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Sufism
OED Definition:
The mystical system of the Sufis.
From the Arabic ‘tasawwuf’, refers to a form of spiritual mysticism based on the internalization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice.
Term Variants: Sufi, Sufism
How this term should be used
There is a tendency to claim that Sufis are the “peaceful” Muslims, with the implication that other Muslims are not peaceful. Such a distinction is not justifiable, is a lazy generalisation and should be avoided.
The word “Sufism” is an English language construction and was first coined in the 19th Century by British scholars in India.1 The term is derived from the Arabic tasawwuf and refers to a form of mysticism based on the “internalization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice.”2
Though early orientalist scholarship in the West tended to emphasize the exoticism and perceived eccentricity of Sufism, it is in fact a philosophically rigorous system of devotion which stresses “contemplation over action, spiritual development over legalism, and cultivation of the soul over social interaction.”3 Based on the belief that true surrender to Allah is impossible for as long as the personal ego remains intact, the task of the Sufi is “to look into himself and exercise self-training, with the aim of doing away with the self and all the impulses of the will.”4
Etymology
Though there has been some debate about the etymology of “tasawwuf”, the one that is most commonly accepted holds that the word “tasawwuf” is a derivation from “suf” which means wool, the rough garb of ascetics.5
Organisation
Tariqah (Arabic: path)
Sufi orders are known as “Tariqahs” and are organised around the Shaykh, a Sufi master who acts as spiritual guide to his disciples. As noted in the Oxford Dictionary of Islam, the size and nature of these Sufi orders can vary enormously, ranging from simple preservation of the tariqah as a set of devotional exercises to vast interregional organizations with carefully defined structures.”6
Silsila (Arabic: chain, link, connection)
The authority of the Shaykh – the sufi master – is derived from a chain of transmission known as a “silsila”. In this chain, the Shaykh (or sometimes Shaykha) acts as the link between his/her disciples and the Prophet Muhammad. The theory holds that as the Prophet is the greatest example of a human being who was able to extinguish his self and become one with Allah, he has reached the spiritual centre whence he can:
…throw out a ‘life-line, that is, a chain…that traces a spiritual lineage back to himself. Every Sufi order (tariqah) is descended from the Prophet in this way, and initiation into a tariqah means attachment to its particular chain.7
Rituals
Sufi rituals differ from one tariqah to another and are based on the teachings of the founding Shaykh. They “typically consist of the recitation of prayers, poems, and selections from the Quran, and methodical repetitions of divine names (dhikr) or Quranic formulas, such as the shahadah. In communal gatherings, Sufis perform dhikr aloud, sometimes with musical accompaniment.”8