Sufism – what is it? Science has not yet created a clear and unified idea of this most complex and multifaceted direction of Muslim religious thought.
For many centuries of its existence, it covered not only the entire Muslim world, but also managed to penetrate into Europe. Echoes of Sufism can be found in Spain, the Balkans and Sicily.
What is Sufism
Sufism is a special mystical-ascetic trend in Islam. His followers considered it possible to have direct spiritual communication between a person and a deity, achieved through long-term special practices. Knowledge of the essence of the deity is the only goal that the Sufis have striven for throughout their lives. This mystical "path" was expressed in the moral purification and self-improvement of man.
The "path" of the Sufi consisted of a constant striving for God, called maqamat. With sufficient diligence, maqamat could be accompanied by instantaneous insights that were similar tobrief ecstasies. But it is worth noting that such ecstatic states were not an end in themselves for the Sufis to strive for, but served only as a means for a deeper knowledge of the essence of the deity.
Many faces of Sufism
Initially, Sufism was one of the directions of Islamic asceticism, and only in the VIII-X centuries did the doctrine fully develop as an independent trend. At the same time, the Sufis had their own religious schools. But even under this condition, Sufism did not become a clear and harmonious system of views.
The fact is that at all times of its existence, Sufism greedily absorbed many ideas of ancient mythology, Zoroastrianism, Gnosticism, Christian theosophy and mysticism, subsequently easily combining them with local beliefs and cult traditions.
Sufism – what is it? The following definition can serve this concept: this is a common name that unites many currents, schools and branches with various ideas of the “mystical path”, which have only a common ultimate goal - direct communication with God.
The ways to achieve this goal were very diverse - physical exercises, special psychotechnics, auto-training. All of them lined up in certain Sufi practices, spread through brotherhoods. The comprehension of these numerous practices gave rise to a new wave of varieties of mysticism.
Beginning of Sufism
Initially, Muslim ascetics were called Sufis, who usually wore a woolen cape "suf". This is where the term "tasawwuf" comes from. This word appeared only after 200 years fromthe time of the Prophet Muhammad and meant "mysticism". From this it follows that Sufism appeared much later than many movements in Islam, and later it became a kind of successor to some of them.
The Sufis themselves believed that Muhammad, with his ascetic way of life, showed his followers the only true path for spiritual development. Before him, many prophets in Islam were content with little, which earned them great respect from the people.
A significant role in the development of Muslim asceticism was played by "ahl as-suffa" - the so-called "people of the bench". This is a small group of poor people who gathered in the mosque in Medina and spent their time in fasting and prayers. The Prophet Mohammed himself treated them with great respect and even sent some of them to preach Islam among the small Arab tribes lost in the desert. Having significantly improved their well-being on such trips, the former ascetics easily got used to a new, more well-fed way of life, which allowed them to easily abandon their ascetic beliefs.
But the tradition of asceticism in Islam did not die, it found successors among itinerant preachers, collectors of hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), as well as among former Christians converted to the Muslim faith.
The first Sufi communities appeared in Syria and Iraq in the 8th century and quickly spread throughout the Arab East. Initially, the Sufis fought only to pay more attention to the spiritual aspects of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Over time, their teaching has absorbed manyother superstitions, and hobbies such as music, dancing, and the occasional use of hashish became commonplace.
Rivalry with Islam
Relations between Sufis and representatives of the orthodox movements of Islam have always been very difficult. And the point here is not only in the fundamental differences of the teaching, although they were significant. The Sufis put at the forefront the purely personal experiences and revelations of each believer, in contrast to the orthodox, for whom the letter of the Law was the main thing, and a person had only to strictly obey it.
In the first centuries of the formation of the Sufi doctrine, the official currents in Islam fought with him for power over the hearts of believers. However, with the growth of his popularity, the Sunni orthodox people were forced to come to terms with this situation. It often happened that Islam could penetrate into distant pagan tribes only with the help of Sufi preachers, since their teaching was closer and more understandable to ordinary people.
No matter how rational Islam is, Sufism has made its rigid postulates more spiritual. He made people remember their own soul, preached kindness, justice and brotherhood. In addition, Sufism was very plastic, and therefore absorbed all local beliefs like a sponge, returning them to the people more enriched from a spiritual point of view.
By the 11th century, the ideas of Sufism had spread throughout the Muslim world. It was at this moment that Sufism turned from an intellectual trend into a truly popular one. The Sufi doctrine of the "perfect man", where perfection is achieved through asceticism and abstinence, was close and understandable to the distressedpeople. It gave people hope for a heavenly life in the future and said that divine mercy would not bypass them.
Oddly enough, having been born in the depths of Islam, Sufism did not learn much from this religion, but it gladly accepted many theosophical constructions of Gnosticism and Christian mysticism. Eastern philosophy also played an important role in the formation of the doctrine, it is almost impossible to briefly talk about all the variety of ideas of which. However, the Sufis themselves have always considered their teaching to be an internal, hidden doctrine, a secret underlying the Qur'an and other messages that many prophets in Islam left before the coming of Muhammad.
Philosophy of Sufism
With the growing number of followers in Sufism, the intellectual side of the teaching gradually began to develop. Deep religious, mystical and philosophical constructions could not be understood by ordinary people, however, they satisfied the needs of educated Muslims, among whom there were also many who were interested in Sufism. Philosophy at all times was considered the lot of the elite, but without a deep study of their doctrines, not a single religious movement can exist.
The most widespread trend in Sufism is associated with the name of the "Great Sheikh" - the mystic Ibn Arabi. He is the author of two well-known works: The Meccan Revelations, which are rightfully considered an encyclopedia of Sufi thought, and The Gems of Wisdom.
God in the Arabi system has two essences: one is imperceptible and unknowable (batin), and the other is an explicit form (zahir), expressed in all the variety of creatures living on earth,created in the divine image and likeness. In other words, all living in the world are only mirrors reflecting the image of the Absolute, the true essence of which remains hidden and unknowable.
Another widespread teaching of intellectual Sufism was wahdat ash-shuhud - the doctrine of the unity of evidence. It was developed in the 14th century by the Persian mystic Ala al-Dawla al-Simnani. This teaching said that the goal of the mystic is not to attempt to connect with the deity, since this is completely impossible, but only to find the only true way to worship him. This true knowledge comes only if a person strictly observes all the prescriptions of the Holy Law, which people received through the revelations of the Prophet Muhammad.
Thus, Sufism, whose philosophy was distinguished by pronounced mysticism, was still able to find ways to reconcile with orthodox Islam. It is possible that the teachings of al-Simnani and his many followers allowed Sufism to continue its completely peaceful existence within the Muslim world.
Sufi literature
It is difficult to appreciate the diversity of ideas that Sufism has brought to the Muslim world. The books of Sufi scholars have rightly entered the treasury of world literature.
During the development and formation of Sufism as a teaching, Sufi literature also appeared. It was very different from that which already existed in other Islamic movements. The main idea of many works was an attempt to prove the relationship of Sufism with orthodoxIslam. Their goal was to show that the ideas of the Sufis fully comply with the laws of the Koran, and the practices in no way contradict the lifestyle of a faithful Muslim.
Sufi scholars tried to interpret the Koran in their own way, with the main attention being paid to verses - places that were traditionally considered incomprehensible to the mind of an ordinary person. This caused extreme indignation among orthodox interpreters, who were categorically against any speculative assumptions and allegories when commenting on the Koran.
Very freely, according to Islamic scholars, the Sufis also treated hadiths (traditions about the deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). They were not very concerned about the reliability of this or that evidence, they paid special attention only to their spiritual component.
Sufism has never denied Islamic law (fiqh) and regarded it as an immutable aspect of religion. However, among the Sufis, the Law becomes more spiritual and sublime. It is justified from a moral point of view, and therefore does not allow Islam to completely turn into a rigid system that requires its followers only to strictly comply with all religious prescriptions.
Practical Sufism
But in addition to highly intellectual Sufism, which consists in complex philosophical and theological constructions, another direction of teaching was developing - the so-called pragmatic Sufism. What it is, you can guess if you remember how popular these days are various oriental exercises and meditations aimed at improving one or another aspect of life.human.
In pragmatic Sufism, two main schools can be distinguished. They offered their own carefully designed practices, the implementation of which should provide a person with the opportunity for direct intuitive communication with the deity.
The first school was founded by the Persian mystic Abu Iazid al-Bistami, who lived in the 9th century. The main postulate of his teaching was the achievement of ecstatic rapture (galaba) and "intoxication with the love of God" (suqr). He argued that by long reflection on the unity of the deity, one can gradually reach a state where one's own "I" of a person completely disappears, dissolves in the deity. At this point, there is a change of roles, when the person becomes a deity, and the deity becomes a person.
The founder of the second school was also a mystic from Persia, his name was Abu-l-Kasima Junaida al-Baghdadi. He recognized the possibility of ecstatic merging with the deity, but encouraged his followers to go further, from "drunk" to "sobriety". In this case, the deity transformed the very essence of man, and he returned to the world not only renewed, but also endowed with the rights of the messiah (baka). This new creature could fully control its ecstatic states, visions, thoughts and feelings, and therefore serve the benefit of people even more effectively by enlightening them.
Practices in Sufism
Sufi practices were so diverse that it is not possible to subordinate them to any system. However, among them are some of the most common, which manyenjoy so far.
The most famous practice is the so-called Sufi whirling. They make it possible to feel like the center of the world and feel the powerful circulation of energy around. From the outside, it looks like a quick circle with open eyes and raised hands. This is a kind of meditation that ends only when an exhausted person falls to the ground, thereby completely merging with it.
Besides whirling, Sufis practiced a variety of methods of knowing the deity. These could be long meditations, certain breathing exercises, silence for several days, dhikr (something like meditative mantra recitation) and much more.
Sufi music has always been an integral part of such practices and was considered one of the most powerful means to bring a person closer to the deity. This music is popular in our time, it is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful creations of the culture of the Arab East.
Sufi brotherhoods
Over time, brotherhoods began to appear in the bosom of Sufism, the purpose of which was to give a person certain means and skills for direct communication with God. This is the desire to achieve some freedom of the spirit as opposed to the mundane laws of orthodox Islam. And today in Sufism there are many dervish brotherhoods that differ only in the ways of achieving merging with the deity.
These brotherhoods are called tarikats. The term was originally applied to any clear practical method of the "path" of the Sufi, but over timeonly those practices that gathered the largest number of followers around them began to be called this way.
From the moment the brotherhoods appear, a special institution of relations begins to take shape within them. Everyone wishing to follow the path of a Sufi had to choose a spiritual mentor - a Murshid or a Sheikh. It is believed that it is impossible to go through the tariqah on your own, since a person without a guide risks losing he alth, mind, and possibly life itself. On the path, the student must obey his teacher in every detail.
In the heyday of the teachings in the Muslim world, there were 12 largest tarikats, later they gave birth to many more side branches.
With the development of the popularity of such associations, their bureaucratization deepened even more. The system of relations "student-teacher" was replaced by a new one - "novice-saint", and the murid already obeyed not so much the will of his teacher as the rules established within the framework of the brotherhood.
The most important among the rules was the complete and unconditional obedience to the head of the tarikat - the bearer of "grace". It was also important to strictly observe the statute of the brotherhood and strictly follow all the mental and physical practices prescribed by this statute. As in many other secret orders, mysterious initiation rituals were developed in the tarikats.
There are bands that have survived to this day. The largest of them are Shaziri, Qadiri, Nakhshabandi and Tijani.
Sufism today
Today Sufis are called all those who believe in the possibility of direct communication with God andready to make every effort to achieve that mental state in which it becomes real.
At present, the followers of Sufism are not only the poor, but also the representatives of the middle class. Belonging to this doctrine does not at all prevent them from fulfilling their social functions. Many modern Sufis lead the usual life of city dwellers - they go to work and start families. And belonging to one or another tariqa these days is often inherited.
So, Sufism – what is it? This is a teaching that continues to exist in the Islamic world today. And the most amazing thing is that not only in it. Even Europeans liked Sufi music, and many of the practices developed as part of the teachings are still widely used by various esoteric schools today.
