Sufi-Like Philosophy

[Rahul]

Now how many and how do, more importantly, people see Sufi philosophy and thought which developed in Iran, Afghanistan and Northern India over the last 1000 years?

Is it justified to call it a religion in itself?

Is it a philosophy and principled-ethical mode of living?

How do people with see it?

I know of many people who are not so friendlily disposed towards Islam yet they find in Sufiyana Kalaam a truly divine experience.

Respond to this.

[FLipsiDE]

I very much like what I have read of Sufism and it certainly counts as a religion. It is to Islam what gnostics are to Christianity. The mystics.

Rumi wrote one of my favorite poems but I can't seem to FIND it anymore. *sigh*

Lifting the restrictions on Sufiism was one of the many happy things to come out of the overthrow of Afghanistan's taliban government/theocracy.

[Danustouch]

I love what I have read of Sufism ....it seems like a beautiful religion to me. I too am glad the bans were overthrown in Afghanistan.

[mol]

Unfortunately, I have had no time to research this. Does anyone have any good links to share on the subject?

[Rahul]

Contrary to this, Sufis don't like to see themselves as a religion. They believe generally in devotion or 'ishq' to the supreme, the ultimate.

They don't believe in superficial distinctions between men.

They have always contested and ridiculed clergy and theodicies for its twisted and hypocritic moralities.

Here is a good link:
http://www.ruhaniat.org/

'Ruhaniat', in Farsi, literally means, spirituality.

[Danustouch]

I could have sworn I posted something on Sufism in History Forum a while back.. but it's not showing up in the related links ;) I'll have to go back and look......

[Danustouch]

Hmmmm..can't find it..I'll go check my bookmarks. I know I was reading about it somewhere.....

[Danustouch]

Here's one I rather liked.

http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/Muslim/

Another:

http://www.naqshbandi.net/haqqani/sufi/sufi_islam.html

About Women in Sufism

http://www.sufism.org/society/articles/women.html

And one more :)

http://www.sufis.org/

[Rahul]

Some worship Ram, some pray to Khoda,
Some serve the mother cow, whilst others serve their Khoda,
Some go to their revered pilgrimage whilst others go to the Haj,
The cause, the effect, the deed which is being, is one.

I tried a translation from a Punjabi Sufi Poem either by Bulley Shah or Baba Farid. It is difficult to translate the whole of it, but it is certainly close to what I feel of life.

[Mithrea]

I could have sworn I posted something on Sufism in History Forum a while back.. but it's not showing up in the related links ;) I'll have to go back and look......


Uhhhhhhhhhh I know there was one because I posted about my ex in it.

*goes on a search*

[Mithrea]

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?threadid=23454&highlight=sufi

Here was the thread I was thinking about and there is a link to your thread in it. :)

[Rahul]

@Mithrea
I read in that post that your friend thought that Sufi is close to Paganism. What I see could be another thing. Several prominent Sufis were heretical to the Wahabbi Islam which is a creation of the Arab soil. Although Sufis like Bahlol have lived in the Arabian land, like the Baghdad. But Bahlol was an Iranian. Sufism of 'Mevlana' of Roum, also known as Rumi, was an expression of the Indo-Iranianisation of the Arab's Islam.

There is a lot of poetry which appeals to me, because it is available from the original idea, in the original verse, of the original language, and I understand it. What others read is mere translation.

"Si duo faciunt idem, non est idem."

Although, it would be sensible on my part to mention Al Hajjaj, an early mystic of Arabia, whose philosophy differed from Rumi and most Indo-Iranians. Indo-Iranians looked upto their native traditions like the Upanishads and developed all religion and spirituality, until Arabs walked in.