Sufism

Sufism is mysticism in Islam. Mysticism means becoming one with God. It is also called Tasawwuf. The practitioners of Sufism are referred to Sufis.

About Sufism

The Sufis belong to different orders or Tariqa. These orders are congregations (congregation is an assembly of persons) formed around a grand master. The master is referred to Wali. These Walis trace a direct chain of successive teachers back to Prophet Muhammad. The Sufis see Prophet Muhammad as their ultimate spiritual guide.

Sufism in the modern world

The Sufi orders were based in Sunni Islam for the first five years. During 600-700 AD, they were seen as reaction against the worldliness, especially during the reign of Umayyad Caliphate. However, in the modern era the Sufism is declining. Today Sufism is highly criticised by the conservative Salafists and modernist thinkers. Salafism or Salafi movement is a reformation movement within the Sunni Islamists. According to the Salafists, the Muslims have to rely on the Quran. Around 90% of the Muslims in the world are Sunnis.

What is the difference between Sunni and Sufi?

• Sufi can be both Shia and Sunni. The Sunni is concerned with actions that help to get rewards from God. The rewards are promised in next life. The Sufis believe in love. They focus on meeting god directly by purifying the heart.
• The Sunni Muslims is more involved in worldly matters. But the Sufis are more concerned about the world here after.
• Sunnis follow the Quran to get into heaven. They believe that Quran helps to do worldly deeds that serve as a path to the heaven. They are fearful of Allah. Their teachings incorporate fear of hell. On the other hand, the Sufis attain spiritual enlightenment through meditation and prayers and also by quitting worldly desires.  Sufis follow sharia or Islamic code of life.
• A Sufi saint purifies his heart through recitations called “Dhikr”. The Sunnis do not believe in mysticism followed by Sufis. They call the Sufis as the deviants. Also, the Sufis do not worship graves.

Sufism and Shia

The Sufi orders, especially the Safaviyya order (founded by Kurds) has influenced the Sunni Islamists to convert to Shia. This eventually led to the Twelverism in Iran. Twelverism is the largest branch of Shia Islam. Twelver means adhering to the teachings of twelve ordained leaders of Islam called Twelve Imams. The Twelvers believe that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi will reappear as Mahdi.