There was a beautiful orchard, full of trees and fruit, grapevines and greenery. In it sat a Sufi with closed eyes, with his head on his knees, deeply immersed in meditation.
“Why,” they asked him, “do you not look at the signs of God that the Merciful One has scattered around you and that He offers us completely?”
“The signs,” he replied, “I look at from within. Outside are only symbols of the signs. What is the beauty of the world? A reflection, like a swaying branch that is reflected in the river, of that eternal orchard that never withers and resides in human hearts.”
Sufism is not a religion, it is not a cult or sect, it is not Eastern or Western.
Although inseparable from Islam and based on the teachings of the Qur’an, it is an esoteric, mystical form of Islam that emerges as a response to the orthodoxy and dogmatism that prevailed in the Islamic world after the death of Muhammad.
While traditional Islam sees God as an absolutely transcendent and untouchable object of worship and submission, Sufis believe that every human being has the possibility to …
The absence of direct access to the divine is what characterized the belief system of early Sufism. Such a belief did not sit well with the ruling powers, leading to numerous persecutions, imprisonments, and executions suffered by Sufi followers throughout history. Ironically, it was precisely through their actions that the Sufis played the most crucial role in spreading Islam, fostering the development of science and culture not only within the Islamic world but also beyond.
Origin and development
The origin of Sufism is associated with the 8th century, when the first Sufis emerged as humble individuals dressed in coarse woolen garments. Through this symbolic attire, they expressed their renunciation of worldly, material possessions and their preparation of the soul for union with God. It also served as a means of distinguishing themselves from religious leaders who donned luxurious clothing. Furthermore, the rough texture of the fabric, which irritated the skin, reminded them that the body hindered the soul from achieving higher goals. The Arabic word for wool is “suf,” which, according to some researchers, gave rise to the term “Sufism.” Others trace the origins of this word to the same Arabic root, which it can also mean purity, and there is a theory that the word Sufism comes from the Greek word “sophos”, which means wise, and Sufism is the path of wisdom. In the Arabic world, the original word “tasawwuf” is still used for Islamic mysticism, which means “clothed in wool”, while the word Sufism is used in Western literature since the 19th century.
After leaving the initial ascetic phase, the teachings of Sufism introduce the element of divine love, which teaches about love for God that is selfless, without desire for reward and without fear of punishment. From that period, the topic of love becomes dominant in the teachings of Sufism, and its most beautiful expression is found in poetry. The Sufis have created some of the most beautiful works of Persian literature. They used love poetry to convey their message in times when they were forced to hide their teachings due to disagreements and persecution.
Teachings of the Sufis
Although it is now exclusively associated with Islam, the teachings of Sufism can be seen to have many similarities with other religions, which is why It is possible to find influences of Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, as well as some pre-Islamic influences such as the principle of light borrowed from the ancient cult of Mithras or fire from the Zoroastrian tradition. One example that shows the influence of Buddhism is the legend of the prominent Sufi Ibrahim ibn Adham, who, like Buddha, leaves the royal palace and embraces a wandering life, calling for purity, poverty, and truthfulness. Sufism believes in the divine origin of everything that exists and respects not only Islam but also every religion without imposing any religious form. It also opposes the mixing of mysticism and fanaticism. According to Sufis, each religion had a specific purpose at a certain historical moment, and a person can be in harmony with each of them if they open their heart with the same love and understanding for them.
A Sufi can be a person of any religion. Anyone who is willing to renounce greed, pride, vanity, arrogance, blind obedience to people and customs, walks Through sufism, regardless of religion, race or gender.
What differentiates sufism from orthodox Islam is the interpretation of the Quran. It has numerous hidden meanings whose sense is revealed to those who go through a certain path of inner transformation. On this path, one must dare to overcome their own shortcomings, instead of condemning others whose flaws are similar to ours; one must master their emotions instead of showing a lack of understanding for the feelings of others; one must cleanse the soul of its own defects because hidden knowledge is only uncovered based on the purity of the soul. Purification of the soul is crucial for achieving unity with God, because just as a mirror covered in dust does not show a reflection, neither can a soul filled with flaws reflect divine love.
To achieve this goal, unconditional love for everything that exists is necessary, because everything is a manifestation of one ultimate reality. This also means that it is important to remain engaged in this world, to live among people without rejecting human desires but rather to corrupting those who are in conflict with God’s law. Whatever he engages in, a true Sufi must do it to the best of his ability, and he must use his knowledge and experience in coexistence with other people because every person is without exception a reflection of the other.
Sufi Orders
In the beginning, Sufism consisted only of a few individuals who were dedicated to spiritual life. From the 12th century onwards, it began to spread, resulting in the emergence of numerous Sufi orders throughout the Muslim world – from Morocco to Central Asia. At the head of each order is a sheikh, a spiritual leader who is highly respected for the knowledge that has been passed down to him by his teacher, and which he passes on to one of his chosen disciples. Although the institution of the sheikh dates back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, some orthodox Muslims believe that it contradicts his teachings, which state that they should worship no one but God. However, Sufis believe that it is not possible to tread the path of Sufism without the knowledge of a spiritual guide.
In order to join one of the orders, The disciple had to undergo an initiation ceremony, followed by rigorous training that involved performing the lowest tasks, serving others, and often withdrawing into solitude for forty days. After completing the training, most disciples returned to their everyday lives, only performing the ceremonies at certain times, while a small number of them were chosen as successors to the sheikh.
Each order developed its own specific way of performing Sufi rituals. The two most well-known rituals within Sufism are zikr and sema.
Zikr is a ritual of rhythmic repetition of verses from the Quran in which one of Allah’s names appears. The repetition is accompanied by controlled breathing and body movements that are meant to help achieve “fana,” or the experience of disappearing, where awareness of the material world is lost.
Sema is the most famous Sufi ritual, often associated with members of the Mevlevi order, also known as the “whirling dervishes.” The order was founded by the renowned Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi, also known as Mevlana. He believed that through dance and music, it was possible to hear the voice of God and remove the veil that prevents man from meeting Him. The sema has several parts, each with its own meaning and equal importance. Spinning represents the climax of the sema, and its aim is for the soul to become free from its slumber in the physical body and achieve unity with God. Each movement during the ritual has symbolic meaning. The right arm is extended upwards and the left arm downwards, symbolizing the entry of divine energy and love and its descent to Earth through the dervish, who is merely a mediator that retains nothing for themselves. The crossed hands on the shoulders signify unity with God, and the rotation from right to left, around the heart, expresses love for all beings.
The clothing they wear is also filled with symbolism, so the cap represents a tombstone, the black cloak represents a grave, and the white skirt represents a burial shroud for the ego. During the ritual, the dervish discards the black cloak, symbolically emerging from the grave and abandoning earthly ties in order to connect with the divine. He united with God.
The music that accompanies the ritual is extremely important because Mevlana believed that music is universal, that it doesn’t need a translator, and therefore represents the most beautiful language of love.
The most famous Sufis
Among the many well-known Sufis, one woman stands out, Rabi’a al-‘Adawiya. It is believed that she introduced the element of divine love into Sufism, which became dominant after her death.
Ibn ‘Arabi is one of the greatest theorists of Islamic esotericism. He was born in Spain in the 12th century but left due to disagreements with the authorities and went to the Middle East. He wrote numerous works in which he teaches that everything that exists is a manifestation of God, the highest divine reality, and his teachings introduce the concept of unity of being into Sufism.
Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi uses the element of light in his works. According to his teachings, all existence is expressed through different intensities of light, starting from the absolute light which is God himself and which illuminates in all directions. Yesterday I was exploring what lies beneath and what is reached by weaker light.
The most famous representative of Sufism is undoubtedly Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
He was born in the 13th century in Persia, in an area that is now part of Afghanistan, but he moved to the city of Konya in present-day Turkey at a very young age. As the son of the renowned Sufi preacher Bahauddin Walad, he was taught the teachings of Sufism from childhood and after his father’s death, he took his place. He was most influenced by his encounter with the Sufi mystic Shams Tabrizi, which deepened his understanding of Sufism, and they became inseparable friends. After Tabrizi’s disappearance, Rumi devoted himself to writing poetry, and his most famous works, the Masnavi and the Divan, were created. In these works, he explains the essence of Sufi teachings in a simple and understandable language through a mixture of stories, proverbs, and poems. He teaches about the ways in which a person can approach God by “destroying” the ego, which represents the barrier between the human heart and God, and this attempt is actually a “holy war”, sometimes painful. and suffering, but necessary. According to Rumi, the meaning of life and creation is love. To those who embark on the path of love, he tells them they are not alone, shows them the way, and becomes their guide.
His increasing popularity today only confirms the universality of his message, relevant to both 12th century and 21st century man.
Rumi’s messages:
Be like a river in generosity and offering help.
Be like the sun in gentleness and mercy.
Be like the night covering others’ faults.
Be like a dead person when you are angry and furious.
Be like the earth in humility and modesty.
Be like the sea in tolerance.
Be who you are or who you appear to be.
Seek guilt within yourself, you have sown the seed. Reconcile with God’s law and punishment!
The reason for unhappiness lies in bad deeds. Look at what you have done wrong, don’t say “it’s my destiny”.
I was worried that I had no shoes. Then I saw a man without legs.
A person can conquer the world, but cannot control their words.
Whoever possesses beauty, fights against One should know that it is borrowed.
A man must leave many dwellings to one day arrive home.
Even if he speaks a hundred languages, a man is silent if his heart and words are not the same.
A man is valued by what he seeks.
Question arises from knowledge, just like the answer.
A ship needs water to sail. But if water penetrates the ship, it will sink. What water is to the ship, the world is to the believer.
Cry when someone is born, not when they die.
Sadness is created by desires that will not come true.
Language is an infinite treasure like an incurable disease.
He who has a good friend does not need a mirror.