INTRODUCTION 

 

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters. 

 

Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel!  

 

In this lesson, we will take a brief look at what Sufism is and the kinds of Sufisms that exist.  

 

BODY OF TEXT 

 

Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as) once said: "The book of Allah comprises four things: the statement set down, the metaphors, the hidden meanings relating to the supra-sensible world, and the exalted spiritual doctrines. The literal statement is for the ordinary believers. The metaphors are the concern of the elite. The hidden meanings pertain to the friends of God. The exalted spiritual doctrines are the province of the prophets."  

 

The above hadith is a complicated one. It takes some effort to read and reread until one gets a good idea as to what it is talking about. But to make its message short, what the Imam is telling us is that Islam’s teachings, and particularly the Qur’an, has a multi-layered meaning. The literal meaning is for ordinary people, but its deeper spiritual meanings are for people who are advanced in the mystical path of the religion.  

 

The attainment of spiritual meanings and spiritual transformation is what Sufism seeks to achieve through a series of spiritual insights and practices. 

 

Origins 

 

There are two theories as to what the word Sufi means. The first theory believes that it is derived from the word “safa” which means purity as the Sufis were seen as the “people of purity” (ahl al-tasawwuf).  

 

The other theory believes that it comes from the word “sūf” meaning wool, as Sufis were known to wear harsh garments out of wool for ascetical reasons. 

 

Most Muslim scholars historically opted for the second meaning. 

 

Sufism, in its essence, is about purifying the heart from spiritual diseases, including pride, hatred, anger, jealousy, and learning to love God more than the world. It is also a practice of unceasingly remembering God.  

 

Furthermore, Sufism also holds that Islam contains outward knowledge, but also inside spiritual knowledge that is transferred from teacher to student.  

 

If understood this way, Sufism begins with the Prophet Muhammad (s) himself.  It is therefore no wonder that all Sufi groups trace their religious orders back to Imam Ali (as). 

 

They trace it back to Imam Ali (as) as he was the first man to transfer and teach the Prophet’s (s) teachings on inner purification and inner spiritual knowledge to the public after the Messenger of Allah’s (s) death.  

 

As time went on, and as more teachers taught students, Sufism broke into different groups. These different groups eventually turned into spiritual orders called tarīqas with their own spiritual leaders called shaykhs. 

 

So you’ve probably guessed it by now, when groups grow and split up over time, teachings do often change, and sometimes for the worse. Some Sufi groups went to the extent that they dismissed all religious obligations, such as prayer and fasting. It is these groups that prompted our 6th Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as) to disavow and reject them. 

 

Even today you will find these two groups of Sufis, one which abides by the religious obligations and duties of Islam, and others who don’t. But if you understand the origin of Sufism, you will see that the Sufism of the Prophet (s) was one with religious obligations. Didn’t Imam Ali (as) and the Prophet (s) himself pray and follow Islamic law? 

 

So if you want to find true Sufism, one that is unadulterated, you can only find it in the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) 

 

Practices 

 

Sufi practices vary widely. But there are two practices that are essential to Sufism: dhikr and muraqaba.  

 

Dhikr means remembrance, as in remembrance of God. The practice of dhikr is central to Sufism. The remembrance of God is supposed to be an unceasing act. So how do they do it?  

 

Dhikr is in two forms: 

1.  Remembering the God by reciting one of His 99 names throughout the day. This is often done with prayer beads called a subha or masbaha. Dhikr can also be reciting Qur’an or sending blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his family (as). 
2. Remembering God by seeing Him in everything one experiences, one’s own breath, the sky, mountains, skies. The world of creation is to remind one of God’s power and majesty.  

Dhikr is thus of paramount importance. In one hadith from the Messenger of Allah (s), he is reported to have said to his companions:  

 

"Shall I tell you about the best of deeds, the most pure in the Sight of your Lord, about the one that is of the highest order and is far better for you than spending gold and silver, even better for you than meeting your enemies in the battlefield where you strike at their necks and they at yours?" The companions replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!"  

 

He said, "it is the Remembrance of Allah (dhikr)” 

 

In another hadith, he is also reported to have said: 

 

"People will not sit in an assembly in which they remember Allah without the angels surrounding them, mercy covering them, and Allah Mentioning them among those who are with Him" 

 

The other practice is that of muraqaba, which means to watch over oneself. Muraqaba is when a person watches over himself or herself, making sure to purify the heart and to keep it away from spiritual diseases, such as the ones we mentioned before (that is, pride, anger, jealousy).  

 

Muraqaba is also taking lessons from the world to help one in the spiritual path. As the seventh Imam, Imam Musa al-Kādhim (as) once said, “every single thing your eye sees contains a lesson.”  

 

In a state of muraqaba, the world is your spiritual university. You take from it what benefits your soul and you leave that which corrupts it. In this sense, it is a state of constant and vigilant meditation. 

 

Until Next Time, Thank you for watching. As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh