition of the Indus valley, made me realize how the Islamists have stripped away spirituality from the religion and left believers with rituals, sketchy interpretations of the divine laws and fear of God's wrath. Sufi Muslims of the subcontinent, who converted to Islam in the pre-partition era, were drawn to the Sufi path of knowledge that has been hijacked by the al-Qaeda ideology of violence.
The rapturous quality of Sufi poetry continues to fascinate me, but the very idea of loving and seeking God while listening to radical mullahs (like the clerics of Red Mosque) is deeply troubling. Prostration to God devoid of spirituality is no different from doing sit-ups. Surely, the label Sufi is not necessary. What's important is the sentiment. It helps the cause of clarity to call those on the path "Sufis" rather than "mystics," which will more likely conjure images of Aladdin on his flying carpet.
Islam is the fastest-growing religion but has too few religious scholars with requisite understanding to link rituals and divine laws to creative spiritual ascension. I reached a level of comfort with my faith through good guidance from prominent Muslim thinkers such as Hamza Yusuf, Faraz Rabbani and Zaid Shakir, who drink deeply of the Quran's spring of wisdom.
Faith is ineffable; so is our search for God. Ecstatic poetry and Sufi treatises speaking of "annihilation of self" and "Oneness with the Creator" are merely tools to evoke the Sufi sentiment, which is not peculiar to Islam. Teresa of Avila's "Libro de la Vida," Bulleh Shah's ecstatic poetry, Allama Iqbal's intimate conversation with God in "Shikwa" (complaint) and Mansoor Al-Hallaj's proclamation "Anal-Haq" (I am the Truth) are all expressions of the acquired wisdom gleaned from deep introspection.
Though unsuccessful, Iqbal tried to revive the true spirit of Islam. He was quick in identifying that the hardline mullah was a hopeless case. But the Sufis were either consumed in "other worldliness" or digressing from the core of Sufism. For Iqbal, a profound religious experience is one that benefits humanity, which is most unlikely if the seeker retreats to constant seclusion.
Saudi Arabia's government is often accused of demolishing tombs of the companions of the prophet, fearing veneration of graves, and of discouraging Muslims from praying at prominent sites like the Cave of Hira (where Muhammed received his first revelation). Why they discourage is another column, but one thing is certain: visiting graves and sites mentioned in the Quran will not miraculously lead to divine illumination. The essence of Sufism is to dig into the depths of your soul to seek the One. In the shrines of Sufi masters in the subcontinent, one can expect to find numerous vagabonds pretending to be Sufis, who earn a living by giving false hopes to troubled wives, jobless men and childless couples. This defeats the premise of Sufism -- absolute reliance on Almighty.
In a phone conversation, a prominent Sufi scholar, William Chittick, said, "The core of Sufism is to strive for nearness to God." Even though God is absolutely Other, he presupposes a direct relationship with the seeker. No doubt. Allah says in the Quran (50:16): "I am closer to you than your jugular vein."
It is our egos that have created boundaries between sects within Islam and ensuring rivalries with non-Muslims. Reviving the spiritual dimension of Islam may be the only way to fight intolerant radical elements internally.
Follow Fahad Faruqui on Twitter: www.twitter.com/fahadfaruqui
William C. Chittick, Ph.D.: Islam: A Religion Of Love
Sufism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sufism, Sufis, and Sufi Orders: Sufism's Many Paths
I was a bit daunted by my initial reading(s) of your article so, in preparing to reread it, I kind of overdid things, as is often my M.O. It all seems quite clear now, but I have spent the week familiarizing myself with the terms Sharia, tariqah, haqiqa, tawhid, hadith, Sunnah, fiqh, dervish, dhikr, sema, bid'ah, mawlid, pantheism and panentheism, just to scratch the surface. As far as questions, I really don't have any with respect to your article. I more have problems, now, in the intellectual sense, regarding Islam as a whole. What, for example, is the difference between hadith and Sunnah, and just how accurate can they be given the role of oral tradition in their formulation? Am I way off the mark in drawing parallels between the concepts of haqiqa and marifa and those of enlightenment and Nirvana, respectively? To what extent do Old World Sufis differ from New World, (Pir Zia, for example, whom I love to listen to) and just how close is Sufism to heresy in the eyes of, say, a Salafi? I ask all these things rhetorically, by the way, merely to demonstrate a new level of engagement. Anyway, I figure I'm up to snuff, now, so I'll be reading your latest article, the one on Ramadan, as soon as I click send. Thanks again for your encouragement in all this.
Sincerely,
Jason Boehm
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/opinion/17dalrymple.html?_r=3&ref=contributors
Despite all of these intentional efforts to kill Islam in America, Sufism, is still poking its head through the ugly Wahabbi and Demonocracy agenda. Allah Akbar!!!
Most Muslims in America are pawns in this diabolical scheme.
The name Sufi, was a derrogative name given to Jesus and his follower's. Sufi means, 'one who wears wool'. The astrological sign of Jesus was the [Ram], this is why he spoke of (Sheep). Moses astrological sign was the [Bull], etc....The Sufi message is the same as Christ, this is why Poets like Rumi, sound just like Solomons Poetry, they are one of the same.
The Christian Zealot's, like in a few other religions, would like for one to think that all Muslim's are evil. On the contrary, most are just like us. Just like what they did to Jesus, 'Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing'.
Islam once heralded mathematics, medicine, art, even masonry.
You were the world's bards and poets, the spice cultivators, the artisans!
Do something to rekindle the spark of elegance and the rich tapestry of your religion so that it interweaves a new thread throughout the culture.
Don't let the fanatics define who you are anymore!
It is almost as if the entire religious community is experiencing a crisis of confidence.
And this is a time when the world needs the very BEST from every faith, to BUILD UP, not to tear down, so it is very distressing and tragic when I see the inmates running the asylum.
I grew up in a neighborhood near Washington DC and there were dozens of Muslim families, so I am no stranger to Muslims at all.
I truly can say that I am lucky to know the GOOD side of Islam, not just the bad side.
I hope, too.
Words have meanings , and not only one meanings. sentences have more complex meanings. that is why i can read something and another one can read something else.
That is why scholars need to comment religious books and have issues between themselves.
That is why it is madness to say you believe but you can accept different beliefs.
if you believe in something , then other believes are wrong , there can be only one truth.
if there are sufis , chiites and sunnis , and they all say they are islam ,it means than only one of them is right. Or all of them are wrong. and all of them are ( wrong ) because there are different types of muslims in a religion that claims there is only one truth , well , it can only means the religion is wrong. if not then who is right , sunnis , chiites or sufis ?
because each of them believe they are right. And dont tell me they have minor differences , that is not the case. there is a huge deal between them. huge enough to kill each other.
In short. I love the post but I wanted to know more about the Islam and Spirituality that you are speaking of, that which has been "hijacked". Good comment by the way.
Can you point us to something pure AND introductory that leads the seeker towards the essence of the Islamic Spiritual Path? Literature? Blog? Writers of any kind?
I'd like you to point us to some good literature that points to the spiritual path of Sufism and Islam. I don't see a trough of shoddy new age books pantomiming Islam and reducing their beliefs into "how too's" -and I would hate to see that very thing- but something friendly to the seeker who wishes to know more about the Islam of which you speak.
Substitute 'islamists' with 'christianists' and you have a pretty good picture of american christianity
unfortunately, the problem is that the MAJORITY of people have no idea what an ego is...and aren't really interested in ridding themselves of it. hence the reason why most mystical traditions have been wrapped in secret brotherhoods and such groups.
religion may be properly said to be the opiate of the masses. mysticism requires a more evolved; dispassioned perception that precludes most people who are too wrapped up in their mundane thoughts & actions & beliefs to be able to stop and perceive the subtlety of Conscious awareness.
and the major religions aren't sincerely interested in promulgating their own mystical traditions for obvious reasons.
but such is the nature of things in kali yuga!
thank you for your post!
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.a...ion=2&id=20754
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs....701269911/1011
In my e-book on comparative mysticism, I quote 19 prominent Sufis: al-Bistami, al-Ghazali, al-Hallaj, al-Misri, Vali, al-Arabi, Rumi, Jami, Rabi’a, and others. Their words may differ from mystics of other faiths, but their meaning are remarkably similar. Divine love, spiritual knowledge and selfless service are hallmarks of them all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ajyzYoPjQ