Volume
Social Gathekas
| Heading
1. Background on Sufism
|
Sub-Heading
What is meant by the word "Sufi?"
|
Social Gathekas
1. Background on Sufism
What is meant by the word "Sufi?"
The word Sufi is derived from the Arabic word Safa, or Saf, which means, literally, "pure," i.e. pure from distinctions and differences. In Greek the word means "wise."
- Sufism cannot be called deism, for the Sufi does not consider God as an entity separate from oneself.
- Neither can it be called pantheism, because the Sufi not only sees the immanence of God in nature, but also realizes God's Essence in the infinite, naming God Allah, the Formless, the Colorless.
- The Sufi is neither a believer in the unrealized God nor an unbeliever in the idealized Deity, and thus one is distinguished from godly and ungodly alike.
- The Sufi is not an atheist, for the Sufi denies neither God nor God's Messengers.
- To the question, "Are you a Christian?", "Are you a Muslim?", "Are you a Jew?", the Sufi's answer would be 'yes' rather than 'no', for the Sufi opposes no religion but sympathizes with all. In fact Sufism cannot be called a religion, for it does not impose either belief or principle upon anyone, considering that each individual soul has its own principles best suited for it, and a belief which changes with each grade of evolution.
- Sufism is not an intellectual philosophy, because it does not depend merely upon cold reasoning, but develops a devotional tendency in one.
- Sufism cannot be called occultism, for the Sufi does not give any importance to the investigation of phenomena; seeing the brevity of life, a Sufi deems that a worthless pursuit: the Sufi's aim is God alone.
|