Sufi philosophy
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Sufi philosophy includes the schools of thought unique to
According to Sufi Muslims, it is a part of the Islamic teaching that deals with the purification of inner self and is the way which removes all the veils between the divine and humankind. It was around 1000 CE that early Sufi literature, in the form of manuals, treatises, discourses and poetry, became the source of Sufi thinking and meditations. Sufi philosophy, like all other major philosophical traditions, has several sub-branches, including cosmology and metaphysics, as well as several unique concepts.[1]
History
The emergence of
By the end of the 13th century, Sufism had become a well-defined science of
Sufis were highly influential and greatly successful in spreading Islam between the 10th and 19th centuries,[3] particularly to the furthest outposts of the Muslim world in the Middle East and North Africa, the Balkans and Caucasus, the Indian subcontinent, and finally Central, Eastern, and Southeast Asia.[3] Some scholars have argued that Sufi Muslim ascetics and mystics played a decisive role in converting the Turkic peoples to Islam between the 10th and 12th centuries and Mongol invaders in Persia during the 13th and 14th centuries, mainly because of the similarities between the extreme, ascetic Sufis (fakirs and dervishes) and the Shamans of the traditional Turco-Mongol religion.[5][10]
Metaphysics
Major ideas in Sufi metaphysics have surrounded the concept of wahdat or "unity with God". Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this controversial topic. Wahdat-ul-Wujood (unity of being) essentially states that the only truth within the universe is God, and that all things exist within God only. Wahdat-ul-shuhud (apparentism, or unity of witness), on the other hand, holds that any experience of unity between God and the created world is only in the mind of the believer and that God and his creation are entirely separate. It is the state where there is no difference between God and human being who is trying to achieve a particular state i.e. 'No One Except God'.[11] The concept of Sufi Metaphysics was first deeply discussed in written form by Ibn Arabi[12] in one of his most prolific works titled Fusus-al-hikam[13] where he applies deep analysis on the issue of Oneness through the metaphor of mirror. In this metaphor, al-Arabi compares an object being reflected in countless mirrors to the relationship between God and his creatures. God's essence is seen in the existent human being, as God is the object and human beings the mirrors. Meaning two things, that since humans are mere reflections of God there can be no distinction or separation between the two and without God the creatures would be non- existent. When an individual understands that there is no separation between human and God they begin on the path of ultimate oneness. There is a Sufi saying that goes: "Whoever recognized his self, undoubtedly recognized his Rabb (Allah)".[14]
Cosmology
Sufi cosmology (
Lataif-e-sitta
Drawing from Qur'anic verses, virtually all Sufis distinguish Lataif-as-Sitta ("the six subtleties") as:
Subtle bodies
Ruh (spirit)
Some mystics named ruh as "
Hence, death is not the end but in fact it is the beginning to the eternal life which is only endowed to the soul and not to the body.Nasma
Nasma is the Sufi term for the subtle or
Physical body
Sufism demarcates the physical body from the Nasma. According to Sufi beliefs, physical body is a reflection of spiritual body or ‘batin’ or ‘ruh’, as also stated in a hadith (saying) of Muhammad: "Actions are but by intentions".[20]
Spiritual states
Ḥāl
A ḥāl (pl. aḥwāl) is a state of consciousness that arises in the course of spiritual wayfaring (sulūk), either within or outside of the formal practice of remembrance (dhikr). Among these are states of bliss (wajd), bewilderment (hayrah), and various others. The transient nature of such states is contrasted with the more abiding quality of a maqām (station), i.e. a stage along the spiritual path.
Both aḥwāl and maqāmat are considered gifts from God, not experiences generated by any technique in itself. While they are auspicious signs, the sālik is exhorted not to be diverted by their charms but to remain steadfast in seeking God alone through love and knowledge.[21]
Manzil
A Manzil which literally means destination, is a terminology in Sufism, is a plane of consciousness. There are seven Manzils along the path to God. The Manzils are also parts of the Qur'an which help in protecting on sorcery.[22]
Maqām
A maqām is one's spiritual station or developmental level, as distinct from one's ḥāl, or state of consciousness. This is seen as the outcome of one's effort to transform oneself, whereas the ḥāl is a gift.[23]
Concepts in Gnosis
Fanaa
Fanaa is the Sufi term for extinction. It means to annihilate the self and realize the God, while remaining physically alive.[24] Some say that persons having entered this state are said to have no existence outside of, and be in complete unity with Allah. The nature of Fanaa consists of the elimination of evil deeds and lowly attributes of the flesh. In other words, Fanaa is abstention from sin and the expulsion from the heart of all love other than the Divine Love;expulsion of greed, lust, desire, vanity, show, etc. In the state of Fanaa the reality of the true and only relationship asserts itself in the mind. One realizes that the only real relationship is with Allah.
Baqaa
Baqaa, which literally means "permanency", is a term in Sufi philosophy which describes a particular state of life with God and is a manzil or abobe that comes after the station of fanaa. Inayat Khan says it was the highest attainable condition, a achieved by saints and sages[25]
Yaqeen
Yaqeen is generally translated as "certainty", and is considered the summit of the many maqāmāt (stations) by which the path of walaya (sometimes translated as Sainthood) is fully completed.[26]
Other concepts
Haqiqa
Haqiqa or Haqiqat is the Sufi term for the supreme Truth or absolute Reality.[27][28]
Marifa
Ihsan
Ihsan is an Arabic term meaning "perfection" or "excellence." Ihsan is the goal or aim of Sufi practices and is achieved when a seeker surrender and submit himself completely to the will of Allah.[30][31]
References
- ^ LCCN 2011036221.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica 2005
- ^ ISBN 9780199340378. Archivedfrom the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-85245-6.
- ^ OCLC 54529318.
- ISBN 978-0-231-14491-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7486-8878-4.
- ISBN 9780226070803.
- ISBN 81-7625-266-2, 9788176252669.
- JSTOR 3632297.
- ^ tauheed pg,442. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019.
- ^ Ibn al-'Arabi, Muhyi al-Din (1164–1240)
- ^ Chittick, William C. "Ebn al-‘ArabiMohyi-al- Din Abu ‘Abd-Allah Mohammad Ta’IHatemi." Encyclopedia Iranica (1996): Web. 3 Apr 2011. <http://iranica.com/articles/ebn-al-arabi Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine>
- ^ a b "Basics of Islam".
- ^ "Sufi Cosmology". Kheper.net.
- ^ Tohfa Mursala by Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi. yanabi.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-18.
- ^ "Lataif-e-sitta". 2007-01-02.
- ISBN 9789699795183.
- ^ "Astral body".
- ^ "zahir o batin=physical and spiritual body". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
- ^ "ḥāl".
- ISBN 9780791498989.
- ^ "maqām".
- ^ "Fana in Sufism". Britannica.
- ISBN 9781613100004.
- ISBN 9788176254762.
- ^ "Haqiqah, Aboslute Truth". 2013-03-13.
- ISBN 9781848584075.
- ISBN 9789699795183.
- ISBN 9781597846448.
- ISBN 9781780740522.
Further reading
- Frager, Robert, Essential Sufism
- ISBN 0-8356-0778-X. An imprint of the Theosophical Publishing House.
- Shah, Idries (2001). The Sufis. London, UK: Octagon Press. pp. 394–395. ISBN 0-86304-020-9.
- ISBN 978-979-433-797-4.
- Rahimi, Sadeq (2007). Intimate Exteriority: Sufi Space as Sanctuary for Injured Subjectivities in Turkey., Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 46, No. 3, September 2007; pp. 409–422
- Chopra, R.M., "SUFISM" (Origin, Growth, Eclipse, Resurgence), 2016, Anuradha Prakashan, New Delhi. ISBN 978-93-85083-52-5.
- Haque, Amber (2004), "Psychology from Islamic Perspective: Contributions of Early Muslim Scholars and Challenges to Contemporary Muslim Psychologists", Journal of Religion and Health, 43 (4): 357–377, S2CID 38740431
- Historical dictionary of Sufism By John Renard
- Sadia Dehlvi (December 2013). Sufism: Heart of Islam. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-93-5029-448-2.
- Unveiling the Mystical World of Tasawwuf and Sufi Stories: Personal Experiences and Perspectives