Portal:Sufism

The Sufism Portal

Sufism is a mystic tradition that found a home in Islam encompassing a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to Allah/God, divine love and sometimes to help a fellow man. Tariqas (Sufi orders) may be associated with Shi'a Islam, Sunni Islam, other currents of Islam, or a combination of multiple traditions. It has been suggested that Sufi thought emerged from the Middle East in the eighth century, but adherents are now found around the world. Some Sufis have also claimed that Sufism pre-dates Islam and some groups operate with only very tenuous links to Islam.

Sufism is neither a new religion nor a cult, neither a doctrine nor a dogmatic institution. Perhaps one could say that Sufism is the same religion of the heart that has always been, ever since wisdom was wisdom. Esoteric schools can be traced as far back as the time of Abraham, and even earlier.

Selected article

The Conference of the Birds (

Besides being one of the most beautiful examples of Persian poetry, this book relies on a clever word play between the words Simorgh — a mysterious bird in Iranian mythology which is a symbol often found in Sufi literature, and similar to the phoenix bird — and "si morgh" — meaning "thirty birds" in Persian.

Selected biography

Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (Urdu:ریاض احمد گوھر شاہی) (‎25 November 1941 – 25 November 2001) also known as Sayyedna Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (Urdu:سیدناریاض احمدگوھرشاہی) or Hazrat Sayyedna Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi Muddazullahul Aali (Urdu:حضرت سیدناریاض احمدگوھرشاہی مدظلہ العالی) was a Muslim Sufi, author, spiritual leader and founder of the spiritual movement Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam.^[1] Shahi was born on the Indian subcontinent, in the village of Dhok Gohar Shah in the district of Rawalpindi.

Did you know...

• ...that a version of Sufism is practiced by non Muslims too.
• ...that Sufi whirling is a devotional dance by Sufis of the Mevlevi Order.
• ...that a sizeable population in central Asia, Southern Russia and Indonesia becam Muslim solely due to the missionary work of Sufi tariqas.
• ...that the Naqshbandi order is the only major order in Sufism which traces its spiritual lineage to Muhammad through Abu Bakr and not through Ali.
• ...Martin Lings a well known writer about Sufism also investigated the spirituality of Shakespeare.
• ...Gohar Shahi was the first ever Muslim Spiritual Leader who was invited by people of all faith in their places of worships.

Related portals

• Portal:Spirituality
• Portal:Islam

Selected picture

A Sudanese dervish in the 1920s

Categories

• Category:Sufism
• Category:Sufi orders
• Category:Sufis
• Category:Sufi philosophy
• Category:Sufi literature
• Category:Sufi poets
• Category:MYSTICAL ECSTACY - SUFI PRACTICES

Quotes

Sufism topics

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WikiProjects

Related wikiprojects are:

• Spirituality
• Religion
• Islam
• Metaphysics

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