Islam can be defined as the religion of the Muslims. It is a monotheistic, the belief that there is
only one God, faith that was revealed through Muhammad, the prophet, by
the Allah. Within Islam, as
other religions, there are different sects. While each sect takes on their own way of processing their
faith, they all have the same beliefs. In this paper, I will discuss two sects of Islam, Sufism and Salafism.
Sufism can
be described as “Islamic Mysticism”. It is not so much a system of beliefs, as it a
more personal experience. Muslims seek to find truth, love, and knowledge through a more direct and
personal relationship with God.
The word “Sufi” itself comes from
the Arabic word for a mystic, Sufi,
which is then derived…show more content…
The Sufi’s
interpreted
their individual relationship with God through each of these names. His
teachings on the Qur’an also rev
ealed that every verse or word in the scriptures revealed something
different to the individual reader. Sufi poets also started to become popular in this time. Jalal al
-
Din
Rumi was known to be one of the greatest mystical poets.
His poetry is said to b
e second in importance
to the Qur’an by Persian
-
reading mystics. This is because it is said to be a collection of mystical thought
in which anyone can find their own interpretation on religious ideals. These two men, amongst others,
inspired may of the f
raternal orders to explore Islam in a more personal and meaningful way, thus the
idea of Sufism began to spread through all of Islam.
While Sufism does acknowledge some of the traditional rituals of traditional Islam, such as the
five daily prayers, Ram
adan and the Feast of the Sacrifice, the do participate in other rituals or actions to
expand their religious experience. One of these rituals is called
Dhikr
. This is the act of reciting phrases
or prayers repeatedly either aloud or to
one’s
self. A ce
remony within
Dhikr
is called Sama.…show more content…
Experience was very important, and each illumination that
God granted could not go against the Qur’an and tradition. Truths could be revealed through dreams,
visions and other spiritual revelations. This is partly
why orthodox Muslims disagree with Sufism. They
feel that Sufis have taken on aspects of Western religions and this is something that Muhammad had
warned against. Sufism is also being blamed for the backsliding of the religion since it has adopted
aspect
s of other cultures and religions.
Salafism can be described as
the Muslims who follow the early traditional teachings of Islam and
Muhammad. To the prophet Muhammed, his followers were the best of his community and his
generations an
d
the ones to follo
w them. The word Salafi comes from the Arabic word “salaf” which
means predecessor or forefather. This word is associated with the first three generations of Muslims.
These Muslims consider the earliest practices of Islam to be the most pure and real fo
rm of the religion.
They take a more literal approach to the sacred writings of Islam scripture such as the Qur’an and the
hadith. Unlike the Sufi’s, they are against the worship and visitation of
only one God, faith that was revealed through Muhammad, the prophet, by
the Allah. Within Islam, as
other religions, there are different sects. While each sect takes on their own way of processing their
faith, they all have the same beliefs. In this paper, I will discuss two sects of Islam, Sufism and Salafism.
Sufism can
be described as “Islamic Mysticism”. It is not so much a system of beliefs, as it a
more personal experience. Muslims seek to find truth, love, and knowledge through a more direct and
personal relationship with God.
The word “Sufi” itself comes from
the Arabic word for a mystic, Sufi,
which is then derived…show more content…
The Sufi’s
interpreted
their individual relationship with God through each of these names. His
teachings on the Qur’an also rev
ealed that every verse or word in the scriptures revealed something
different to the individual reader. Sufi poets also started to become popular in this time. Jalal al
-
Din
Rumi was known to be one of the greatest mystical poets.
His poetry is said to b
e second in importance
to the Qur’an by Persian
-
reading mystics. This is because it is said to be a collection of mystical thought
in which anyone can find their own interpretation on religious ideals. These two men, amongst others,
inspired may of the f
raternal orders to explore Islam in a more personal and meaningful way, thus the
idea of Sufism began to spread through all of Islam.
While Sufism does acknowledge some of the traditional rituals of traditional Islam, such as the
five daily prayers, Ram
adan and the Feast of the Sacrifice, the do participate in other rituals or actions to
expand their religious experience. One of these rituals is called
Dhikr
. This is the act of reciting phrases
or prayers repeatedly either aloud or to
one’s
self. A ce
remony within
Dhikr
is called Sama.…show more content…
Experience was very important, and each illumination that
God granted could not go against the Qur’an and tradition. Truths could be revealed through dreams,
visions and other spiritual revelations. This is partly
why orthodox Muslims disagree with Sufism. They
feel that Sufis have taken on aspects of Western religions and this is something that Muhammad had
warned against. Sufism is also being blamed for the backsliding of the religion since it has adopted
aspect
s of other cultures and religions.
Salafism can be described as
the Muslims who follow the early traditional teachings of Islam and
Muhammad. To the prophet Muhammed, his followers were the best of his community and his
generations an
d
the ones to follo
w them. The word Salafi comes from the Arabic word “salaf” which
means predecessor or forefather. This word is associated with the first three generations of Muslims.
These Muslims consider the earliest practices of Islam to be the most pure and real fo
rm of the religion.
They take a more literal approach to the sacred writings of Islam scripture such as the Qur’an and the
hadith. Unlike the Sufi’s, they are against the worship and visitation of