Read excerpts about Sufism from two new books on Islam:
From WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT ISLAM by John Esposito (Oxford University Press):
The name "Sufi" is derived from the Arabic word "suf" (wool), in honor of the coarse woolen garments worn by the first Sufis, resembling the garb of Christian monks and mystics in other faiths. Like other mystical movements in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sufi path seeks to discipline the mind and body in order to experience directly the presence of God. Sufis view their struggle to find God as one that takes place in the world, in contrast to the Christian monastic tradition of withdrawing from the world in order to find God.Sufis set as their highest priority the individual spiritual effort of self-sacrifice and discipline in a struggle within oneself against greed, laziness, and ego. This struggle is known as the "greater jihad" (as opposed to the "lesser jihad" of armed struggle in the defense of Islam). This "greater jihad" is carried out by devoting oneself completely to fulfilling Godıs will, studying and meditating on the Quran and the Sunnah (the example of Muhammad), performing religious duties, especially prayer and fasting, focusing on the centrality of God and the Last Judgment, denying material desires that could distract one from God, and carrying out good works. A famous woman mystic, Rabia al-Adawiyya (d. 801), added the devotional love of God to Sufi practices.
Like Islamic law, Sufism began as a reform movement in response to the growing materialism and wealth of Muslims that accompanied the expansion and growing power of the Islamic empire. While some believed that strict adherence to Islamic law and rituals was the solution to the excesses of imperial lifestyles and luxuries, Sufis found the emphasis on laws, rules, duties and rights to be spiritually lacking. Instead, they emphasized the "interior" path, seeking the purity and simplicity of the time of Muhammad, as the route to the direct and personal experience of God. Following the example of Muhammad in working tirelessly in the world to create the ideal Islamic society, Sufis have often played an important role in the political life of Muslims. For example, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Sufi brotherhoods led jihad movements that spearheaded an Islamic revivalist wave that regenerated society, created Islamic states, and fought off colonial powers.
The Sufi orders also played an important role in the spread of Islam through missionary work. Their tendency to adopt and adapt to local non-Islamic customs and practices in new places and their strong devotional and emotional practices helped them to become a popular mass movement and a threat to the more orthodox religious establishment. In this way, Sufism became integral to popular religious practices and spirituality in Islam. However, their willingness to embrace local traditions also left Sufis open to criticism by the conservative religious establishment for being unfaithful to the tenets of Islam. Indeed, popular Sufism at times slipped into magic and superstition, as well as withdrawal from the world. Some of the major Islamic revival and reform movements of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries sought to eliminate superstitious practices from Sufism and bring it back into line with more orthodox interpretations of Islam.
Sufism today exists throughout the Muslim world and in a variety of devotional paths. It remains a strong spiritual presence and force in Muslim societies, in both private and public life, and enjoys a wide following in Europe and America, attracting many converts to Islam.
Sufism has played a major role in the intellectual life of Islam and has interacted with both theology and philosophy in numerous ways. It has been a fountainhead for Islamic art, and many of the greatest artistic masterpieces have been the creation of Sufis, especially in the domains of music and poetry. It has also been instrumental in the social life of Islam. Sufism not only revived Islamic ethics over the centuries, but [also] made a direct contribution to the economic life of the community through [its relationships] with various guilds. Sufism has also played a considerable political role, and from time to time Sufi orders have established whole dynasties. The spread of Islam outside of the Arab and Persian worlds up to the present day has been mostly through Sufism.
