IslamiCity.org Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > Religion - Islam > Islam for non-Muslims
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Sufism  What is Islam What is Islam  Donate Donate
  FAQ FAQ  Quran Search Quran Search  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Sufism

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12345 12>
Author
Message
hat2010 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior  Member


Joined: 10 October 2006
Location: Neutral Zone
Status: Offline
Points: 561
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hat2010 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 December 2006 at 9:12pm
"This is an article which exposes some of the Suffists hidden
characteristics:

http://www.islamawareness.net/Deviant/Sufi/truth.html"

It's an article that is both bigoted, poorly written and a cartoonish
description of the so-called sufis. If anything, it only exposes the odd
rabid and paroxysmal anger that the sufis seem to awaken in some
muslims.

(Read Rumi and let your heart soften, feel God (swt) blowing into you...)

The wiki sites I listed have no partiality to them - just lists of sufi, anti-
sufi, pro and anti-hadith - the works.   Good place to start for info
gatherers.

And yet again, without having read the Quran it is like one trying to write
an essay on the greatest literature by discussing it with other students,
the book still closed.   

Again, blessed Eid to you, Arab and you all, my sufi, sunni, shia brothers
and sisters, whereever and whoever you are...

Jamal Morelli



Edited by Jamal Morelli
Back to Top
Andalus View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group

Joined: 12 October 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1187
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andalus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 12:44am

Originally posted by senekerk senekerk wrote:

Is Sufism a approved practice of Islam?  the reason I asked is that I has a spiritual awakening when I learned of Sufism. It is from that point I began to look at Islam.  I mediatate using one of the 99 names of Allah.  Is this permitted?

Greetings senekerk.

I will be as brief as possible with some generalizations (the nuances can be dealt with later if the thread takes certain directions)

Not only is sufism a part of Islam, but there is even a "science" dedicated to the path sufism advocates which is called "the science of tasawuf". This has been a part of traditional Islam for over a thousand years, supported by the greatest minds that Allah has blessed with knowledge and Iman. 

If this topic interests you, I, a convert to Islam, will give you the best advice I can muster. Before you start on a path to try and resolve particualr meanings or definitions of what a sufi is, why not read the works of great minds who were sufis.

Imam Al Ghazali is one place to start. This man was not only a sufi, but one of the greatest theolgians and philosophers that walked the planet. He has been given the title "proof of Islam", a title no one else has been called.

His work "Ihya ulum al-din" (The Revival of the Religous Sciences) is a great place to start.

Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Al-Jilani is another great mind whose works are worthy of study by any one truly want to know what sufism is.

As a beginner, I highly recommend Futuh Al Ghaib.

This is a intro to a passage from this particular work.

Sixteenth Discourse

The Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment) said:

Nothing blocks you from direct receiving of Allah's grace and favor except your reliance upon people and connections, on good turns and handouts. Thus creatures are your obstacle to gaining a proper livelihood, in keeping with the exemplary practice of the Prophet. As long as you continue to depend on fellow creatures, hoping for their gifts and favors, going from door to door with your requests, you are associating His creation with Allah. He will therefore punish you with deprivation of that proper livelihood, namely the lawful earnings of this world.

Then, when you have renounced the habit of depending on people and associating them with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and have resorted to earning your own livelihood, you get to rely on this earning power and become complacent about it, forgetting the gracious favor of your Lord. You are once again behaving like a polytheist [mushrik], only now the polytheism [shirk] is concealed, of a subtler nature than the previous kind. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) will therefore punish you by depriving you of His favor and of direct access to Him.

When you turn from this in repentance, ceasing to allow the encroachment of polytheism, and forsaking reliance on your own earning power and abilities, you will see that Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) is the Provider. It is He who supplies the means, the facilities and the energy one needs to make a living, and He is the One who enables all good results to be achieved. All sustenance is in His hand. At times He may supply it to you by way of other people, through your appealing to them while in distress or trying straits, or in response to your appeal to Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), sometimes by way of earned remuneration, and at still other times by His spontaneous favor, in such a way that you do not see the intervening cause and means.

You have turned again to Him, casting yourself down before Him, and He has lifted the veil between you and His favor. He has made Himself accessible to you, and graciously ministers to all your needs in the measure appropriate to your condition, acting like a kind and tactful physician who is also a friend to the patient. As a precaution on His part, and to purge you of any attachment to anyone but Him, He satisfies you with His favor.

Once your heart has been detached from all self-will, all lust and indulgence, craving and desire, there is nothing left in your heart except His will (Almighty and Glorious is He). So when He wishes to send you your allotted share (which you are bound to receive and which is not earmarked for any of His creatures apart from you), He will cause a desire for that share to arise within you, and will dispatch it to you so that it reaches you when you need it. Then He will help you to recognize that it comes from Him and to acknowledge Him with conscious gratitude as the sender and supplier of what you have received. As this moves you further away from attachment to creatures, from involvement with people, your inner being is emptied of all besides Him (Almighty and Glorious is He).

Then, when your knowledge and conviction have been fortified, when your feelings have been expanded and your heart has been enlightened, and your nearness to your Lord and your standing in His sight have thereby increased, as well your competence for the guarding of secrets, you will be allowed to know beforehand when you are to receive your allotted share. This privilege will be granted in your honor, to exalt your dignity, as a gracious favor and guidance from Him. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:

And We appointed from among them leaders guiding by Our command, when they endured patiently, and had sure faith in Our signs. (32:24)

Allah (Exalted is He) also says:

As for those who strive in Our cause, We surely guide them in Our ways. (29:69)

And the Exalted One says:

Observe your duty to Allah. Allah will teach you. (2:282)

Then He will invest you with creative power, which you may exercise with clear and unambiguous permission, with tokens brilliant as the radiant sun, with His sweet words far sweeter than all sweetness, with inspiration true and unequivocal, untainted by the promptings of the self and the whisperings of Satan the accursed. Allah (Exalted is He) has said in one of His scriptures:

O son of Adam, I am Allah. There is none worthy of worship but I alone. I say to a thing, "Be," and it comes into being. Obey Me and I will make you such that you say to a thing, "Be," and it will come into being.

Thus He has dealt with many of His Prophets, His saints, and His special favorites among the children of Adam.

There are groups who have the label as "sufi", and there is a small group within Islam, founded on a 18th century ideal, who profits on misguided groups and uses them to "generalize from the particular", meaning they point out a group, label them sufis, highlite their odd behavior and practices, and conclude to all with such juvenile slander that this is "sufism" in the broader sense. You will find that the works of the greatest sufis that have lived have made harsh criticism of some groups claiming to sufis, and their deviated practices. In every group there are misguided people, but one cannot define the larger from the acts of the smaller. In my opinion, groups that cause fitnah by exaggerating the ignorance of isolated, odd groups claiming to be sufis are just as bad as the group thet are pointing fingers at.

Meditating on the 99 names (attributes) of Allah is a praiseworthy act. Such types of meditation can open your heart to your Creator, and bring you closer to Him. I can suggest some reading on the topic if you would like.

I would be happy to discuss the topic further if you would like. This is also a favorite of mine, and I wish I spent more time in relfection of my Creator. You have inspired me this evening, and I, a Muslim of some years, will make some dhikr (rememberence of Allah) and meditate upon His Noble and Beautiful names because an interested friend mentioned it.

Thank you and may God guide you.

A feeling of discouragement when you slip up is a sure sign that you put your faith in deeds. -Ibn 'Ata'llah
http://www.sunnipath.com
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/
http://www.pt-go.com/
Back to Top
senekerk View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar
Joined: 08 December 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 161
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote senekerk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 6:52am

Rubies--thank for the link the article was informing

Jamal- Welcome back- I am in processing reading theQu'ran. One of my Doctors suggested that I get someone to teach me about Qu'ran am trying to do that through a local mosque.

I will read all links given to me.

Andalus The Sixteenth Discourse brought tears to my eyes Thank you

Kay
Back to Top
Arab View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar
Joined: 15 December 2006
Location: Kuwait
Status: Offline
Points: 256
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Arab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 8:12am
Guys I think you are forgetting that there are two types of Suffism. One, which is the good one as brother Andalus said. Its basically what the sixteenth discource article said. The second is the branch in Islam called Sufism which is different then general Muslims, its the dancing etc etc. The first Suffism is permissible, its very good, to strengthen your relationship with Allahtat way. The second is man inventing stuff and inserting them into the relegion.
Back to Top
senekerk View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar
Joined: 08 December 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 161
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote senekerk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 10:51am

It is the first one I was introduced to, I read a book entitled  What is Sufism  by Martin Lings. Lings does not like to see Sufism exsisting independanty of Islam. He wrote "The Prophet of Islam said, 'Seek knowledge even if it in China.'" and 'there is one communal responsibility the Sufism cannot evade, and this is related to its necessity. Sufism is necessary because it is to Islam what the heart is to the body.'  this must be the good sufism, because later I got a book entitled Muraqaba, The Art of Sufi Meditation that i thought was a little crazy.  This is the point at which I decided to look at Islam.

 

Kay
Back to Top
Arab View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar
Joined: 15 December 2006
Location: Kuwait
Status: Offline
Points: 256
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Arab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 5:18pm
Oh, yeah maybe he was talking about the good sufism (to cut yourself off of the world and just dedicate yourself to God, Allah). But the other type of sufism is the bad type (the druming and dancing etc). They are really two different things just with the same name unfortanetly.
Back to Top
senekerk View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar
Joined: 08 December 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 161
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote senekerk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 6:36pm
Like i said I am not into drumming, dancing dream interetation, just mediatation  on Allahs names and attributes. i apoligise if I offended you.
Kay
Back to Top
Andalus View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group

Joined: 12 October 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1187
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andalus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2006 at 11:59pm

Originally posted by Arab Arab wrote:

Guys I think you are forgetting that there are two types of Suffism. One, which is the good one as brother Andalus said. Its basically what the sixteenth discource article said. The second is the branch in Islam called Sufism which is different then general Muslims, its the dancing etc etc. The first Suffism is permissible, its very good, to strengthen your relationship with Allahtat way. The second is man inventing stuff and inserting them into the relegion.

Assalam Aleikum.

I do not want to get into a discussion of semantics, and I think we would do injustice to sufism by dividing it up based upon isolated groups. It would be the same as saying that there are different forms of Islam, some permissible and others not. 

Sufism is a path to Allah that is directly connected to Islam, the two cannot be seperated. WHen we say sufism, the connotation is muslims who are developing their inward selves as a way to connect to God, using means that are accepted in Islam in terms of the Shariah.

ma'salaama  

A feeling of discouragement when you slip up is a sure sign that you put your faith in deeds. -Ibn 'Ata'llah
http://www.sunnipath.com
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/
http://www.pt-go.com/
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12345 12>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03
Copyright ©2001-2019 Web Wiz Ltd.