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Can someone explain sufiism to me. I was under the belief that sufi's are a seperate branch of islam, however when i visited a mosque two semesters ago the cleric explained that sunnis can be sufis. Is this true?

A surfie is someone who hangs out at the beach and goes surfing alot ... they must use the word "dude" at least 10 times a day, grow their hair to their shoulders and have a love for VW combi vans!!

Valkyrie,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism

If you have any more specific questions after reading this, then please let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

In short though:

Sufism is a mystical offshoot of mainstream Islam (think Karbala vs Judaism which emphasises the spiritual over the physical - to the extreme where Sufis say they spend all time in prayer and therefore no longer need to follow the Islamic injunctions to physically pray formally 5 times a day..

Sufis can be from Sunni or Shia lines and they would argue their beliefs transcend the sunni/shia divide.

Cheers,
Shafique

shafique wrote:Valkyrie,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism

If you have any more specific questions after reading this, then please let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

In short though:

Sufism is a mystical offshoot of mainstream Islam (think Karbala vs Judaism which emphasises the spiritual over the physical - to the extreme where Sufis say they spend all time in prayer and therefore no longer need to follow the Islamic injunctions to physically pray formally 5 times a day..

Sufis can be from Sunni or Shia lines and they would argue their beliefs transcend the sunni/shia divide.

Cheers,
Shafique

Unfortunitly.. Sufism was misunderstood by many muslims nevertheless by the non muslims. the misconsiption the sufis do have is great... many start looking at what they do and start explaining it thru their way. I dont blame people for that.

in other words people who say that you can be spirtual by going to the highest limits of mysitcism and forgetting about the basic islamic duties (prayers, Fasting... etc) is not true.. this is even considered by those people (sufies ) as "Zandaqah" or playing both saids kind of thing.

The ultimate goal for sufism is reaching the 3rd degree of warshiping which is (Ehsaan). In Islam the degrees which people are warshiping God are:

- Islam (being a muslim by doing the basic things which we were ordered to do). in definition: to witness that there is no God but allah and Muhammad the prophet of allah, tp pray the 5 prayers, To give Zakat, to fast ramadan, and to do Hajj.


- Iman (faith): to Believe in God, and his Angels, and his books, and the final day, and destiny (the good side of it and the bad side)

- Ehssan: to warship God as you are seeing him, if you arent seeing him.. he is looking at you.

So Ehssan is the degree that "Real" sufis are practising.. which they have reached gradually


Following the Islamic injunctions is the core of sufis they are Sunnies basiclly and about Sufism or Tasawwof here is an introduction:

Tasawwuf can be called the inwardness of Islam. Islam, like most other faiths to a greater or lesser extent, consists firstly of certain beliefs, such as the existence of God, and the coming of the Judgement, and reward and punishment in the next life, and the outward expression of these beliefs in forms of worship, such as prayer and fasting, all of which concern man’s relationship with God; and secondly, a system of morality, which concerns man’s relationship with man, and has its outward expression in certain social institutions and laws, such as marriage, inheritance, and civil and criminal laws. But it is obvious that the basis of this faith, the spirit that gives it life, is man’s relationship with God.

Forms of worship are simply the physical vehicles of this relationship, and it is this relationship again which is responsible for the origin, the significance and the ultimate sanction of the principles of morality and their formulation into a specific social and legal system. If the interior converse with the Supreme Being and inspiration from Him are present, then they are comparable to the soul within the body of the exterior religion; if they die away, or in proportion to the extent that they wither or become feeble, the outward form of the faith becomes like a soulless body, which by the inexorable law of nature swiftly succumbs to corruption. It is therefore man’s direct relationship with his Maker which is the breath and life of religion, and it is the study and cultivation of this relationship that the word tasawwuf connotes."




"It may be wondered why the words ‘Sufi’, which means ‘woollen-clothed’, and ‘Tasawwuf’, which means the path of the Sufis, i.e. the woollen-clothed ones, should have become so universal in order to denote something which belongs properly to the realm of the spirit. This name is symbolic rather than descriptive. To be a Sufi does not require a person literally to wear woollen clothes, but presumes an inner quality which was at one time characteristic of those who wore them.

In the early generations of Islam, through the closeness to the time of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and the illumination of his incomparable spirituality, which encompassed so completely the inner and the outer, the comprehension of the inwardness of Islam enwrapped in its outward expressions was so general that no group of people who devoted themselves specially to this aspect of the faith was distinguishable. It was only when the inevitable course of development of human affairs began to run and the original trunk of universality began to throw out branches of specialisation, that Islamic knowledge was progressively divided into the interior and the exterior, and the general word ilm (knowledge) began to denote more the academic study of the Qur’an, Hadith and Fiqh than their spiritual content, contrary to its Qur’anic use in the sense of ‘knowledge of Allah’. At this stage that body of Muslims who devoted themselves more particularly to the cultivation of the spiritual heritage of their Prophet (peace be upon him), began to use the term Ma‘rifat (Recognition of Allah) and arif (One who recognises Allah) to denote this inward aspect of knowledge, and indeed still do to the present day.

So it was possible that instead of being termed Sufis they might have been called Ahl-i Ma‘rifat, or Arifin. But not every aspirant to spiritual development is an Arif, and the average human mind seeks more the outward badge than the inner reality, which in this case is anyway difficult to describe, so the habit observed in certain Godly persons (in reaction to the excessive luxury of the times) of wearing coarse woollen clothes, which were then the mark of extreme poverty, was taken as the symbol of all those who sought the inner life; and this term’s convenience and simplicity has withstood all the vagaries of time and place throughout the Islamic world. The visible formulations of Islam are therefore both enlivened by the spiritual and moral force behind them, and so they are the manifestations of this force, and at the same time they are the means of attaining these spiritual and moral quaities; this can be said to constitute their main purpose.

Thus these two aspects of Islam are mutually generative, each one producing the other. It can be seen from the Word of Allah, the Qur’an, that wherever something concerning man’s outward actions is decreed, its inward content and purpose is also stressed. Take Prayer for instance; Allah says ‘Observe Prayer for My remembrance’ (20:14); or ‘The believers have attained success; who are humble in their prayers’ (32:1), emphasising that the object of Prayer is not the mere outward performance, but to remember Him with a humble heart.

In the case of fasting, Allah says, ‘Fasting has been decreed for you, as it was decreed for those who came before you, that you may be God-fearing.’ (2:183) Regarding sacrifice on the occasion of Pilgrimage, He says: ‘It is not their blood or their flesh which reaches Him, but the devotion from you.’ (22:37) On the subject of marriage: ‘It is one of His signs that He has made for you mates of your own kind that you may find peace in them, and He has created affection and kindness between you.’ (30:24) On spending for the poor: ‘They (the righteous) give food to the needy, the orphan and the prisoner, for the love of Him; they say: We feed for the sake of Allah only, and desire no reward or thanks from you.’ (76:8,9)

If we reflect on these and other similar indications in the Qur’an, we are led to the conclusion that if it is necessary to observe the outward ordinances of our faith, it is equally necessary to develop within ourselves those qualities which are their soul; that these two are complementary and one cannot exist in a sound state without the other.

When the word ‘Shari‘at’ is used, one immediately calls to mind the basic beliefs of Islam, without which a person cannot be reckoned a Muslim, and the external decrees comprising forms of worship, rules of behaviour, and civil and criminal laws. In short, it is the outwardness of Islam which is normally referred to by this term. But we have seen that within this outer Shari‘at there exists an inner Shari‘at of equal importance, which constitutes both its inspiration and its goal. Like the word ‘ilm’ (Knowledge) which originally comprised both the inward realisation of divine truths as well as outward knowledge of Islamic tenets, the term ‘Shari‘at’ (the road) should really include the devotion of the heart to Allah as well as the specific beliefs, and the attainment of moral excellence as well as submission to the law.

But just as ‘ilm’ came to mean only book-knowledge, so ‘Shari‘at’ came to mean only the law; as a result, the Sufis, the devotees of the spirit of Islam, began to use the word ‘Ma‘rifat’ for the inner relationship with God, and in place of the word ‘Shari‘at’, they chose the word ‘tariqat’ (the Path) to denote the way to spiritual perfection. Just as the outer shari‘at consists of two parts, belief and practice, so also does this inner shari‘at manifest itself in two main fields. "

The first is man’s attitude to his Maker. From the Qur’an and the teachings of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) we learn that this attitude should be inspired by love, hope, fear, gratitude, patience, trust, self-sacrifice and complete devotion; and that He should be felt to be constantly near. This is the inwardness of belief. The second is man’s attitude to his fellow men: Allah and his Prophet (peace be upon him) have taught us that this should be inspired by sympathy, justice, kindness, unselfishness, generosity, sternness on matters of principle, leniency wherever possible, and that we must avoid pride, jealousy, malice, greed, selfishness, miserliness and ill-nature. These qualities will not be found explained in the books of Fiqh; it required a group of people distinct from the jurists to determine and develop the science of the soul. Of these two parts of the inner Shari‘at, it is the first, i.e. man’s relationship with God, which is the root, the moral attitude of man towards his fellows being derived from it. It is the realisation that all men are creatures of the One God, and that He wishes us to treat them with mercy and kindness, and at times justice, which should reflect His own sublime qualities, and that if we succeed in this we shall win His pleasure, that is the real basis of morality. Some have made the mistake of imagining that morality can exist by itself without the foundation of religion, and have tried to promulgate a non-religious ethical code as a substitute for faith. This is nothing but a mental illusion. It comes about in this way: through the medium of religious teaching, a certain moral outlook permeates a whole society, and colours not only the specifically religious life, but education and social customs and habits of thinking and acting. When at a later stage some people take to agnosticism and rebel against the established faith, they are unable to separate themselves from this moral attitude which has now become the very stuff of their mental being. Without realising the origin of their morality, they fall into the error of considering it self-existent, and imagine that they can reform society by simply calling upon people to be ethical. But it is a matter of observation that such inherited moral attitudes, when cut off from the tree of religion to which they owe their being, very quickly decay, and it is not long before the very basis of morality is questioned and finally denied, and non-moral philosophies are openly proclaimed. By contrast, the morality based on faith in God, derived from a revealed Book and given life by the consciousness of Divine pleasure, has in it the seeds not of decay but of growth and fruition

That it is man’s inner relationship with Allah which gives meaning and value to his outward expression of belief and the performance of his religious duties is asserted most pointedly in one of the most famous sayings of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him). The following incident is reported by Omar, the second Khalifa.

‘We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah one day when a man appeared with very white clothes and very black hair, with no signs of travel upon him. None of us recognised him. He came and sat before the Prophet (peace be upon him) with his knees touching his knees, and his hands placed on his thighs. He then said: ‘O Muhammad, tell me, what is Islam?’ The Prophet replied: ‘Islam is that you testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that you establish prayer, and Zakat, fast the month of Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House of Allah if you are able.’ The man said: ‘You are right’, and we wondered that he both asked and confirmed the answer. Then he said: ‘what is Iman?’ The Prophet replied: ‘Iman is that you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in the predestination of good and evil.’ The man said: ‘You are right. Now tell me what is Ihsan (good performance)?’ The Prophet replied: ‘That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him and if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.’’

Then after asking about the Last Day, the man left, and the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) informed his companions that this was the Angel Gabriel who came to teach them their religion

Here the word Ihsan, which means to perform something in the best manner, is explained as ‘the worship of Allah as if you are seeing Him, and if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.’ This means that the consciousness of the presence of Allah, and the feeling of Love and awe which accompany it, must permeate both our faith and practice (Iman and Islam) and it is in proportion to this consciousness that our excellence in religion can be judged. Clearly this sense of presence is not to be confined only to worship, but to all our actions (one version of the above incident, in fact, has ‘to work for Allah as if you are seeing Him’). It is precisely this awareness of the nearness and presence of Allah that the Sufis have as their ultimate goal in all their activities

So far we have been speaking of the Muslims’ relationship with Allah in a general way. But Tasawwuf has a more specific content, that is to say, it aims at bringing the novice to the direct spiritual experience. The fountainhead of Islam (a fact which is often forgotten) is the direct spiritual experience of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) by means of which the message of God was conveyed to man. This spiritual experience had many forms, and was continuous throughout the period of the Prophet’s prophethood, starting from the initial vision of the Angel when the call to the divine mission was sounded, and persisting throughout the inspiration of the Divine Book, with other manifestations such as Hadith Qudsi (Divine inspirations apart from the Qur’an itself) and revelations of the next world. It is illustrated particularly in the Mi‘raj (the Ascension), which culminates in the vision of the Supreme Reality. When the essence of prophethood is the spiritual experience, it would be strange indeed if some portion of this aspect of the prophetic life were not inherited by the Prophet’s companions and those who followed them. So we find a tradition of spiritual experience alongside that of the more obvious branches of religious teaching concerned with beliefs and practices. In the early stages it was not considered proper to publish such experiences and considerable reticence was observed; it was thought sufficient only to hint at them. As time passed, reticence was lessened and gradually the science of Tasawwuf was outwardly formulated, although the very nature of these most inward matters makes some reticence inevitable at all times



Abu Huraira, one of the intimate companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: ‘I acquired two vessels from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), one of which I published; but if I published the other my throat would be cut.’ This is an interesting allusion to the danger of making a show of spiritual experience before those who do not understand them. If the experiences are believed, then some people out of ignorance are inclined to raise the one who is spiritually gifted almost to divinity, if not to make him into God Himself. If they are disbelieved, the doubters become guilty of denying what is true, and deprive themselves of certain special benefits which it is the Will of God that they should have. This is the reason why ‘sufis’ have always counselled great caution in the matter of describing some of their spiritual states in detail as these can only be appreciated in the tasting, and not in the description. In spite of the obvious references in the Qur’an, the Hadiths and the lives of the companions, some have tried to deny this spiritual heritage of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and claim that the early Muslims were only ‘ascetics’ and not ‘mystics’. But to perceive spirituality where it exists is not given to everyone, even to perceive it at all; let it suffice to say that the extraordinary dedication to Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) and their commands by the leading companions and followers would be inexplicable without a profound spiritual experience



I have said that in the early period the outer and the inner aspects of Islam, that is, the outward observance and its spiritual content, were not divided but formed a homogeneous whole, but as time passed and specialised knowledge increased, it became necessary and inevitable that a body of Muslims should devote themselves more particularly to the inwardness of Islam which came to be known as Tasawwuf. If we consider the development of Tasawwuf as a science, that is the science of the soul, we find that it provides a close comparison with the development of other sciences based on the principle of the Divine Book and the life of Allah’s Messenger

To take the science of Hadith as an example, we find that during the first century, which was the time of the Companions and the followers, things remained very much in the original form of personal teaching from those who sat in the company of the Great Ones, with little sign of elaboration and formalisation. During the second century we begin to find a more or less comprehensive collection and criticism, which culminate in the third century in critical recensions based on now thoroughly elaborated and determined principles

In the case of Fiqh we find a similar process; after the first century of the direct and practical teaching of the companions and followers, the second century produces elaborate compendia of legal decisions and the formulation of principles of jurisprudence which again by the third century had been built up into a relatively independent science

Tasawwuf, too, was constructed into a spiritual science on the firm foundations of the spiritual heritage of the Prophet of God; here again, the elaboration begins in the second century in the recorded sayings and treatises and books of the early Sufis, and in the third century Tasawwuf appears as a fully developed and formulated spiritual science. It is just as gratuitous to talk critically of later innovation in the matter of Tasawwuf as it is in the matter of Fiqh, Hadith and Tafsir. There is a world of difference between elaborations and innovations, which people with muddled minds find difficult to distinguish

Although the development of Tasawwuf can be historically compared with that of the other sciences, there is an intrinsic superiority in Tasawwuf which should be well remembered. This superiority lies in that the expansion of the science of spiritual development is based on experience and direct observation confirmed in its broad pattern by thousands of travellers on the upward path of the soul, whereas the other sciences mainly owe their formulation to reason and conjecture

All, of course, are founded on tradition, that is, the Qur’an and its living commentary by the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers, but the process of later elaboration has this fundamental difference. It cannot be contested that direct experience, especially when it is common to large numbers of people, is a vastly more authoritative source of knowledge than rational speculation

For instance, after the data provided by revelation and tradition the chief instrument in the development of Fiqh is Qiyas (analogy) or Ra’y (opinion). The main pillar of the science of Hadith is Jarh and Ta‘dil, which means the critical examination of the reliability of the reporters of a certain Hadith in addition to its subject matter. Obviously these processes are rational and speculative

The development of Tasawwuf, however, has consisted in the progressively more detailed expounding of the spiritual experience constituting the inner heritage of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and has no content of conjecture and opinion. This vital element has resulted in a remarkable unanimity among the proponents of this science throughout the ages, and whatever differences that exist are those of emphasis or mode of expression and do not show any real cleavage in the essential unity



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Interesting - Sufism is not a homogenous school of thought.. here is another cut and paste job which I think covers the subject well (includes a critique of the practices from a Sunni perspective):

There are four major well-established and highly revered sects of Sufism which also deviated from the path of Shari'ah with the passage of time. Yet as for their founders, their loyalty to the Holy Quran and the Sunnah remained unquestionable and uncompromising. These major sects are Chishtiyyah, Soharverdiyyah, Qadiriyyah and Naqshbandiyyah—which are further divided into many other sub-sects. They all stress the importance of abstinence and austerity to facilitate the attainment of truth. Initially, these practices were not a substitute for the traditional Islamic observances, but were carried out in addition to them.

Gradually the Sufi understanding of the creation-creator relationship began to be influenced by such philosophies as were alien to Islam. For instance, the influence of classical Greek philosophy can be traced in some Sufi sects. The Greek notion of pantheism was adopted in a modified form by some Sufi sects, though strongly opposed by others. The opponents of pantheistic tendencies stress that there is a clear and distinct separating line between God and His creation. According to them though the creation bears a stamp of the Creator and reflects Him, yet it is not diffused with His identity. By contrast, some other factions believe that because the whole universe is a manifestation of God, there can be no clear distinction between the Creator and the creation. For them, creation cannot be separated from God because His attributes are inseparable from the nature of all that He has created. No separating line can be drawn. Hence God is the universe and the universe is God. Yet He has His own independent Will, which works like the natural properties in matter.

At first sight this view of the universe may appear to be entirely pantheistic, in which God is everything and everything is God. But a significant difference should be noted. The pantheistic notion of God is not one that recognizes an externally existing Conscious Creator, a Being who communicates with man through revelation, who takes interest in their trials, tribulations and joys and offers them guidance. The Muslim Sufis, in contradiction to the classical pantheistic view continued to believe in the independent identity of God who, though reflected in His creation, was also the Creator.

As for the Sufis' temperament, they were seldom inclined to fierce, strongly worded debates. They often practised moderation in their belief, while respecting and tolerating views opposing their own. The same cannot be said of the orthodoxy which grew progressively jealous. Hence most sufi sects had to encounter extreme hostility at the hands of the orthodox clergy. Very often there arose a countermovement from among the orthodoxy. Every Sufi sect had to encounter similar experiences of extreme hostility from time to time. The Sufis who adhered to the pantheistic concept of God were specifically targeted by the mainstream clergy for their wrath. At times they were even condemned to death and brutally murdered. Their protestations that their pantheistic philosophy in no way compromised the unity of an independent Supreme Creator were of no avail and they were roundly condemned for claiming to share godhead with God. Hence the orthodoxy often resorted to perpetrating crimes of persecution against them.

The case of the renowned Sufi, Mansoor Al-Hallaj, would serve a befitting example of how such Sufis were treated for their alleged proclamation of being God themselves. He was condemned to hang by the neck for shouting in ecstasy 'Anal-Haq, Anal-Haq' (I am the Truth, I am the Truth). The orthodoxy understood this to mean that he was claiming to be God himself, whereas he had proclaimed in his sublime spiritual ecstasy, simply a total annihilation of himself. What he meant was that he mattered naught; all that mattered was He (God). Mansoor Al-Hallaj climbed the gallows with his head held high, not the least daunted by his imminent death. Nor could his shouts be drowned in the tumult of abuses which were hurled at him; they rose loud and clear and high 'Anal-Haq, Anal-Haq' until his soul departed to the fountainhead of his life on high.

Another Sufi sect was born on the issue of whether the external universe was a fact or merely an impression of the mind. This in fact was an age-old question which was even addressed by Plato and Aristotle. It could not come to a conclusion then, nor could it be concluded by the Sufis. Still it is a live debate among philosophers. No contemporary philosopher can ignore it because neither time nor space can be visualized without the coming into play of the human mind. A mad man's imagination seems as real to him as a scientist's observation of the laws of nature in action. Examined from such angles, these problems appear to be insoluble.

Again, every person's impression of the external universe is different from that of others. However, some perceived images of the elementary world around us and the understanding of their properties are often shared by most observers. For example, most people would agree about the definition of an article as simple as a chair or a table. Yet there are numerous other common things about which people may not necessarily agree with each other. For instance, the colour of things may appear different to people with different eyesight. Similarly, all faculties which we possess are not shared equally by everyone else. Sense of smell differs, so also the sense of heat or cold varies with every person. Moreover, a change in the point of observation will present a different visual percept to the same observer. Hence the perception of the same thing by the same observer will vary with the change in point of perception. Add to this, different moods and different states of health, the problem would be immensely multiplied. No objective truth would seem to completely agree with the subjective truth which people fathom within their brains. In short, subjective impressions cannot always be related to the outer world in exactly the same way. This, in the opinion of some philosophers, deprives the viewer of the possibility of ever achieving absolute certainty in relation to whatever he perceives.

The aspect of uncertainty and unreliability of impressions as mentioned above, gave birth to another Sufi sect which totally denied the outer existence of things and claimed that eternal truth was merely a subjective notion. Those who were more extreme among them totally denied the existence of any external physical form, including their own. Thus, an intellectual movement that started with an attempt at an extra fine discernment of detail and perception of outside reality ended up in utter madness. Yet there was a strange magic in this madness, that sometimes spellbound the wisest of the logicians and the academics of their time.

An interesting episode is related about a renowned Sufi leader of this sect, who was summoned to the court of a king to hold a debate with some of the outstanding scholars of his time. But to the amazement and chagrin of all, the outcome of the debate turned out to be exactly the opposite of what they had expected. Within a few exchanges of arguments and counter-arguments the great academics were driven out of their depth, gasping for their breath and groping for words. None could succeed in matching the intricacies of the Sufi's ethereal logic. At this point, the king was struck with a brilliant idea and ordered the warden of the elephants' house to have the most ferocious of his elephants brought to the palace grounds. This particular elephant happened to be stricken with a madness no less than that of the Sufi. The only difference perhaps was that in the Sufi's mind the outer reality did not exist. But the elephant wanted to destroy all outward reality himself. From the one end the Sufi was pushed into the open and from the other the elephant was let loose. The Sufi without losing his breath, ran for his life forthwith.

Observing this, the king shouted from the balcony of his palace, 'Don't run away O Sufi, from this phantom elephant. He is only a figment of your imagination!'

'Who is running away?' shouted back the Sufi. 'It is only a figment of your imagination.'

Thus ended the predicament of the Sufi but not the debate itself. It still rages on.

Shaf,

what you have mentioned actually represent a sect which has nothing to do with Sufis. They are tens of sects who are claming that they are sufis but they are nothing but a shame. i believe that real suffies are very well known in the islamic world like: Abdul Qader aljelani (ALkilani), Ahmad Alrefai. Ibn Al Adhm. Ibn Ata'a allah al Sakandari. Alghzali.. and many others.

Wahabys in Saudi (whom i dont even consider some of them as true muslims even but naive excited people). they have played a great role in making the picture of other sects the worsts in order for their government to continou governing.

Lets talk the defentions from the right resources. from the people who are very well known whom are they.

The

thank you shafique and intimacy, it took me awhile to read that but it was worth it. about sufis, i have always found sufiism interesting and was curious if there is a lot of sufi music?

valkyrie wrote:thank you shafique and intimacy, it took me awhile to read that but it was worth it. about sufis, i have always found sufiism interesting and was curious if there is a lot of sufi music?

Hmmm, well that depends.. most of the sufis would use there vocies only which is quit pretty and interesting.. although some others add some instruments like the drum and couple of others. i am not sure about it.. but i think i have some of the songs without music but in a very lovely way.. its in arabic.. but even ppl who dontunderstand arabic were asking for it.

anyhow, you may try this http://www.tasawuf.ws/audio/Samaa2004/t ... unya_G.mp3

i still have many recordings with me but its on CD and not easy to upload.

intimacy, have ever heard of a well known sufi musician from pakistan by any chance? someone mentioned it to me however i dont remember the mans name.

valkyrie wrote:intimacy, have ever heard of a well known sufi musician from pakistan by any chance? someone mentioned it to me however i dont remember the mans name.

Junoon? i think they used to sing

he was nusrat fateh ali khan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan

HP wrote:

valkyrie wrote:intimacy, have ever heard of a well known sufi musician from pakistan by any chance? someone mentioned it to me however i dont remember the mans name.

Junoon? i think they used to sing

Lool .. this is a pakistani Musical band dear

valkyrie wrote:he was nusrat fateh ali khan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan

Well thats right.. thats his name. But Nusrat started as a sufi and he got drifted away a little.

Music wise.. he is music is so cool

Intimacy wrote:

valkyrie wrote:he was nusrat fateh ali khan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan

Well thats right.. thats his name. But Nusrat started as a sufi and he got drifted away a little.

Music wise.. he is music is so cool

Usually we listen to sad songs of Nasrat Ali Khan if someone dies in our family. These songs make us to cry more

Its actually not sad .. maybe the rhythm and the voice tone are..


although i dont understand urdu but the lyrics are so amazing

Actually to say Sufi music is somewhat limited since the idea of it is really based amongst those who are familiar with sufism in the subcontinent.

In a broader sense, the people of tasawuff never had a particular type/form of music they had invented or listened to, rather they composed brilliant poetry and had it sung in their gatherings of remembrance. One such example is the Burda, or "poem of the cloak" by the Imam Sharafuddin al-Busiri, who was also a student of the student of Abu Hasan al-Shadili, founder of one of the most widespread orders in Islamic spirituality. The Burda is very linguistic, detailed and powerful in expression. It is read in every Muslim country and is without doubt the most famous poem in the Muslim world. Sufi masters of past and present always attached a special importance to it and its gentle effect on one's soul, and until today you can hear it in many hundreds of different tunes and styles, each according to the country and people.

Hamza Yusuf, the American scholar, recently translated it into English.

The Qasida, or "Ode", is regularly sung in spiritual gatherings the world over, and now with the printing press many compilations of the Qasidas of any one particular spiritual guide have been published, more commonly known as a "diwan" in Arabic.

Hope this helps,

Abaas

my understanding that there are many branches for Sufi belief, some which goes to extereme (slaughter chicken on graveyard under blues type of music) and some who has no muscles in their arms, easy out going as some say...

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oops..end of thread...

then zam says "Hey thats a very informative topic!"

Peace!

The criticism of some Sufi practices I've heard relate to practices and customs that were not followed by the Holy Prophet, pbuh.

Extended periods of Zikr, reciting poems or other chants over and over again were not part of the practice of the Prophet. He did spend time in cotemplation, but what he enjoined on Muslims was the formal prayers of Salat - both the obligatory and optional prayers (eg Tahajjud in the middle of the night, before the dawn prayers - but after sleeping).

All the injunctions are found in the Quran and also in the practice of the Prophet, pbuh.

Repetetive chanting and intense concentration do result in a hypnotic state and does have a calming effect. However, the pleasure of prayer is different from this hypnotic induction - concentration on prayer, on what is being said and being intensely concious that one is addressing God and presenting oneself at His mercy brings on a different satisfaction altogether. The difference is one is completely aware of what one is doing on the one hand, vs a hypnotic trance on the other with associated feelings of euphoria.

Prayer ultimately is a two-way process with feedback from God (for those of you who believe in Him). Many Sufi practices do not promise direct communion or communication with God - whereas the ultimate goal of Salat is to attain communication with God.

A common misconception among many is that God is now Mute and will not communicate with His creations. There is therefore no goal to aim for in prayer - one prays for prayer sake and in hope that God hears and answers in deed and not in words/visions. In contrast, I am taught to pray to a living God who does answer prayers and who has never stopped communicating to supplicants.

In a way, I'm sufi in attitude but tradtional in practice of Islam (I tend to follow the Hanafi Fique when it comes to prayer etc).

Wasalaam (peace)
Shafique

Intimacy wrote:

valkyrie wrote:he was nusrat fateh ali khan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan

Well thats right.. thats his name. But Nusrat started as a sufi and he got drifted away a little.

Music wise.. he is music is so cool

i so agree...
Nusrat Fatih Ali Khan was a great 'Qawali' singer, and later in his life, allowed some bands such as 'massive attack' to do remixes of his music... the results were 'blindin'.
and a little bit of Sufi philosophy: All know that the drop merges into the sea, but few know that the sea merges into the drop...

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