Sufism is the major expression of mysticism in Islam. While Sufism developed out of the fusion of Qur’anic ascetic tendencies and the vast fund of Christian (and other) mystical sayings present throughout the classical world, by approximately the 10th century it had become a uniquely Islamic feature. Major writers such as al-Ghazali and Ibn al-ʿArabi […]
Category: Sufism and Mysticism
Tales of rumi “Moses & The shepherd” (Part One)
On the path Moses came upon a shepherd His prayers with his God he overheard. Where are you so your needs I can serve Mend your shoes, your hair comb, curl & curve. Wash your clothes, kill your lice, pick your nits Bring you milk, while your Majesty just sits. Kiss your lovely hands, and […]
The way of Sufi (Part Seven)
Uncle Hassan’s Last Minutes Uncle Hassan is about to die. He has spent the last two months in the hospital, dragging himself from bed to armchair, from armchair to bed. Now he is bedridden. It all started with an infection of the urinary tract, which couldn’t be treated. The tract became infected, and the infection […]
Sufi’s shrines
Shams-e-Tabrīzī (or Shams al-Din Mohammad, literally: Sun of Islam; 1185–1248) was an Iranian Sufi mystic born in the city of Tabriz in Iranian Azerbaijan. He introduced Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhi, usually known as Rumi in the West, to Islamic mysticism, for which he was immortalized in Rumi’s poetry collection Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i (“The Works […]
Sufi Shrine Culture (Part Three)
Ritual Activities. The Ṣūfī saint’s shrine is one of the focal points of rituals carried out not only by the members of the Ṣūfī order that has a special spiritual relationship with the saint but also by common Muslims who simply admire the mystical power of the saint and venerate him. There are three important […]
Muslim Saints and Mystics Episodes from the Tadhkirat al-Auliya’ (Memorial of the Saints) by Farid al-Din Attar (part Three)
The Love Of Such A One poems from divani shamsi tabriz
O thou who art my soul’s comfort in the season of sorrow, O thou who art my spirit’s treasure in the bitterness of dearth! That which the imagination has not conceivedthatwhich the understanding has not seen. ,Visiteth my soul from thee, hence in worship I turn toward theeBy thy grace I keep fixed on eternity […]
The Sufi Path of Qadiriyye (Part Two)
Murshid Muhammed Efendi, was born in Kayseri, in the year of 1928 which is the region where his ancestors were settled 8 centuries ago, bringing Qadiri order with them to Anatolian soil. He has started his education at the age of five with his father Osman Efendi…
Sufi Shrine Culture (Part Two)
Enshrinement of Non-S.ūfīs. These two examples have been cases of great Ṣūfīs who are venerated as saints and were enshrined after their death. These cases have to be distinguished from others in which the enshrined person is not a Ṣūfī in the strict sense. First, veneration of the prophet Muḥammad must be considered. According to […]
The way of Sufi (Part Six)
The Way of the Parrot To illustrate the way of the Sufi and clarify its principles, MowlanaRumi, well known in the Western world, told this story: There was a merchant who owned a beautiful parrot in a cage. As he was about to travel on business to India, the parrot said to him: “I would […]