Skip to main content

What is Sufism or Tasawwuf . (Post 3)

What is Sufism or Tasawwuf

Professor Sayyed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University and an authority on Sufism, says Sufism or Tasawwuf is the name for the inner or esoteric dimension of Islam.
Professor Allan Godlas of the University of Georgia says that Tasawwuf is the inner, mystical, or spiritual dimension of Islam.
An Islamic website says that  Tasawwuf is the rooh (soul) and state of perfection of the Deen (religion). Its function is to purify the heart from anger, malice, hate, jealousy, greed, etc. and to fill it with truth,  justice, compassion, forgiveness, Zikr (remembrance of God) and other virtues.
The way I understand it, Tasawwuf is necessary to build a foundation of our Deen(faith). It requires that we control our ego (Nafs) and get rid of the toxic trash/baggage* from our heart and replace it with compassion, humility, truth, forgiveness, gratitude, justice and other virtues and that will illuminate the heart and bring love of God. The fear of God leads to the love of God. One does not have to join a  Sufi order to do Tasawwuf. Khaliq (Oct 2004).
.


*The toxic baggage is anger, hate, resentment malice, greed, jealousy, lust, ostentation, deception, backbiting and slander(gheebat) and other negative emotions.
PS. In Sufi poetry especially of Hafiz and Omar Khayyam there is lot of mention of wine,  intoxication and love. But the wine they mention does not cone from a bottle . It is a  spiritual state one reaches with Ibadat, devotion and Tasawwuf. Love is love of God(ishq e Allah).








 PS. In Sufi poetry especially of Hafiz and Omar Khayyam there is lot of mention of wine,  intoxication and love. But the wine they mention does not cone from a bottle . It is a  spiritual state one reaches with Ibadat, devotion and Tasawwuf. Love is love of God(ishq e Allah).


.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Masnavi of Rumi. Tear not...(Post 74)

Tear not thy plumage off, it can not be replaced; Disfigure not thy face in wantonness, O fair one! That face which is bright as the forenoon sun--- To disfigure it were a grievous sin. 'Twere paganism to mar such a face as thine! The moon itself would weep to lose sight of it! Knowest  thou not the beauty of thine own face? Quit this temper that leads thee to war with thyself! It is the claws of thine own foolish thoughts That in spite wound the face of thy quiet soul. Know such thoughts to be claws fraught with poison. Which score deep wounds on the face of thy soul.
Post a Comment
Read more

Sorces that I have used for my blog. (Post 167)

Sources that I have found  useful in preparing material for my blog. I hope it will assist others to access information. It is a good practice to consult more than one reliable source.The sources are; Oxford encyclopedia of Islamic world. at , http://www.oxfordreference.com /view/10.1093/acref/9780195305 135.001.0001/acref-97801953051 35 .. It is an excellent but it costs $199 a year. University  of Georgia. www.uga.edu/islam by Dr Alan Godlas. It is a  comprehensive site on Islam and Sufism. All material on Islam is in one place and it us free. Princeton University. https://www.princeton.edu/~hum comp/scholars.html . It has all Muslim scholars of the Golden age of Islam in one place. Fordham University.  internet Islamic  history  source book at; https://sourcebooks.fordham.ed u/islam/islamsbook.asp Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy at; www.plato.stanford.edu/entries /omar-khayyam . Ibn Sina, Ibn Arabi , Al Kindi a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Masnavi of Rumi. We and our existance...(Post 105)

We and our existences are non-existent; Thou art the Absolute appearing in the guise of mortality. That which moves us is Thy Gift; Our whole being is Thy creation, Thou didst show the beauty of Being unto not-being, after Thou hadst caused not being to fall in love with Thee. Take not away the delight of Thy beauty; take not away Thy dessert and wine and wine cup! But if Thou take it away, who will question thee? Does the picture quarrel with the painter? Look not on us, look on Thine Own loving-kindness and Generosity! We were not; there was no demand on our part; yet Thy Grace heard our silent prayer and called us into existence. In the Divine court of audience all are helpless as tapestry before the needle. Now He makes the portrait of the Devil, now of Adam; now He depicts joy, now sorrow. None can raise a hand in defence; none dare utter a word concerning injury or benefit.
Post a Comment
Read more