Sufism

Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a school of esoteric philosophy in Islam, which is based on the pursuit of spiritual truth as a definite goal to attain. In modern language it might also be referred to as Islamic spirituality or Islamic mysticism.

The word Sufi

The word Sufi has its origin in Tasawwuf. The root word of Tasawwuf is the Arabic word Saaf, meaning pure, clean or blank. So the word Tasawwuf means purifying or making clean. A Sufi is a person who practices purification of heart.

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There are alternate theories of the origin of the word Sufi. One view is that it originates from Suf (???), the Arabic word for wool, implying a cloak, refers to the simple cloaks the original Sufis wore. Some scholars (see Tor Andrae's Garden of Myrtles) have suggested that this derivation gives credence to early Sufism's link with Syriac Christian monastic orders. Woolen clothes were common in these monastic orders, but uncommon amongst normal Muslims of the time.

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The Greek terms Sophos/Sophia, literally implying wisdom or enlightenment, have also sometimes been asserted as the source of the word Sufi. Although this etymology has largely been discredited, it was popular amongst orientalists in the early 20th Century.

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Most Sufis agree with the first definition, while most scholars tend to adhere to the second. The two were combined by the acclaimed sufi Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. 920 CE) in the famous saying, "The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity..."

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The sufi is universal. He has reduced and then eliminated the marks of selfhood to allow a clear view of the cosmic reality. He has rolled up the cosmos in its turn and obliterated it. He has gone beyond. The sufi has said 'Allah'- until he has understood.

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All men and women play in the world like children. The sufi's task is to recognise the end in the beginning, accept the beginning in the end, arrive at the unified view. When the outward opposites are the same, and the instant is presence, and the heart is serene, empty and full, light on light, the one in the woollen cloak has been robed with the robe of honour and is complete.

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The Imam said: 'If I had known of any science greater than sufism I would have gone to it, even on my hands and knees.'

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