Sufism in the modern world

Presenting sufism on its own terms, namely, as it was professed by countless sufi teachers and their disciples, was simply not an option for european and russian scholars of islam. Despite its continuing appeal in the muslim world, sufism has faced challenges in the last 250 years. Islamic mysticism had several stages of growth, including 1 the appearance of early asceticism, 2 the development of a classical mysticism of divine love, and 3 the rise and proliferation of fraternal orders of mystics. The changes that have taken place within the sufi tradition in the modern period are many and defy easy categorisation. Contents acknowledgements list of figures notes on transliteration notes on contributors introduction jamal malik and saeed zarrabizadeh part 1. Sufism and the modern in islam julia day howell and martin van bruinessen. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. The sufis are as diverse as the countries in which theyve flourishedfrom morocco to india to chinaand as varied as their distinctive forms of art, music, poetry, and dance. While modern psychology focuses on the personality, esoteric traditions like sufism focus on the unknowable eternal aspect within each of us, the eternal self that is in harmony with all that exists and all that has ever existed.

In the modern world, the classical interpretation of sunni orthodoxy, which sees in sufism an essential dimension of islam alongside the disciplines of jurisprudence and theology, is represented by institutions such as egypts alazhar university and zaytuna college, with alazhars current grand imam ahmed eltayeb recently defining sunni orthodoxy as being a follower of any of the four schools of legal thought hanafi, shafii, maliki or hanbali and. Some says it is derived from suffa or bench referring to a group of poor muslims living at the. In this view, sufism is the religion of the common people and embodies superstition and unislamic elements adopted from local cultures. The indianborn sufi master hazrat inayat khan 18821927, the first major sufi figure to come to the west, brought his teachings to america in the 1920s.

Sufism offers a remedy to these evils in the modern world. This march, you took part in the first world sufi forum in delhi. Revisiting the concept through a case study of the khalwatiyya in contemporary egypt rachida chih. Todays modern world sufism offers support to the individual by training him in the needed values such as respect for relations and living, appreciation for love. It may be a surprise that jalal addin rumithe thirteenth century mystic known as mevlana in turkey, the middle east, and central asiais the. They are the keys to unfold powers within the human being, but there is no permission to use these keys. The real story of rumi and sufism in modern istanbul. Despite these general stages, however, the history of islamic mysticism is largely a history of individual mystic experience. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sufis and antisufis. The defence, rethinking and rejection of sufism in the modern world routledge sufi series kindle edition by sirriyeh, elizabeth. Sufism is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool, refer to the garments worn by early sufis. The defence, rethinking and rejection of sufism in the modern world. Sufism has spread around the world and is often embraced by westerners especially more readily than mainstream islam. This volume assesses the evolution of antisufism since the mid18th century and sufi strategies for survival.

Sufism was born because in the olden days arabic was not very common amongst non arabs. This is not to say that opponents of sufism dont exist in the modern world. The defence, rethinking and rejection of sufism in the modern world by elizabeth sirriyeh. The world tour entitled, egypt documented his musical pilgrimage to the heartland of sufism, combining egyptian and arab orchestral sounds while celebrating islams mystical culture. Many observers predicted the demise of such mystical tendencies in an inexorably secularizing and rationalizing modern world bruinessen. Sufism teaches and sticks to the life and values held by prophet muhammad. Islam must reclaim its birthright, which includes modern science and technology, by the eradication of sufism. Sufism and the power to transform the threshold society. Sufism in the modern world oxford islamic studies online. According to a number of news sources, the bestselling poet in the english language today.

The beautiful teachings of sufism and the sufi saints gaia. The sufi book of life 99 pathways of the heart for the modern dervish by neil douglasklotz is part meditation book, part oracle, and part collection of sufi lore, poetry, and stories. Mystical islam and crosscultural exchange in the modern world. One famous example is the poet, theologian, and jurist jalal addin muhammad rumi of persia, more commonly known simply as rumi. Unfortunately, in the contemporary islamic world sufism is seldom as philosophically generous as the major figures in its pastor even as the spiritually restless americans whose sufism is. Sufism, known as tasawwuf in the arabicspeaking world, is a form of islamic mysticism that emphasizes introspection and spiritual closeness with god. The world needs its spiritual lovers marian brehmer from, a german news site, interviewed shaikh kabir about the role of sufism in the modern world and the dangers of religious extremism. In addition to the mevlevi order of sufism founded by rumi, there are others. Why sufism is not what it is made out to be herald. Enneagram in sufism we shall show them our signs upon the horizons and within themselves, until it is clear to them that it is the truth 41. Traditionalism and the secret intellectual history of the twentieth century oxford. Who are sufi muslims and why do some extremists hate them.

To understand the sufism of the modern world, it is also important to recognize the pluralism within sufism, and that not all sufis follow the. Sufism east and west mystical islam and crosscultural. On the one hand, the success of the scientific method has set limitations on what are considered to be useful and practical fields. For many islamic reformers whose roots lie in the late colonial 19th century and postcolonial 20th, sufism is an. Sufism plays, or at least can play, a major role in remedying many of the worlds political, social, economic, and spiritual ills. Sufism east and west mystical islam and crosscultural exchange. Sufism has not only survived into the twentyfirst century but has experienced a significant resurgence throughout the muslim world. Sufism is a mystical form of islam, a school of practice that emphasizes the inward search for god and shuns materialism. It also considers the efforts of a few significant muslim intellectuals to contemplate a future for a mystical approach to islam without traditional sufism. Ernst 2 definitions of sufism as a meeting place of eastern and western creative imaginations alexander knysh 3 sufi.

Dervishes dance at a community center in meschede, germany, celebrating the unesco designation of. Ernst 2 definitions of sufism as a meeting place of eastern and western creative imaginations alexander knysh 3 sufi amnesia in. This volume assesses the evolution of antisufism since the middle of the eighteenth century and sufi strategies for survival. First, there was no one uniformly accepted, transregional metanarrative about sufism and sufis in the premodern and modern muslim world. The defence, rethinking and rejection of sufism in the modern world by elisabeth sirriyeh 1998, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Elizabeth sirriyeh redresses this neglect by assigning to sufism a central place in the broader history of islam in the modern world and by examining how changing understandings of sufisms role in modern conditions have affected muslims of all shades of opinion. Rumi was the son of a renowned sufi scholar, and it is more than likely that he was introduced to sufism from a young age.

Sufism transcends specific sects and shrines and encompasses styles of music that selfidentify as modern. The main thrust of his more than twenty books is a theory of world religions based on the idea of a universal esoterism, the islamic form of which is sufism. Most if not all teachings in sufism is on different. Sufism and the modern in islam offers refreshing new perspectives on this phenomenon, demonstrating surprising connections between sufism and muslim reformist currents, and the vital presence of sufi ideas and practices in all spheres of life. Sufism in the modern world julia howell when unesco declared 2007 the international year of rumi and celebrated the 800th anniversary of the persian sufi scholars birth on september 6 of that year, few outside the muslim world were aware of the problematic status of islams sufi heritage throughout much of the last century. It has produced some of the worlds most beloved literature, like the love poems of the th century iranian jurist rumi. Typical of this is rai, a version of hiphop that draws on sufi poetry by focusing on the body, simple expressions and the invocation of the male and female saints healing power.

Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The sufi book of life 99 pathways of the heart for the. From there it spread to france, england, and the united states. The defence, rethinking and rejection of sufism in the modern world richmond, surrey. Sufism teaches respect and reverence for others and equal treatment for all.

As a practice bridge between the mundane and the divine, sufism also serves as a theoretical bridge that can link together seemingly disparate forces that struggle and wage war on a daily basis. Broadly speaking, one strategy for repositioning sufism in the modern world is to promote, in the words of hamka one of indonesias most prominent modernist reformers of the twentieth century, tasawwuf tanpa tarekat, that is, sufi teachings and some sufi practices tasawwuf without recourse the sufi orders i. Hazrat later married the niece ofmary baker eddy, the founder ofmore. Rumi believed fervently that music, poetry, and dance could lead a devotee to god. While it is sometimes misunderstood as a sect of islam, it is actually a broader style of worship that transcends sects, directing followers attention inward. Omar k neusser this account refers to the egypt of the 1950ies to 1970ies. When unesco declared 2007 the international year of rumi and celebrated the 800th anniversary of the persian sufi scholars birth on september 6 of that year, few outside the muslim world were aware of the problematic status of islams sufi heritage throughout much of the last century. Sufism and the modern world school of sufi teaching, london. Some says it is derived from suffa or bench referring to a group of poor muslims living at the time with prophet mohammad p. Many of the great poets, singers, and dancers of the islamic world have been sufis. Today, there are numerous sufi orders in europe and the united states, as well as throughout the majoritymuslim world. Construction and reorientation of sufism in the modern world 1 the dabistan and orientalist views of sufism carl w. We live in an age when science and technology have brought mankind not only great material advances, but also a deep. Titus burckhardt 19081984 represents a similar perspective, though many of his writings are more explicitly grounded in traditional sufi teachings.