How is Sufism related to Islam?
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the complex relationship between Sufism and Islam. Historically, Sufism, often referred to as Islamic mysticism, has been a central part of Islamic practice. However, it has also been portrayed as separate from Islam, influenced by various external factors. The video discusses the evolution of Sufism, its practices, and the diverse ways it is perceived today, including its adaptation in the West and its incorporation into new religious movements.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Sufism is often perceived differently by various individuals, making it challenging to define precisely.
- 📚 The portrayal of Sufism frequently emphasizes its metaphysical and philosophical aspects, sometimes neglecting its practical and lived experiences.
- 🔄 Sufism's relationship with Islam is complex; it's considered Islamic mysticism but is sometimes viewed as separate or distinct from mainstream Islam.
- 🕋 Historically, Sufism has been a central part of Islamic practice, but there are contemporary arguments that attempt to separate it from Islam.
- 👤 Sufism is seen by some as predating Islam, being an ancient spiritual wisdom incorporated into the Islamic tradition.
- 🧙♂️ Early Sufis considered themselves Muslims and developed practices to deepen their relationship with God, such as Dhikr and Sama.
- 🌟 Sufism's origins are believed by some to go back to the Prophet Muhammad or even Adam, with connections to the Ahl al-Suffa.
- 🌏 Influences from outside Islam, such as Christian monasticism, have shaped the development of Sufism.
- 📉 The role of Sufism within Islam has diminished due to modernist reforms and fundamentalist opposition within the Islamic world.
- 🌉 In the West, Sufism has been incorporated into various esoteric and new religious movements, sometimes presenting it as a universal spirituality.
Q & A
What is Sufism and why is it difficult to define?
-Sufism is often referred to as Islamic mysticism and has been a central part of Islamic practice throughout history. It is difficult to define because different people conceive of it in very different ways, and discussions about Sufism are often colored by the speaker's perspective or portrayal they wish to put forth.
How has Sufism been portrayed in various contexts?
-Sufism has been portrayed in many different ways over the last century, including by academics and scholars. A common tendency has been to highlight its metaphysical and philosophical aspects, often at the expense of its actual lived and practiced realities.
What is the relationship between Sufism and Islam?
-Historically, Sufism is a part of Islam and is often referred to as Islamic mysticism. However, it is sometimes seen as somewhat separated from Islam in certain contexts, despite the strong connection between the two.
When and where did Sufism first appear?
-Sufism, known as tasawaf in Arabic, first appeared in the 8th century in places like Baghdad and Basra, generally across the newly formed Islamic empire.
What practices did early Sufis develop?
-Early Sufis developed practices like dhikr, the repetitious recital of God's names or the Islamic proclamation of faith, as well as sama or spiritual audition, involving things like music and dance.
How do Sufis view their tradition in relation to the Prophet Muhammad?
-Sufis often say that their tradition goes back directly to the Prophet Muhammad or even all the way back to Adam, the first prophet. They also connect this to a group of the Prophet's companions known as the ahl al-suffa, who are sometimes considered the forebearers of the Sufis.
What influence did the conquests of the early Islamic empire have on Sufism?
-As the Arabs conquered vast areas, they came into contact with many different religious and intellectual traditions, which had an effect on the developing traditions within Islam, including Sufism.
How did the 19th and 20th-century reform movements affect Sufism?
-Reform movements in the 19th and 20th centuries, influenced by modernist ideologies, started to question certain aspects of the Islamic tradition, including Sufism. This led to a serious decline in the role of Sufism in the Islamic world over the last century.
What is the claim that Sufism predates Islam, and is it true?
-While Sufism as we know it emerged within an Islamic framework, there are aspects of Sufism that existed before the emergence of Islam. However, when considering Sufism as a historical phenomenon and analytical category, it is intimately connected to Islam.
How has Sufism evolved in the West?
-In the West, Sufism has become a significant presence, not just due to increased migration of Muslims but also because it has been incorporated into various esoteric movements and new religious movements. There are both universalist and more orthodox or conservative Sufism practices present in the West.
What are the different perspectives on who is and isn't a Sufi today?
-With the evolution of Sufism and its broader acceptance in various forms, there are different perspectives on who is a Sufi. Some see it as strictly connected to Islam, while others have a more universal approach, and there are all kinds of variations in between.
Outlines
🧩 The Complexity of Understanding Sufism
Sufism is difficult to define as it is often viewed differently depending on the individual. Scholars like Alexander Knysh note that Sufism has been portrayed in a variety of ways, frequently emphasizing its metaphysical and philosophical aspects while overlooking its practical realities. Another debated aspect is its relationship with Islam, with some seeing it as intertwined, while others perceive it as separate. This video aims to explore these portrayals and how Sufism has functioned historically.
🤝 Sufism’s Roots in Islam
Historically, Sufism has always been an integral part of Islam, despite modern perceptions of separation. Early Sufis, influenced by the Quran and Hadith, developed ascetic practices to purify the soul and deepen one’s relationship with God. Figures such as Rabia al-Adawiyah and Junaid are seen as foundational in this movement. Sufism was not originally seen as a separate branch of Islam but rather as a deeper spiritual path within the faith.
📜 Historical and External Influences on Sufism
While Sufism developed within the Islamic framework, it was also influenced by external traditions like Christian monasticism and Neoplatonism. Some argue that elements of Sufism existed before Islam, though most scholars maintain that Sufism, as it is recognized today, is a product of Islamic teachings. Many Sufis themselves trace the origins of Sufism back to the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, linking it to the very roots of Islam.
⏳ Sufism’s Decline and Separation from Islam
Sufism was once a central part of Islamic life, but by the 19th century, modernizing reforms and movements like Salafism and Wahhabism criticized Sufism as superstitious or heretical. Western scholars also began to portray Sufism as separate from Islam, focusing on its universal spiritual aspects. These perspectives contributed to the current view of Sufism as something distinct from mainstream Islam, though this was not the case historically.
🌍 Sufism’s Evolution in the Modern World
In the 20th century, Sufism adapted to new contexts, especially in Europe and North America. Some orders, like Inayat Khan's, presented Sufism as a universal spirituality accessible to non-Muslims. This trend aligns with broader movements seeking a common spiritual core among religions. While some forms of Sufism have become separated from Islam in the minds of practitioners and outsiders, traditional Sufi orders remain closely tied to Islamic beliefs and practices.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sufism
💡Islamic Mysticism
💡Tasawuf
💡Metaphysical and Philosophical Aspects
💡Dhikr
💡Ascetical and Renunciant Practices
💡Islamic Reform Movements
💡Salafism
💡Colonialism
💡Universalist Sufi Groups
Highlights
Sufism is a complex topic, often viewed differently depending on the speaker's perspective and portrayal, making it hard to pin down.
A common portrayal of Sufism is that it emphasizes its metaphysical and philosophical aspects, often neglecting its lived practices.
Sufism is frequently described as Islamic mysticism, though some view it as separate from Islam, as seen in bookshops where Islam and Sufism are categorized distinctly.
Historically, Sufism is deeply rooted in Islam and considered a central part of Islamic practice, emerging in the 8th century in places like Baghdad and Basra.
Early Sufis, such as Rabi'a al-Adawiyya and Junayd, practiced asceticism to purify their souls, viewing it as a deeper, purer way to live as Muslims.
Many Sufis trace their practices back to the Prophet Muhammad and even to earlier prophets like Adam, indicating its integration within Islamic traditions.
Influences on early Sufis may have included Christian monasticism and Neoplatonism, but they developed within the Islamic context, emphasizing a deeper connection to God.
From the 12th century onwards, Sufism became widespread and mainstream in the Islamic world, organizing into orders (tariqahs) that shaped Islamic practices for centuries.
Sufism’s prominence declined in the 19th century, influenced by reform movements and modernizing ideologies in the Islamic world.
There has been significant opposition to Sufism from movements like Wahhabism, which views Sufi practices as foreign innovations that stray from true Islam.
Western scholars and colonialists often separated Sufism from Islam, viewing it as a more enlightened or universal wisdom distinct from what they saw as a fundamentalist religion.
In the 20th century, some Sufis themselves, like Inayat Khan, presented Sufism as a universal spirituality, open to non-Muslims, leading to movements that diverged from traditional Islamic frameworks.
Sufism today exists in various forms, from orthodox orders closely tied to Islam to more esoteric or universalist groups, particularly in Europe and North America.
The video explores the tension between traditional and modern forms of Sufism, highlighting that the tradition has evolved significantly while maintaining its Islamic roots for most practitioners.
Modern-day Sufism’s connection to Islam is often debated, with both supporters and critics shaping narratives around its identity and place within or outside of Islam.
Transcripts
sufism can be a hard topic to cover for
various reasons
different people will often conceive of
it in very different ways which makes it
very difficult to pin down
as with any topic the discussion will
always be colored by the person
talking and the particular perspective
or portrayal
that that person wants to put forth
about a certain subject like sufism for
example
as alexander knows points out in his
excellent recent book called
sufism sufism has been portrayed in many
different
ways over the last century including by
academics and scholars
and a very common tendency in the
portrayal of sufism has been to
highlight its
metaphysical and philosophical aspects
often at the expense
of its actual lived and practiced
realities
another aspect of sufism that is often
portrayed in very different ways
is its relationship with islam while it
is often called islamic mysticism
sufism is sometimes in certain contexts
seen as something that is somehow a bit
separated from islam
we can see this for example that if we
walk into a bookshop or a library
we often see a category labeled as islam
and sufism clearly a common idea is that
there is some kind of difference between
the two
even if they are strongly connected but
is this the way that sufisms function
historically
and what differences are there in the
way that sufism is conceived of and
practiced
[Music]
[Applause]
today
[Music]
this video is a collaboration with my
friend dr angela puka
from the channel angelus symposium
angela is a religious studies phd and a
university lecturer
whose youtube channel specializes in the
academic study of religious movements
that incorporate magical practices of
different sorts
so please make sure to check out her
video on sufism in western euterracism
the companion video to this one
and to subscribe to her channel and i
will link all of that in the
description and in a card which you can
click above
the topic of this video is partly
inspired by a question i got for a
patron only q a that i did a few weeks
ago
where i was asked about sufism's
relationship to islam
whether it predates islam or if it's
somehow
something different from islam basically
and this can be a complicated topic that
is often
influenced or is often colored by
subjective
opinion and bias but let's try to get as
broad of a picture of this topic as
possible
so to start off with a very simple and
general question
is sufism a part of islam
and from a historical objective opinion
without taking
normative theology into account yes
it definitely is sufism as i mentioned
is often referred to
as islamic mysticism and has served as a
central part of islamic practice
throughout history
that much we can be certain about but
today we often hear arguments that
sufism is somehow separated from islam
and this kind of argument comes from all
kinds of directions both hostile and
friendly
contemporary new religious movements
that incorporate aspects of sufism
often presented as a universal or
ancient wisdom
that transcends the religion of islam
and many
universalist sufi groups today actually
make the same kind of argument
but we also see similar statements from
groups that are very hostile to sufism
within islam
groups like these salafists or the
wahhabis or muslim reform movements in
general who see sufism as
you know superstitious foreign-inspired
innovations that has nothing to do with
quote-unquote
real islam we also often hear
contemporary persian or
iranian nationalist groups who want to
claim that sufism somehow predates islam
and is part of some kind of
ancient persian heritage that only
entered the religion of islam
with the influence of persian culture
but is any of this true
the thing is it's pretty complicated and
sometimes it depends on the perspective
you choose to view it from
but scholars who study sufism or islamic
history
mostly agree that sufism is an islamic
phenomenon that appears in an islamic
context
sufism as we know it which is known as
tasawaf in arabic
appears for the first time in the 8th
century in places like baghdad
and basra and generally across the newly
formed islamic empire
or civilization the so-called sufis
although they weren't universally called
this name at this point
took the islamic religion and its
sources the quran and hadith
as its starting point and then developed
ascetical and renunciant
practices that was aimed to deepen the
person's relationship with god
and to purify the soul from worldliness
and sin
famous figures like mohasebi nun
al-misri
rabia al-adawiyah junaid
and many others are some examples of
these early so-called sufis
they developed practices like vikkur the
repetitious recital of god's names or
the islamic proclamation of faith as
well as sama or spiritual audition
involving things like music and dance it
is no doubt that these early renuncians
and mystics consider themselves
muslims who practice the religion of
islam
to them the practices that we call
sufism was simply the deeper and more
pure way to live
as a muslim and follow the quran and
sunnah of the prophet muhammad
sufis themselves will often say that the
tradition goes back directly to the
prophet muhammad or even all the way
back to adam the first prophet
and man they also connect this to a
group of the prophet's companions
known as the ahled sufa the people of
the bench
which is a kind of spiritual elite who
lived in a section of the prophet's
mosque in medina
and who are sometimes considered to be
the kind of forebearers of the sufis
but of course influence was taken from
outside as well
as the arabs conquered vast areas in the
middle east and north africa and all the
way to
india they came into contact with many
different religious and intellectual
traditions which all of course had an
effect
on the developing traditions within
islam including
sufism many scholars today will argue
that one of the primary
inspirations for the early proto-sufis
or renuncians
were the christian monastics who lived
in the middle east at the time
but nonetheless what is important to
remember is that for these so-called
sufis both in this early period and for
most of history
sufism was not considered its own branch
of islam or something separated from
islam
at all sufism or tasawolf simply denoted
a certain
aspect or tendency within islam we call
we could call it a spiritual aspect of
islam
now a few centuries later from the 12th
century onwards
sufism became so widespread and popular
that it was the mainstream
basically the movement had started to
formulate some of its basic systematic
teachings and practices and perhaps most
importantly
had started to organize themselves into
orders tariqta
or turoq in plural these
these orders were founded around certain
sufi saints and teachers
and would have an enormous influence in
all of the islamic world
sufism has in fact been a central part
of mainstream islam
from the middle ages and right up until
the
well the 19th century really when
certain
reform movements sort of modernizing
reform movements as well as other
factors played into sufism's
eventual decline you could say really
most
muslims in history at least before the
19th century
have been connected to sufism and its
different orders
in some way it really has been that
significant
but today however it is often portrayed
and presented as something
like a fringe sect and a small branch or
small sect within islam something that
definitely is not
reflected in history so that's point
number one
for most of its history sufism and islam
has basically been one and the same
thing
tasawolf has simply been a certain
theoretical and practical tendency
within the religion
alongside things like jurisprudence or
kalam
theology sufism should not be seen as
its own branch of islam like
shia and sunni instead sufism is a
certain
tendency or a certain aspect within
islam a certain practical
and sometimes theoretical tendency but
does this mean that we can't somehow
separate between the categories of
islam and sufism today
well not necessarily as we saw earlier
there are many today who will hold that
sufism is somehow separated from more
different from islam
and that even some sufis today hold this
position so
clearly even though this was not the
case in historically
clearly something is a bit different
today we can start by addressing the
often stated claim
that sufism somehow predates islam
that sufism is some kind of ancient
spiritual wisdom
that was only appropriated by the
islamic religion but that really
in a large historical sense transcends
it you hear this
argument from many different peoples
including
indeed by some sufis themselves today so
is this claim true then
well i would say yes and no while as i
said earlier sufism as we know it
definitely emerges in an islamic
framework
certainly there are also aspects of
sufism that existed before the emergence
of islam
we already talked about the fact that
the early proto-sufis were most likely
influenced by things like christian
monasticism
as well as other traditions from the
ancient world including neoplatonism
and maybe hermeticism it would be very
hard to deny that
some aspects of what we call sufism
today did exist in some form
before the mission of the prophet
muhammad but when we talk about sufism
as an analytical category and historical
phenomenon
it is intimately connected to the
religion of islam and the context
shortly after its emergence
another important aspect to take into
consideration here is that the sufis or
muslims themselves
wouldn't necessarily disagree indeed one
of the primary tenets of islamic belief
is that the religion existed since
before muhammad
muslims believe that god has sent the
same message to various prophets across
history
including prophets like moses and jesus
and that any similarity that we find
between
islam and other religions can be
explained by this fact
the teachings of islam and thus sufism
existed before muhammad
and all the way back to adam himself so
the argument that sufism existed before
islam
is often countered from within the
islamic religion itself
in this way of course it existed since
before muhammad
because islam itself did so in the end
it really depends on how you look at it
from one perspective certain aspects of
what we call sufism
did exist before islam at least as
defined as the
religion brought by the prophet muhammad
but if we don't want to make the term
sufism so broad that it ceases to have
any meaning because it can mean anything
then we should we should recognize the
fact that
sufism as we know it the particular
movement and tradition that we call
sufism
does emerge in an islamic framework and
as a particular
aspect of the religion of islam but
things today can look
quite a bit different while we have seen
that for most of history
sufism or tasawaf was an integral and
very central aspect of islamic belief
and practices on a mainstream level for
most of history
this is not necessarily the case today
instead sufism today is often seen as
something that is somehow separated from
islam
and defined as a category of its own and
there are a lot of reasons for this
sufism's relationship with islam has
really been attacked
from several fronts over the last
centuries
one important factor in this development
is as always colonialism
with the influx of modernist ideologies
into the middle east
muslim reformists in the 19th and early
20th century
started to question certain aspects of
the islamic tradition
the middle east wanted to quote unquote
catch up to the modernization in europe
and many attempts were made to reform
the religion
in this movement intellectuals like
muhammad abdul
rashid riddha and even thinkers like
ahmed khan and muhammad iqbal who while
he was a fan of rumi saw sufism as
problematic
sufism represented irrational
superstition that created idol and
apathetic muslims
instead of active participants in the
political changes that were to take
place
and many of these reform movements of
the 19th and 20th centuries
have become so widespread and so
successful
that the role of sufism in the islamic
world has been
seriously diminished over the last
century at the same time
many western colonialist thinkers as
well as academics and intellectuals
took an interest in sufi writings around
the turn of the 20th century
they started translating sufi poetry and
so on
in a quite well racist and bigoted way
they couldn't possibly reconcile the
beautiful expressions of sufi writings
with what they consider to be a religion
that was fundamentalist by nature
intolerant and shallow and so on in
other words to the colonialist scholars
sufism must be something other than
islam
it must be something that exists in
spite of islam not because of it
so not only did colonialism indirectly
lead to developments in the islamic
intellectual context where sufism
started to be looked at with
skepticism and and and critique
the colonialist thinkers and economics
themselves started to
use rhetoric and talk about sufism in a
way that seemed to separate it from
islam but another very important factor
in this
is the rise of what we call
fundamentalist
movements within islam groups like the
wahhabis who appears in the 18th
century and who were very openly and and
strictly against all forms of sufism
started to gain a lot of traction in
arabia
and connected to this the so-called
salafis who emerged
partly as a result of the reform
movements that i mentioned earlier
also became a significant player and
significant force
in the 20th century and even up until
today
these groups have often actively opposed
sufism
and often see it as a heretical
innovation
to the what they conceive of as the true
nature of islam so we have an attack on
sufism's relationship with islam from
multiple directions
from modernist muslims who see it as old
superstition
to salafis and wahhabis who see it as
innovation and heresy
and even western scholars and academics
who wanted to portray sufism
as a category that could stand on its
own without necessary connections to
islam
finally and connected to all of this
certain
tendencies and developments within
sufism itself
has also led in this kind of direction
with the increased communication between
different peoples around the world and
different cultures and
and the increased communication
generally
many sufis at the start of the 20th
century for example
started to formulate their tradition
in more universal ways in the early 20th
century as the first sufi teachers
started to reach
europe they sometimes adapted to the
cultures and circumstances on the
continent
a prime example of this is the shishti
master inayat
khan who traveled widely across europe
and north america to spread his sufi
message
before his death in 1927 he gradually
developed a sufism that was open to
non-muslims
and presented as a more universal
spirituality with affinities to other
spiritual traditions like hinduism
his order currently called inayatiya is
still alive and popular and is led by
his grandson
pierre zia inayat khan and this is just
one example of a
wider development within sufism
especially as it has reached europe and
north america
there is also symptomatic of an even
wider
movement in development in in
spirituality and
religion generally where
by the turn of the 20th century many
movements started to appear that wanted
to find the
kind of common core to all religions
this included the theosophical society
for example led by
helena blavatsky as well as the
perennial school or traditional school
that also started to appear at around
this time this was a general
tendency at this time to find a kind of
universal
universal spirituality and sufism became
often a
important part in that mission or in
that development
and for the rest of the 20th century and
up until today
sufism has become a significant presence
in
europe and north america not just
because of the fact that
there has been an increased migration of
muslims into these
continents but also the fact that sufism
has been incorporated
into various esoteric movements and new
religious movements
in in europe and north america today
that have taken certain
uh features of sufism and incorporated
it into their own practices and beliefs
in the 1960s and the surrounding period
with the increased interest in eastern
wisdoms and spirituality
sufism was one of these traditions that
many people were
or became interested in it never became
as
famous or popular as various forms of
hinduism and buddhism
but it nonetheless was part of this
wider culture and this cultural change
and this situation very much remains
until today
sufism can be found in many different
varieties and in different expressions
in the so-called western world
as i said with the increased migration
of muslims
into europe and into north america
the more you say traditional forms of
sufism that is
so intimately connected to the religion
of islam
has also come to have a strong presence
now
in in in the west so we have sufi
movements who have a
very universalist approach practicing a
form of sufism
divorced from its islamic aspects but we
also have traditional sufi orders to
have a much more
you could say orthodox or conservative
perspective on the situation
and all kinds of variations in between
these two
and with this in mind who are we to say
who is and who isn't
a sufi as with all religious traditions
sufism is constantly evolving and
changing adapting to new situations and
contexts
while sufism historically has been
basically a part of islam
today sufism has in a way become
something broader
and there are sections of the tradition
which has become separated from islam
at least in the minds of some of its
practitioners or
or even from some outsiders as we talked
about in the beginning
everyone wants to frame sufism according
to their own narratives
but as with any religious tradition like
this things are always a lot more
complex
sufism can be and has partly become a
lot of different things
for most practitioners in the world it
is still synonymous with islam
but we have also seen that others have a
different approach to it
and this is the reality that we find
ourselves in today
in the west sufism or certain aspects of
sufism
is often incorporated into various
esoteric communities or traditions
this is not necessarily something new
this kind of thing has been going on for
centuries
but it's perhaps even more so today than
it has ever been
and this is a topic that my friend
angela puka will be discussing in her
companion video
so again i'll remind you please check
out her video
right after you have seen this one i'll
leave a link to that in the description
and the in the comments as well
i hope this video cleared up some
questions when it comes to the
relationship between
sufism and islam and then it gave you a
few things to think about when it comes
to the
complexity and depth of a question or
discussion like this
there is a lot more to be said and there
are aspects this that i haven't been
able to cover in this
relatively short video but inevitably
this will be an ongoing
conversation and i look forward to
seeing what you have to say in the
comments
i'll see you next time as always this
video was sponsored by our patrons
including two of the new saints
nadim sabik and nasir zaok thank you
both so much and thank you to all of my
patrons you are really the reason that i
can keep making these
scholarly and academic videos if anyone
else wants to become a patron i will
leave a link to my patreon page in the
description or you can leave a one-time
donation through paypal
and all that will be available in the
comments and
probably also in the description see in
the next video
[Music]
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