Sufism

Articles

Tawakkul, Taslim, Tafwiz, and Thiqa (Reliance, Surrender, Commitment, and Confidence)

01 May 2010 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 75 (May - June 2010)

Reliance, surrender, commitment, and confidence are the four steps or stations of a spiritual journey beginning with reliance on (or trust in) God,...

Istiqama (Straightforwardness)

01 March 2010 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 74 (March - April 2010)

People of truth have interpreted straightforwardness as avoiding all deviation and extremes, and as following in the footsteps of the Prophets, the...

Ikhlas (Sincerity or Purity of Intention)

01 January 2010 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 73 (January - February 2010)

Ikhlas has been interpreted as being upright, sincere, and pure; being distant from show and ostentation in one’s intention and conduct; and being ...

Muraqaba

01 November 2009 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 72 (November - December 2009)

Muraqaba has been defined as watching, supervising, controlling, and living in the consciousness of being controlled (by God). Sufis take this furt...

Wara' (Abstinence)

01 July 2009 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 70 (July - August 2009)

Wara' relates to both the inner and outer aspects of a believer's life and conduct. A traveler on the path of wara' must reach the peaks of taqwa...

Translation of Sufi Poetry

01 May 2009 | Aalia Sohail Khan | Issue 69 (May - June 2009)

The misunderstanding and the misconception by some Western readers that Sufi poetry is strongly tinged with sensuality and replete with erotic and ...

Taqwa (Piety)

01 May 2009 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 69 (May - June 2009)

Taqwa is derived from wiqaya, which means self-defense and avoidance. Sufis define it as protecting oneself from God’s punishment by performing His...

Zuhd (Asceticism)

01 March 2009 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 68 (March - April 2009)

Zuhd, which literally means renouncing worldly pleasures and resisting carnal desires, is defined by Sufis as indifference to worldly appetites, li...

Raja (Hope or Expectation)

01 January 2009 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 67 (January - February 2009)

For a Sufi, Raja means waiting for that which he or she wholeheartedly desires to come into existence, acceptance of good deeds, and forgiveness of...

Khawf and Khashya (Fear and Reverence)

01 November 2008 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 66 (November - December 2008)

In Sufism, khawf (fear) denotes abstaining not only from all that is forbidden, but also from deeds from which it is advisable to refrain. It also ...

Huzn (Sadness or Sorrow)

01 September 2008 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 65 (September - October 2008)

Sufis use the word huzn (sadness) as the opposite of rejoicing and joy, and to express the pain one suffers while fulfilling his or her duties and ...

Qalb (Heart) - 2

01 July 2008 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 64 (July - August 2008)

Belief is the life of the heart; worship is the blood flowing in its veins; and reflection, self-supervision, and self-criticism are the foundation...

Qalb (Heart) - 1

01 May 2008 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 63 (May - June 2008)

In the words of Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum: The heart is the home of God; purify it from whatever is other than HimSo that the All-Merciful may de...

Hal and Maqam (State and Station)

01 March 2008 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 62 (March - April 2008)

Hal (state) denotes experiencing in one’s inner world the “breaths” blowing from the realms beyond the world, and feeling the difference between th...

Firar and I'tisam (Fleeing and Taking Shelter)

01 October 2007 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 60 (October - December 2007)

Firar, which literally means to run away from something, is used in Sufism to denote the journey from the created to the Creator, sheltering from t...

Tafakkur (Reflection)

01 July 2007 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 59 (July - September 2007)

Tafakkur literally means to think on a subject deeply, systematically, and in great detail. In this context, it signifies reflection, which is the ...

Muhasaba (Self-Criticism or Self-Interrogation)

01 April 2007 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 58 (April - June 2007)

The word muhasaba literally means reckoning, settling accounts, and self-interrogation. In a spiritual context, however, it takes on the additional...

Tawba (Repentance), Inaba (Sincere Penitence), and Awba (Turning to God in Contrition)

01 January 2007 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 57 (January - March 2007)

I HAVE REPENTED AND TURNED TO GOD SO SINCERELY THAT I WILL NOT BREAK [THE VOW OF REPENTANCE] UNTIL MY SOUL LEAVES MY BODY. ( RUMI) Tawba (rep...

What is Sufism?

01 July 2004 | Hikmet Isik | Issue 47 (July - September 2004)

Q: What is Sufism? A: Sufism is a path followed by Sufis (adherents of Islamic mysticism) to reach the Truth-God. While the term Sufism usually ex...

Religion, Violence, and Reconciliation

01 January 2004 | The Fountain | Issue 45 (January - March 2004)

Thomas Petriano, Ph.D, is the chairperson of the Religious Studies Department of St. Joseph's College in Patchogue, NY. He teaches comparative reli...

Sufism and Quantum Physics

01 July 2002 | Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed | Issue 39 (July - September 2002)

Sufism and quantum theory have several things in common. For example, Sufis and physicists have very similar views of the world. In contrast to the...

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Sufism

Articles

Another Way of Journeying and Initiation (1)

Initiate (Salik)

Journeying and Initiation - 3

Journeying and Initiation - 2

Journeying and Initiation

Conversation and Communion (Sohba and Musahaba)

Chela 2 (Suffering)

Suffering – 1 (Chela)

Striving

Wakefulness (Yaqada)

Unity - 2

Unity - 1

Distinguishing (Farq)

Absorption (Jam’) - 2

Isolation (Tajrid)

Finding and Existence (Wujud) - 2

Finding and Existence (Wujud)

Self-Concealment (Talbis)

Verification (Tahqiq)

Subsistence by God (Baqa Bi’llah)

Annihilation in God (Fana Fi’llah)

Knowledge of God (Ma‘rifa)

Parting and Reunion (Fasl and Wasl)

Intoxication and Sobriety (Sakr and Sahw)

Manifestation (Tajalli)

Mushahada (Observation)

Safa (Purity)

Waqt (Time)

Ghayba (Absence)

Istighraq (Immersion)

Ightirab - Doubled Separation

Ghurba (Separation)

Qalaq (Passion)

Zawq and ‘Atash (Pleasure and Thirst)

Barq (Lightning)

Dahsha and Hayman (Amazement and Stupor)

Wajd (Ecstasy)

Firasa (Discernment)

A History of Sufism for Western Readers

Adab (Mannerliness)

Freedom (Hurriya)

Riyada (Austerity)

Faqr and Ghina (Poverty and Richness)

Qabd and Bast (Contraction and Openness)

Dahsha and Hayra (Utter Astonishment and Amazement)

Jadhba and Injidhab (Attraction and the Feeling of Being Attracted toward God)

Shawq and Ishtiyaq (Joyful Zeal and Yearning)

Ashq (Ecstatic Love)

Mahabba (Love)

Qurb and Bu'd (Nearness and Remoteness)

Sakina - Itmi’nan (Serenity and Peacefulness)

Basira and Firasa

Dhikr (Recitation of God's Names)

Yaqin (Certainty)

Irada, Murid, and Murad (Will, the Willing One, and the Willed One)

Qast and Azm (Decision And Resolution)

Inbisat (Expansion)

Rida (Resignation)-2

Rida (Resignation)

Sabr (Patience)

Shukr (Thankfulness)

Haya (Modesty)

Sidq (Truthfulness)

Futuwwa (Youth and Chivalry)

Humility (Tawadu)

Good Nature (Khuluq)

Tawakkul, Taslim, Tafwiz, and Thiqa (Reliance, Surrender, Commitment, and Confidence)

Istiqama (Straightforwardness)

Ikhlas (Sincerity or Purity of Intention)

Muraqaba

Wara' (Abstinence)

Translation of Sufi Poetry

Taqwa (Piety)

Zuhd (Asceticism)

Raja (Hope or Expectation)

Khawf and Khashya (Fear and Reverence)