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).
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*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).

Masnavi of Rumi. The end and object...(Post 75)

The end and object of all negation is to attain to subsequent affirmation, as the negation in the creed, "There is no God," finds its complement and purpose in the affirmation "but God." Just so the purpose of negation of self is to clear the way for the apprehension of the fact that there is no existence but the One. The intoxication of Life and its pleasures and occupations veils the Truth from men's eyes, and they ought to pass on to the spiritual intoxication which makes men beside themselves and lifts them to the beatific vision of eternal Truth.

Omar Khhayyam (1046-1131). From Rubayat. Oh come.. (Post 112).

Omar Khayyam is best known for his Rubayats translated by Edward Fitzgerald in the 1880s. Sufi poetry has lot of references to wine and love, more so in Hafiz(1325–1389) and Omar Khayyam. However their wine did not come from a bottle but a mystical experience. Love is Love of God (Ishque Allah). Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies; One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

Shaikh Sadi (1184-1283).Wash thy.(Post 180)

Shaikh Sadi was a scholar of Islam. He was a teacher and author of two famous books, Bostan and Gulistan. His contemporaries were Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), jalal uddin Rumi (1207-1273), Farid uddin Attar 1150-1222) and many others. Here is a quote of Shaikh Sadi. Wash thy hands, o wise one, from a friend, who is sitting together, with thy foe

Islam and Sufism an introduction

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