SUFISM’S INTENSE SPIRITUALITY MAKES IT A HUGE DRAW FOR Some. Los Angeles, CA has witnessed the rising popularity of Sufism. One prominent group is the Moroccan-origin Shadhili Order. Founded in the seventh century by Abu Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili, the number of members have increased from only ten a decade before to 500 members within Los […]

The reprimanding by God Most High of Moses– peace be upon him– for the shepherd’s sake  A revelation from God came to Moses: “You separated Our servant from Us. “Did you come for the sake of uniting or did you come for the sake of separating and cutting off? “As much as you are able, […]

Major Sufi Theorists Probably the best-known establishment figure in classical Sufism was al-Ghazali (c. 1058–1111), who was a Sunni theologian at a prestigious Baghdad college, the Nizamiyya, and who, after going through a spiritual crisis that caused him to leave it all for fourteen years, converted to Sufism and became an ardent exponent of it […]

Each year the Society (The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society)organizes Symposia in the UK and the USA on an aspect of Ibn ‘Arabi’s work. These international gatherings bring together people from many different fields and traditions, and include scholars, students, and anyone interested in what Ibn ‘Arabi has to say. These events provide a unique opportunity […]

Sufi Practice The zuhd literature that has come down to us consists of a large number of sayings (many of them very obviously Christian in origin, some citations even from the Bible) and accounts of early Muslim ascetics (Khalidi). The asceticism that they practiced focused upon forms of spiritual excess (staying the night in prayer, […]