Sufism is the name for the mystical branch within Islam. It was, especially in the first centuries, an almost completely individual form of belief. Not so much a doctrine, but a way of religious thinking and feeling.
The word Sufism
The word Sufism is probably derived from the word ‘suf’, Arabic for wool, because the first ascetic mystics dressed in woolen clothing. Other sources say that the word is derived from the word ‘sofa’, which means bench, because mystically inclined Muslims could be found sitting on a bench at almost every mosque.
Ibrahim Ibn Adham
One of the first known Sufis was Ibrahim Ibn Adham, king of Balkh in Afghanistan. According to legend, he was converted when he saw a beggar from his palace enjoying dry bread, which he dipped in water with some salt. The beggar told him that he was completely satisfied with his existence and then Ibn Adham put on a woolen dress and began a wandering life. After his conversion, Ibn Adham moved from Balkh to Syria, where Sufism slowly took a more organized form. Small groups of followers associated themselves with an inspiring example such as Ibn Adham. At the end of the twelfth century more and more brotherhoods began to emerge. The founder of the brotherhood often became the center of a cult, often with semi-divine powers. After his death he became a saint. Veneration of saints is not permitted in Islam, as is customary in the Catholic Church, for example, but the graves of such saints often attracted and continue to attract many visitors.
Influences
The ideas of the groups of Sufis are often very diverse and not only based on Islam. There are influences from Christianity, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Greek philosophy and even shamanism.
Sufism strives for a personal and more intense experience of the Divine. And it emerged in response to the formalism of Islam and the Qur’an and what followed the death of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Muhammad (pbuh), however, also had a very personal relationship with God, experiencing the Divine presence in his revelations. Sufis often see themselves as the true interpreters of the Prophet’s esoteric teachings as contained in the hadith (recorded stories about the life and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)).
Mevlevi
The members of a cult are called Sufis or dervishes and lived together in special places called ‘khanqhahs’, ‘tekkiyes’ or ‘ribats’. These often grew into social centers. Many different of these brotherhoods have emerged over time, including the Mevlevis, known as the Dancing Dervishes.
Some Well-known Sufi Orders are:
- Bektashi
- Chishti
- Naqshbandi
- Oveyssi
- Qadiri
- Suhrawardiyya