The Religions Book

282

I

f shari‘a law is, for Muslims, an

exterior pathway leading to the

true worship of God, then Sufi

mysticism is an interior path helping

its practitioners not only to follow

God, but to be closer to him. In the

early stages of Islam’s development,

simple obedience to the will of God

was not a strict enough doctrine for

some Muslims. In response to the

growing indulgence of the ruling

Muslim elite as they gained in

power, disenchanted Muslims

wished to return to what they felt

was the purity and simplicity of

Islam during the time of Prophet

Muhammad. They pursued an

ascetic lifestyle by removing

themselves from the material world

and seeking a direct, personal

experience of God. Some Sufi

Muslims even declared that God

was within them.

As Sufism developed, groups,

or orders, were founded, in which

religious masters taught the doctrine

to students. At the heart of many of

these orders lay the belief that the

self must be renounced in order to

fully abide in God. Accordingly, Jalal

al-Din Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi

master, wrote of an impoverished

Arab and his greedy wife who live

in the desert. The woman urges her

husband to offer their filled water pot

to God, hoping they might receive

something in return. Although

reluctant, the husband succumbs

to his wife’s urgings and offers the

pot—and, in return, it is filled with

gold. This treasure is, however, of

little use to them in the desert and

therefore acts as a reminder that the

pursuit of wealth and self-interest

detracts from the correct focus on

Revered for his ascetism and

kindness, Sufi saint Nizamuddin

Awlia’s tomb is visited by thousands

of Muslims and non-Muslims each day,

where they light incense and pray.

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Jalal al-Din Rumi

WHEN AND WHERE

13th century, Persia

BEFORE

8th century An early Sufi

poet, Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyya,

from Basra, Iraq, fuses

asceticism and devotion in

her development of Sufism.

10th century Persian master

al-Hallaj declares in a trance

“I am the Truth”; his words are

interpreted as a claim to be

God, for which he is executed.

AFTER

13th century Some Sufi

practices, such as reciting

God’s names, are incorporated

into Jewish worship.

19th century Emir ‘Abd

al-Qadir, a Sufi scholar, leads

the struggle against the

French invasion of Algeria.

21st century More than a

hundred Sufi orders exist.

ARAB, WATER POT,

AND ANGELS ARE

ALL OURSELVES

SUFISM AND THE MYSTIC TRADITION