| Sufism entwined with its philosophy, doctrines, isms and mythos is reckoned as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God". It is an amalgamation of science art and philosophy through which learns how to "travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one`s inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits." |
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| The history of Sufism is rich and it has already travelled a long path before the subsequent institutionalization of Sufi teachings into devotional orders in the early middle Ages. The chains of transmission of almost all the extant Sufi orders can be traced back to the Prophet Muhammad via his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. However, the only notable exception to this rule is the Naqshbandi order, as the origin of its teachings traces from the Prophet Muhammad to the first Islamic Caliph Abu Bakr. There have been a number of different devotional styles and traditions of Sufism developed over time and they reflected the perspectives of different masters and the cumulated cultural wisdom of the orders. Almost all of these styles and traditions have concerned themselves with the understanding of subtle knowledge, education of the heart for purifying it of more basic instincts. They also concerned themselves with the love of God, and they approached God through a well-described hierarchy of enduring spiritual stations and more impermanent spiritual states. |
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| According to the traditional Sufi point of view, the esoteric teachings of Sufism were actually transmitted from the Prophet Muhammad to those who had the capacity of acquiring the direct experiential subtle knowledge of God. The knowledge was passed on from teacher to student through the centuries. While, most of this transmission is not summarized in texts, some of them are. The people like Uwais al-Qarni, Harrm bin Hian, Hasan Basri and Sayid ibn al-Mussib are regarded as the first Sufis in the earliest generations of Islam, who have made important contributions in Sufi writing. Harith al-Muhasibi is considered to be the first one to write about moral psychology and Rabia Basri was a Sufi, famous for her love and passion for God. She expressed her thoughts and affection to God through her poetry. Bayazid Bastami was also considered to be among the first theorists of Sufism |
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| The philosophy of Sufism and its growth has played a definitive role in the spread of Islam and also in the creation of integrally Islamic cultures, especially in the continents of Africa and Asia. Sufism produced a flourishing intellectual culture throughout the Islamic world between the 13th and 16th centuries CE. This intellectual culture was considered as a sort of "Golden Age" and the physical artifacts of the culture are still present. There can be found a lodge (known variously as a zaouia, khanqah, or tekke) in many places that is endowed through a pious foundation in perpetuity (waqf) to provide a gathering place for Sufi adepts. The lodge also provides lodging for the itinerant seekers of knowledge. Some of the lodges also contained kitchens where these seekers could serve the poor and/or complete a period of initiation, a library, and other structures. In fact, there was not a single important domain in the civilization of Islam that could remain unaffected by the Sufi philosophy in this period. |
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| Sufism hence can be called as the passing of ordinary limitations. |
The philosophy of Sufism is considered to be one of the most ancient philosophies in India. There have been numerous numbers of Sufi saints, who made their own contributions in spreading and popularising the philosophy in India and also all over the world. However, there are some authors; the Classical Sufi Authors, who are considered to be the most prominent ones among all the others. These Sufi authors have enriched the Sufi philosophy with their vast knowledge and also guided a large number of people all over the world for attaining the knowledge of Sufism. The classical Sufi authors include the likes of Mohamed El-Ghazali, Omar Khayyam, Farid ud-Din Attar, Mohiudin Ibn El-Arabi, Sheikh Saadi, Hakim Jami, Hakim Sanai, Jalaludin Rumi etc.
Mohamed El-Ghazali</A>: Mohamed El-Ghazali was one of the prominent Sufi philosophers in the twelfth century. He wrote a number of books and followed the path of interpretation for spreading his message to the common men. "Book of Knowledge" is one of his most famous books, where he said, "To the sick man, sweet water tastes bitter in the mouth". This was actually the main motto of Ghazali`s philosophy and in fact, he pointed out and hammered home (often in engaging parables, sometimes in remarkably `modern` words) the problem of conditioning.
Omar Khayyam was a well known philosopher, scientist and practical instructors in Sufism and he lived between the years of 1048-1131. Khayyam was famous for his scientific achievements. He was born to Ghiyath al-Din Abul Fateh Omar Ibn Ibrahim al-Khayyam in Nishapur, the capital city of Khurasan. Omar Khayyam got his education at his native town and then studied under the celebrated teacher, the Iman Mowaffak. Omar Khayyam started to attain knowledge on Sufism, after completing his study and he soon became an ardent supporter of the philosophy of Sufism. He mainly followed the path of poetry to spread his message of Sufism and he used poetry, quite effectively.
Jalaludin Rumi</A>: Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi was born in Balkh, in contemporary Afghanistan, on 30 September 1207. According to some of the scholars, Rumi was born in a place named Wakhsh that was located at the river Wakhsh in present day Tajikistan. Rumi was a quite famous and influential classical Sufi author in the 13th century and he lived till 17 December 1273. He was also a popular Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian and he took the help of poetry and literary works, for spreading his message of Sufi philosophy. He was deeply influenced by the thoughts of great Sufi philosophers like Farid ud-Din Attar, Hakim Sanai, Bayazid Bistami and Samse Tabrizi. The most notable ideas that Rumi has spread throughout his entire life include the likes of Persian poetry, Ney, Persian philosophy, Sufi philosophy, and Sufi dance.
