Islam is a fast-growing monotheistic religion known for its diverse sects, and one of the most mystical branches among this group is Sufism. Sufism is defined more as a mystical dimension of Islam than a sect, where the followers involve in extreme situations to sacrifice themselves in union with god. Commonly, Sufis desire to find the divine truth through direct encounters with Allah. Many Muslims believe they are walking towards the pathway to full enlightenment. Though, Sufis intend to draw themselves closer to God and enhance their divinity.
“The knowledge of God cannot be obtained by seeking, but only those who seek it find it.”(Abu Yazid al-Bistami). This quote sums up the aim of Sufism which is that those who embark on a journey that consists of love and the remembrance of God and living a spiritual and devotional life will attain great reward. Islamic mysticism, otherwise known as Sufism or 'Tasawwuf' is the Islamic science of spirituality that aims to explore and search the 'truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God'. It involves various mystical paths that are aimed to determine the true essence of God and of humanity and also helps when encountering the 'divine love and wisdom in the world' (Sufism - Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012). Sufism is a mystical aspect or element rather than an Islamic sect.
Many Sufi's try to help individuals in trouble. They use special powers, which enable them to help people who are suffering. Of course this power can only be given by God, and Sufi's in no way equal to God's power. In fact, Sufi's that claim to be at the same level of God cannot be classified as a Muslim. (Frager 11) Sufi's stress love, because they believe that love will help you in the Day of Judgement.
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.
A passage in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, states, "Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. God does not love the aggressors"(Van Voorst 311). However, there ... ... middle of paper ... ...is true for all people in all areas of life, so expanding the Nation of Islam is a very important goal for all Muslims. To avoid being stopped or pushed back, Jihad can oftentimes become necessary, and despite what popular media may have people believe, Jihad is not evil, it is as pure as Christians saying Grace before eating or Jews wearing yarmulkes. Works Consulted and Cited Jihad.
They believe that in order for an individual to gain paradise after death, he or she should submit to the will of God. Also, the moral code of the Christian religion is the correct belief of having faith. Christian religion believes that they should always do good things to avoid bad things in order for them to emulate Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Islam religion has a different goal of life. They believed all Muslims should be faithful and sincere to their God (Allah).
When people accepted Islam as the only way of life, culture was no longer a priority in their lives. They would first turn to religion as a source of assistance and comfort, then turn to culture for familial support. Although Islam faced and continues to face a tremendous amount of discrimination it all comes down to understanding the fundamental basis of Islam. If one is well-versed in a certain subject, it is simple for him/her to accept the core message, and the same theory applies to Islam. If people research Islam and understand the underlying message, they will appreciate it and accept it as the religion chosen by Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala).
In order to understand how Aquinas affected both Hildegard and Guillaume, one must look at a bit of background of each. To start, Aquinas believed “everything is arranged in ascending order to God, the only necessary, self-sufficient being.” Aquinas also believed that faith and reason constitute two harmonious realms. They are not the same. Hildegard was born before Aquinas and therefore could not have been directly affected by his modernization of western thought. However, Hildegard was brought up very religious and held God’s will in highest regard.
It is argued that Sufism creates an opportunity for believers to meet the demands of Allah through their hearts. Proponents of this concept argue that it is only through Sufism that one gets to increase their spiritual connection with others and with Allah. While religion teaches rules of Islam such as time of prayer and movements of prayer, Sufism teaches the consecration of the heart in prayer (Murata and Chittick 269). It expands to teaching people how to connect with Allah in prayer and other religious practices. The surrender of one’s heart and soul to Allah is the core purpose of Sufism.
What is Islam and why should anyone care? This could be the question that lingers in the mind of most people who are trying to understand it. This especially since it's a major religion of the same place that spawned the Taliban. Islam itself is nothing to be afraid of thought, as it shares similar qualities to other well-known religions, like how it is a mono-theistic religion governed by the Qur'an, the holy text of the Muslims. It also has it's distinctions, like with the 5 pillars of Islam, which acts as their solid foundation of beliefs.