Origination and Growth of Sufism
The word Sufism came in use in the second century of Hijrah. Historians have intensely contested the etymology and source of the word Sufi. Numerous people say that this word is used from Suffah.
Some Sahabah used to spend their time in Prophet's mosque devout to learning in regard to their religion and to prayers. Consequently, they claim that later people who succeed the People of the Suffah were given this name. There are others who say that the source of this word is in "Saff" which means the prayer line. There were some very religious people who used to come to prayers constantly and were regularly in the first line and so they were given this name. Some people say that the word is taken from "Safa" which means pureness and those who tried to keep themselves ethereally clean were given this name. It is also said that the root of this word is in "Suf" which means wool. In previous times, some devout people who used to wear simple clothes made of animal's hair.
As White Cloud exemplifies, other Sufi teachers, philosophers and poets are coming through the door opened by Rumi. But Sufism is more diverse than many Western readers may realize. As it has developed and spread over more than a millennium, it has also given birth to a variety of significant teachers and followers, splintering the tradition. Sufism, as it has evolved in America over the past 40 years, has split into two camps: "traditional" Sufism, which says Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam, and non-Islamic Sufism -- what some would call "New Age" Sufism or others would term "universalist."
Nasr bluntly assesses some interpretations of Sufism that have gained adherents in the United States: "It's easier in America than in Europe to sell diluted interpretations of Sufism. There's less knowledge here, and the New Age wave began in America and went to Europe." http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/islam/pw111300.htm
Islamic Publishing Is Poised for Growth
They were modest and had nothing to do with the world and worldly things, so they were given this name. It is also claimed that this word is taken from the Greek word "sophia" which mean prudence and tact. They propose that in the second century of Hijrah some Greek philosophical books were interpreted and some Muslims became swayed and convinced with the theory of knowledge ideas Subsequently their rivals gave them the name Sufis.
There are several other definitions as well, but they all seem unlikely. Nonetheless, we do not know what is the actual source of this word. The source of the Sufi movement appears to be in Zuhd, being satisfied with very little worldly things. In the early hundred years of Islam there were numerous people who lived the life of Zuhd. They evaded worldly extravagance and niceties and devoted themselves to religion and to the memory of Allah.
Sufism, by the end of the 9th and beginning of the 10th Century, was already like a big tree, with various branches and various birds singing in it.
A the spread of Islam was not done by fire and sword
.. But rather by the preaching of the Sufis who knew how to win the hearts of the people."
We find poetry and prose in all the languages of Islam. We find that Sufism permeated the countries from West Africa to India, and, in fact it was the Sufis who brought Islam to the border countries of Asia and Africa. Sir Thomas Arnold in Sudan told me the teacher of Muhammad iqbal in Lahore had published exactly 100 years ago his famous book The Preaching of Islam, in which he shows that the spread of Islam was not done by fire and sword as most of our sources are won't to say, but rather by the preaching of the Sufis who knew how to win the hearts of the people. And the Sufis wrote their poetry in the language of the people of their lands.
They taught the love of God, love of the Prophet, love of mankind to the illiterate, simple people who were unable to understand the Arabic of the theologians. It was the same in Europe with the introduction of mystic poems." http://www.naqshbandi.org/events/sufitalk/sufismeu.htm
Sufism and its Influence on Europe lecture by Dr. Anne-Marie Schimmel delivered at Stanford University, May 4, 1997 sponsored by CAIR
Subsequently when the period of specialty came and various disciplines emanate, some people became proficient in Qur'an, some in Hadith, some in Fiqh. In the same way some people were recognized as the experts in 'Ilm al-Suluk, the learning of religious living. These are...
Sufism is more than just "the inner or esoteric dimension of Islam," (Nasr 5). Sufism is one of the few spiritual paths that recognizes, embraces, and encourages a universal religious sentiment that transcends differences of gender, culture, and politics. Because of its universalism and incessant truth seeking, Sufism presents itself as a nearly perfect path to tread towards peace. Sufism plays, or at least can play, a major role in
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