In many respects, gurdjieffs writings contributed enormously to the familiarisation of the west to the radical idea of the psyche or soul the dynamic centre that mediates between the spiritual and the sensory functions which at that. Considers how lessings exposure to a particular aspect of tasawwuf, the classical sufi way, has shaped her work. Hazrat later married the niece ofmary baker eddy, the founder ofmore. A famous sufi once said, previously sufism was a reality without a name. In other places, such as syria, egypt, and west africa, the islamic scholarly establishment is dominated by sufis. Traditionalism has merged with other influences to enter the general culture of. Understanding the concept of islamic sufism shahida bilqies research scholar, shahihamadan institute of islamic studies university of kashmir, srinagar190006 jammu and kashmir, india. Sufi prescience, sufi aptitude for the right teaching in the right time and place, is well attested. The social and political importance of sufi orders, widely recognized, derives from its popularity and influence among the muslim masses. Historically, sufis were organized into a number of brotherhoods or mystical orders tariqat, literally paths, each with its own religious rites, saintly lineage and leadership structure.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading when oceans merge. Globalization and relocalization of islam and sufi music in the west preprint please do not cite without permission 3 greater edmonton is a diverse urban community, within the canadian province of alberta. Like so much else in a decentralized global faith such as islam, the practice. Islamic sufism in the west this book is a study of the phenomenon of islamic sufism in the west, which first began by adopting a universalist philosophical form with the universalist order of inayat khan. This branch of british sufism turned out to be predominantly white and middleclass, and i felt uncomfortable.
In 1916 the sufi order in the west was founded in london by another important indian sufi, hazrat inayat khan. My experience as a nonmuslim going undercover with. Chapter one sufism in america jay kinney 1994, the publisher and editorinchief of gnosis magazine, writes that sufism undeniably exists as a living esoteric tradition of human transformation and as such is a valuable resource for the western seeker. Today, he said, speaking arabic, sufism is a name without a reality, but it used to be a reality without a name. Sufism has placed a distinctive stamp on the way the religion has been practiced in many arab countries, in parts of africa, in turkey, and especially in central asia. 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. There is some qualiltya vitality, a yeastin sufi work that affects in ways not easily explained. Full text of sufism in the west by jamal malik and john hinnells. The chishti order the chishtl order derives its name from chisht, a village near herat where the founder of the order, khwaja abul3haq resided for scxnetime in the twelfth 3 century lj. At first, there was the sufi movement as founded by inayat khan himself. Our servers in the cloud will handle the pdf creation for you once you have combined your files. Bismi allahirrahmanirrahim the word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the prophet muhammad pbuh and by his close companions. Sympathetic presentation showing the basis for the continuing appeal of sufism in the modern era.
Islamic mysticism and muslims in i sufism in the west edited by jamal malik and. Most forms of sufism and quasisufism known in the west place a high priority on love. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Naqshbandiyya some of them merged with anticolonial mahdist movements.
Khan died in 1927, but his son, pir vilayat inayat khan, has succeeded at establishing 88 centers in america and 166 worldwide. Although sufism has always provoked considerable interest in the west, no volume has so far been written which discusses this aspect of islam in terms of how it is practised in western societies. Andrew rawlinson of the university of lancaster the following articles by kinney and bayman illustrate some general trends and issues. Idries shahs the sufis, first published in 1964, is the seminal work of this famous afghan author and a firstofitskind modern statement on sufism. Persian sufism in the contemporary west reflections on the. Classical sufi texts, which stressed certain teachings and practices of the quran and the sunnah. Who are sufi muslims and why do some extremists hate them.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sufism in the westwith the increasing muslim diaspora in postmodern western societies, sufism intellectually as we. With the increasing muslim diaspora in postmodern western societies, sufism intellectually as well as sociologically may eventually become islam itself due to its versatile potential. The head of each order, generally a hereditary position known as the. Sufism, or tasawwuf as it is known in the muslim world, is islamic mysticism lings, martin, what is sufism. Then in the 1950s, the order emerged out of the sufi movement as the founders son pir vilayat began to give a new and somewhat more contemporary vision and interpretation of the teachings and practices left by his father. Sufis meet in gatherings called circles, practising rituals designed to foster the remembrance of god. Impresses upon the reader the degree to which lessing is seriously offering her spacefiction utopias as plausible and even necessary alternatives to our present western ways of life. Sufism sufis sufi orders sufism, the west, and modernity in the twentieth century sufism began to spread in the west. Sufism, let me suggest what sets burckhardt s study apart.
The word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the prophet muhammad pbuh and by his close companions. I went, first, to one run by the uk sufi order founded by inayat khan, a key figure in bringing universal sufism to the west. To merge pdfs or just to add a page to a pdf you usually have to buy expensive software. This article shows the relationship between french colonialism and islamic senegal during the merging of the french colonies in west africa. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of. Nowadays in the west, the name has become better known, but its reality has become far more obscure than it ever was in the islamic world. Sufism, like other traditional spiritualities, has not been able to easily deflect the waging insurgence of the new age movement which introduced pseudosufis 2 who. There are signs of god everywhere in the universe and in man himself. Recurring event see all one event on september 22, 2019 at 3. This study uses an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from the social sciences and religious studies. It also intends to expand the literature on sufism in america and provide detailed analysis of this particular sufi community. Persian sufism in the contemporary west reflections on the nimatullahi diaspora. This book offers an accessible introduction to sufism and a clear correlation between sufism and.
Pdf historiography of sufi studies in the west and in. In the west at present there are three main groupings which together form the main body of western sufism. In sufism and the modern in islam, edited by martin van bruinessen and julia day howell, 28. Sufism dates back almost to the time of the prophet muhammad, and it has been present in muslim societies for more than 12 centuries. Doris lessing, preface seekersaffer truth introduction the story of europe is familiar to all of us. An uneven and spotty but still useful introductory online article is a history of western sufism fixed january, 2005 by prof. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism.
These definitions haveone thingin common, namely,sufismbeing described in. At its core, sufism is a gloss of a tradition of spiritual practice called ta. Sufism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. David ault reads the way of the sufi, by idries shah. Most forms of sufism and quasi sufism known in the west place a high priority on love. The sufi movement, the sufi order international and the sufi way 1. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, the conference of the birds by attar of nishapur, the essential rumi by rumi, the sufis. Sufism works through such jokes as this one, books, lectures, all sorts of everyday activities. Sufism had a decisive influence on the development and spread of islam in west africa.
Dear sufi friends sufinews 4 is a tribute to the message and to pir o murshid hazrat inayat khan who brought sufism to our western world 100 years ago. It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. Other noteworthy sufi teachers who have been active in the west in recent years include bawa. All three are succeeding organizations of the sufi movement founded originally by inayat khan in the 1920s in the west. The many expressions of sufism in the west also show how the conditions of. Sufism in the modern world oxford centre for islamic studies. Judged by the perspective 1 of the islamic world, these first western sufis were. Turning to the core of spirituality there is some qualiltya vitality, a yeastin sufi work that affects in ways not easily explained. Labeledasheresybysome, sufism,forthisgroup,referstoa distortion ofkey tenets of the faith, specifically that of absolute monotheism. Historiography of sufi studies in the west and in russia. Sufi practices are usually defined within the basic tenets of islam, the sharia or shariah although some orders include singing and dancing in the love of god, something some muslims frown on. The contemporary sufi and hasidic teachings of pir vilayat khan and rabbi zalman schachtershalomi kindle edition by blann, gregory, milesyepez, netanel.
The way of the sufi presents an unparalleled crosssection of material from sufi schools, teachings and classical writings, as a basic course. Sufism in the west with the increasing muslim diaspora in postmodern western societies, sufism intellectually as well as sociologically may eventually become mainstream islam itself due to its versatile potential, especially in the wake of what has been called the failure of political islam worldwide. Although it has been the subject of a considerable number of academic works, sufism in west africa remains. I would be very grateful for any corrections or additional information that anyone may have on any as.
The contemporary sufi and hasidic teachings of pir. It is in operation all the time, all over the world. His chishti order master sent him to the west specifically to spread the sufi message. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby tawhid is achieved. Sufism has spread around the world and is often embraced by westerners especially more readily than mainstream islam. A sufi can be a scientist, a politician, a poet, a housewife, the usherette in the cinema and may never be known as one, since sufism may have nothing to do with outward appearance and behavior. To understand the contemporary influx of sufism with its diverse expressions,especially in the west, opposition by anti sufism camps, merger in europe with the universal mysticism making its islamic origins questionable, and status quo in the broader muslim ideological landscapethrough a proper methodological approach is of. In east africa, tanzania was the country where brotherhoods were most active and where, as a result, islam made its greatest gains. Pdf introducing sufism to international relations theory. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines. Western sufism can also be understood in this manner.
Sufism is a mystical form of islam that has flourished in the muslim world for centuries. This is well and good, and burckhardt himself points out that ibn iarab the greatest master of sufi theoretical teachings put love at the pinnacle of concerns. Pdf western sufism and traditionalism mark sedgwick. The way of the sufi presents an unparalleled crosssection of material from sufi schools, teachings and classical writings, as a.
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