Sufism

Sufism, or tasawwuf, is the mystical dimension of Islam that emphasizes the inward search for God and the purification of the heart. Sufis seek a direct, personal experience of the divine, often through a disciplined path that combines intention (niyyah), remembrance of God (dhikr), ethical reform, and spiritual guidance from a teacher (shaikh) within a formal lineage (silsila) of transmission. The term is believed to derive from woolen garments worn by early ascetics, and from the emphasis on inner abiding in God.

Historically, Sufism emerged within early Islamic society and developed through influences from Islamic thought, Persian and Central Asian spirituality, and pre-Islamic mysticism. By the 8th–9th centuries, organized orders known as tariqas formed around ascetic founders and later saints, such as Rabia al-Adawiyya, al-Ghazali, and Ibn Arabi. Poetry and music became prominent in many orders, notably in Rumi and the Mevlevi tradition.

Core concepts include tawhid (the oneness of God), fana’ (annihilation of the self in God) and baqa’ (subsistence in God), and love as the primary motive of the journey. Practices vary by order but commonly include dhikr, muraqabah (meditation), sama (spiritual listening), and ethical purification.

Sufi orders are widespread across the Muslim world, especially in South Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, often blending local culture with spiritual boundaries and charitable activity. Sufism has interacted with mainstream Islamic scholarship in diverse ways, from criticism to integration. Today it remains a prominent, though contested, aspect of Muslim spirituality.