Sufism
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Sufism (Arabic: تصوف, taṣawwuf), a part of Islamic studies, is a mystic tradition of Islam based on the pursuit of spiritual truth as it is gradually revealed to the heart and mind of the Sufi (one who practices Sufism).
It might also be referred to as Islamic mysticism. While other branches of Islam generally focus on exoteric aspects of religion, Sufism is mainly focused on the direct perception of Truth or God through mystic practices based on divine love. Sufism embodies a number of cultures, philosophies, central teachings and bodies of esoteric knowledge.
Sufis are active in a diverse range of brotherhoods and sisterhoods, with a wide diversity of thought. Sufi orders ("tariqas") can be Shi'a Islam, Sunni Islam, both or neither.
Etymology
A few etymologies for the word Sufi have been suggested.
One etymological theory states that the root word of Sufi is the Arabic word saaf (صاف), meaning pure, clean or blank. This etymology refers to the emphasis of Sufism on purity of heart and soul.
Another view is that the word originates from Suf (صوف), the Arabic word for wool, implying a cloak and refers to the simple cloaks the original Sufis wore.
Others have suggested the origin of the word Sufi is from "Ashab al-Suffa" ("Companions of the Veranda") or "Ahl al-Suffa" ("People of the Veranda"). who were a group of Muslims during the time of the Prophet Muhammad who spent much of their time on the veranda of the Prophet's mosque devoted to prayer .
The Greek words Sophos/Sophia, literally meaning wisdom or enlightenment, have also sometimes been asserted as the source of the word Sufi. Although this etymology has now largely been discredited, it was popular amongst orientalists in the early 20th Century. This origin was also advocated by Biruni.
Most Sufis agree with the first definition, while most scholars tend to adhere to the second or third. The two were combined by the acclaimed Sufi, Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. 920 C.E.) in the famous saying, "The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity...."
Idries Shah writes in "The Way of the Sufi" about the word Sufi being said to have no etymology.
History of Sufism
The history of Sufism can be divided into the following principal periods:
Origins
According to the history of Sufism as told by Sufi masters themselves, Sufism originates in the esoteric teaching of the Prophet Muhammad during his 23 year prophetic career. Almost all traditional Sufi schools or orders trace their orgins or "chains of transmission" back to the Prophet Muhammad, either through his cousin and son-in-law Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib or through caliph Abu Bakr. From their point of view, since the Prophet Muhammad was sent as a "mercy to all the worlds" (all creatures/species/all things existent), his message was naturally and necessarily manifold, attuned to the capacities of the hearts of his listeners, and the esoteric teaching was only given to those of his immediate companions who had the capacity to contain the direct experiential gnosis of God (Allah), and was then passed on from them from teacher to student through the centuries to modern times. Tradition includes among these early sufis a group known as Ahl as-Suffa ("People of the Bench") who lived lives of poverty and piety, many of whom were of foreign origin (like Bilal from Ethiopia, Salman from Persia and Suhaib from Rome).
Some scholars believe that Sufism was essentially the result of Islam evolving in a more mystic direction. For example, Annemarie Schimmel proposes that Sufism in its early stages of development meant nothing but the interiorization of Islam. And Louis Massignon states: "It is from the Qur’an, constantly recited, meditated, and experienced, that Sufism proceeded, in its origin and its development."
The great Masters of Sufism
At a time when Iraq was the center of the Muslim Caliphate and an intellectual crucible and crossroads of various influences, there were mystical circles in cities such as Basra and Baghdad, and Sufism appears in the historical record as a discipline and school bearing this name. The Sufis dispersed throughout the Middle East, particularly in the areas previously under Byzantine influence and control. This period was characterised by the practice of an apprentice (murid) placing himself under the spiritual direction of a Master (shaykh or pir), as exemplified in the original Prophetic model. Schools started to form around some famous masters, such as Junayd in Baghdad and Al-Tustari in Basra. These were developed in a very open and public way, and were then written up as treatises concerning such topics as: mystical experience, education of the heart to rid itself of baser instincts, the love of God, and especially the approach towards Allah through a series of progressive stages or stations (maqaam) and states (haal). These schools were formed by reformers in reaction to the disappearance of values and manners in the society of the time, which was marked by a material prosperity that was seen as eroding the spiritual life. The Qur'anic verses which were the favourites of the Sufis included:
- "We [God] are closer to him [man] than his jugular vein."
- "Say, surely we belong to God and to Him do we return."
- "He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden."
- "God is the light of the heavens and the earth."
Hasan Ul-Basri is regarded as the first mystic in Islam. Rabia was renowned for her love and passion for God. Junayd was the first theorist of Sufism, known for his teachings on ‘fanaa and baqaa’, the state whereby the annihilation of the self occurs in the divine presence and is accompanied by a great clarity towards the world of phenomena. In addition to these famous names Soulami (325-416 C.E.) quotes more than one hundred Shaykhs (spiritual masters) in his book ‘Tabaqat’. The most famous of them are: Foudail Bin Ayad, Dhu Nun Al Misri, Ibrahim Bin Adham, Sari Saqti, Al Harith Al Muhassibi, Bayazid Bastami, Marouf Khalkhi and Ibrahim Al Khawass. The revolution of religious thought engendered through the Sufism of this time did not go without causing some reactions. Certain attitudes of the Sufis were not considered to be very orthodox. The crisis culminated in the famous case of Al Hallaj, who was executed for making what were considered to be heretical remarks in public whilst in a state of spiritual intoxication (sukr).
Formalisation of Philosophies of Sufism
Sufism was now recognized and understood by virtue of the spiritual values that it propagates, and because of the intellectual efforts of the great thinkers of this time. These scholars used all due discretion when they addressed matters of high spirituality. They respected the social and cultural hierarchies of their time, and spoke to everyone according to their level of understanding.
This time was marked primarily by a proliferation in the number of treaties on Sufism and in particular by the personality of Al Ghazali, considered by some as the greatest philosopher of Sufism. His works influenced influential Western thinkers such as Kant. His famous treatises - the "Reconstruction of Religious Sciences," the "Alchemy of Happiness," and other works - set out to convince the Islamic world that Sufism and its teachings originated from the Qur'an, and were compatible with mainstream Islamic thought and theology. It was Al Ghazali who bridged the gap between traditional and mystical Islam. It was around 1000 C.E. that the early Sufi literature, in the form of manuals, treatises, discourses and poetry, became the source of Sufi thinking and meditations. Another very important Sufi of that period was Ibn Arabi . Ibn Arabi was a contemporary of the Andalusian philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes). The relations and relationship between this exceptional trio ( Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and Ibn Arabi ) is worthy of study. Ibn Arabi met with Ibn Rushd and attended his burial. At their first meeting, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) was an elderly man renowned for his books of learning and Ibn Arabi was a young man known as a ‘wali’ (saint). Contrary to the traditional view that a man must pass through three stages (sharia, tariqa and haqiqah) to reach realization, Ibn Arabi received the ‘fath’ (literally ‘the opening’ or direct Gnostic knowledge) when he was barely ten years old. It was only thereafter that he followed the tariqa (the spiritual way) and acquired book knowledge. Ibn Rushd is to some extent the ‘father’ of modernistic thought, and Ghazali and Ibn Arabi the ‘fathers’ of post-modernist thought.
The Malamatiyya (the blameworthy) order can be considered a proto-Sufi order that arose in the 9th century CE before the crystallization of the Sufi orders.
Propagation of Sufism
It was during 1200 - 1500 C.E. that Sufism enjoyed a period of intense activity in various parts of the Islamic world. Hence this period is considered as the "Classical Period" or the "Golden Age" of Sufism. Lodges and hospices soon became not only places to house Sufi students and novices but also places for "spiritual retreat" for practising Sufis and other mystics. This period is characterized by the propagation of Sufism starting from its centre in Baghdad in Iraq, from where it spread towards Persia , India , North Africa & Muslim Spain. It is characterized by tests of conciliation between Sufism and the other Islamic sciences (sharia, fiqh, etc.) and starting of the Sufi brotherhoods (turuq).
One of the first orders to originate in this period was the Yasawi order, named after Khwajah Ahmed Yesevi in modern Kazakhstan. The Kubrawiya order, originating in Central Asia, was named after Najmeddin Kubra, known as the "saint-producing shaykh" , since a number of his disciples became great shaykhs themselves. The most prominent Sufi master of this era is Abdul Qadir Jilani, the founder of the Qadiriyyah order in Iraq. Others included Rumi, founder of the Mevlevi order in Turkey, Sahabuddin Suharwardi in Asia minor, Moinuddin Chishti in India . Although each order had a regional flavour, their fundamental teachings and practices remained substantially the same.
After having gained influence over the whole of the central Islamic world, the brotherhoods (turuq) became the focus for Islam in the new territories that came under Muslim domination or influence. This included the Indo-Malay territories in the East, and West Africa and Andalusia in the West. The brotherhoods made a significant contribution throughout the centuries in presenting the true face of Islam – the Islam of beauty and love.
Sufism not only represented a practical and specific stream of religious thought, but also played an important cultural role in Islam. It played an important role in the development of literature, in Persian, Turkish and Urdu. Sufism also appears in other art forms, such as dance and music (like Qawwali ) and the Indo-Persian miniatures which decorate the Philosopher's stones in verse and prose). It became an integral and fundamental element of religious thought and Islamic sensitivities, and became fully absorbed into the culture of the time.
Modern Sufism
This period includes the effects of modern thoughts , science & philosophy on Sufism, and the advent of Sufism to the West. Important Sufis of this period include Inayat Khan , Idries Shah, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Muzaffer Ozak, Javad Nurbakhsh, Muhammad Madani Miya Ashrafi al-Jilani, Hisham Kabbani , Khawaja Shams ud din Azeemi , Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Abdullah Harraiyy, Samuel L. Lewis and Shaykh Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal who have in great measure been responsible for the continued introduction and spread of the Sufi path in the modern West.
Influences
A number of scholars perceive influences on Sufism from pre-Islamic and non-Islamic sources and schools of mysticism and philosophy. Some of these new perspectives originate from the synthesis of Persian civilization with Islam [1], an emphasis on spiritual aspects of Islam as a reaction against the prevailing impersonal, formal and hypocritical practice of religion [2], and possibly the incorporation of ideas and practices from other mystic systems such as Gnosticism and Hinduism into Islam. The evidence in support of non-Islamic influences in formation of Sufism includes the existence of similarities between Sufism and mystic systems outside Islam. Some Muslim and Western scholars believe that these theories show errors and biases of orientalists, especially in the early 20th century [3]. There are also claims regarding ancient Egyptian roots of Sufism which are not widely accepted.[4],[5]
Others oppose the idea of extensive non-Islamic influences on Sufism and believe that these theories are based on misunderstanding Islam as a harsh and sterile religion, incapable of developing mysticism.[6] Those who adopt a phenomenological approach to mysticism believe that an argument can be made for concurent lines of thought througout mysticism, regardless of interaction[7].
Some Western scholars with a mystic tendency go on to say that :
"Of all the strands of thought, tradition and belief that make up the Islamic universe, Sufism in its doctrinal aspect stands out as the most intact, the most purely Islamic: the central strand" [8]
The distinction is quite key, as Islam is not generally seen to be a faith inclusive of interdenominationalism, yet Sufism is sometimes seen to be the exception to this.
Some Sufi orders emphasize the influence of some pre-Islamic traditions on ethics of Sufism[9].
Basic beliefs
The central concept in Sufism is love. Dervishes—the name given to initiates of sufi orders—believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe.They believe that God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God looks at himself within the dynamics of nature. This is substantiated using the famous Hadith Qudsi (extra-Qur'anic utterance of God): "I was a hidden treasure, and I wanted to be known, so I created Creation." Since they believe that everything is a reflection of God, Sufis try to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly, and to open arms even to what is considered the most evil one. The Sufi conception of divine love is not restricted to what the term "love of God" implies, it also includes human loves with a perspective that views everything a manifestation of God.
The central doctrine of Sufism, sometimes called Wahdat or Unity, is the Sufi understanding of Tawhid. Put very simply Tawhid states that all phenomena are manifestations of a single reality, or Wujud (being), which is indeed al-Haq (Truth, God). The essence of being/Truth/God is devoid of every form and quality, and hence unmanifest, yet it is inseparable from every form and phenomenon either material or spiritual. It is often understood to imply that every phenomenon is an aspect of Truth and at the same time attribution of existence to it is false. The chief aim of all Sufis then is to let go of all notions of duality (and therefore of the individual self also), and realize the divine unity which is considered to be the truth.
Ibn Arabi describes this doctrine in a poetic language:
- It is He who is revealed in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every eye, worshipped in every object of worship, and pursued in the unseen and the visible. Not a single one of His creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and original nature.
Sufis teach in personal groups, believing that the intervention of the master is necessary for the growth of the pupil. They make extensive use of parables, allegory, and metaphors, and it is held by Sufis that meaning can only be reached through a process of seeking the truth, and knowledge of oneself.
Although philosophies vary between different Sufi orders, Sufism as a whole is primarily concerned with direct personal experience, and as such may be compared to various forms of mysticism such as Zen Buddhism and Gnosticism.
The following metaphor, credited to an unknown Sufi scholar, helps describe this line of thought.
- There are three ways of knowing a thing. Take for instance a flame. One can be told of the flame, one can see the flame with his own eyes, and finally one can reach out and be burned by it. In this way, we Sufis seek to be burned by God.
A large part of Muslim literature comes from the Sufis, who created great books of poetry (which include for example the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the Conference of the Birds and the Masnavi), all of which contain profound and abstruse teachings of the Sufis.
Sufi Concepts
Lataif-e-sitta (The Six Subtleties)
Drawing from Qur'anic verses, virtually all Sufis distinguish Lataif-e-Sitta (The Six Subtleties), Nafs, Qalb, Sirr, Ruh, Khafi & Akhfa. These lataif (sing : latifa) designate various psychospiritual "organs" or, sometimes, faculties of sensory and suprasensory perception. In a rough assessment, they might appear to correlate with glands, organs, Chinese traditional medicine, or tantric chakras.
In general, sufic development involves the awakening, in a certain order, of these spiritual centers of perception that lie dormant in every person. Each center is associated with a particular color and general area of the body, and oft times with a particular prophet, and varies from Order to Order. The help of a guide is considered necessary to help activate these centers. The activation of all these centers is part of the inner methodology of the sufi way or "Work". After undergoing this process, the dervish is said to reach a certain type of "completion" or becomes a Complete person.
These six "organs" or faculties: Nafs, Qalb, Ruh, Sirr, Khafi & Akhfa, and the purificative activities applied to them, contain the basic orthodox Sufi philosophy. The purification of the elementary passionate nature (Tazkiya-I-Nafs), followed by cleansing of the spiritual heart so that it may acquire a mirror-like purity of reflection (Tazkiya-I-Qalb) and become the receptacle of God's love (Ishq), illumination of the spirit (Tajjali-I-Ruh) fortified by emptying of egoic drives (Taqliyya-I-Sirr) and remembrance of God's attributes (Dhikr), and completion of journey with purification of the last two faculties, Khafi & Akhfa. Through these "organs" or faculties and the transformative results from their activation, the basic Sufi psychology is outlined and bears some resemblance to the schemata known as the kabbalah or to some the Indian chakra system.
Man gets acquainted with the lataif one by one by Muraqaba (Sufi Meditation), Dhikr (Remembrance of God) and purification of one's psyche/life from negative thinking patterns (fear, depression), negative emotions (hate, contempt, anger, lust) and negative practices (hurting others psychologically or physically). Loving God and loving/helping every human being irrespective of his race, religion or nationality, and without consideration for any possible reward, is the key to ascension according to Sufis.
Sufi cosmology
Although there is no consensus with regard to Sufi cosmology, one can disentangle various threads that led to the crystallization of more or less coherent cosmological doctrines. Reading various authoritative texts, one can see that practitioners of Sufism were not much bothered with inconsistencies and contradictions that have arisen due to juxtaposition and superposition of at least three different cosmographies: Ishraqi visionary universe as expounded by Suhrawardi Maqtul, Neoplatonic view of cosmos cherished by Islamic philosophers like Ibn Sina/Avicenna and Sufis like Ibn al-Arabi, and Hermetic-Ptolemaic spherical geocentric world. All these doctrines (each one of them claiming to be impeccably orthodox) were freely mixed and juxtaposed, frequently with confusing results – a situation one encounters in other esoteric doctrines, from Hebrew Kabbalah and Christian Gnosticism to Vajrayana Buddhism and Trika Shaivism. The following cosmological plan is usually found in various Sufi texts:
See also: Plane (cosmology) Esoteric cosmology.
Sufi practices
Muraqaba
Muraqaba is the word used by many Sufis when referring to the practice of meditation. The Arabic word literally means observe, guard or control, in this context referring to controlling and guarding one's thoughts and desires. In some Sufi orders (such as some of the Shadhili orders) muraqaba may involve concentrating one's mind on the names of God, or on a verse of the Qur'an, or on certain Arabic letters that have special significance. Muraqaba in other orders (such as some among the Naqshbandi) may involve the Sufi aspirant focusing on his or her murshid, while others (such as the Azeemia order) imagine certain colors to achieve different spiritual states.
Dhikr
Dhikr is the remembrance of God commanded in the Qur'an for all Muslims. To engage in dhikr is to have awareness of God according to Islam. Dhikr as a devotional act includes the repetition of divine names, supplications and aphorisms from hadith literature, and sections of the Qur'an. More generally, any activity in which the Muslim maintains awareness of God is considered dhikr.
The Sufi orders engage in ritualized dhikr ceremonies. Each order or lineage within an order has one or more forms for group dhikr, the liturgy of which may include recitation, singing, instrumental music, dance, costumes, incense, meditation, ecstasy, and trance. (Touma 1996, p.162). Dhikr in a group is most often done on Thursday and/or Sunday nights as part of the institutional practice of the orders.
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of the devotional Sufi music common in Pakistan and North India.
Sama
Sama or Sema' (Arabic "listening") refers to Sufi worship practices involving music and dance (see Sufi whirling). In Uyghur culture, this includes a dance form also originally associated with Sufi ritual. See Qawwali origins and Origin and History of the Qawwali, Adam Nayyar, Lok Virsa Research Centre, Islamabad, 1988.
Orders of Sufism
Traditional orders
The traditional Sufi orders all emphasize the role of Sufism within Islam. Therefore the Sharia (tradional Islamic law) and the Sunnah (customs of the Prophet) are seen as crucial for any Sufi aspirant. Among the oldest and most well known of the Sufi orders are the Shadhili, Jerrahi, Qadiri, Naqshbandi, Mevlevi, Chishti and the Ashrafi. One proof traditional orders assert is that almost all the famous Sufi masters of the Islamic Caliphate times were also experts in Sharia and were renowned as people with great Iman (faith) and excellent practice. Many were also Qadis (Sharia law judges) in courts. Most of the greatest Scholars of Islam such as Imam Ghazzali, Imam Suyuti, Imam Nawawi and others were also practitioners of Sufism and great supporters of the discipline so long as adherents did not transgress the limits and disobey the Sharia. They held that Sufism was never distinct from Islam and to fully comprehend and live correct with Sufism one must be a practicing Muslim obeying the Sharia.
For a longer list of Sufi orders see: Sufi orders
Non-Traditional Sufi Groups
There also exist some Sufi groups that do not exist within the framework of Islam, or that pay little attention (even in name) to the Qur'an or the traditional Sharia and Sunnah. These can be generally categorized as non-traditional Sufi groups. In the Indian Subcontinent there exist several syncretic Sufi groups that have blurred the boundary between Islam and Hinduism (see for example Sai Baba of Shirdi or Kabir Das). (Also, see Sikhism below). In West Africa, the Mourides of Senegal don't observe the Islamic prayer or other traditional Islamic rituals, as they are instead encourage to do work in the service of their murshid (spiritual guide).
The Sidis of Gujarat migrated from East Africa to India in the twelfth century.
In recent decades there has also been a growth of such non-traditional Sufi movements in the West. Some examples are Universal Sufism movement, the Mevlevi Order of America, the Golden Sufi Center, the Sufi Foundation of America, Sufism Reoriented. For more about non-tradtional Western Sufism read "Sufism, the West, and Modernity" on the website of Dr Alan Godlas.
Universal Sufism
Sufism is usually seen in relation to Islam and is largely practiced by Muslims. However, there is also a major line of non-Islamic or offshoot-Islamic Sufi thought that sees Sufism as predating Islam and being a universal philosophy, that is independent of the Qur'an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. This view of Sufism has been popular in the Western world but is opposed by traditional Sufis who practice it within the framework of Islam as the science of Sufism was always practiced as a discipline in Islam and could never be separated from it. Inayat Khan founded Universal Sufism, and Idries Shah advocated similar concepts.
There is also an attempt to reconsider Sufism in contemporary Muslim thought from within. According to this view, Sufism represents the core sense of Islam that gives insight to God and His creation.
Traditional Islamic schools of thought and Sufism
Islam traditionally consists of a number of madhhabs (i.e of Sunni, Shi'a and of their subdivisions). Sufis do not define Sufism as a madhhab. What distinguishes a person as a Sufi is practicing Sufism, usually through association with a Sufi order. Belief in Sufism is not sufficient for being recognized as a Sufi. These facts lead to some ambiguity because Sufism has characteristics of a tradition and, for example, use of the term "Sufi Islam" is generally accepted.
W. Chittick explains the position of Sufism and Sufis this way:
- In short, Muslim scholars who focused their energies on understanding the normative guidelines for the body came to be known as jurists, and those who held that the most important task was to train the mind in achieving correct understanding came to be divided into three main schools of thought: theology, philosophy, and Sufism. This leaves us with the third domain of human existence, the spirit. Most Muslims who devoted their major efforts to developing the spiritual dimensions of the human person came to be known as Sufis
The relationship between traditional Islamic scholars and Sufism is complicated due to the variety of Sufi orders and their history.
In the history of Sufism, the founders and early scholars of the schools (madhhabs) had positive attitudes towards Sufism, for example Imam Hambal used to visit the Sufi master Bishr al Hafi frequently[10]. Later, there were some scholars who considered some aspects of Sufism rank heresy as well as those like Al-Ghazali who defended Sufis as true Muslims. In time, even the controversal words of Al-Hallaj came to be accepted by some scholars.
Today, most Muslims hold Tasawwuf, in the sense of Sufi doctrines and philosophies, to be the science of the heart or gnosis (as distinct from other branches of Islamic knowledge which are exoteric in nature) and appreciate Sufis for their extensive contributions to Islamic arts and philosophy. Many Muslims who are not themselves Sufis are influenced by Sufi teachings.
Modern criticism of Sufism by Muslims has different aspects, the most important being criticizing the lifestyle of some Sufis like the wandering dervishes, and holding rigid beliefs in Sufi Shaykhs.
Some Muslim movements (such as Salafism, alternatively called Wahabism, a fundamentalist Islamic movement) hold Sufism to be a form of reprehensible innovation influenced by unislamic sources [11], [12]. Although some Islamic scholars hold their view on the issue to be baseless and assert the position that Sufi spirituality is essentially Islamic, adherents of Sufism argue the necessity of mysticism in Islamic practice and a figurative interpretation of their religion. [13]
Although Sufism as a whole is approved in Islamic thought, there is a tendency to distinguish between different Sufi thoughts and practices in terms of their conformity with Shari'a and hence the introduction of an Islamic or authentic form of Sufism by religious authorities.[14]
For example in Shi'a Islam, a form of Sufism held to be in conformity with Shari'a is called Irfan (lit. gnosis).[15],[16]
See also
- Haqiqa
- List of Sufism related topics
- List of famous Sufis
- Nazar ill'al-murd
- Spiritual healing
- Theosophy
Sources
- Articles on mysticism of Ibn Arabi from Ibn Arabi Society
- Mysticism in Islam a lecture by W.Chittick
- A spiritual approach to Sufism
- Sufism From a site dedicated to various esoteric systems
External links
- [17]
- Sufism . Sufis . Sufi Orders Dr. Alan Godlas, University of Georgia
- Sufism & Sufi Orders in Islam
- The place of Tasawwuf in traditional Islam by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
- Sufisim vs Sufi Claimers
- The Sufi Study Circle of the University of Toronto associated with Chishti order of Sufism
- BBC - Religion & Ethics - Sufism
- The Islamic Science of Spirituality (Sufism) Audio and articles on Sufism
- A site dedicated to Rumi & Sufis
- Online magazine of Sufi Meditation (Muraqaba) and Healing
- “Sufism”: A Tradition of Transcendental Mysticism (Islamonline)
- Divine Feminine in Sufism by a feminist Sufi
- Women & Sufism by Camille Adams Helminski
- DMOZ . Sufism
- Sufi-related resources on the Internet
- Sufism & Buddhism
Online resources
- Azeemia spiritual library Books on sufism from silsila-e-azeemia
- www.fonsvitae.com Classic Sufi texts in translation
- www.sacred-texts.com Some books by Rumi, Saadi, Kabir, Khayyam & Ghazali
- Collection of Sufi Poetry
- Excerpts from 'The Conference of the Birds' by Fariduddin-al-Attar
- [18][19][20] Excrepts/Books by Abdul Qadir Jilani
- [21][22] Excrepts/Books by Ibn Arabi
- Fusus al HikmFutuhaat-e-makkiya and other books
- Sufi views on Adam's Fall William Chittick lecture on Ahmad Samani
- sufism/tasavvufAbd Al Kader Jilani-Ibn Arabi-Mewlana Jelal Ad-Din Rumi
- Website of Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmed (db)
- Website of Shyakh Husain Abdul Sattar (db)
Imams on Sufism
- Early scholars on Sufism
- Statments of Sufiya
- Ideas of the Imams of different madhabs about Sufism
- A Sufi response to Islamism
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