We ensure that we touch upon and discuss about most of the religions of the world. Today we will discuss the Sufism. The non Islam followers consider Sufism as a sect or religion. However, the Sufism is not a sect it is basically an extension of Islam.
Early Beginnings
The Sufism began in the early 14th Century. It originated in Arabia. The Sufi means wool in Arabia. This name came up from the garments that the Sufis used to wear initially. The Sufism also means purity and wisdom. The Islam believes that there is one Allah and the followers of Islam must do all they can to please the God.
Sufism
Sufism believes that there are other ways to reach God other than what is mentioned in the religious books. The God can be pleased with music, dance and even poetry for that matter. The Sufism just gave a new dimension to the Islam and tried to make it more interesting for those who follow the same. The Sufism teaches the Islam with songs, poetries and ensures that the masses understand the Quran (holy book of Muslims) better.
After Prophet Mohammad
The Sufism started almost a century after the death of the prophet Mohammad. The Sufism is very popular and almost every one can relate to the songs of the Sufism. These songs have a universal appeal and are very soothing to hear. There are many songs across the world that has been influenced by the songs and tunes of Sufi songs.
Even the dance of the Sufism is very popular. As soon as you say Sufism you can see a number of dancers dressed in woollen clothes and performing to the Sufi songs. The Sufism is also known as the Tariqas. There are many performances that are given by the Sufi singers and dancers across the world. The Islam has often questioned the need for Sufism.
The popularity of the Sufism and its universal appeal often made Islam say that the Sufism is alien to Islam and the Islam can do without the song and dance of Sufism. The debate has been going on for a long time now.
Extension of Islam
However, as far as we understand Islam is the main religion and Sufism is a branch of it that tries to ensure that the Islam gets a universal recognition and people all over the world can understand the teaching of the Islam a little more. There is no harm in trying to make the religion look more interesting to the world.
The Sufism follows all the teachings of the Islam. All their songs and poetry are inspired by what the prophet Mohammad had taught. The Sufis do belive in giving charity. They also do fasting and all other teachings of the Islam as followed by the Muslims and followed by the Sufis too. The Sufism gives a spiritual dimension to the religion of Islam.
State of Trance
They consider prophet as Dhikr Allah or the remembrance of God. They follow the Dhikr and they say all the divine names of Allah. They say the verses of Quran to glorify the teachings of Allah. The Sufism believes in peace and utter submission to Allah. They say that when they sing and dance they reach a state of trance. It is the state that the God leaves them in. Each of the followers says that they have a different experience as they can to the tunes of the Sufi songs.
They feel a sense of unity with the supreme power we call Allah. They are showered with the divine love of the lord as they sing and dance to the tunes of the Sufi songs. It is interesting to see a Sufi performance. The melody of the Sufi songs and the rhythm of the dance that they do are truly divine to watch.
Some say that the Sufi dance and song is a way to reach the Lord. The God who is present inside all of us and in all that we see can be felt through the practice of Sufism. You can also consider it like a meditation done for the peace of the mind and an attempt to feel the presence of the universal power we all call god.
Beliefs of Sufism
We will now discuss some of the beliefs of Sufism. They believe that:
- All humans have god in them in some form or the other so we must love and respect all humans.
- Everything happens as per the will of the god. Human will is a factor in ensuring that the divine will is fulfilled.
- As everything happens as per the will of the god. All the good as well as the bad things happens because of god’s will.
- All that we see around us is created by the god and he dwells in all these things
- When we go beyond life we can feel the true god.
- Sufism is secular and it accepts all religious bodies of the world. It welcomes even the non Muslims to follow Sufism.
Sufism is a mystic experience anyone can experience the magic of Sufism if they want to irrespective of the religion they belong to. We would recommend our readers to follow the teachings of Sufism and enjoy the mystic experience that can connect the real life to the life that is beyond death. Rumi was an ancient and the first poet of Sufism. We have discussed about him in one of our previous articles. His works can be easily found in books and in religious texts.
Some of his work has been translated too. You can read all that and feel the magic of Sufism even more. As Sufism is open to all anyone can learn about it and practice the same. The Sufism says that you must leave your desires if you want to be god realized. You just need some qualities to follow Sufism and not a certain religious back ground.
Sufism is indeed an interesting topic. We have tried to discuss some of the important aspects of the Sufism in this article. We hope that you found this article interesting and informative. There is much more that can be discussed about Sufism. This is just an introduction into what the Sufism is all about. We will try to cover some more aspects of this interesting aspect of Islam in our next few articles.